Making a bolster pillow for bobbin lace

(Check here for how to make a flat, block lace pillow).

I am Italian, and while the first type of bobbin lace I started studying is in the British tradition (Bucks, Beds, torchon), which is typically the “palms down” type, worked on a cookie (or flat) pillow (of course there are exceptions – Honiton pillows are not cookies but look more like a drum, and bolster pillows are used in the UK too, but not as frequently as far as I can tell), I always wanted to get back to my own traditions – Italian laces are typically of the brade lace type (Cantù, Goriziano, and Ligure to name just a few) but not only (Aquilano). The overwhelming majority of Italian laces are however done on a bolster apart from some notable exceptions (e.g. the tradition in at least some areas in Tuscany seems to be cookie pillows, I’ve seen some really huge ones!).

The diameter of these changes too – Gorizian lace (which is related to Idrija – geographically they are not too far from one another) is done on smaller diameter pillows, about 18-20cm, while Cantù lace is done on 25cm diameter pillows.

Fillings and shapes are different too – Cantù pillows have a hollow centre:

and are typically filled with straw like materials or linen flax, while Gorizian lace bolsters are full and filled with sawdust. Boltsers from Cogne are filled with felt and woollens, and are even “hollower” than Cantù ones:

and I am sure there are many other types (the ones in these pictures are nicked by the Tombolo e disegni website – an amazing store where you can find anything lace related that you can think of: if it exists, they stock it – and deliver worldwide!).

Some bolsters are gorgeous displays of beautiful wood craftmanship, like the ones from the Piedmont region of Val Varaita (just have a look at these, to die for!), not to mention the bobbins themselves, which can also be very intricately decorated – the weight on the bottom of the bobbins gives you an idea of the thickness of the thread to be used. These are different from bolsters for needle lace, which have to be softer as the actual pattern is kept above the bolster from a roller pin like implement that keeps the right tension – but to regulate tension the bolster is softer. A lacemaker from the Museo del Pizzo di Burano told me her bolster was filled with tastowels and suchlike.

Bolsters and bobbins can be a thing of beauty – what about this one?

(picture from here) and frankly I could quite easily fill my house with all sorts of bolsters and supports, and spend my days looking at them…. but I digress

So, what did I do? I wanted a 25cm diameter bolster, packed hard with straw. This is because I find the crunch of straw under the pressure of the pins enormously satisfying, and since you’ll be spending hours at your bolster, why not enjoy every single second?

If you do go the straw route, be aware of the following:

1. whatever you think, the pillow will take much more straw than you think. Think of the dimensions you like, calculate the corresponding volume, then check the weight of the chopped, compressed, dust extracted straw you buy. You want to keep the same proportions with your bolster – indeed such a pity they don’t sell straw in cylinders, as covering that would give you your pillow! This is really important, as to make sure your pillow is
2. even if you get dust extracted straw, there will be dust generated in the process, so make sure you cover your mouth and eyes – in these post covid times I found FFP2 masks to do the job remarkably well!
3. even if you are careful, there will be stray straw going around – so
4. be patient and be strong: allow quite a bit of time for the filling (two hours isn’t unreasonable), and be prepared for a full body workout and a lot of sweat. Buy a ready made pillow otherwise, as the risk is to end up with a substandard product after a lot of effort, which would be a pity. The good thing is that you can always reopen the pillow and get some more straw in.

So, here are my supplies:

• 2 x 25cm/10″ diameter strong round disks (some sources suggest using cardboard) that will form the ends of your bolster – I wanted wood ones, but in the end it was too easy to get a pair of extra strong MDF cake bases from Lakeland, thin but really sturdy, you will need something to withstand pressure.
• straw – I went for barley straw, which is the tradition in the UK, and got some chopped, dust extracted, compressed one (3kg), to avoid having to chop it myself (smaller bits pack more tightly).
• fabric: some heavy calico or heavy (say curtain weight) cotton for the actual pillow, and some lighter fabric for the removable cover.
• 6mm or 8mm cotton drawstring cord
• a mallet, or a heavy rolling pin, or a cricket bat, or whatever will allow you to bash the straw.

To begin with, I found it rather useful to have a look at this video, just to see from beginning to end how it would have to be:

How to make a straw filled bolster – he uses cardboard as ends

Then it was time to get started – but how much straw did I need? The guy in the video mentions “a third of a bale of straw” but surely it depends on how big your bolster, and I wanted to be sure I ended up with the right density. I needed to do some homework…

Some pillow math – how much straw?

The pillow must be dense – since the barley straw I bought felt quite right, I calculated its density, so as to replicate the same for my pillow.

The 3kg package measured 18 x 28 x 45cm=22,680 cubic cm. This means that each cubic cm weighed 3,000g/22,680=0.132g.

I wanted my pillow to be 30cm wide – with 25cm diameter, its finished volume would be 12.5 x 12.5 x 3.14 x 30cm=14,718.75 cubic cm. Hence to obtain the same density as the bale I bought, I needed 0.132 x 14,718.75=1.943kg of straw.

I cut two 60cm x 90cm (i.e. 24″ x 36″) rectangles out of each of the two fabrics, and sew two cylinders out of each, allowing for a doubled up hem as casing for the drawstring. I sewed the seam along the length of the casing three times with silk thread, the strongest natural thread (I think) as I did not want to go down the polyester route. That seam has to take a lot of pressure, not just while stuffing, but also for the lifetime of the pillow. I also made sure that the diameter of the casing was snug around the end disks.

I pulled the drawstring so as to leave about 5cm opening (I allowed 10cm overall with the base) put one disk in, put everything into a large moving cardboard box to contain the mess, and got into stuffing the pillowcase.

Stuffing the pillow – note how the seam is pulling out at the base, where I have compressed more.

I had to stab the straw with a carving knife every so often to ensure I packed it tightly. The hardest part was towards the end, as I had to put in the other end, draw in as much as possible, and check the length of the pillow to be just 30cm, to make sure I had packed it right.

Once the pillow was done (which is quite a workout), I had to get rid of the bumps, so as to have as much of a smooth surface as it is possible with straw. So I took the thick rolling pin you can see in the picture above, and went to work on it. I literally rolled the side (with considerable force) until it looked reasonably smooth. That takes a while, too.

In the end the total weight of this pillow, including fabric and ends, is 2,114 grams so about 150g more than the straw I wanted to put in, which makes me think that I got the density about right, though possibly there is a bit less straw than I wanted. But I am pretty happy with the results, and working on it is quite a joy!

This was in fact my second pillow, the first one I think needs a bit more straw and a bit more bashing, so perfect activity when you have some steam to let off, perhaps on a rainy day…

Making a block pillow for bobbin lace

(Check here for how to make a bolster pillow for bobbin lace)

Block pillows are very useful for bobbin lace done on a flat (i.e. non bolster) pillow, as it allows the lacemaker to progress the lace without having to “move up”: once your lace occupies most of the pillow, you have to unpin and move the whole thing up/sideways to continue, say you are working on a tablecloth or anything larger than a motif.

For me the drawback is that blocks are typically made of foam, and after a while all the pinning makes them go soft, not to mention that I’d like as much as possible to stick to natural materials.

I had come across a German lace supplier selling felt block pillows: beautiful, but very expensive, and on top of that the covering seemed to be held by glue, so I wasn’t too convinced I’d be happy afterwards. And so it was that I set out to make my own, and here is how I did.

First of all I ordered 50cm of this 100% wool industrial felt: it is denoted as “soft” for industrial purposes, but it is in fact pretty stiff, and I do mean stiff! But my expert lacemaking friends tells me that pillows must be stiff to hold the pins well, so why not?!

Before ordering I had tested on a sample that it would be stiff enough to hold the pins, but also soft enough not to be impenetrable (they kindly sent me a small sample, which was enough for testing). The “0.18 density” denomination means that it weighs 0.18g/cm³. So the whole 180cm wide piece I ordered (which came rolled up) weighs 180×1.2x50x0.18/1000=1.944kg. I should add that this was by far the cheapest 100% wool felt I could find, and in the right density (most others were denser, and I was afraid pins just won’t go in), and the people there couldn’t have been more helpful (and my guess is that mine was a tiny purchase from their point of view).

I made the blocks by dividing the 180cm wide strip into four pieces. I then put three of them one atop the other and cut through. To cut through this dense felt you will need a cutter – this video was very useful for me to figure out how to cut the felt:

How to cut through thick felt – video by The Felt Store

It is worth investing in a good cutter with a suitably long blade (as in the video) – mine has a short blade, so it did take a bit of extra work.

The blocks over the felt base

1 block= 3 12mm layers

The felt blocks are cut!

The blocks aren’t exactly identical (thanks to the cutter and my “skills”): I thought the covering would take care of that, but I kept track of the original position when I cut just in case. The blocks are laid on the uncut fourth piece.

To cover the blocks I used strips of calico and of close weave quilting cotton. I washed them first, just to be sure that especially the cotton would not run off any dye. Before cutting any pieces I “starched the hell out of them”, following the expert advice of a very accomplished quilter friend of mine. Just a couple of points to note with starching:

1. I put the piece of fabric to be ironed flat on a tiled floor and sprayed it with starch to make sure it was evenly covered in starch. Any starch ending up on the floor will make it very slippery, so make sure to clean it up very carefully;

2. if you starch while ironing, be aware that any starch ending up on your ironing board may be burnt by the iron if it comes in direct contact, so again do wipe it out

3. iron without steam.

The starching makes the fabric very crisp and stiff, making it really easy to cut. It also removes the need to zigzag at the cut.

I first cut a template in tracing paper, checking that it would accommodate each block, then cut the fabric.

The template should of course include a a seam allowance. I cut both calico and cover cotton of the same side, of course bear in mind that the covering cotton will have to also accommodate the thickness of the calico.

Fabric ready for stitching

Again following the advice of my seamstress friend, I stitched the strips of fabric around the blocks using slip stitch. I found this video really useful to figure out the slip stitch, though unlike the video I had a seam allowance on both ends being stitched together:

How to sew slip stich/ladder stitch (video by J. A. Milton
upholstery)

My stitches were of course also much closer, I’d say about 3-4mm. I took an amount of thread equal to three times the length to stitch. Not sure what the size of my needle was though.

Stitching the cover so that it fits snugly means you have to pull the thread a lot, so I used silk sewing thread (Gütermann S303), which comes in many shades. I happened to have already the exact shades I needed, though with slip stitch the stitching should be invisible, so it should not really matter.

For each block, I started by stitching a tube (along the long side – my blocks are not square) with the calico: I made the the seam allowance so that it would fit the block snugly, but I stitched the fabric without the block inside, so that I could press the inside seams flat. I then slipped the block inside, so that the seam would be in the middle of a side. I pressed a seam allowance of about 5mm to cover the other two short sides, stitching it all along, then tucking the two corners inside. I pressed with the hot iron all around the block.

One block done, on to the next

The long side is stitched

seam allowance on the short sides

Pinning the short side for stitching

Block cover stitched, and c
orners tucked in

I repeated the same process with the cover fabric, wrapping it over the calico.

Of course there is nothing preventing using the sewing machine for two out of the three seams required for each cover, which is what I ended up doing after sewing both covers for the first two blocks.

And then it is done!

All is left for me to do is to add a strap all around to tighten up and minimise the (unavoidable) gaps.

Still to come, how I made a bolster bobbin lace pillow!

Bobbin lace – a beginner’s guide to beginning!

My slide into galleries deep down the thread and yarn crafts rabbit hole continues inexorably and is gathering pace… and so it was that in the middle of June I became the proud owner of the necessary supplies to get started on bobbin lace. It shares aspects with weaving, but with the roles of warp and weft threads constantly changing.

There are two broad classes of bobbin lace: continuous lace and part lace. The names tell it all, in that continuous lace consists in working the final piece as a single item, while in part lace various motifs are stitched independently then joined together.

Bobbin lace uses, of course, bobbins, and on these alone the selection is pretty much infinite – they go from machine made to hand turned, out of wood, bone or metal, resin and even glass (in addition to plastic – though these are pretty rare). They can easily turn into works of art, and master craftsmen and artist embellish them in all sorts of ways, from inlays of brass wire, silver, gold and other materials, to intricate carving, to beautiful painted decorations. A list of lace bobbin makers and decorators is here – so they are mostly UK based, with the exception of one maker based in Belgium. In addition to these here is a link to Jean Roux, in France, who delivers to the UK and has some exquisite work (continental lace bobbins only).

Bobbins hold thread (cotton, linen, silk) that is pinned (yes, you need a ton of pins) on a pillow – and here too, the variations are very many. Again, there are two main families: the bolster pillow, around a roller, which usually is worked “palms up”, that is the bobbins hang freely down the pillow (from the pins), and the lace maker manipulates . Mostly a tradition of continental Europe, this uses so called continental bobbins, which have a bulbous end to tension the thread. The second category is mostly flat, or domed shaped (cookie pillow, flat pillow). The lacemaker in this case works typically “palms down”, as the bobbins lay on the pillow and are shifted around. For these pillows typically you’d use Midland bobbins, which are uniformly thing. To avoid them rolling around the pillow they are spangled with beads (can you see another sliding gallery opening here?!), adding a further array of possibilities for personalisation and decoration of your tools. Why not use precious stones for spangles?

Chris Parsons‘ beautifully hand turned bobbins – these are among the simplest in his range

How beautiful bobbins can be is really hard to describe – the bone ones decorated with flowers and butterflies pictured at the top are my first crafted bobbins, beautifully painted by Dee Carver. The pins in the picture above are “divider pins”, which are used to separate various groups of bobbins – obviously the lace maker needs these to be very pretty too!

The beads attached are the top are typical of the “Midland” style of bobbins which are prevalent in the UK bobbin lace tradition, and are needed to both weigh the bobbins to improve tension, as well as to avoid the bobbins rolling around. Those beads are called “spangles”, and spangling (i.e. adding beads to bobbins) of course opens up all sorts of possibilities.

Semi precious stone spangles

Pairing bobbins to spangles

Talented, award winning designer Louise West has an instructional YouTube channel – among other things, she also expansion how to spangle bobbins:

Louise West on bobbin spangling

Bobbins work in pairs, each pair holding a different end of the same thread, and the whole process is based on two basic movements involving two pairs: Crossing and twisting. A cross is when the bobbin from one pair moves from the left to the right and over the adjacent bobbin from the other pair. A twist is when one bobbin moves from right to left and over the adjacent bobbin in the same pair. And that’s pretty much the basis of bobbin lace making, the same as “over, under; under, over” is on the basis of weaving. And yet endless sequences of combinations of these movements produce some amazing cloth – this fascinates me no end!

The pinning, crossing and twisting takes place following a pattern, which is prepared, or “pricked”, on sturdy card that is pinned to the lace pillow: pricking consists in making holes in the cards where the pins to make the pattern will go. The pricking of the pattern can take even hours for a complex/large pattern, and lace makers do embrace technology. The amazing Louise West has developed. And of course there is software to make patterns, too.

As in weaving, the connection with maths is inevitable – so enter Veronika Irvine, an amazing artist who also happens to be an academic mathematician and computer scientist. Tech and lace are an obvious match for modern times, and I will blog on this separately – for the moment I invite you to lose yourself in Veronica’s site.

So, if you catch the bug, where to start? Torchon seems a favourite to introduce the absolute beginner to the magic of lace, so that is where I am starting from – here are my very first and very bumpy practice pieces (first to the left, last to the right), there is at least one mistake in most of them.

My first lace samplers – first two from the left are from Doris Southard’s book, the other four correspond to the first four exercise in Bridget Cook’s “Torchon Lace Workbook” – with warts and all!

Below the books I am using (there are a couple more that I could not source, but are usually highly recommended: Pamela Nottingham’s “The Technique of Bobbin Lace”, 2001 edition; Betty Alderson’s “Bobbin Lace Without a Teacher”; and Christine Stringett’s “The Torchon Lace Book”). Of those I have, the three I would consider essential are both of Bridget Cook’s and Jan Tregidgo’s book, however I am happy that I have all five:

	“The Torchon Lace workbook”, by Bridget M. Cook An excellent book for beginners, strikes a great balance between thorough instructions and getting you going. Ten increasingly involved exercises covering the all the basic elements, and 27 patterns. Wonderful diagrams show clearly the interlacing between the treads. Definitely one to have.
	“Torchon Lacemaking: A Step-by-Step Guide”, by Jan Tregidgo Another excellent beginner book, this covers more ground than the previous one, though it proceeds more slowly. Rather than diagrams, there are a zillion photographs, and each sampler is presented both in white only and in a version with bobbin pairs in many different colours to show the paths clearly. Another must have.
	“Lessons in Bobbin Lacemaking”, by Doris Southard Probably the most old fashioned in terms of teaching style, in that it lacks the detailed photos and diagrams of the previous two books, but it is the only one that ventures into other types of lace. Another one for the bookshelf!
	“Beginner’s guide to bobbin lace”, by Gilian Dye and Adrienne Thunder The less comprehensive of the four introductory texts listed here. On the plus side, plenty of clear photographs, and several simple patterns for “useful” lace, e.g. scarves. Only available as paper book.
	“Practical Skills in Bobbin Lace”, by Bridget M. Cook This is most definitely not a beginners book – however this very comprehensive reference book for anything you might need to know, supported by Bridget Cooks crystal clear diagrams, is very useful to have handy even for the beginner, so it is an essential reference also for the beginner.

Stitching a bobbin lace library – Practical Skills in Bobbin Lace by Bridget M. Cook

Practical Skills in Bobbin Lace by Bridget M. Cook

This must be the most comprehensive reference to lace making – or maybe not, but it is for sure very comprehensive. For each issue there are several alternative solutions, and as other of Ms Cook’s books, the diagrams are excellent and very, very clear.

The ten sections cover:
1. Starts and edges
2. Knots, replacing threads and adding pairs
3. Joining and sewings
4. Connections and crossings
5. Picots, tallies, Venetian cords, plaits and braids
6. Carrying pairs, raised work, fillings
7. Intendation, corners, curves and holes
8. Cordonnet, gimps and beads
9. Completions, endings and finishings
10. Moving up and mounting

An invaluable tool for the self learner, I think this is an essential reference for bobbin lace makers.

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Stitching a bobbin lace library – Beginner’s Guide to Bobbin Lace by Gilian Dye and Adrienne Thunder

Beginner’s Guide to Bobbin Lace by Gilian Dye and Adrienne Thunder

This is a short-but-not-too-short introduction to Torchon lace.

It does not set out to be comprehensive, but to get going as quickly as possible. It covers the core techniques, and does so by means of projects, rather than samplers, illustrated step by step by very clear photographs. Tips and additional information are in the text boxes that pepper the book.

Another plus is that there are several patterns for “useful” laces, including purses and scarves – this alone may make it worth the purchase, though obviously the patterns are not too intricate, in line with the technical content of the book, while still looking good.

It may be most useful for those wishing to try out bobbin lace and figure out quickly whether they like it or not – however delving deeper into the art will require another book.

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Stitching a bobbin lace library – Torchon Lacemaking: A Step-by-Step Guide by Jan Tregidgo

Torchon Lacemaking: A Step-by-Step Guide by Jan Tregidgo

This beginners book is packed with pictures, with literally are step by step, and uses colour very smartly, in that each bobbin pair uses a different colour, making the path of each super clear. Samples are presented both in “full colour” and in white only version, and this in itself is incredibly useful for the beginner.

This book is the most thorough of the beginner books I have seen (Lessons in Bobbin Lacemaking, The Torchon Lace Workbook and Beginner’s Guide to Bobbin Lace): it includes 25 samplers that cover all sorts of combinations of techniques, and then branches out to more advanced techniques, such as adding beads to pieces (and yes, there are samplers for this too), designing and modifying patterns, joining and mounting pieces, and finally a “troubleshooting” section. However do note that this book does not include tallies and leaves.

Each sampler lists at the beginning the techniques that are explored in the chapter.

While only few of the patterns in the samplers can stand on their own as projects (unless you are really keen on bookmarks), the great variety of combinations provided, plus the chapter on designing your own patterns, mean that imagination is the only limitation once you get a bit of practice under your bobbins. And there are some patterns, like the very pretty coasters of sampler 10, and the mats from the last few samplers.

It may feel like slow going, but in fact as you work your way through the samplers you are shown how to combine various elements, so I expect the move into adapting and designing own patterns will be a natural one (but I haven’t worked my way through this yet).

After working through this book I think I’ll be ready to work any Torchon lace pattern. Definitely one to have.

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Stitching a bobbin lace library – Lessons in Bobbin Lacemaking by Doris Southard

Lessons in Bobbin Lacemaking by Doris Southard

An excellent book, in addition to ten lessons on the various Torchon techniques, it also has a lesson on working on a flat pillow and a lesson on other types of laces than Torchon.

Important note: One peculiarity of this book is that the stitches are different than in other texts – so the half stitch here is TC (twist, cross), and then she uses cloth or linen stitch for the whole stitch (CTC), and calls “whole stitch” the sequence TCTC. Other texts have the half stitch as CT, and call refer to the sequence CTCT as “whole stitch and twist”. So this different terminology is to bear in mind when jumping between books. One peculiarity of this book is that the stitches are different than in other texts – so the half stitch here is TC (twist, cross), and then she uses cloth or linen stitch for the whole stitch (CTC), and calls “whole stitch” the sequence TCTC. Other texts have the half stitch as CT, and call refer to the sequence CTCT as “whole stitch and twist”. So this different terminology is to bear in mind when jumping between books. It is also unusual in other respects, as for instance tallies are worked using bobbin n4 as weaver, rather than the more usual bobbin 2 or bobbin 3, , though it is not incorrect (at least Cook’s “Practical Skills in Bobbin Lace” states that any bobbin would do).

Each lesson includes multiple samplers, with full instructions. The very many samples mean that progress to the next technique is slow, but nothing prevents jumping ahead!

As compared to my favorite books (The Torchon Lace Workbook: A concise lacemaking course–the basic skills fully explained, with prickings and diagrams for 27 finished lace products. and Torchon Lacemaking: A Step-by-Step Guide) this is a little bit drier, so arguably a bit more old fashioned in terms of teaching style, and visual learners might struggle, but still it is a very good text to have.

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Stitching a bobbin lace library – The Torchon Lace Workbook by Bridget M. Cook

The Torchon Lace Workbook by Bridget M. Cook

The book consists of two parts: the first part includes 10 progressive exercises that cover all the techniques, while the second part includes 27 patterns, from edgings to collars, mats and bookmarks.
The ten exercises cover half stitch, whole stitch, spiders, rose ground, tallies and leaves, gimps, plaits and picots.

Working through the exercises is helped by the wonderful diagrams, that show clearly the interlacing between the treads. These are so clear, it makes following patterns a breeze. The exercises also use coloured threads, which makes finding your way in the patterns easier.

Indeed the diagrams are pretty integral to each practice piece, as the instructions for the patterns are “essential”. So for instance in Exercise 4 (on spiders), after explaining in detail how to execute a single four legged spider, it assumes the notion of spider is now understood, so that in the next section with a group of 4 two legged spiders there is no mention of twisting threads (for legs) between one small spider and another. Kind of obvious if you think about it, but as a beginner these details are easily missed (ask me how I know…).

I find this book a good compromise between getting you going and covering all the bases, in the sense that the exercises cover most of the skills – however to really cover them all it is necessary to go through the patterns, too, as for instance footsides, fans, corners are not included in the exercises, but they are included in the patters, together with other tips such as adding thread midway through the work and moving up the work on the pillow.

The patterns too are graded by difficulty, and it is possible to move between exercises and patterns in blocks (e.g. the first pattern is recommended after the first three exercises, and so on), and the pattern notes become more succinct as the book progresses.

The prickings seem mostly hand drawn, so it may be better to copy them by hand on graph paper (this is what I have done).

Working through it all will make for a very competent Torchon lacemaker, I am sure!

NOTE: there some little mistakes here and there, e.g. the description of Roseground in Exercise 5 is incorrect (the correct sequence would be to work pairs 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, then 9 and 10). Similarly, in Exercise 6 on gimps, the description is correct, and so are the figures, but the reference is swapped, i.e. the description for the movement from left to right refers to the figure that shows the movement from right to left, and viceversa.

In addition, be aware (I do not think this books mentions it either) that lace is typically worked wrong side up (this is so that knots do not show on the right side). Hence the actual right side is flipped as compared to the side you are working. The finished pictures are printed right side up, hence the appear flipped as compared to the description in the text. For instance in Exercise 4 the pattern asks to hang first 6 bobbin pairs in one colour, then the next set of six bobbin pairs in another colour, but the photograph (which shows the right side) has the colours swapped, so it isn’t a guide to following the pattern.


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Nålbinding, nalbinding, nalebinding, nålebinding…

Whichever way you call it, this is another rabbit hole crafters can easily fall in, or at least I did! Once more the culprit is a Nålbinding for beginner workshop organised by the UK online guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers and run by Jeanine Schlauch.

In essence it consists in driving yarn over/under/through loops wound around a thumb, thereby creating chains that stitched together make a multilayered, thick and cushy fabric that in most cases will not unravel, and can be steeked without fear.

In term of portability it is similar to crochet, you only need yarn and a needle (instead of a crochet hook), or “nål”, which looks like a large sized tapestry needle. I’ve seen many in bone, horn or wood since it is quite popular with historic re-enactment fans (the craft is an ancient one), but I’ve seen many using just tapestry needle. The important thing is that the eye of the needle is large enough to accommodate multiple strands of yarn of the chosen weight – so the heavier the weight, the larger the needle size, and conversely for lace weight you’d want to use a “standard” tapestry needle.

While most of the first examples that will show up in a google search are quite likely to be some not very tailored looking hats, mittens and socks worked in heavy weight yarn quite unlike the finest knitted and crocheted items, it is possible to create something light and lacy like this:

Amy Vander Vorste’s lacy shawl, see here

this:

Shopping bag by viticella on Ravelry, see here (requires Ravelry login)

or this

Nalbinding shawl by ChawnChissy on Ravelry, see here (requires Ravelry login)

As with most things yarn related, the technique can be used for the most varied of projects, including “amigrumi” style puppets:

Squid nalbinding by ChawnChissy on Ravelry, see here (requires Ravelry login)

exploit the corded structure to build pretty imaginative scarves like this one:

Nalbound Karman Vortex – by cloudlakes on Ravelry, see here (requires Ravelry login)

or as fringes on more traditionally looking scarves:

Dalarna scarf by SouthSoundFiber on Ravelry, see here (requires Ravelry login)

or to create lattice structures as in this cowl:

Image by chawnchissy on Ravelry, see here (requires Ravelry login)

– or for ornaments like this one

Heart by Pomona on Ravelry, see here (requires Ravelry login)

or as decorative elements on knitted items (replacing for instance icords). And of course, one can nalbind garments:

Circle wrap by Ornamentik on Ravelry, see here (requires Ravelry login)

Nålbinding is typically worked in the round (either flat rounds, like in crochet, or tubes), however it can be worked flat with its structure exploited to achieve interesting effects as e.g. here. The very nice thing about being able to cut through the fabric without risks of it unravelling means that it is possible to create “jersey fabric” for sewing – this is most definitely something I am considering, it opens up a whole host of new possibilities for crafting.

There is a treasure trove of information in a Sanna-Mari Pihlajapiha’s site, which is a veritable repository of everything to do with nålbinding, both in Finnish and English.

In addition, some tips for using colour (in vertical stripes, horizontal stripes and spots) are here, and another site I found interesting is Shy Red Fox/Amy Vander Vorste’s blog.

It is an easy technique to pick up, requires practically no investment especially if you use “hack” a needle (or use a tapestry needle) and making stitches goes quite fast once one gets the hang of it (definitely quicker than knitting an icord I find), so worth having in the crafter’s repertoire as an additional technique for some other “main” yarn craft, even if managing to keep away from the allure of the deep end!

I have been practicing stitches for a while, time to plan a project – in the meantime, happy crafting!

Practicing nålbinding stitches

Year Of Projects: week 35

Weaving and tatting some more this week, and again I’ve neglected my knitting, but there you go.

This week I have unwittingly embarked on a more complex tatting project that would suit a beginner – but hey, I did not know that! So, slow going, but going nonetheless, and after a troubled start in which I frayed some yarn and decided I’d better restart, here is where I am at: 25% of a motif that will form the base of a scarf or shawl – basically think granny squares, only these will be tatting squares, which are known as “blocks”! And with beads (though not sure whether all blocks will have beads, or only the external ones).

The first six out of 24 rings for this Fandango Motif by Jane Eborall

I should have put something in there to give an idea of scale, but that thing is small, the shuttles are probably 5-6cm/2″. The full motif should look something like this:

Fandango Square, © Jane Eborall

The tatting pattern is here.

While researching tatting I have also come across a social media crafting platform called Craftree: it has some Ravelry-like features, like the possibility to add a stash, record projects and discuss in forums, though it is not nearly as well developed. However it covers tatting, as well as other related needle crafts like embroidery, bobbin lace, needle lace and macrame'(and knitting and crochet too).

Weaving has been on the sampler for the Understand Doubleweave Workshop with Cally Booker. I am having a really fantastic time, the workshop is incredibly intellectually stimulating, and there is then enormous fan to be had at the loom! And there are some principles that can be transferred to double weave on a rigid heddle loom, I wish I had known earlier – but once I am done with the course, I think I’ll have a go at the rigid heddle loom.

The possibilities on the 8 shaft table loom I have however are pretty impressive – in spite of shaft envy, it is amazing how playing around with structure (two blocks in plain weave) and colour allows you to achieve.

Here is a window pane design, which I quite like, and I think would make for a nice, thick bathmat:

Window pane design – the weft yarn is gold in the bottom row, mid blue in the middle row, Royal blue in the top row

I have also met a bunch of very lovely weavers, in addition of course to Cally herself – I will miss them all terribly once the workshop is over, but for the moment I am having a wonderful time

Happy crafting!

This is a year of projects (YOP) update. YOP is a Ravelry Group, and an idea – make a plan for the year ahead for all your fibre activities, then update your blog every week if you manage. The objective is to keep track of progress on any fiber crafts with maximum flexibility: post, don’t post, follow your list, change it – so really it is just an opportunity to get to know of more blogs and activities of those who share a passion for anything fibre crafts.