Announcing: Something New to Learn About Lace!

By Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner
May 25, 2018

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5 Comments
  • Ok.. Just died and went to heaven.

  • You had me at the book cover. Oh swoon.

    I have never been one for lace shawls. I was raised by people from the South and every home had a lot of lace. To me, most lace shawls no matter how lovely, seemed like they were swept from the dining table or piano and thrown around one’s shoulders on the way out the door. Like Scarlett with the drapes, only I knew I would more likely look like Carol Burnett’s version of that. (Miriam Felton’s Icarus being the exception, but when it was published in 2006 I didn’t have the confidence or skills!)

    These are beautiful and just right for me! I know too that I will learn a lot. What more can I ask for? I’m off to order.

  • WOW!! Got to have it! Just gotta!

  • OMG!! I thought for sure if I kept scrolling, that there would also be a conversion book for CROCHET!! My personal passion. Being taught both by my perfect mother of 9 kids, yes she had the patience, to teach 4 girls, knitting, sewing, crochet and cooking.
    I loved crochet, and stuck with it, all the other are masters of there own passions.
    I have 100’s of finished items, I give a lot away, but now I’m a great Gramma. Nobody really wants anymore hats, blankets etc., So I’ve been working on embellishments, to soup up my creations.
    Please, teach me how to create lace with crochet, or maybe I’ll have to beat ya to it.
    P.S.
    Don’t stress about that, I have the ability to create my own patterns, but not the patience to recreate them!! So, get busy, I’ll wait for your book.

  • I should really be supporting my fellow Brit designers here but I am in two minds about this combo. I am a relatively novice lace knitter so I am sure the technique element of the book would be useful, although I am very much a chart knitter. My guess is that the Highland wool is Peruvian Highland wool (I note that no-one seems to state this). I thought that the Donna Smith baby pattern was beautiful and a novice knitter could probably do it; her large shawl was less successful because of the boring lace pattern that formed most of the design (there is much less of this on the baby pattern). I thought Martina Behm’s pattern was the pick of the bunch (normally I am not really a fan of garter stitch) and I thought it worked best with the yarn. Jen’s pattern was okay (I’ll admit I don’t like that shade of green). I think the pattern may work better with a woollen-spun yarn (Jen has her yarn spun at John Arbon’s, an excellent small mill but he spins wholly worsted as far as I am aware). I think the pattern would look well in a Shetland yarn or maybe Tukuwool fingering, which is a Finnish yarn. I appreciate the detailed description about what’s in the book though. Much appreciated. Though I am not sure about the combination of yarn and patterns, I think that this yarn would suit standard 4 ply/fingering weight patterns, say a cardigan.