Maybe I Should Leaf It Alone

This is what I get when I try to design patterns before I completely understand the craft. This leaf is the pattern I have couched down, and as I think about the stitches I want to use, I suspect the lower left section is going to be difficult to fill.

I put in that pretty little point with a sweet curve, and now I realize it's going to give me trouble. I'm sure someone is laughing at me now. Well, I'm going to try, anyway.

If I start on the vein that goes to the edge of the leaf, I might be able to space it out so I can negotiate the curve and the point.



This is the sketch I started with. When I got it scanned, I thought the upper triangles were too small for my skill set. Now that I look at it, I like the way the veins lay in the lower part. If I try another oak leaf, I will use the lower half of this one.




This is a little mulberry leaf I picked up on a dog walk one afternoon. I like the shape, and it is a good size, not huge. If I want to use this for needle lace, I'll have to do away with the serrated edges. But what about the little lobes on the bottom?

I'm afraid my skills are not up to filling this shape properly. I'll keep looking for more leaves, something more interesting than those bland ovals. I have a grape vine that grows on my fence, and maybe some weeds would yield an interesting shape if I look around with the proper perspective.

By the way, feel free to copy, paste and use these leaves if you want to give it a go. Of course, you'll need to resize them to get them to a manageable size. I'd love to see your efforts!

Sampling Some Leaves

I didn't get started on a Milanese sampler, but have made good progress on other projects. I finished the baby sweater set, and the tatted project is ready to go out the door Monday morning.

I found my instruction books from The Guild of Needle Laces, and decided to give needle lace another try.

My first leaf is the yellow one - it has an odd wiggle in the cordonnet and looks lumpy. Don't know why that happened, so I made another one in the darker gold. I'm happier with the Corded Single Brussels, and the opposite side is Double Brussels, rather than Pea Stitch used in the first leaf.

The second project in the Basic book is a larger leaf, with veins and more fillings. I found a small oak leaf in my garden, traced it out and decided to give it a try. I'm using #80 tatting cotton, and the oak leaf will be some nice variegated brown M. gave me last week.

I have gone through periods where I start new projects, but instead of expanding, I'm contracting now. I am finishing up, but not rushing to start something new. Right now I'm enjoying the needle lace, it's more portable than the bobbin lace, and a nice change from all the knitting I've been doing.

County Fair Entry

I finished the knitted doily I made for the county fair. I used a pattern called Knitted Lace Luncheon Mats, #20 Cebelia and #00 needles.

After I finished, I was browsing Ravelry, and discovered it is nearly identical to The Hemlock Ring Doily.

I am antsy to get started on a bobbin lace project for the summer. First I must finish a baby sweater, hat and booties, then there's a tatted project that needs only some final touches. Soon I can indulge myself and begin again with Milanese lace. I made a little sampler in 2006, and am ready to give it another try.