Luxembourgish, Lyon or Vologda lace is always the result of the painstaking work of craftswomen creating crocheted laceworks. These techniques are different, there are a lot of techniques, but the result of work is always amazing and pleasing with beauty, delicacy, and geometric accuracy of the picture. Lace will decorate any outfit, especially if it is made in ethnic style. And what about them in Ireland?
This green island has its own needlework traditions, which overlap with ours in some ways. Crochet skill is a prerequisite, and it is common to all lace masters. In Europe, there are some rules that must be followed. They relate to composition, color, size and nature of the picture. We have a lot in common with the Irish.
The main rule is the absence of strict restrictions
Irish lace is also an independent form of fine weaving art. A master class in mastering this method in the generally accepted sense of this term is practically impossible. There is a lot of freedom during its creation, everyone can express their worldview, showing maximum imagination, and there are countless options. There are only general principles and some technological methods that help to weave very beautiful things. Let's consider them in more detail.
What is the difference between the technique of Irish lace
To understand the features of this technique, you need to understand what exactly is the difference between Irish lace. The master class, conducted by experts, begins precisely with this issue. The main difference is that the thing is assembled from separate fragments that are braided using ordinary hook technique from threads of different colors. In this case, the most important condition for success is the author's sense of composition, balance and color, which in general is manifested in good taste. How to arrange the parts individually woven so that the result is a beautiful blouse or top, each craftswoman decides independently, depending on her own understanding of aesthetic tasks, mood and, of course, the degree of giftedness. The presence of art education, which is desirable, but not necessary, may also matter. In a sense, amateurism in the art of weaving is preferable, it liberates the flight of fantasy.
What is an asymmetric grid
Even a person who is not dedicated to the intricacies of the craft, it is clear that any wearable thing should be at least to some extent durable. The methods of fastening, which connect the elements of Irish lace, do not differ in particular variety. This is stitching in cases where the motives are adjacent to each other closely. If a certain distance is provided between them, then the so-called arches from columns or air loops with a different number of yarn are used. In general, the entire mass of intermediate connection lines forms a whole network, which is conventionally called irregular, or asymmetric. This system is the main feature that distinguishes Irish lace. Schemes, of course, exist in specialized albums, but it’s extremely difficult to copy them exactly, and to no avail. After all, the interest of this art form consists precisely in the manifestation of individuality and originality. The patterns are not acceptable here.
How to plan a composition
Every girl who at least once grabbed a hook in her hands knows that it’s very difficult to control the weight of a large object, woven from a string of “tens”, and at the same time to control the correctness of work. Needless to say, such a difficult task as knitting Irish lace. For beginners, there is a technique that makes it easier to work. You can see the future composition and evaluate it by applying some thing or piece of matter as a substrate. Elements should be swept to this “base” with medium and long stitches so that it is easy to remove them later on. Applying such an auxiliary technique, several immediate tasks can be solved at once. Firstly, it will immediately be seen what happens in the compositional aspect, and therefore, if something is not like, there is the opportunity to make corrections with the least effort. And secondly, you don’t have to worry about the correctness of calculating the lengths of the connecting arches; in any case, the thing will not puff or gather.
Irish stew
Some of our fellow citizens mistakenly believe that the Irish are "these are the British." To say this is tantamount to saying that “Uzbeks are such Russians.” In fact, the Irish people have a huge number of national features, manifested in their own language, and in hair color (often red), and in names (many Patrick). There is also a rich history, and much more, including Irish lace. The motives that the natives of the island like to use, both from its independent southern part and from the British north, are traditionally floristic. Preference is given to green tones, but other coloristic solutions and shades are quite acceptable. However, all this perfectly coexists with other themes, as well as with exuberant fantasy, implicated in ancient mystical legends.
Get to the point
So, we settled on the fact that a suitable basis was found, for example, an old T-shirt corresponding to a given size (a foam rubber or a pillow will also work). Where to begin? The Irish lace technique for beginners allows you to do without tedious calculations of the number of loops, everything can be done by eye, but there is one important feature: in order to make the stitching and joining places less eye-catching, it is best to work from the inside out. Therefore, to sew elements on the base should be facedown, and only then, having removed the finished thing from the substrate, turn it back again.
The crochet hook is located in the hand in the same way as a person usually holds a knife, but this rule is common to all lace techniques.
Where to get the elements
If a girl wants to be original and beautiful, but she does not have the patience to do all the work herself, then you can alleviate the fate by buying ready-made lace in specialized stores. Since it is most often white, preference should be given to machine-made knitwear made of cotton thread, because they can be easily dyed in a hot way by choosing suitable persistent aniline dyes. In the same case, if there is a desire and ability to do the whole thing with your own hands, creating a hand-made masterpiece, you should remember all the grandmother’s lessons (if any). Crocheting Irish lace is no different from the usual Russian methods of creating thread patterns, at least in that part that does not apply to assembly.
How to create a network
Now about the main thing, that is, how to do it. No special skills other than those owned by Russian craftswomen are required. It is important to learn the connection method, that is, the creation of the said irregular grid. We decided on those features that distinguish Irish lace. The master class involves a description of the sequence of operations, that is, manufacturing technology.
The steps to create an arch consist of the following steps:
- Closer to the edge (a couple of threads from it), a working thread is introduced into the canvas.
- The thread is pulled towards itself through the loop, and its end is pulled into a small knot, the tip of which is hidden inside the canvas.
- A chain of several loops is being dialed. It is applied to places of possible articulation in such a way as to find out where to fix it. The result should be pleasing to the eye, so the arch cannot be too short, but you should not get carried away. The best assistant and adviser in this matter is their own taste.
- After determining the place of the future connection, two double crochets are added to the column and two air loops are knitted. All this clings to the canvas of the next lace element, creating a strong bond.
- When creating other connecting elements-columns alternating with chains, their value, measured in loops, should be varied depending on the geometry of the elements. The main thing here is to start, and then everything will go by itself.
The main Irish secret
So, in general, the Irish lace is created. The master class gives only general recommendations, but does not imply strict canons and installations. It is very important that this type of filament weaving has an irregular grid in the form of connecting posts and chains. In this case, fragments adjacent to each other can be simply neatly sewn in a pointed manner.
But the main thing in this method of weaving is still not technical details and technological subtleties. To understand how to knit Irish lace, will be able to master, who will learn the main principle. It lies in the degree of freedom that the inhabitants of the “Green Island” have been striving for over a long history. It manifests itself in other cultural principles of the Irish, seeking to express themselves by all means available to them.
Elements can be large, small or alternating, it does not matter. The color scheme can be green, but other shades are quite acceptable, the main thing is to be beautiful.