Happy New Year! I'm starting off the new year with new patterns in my Etsy shop just in time for bath and linen "white sales". Know someone who is getting married and want to give them that extra special gift? Why not sew some hand made crochet lace edgings on towels or sheets? These lace patterns will have suggestions for thread and uses. The first is a Tufted Vandyke edging from Weldon's (1893) I first used this about 20 years ago on a beach towel. Got lots of compliments, and the terry cloth wore out before the lace did. I'll be posting more weekly - maybe even daily.
One thing to keep in mind about these antique laces. There were three main types. One was a shawl edging that was meant to be worked in the round. These are great for pillowcases, but if you want to put them on something flat - like a towel - you will need to cut the thread at the end of each row and start again at the beginning instead of turning.
The second type was an edging that was worked short-wise, with a "header" added after the piece was finished. This kind is good for all sorts of things, and doesn't take much "crochet math" to figure out how many stitches your foundation chain should have. Each row worked adds to its length, so you decide when it's done.
The third type was an edging that was lengthwise, but turned at the end of every row. You need to calculate ahead of time how long you want your edging to be, work up a swatch to get your gauge, then do some "crochet math". The Tufted Vandyke pattern is this type.
The tufted Vandyke pattern has all the math done for you to make a hand towel. In addition, I've given instructions for how to compute the stitches for a foundation chain that would work for a bath towel. It uses Cebelia #10 and a #6 steel crochet hook. The Cebelia is a sturdy thread with a nice sheen to it. But don't limit yourself to just hand towels. This would make a nice lace border for a tunic - say with #20 thread, or you could incorporate it into a handbag. The great thing about crochet laces is they inspire you to be creative!
If you would like to purchase the pattern for the lace shown, go to etsy.com/penelopescrochet. Happy Hooking!
