Washington Post Article on Knots

Very cool - I'm having fun with the links too!

Cheryl

Too bad we can't enlarge the 19th century "bobbin lace" photo any more... it looks like needle lace to me...

lacers?

Jeanine in Canada

Hey at least they called it lace and not netting... Saw that once in the local rag....

lacers?

Jeanine in Canada

The picture enlarges rather untidily.......but I think it is bobbin lace rather than needle lace. Alas the narration "19th century bobbin lace Belgian shawl" is somewhat lacking in detail - there are many bobbin laces which are created in motifs then worked into a pattern with joining bars - all done with bobbins and in the main European laces rather than English laces. All that said the little round bits with a hole in the middle don't look to familiar to a bobbin lace maker, but identifying bits is not my strong suit.

Joanne in Perth, Western Australia

My guess is that it is bobbin lace also. The little round bits with the hole in the middle are almost identical to those pictured in a bobbin lace design book, "LA Dentelle Duchesse". As you say the picture of the shawl doesn't enlarge all that well. I don't know what the comment, "19th century" means. It would have been more accurate to say that it was hand made (which it appears to be) versus machine made.

It would be interesting to know if it was honiton or not.

Off to finishing some bobbins, a bobbin winder and put some finishing touches on my bobbin butler.

Fred

Snipped for brevity........... All that said the little round bits with a hole in the middle

My guess is that it is bobbin lace also. The little round bits with the hole in the middle are almost identical to those pictured in a bobbin lace design book, "LA Dentelle Duchesse". As you say the picture of the shawl doesn't enlarge all that well. I don't know what the comment, "19th century" means. It would have been more accurate to say that it was hand made (which it appears to be) versus machine made.

It would be interesting to know if it was honiton or not.

Off to finishing some bobbins, a bobbin winder and put some finishing touches on my bobbin butler.

Fred

Hi Fred

I can confirm that the lace is not Honiton there are several specific design features which identify Honiton very readily. It may be Duchesse, but I have no books on that, and the friend of mine most likely to know in an instant is on the sick list...but I will ask her when I see her next.

Joanne in Perth, Western Australia