This morning I went to my friend Dawn's for my first lesson in lace-making - if you remember, I had a little taster at the Quilt and Textiles Fair last Friday. It was very kind of Dawn, as she had to look for all her lace-making equipment, books, pillows etc and set it all up ready for me to get started. I began with winding all the threads on to the various bobbins. I was very glad that I had several different colours to make it easier to start with.
The start. Ooh-er, doesn't it look complicated?! Yet once Dawn had shown me (hah! repeatedly!) what to do, I finally got the hang of it and now I am hooked! I am glad I took photos as this one shows me how it is meant to look . . .
As you can see, there is a special pattern which you follow, and you just keep crossing and twisting and putting pins in and moving bobbins across from one side to the other and gradually form a pattern (hopefully that which you are meant to be doing!) I felt such a connection with all those Battams ladies (my mum's side of the family) in Stoke Bruern, Northamptonshire, who earned their living by making lace. I told myself, children were started at 4 years old - I could DO this!!! Mind you, I suspect they were started off just winding bobbins, and progressed to pricking patterns before they ever touched a bobbin to make lace.
I have brought this home with me, but have a busy weekend ahead, so hope I haven't forgotten it by the time I sit down with it again. Dawn kindly provided me with a little notebook too, so I have some working notes in that.
On the way to Dawn's, I had to drive at a snail's pace behind this just-fledged Heron. He couldn't fly - just manage to flutter 6" or so above the ground. I made sure I didn't spook him or get too close, and eventually he walked into a gateway and I drove slowly past. No sign of him on the way back, so at least he hadn't been flattened by a car. I hope he manages to scramble up into a bush or something tonight, or else a fox may take advantage.
I took more photos of the valley on the cusp of autumn, but it took more than 20 minutes just to load these three, so I will try and do another post a.s.a.p.
