Just adding a few odds and ends to this thread.
My favourite book on knitted Shetland lace is
"Shetland Lace" by Gladys Amedro, published by the
Shetland Times in , ISBN 0 900662 89 1. In addition
to lovely shawls in cobweb and thicker wool, there is
a christening robe (which matches one of the shawls),
and a baby's lace jacket and bonnet, and woman's
skirt. I found the instructions very clear and well
laid out, and so easy to follow. One interesting
innovation is the order of working for the shawls; you
do the border first, join it then pick up stitches
from the inside edge and work round, initially on a
circular needle, in ever-decreasing circles. This
works well psychologically, as the boring bit is done
first with enthusiasm to get on to the interesting
bit, then you have long rounds to get the patterns
into your mind (or fingers, where I seem to keep my
best brain cells), and as impatience sets in, the
rounds are going quicker. Mechanically, it avoids any
harsh sewn joins. While some have criticised it as
"not traditional" Jamieson & Smith think highly of it,
which is good enough for me! It also pleases those
who (unlike me) are happiest using circular needles.
When it comes to making bobbin lace with wool, the UK
Lace Guild has produced what I think is an excellent
leaflet - just a sheet of A4 printed on both sides.
It gives a brief history of wool lace in England,
going back to the Burial in Wool Act of 1666, then
practical hints on how to go about it today. It aims
at Torchon-style work using double knitting wool (the
UK term for what I think is called "worsted yarn" in
the US) and suggests how to make the prickings and at
what scale, and what bobbins and pillows to use or
improvise. It includes a warning that using mohair
can seriously mess up every other lace pillow in sight
with stray fibres. Could I add, from personal
experience, that you get the same effect from knitting
a jumper in an alpaca/wool mix, even if it is a noble
enterprise in these days of mini-ice ages produced by
global warming, and gas shortages and price-hikes due
to politics! It ends with a section on adapting this
sort of work for people with limited sight or
dexterity, and even how sewings can be made with
fingers in suitable pieces. I have spoken to the
Hollies, and they are prepared to send a copy out free
with any other order, or, if you are resisting the
January Sale, they will send one out free in return
for a stamped addressed envelope (which will have to
be C5 or bigger) for UK addresses, or two
international mail coupons for others.
One final point - the leaflet mentions that in the
19th century, woollen bobbin lace of the Cluny/Torchon
style was called yak in England, and lama or poil de
chevre in Le Puy, but was in fact long-staple
Yorkshire wool or the French equivalent. This was
"worsted" spun - nothing to do with the US use for
thickness, but meaning combed and carded to make a
strong yarn with very few loose fibres (unlike my
alpaca, or indeed normal woollen-spun yarn). This is
still made in the UK as Guernsey 5-ply, and is used
for fisherman-style jumpers; I have just finished a
jumper (or gansey , to use the ethnic phrase). In US
terms, the thickness is in fact sports weight. It is
very firm, and I suspect would give a satisfactory
hard-wearing shawl in bobbin lace. It is difficult to
get hold of; the small wool shops don't seem to stock
it. The main spinner, Wendy, tend to have only a very
dark navy blue or white by the kilo, though there has
been a red at least. The smaller suppliers do produce
a colour range albeit aimed at jumper-knitters, and
may do smaller quantities.
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