Monday, September 21, 2015

Armenian Lace Obsession

I have ambled into new territory and after entire DAYS absolutely mesmerized by this new obsession, I took a break to resume my Jan Stawasz mat.

Sadly, is all I have accomplished after hours and hours glued to a chair with a needle and thread...


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I have even bought the book because I need paper, not an iPad for this venture:


I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of this book and some #30 DMC thread, which will hopefully be easier to work with than the breakable, uneven despicable Lizbeth from my #80 stash.

Anyone in Tat-Land familiar with this knotted lace? I know TotusMel is enjoying her newly acquired talent. Her “learning piece" doily is amazing. Her adventure is what inspired me to try my hand at Armenian Lace. She also just completed a few really lovely collars. Check out her blog and see some amazing work. Pamela, you rock!

Returning to tatting was strange. My #80 mat felt thick and clunky for the first few minutes!It is taking a while to get through the 12 required motifs to get to the next round, but I’m happy with my progress and I still love the design:

21 comments:

  1. Ah, thanks so much for the compliments! Sorry for leading you astray. I agree that my tatting feel huge after playing with the Armenian lace, but these diversions definitely make each type lace more enjoyable for me.

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  2. Yes I saw her blog and wondered about trying it myself, what I would like to know if this is called by another name done with sewing needles too? and if you like pulling and not knotting up all that extra thread through each knot, it seems like that might be annoying to me :) it is beautiful and keep us posted on your experiences with this please!

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    1. It's called Armenian Lace, knotted lace or Oya and a few other things I can't spell. Yes, sometimes that long thread gets tangled, but it isn't as frustrating as I thought it would be. C'mon.., give it a shot! : ))

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    2. I may give this a try I even think I have a different book on this subject so now got to find it :)

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  3. Your new lace adventure looks wonderful so far!!
    And your mat looks amazing!!! I just love the design!! :)

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  4. I have a couple of Elena Dickson's books on knotted lace, but I don't know enough about it to say whether it is the same technique as your Armenian Lace. It is fun to employ threads in different ways, I took time out from tatting a few years ago to learn Romanian Point Lace and I enjoyed it very much.

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    1. Yes, that is the same lace; I have in fact also ordered one of Dickson’s books. : )

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  5. I've been watching Totusmel with interest too. I would like to try Armenian Lace, and Bobbin lace as well. I don't think I have the time right now. Maybe if I get bored with the Masterpiece/Monster doily I'll give one or both a try. Can't wait to see what you make with Armenian Lace. Nothing wrong with your first attempts either. You're just learning.

    Your JS mat looks awesome!

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    1. It is way easier than Bobbin Lace, I’d wager, Jeff! But it is very time-consuming in this learning stage. I’m up wayyyy to late at night, trying to be knotty. : ))

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    2. Oh, I bet it is! And cheaper too. I would imagine some of the techniques are similar to those used in the Teneriffe Lace I did a few years back. Bravo for trying it though. Someday I might try it too.

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  6. I have looked at oya and have been wanting to get my feet wet with this type of knotting. I thought it could use up some of my non preferred tatting threads. Keep us informed of all your progress.

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    1. Will do! Thanks, Bernice! You could try it out too... : ))

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  7. Thanks for the comments, tatters. I really appreciate all your viewpoints. ; )

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  8. I've been watching Totusmel's experiments with fascination. Good for you for taking it to the next level and actually doing it!

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  9. I have that book on Armenian Lace somewhere in my stash. I did try it quite a while ago, but could not get the hang of it. I think I need a video class or a real person to get me on the right track. Any chance you'll produce video lessons? ;-)

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  10. I've been following Totusmel too--got me hooked. The Dickson book has been a great help--written instructions, diagrams and photos for everything. There's also an online tutorial if you haven't seen it yet. https://youtu.be/KXfR81nMlTU P.S. the Priscilla book directions are the only ones I've found that work right to left--everyone else uses left to right except for one video at https://youtu.be/sVEkx4du1eQ that shows working in both directions rather than turning. P.S. your beginning work looks a lot better than mine did. Good luck!

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    1. Wow, Cathy, I'm glad you told me that! I have been trying to go from right to left and it is SO counterintuitive. Now I shall continue left to right quite happily. I am awaiting both the Dickson and the Priscilla books... : ))

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  11. Hi Fox, Thank you so much for showing your Oya tries. I really wanted to learn and do this lace about a year ago. I made so many awful looking things! Then TotusMel picks it up like a long-lost friend. Sigh. You have made me feel a little less dumb. ;-)
    Love your color choices for the doily. It is gorgeous!

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    1. I know exactly how you feel! That Pamela is talented beyond words. : 0

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  12. Following with interest! Looks like Armenian Lace is a new trend growing :)

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