Care to learn Bruges lace CAL?

[Ladykats]

Oh this looks so cool. My SIL has sent me some doilies, and table runners like this from Greece. I think I would love to try my hand, but it will have to be later on as I have quite a few things going on right now and DH would kill me if I picked up another project.

[busy-bee-lmt]

Yah know...I ripped that out, made 5 flower centres and started over. I am at the point where "You can't get there from here."

 

I need to rip out again and just work a circle around the flower. i was trying to put a flower in bottom loops along a scarf but I can never get turned around.

 

It's driving me crazy because it looks soooooo lovely... until

 

 

It's actually good for me to have to work and strive for this one. As they (apparently) say in martial arts training: "Pain is your friend!"

Hang in there, Darski, you'll figure it out.

 

I've been joining mine as I make them, but I did mine by using a chain 3, join with a slip stitch, chain 3.

 

I tried again last night, too. I'm using a variegated yarn this time because the one picture was so very pretty done that way. I'm trying the pattern that has waves in alternating directions and then you put two strips of the waves together. Oh, shoot. My description is awful, so I took a picture. You can see the wave better in the picture than in the actual strip. Anyway I'm going to keep going and see what it looks like with the second strip added and go from there. The goal is a shawl made out of it.

[Debbi-a1]

Karen, thank you for that, I didn't understand how to do that.

 

Linda, that is looking good. I saw a shawl with several strips and it looks good.

 

I had to frog my doily because I put too many lace sections in one spot and it was becoming a ruffle, which I didn't want. Now it's much better.

Debbi

[busy-bee-lmt]

Frogging seems to be common in learning to do this. :lol

[darski]

Darski,

 

When you make your turning joins, are you joining each loop as you go? I can't tell clearly from your picture. You get a tighter join if you crochet a straight tape until you have the 3 or 4 loops needed for the turn, then with the next loop on that side, you ch2, sc through 3 or 4 loops tog, ch 2 to complete the current loop, and continue. It draws everything around all at once. And honestly--crocheted Bruges doesn't want to lay flat. You have to talk to it VERY sternly. I don't think your scarf beginning looks bad at all.

 

Well when i did the scarf (that is now I tired it 3 differnt ways. On the first one, I joined each one as I made it to the first one... That is actually a technique that could be used to purpose... possibly

 

For the others I did do a few and then link them together.

 

For the circles that I am making just now, I attached 3 loops as they were made into each loop of the floral centre. it is very pretty. My challenge now is how to end them without messies.

 

I joined to circles by working around them and I am now trying to add a ribbon around the 2 that I have together.

 

My mind just doesn't seem to think in a Bruges sort of way

 

I'll post a pic when I get the next band added on. I'll leave the last join open to wait for instructions on ending/joining.

 

Thank you for the help. I am getting there. verrrrrry sloooooooooowly

[busy-bee-lmt]

Yeah, Darski! It sounds very pretty. Can't wait to see pictures.

 

I'm getting the hang of the ribbon and it's going much more quickly. My strip is about twice as long as it was this morning thanks to waiting time at the doctor's office and at lunch today. I'm still using a slip stitch to join them together, but I'm doing 3 at once. The look isn't so different that I need to start over but does look a little neater. I don't think it will be noticeable in the finished shawl.

[Ladykats]

I sooo want to join ya'll for this, Let me see if I can finish up so projects and maybe I can join in.

[darski]

Tracey we would love to have you help us out here.

[Ladykats]

Thanks Darski,

I do really want to do this. But I want to design something with this style of lace... I like the robe that was on one of the sites, but there isn't a pattern for it, so maybe I will just create my own using different types of motifs. I know I am going to be bad and forget the things I already have on my plate to do this.

[busy-bee-lmt]

My fist strip is almost long enough for the length of the shawl I want to make. Soon I will have to decide if I'm going to try to make a half circle on the end or just do it in strips with a border around the finished strips. Decisions, decisions.

[busy-bee-lmt]

Okay, this is officially driving me crazy! I made it to the end of the row, did the corner, ripped out the corner, redid the corner, started down the side of the first strip and am about to rip out most of that and try again. I'm hoping I don't have to rip out the whole thing and restart it to make the joins look right. I really, really don't want to do that, but I'm not at all happy with the way it looks at this point. GRRRRRRRR!

[Ladykats]

Oh you poor dear, now I want you to sit down, and have a nice cup of tea. Then study what you have made. Maybe it doesn't look right until it gets to a certain point. I haven't had much experience with this type of lace and I know learning a new design can be quite frustrating. Sometimes we need to take a step away and then come back with fresh eyes. I do hope you are able to get through this point to finish your shawl.

[darski]

Linda... I soooooo know where you are coming from on this one.

 

I was really hoping to at least have a scarf out of the exercise but right now I only have a waste of yarn as it will not be anything when done. I think I will this one as well as it is not where I wanted to go.

 

I guess I will have to find a different skein and go back to making my scarf.

 

I absolutely love the look of this lace... I just need to think it out more.

 

I am also going to check the vintage crochet booklets site to look for patterns we can use.

[busy-bee-lmt]

I ended up only having to rip out a little to get it going right and made it all the way to the end of the second row before being tripped up yet again. I thought I remembered how to make the turn. I was wrong! Sooooo. . .I ripped out the turn at the end of row two, studied the turn at the end of row one and managed to get it looking right. I'm now on my way down the third row and overall I'm liking the look of it. I'll take a picture in a bit and let you decide what you think of it. It won't be quite as long as originally planned because the curves take up more of the yardage than I though they would, but it should still be an okay length.

 

Darski, I feel for you. This is a lot more complicated that it looks.

[Krakovianka]

I really sympathize with you all. I had a pattern to follow, and it was tortuous. You guys are winging it, and I take my (figurative) hat off to you for doing it. I can't wait to see the shawl--I think it is going to be great with all those waves--definitely worth the effort.

 

Darksi, I'm sorry you're having so much trouble. I wish I could think of some way to help, but at least I do hope you find something like a pattern in the vintage sites that will help.

[busy-bee-lmt]

Thanks, Karen. I may never do anything else with this, but I really want this shawl to succeed. I'm thinking that the colors would look really good on my mom. It may be her Christmas present if I succeed in getting it done. At least the RH soft is nice to work with. I can see where it would make a really nice edging on pillowcases, table runners, etc. when done with thread.

[Granny Square]

I hadn't noticed this CAL before, it just caught my eye 'cuz it popped up just now next to the Doily CAL. I'll be lurking, not joining, but will you all along and try to scare the s away.

 

I made 1 bruges doily (was in Annie's Favorite Crochet magazine, Oct 2005), it wasn't charted and it was really a challenge. It's too bad there aren't more (free) pattrens out there, you guys are brave for winging it.

 

:cheer

[busy-bee-lmt]

I don't know about being brave, I think, for me anyway, it's just being stubborn. I'm not about to let this stuff beat me!

[Granny Square]

Go get 'em! (the frogs)

[amdm]

I was finally able to find step by step instructions to make the basic strip. If they hadn't spelled it out I wouldn't have known what to do. I am most impressed with those of you who are making it up on your own. I used a very ugly thread so that it wouldn't matter if I had to rip it out, but, much to my surprise, it's not looking too bad. So now I have to think of what I can make with it.

[RoseRed]

I have a really dumb question (or at least a really beginner q)

 

when you get to the turns at the end - do you change the # of dcs so that it lays flat or do you just take the straight ribbon and make it turn against it's will?

[Krakovianka]

Turn it against its will. Seriously, this stuff is a nightmare to make lay flat. You have to get out the iron.

[busy-bee-lmt]

I have a really dumb question (or at least a really beginner q)

 

when you get to the turns at the end - do you change the # of dcs so that it lays flat or do you just take the straight ribbon and make it turn against it's will?

I'm one of the ones winging it, and I ended up changing the rows. I start by putting the last two dc (of 6) stitches in what will be the center of the turn to hdc and work several rows that way. For the middle rows of the turn I work 2 dc on the outside of the rows, 2 hdc in the middle of the rows, and 2 sc on the inside of the rows. It does end up laying pretty much flat when I do it this way. If you want it more spelled out than that I'll have to actually count it out on the next turn. I know that there are 7 of the unattached loops on the outside of my turns. The rows with the 1st and 7th loops are done with only dcs. The 2nd and 6th rows are done with dcs and hdcs. The 3rd through 5th rows are done with dcs, hdcs, and scs. I'll take some pictures in a bit.

 

Good luck. I think this would be a lot easier in thread than yarn, but I started with yarn and I'm hoping to make this into a shawl.

[busy-bee-lmt]

Pictures:

[Granny Square]

Wow Busy Bee, you've made a lot of progress! Pretty colors.