Intermediate ✦✦✧✧✧
A couple of months ago, my father gave me a box of my great grandmother's needlework. In it I was excited to find this bit of lace edging that she had crocheted. It is beautiful!
She must have used thread and a 1-1.5mm crochet hook. The lace is joined in a circle, probably to add to the bottom of a skirt. I was so fascinated by it, I decided to transcribe the pattern into a chart and words. I hope you enjoy it!
I can't believe how tiny this lace is! It is about 2 inches wide and over 2 meters long. I just can't imagine stitching such a long piece of lace with such a tiny hook. I get a little cross-eyed using a 2mm hook for doilies! I searched the whole strip and only found tiny one mistake where she forgot a single crochet in lattice part, but that's it. I probably would have had many more omissions that that. Here is a photo of it to show the intricacy of the work with a standard #2 pencil for scale.
Special terms:
3-dc shell: (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the next st
2-dc shell: (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the next st
shell in shell: stitch a shell in the ch-2 space of the previous shell
Pattern:
Row 1: Ch 39.
Row 2: Ch 3, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the first st (3-dc shell made), ch 5, skip 9 sts, 3-dc shell in the next st, ch 5, skip 9 sts, 3-dc shell in the next st, ch 4, skip 4 sts, sc, ch 4, skip 4 sts, 2-dc shell in the last st.
Row 3: Ch 3, stitch a 2-dc shell in the ch-2 space of the first shell (2-dc shell in shell), sc in the next ch-4 sp, ch 4, sc in the next ch-4 sp, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, (tc, [ch, tc] repeat 8 times) in the next ch-2 sp of the next shell, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell.
Row 4: Ch 3, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in the first ch-space between tc, [ch 3, sc in next ch-sp] repeat 7 times, ch 4, 3-dc shell in next shell, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, ch 4, 2-dc shell in next shell, dc in 3rd ch of turning chain.
Note: make sure to dc in the chain not around the chain to pull the ch-3 taught.
Row 5: Ch 3, 2-dc shell in next shell, ch 4, sc in the first ch-4 sp, ch 4, sc in the next ch-4 sp ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell, ch4, sc in the first ch-3 sp, [ch 3, sc in the next ch-3 sp] repeat 6 times, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell.
Row 6: Ch 3, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in the first ch-3 sp, [ch 3, sc in the next ch-3 sp] repeat 5 times, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in the first ch-4 sp, ch 4, 3-dc shell in next ch-4 sp, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, ch 4, 2-dc shell in shell, dc in 3rd ch of turning chain.
Row 7: Ch 3, 2-dc shell in shell, sc in the first ch-4 sp, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, 3-dc shell in shell, sc in first ch-4 sp, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in the first ch-3 sp, [ch 3, sc in the next ch-3 sp] repeat 4 times, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell.
Row 8: Ch 3, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in the first ch-3 sp, [ch 3, sc in the next ch-3 sp] repeat 3 times, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell, [ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp] twice, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, ch 4, 2-dc shell in shell, dc in 3rd ch of turning chain.
Row 9: Ch 3, 2-dc shell in shell, sc in the first ch-4 sp, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, 3-dc shell in shell, [sc in next ch-4 sp, ch 4] repeat 3 times, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in the first ch-3 sp, [ch 3, sc in the next ch-3 sp] repeat 2 times, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell.
Row 10: Ch 3, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in the first ch-3 sp, ch 3, sc in the next ch-3 sp, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell, [ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp] repeat 3 times, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, ch 4, 2-dc shell in shell, dc in 3rd ch of turning chain.
Row 11: Ch 3, 2-dc shell in shell, sc in the first ch-4 sp, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, 3-dc shell in shell, [sc in first ch-4 sp, ch 4] repeat 4 times, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in the ch-3 sp, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell.
Row 12: Ch 3, 3-dc shell in shell, 3-dc shell in next shell, [ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp] repeat 4 times, ch 4, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, ch 4, 2-dc shell in shell, dc in 3rd ch of turning chain.
Row 13: Ch 3, 2-dc shell in shell, sc in the first ch-4 sp, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, 3-dc shell in shell, [sc in first ch-4 sp, ch 4] repeat 5 times, 3-dc shell in shell, sc in the next shell.
Row 14: Ch 3, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 5, skip 2 ch-4 spaces, 3-dc shell in the next ch-4 sp, ch 5, skip 2 ch-4 spaces, 3-dc shell in shell, ch 4, sc in next ch-4 sp, ch 4, 2-dc shell in shell, dc in 3rd ch of turning chain.
Repeat Rows 3-14, ending with Row 13, until the lace is the length you want.
To make it a loop:
Replace the ch-2 in each shell with a slip stitch in the same stitch as the shell above.
Replace each ch-4 loop with [ch, sl st 2 in the center 2 skipped chains of each 4 skipped chains above, ch].
Slip stitch in the last chain to join before tying off.
Thank you for showing us your grandmother's work, and for sharing your work with us! It's lovely that you took the time to write and draw it. The diagram is easy to follow, and I have enjoyed working it into a hooded cape.
If I may be so bold, for greater clarity, I recommend that in the written version, rows 1 and 2 should read "Row 1: Ch 42. Row 2: In 4th ch from hk, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc); first 3-dc shell made. *Ch 5, sk 11 sts, 3-dc shell in next st; rep from * once. Ch 4, sc in 6th ch from 3-dc shell, ch 4, 3-dc shell in last ch, turn."
That is how…