I haven’t posted in a while, not because I haven’t been doing anything, more because I haven’t been able to take pictures of the things I’ve been doing. My camera only functions when the light is 100% perfect, which in a UK winter is… never, actually.
I’ve been fiddling with stuff, to be honest. Having a go. So I don’t have anything spectacular to report, but I’ll report it anyway in bits and pieces.
First up, puncetto. Puncetto is a form of needle lace. I’ve mentioned needle lace before – but until recently, still not got round to having a go. There are of course loads of different types, but I someone mentioned using a puncetto technique to finish a tatted piece over on Flickr, and it piqued my interest. Also, the lovely lady who blogs at No Moose Today has been making leaps and bounds in progress herself, and so I thought I’d try it.
I do love this video:
You have to love a video that shows you the tiniest fraction and then PING! she’s done yards and yards of the stuff. It’s also gobsmackingly frustrating as you think you’ll be able to pick up how she does it, but it always cuts away just as you think you’re getting somewhere. To be fair though, it’s not meant to be an instructional video.
Anyway. I managed to pick up the general idea – the foundation chain is almost like embroidering chain stitch in mid air. I also found these tutorials, which are very helpful – although I make the foundation chain like the lady in the video, not as the tutorials suggest – personally, I found it much easier.
I don’t have a pattern, and so far I’ve only mucked about. I got this far:
Tatters will spot that this is Lizbeth thread, size 20. I’m not sure it’s right for this, but it’s pretty chunky so made it very manageable. I wasn’t working to a pattern here, literally just thinking ‘Ill try this next’ – and I think I’ve got the stitching correct.
That is as far as I’ve got though – because it dawned on me that even if I got to be great at this – what would I *do* with it? I already tat for love, not the finished result, so thought maybe I should nip this in the bud… for now at least.
I posted about all this really so anyone looking for puncetto tutorials could follow the link and find them.
Occasional Crafter 
Thank-you for referring to my tutorials. I think you may not have seen the tutorial on the ladder foundation, which is the same method that the lacemaker usees in the video – http://apinnick.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/puncetto-valsesiano-ladder-foundation/. I included the other methods (on a foundation thread and on the edge of fabric) only for the sake of completeness. Most people who try to make motifs will use the ladder method. Good luck!
Ah – thank you! I had seen that actually, but not registered it as the same thing. That’s what comes with trying to read all the tutorials at once and run before you can walk.
Thanks for pointing that out!
Oh my goodness, I have the same problem!
I’m always drawn to things that are fine and delicate and are ‘perfect for edging a baby’s layette’ or ‘make a beautiful insertion for your cami-knickers’…whereas the Boy gets his hand-me-downs from his cousins and I buy all my pants from M&S!
haha! There’s just something addictive about making lacy stuff isn’t there? Or not even making it sometimes, but seeing if you *can* make it. Then when you know you could if you wanted to, you move on. Glad it’s not just me!