Page 359 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

352 History and Science of Knots

delicate tamboured laces.
The fabric upon which the stitching is worked may be cut (cutwork),
have threads withdrawn (drawn work), have ground threads distorted from
true by tightly pulled stitches (pulled work), or be padded before stitching to
give a raised effect. All manner of embroidery techniques are used and the
best examples of this work are rich and elegant without any ostentation. The
tamboured laces are made with a hook very similar to a crochet hook, using
chain-stitch in a controlled sequence of movements.
Knitting (VI) is so much of a household skill that it requires no explana-
tion. There are two outstanding areas of knitting design: the Austrian style,
which gives a stocking-stitch basis and uses a cotton yarn; and that of the
Shetland island of Unst, which uses a very fine wool and a garter-stitch basis.
Squares made in the first style often grow from the centre, and five double-
ended needles are used for the knitting. The Shetland square shawls are always
made on two needles with all finishing edges being grafted so as to produce a
very soft, pliable fabric. These shawls are often heirloom pieces, with certain
patterns being named after the knitters who designed them.
Crochet is discussed in detail in another chapter. Also, the chemical and
machine laces (VII) mentioned are those which have led to the manufacture
of the `shop' laces. These will only be given passing reference here.

The Deep Past
Although bobbins shaped like those we use today have been found in C19th
excavations of Etruscan sites and in C20th `digs' in Cyprus, it is suggested here
that these were used for weaving inlay rather than for lace. The clothing of
ancient times was shaped very simply from rectangles seamed along the edges
and bound with ribbons to fit the wearer. It stands to reason that the cloth,
being the result of a season's shearing, spinning and weaving, was treated with
respect; no housewife would wish to waste even one square inch of her hard
work at the loom, and the loose rectangles gave room for growth, while the
selvedges minimised the amount of sewing (and thread) required. The same
need to conserve time and yarn makes it reasonable to suggest that all girdles
(in the sense of bindings) would have been woven off the loom rather than on
the tall, wide, standing looms illustrated in paintings of the time. The friction
at the edges of a braid that is frequently knotted could have been a good reason
for developing the trick of an extra twist at the selvedges; and so, thereafter
it would have been a simple step to weaving with two worker bobbins instead
of one. Furthermore, pins were not manufactured to be sold in numbers, but
as individual (and expensive) items. Whereas a ribbon may be woven with a
minimal number of pins to hold the width, or even with no pins at all, lace
made with bobbins requires pins by the hundred. [Although the ancients knew