Thing-a-day.com

One of the things I really like about Thing-a-day is that the framework gives me the incentive to try new techniques without getting bogged down in trying to produce a masterpiece. Since the projects have to be quick, they lend themselves to experimentation. This is my first attempt at Romanian Point lace, which is worked by crocheting a braid (the heavy outlines of the heart, couching the braid to a pattern on a piece of cloth (I drew the pattern on copy paper and basted it to an ordinary handkerchief), then working the needlelace fillings with a blunt tapestry needle. The thread is perle cotton 8. The pattern is adapted from a bookmark in Angela Thompson’s book, Romanian Point Lace (now sadly out of print, but you can get Sylvia Moriartu’s Romanian lace patterns and booklets from www.nordicneedle.com).

Romanian Point lace is very quick to work and surprisingly durable. It’s also very portable, because you just need thread, needles, a crochet hook, and the project itself, which can be rolled up to fit in a small bag. Crocheting the braid is tedious, but it’s easy, mindless work that you can do while standing in line, sitting in a lecture, or commuting.