My interest in knitting
has been kept alive over the years by the
almost infinite variety of color, pattern,
and texture that is found in collections
of knitters and museums around the world.
Although I love the smooth, quiet repetition
of knitting a rectangular scarf in garter
stitch using a luxurious yarn, it is the
endless diversity of technique and style
that keeps me interested in knitting as
more than a way to keep my hands busy while
watching TV.
“It’s a
dangerous business, Frodo, going out your
door. You step onto the road, and if you
don’t keep your feet, there’s
no knowing where you might be swept off
to.”
--from The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
What a Tangled Web We Weave: Did Lace
Knitting Originate in Spain?
Some knitting traditions are famous around
the world, while others, just as interesting
and beautiful, are less celebrated outside
of their local areas. Such is the case with
knitting in Spain.
Spanish Origins
Spain is home to the earliest -- and some of
the most beautiful -- examples of European
knitting, yet it is rarely given more than
a few paragraphs in books about knitting
around the world. It would be remiss
to write about knitting in Spain without
mentioning the colorwork pillows and liturgical
gloves so well-known as being the first European
knitted objects that have survived:
In 1994, two colorwork pillows
were discovered at the abbey of Santa Maria
of Las Huelgas in northern Spain. Found in
the tomb of Prince Fernando de la Cerda (who
died in 1275), these cushions are made of
fine silk yarn, knitted in very detailed
colorwork patterns at a gauge of approximately
20 stitches per inch or 80 stitches per 4
inches (10cm). With such fine detail and
beautiful stitching, it is obvious that knitting
had been practiced for quite some time in
this region before these pillows were knit.
Knitted liturgical gloves
from the thirteenth through sixteenth centuries,
worn by bishops and possibly knitted
by nuns in convents, were also worked in
silk yarns at a fine gauge with very complex
colorwork patterning featuring religious
symbols and geometric patterns.
Legend holds that Fair Isle
knitting, one of the most famous knitting traditions
in the world, was first brought to Scotland
by sailors shipwrecked from the Spanish Armada.
Looking at the intricate colorwork in early
Spanish knitting, it's not difficult to imagine
how this might have happened. Today, however,
most knitting historians believe that Fair
Isle knitters were influenced by the colorful
designs on mittens and socks from the Baltic
countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Interestingly, one of the most popular designs
used in knitting Lithuanian socks and mittens
features a lattice outlining floral motifs
that is almost identical to the lattice designs
on the early Spanish pillows.
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spanish
Lace
Shetland lace, another knitting tradition with
world-wide recognition, has also been rumored
to have been invented in Spain. One story
about the possible origins of Shetland lace
knitting, mentioned by Sarah Don in the book The
Art of Shetland Lace, is that in the
eleventh century Spanish knitters were already
adept at knitting lace and lace motifs from
Spain found their way into the hands of Shetland
knitters, inspiring a new form of knitting
in the Scottish Isles.
What's
the difference between lace knitting
and knitted lace?
Knitted lace has
pattern stitches on both the right and
wrong side rows (or every round in circular
knitting).
Lace knitting has
pattern stitches only on right side rows,
with plain knit or purl wrong side rows
(or patterning on every other round in
circular knitting).
The names are not important,
but it is important to understand
the pattern you will be knitting. I use
the terms interchangeably.
It is possible that lace knitting
was invented in Spain in the eleventh or twelfth
century. Both James Norbury and Barbara Walker
include the two stitch patterns that I've used
in my mantilla pattern, the Madeira Mesh and
the Madeira Leaf Border, in their stitch libraries
and surmise that they are, perhaps, some of
the oldest lace patterns in existence. Silk
stockings were said to be knitted in Spain
in the twelfth century, and were later imported
to England by both King Henry VIII and Queen
Elizabeth I. Although I've seen eleventh and
twelfth century dates mentioned in many articles,
I haven't been able to track down specific
examples of lace knitting from this period
or any original studies of lace knitting made
this early.
Whatever its origin, knitted lace has been
popular throughout Europe for a very long time.
In the northern countries, woolen shawls and
stoles were the most common lace products,
made for warmth and to sell as an extra source
of income. In southern Europe, lace was knit
more for decoration, perhaps by upper-class
ladies who had more leisure time, and definitely
by knitters who lived in warmer climates and
didn't need the insulating winter garments
worn by their neighbors to the north.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
the most popular knitted lace items in Spain
have been circular cotton doilies, shawls made
out of wool using the same doily patterns,
and mantillas (the head scarves worn by women
in Roman Catholic church services).
Lace doilies by Ava Coleman
Montse Stanley, a knitting
historian and author who was born in Barcelona,
Spain, was driven to learn, write and teach
about knitting when she found out how little
was known about the knitting in the Catalan
region of her country. She wrote several knitting
books including the bestselling title, The
Handknitter's Handbook (David & Charles,
1986, 1990, 1993; Reader's Digest, 1993), as
well as over 80 articles about knitting.
In one article featured in Threads magazine,
Stanley recalls the many lace doilies, or mats,
that she saw as a child. Wanting to know more
about where these designs came from, she asked
some knitters in the area and was surprised
to discover that one of her favorite Catalonian
designs was actually worked from a pattern
in a German knitting booklet!
Lace doily by Ava Coleman with one of
the German pattern books that inspired many
Catalonian knitters in the early twentieth
century.
The Catalonian and German doilies and the
shawls inspired by them were finished off with
a crochet chain bind off that added an edging
of small picots to the design and made blocking
the curved shapes quite easy.
Here's How
Start by putting a slip knot on the crochet hook.
1. Insert a crochet hook into the next few
live stitches on the knitting needle. Your
pattern will tell you how many stitches to
work together. In this example, I am working
3 stitches together.
2. Pull the working yarn through the live
stitches with the crochet hook and drop them
off of the knitting needle.
3. Pull the working yarn through the 2 stitches
on the crochet hook so only 1 stitch remains
on the hook.
4. Make 5 chain stitches.
Repeat steps 1-4 as needed,
then join the end of the last chain to the
work with a crochet slip stitch, cut the yarn
and pull the tail through the last loop to
fasten off.
In her article Catalan Knit Lace in Threads Magazine, knitting
author and historian Montse Stanley mentions
women knitting shawls in the same designs used for doilies
and mats. Inspired by her thoughts, I've used traditional
Spanish lace stitches to design this mantilla, which I wear
over my shoulders rather than as a head covering.
This mantilla is worked back and forth in rows from the
neck down, with increases at the two shoulders to create
a better fit and drape than is possible with a straight
rectangular stole. After the shaping is complete, a wide
border is knitted, then stitches are picked up around the
entire piece and the edging is worked from the center out
in the round.
photos: Dominic
Cotignola
SIZE
One
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS Length along straight side edge: 16" Width along curved
bottom edge: 56"
Recommended needle size [always use a needle
size that gives you the gauge
listed below -- every knitter's
gauge is unique] #2
US (2.75mm) circular needle at least
24" long
Approx 22 sts and 28 rows = 4 inches over
Madeira Mesh stitch, after blocking
Gauge
is not critical for this project.
PATTERN NOTES [Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]
Be VERY careful working the p3tog and p2tog
tbl stitches as it is quite easy to miss a loop and drop a
stitch while working these decreases.
Check your work carefully before wetting and blocking and
secure any dropped stitches as you weave
in the ends so they do not run when you stretch the piece to
block it. To secure a dropped stitch from a decrease, use a
tapestry needle to thread a 6-inch piece of yarn through the
dropped stitch and pull it through the back of the decreases
to which the stitch should belong, on the WS. Tie a square
knot, which will be hidden by the decrease, and weave in the
tails. Trim the ends after blocking.
Both Spanish lace stitch patterns used are featured in
Barbara
Walker's First Treasury and James
Norbury's Traditional
Knitting Patterns.
I've charted the patterns, and created a
circular version of the mesh pattern to use as an edging on
this mantilla.
For the increases before the Border, use your favourite. Placement
and type of increase doesn't matter, as it's hidden in the
garter stitch.
Charts The charts for this
pattern are very large and fit on a letter-sized
page.
Click here and print the resulting page.
DIRECTIONS
CO 185 sts.
Setup row [WS]: [K61, pm, k1, pm] twice, k61.
Body Row 1 [RS]: [Work Madeira Mesh
chart to marker, slip marker, yo, k to
next marker, yo, slip marker] twice,
work Madeira Mesh to end. 4 sts increased.
Rows 2-6 [WS]: [Work Madeira
Mesh chart to marker, slip marker, k
to next marker, slip marker] twice, work
Madeira Mesh to end.
Row 7 [RS]: Rep Row 1.
Row 8-12 [WS]:Rep Row 2.
Work in pattern as set, increasing every 1st and 7th row, until
you have 13 sts between markers, ending
after a full repeat of the Madeira Mesh is complete. 209 sts.
Note: As you work the following rows, take the increased sts
into the Madeira Mesh pattern.
Row 1 [RS]: [Work Madeira Mesh
chart to marker, slip marker, yo, work
Madeira Mesh chart to marker, yo, slip
marker] twice, work Madeira Mesh to end.
4 sts increased.
Rows 2-6 [WS]: [Work Madeira
Mesh chart to marker, slip marker, k
to next marker, slip marker] twice, work
Madeira Mesh to end.
Row 7 [RS]: Rep Row 1.
Row 8-12 [WS]:Rep Row 2.
Work in pattern as set, increasing every 1st and 7th row, and
taking the increased sts into the Madeira mesh pattern, until
you have 35 sts between markers, ending after a full repeat
of the Madeira Mesh is complete. 253 sts.
Row 1 [RS]:K2, pm, work Madeira
Leaf Border chart across next 264 sts, pm, k2.
Row 2 [WS]: K2, work Madeira
Leaf Border chart across next 264 sts,
k2.
Work as set until all 41 rows of chart
have been worked once.
Edging
Knit 2 rows.
Decrease row [WS]: K132, k2tog, k132. 265 sts.
Setup [RS]:Knit across. Do not turn,
(pm, m1 with backwards-loop CO at corner, pm), pick up and knit
79 sts across side of piece; (pm, m1, pm) at next corner; pick
up and knit 181 sts across CO edge; (pm, m1, pm) at next corner;
pick up and knit 79 sts across other side of piece, (pm, m1).
Join to work in the round, placing a contrasting color marker
for beginning of round. 608 sts.
Edging round: [Work Madeira Mesh Circular pattern
to first corner marker, work Edging Corner chart between corner
markers] four times.
Work as set until all 7 rows of chart have
been worked. 15 sts between corner markers; 664 sts total.
BO with crochet chain bind-off as follows: *Insert hook into
2 live sts on knitting needle and make
1 sc, *chain 5, make sc in next 3 live
sts together; rep from * to last 2 sts
on side, chain 5, make sc in next 2 live
sts together, (chain 5, make sc into next
3 sts together) five times for corner,
chain 5. Repeat from * three more times.
Join with a slip st. Bind off.
FINISHING
Weave in ends. Trim the ends after blocking.
Wash and block to finished dimensions as follows: Soak in
tepid water (with no-rinse wool-wash soap if desired) until
saturated. Squeeze out excess water by rolling the mantilla
in a towel and stepping on it (do not wring). Place mantilla
on blocking board, and pin in place by putting one pin in
each crochet chain space and pulling gently away from the
edge of the piece with the pin to open up the point. Do not
over stretch the mantilla. You want the garter stitch to
maintain its texture.
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spanish
