Another Form of Lace!

This was a serendipitous find for me - as I was cruising around in Sharon B's PINTANGLE yesterday, I clicked on a blog under her list of "R"'s, and was amazed to find yet another version of the 15th and 16th versions of filet lace.

I have, off and on in the last few months, made a rather thorough study of lace and it's origins, as I'm intensely interested in replicating the look of the Irish crocheted lace - particularly their adaptation of filet lace, which originated in Italy and evolved from the Reticella to punto-in-aria to filet.

The Reticella was originally cutwork in which threads were pulled from linen fabric to make a "grid," and then a pattern was worked mainly with buttohole stitch. Later reticella used a grid made of thread rather than a fabric ground. Both types resulted in the characteristic geometric design of squares and circles, etc. Reticella then evolved into Punto in Aria, which did not involve using the fabric, but was constructed "stitch in air" to make the netting.

Adriana Ortiz, of Argentina, learned the art of RANDA from her grandmother a number of years ago - this term refers exclusively to the needlework originating in the province of Tucuman, and is one of the oldest of the crafts, which were brought by the Spaniards to the new world in the late 16th to the early 17th century.

Do go visit this blog, Randa - Handmade Lace, and enjoy! Her work is exquisite. I had no idea this had been done - from so long ago. As Michaelangelo said, "I am still learning." Learning is a good thing!!

The lovely white pillow is for the ring bearer in a wedding - gorgeous thing, it is!