Becoming a Luceteer!

My second class was in Luceting.

I really didn't have any idea what this was...but I remember tatters mentioning it in their blogs....so I signed up!

The class was given by Mr Lucet himself...Ziggy Rytka...a fellow Yorkshireman..so that was a very good start.

This is what Ziggy says about Luceting

The Lucet has made cords for over one thousand years and is what ties doublet and hose in the middle ages, bodice ties for the Elizabethans, ornamental frogging in the 18th century, right up to the Victorians who made neck chains and watch fobs from silk.
It is the birthplace of bag ties, glasses cords, shoelaces...the list is endless.

This is the introduction to Ziggy's story..

I first came across the Lucet in 1992 whilst playing the part of a wounded 17c soldier in the Whitefriars Museum in Coventry. Of our troupe two of the chaps were from a medieval society and one evening, in camp, I saw them using a Lucet… They taught me the Lucet in ten minutes flat. On the way home on the mini-bus I luceted a piece of wool I had acquired from somewhere, and when that ran out, unravelled it and started again, and again!

The Lucet that he copied from the medieval players made his hands ache so he set about designing his own, came up with his best design and started producing them by hand in his workshop to take to Civil war events teaching people how to use them.

He found that the loops kept coming off the lucet in transit so he invented a bobbin which fits on to the lucet to kept them on..as well as holding thread.

In 2003 he started The Lucet company producing a new design of plastic Lucets and bobbins.

He gave us a little drawstring bag....he said we would use our first cord for that, instruction leaflet and a card....and our choice of ceramic beads and coloured thread for our work...we never did get as far as using the beads!








And we were off, learning the beginners method...



Having mastered that we were on to his Fast Grab method...



It was all pretty easy until I forgot where I was, my threads came off the lucet and I needed to learn to unlucet....definately not to be recommended.

All to soon the hour was over....

Ziggy wears what he makes and I had to admire his shoe laces...



..."they look like tatting" I remarked.
"they are not tatting!" was his reply sounding rather offended.

Yes I know that!!

Off to his little spot on the Braidmakers stand....to buy a kit...Lucet, 2 bobbins, 2 hanks of perle 5 and his book on Advanced Luceting...and to watch him work.

















Absolutely amazing!!

More lovely stuff on Ziggy's website

Now I know you are going to ask what I have made!!!

Well I luceted on the train all the way home,like he says it's very relaxing.
I did finally master the fast grab method...it's quite difficult to make an even cord...make that VERY difficult!!



This little bit, less than 6 inches took 3 meters of thread...well at least I know that.

I don't know if I will ever have the time to master the Advanced Luceting but at least I know what it's all about.

I am thinking necklace cords and am about to dye Rainbow Bright in size 10 to play with...and yes Rainbow Bright is coming back!!!!

Next I must get back to showing you some real tatting! too many diversions!!!

Corking!

No Corking isn't anything at all to do with Cork!

When I was a kid, I used to do Corking....I was beginning to think that I was the only one to call it this...but I looked it up on Google and there is it..there is even a brand new book out called Corking for Kids!...and even hubby says that he called it that too in London.

I bet most of you have done this. I used a large wooden cotton reel that dad had hammered 4 nails into the top...and used up all the bits of thread that mum had left over. I made yards and yards of it...nowadays called French Knitting.....there was not an awful lot that could be done with it...it was just fun to watch the colour changes appear from the bottom of the reel.

Mainly we sewed it into coiled mats.

We would never ever have thought of making necklaces or bracelets...partly I suppose because wearing a length of itchy wool wasn't that much fun and partly because necklaces were pretty much made of standard stuff like metal and pearls and beads...and that was that!

Nowadays when kids try anything new, the first thing they make is a necklace or bracelet. There are such fab materials out there that anything will look great.

Soooh....

My first class was French Knit Necklace with Ingrid De Vane and we were to make a necklace. First we had to choose a pack of 'thread'. As usual I was spoiled for choice, I am so bad at choosing...I want them all! My goodness she had so many packs of braids, hand picked for their beauty.

She showed us how to use this new fangled gizmo Clover Wonder Knitter, we attached two strong magnets to the bottom of the thread for weight and we were up and running....one lady had bought one last year and still couldn't figure it out!!





We were soon finished and Ingrid showed us how to glue the end caps on to finish the necklace, a brilliant idea.





Typical of me I thought everyone else's looked nicer!!

After that it was back to Ingrid's stand to buy all the necessary gear. She has the most fab selection of large beads to thread on the necklaces, the fittings, hundreds of braids all measured into lengths and would on to cards by Ingrid and her daughter.
She also makes necklaces out of fine wire an beads..but she was sold out of the wire.
I should have taken better photos of the stand.



These were my purchases from this stall and others selling great goodies.



A closer look...
...end caps, magnetic and not....anybody know where to get these?



...the beads...so hard to choose just a few..






This one was just too hard to resist..


...this was a cheap pack of tubular ribbons and glitter threads to play with!....


.......hubby retorted that it was all to play with!!

It wasn't until I got home and played with the beads on my necklace..that I realised that it is gorgeous after all!!






Even the abalone shell looked good, they said it wouldn't match!

Bit difficult photographing yourself, needed a beautiful necked model!! Oh well!

Will tell you later what my second workshop was.

Lots of you wondered how I took the photos of the exhibition...no I wasn't suspended from the ceiling, if you look at them again you will see that there is a balcony running all the way round the hall.

The Lace Guild had a stand on the balcony, there was tatting on display but the tatters were missing....looking round the show. There was no tatting workshop that day.

Tatting supplies at the show were as I had been told almost totally absent. Two booksellers had the same half a dozen books that I already have. Not a single ball of good crochet cotton..couldn't even find a fine crochet hook.

So I just had to feast on other things!!

I HAVE to be strong and get back to my tatting and resist the urge to do my Corking!!