Fig. 436. Lace picots attached to a row of stitches made before hand.
Method for copying tapestry patterns in crochet work (figs. [437] and [438]).—Printed cross stitch and embroidery patterns can very well be copied in crochet work especially when they are in two colours only, or rather, are drawn in one colour, on a plain ground.
The way in which such patterns are copied in crochet is by means of chain stitches and trebles, which, rising one above the other in rows, form little squares. For each square marked on the pattern, you must count, in the grounding, 1 treble and 2 chain stitches; in the solid parts, 3 trebles.
The squares formed by the chain stitches should always begin and end with a treble.
When, therefore, a solid square comes between empty or foundation squares, count 4 trebles for the solid square, because the last treble of the last empty square touches the third treble of the solid one.
Thus for 2 solid squares, side by side, count 7 trebles, and for 3 squares, 10. Embroidery patterns worked in several colours can be reproduced in crochet either by trebles and rows worked one way only, cutting off the thread at the end of each row, or by plain stitches, worked in rows to and fro.
When only three colours are used, pass two threads under the stitches; when more than two, leave those which are not in use, at the back of the work and only bring them to the front as they are wanted. The thread, you lay aside, takes at the back the place of the one in use. Of course, the threads not in use can only can be disposed of in this way when the work has a wrong side, otherwise they must be passed underneath the stitches. The colours should alternate in the order the pattern prescribes; moreover, the last stitch before you take another colour cannot be finished with the same thread, you must pass the new thread through the last loop and draw it up with that.
Crochet with Soutache or Lacet (braid) (figs. [439] and [440]).—These are two patterns of crochet, worked with the ordinary crochet cottons and with Soutache or Lacet D.M.C, a material which has not been used for crochet work before.