The beautiful and expensive lace for which Honiton is famous may be closely imitated in crochet, with the occasional aid of some point-lace stitches.
Honiton sprigs and edgings are done in detached pieces, which are afterwards laid on Brussels net, and run on in any form that fancy may dictate. Sometimes they are connected together into a solid mass by means of twisted bars, in a manner termed guipuring. Being thus separate, the directions for each sprig or edging are comparatively short. Each sprig is usually begun at the end of the stem, which is formed by a chain, any leaves or flowers that come on the right side of it being then made as you come to them; generally a flower forms the point of the spray, and this being made, the stem is finished by working the chain stitches in s.c., adding the leaves or flowers on the left side whenever they occur, and working down to the commencement of the chain. Leave about three inches of thread on beginning and ending; thread these with a fine needle and run a few stitches up and down the stem, on the wrong side, to secure them. They may then be cut off closely, and the sprig is complete.
As these general observations refer to all imitations of Honiton lace in crochet, we shall beg our readers to refer to them, when directions for other specimens are given.
CROCHET WINDOW CURTAIN.
MATERIALS..—Brooks' Great Exhibition Prize Goat's-head Crochet Cotton. Penelope Hook.
May be worked from the engraving in any thickness of cotton, amounting to the size of curtain required; the larger the curtain the thicker the cotton should be. It likewise, in thick cotton, looks remarkably well for bed curtains.
