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French fan headside

This headside was described to me as a French fan. I do not know if it is accurate, or whether it is specifically French (as opposed to anywhere else). It may also be a Cluny edge.

picture of lace
French fan headside

Pattern
Pattern representation (left). I prefer to show where the pairs go (right)

This diagram avoids the complexities of the individual stitches by showing each pair as a single line. Where one pair crosses another, you should work it in cloth stitch and twist.

Bobbin lace French fan

Repeat Step Back

Working: There is a worker pair (red). This is worked across the passive pairs, to right and left, with a pin at the end of each row. There is one problem. Every other row (towards the centre of the lace) reuses the same pin! This is at the point of the fan. The first row is not a problem - work the stitch and pin as usual. For the next row using the same pin, work the stitch with the workers (red) and the point pair (pale blue), then hook the workers round the back of the pin.

It is possible to have a more complicated version of this fan.

picture of lace pattern of lace

The diagram shows the working. It gives the individual threads, which shows that some of the stitches are cloth stitch and twist, and some are cloth stitch. The cloth stitch is, I suspect, because there isn't room for the twists! One advantage of this version of the fan is that there are pins for each end of the row - no 'reusing pins' nonsense.

I haven't given an animation for this more complicated fan. If you can't figure it out from the diagram, then perhaps you should not attempt it. See pattern 192.

picture of lace pattern of lace

Another way of working this fan does not use any pins on the right edge of the fan at all. Instead, the Torchon ground is worked down to, and including, the edge pins of the fan. Then the worker pair are worked to and fro across the fan in clothe stitch. There are pins at the outer edge, but none at the inner edge. Whenever the worker pair (or any other pair) are tightened, the right passive pair, at the point of the fan, are pulled to the right as far as possible. This stops the worker pair scrunching up all the passives close to the outer pin (since there is no inner pin to stop the workers doing this).

The Dutch for this type of fan is Paddepoot or 'mushroom'!