Beginning Binche

I needed a new lace project
To challenge my poor brain
And forget about the worries
This crazy world has found again.

Some very clever ladies
Had designed some festive cheer
In the form of tiny motifs
Just right, this time of year.

So dive into my library
Get out the books on Binche.
Try Flanders first they touted?
“Nah, this will be a cinche”.

“Do a sample strip of snowflakes”
The large snowflake is quite clear
But then it joins a footside
And it begins to disappear.

There are dozens of these snowflakes
Some in cloth stitch, others not.
Some with frames round, some with rings round –
How many?  Quite a lot!

Then there’s Kat stitch with no pins in
Which will wander cross the piece.
Keeping tension straight on this stitch?
The problems never cease.

And most of all, there’s cloth stitch
To form a picture in the ground.
Where pairs come in, and pairs go out –
And my head goes round and round!

But when a motif’s finished,
Though tension is so poor
It just looks oh so pretty
And I want to make some more!

Noelene Lafferty
The Angle, Australia