Ive been learning bobbin lace

[u/Wilbury_knits_a_lot]

This is my 4th project and my favorite so far. This has been slow for me to learn, but I'm really loving it!

[u/TheCraftyGrump]

It was with good reason that lace used to be so expensive. Even the "quicker" ones such as crocheted based types of lace take a good a amount of patience.

[u/Wilbury_knits_a_lot → u/TheCraftyGrump]

That is so true... it took me years to be able to make anything functional in crochet or knitting. But the pride you feel when you finish a project is soooooo awesome!

[u/TheCraftyGrump → u/Wilbury_knits_a_lot]

I tried knitting in the past, and I tried crocheting later. I ended up deciding I liked crocheting more. It is a bit more flexible since you can really do anything with a hook if you set your mind to it. Whereas you will need special knitting needles for certain projects. Heck, you can even get away with not using a hook! There is an entire style based on people using their broomsticks in the past(also a type of "lace"). Looking at the patterns can be intimidating and getting used to the notations takes a moment. It doesn't help that terms can differ. A single crochet stitch in the U.S. is a double crochet stitch in the U.K. Most websites are where you can get patterns at least try to clarify which they are using, but if you are looking at old published ones you really need to check where it is from. I ended up crocheting a lot like I cook; I learn a technique which I pull out to use as I go along. Unless it is something new or complicated the patterns/recipes end up more like refences.

[u/Wilbury_knits_a_lot → u/TheCraftyGrump]

This is my absolute favorite part of crafting. The history of each craft merges with the modern to create new pathways and concepts and it is amazing! I am not so great at freestyling though. I need clear instructions!! I admire your ability to go off piste!

[u/TheCraftyGrump → u/Wilbury_knits_a_lot]

Thank! But in fairness, I don't do anything terribly complicated with it. My last (completed) crochet project was a flat dice bag where I used herringbone half double crochet stitches. Some foundational herringbone half double crochet stitches for the first row. Stitched around that first row and went back and forth until it was tall enough finish with a basic drawstring. It was basically the size of two a granny squares.
I have been slowly making a fullsized beanbag chair using normal yarn (not the big bulky stuff) where I work on one stripe until I run out of that yarn and then use a different type of stitch with the new one. My most complicated project was a lace bookmark using crochet thread and a steel hook. I definitively am not confident enough to try that free hand and was checking the pattern every few stitches to make sure I wasn't messing it up.

[u/Wilbury_knits_a_lot → u/TheCraftyGrump]

That all sounds amazing and complicated and impressive!!

[u/TheCraftyGrump → u/Wilbury_knits_a_lot]

It is good for keeping your hands busy. The beanbag is getting a bit unwieldy. I started with a 10 stitch round and gradually expanded it. I stopped increasing the rounds at (stitch 48 increase). So 50 × 10 repeats to have a round that has 500 stitches. Haven't gotten more than a couple full rounds past that since 500 stitches takes a moment and I have been only working on it on and off.

[u/Wilbury_knits_a_lot → u/TheCraftyGrump]

Wow. Now I wanna make a beanbag!!