Tag Archives: bruges lace

Hooked on Bruges Lace! & a Free Pattern

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I have been hooked on playing with Bruges Lace as of late, and wanted to share this skill.

Spiral Bruges Cowl

Bruges Lace is a crochet technique that essentially has you crocheting a ribbon, a narrow strip, and attaching it to itself to create a simple lace that looks much more involved. The patterns often have a high row count, but that is because the rows are only a few stitches each, in some cases only 5 stitches.

A “ribbon”

As you can see in this photo the “ribbon” is only a few stitches, and then there is a long turning chain. This long chain is used as a joining point when working the “ribbon” back on itself. This approach lends itself to any design that you can draw in a continuous line.

When you have a “turn” in your line you need to work longer and join multiple long loops together to form a “bend” in the ribbon.

Joining sides of “ribbons”

I encourage you to give it a try, and to get you started I have a free cowl pattern.

Spiral Bruges Cowl

Work a ribbon, and then join on one side to spiral around and create this fast and eye catching cowl. The ends of the ribbon are highlighted with simple shells to finish this highlight.

Finished Size

31″ circumference, 12″ Tall (79 cm circumference, 9 cm tall)

Gauge

5 sts (the width of ribbon, not counting ch-5 loop)= 1 1/2″ (4cm), 6 rows =4″ (10cm)

Materials

* Lisa Souza Yarns Max medium weight 50% Bombyx Silk/50% Merino Wool yarn (219 yrd/3.5oz)

* K/10 ½ /6.5mm crochet hook

Row 1: Ch 6, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sk next ch, 5 dc in next ch, sk next ch, sc in last ch, turn chain over to work in unused loops of beg chain.

Beginning Row 2, turn and work on the other side of the chain

Row 2: Ch 5, dc in unused loops of first st, dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next st, dc in next ch, dc in unused loops of last st, turn.

Row 3: Ch 5, dc in next 2 dc sts, ch 1, dc in last 2 dc sts, turn.

Row 4-50: Rep Row 3.

Row 51: Ch 2, sl st to ch-5 loop of Row 2, sl st, dc in next 2 dc sts, ch 1, dc in last 2 dc sts, turn.

Row 52: Ch 5, dc in next 2 dc sts, ch 1, dc in last 2 dc sts, turn.

Row 53: Ch 2, sl st to next adjacent ch-5 loop, ch 2, dc in next 2 dc sts, ch 1, dc in last 2 dc sts, turn.

Row 54: Ch 5, dc in next 2 dc sts, ch 1, dc in last 2 dc sts, turn.

Row 55-248: Rep Rows 53 & 54 ninety seven times.

Row 249: Ch 2, sl st in next adjacent ch-5 loop, ch 2, sc in first dc, 5 dc in ch-1 sp, sc in last dc, fasten off. Weave in ends, block.

One Skein, One Loop

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I love the challenge of creating a single skein project, sometimes it lends itself to a fantastic idea, and sometimes it is just a practice of futility. However, I think this latest design is the former.

Scarf in a Loop is a simple attempt at Bruges Lace. Bruges Lace is a classic technique that essentially crochets a ribbon of narrow crochet stitches with chain loops on its edges. These chain loops allow the ribbon to be bent and twisted, while joining these loops together. So basically if you can draw the line of a ribbon you can create the design in crochet. This scarf pattern is drawn as a ribbon in a simple oval.

Scarf in a Loop, Crochet World October 2017 Photo courtesy Annie’s

The one drawback to Bruges Lace patterns is the number of rows involved. Often a pattern can seem intimidating when it lists hundreds, if not thousands of rows. So keep in mind that these rows are often only a couple of stitches wide.

One of the things I really enjoy with Scarf in a Loop is the way the color moves. The yarn, Lion Brand Unique, has some nice color changes and this design really highlights this. It is a bulky size yarn so it works up fairly fast, and has a nice weight.

Crochet World, October 2017, decided to feature this design and I think it is great as a gift for the upcoming holiday season, or simply for a quick accessory to keep warm during this ever cooling season.