In last month’s bit-sized tutorial on Choosing Thread / Yarn for a Lace Edging, I briefly touched on using white or choice of color. I do not limit myself to only using white or natural (unbleached), nor would I expect you to. But historically, there do seem to be some definite opinions.
Traditional white lace
On one end of the spectrum of opinion, white (or at least inconspicuous color) is considered desirable and maybe even mandatory. From the First Book of Modern Lace Knitting, Marianne Kinzel, ISBN 0-486-22904-1, page 16:
“Do not use … conspicuous colour, as this is not in the lace-making tradition.”
And on the other end of the spectrum, it also has a history of being undesirable, an indication of poverty and inferior quality. From The Complete Book of Traditional Scandinavian Knitting, Sheila McGregor, ISBN 0-312-15638-3, pages 83 and 56:
“…lace-knitting was taught in the nineteenth century, but white knitting was never part of traditional knitting in Denmark. Indeed, it plays no great part in Scandinavian folk knitting at all, although simple hole patterns are found, and white gloves and white stockings are worn here and there, particularly on Sundays. By and large, white was never a desirable color in folk knitting and Denmark was no exception.”
“…white wool was never used where it showed … that would have been a shameful dreadful admission of poverty and lack of skill …”
In many of the samples I’ve shown so far, they are done in white or natural color. But there have already been several examples of color. For example, last month’s Lace Bug Bookmark project shown in pink. The Bead-Pinned Lace Edging Ornament which was made with holiday red. And of course, this month’s project Three Eyelets Sachet in French blue.
What do you think about using white vs. color for lace? What color(s) have you been using so far? Do you have a favorite? Let’s get the discussion going and share our thoughts! (I don’t want to be the only one talking here, lol.)
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That’s a slick answer to a challenging question
I LOVE YOUR SITE. I just discovered it and am disappointed that I cannot get the lace patterns from the last 6 months. Thank you for your tutorials. I am mostly self taught and the internet is opening up help.
Glad to have you. Happy you found us!
Summer Lace Anklets is the 5th pattern in the Bits of Lace series that we are working on now for this month’s knit-learn-along. It is available in the Free Membership Pattern area for registered participants like you.
There will be more project patterns in the coming months to keep you busy, knitting and learning (I hope), lol.
Meantime, enjoy the bit-sized tutorials, tips & techniques already posted and more to come as I have time.
Ive knitted a few lacey things in spaced-dyed yarn – rather disappointing, as the lace pattern and the coloured yarn seem to cancel each other, and a muddy muddle is the result. I would not try it again unless I was absolutely certain it would look quite splendid when finished. I think light coloured yarns for lacey items is the best, or at least a plain coloured yarn. (Yup, Im from the UK, hence the strange spelling in places!)
Has anyone tried Margaret Stone’s patterns from her book ‘Wrapped in Lace’? I find they are almost impossibly complicated, even the simple-looking scarves. Any comments would be welcome.
Thanks
Hi Margie,
I was looking for good lace and shawl books…and believe me, I’m an ‘internet junkie’ when it comes to searching and researching for patterns.
I found many books I like and bought a few, although I’ve gone through Wrapped in Lace a bunch of times and have not bought it. It just doesn’t seem to be what I’m looking for.
I’ve downloaded many, many patterns (free, of course) that I’ve used but will not buy that book. I didn’t like the looks of the patterns, either. So don’t feel slighted, it isn’t you..it’s the designer. I do find many great patterns on Knitty, but I must say, about the only patterns I have bought were Jackie’s!
I’ve knit lace in just about every color except black and brown. I love the look of white/natural lace for some projects, but prefer color for others. Doilies and tablecloths are the only type of lace where I strongly prefer white, mostly because I like the contrast of the white against the dark of the wood. Isn’t it nice that there are no color rules any more? We can choose what pleases us!
I’ve been using a lot of lilac and lavender for laces, especially shawls & summer cotton sweaters. Dark colors like black and navy blue can make it hard to see your stitches when knitting. And unless they really open up and are worn / used against a light-colored background, no one will every see the beauty of your lace…
For some reason, I just prefer a white shawl. I’ve been working on one (for ages) in “Ostrich Plumes” from one of Barbara Walker’s books (2nd Treasury of Knitting Patterns, I believe), and while I might have done this in either pale pink or aqua, I just love the plain natural white.
What I can’t make myself do is knit a complex pattern of either cables or lace in a hand-painted or “space dyed” yarn. These completely hide the pattern, and if it’s that hard to see just looking at it, I can’t imagine how much harder it must be to see when actually knitting. Fortunately, there are ever so many beautiful garter and stockinette stitch patterns coming out now. These let the hand-painted yarns show off. And sometimes, the simple stitches are the most elegant. I made my sister-in-law a plain, white, stockinette stitch shawl a couple years ago, and was in a room full of men while it was in progress. To my amazement, they went absolutely nuts over it!!! And I hadn’t even added the ruffle yet.
I usually knit lace in white, ecru, or a very light tan color. Recently though I branched out and tried some colors. To me the white seems more like lace, but the colors made very pretty pieces.
The sachet pattern came around at just the perfect time. I’ve been busy knitting sachets for the aunts to put in the little Easter baskets I made for them, since my kids are now “too old” for easter baskets.
OOPS! please forgive the typo – special should have a C – not speial
No problem. I think I can go back in there and correct that. I too have been known to have a spastic keyboard, lol.
I love lace in any colour, but white lace always seems extra special to me – wedding gowns, christening dresses, veils, etc. Black can also be very effecttive for lace. Most colours are great for a more casual look. I love these little sachets and am knitting a bunch for Christmas stocking stuffers, personalizing them with eyelet initials, LOL It is SO nice to have some small things to work on, and to get some gifts done in advance of the inevitable rush later in the year.
Your info is so interesting. I was always taught that white was the more elegant choice because it shows dirt more easily and therefore was used by those who could afford cleaning help! That being said, my personal choices are all over the map. As my eyes grow older, it is much easier to see white and pale colors, so I choose them more often despite preferences for brighter colors. I am loving these tutorials, Jackie! Still looking for the perfect pattern to make some pillowcase edgings. Want to show off a bit, but not get into anything that will take too much brain power or consume too much time. I am enjoying looking through my lace books and swatching like crazy.
White, as beautiful as it can be, is not the thing you want where I live. Dust/dirt makes my day a continuous cleaning schedule. So, mainly I use colors, pales to darks, but the really funny thing is, unless its thread, I can’t even begin to purchase white yarn of any type here. So, all of my knitting has to be done in colors of some sort, which is fine, as we really need some colors to brighten the mundane, bleached out scenery.
Even if I choose a different colour (which is often) I would prefer to see the pattern made up in white or some other pale colour.
IMHO pieces done in other colours may not attract the attention they deserve. Especially, with dark coloured lace you often can’t see the details which is a shame because some of the stitches are gorgeous.
Having said that, I remember that the second piece of lace I attempted was a baby shawl for my sister’s new daughter. The pattern was a lovely pale lilac – but she requested dark green!! It was absolutely dirt-proof but did not show up at all well in photos.
i love very delicate white or champagne lace but typically use it only for heirloom type sewing – such as my daughter’s wedding dress or a christening gown — i have begun to use dyes to dye my white work and i typically use a variegated scheme of greens and maroons
While white is a classic, IMHO, I prefer to add a little colour to my life and to the lives of those I sometimes knit for. (My grammar teacher is turning over in her grave!) The knitting community suppliers/dyers/weavers have blessed us with so many beautiful hues, who can pass these by?
After taking many classes in all many forms of needlework. It seems that places that have lots of color in their landscape, they like white work. Places that have a lot of white in the landscape, tend to want their handwork in color.
I love working in white, but with that said, I also love color. I think it’s wonderful that we have so many yarns to choose from, that we can choose whatever pleases us.
I also love your website and tutorials. Thank you.
The sachet works up beautifully! My first one is in a forest green with a gold thread. I have plans for three more in the next few days, … they will probably be in either blues, pinks or a different green. Must admit it never occurred to me to work it in white.
The three book marks I’ve made were in silver (one) and gold)two) cotton thread. I used those because the ribbon I had on hand is a mix of colours (a sort of watercolour rainbow effect) and I didn’t want the lace to compete.
I realize it was accidental but I really have to thank you Jackie, your last two patterns couldn’t have been better timed for my personal gift giving needs!
Do look forward to all the tips and patterns to come.
Joy
I have no preference for either white or colored lace–depends on the project which I would choose. The lace knitting patterns have been very nice–thank you