Filet crochet lace is possibly one of the easiest techniques to master. Most of you will recognise Filet as fine lace like items such as: curtains, tablecloths & runners, or ground fabric for Irish lace motifs traditionally worked in cotton thread with a steel hook… it’s delicate, old-world & lovely.
However, if you take it a step further, Filet also makes a fabulous ground fabric for your Freeform motifs, or scarves & shawls, when worked in 8 ply (or your yarn of choice) with an appropriate hook – traditionalist may cringe at this but most of you know my approach by now… I like to mixed it up & give anything a try…
In any case, whether you want to work traditionally or venture out & experiment, the basics for Filet are the same… I hope this comprehensive tutorial gives you everything you need, from reading charts to working an armhole on a vest, & becomes a good reference point that leads the way into this age-old technique.
Patterns are presented to the reader as charts or grids instead of written patterns so with a bit of graph paper you can even create your own designs if you have a mind to.
You can purchase the pattern from here,
The Filet crochet tutorial (17 pages) takes you through the basics of Filet Crochet in both written (UK & US terminology) & diagram form & covers the following:
- How to read charts (graphs) – (pg 2)
- Determining the number of chains required for foundation chain – (pg 2)
- What is a Space, Block, Lacet & Bar– (pg 3)
- Stitch Abbreviations – (pg 3)
- Stitch Guide (written & drawings): slip st, dc (US sc), tr (US dc) – (pg 4)
- Stitch Guide continued: dtr (US tr), trtr (US dtr) – tr decrease (US dc decrease) – (pg 5)
- Basic Filet Mesh Lace (written, diagram & drawing): spaces & blocks – (pg 6)
- Basic Filet mesh lace continued: Lacets & bars – (pg 7)
- Shaping: increasing space at beginning & end of row – (pg 8)
- Shaping continued: decreasing space at beginning & end of row, increasing block at beginning & end of row, decreasing block at beginning & end of row – (pg 9)
- Shaping for Garments: increasing blocks at beginning & end of rows – (pg 10)
- Shaping for garments continued: increasing spaces at beginning & end of rows – (pg 11)
- Shaping for garments continued: decreasing & decreasing blocks at beginning & end of rows – (pg-12)
- Three super easy projects to get you started
- Book Mark (chart & photo) – (pg 13)
- Scarf (photo & chart) – (pg 14)
- Purse – (chart, photo, written, diagrams, drawings) (pg 15 to 17)
