Discovering Filigree Crochet

    This has got to be, far and away, the most frustrating thing I have ever tried to research! I remain convinced there was once a style of lace called filigree and, it therefore follows, a style of crochet. My evidence is very slim, so you will have to draw your own conclusions. But I get ahead of myself.

    I have in my box of family treasures and keepsakes the broken remnants of two filigree silver bracelets. I believe they are Indian and are either Victorian or Edwardian. Showing you these exquisite morsels is the easiest way to introduce this subject.

Filigree metal work has been in existence since at least 3,000BCE and was practised in Mesopotamia. The word, Filigree, comes from the Latin and is made of the words, filum meaning thread and granum meaning grain. The fine metal work was made from twisted threads and beads of gold or silver.

 

     Hidden within the depths of the revised edition of Therese De Dillmont's Encyclopedia of needlework is this engraving. It is described as 'Crochet Lace with 'metal threads'. Imitation of filigree lace.' It is clearly intended to mimic an image later in the section on Embroidered Laces. Here is my only clue about the history of filigree lace.

     We are told: Filigree lace is the finest of all the Spanish laces... The original forms the trimming to a silk table-cover of the 17th century, of Spanish origin. It is a more difficult kind of work... and requires a very skilful hand. The different parts of the design are made of metal threads connected by button-hole stitches in brilliant thread. 

The needle made lace was to be made in gold and silver embroidery thread, as well as 5 colours of DMC Alsa in size No40. This is described as a brilliant sewing and machine twist.  

    As I have no other examples to show you, I set out to make the crochet version using the original instructions. It would have been wonderful if the thread was still available, sadly it is not. It was to be made with two different threads. Firstly, Gold Embroidery threads (Or et Argent fins pour Embroidery). Secondly, 5 colours of DMC Gold Chiné (Chiné d'or). These were to be black/gold, green/gold, blue/gold, red/gold and ecru/gold. The threads were intended to be size 40 which is incredibly fine and far too thin for both my eyes and hands! I have been unable to find any images of these items so I have no idea what they looked like.

  

    Before beginning I tried out the pattern using No10 cotton threads. The peculiarity of Victorian crochet is that sometimes the stitches are made into the back loop only and sometimes under both loops. The instructions are not specific. I have had to be guided by the illustration, which is not always accurate. But also I have made aesthetic decisions! I think the result gives you an idea, at least of what the lace might have looked like.

   Being forced to do my own thing, I have looked at various crochet and embroidery threads available in the UK. Some are available in coloured metallics and other only in metal shades. I finally plumped for Anchor Metallic which is about a Number 5 crochet thread, the suggested hook size is 2mm. When working with the Metallic threads I chose to simplify the design by using only four colours. I made a few subtle changes to improve on my original interpretation. The first thing that struck me was the number of ends that needed to be woven in. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of time and patience it must have taken to edge an entire tablecloth!

 

    It's been a very frustrating search for any other examples. My browser insisted on showing me Filet crochet. I even tasked The Researcher with looking from her side of the Pond. But to no avail! (Although, she did find some interesting wire crochet jewellery.) Finally Sue Perez, AKA Mrs Micawber, came to my rescue once again. Back in 2018 she wrote a really cute and original pattern for a Filigree Heart Design. So I thought I would make that using the same threads. Sue's techniques are always original and her lace work is beautiful.

    Although I am presenting these as two different projects I actually worked them simultaneously. Worked in cotton Sue's design requires nothing more than a little light blocking. Modern metallic threads are made on the whole with Viscose and Polyester. It makes blocking extremely difficult. I am assuming that the original threads were made from metal wrapped cotton threads. But once again it is impossible to know.

    Next I tried working the Heart design in Anchor Metallic Fine and a 1.5mm hook. It is a little thicker then a No10 crochet cotton. This yarn only comes in gold and silver colours. I used this motif to experiment with blocking. In the end I solved the problem by heavily starching the design before pinning and leaving to dry. This seems to have worked well and hasn't dulled the gleam.

    In the end I used the thicker Anchor Metallic. I chose this for my Spanish filigree crochet because of the coloured threads. Being more substantial it worked up much more easily but still required blocking with starch.

     It would have been wonderful to show you Dillmont's design in the original threads. The closest I could have got was DMC Diamant. This thread also comes in two sizes. In this case the colours are only available in the finer yarn. It is three ply and while it is heavier than a machine sewing thread it is finer than a No20 thread. I know there are people who enjoy making micro crochet but I have no idea how or why! I tried making a small sample for your elucidation! The thread is hard to control even with the 1.5mm hook. I can not imagine edging an entire table cloth with the Victorian crochet design, not while keeping my sanity in any case!

    So there it is, it's up to you to decide. Was there ever a style of crochet called filigree do you think? Is it worth reviving or should we leave it to the annals of history?

Fastening off...