Lacemakers world wide have an affinity with spiders and webs; and the members of the Lace list in particular have a close affinity, the spider being our symbol and arachne.com our address. This story inspired Jacky McDouall to design a Christmas tree decoration of a Spider on a Web. It is designed to fit inside a gold bangle and it is worked in gold and/or silver thread. It is very simple and very quick to make, and can be made even faster by using one pair of bobbins in place of the two pairs and twisting the threads instead of plaiting them.
First the story: Jacky is indebted to Dearl Kniskern in Virginia, USA, for this version.
Once upon a time on a Christmas Eve long ago, a family was preparing their home for the visit of the Christ child. Everything had been scrubbed and cleaned, and after the Christmas tree had been beautifully trimmed, the family went to bed.
While they were sleeping, the little spiders who had been chased from their favorite nooks and crannies, crept back to wonder at the tree's glittering beauty. They crawled on every branch to see each shining ornament, but alas, in their excitement, they forgot to stop spinning their webs. After their inspection, the tree was shrouded with cobwebs!
When the Christ child came and saw what had happened, He smiled at the thought of the little spiders wanting to see His tree. As He blessed it, He touched each web to turn it into gold, and the tree shone with greater beauty than before.
That is how it came about that in many parts of the world each Christmas tree, to be complete, must have one golden spider.
Download the pricking image, spider.gif. Some resizing will probably be required to make the pricking fit different bangles.
16 pairs (passives) with about 0.5 m gold thread on each bobbin, and 4 pairs (workers) with about 2 m gold thread on each bobbin. 2 pairs bobbins with 0.5 m of two strands gold thread wound together on each bobbin (spider), i.e.double thickness of thread. Or, 2 pairs with 0.5 m single strands of a thicker Gold thread.
Take 4 bobbins from 4 pairs (single thread wound bobbins) and secure them with pins to the top half of the pillow. Do an eight pair crossing. Plait each of the 8 bunches of bobbins outward from the centre like the spokes of a wheel. Add two pairs at A (workers) which spiral out crossing over the 'spokes' at each pin hole. Add one pair of the spider bobbins at B and one pair at C. Work round the web once more and add one pair of the spider bobbins at D and one at E. Make sure that the spider threads go under the web plaits on this last circuit. Work the spider so that it lies under the web threads and so will be on the 'right side' when finished. Work around the web again and when back at the spider before putting up pin F make the spider. Take the spider threads from pin D in at pin F and work with the 'spoke' plait out throwing them out just before pin H. Do the same with the spider threads from pin C, taking them into the 'spoke' plait at pin G throwing them out just before pin I, and the same for the spider threads from pins C & B; in at pins H and I, and throwing out just before the next pins on the 'spokes'. Continue round the web until the position where the bangle will be is reached. Plait each 'spoke' another 0.5 cm out beyond the bangle. Lay the bangle onto the web. Take one of a pair and with a crochet hook, passing it first over the top of the bangle, pull it under the end of the spoke just inside the bangle and make a sewing with the other bobbin in the pair. Do the same with all the other 'spoke' bobbins and tie off. Cut off all the bobbins except one bunch of 2 pairs. With these continue the plait for another 6-8 cm (depending on how long you want the hanging thread). Making a loop with the last 4 cm, tie a knot in the bunch and trim off the bobbins.
Variation for twisted web using fewer bobbins
Try twisting one pair of bobbins in place of plaiting two pairs of bobbins for the web. Give the workers an odd number of twists between the spokes for a better finish.
Jacky likes to make the web in silver with a gold spider. She will be enclosing them in a dark blue card with a circle cut out as a special Christmas card for her nearest and dearest, with the story and the suggestion that they use it as a decoration on their Christmas tree (removed from the card of course).
Spider instructions, photograph and pricking ŠJacky McDouall, 1998
This design may be reproduced for personal use but not sold, nor used in any publication without permission from Jacky McDouall. Permission to publish in newsletters etc. will be willingly given to any not for profit organisation that cares to ask.