Colleen's Lace

I crocheted six yards of this for the hem of Colleen's wedding dress. It took a year, at two repeats per week. For trim, I crocheted a bit of simple shell-over-shell: shell of 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc; ch 5, turn. For button loops for the back of the dress and the ends of the sleeves, I did the same shell-over-shell, chaining more chains on one side.

I made up the pattern by adapting a pattern from some random crocheting book, probably from the fifties or sixties. The original pattern had a partial scallop -- three-eighths of a circle or so, instead of a full half round.

ch

chain

sc

single crochet (wrap one loop around hook)

dc

double crochet (two loops)

tc

triple crochet (three loops)

ltc

long triple (four loops)

sh

shell

Heading

Row 1:

Shell of 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc; ch 7; shell; ch 5, turn.

Row 2:

Shell over shell, ch 5, shell over shell, ch 5, turn.

Row 3:

Shell over shell, ch 3, sc over chains of last two rows, ch 3, shell over shell, ch 5, turn.

Row 4:

Shell over shell, ch 5, shell over shell, ch 5, turn.

Scallops

Begin with small scallop. Work 1 ch 5 turn loop on one side of heading. The scallops will be worked on this side. Work back to this side, ending with shell over shell. Turn.

Small Scallop

Row 1:

Ch 3+6 (3 for first half of turn loop), sc in nxt ch 5 turn loop of heading, ch 1 tight, turn.

Row 2:

8 sc over first 6 of ch 3+6, slip into 3rd ch from heading, ch 2 (2nd 1/2 of turn loop), continue heading starting with sh over sh.

Large Scallop

Work heading until you have four ch 5 turn loops beyond small scallop. Work a fifth turn loop, turning with ch 2 instead of 5 on the scallop side, and work back to the scallop side, ending with shell over shell, turn.

Row 1:

Ch 3+4 (3 for 1st 1/2 of turn loop), slip into ch 2 turn loop of heading, ch 4, slip into nxt turn loop, ch 1 tight, turn.

Row 2:

5 sc over ch 4 loop, 5 sc over first 4 of ch 7 loop, slip into 3rd ch from heading, ch 2 (second half of ch 5 turn loop), work across heading and back, ending with shell over shell, turn.

Row 3:

Ch 3+3 (3 for 1st 1/2 of turn loop, 3 = dc), skip first sc of prev. row, work 8 tc separated by 1 ch in front loops of nxt 8 sc, miss 1 sc, ch 3 (= dc), slip in nxt turn loop of heading, turn.

Row 4:

Ch 1, dc over nxt ch 1 sp betw tcs, ch 1, dc in back loop of nxt tc, continue across row, ending with dc in last ch 1 sp, ch 1, slip into 4rd ch of ch 3+3, ch 2 (finishes turn loop), work across heading and back, ending with shell over shell, turn. (Note that this row consists of 15 dc separated by 1 ch where the first and last dc are actually made of chains.)

Row 5:

Ch 3+3, 14 tc separated by 2 ch in the 14 ch 1 sp's of prev. row, ch 3, sc in nxt turn loop of heading, turn.

Row 6:

Ch 2, [5 dc in nxt ch 2 sp of prev. row, ch 2, skip one sp.] across row, ending with 5 dc in ch 2 sp. Ch 2, slip into 3rd ch from heading of ch 3+3, ch 2, work across heading and back, ending with shell over shell, turn.

Row 7:

Ch 3+2. Work 4 tc separated by 2 ch in middle dc of each 5 dc cluster of prev. row. Ch 2, sc in nxt turn loop of heading, ch 1 tight, turn.

Row 8:

3 sc over ch 2 of prev. row, 3 sc in 1st ch 2 sp betw tcs,

(Small scallop)

Row 3:

Ch 4, miss 1 sc of prev. row of small scallop, ltc in nxt sc, ch 2, 4 tc separated by 2 ch in nxt 4 sc, ch 2, ltc in nxt sc, skip 1 sc, tc in 3rd sc of 1st ch 2 sp betw tcs of prev. large scallop, ch 1 tight, turn.

Row 4:

slip into ch 2 sp betw ltc and tc, ch 3 (= dc), 4 dc, ch 2, skip one sp, 5 dc in nxt sp, ch 2, 4 dc in nxt sp, ch 3 (= dc), slip into same sp, ch 1 tight, slip loosely into nxt 4 ch of prev. row, turn and continue large scallop.

3 sc in nxt ch 2 sp betw tcs,

(Small scallop)

Row 5:

Ch 1, work 4 tc separated by 2 ch in middle dc of each 5 dc cluster of prev. row. Sc into 3rd sc of nxt (2nd) ch 2 sp betw tcs of prev. large scallop, ch 1 tight, turn.

Row 6:

[3 sc in nxt ch 2 sp.] 3 times, slip betw tc clusters, continue across row, slip into ch that began prev. row.

3 sc in 3rd ch 2 sp betw tcs, slip betw tc clusters, continue across row, 3 sc over first 2 ch of ch 3+2 of prev. row, slip into 3rd ch of ch 3+2, ch 2 to finish turn loop, continue across heading.