Primrose Path

I completed this piece late last year.  I started it about 7 or 8 years ago, but obviously did not actively work on it for most of that time.  I've said it before, but I really like her patterns.  They are distinctive and fun to make.

This was made using some DMC 80 thread that I had dyed myself.  The dye did not take very evenly.  The slight variation in color does not bother me, but the few spots of very light brown or no color do bother me.  I don't remember if I soaked the whole skein in dye or if I painted it.  I also don't know if it is my technique, the color used, or maybe the dye itself, but it seems like the thread is much more fragile after I dyed it than it normally is.  One of the reasons I set the doily aside for a long time, is that the core thread used to make the chains was becoming very frayed while making the four rows of chains.  In fact, after I picked up the lace to start working on it again, the thread snapped just as I was about to finish the last row!  I ended up cutting off all the chains and starting again.  The other observation, which is even worse, is that the thread broke as I was weaving in the ends of each flower!  Unfortunately I don't mean that the ends I was weaving in broke.  What broke is the thread forming the stitches through which I was weaving the ends.  I now have a very fragile piece of lace with 4 rings already compromised due to broken thread!

Granted I only dyed a few balls of thread, but I don't remember this being a problem to this extent with any of the other thread.  It definitely puts a damper on trying to dye more thread myself.

Snow makes a lovely background for dark lace!