Green Ice Cluny Doily

Day 123: A little over a week has passed since I submitted my first entry into a tatting/crochet contest and in the interim, I've been hard at work developing a second pattern which includes cluny leaves. Cluny tatting is not well-known even among experienced tatters, and purists sometimes argue that it doesn't really qualify as "tatting" because the leaves are woven rather than being formed with a series of half-hitches over a core thread. They argue, yes, but there is sufficient evidence of the art historically that their protests can be dismissed with the same wave of the hand which would dispel any dispute that a piece was not "crocheted" if it included a length of ribbon laced into the work, or that a sweater was not "knit" if it was finished with a crocheted edging. Cluny leaves are worked with the same threads used to make the rings and chains; they are not made separately or sewn in. They are most often found in pairs as they are in this design, but single leaves may be included where travel of the thread allows. This doily was made with a #7 needle and size 20 thread. It measures 7" in diameter.