Spanish Lace Placemats - Now available from Gist Yarn

Exploring Spanish Lace on the Rigid Heddle Loom - New Pattern Available from Gist Yarn

Spanish lace has always intrigued me and carried a sense of quiet intricacy - structured, rhythmic, and full of subtle variation. I was inspired by Jane Patricks exploration and examples of Spanish Lace in her book, The Weavers Idea Book. In my new pattern for Gist Yarn, that tradition and her samples became a starting point for my exploration and interpretation of Spanish Lace.

Spanish Lace is a hand-manipulated lace technique that creates pattern and texture by weaving back and forth in small sections. By shifting and grouping threads, little "s" and "z" motifs are made, and small openings are created in the cloth.

This design includes four distinct Spanish Lace motifs, each interpreting the technique in a slightly different way. Some lean into denser, more “crammed” texture, while others open out into lighter, more spaced arrangements. Together, they offer a study in contrast: how structure shifts when tension, spacing, and placement are adjusted within a single framework.

The beauty of this project is in its flexibility. You can weave a set of four matching placemats for a cohesive table, or treat each motif as its own experiment - choosing your favorite and repeating it across the set. The pattern is designed to support both approaches, giving you room to decide how unified or varied you want your final cloth to feel.

Each kit includes enough yarn to weave four placemats in total, making it easy to complete a full set in any combination of motifs. The sample version is woven in Cobalt, but this is also a great place to introduce your own palette. If cobalt isn’t your color, the structure of the design holds beautifully in any shade that highlights contrast and texture.

This pattern is an invitation to engage with Spanish lace in a hands-on, contemporary way - less about strict tradition, and more about interpretation. Maybe you'll create your own combination of the motifs I've presented in the pattern. Either way, it’s a chance to see how a historical technique can shift and evolve through small decisions at the loom, and how those decisions can create something both functional and beautiful.

The result is a set of placemats that carry movement and variation even within a unified structure - pieces that invite a second look, and maybe even a conversation at the table. I hope you enjoy weaving them!

Photos by Ian Justice Photography, courtesy of Gist Yarn.