The Vandyke Necklace

I didn't expect to take quite so long bringing this pattern together. I found myself thwarted by a twisted wrist. The cause of my pain was one of those seriously graceful moments in life. I was bringing a large, 4o lb box into the house left by UPS. I also happened to be wearing a crocheted vest with an open weave design. My screen door caught me by the vest and I had this slow motion fall in which I tried to protect both my vest and my box. In retrospect, it may have been wiser to protect myself!

Though my sore wrist slowed me, it didn't stop me. When I'm in the middle of designing something new, it takes more than a little pain to shut me down. I get rather obsessed. Tunnel vision ensues, blocking out all other distractions. I'm sure my family will attest to this.

I need to stop running on and tell you about my necklace. I'm calling it The Vandyke Necklace. In my research, the name Vandyke seems to appear more in embroidery. A Vandyke Stitch is basically a zig zag chain. The inspiration for my design came from a pattern for Vandyke Lace Edging from 1895. I was thinking that I might give my necklace three points, this large one in the center and two smaller ones on either side. In the end, I decided less was more.

The Vandyke Necklace is worn close to the neck. It's very light and comfortable. In my previous post, I mentioned that I thought it would look nice paired with a boyfriend blazer. I had to try that out for myself now that I have a necklace completed. It's a cute look! I think this necklace would be pretty with blouses or offset by a collar. I also think you could get a little more fun and funky.

I have chosen an 8mm Czech Glass Crystal as my pendant, but you could choose most any ornament. Just think of all the charms and beautiful stones out there. Part of the fun with this pattern will definitely be a trip to the local bead shop to pick out just the right pendant for the look you desire.

As for the yarn, the necklace pictured here was crocheted using 100% cotton in a sport weight with a size D hook. When I write this pattern, I will be recommending cotton, silk, soy silk, bamboo or any very smooth fiber. I have made a second necklace using wool just to see what it would look like. It turned out fine, but the texture of the wool diminished the details of the lace.

What about the pattern? My goal is to get it written over the holiday weekend. I should have it in the shop by Monday or Tuesday and I'll post a link to the listing when it's ready. I think this will be a great gift pattern. It's one that you can make up to suit different personalities and it's easy to adjust the neck size. It's also a quick project. Now that I have the pattern worked out, it's taking me about an hour to make one necklace start to finish. This will be a nice pattern to have on file for birthdays, Christmas and all those special gift giving occasions.