Lace — So Lovely, There Was a Law Against It

Tucked in Alexander Hamilton’s papers are snippets of black silk lace

Interior with lace-making girl by Emma Ekwall. Wikimedia Commons

Lace is all about what’s left out, a collection of holes formed into a pattern. The word evokes wedding veils, christening gowns, negligees, and fancy words like Alencon, Valenciennes, Chantilly, and Torchon.

Most needlefolk eventually try their hand at making a piece of lace. We knit a…