This time round I'd like to discuss some of the uses of long twisted picots.

First of all they are quite easy to make - you will need to measure each picot and because the twisted picot is slightly shorter than an untwisted one, you will need to make a sample of your work to make sure that you are measuring the picot to the correct length. You may use the twisted picot in a number of different places - climbing out from a central ring in the centre of a motif, running from section to section to stabilise a piece of work or decoratively, making a double picot but twisting it when you join it. I have found when making the twisted double picot that it tends to collapse on itself so pieces using this may require blocking.

When you come to twist your long picot, you will need to use a hook of some kind as you need to be able to catch the picot in it - the point on the end of a pointed shuttle will not usually be sufficient to keep it under control.

There are no rules about how many twists you should put in a long twisted picot, just enough so that it is not put under undue pressure is the usual but sometimes people put in just one twist for extra effect.

A false picot can be made which usually is one, two or three rings above a definitive point in the lace - either a lock join, a picot point on a chain or even a point at which several rings meet within the work. It needs to be noted that these rings must have something to join to otherwise the twists will not remain in place within the false picot.

Work to the point at which you want your false picot to climb out of. Leave a length of thread a little longer - no more than 1/8 of an inch at the outside in most cases - than the length of the finished long picot and then leave another length of thread the same as the first. You only join into the group of rings at the top of the long false picot after you have made the whole group or section of rings, because if you join before you won't be able to twist the picot. So plan a section like this very carefully. You should always use a measuring gauge for this technique if more than one section is worked.

When you join into the section with the group of rings at the top of the long picot. twist the rings round several times and you have the long false picot.