Hungarian artist braids, twists and knits plant-based threads into amazingly detailed portraits of humans and nature
Humans never cease to amaze us with what they can manufacture with a pair of knitting needles.
A Hungarian textile artist named Ágnes Herczeg takes lace knitting to the next level.
You’ve seen fancy doilies and tablecloths before, but have you ever seen a detailed, “painted” lace portrait?
Herczeg uses natural, plant-derived threads like linen, hemp, cotton, jute and raphia (and silk) to recreate scenes from nature and the countryside.
She starts by drawing the portrait or scenery she would like to knit.
Then she frames her picture with small branches, bark, coconut shell or another natural material.
Next, she bends thin wires into an outline of her drawing and wraps them with thread. Then, she fills in the gaps with lace patterns.
“I mainly use needle lace technique, which I frequently combine with pillow lace and braiding work,” she writes on her website.
And finally she dyes the threads in various sections, like a painting.
“It is like drawing with the help of stitches,” she says.
For more lace masterpieces check out her website or Instagram page.