ANISHA FRANCIS
anisha@herald-goa.com
MERCES: A few decades ago, knitting lace was a highly valued skill among the women of upper-class families in Goa. The patterns are very delicate, and the threads used are extremely fine—unlike its more common cousin, crochet, which has a more robust interlocking weave pattern. Lace craft is believed to have first been taught by Portuguese nuns in the 17th century at the Santa Monica Convent in Old Goa, where they would knit liturgical vestments like chasubles, albs, and edging for ritual use in the church. Today, over 400 years later, very few practice the craft, and fewer still teach it.
Mathematics teacher and voracious knitter Nathania da Costa Lopes hopes to change this. Three years ago, in a bid to keep the dying art alive, she formed a lace-knitting club at The Gera School, where she teaches. “We started with just two students. I didn’t think the club would last, but it has now grown to 18 to 20 students, including a few enthusiastic boys. The club is now a Needlework Club, with students also learning crochet and embroidery,” says Nathania, whose home
in Merces is adorned with elaborate lace doilies
and runners of all shapes and sizes.
Reminiscing about how she picked up the rare skill, Nathania says she first learnt crochet in school in Bahrain and would practice it with her grandma. “I’m left-handed, and initially struggled with crochet patterns typically designed and taught by right-handed people,” she says. “When I married and settled in Merces, I met Aurita D’Souza, who was friends with my mother-in-law. Aurita was legendary for her lace-making skills, but no one in her family was interested in learning it. When she knew I liked needlework, she not only taught me five-needle knitting, but also gave me all her double-pointed needles, her handwritten pattern books, and left all her beautiful lace creations to me,” says Nathania, who lost her octogenarian teacher earlier this year. Aurita’s rare patterns were all penned in Portuguese, and Nathania had to get them translated to be able to pass them on.
“When I was pregnant and wanted to make clothes and hats for the baby, I watched YouTube tutorials to advance my skill. Smaller clothing is also made in round patterns, which use five needles—four are on the piece and one works around them,” she explains, adding that her love for maths and sequencing plays a role in her talent for the craft.
“I find knitting lace rather cathartic—whenever I feel conflicted about something, I reach for my needles. Counting the stitches and watching the pattern emerge helps me calm down and puts me in a good headspace to solve the issue at hand,” she quips.
The same goes for her students, she adds. “Older kids who are no longer part of the club tell me that they knit whenever they feel stressed,” says Nathania.
“This heritage craft should be preserved, and I believe all schools should teach it. Children today are stuck to their screens and are vulnerable to peer pressure and cyberbullying. A handicraft like lace knitting not only serves as a creative outlet for students but helps them concentrate, and teaches them patience and stillness,” she says.
At the end of the year, the students’ creations are displayed and put up for sale, and part of
the proceeds are given
to charity.