Silkewerk - An hollow lace

An hollow lace

There isn't a one worker version of this braid, although there's no reason there couldn't be. The closest can be found in A thin lace bordered [8] and A lace bordered the one side [9] where the central portion is made this way.

There are interesting opportunities to play with color in this braid, which aren't explored in the manuscript. Each worker could use a different color, exchanging the loops twice to keep the colors separate on the left and right halves of the braid.

Seat Your Fellow on Your right side.

Take ten loops, and place them on the following fingers:
Outer hands: A B C
Inner hands: B C

Work your own braids:

You and Your Fellow:
Inner hands: A takes through B C inner, the loop of C outer unreversed.
Lower the outer loops.
Outer hands: A takes through B C outer, the loop of C inner reversed.
Lower the inner loops.

Exchange loops on your inner hands:

You:
With A, enter B of the same hand from within outward and take Your Fellow's B unreversed.

Your Fellow:
Takes with his A, Your loop B unreversed.

Both:
Lower A to B.

Repeat from the beginning.

Source: Tollemache 18

An hollow lace of 10 bows.
Set on your hands 5 bows and so many on your fellows then shall your A right take through B C of the same hand the bow C of the left hand unreversed then low thy left hand and A left shall take through B C of the same hand the bow C of the right hand reversed then shall thy fellow work in the same manner save that he shall take first the bow of the left hand reversed and after the bow of the right hand unreversed then shall you [change] the over bows of your next hands in the manner of the thin lace bordered [T8] save that there you change twice and here both once and so begin & etc.

Source: Harleian 12

For to make an hollow lace of 10 bows.
Take a fellow, and set on his hand 5 bows, and other 5 bows on thine hand. Then shalt thou with A right take through B C of the same hand the bow C of the left hand unreversed. Then low thy left bows, and A left shall take through B C of the same hand the bow C of the right hand reversed. Then shall thy fellow work in the same manner, save then he shall take first the bow of the left hand reversed and after the bow of the right hand unreversed. Then shall ye change the over bows of your next hands in the manner of the thin lace bordered [H8], save there ye shall twice and here but once.