The Night Tangler
The Night Tangler is a folkloric entity invented by Daisy Jordan and Ulysses Black, as a result of their research into lacemaking history and mythology as part of The Lacemakers project (work in progress).
Who is The Night Tangler? Old Bob; Old Smudge; Old Jack; The Lace Man, Hombre Nudo, The Lace Devil, The stitch-stealer; the ‘one who passes through’. These are the (by no means extensive) variations of names for this slippery entity - this Lace Devil of sorts. He is an ever present - though just out of sight - antagonist, awaiting the dropping-of-the-guard of lace making women. If they are untidy in their workspace, leave pins lying around, untidy with their threads, etc, the Night Tangler will steal into the workspace at night and variously unravel the lace, tangle the threads, steal, bend - even eat - the pins.
We have created an extensive mythology around this character, and I am currently creating a little booklet based on this “folklore”, which will be available to buy at some point in 2024.
“Children’s Drawings” of Night Tangler
During our research we uncovered these drawings of The Night Tangler, which appear to have been drawn by young lace makers, probably around 1850-1880.
The Night Tangler’s Appearance
Although actual descriptions of the Night Tangler vary widely, he is generally considered to be thin, pale - often white like bone - and can emerge from shadows. He climbs silently in the rafters and over roofs and is rarely described to walk on the floor. He moves like a spider, and sometimes even has eight limbs. Other descriptions say he flies on wings like a moth or a fly. The size of the Night Tangler also varies - he can be as small as a mouse so he can slip in through cracks under doors, or larger than a man.
“Lace Lure” - charm to ward off The Night Tangler
The “Lace Lure” or the “Lace Trap”- Lacemakers have been known to make a “lace lure” - a charm to distract Old Bob to keep him away from their lace work. This is a small, complex piece of lace, often shaped like a funnel or cone, that is hung up in the corner of the room, like a spider’s web. The lacemaker is to use tiny stitches, and every stitch in her repertoire with no repeating pattern, thereby confounding (and capturing the attention of) the Night Tangler. Pictured: 4 different lace lures found at the same site, probably made by young lacemakers at the same lace school. Although often hung up in the corner of a room, these ones appear to have been displayed on pine cones. Curiously, the scent of a pine cone is believed to keep spiders away.
