Karen and others, I'll say this again, a little less patiently. A beginner is a person I value, who wants to learn bobbin lace. A beginner doesn't know by looking at a pattern or a lace, whether it is easy or difficult. She is not likely to know in what order various techniques should be learned, and may not realize that there is, in fact, a reasonable order. An expert understands what parts of a lace are basic and exist in almost all designs for that particular style. An expert can look at a pricking or a lace and know how much of that particular lace is strictly within the common mainstream of what can be expected in that genre, and what elements may be unusual or rare. Obviously, it doesn't make sense for a beginner to start learning the rare and unusual elements first. Obviously it makes sense for her to start with the most common techniques and elements that occur all the time. People who take the enormous amount of trouble involved to write a book know the difference between common and rare, and will organize their books with the common elements first. THAT is why beginners will learn best from one of the good books. Of course I am talking about a beginner who doesn't have a live teacher to guide her. I'm talking about someone who is trying to learn in a vacuum with no echoes coming back to her. When I learned in 1981 that was my condition. I knew no other aspiring lacemakers. There were a few in Chicago at that time, but I had no idea where they were. I learned from Doris Southard's book, which is very very well organized and sensible, putting the simple things first and the unusual things last.
If you have a live teacher you can disregard everything I've said because your teacher, presumably, will guide you into learning in a reasonable order so that you don't become frustrated. I'm trying to advise beginners so as to help them avoid frustration. IS ANYBODY LISTENING????? Lorelei - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED]
