Hi all Further to the *need* to pre-prick - I do Bucks, and with fine thread, and I don't bother to pre-prick an entire pattern - it is too hard on my hands. I have a brand of stationery's copy card that is firm enough to be a pricking, and soft enough to permit pinholes as I go, or prick ahead with it in place on the pillow if I want - sometimes doing an inch head is good, especially if the fingers are getting sore from pushing in pins (yes have tried various paddings and methods to protect fingertips - prefer not to go there in this message,) and the fingers like the change to grasping the pricking tool (a lovely one aluminum I bought from Shirley when Ends 'n' Odds was in business - miss you Shirley!) .
I appreciate totally that many lacemakers prefer to prick their patterns first, on a surface of choice, and yes, if the pinholes are close together, it would be advised if a person is concerned about misplacing a pin. This doesn't bother me for most laces - but Honiton - definitely yes I do pre-prick a Honiton pattern, because of the very heavy card I use for it - and I would use lighter card (and not pre-prick) except the heavy card is better for doing the sewings with needlepin. I find a scrap of styro and carefully prick the pattern on that. It is a test of will - I really don't like doing it this way. So I concede there is an example of needing to pre-prick - because of the card material. There is another argument of course, for those lacemakers who rely on the holes for tactile reference as they work. A Bucks hint: I've learned to skip pinning areas of ground - the lacing is less tedious if you don't bother with pins; same with Torchon ground - just mind the tension. -- bye for now Bev in Sooke, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
