Wow, lots of long emails. Thanks, everyone! > I'm up to my er... elbows? in family visitors, logged on only to read, > not to yammer, but couldn't resist a Weronika with a W in front -- alll > my bells rang at once, when I saw that name :)
Ah, yes. Everyone always asks me if I made a spelling error... I could change it when I get a citizenship, but I won't, it's much more fun that way. > >I just started doing bobbin lace about a month ago - lots of fun. > >I live in Pasadena, CA, and I'll be staying in Palo Alto, CA over the > >summer - are there any lacemakers/events around either of those places? > > Are there ever :) Great. I already found out about the Lace Museum, so it looks like my summer will involve lots of lace. How about around Pasadena, anyone? > Anyone you make contact with there will be happy to "clue you in" for > the lacemaking "scene" in the area. Good luck, and a heartfelt welcome > to Arachne from another "displaced Pole" (well, I'm only a half-Pole, > but still <g>) Thanks. I'll probably stay in the US, so I guess I count as displaced, although fairly recently ;-) > >I grew up in a town called Bobowa in Poland, > >which is known for bobbin lacemaking > > Yes, well... I'll be happy to "discuss" that statement next time I come > to visit my son... :) In '01, I and 2 lacemaking friends (one from US > and one fom Denmark) tried to make contact with lacemakers in Bobowa... > We went as far as Krakow, and we wasted a lot of time and money trying > to make a telephone contact with someone/anyone sufficiently in > charge/awake to make it possible and a further trip worth while... I > left Poland in Dec of '72 and have not, *ever*, in all the years since, > had an equally frustrating experience... And that includes trying to > get a "Pole living abroad" passport out of the communist authorities, > who claimed that "being married to an American citizen" was a spurious > and flimsy excuse, not even worth being called an "argument". > > So, my contention is that Bobowa may be known, but against its > collective will :) Hmm. I can see that. The lacemakers are definitely there, there's even a school as far as I know, but I'm pretty sure they don't use computers... I know Blanche Krbechek, an American lacemaker, managed to get there and stayed with my family a couple of times (we were one of the few English-speaking people in the area, I guess), so it's possible. If you, or anyone else, want to try visiting Bobowa again, I can definitely set it up. By the way, do you know what lace style the Bobowa one is? Holly van Sciver says it's Russian tape, but that's apparently done in color, while the Bobowa lace isn't... I'd just like to learn how to make something similar, since I always thought it looked cool. > Re: beads in lace: > > >I've seen beads in wire jewelry pieces, and I tried to put some on my > >linen pieces - is this sort of thing done at all, or am I committing > >sacrilege of some sort? ;-) > > Even the Lace Police (a non-existent body, similiar to "monsters under > the bed" which keeps all of us entertained) stopped objecting to those > when Bridget Cook included several methods of adding them in her book > (Practical Skills in Bobbin Lacemaking) > > The book itself is, apparently, out of print and no longer avvailable > for purchase but, if you join IOLI (essentially, a US Lace Guild), you > can borrow it. Actually, I just found one on Amazon (only $7.99!), so I think I'll just go ahead and buy it RIGHT NOW, given how much I've heard about how useful this book is and how it's out of print... ;-) (I've been reading some arachne archives today, that's how I know) > To join IOLI, go to: > > http://www.internationaloldlacers.org/ > > (and don't forget to tell them I "sent" you" <VBG>) What's a <g> and a <VBG>? And who's DH? (again, reading the archives...) > If, after you had looked at "The Cook Book", you're still "clueless in > Norhtern California" (not that much different from "sleepless in > Seattle", IMO), write me, and I'll do my best to "walk you through" > your *particular* situation. Thanks. Hopefully the book will work. > But, please, don't bother writing before August 1... :) I just lost a > life-long friend 3 days ago when I told him that, *no*, I would *not* > be able to look over his poems (comparing the Polish and the English > versions, prior to the US publication) *until* I landed in Poland June > 22, and then only if both typescripts were there and waiting for me, as > I'd be leaving Warsaw (for Kalisz and family) on June 30th, and > progressing to Prague for OIDFA... Have fun! I probably won't be going back to Poland for a couple of years now... > Re: palms up, and palms down: > > *That* is the least of your problem when learning from Southard, as > it's self-explanatory. Some types of bobbins are easier to handle one > way, some the other way... I think most of us on this (but, *by no > means* *all*) list handle bobbins palms down -- we "flick" adjacent > bobbins over one another. Here comes my non-native speaker problem... I don't know what "flick" really means. Similarly, I don't know what a slip knot and a square knot is, and a whole lot of other stuff in lacemaking materials... I've never had this problem before! I think I got it now though, more or less. > *The* biggest problem you're likely to have learning from the Southard > book (an excellent beginner book overall and, probably, the best value > for the dollar, especially for people *in* US) is the, mmmm, dare I > say: "screw up"?, on the issue of the "open" and "closed" method of > forming stitches... > > One needs to know both methods, but no teaching book bothers to mention > "the other", each assuming that "mine's not only the best, but the > only". It being after 2AM my time, I will not "go there", even for a > fellow Pole... :) Suffice it to say that the Southard book uses the > "open" method (TC) which is fairly commonly -- but *not exclusivey* > --used on the (European) Continent. Brits and North Americans tend to > use the "closed" method, ie CT... Do they actually end up looking any different? What vague information I have on the matter seems to imply that it's just a technical difference and will end up pretty much the same... > The upside of learning from a book, however "screwy"... There's always > *another* book around the corner, to straighten you out, or, at least, > to give you another perspective :) Yep. I've recently ordered more books (too many, I suspect), and other stuff - this sure is taking up money! > You learn your basics from one, and > then adjust a bit, once you discover that other people call white > black... *As long as* "the playground" (the terms) is marked clearly > enough, one can function in both teritories... Something I've been > reminded of again and again recently, having been pitched (nilly rather > than willy) into a war situation again (growing up in the communist > system... We were at war with everyone, at all times. It gets "stale" > after a while) Having just recently turned 21, I got to skip most of that. Although I still remember the incredible lines to get sugar... Weronika - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
