>>, and I can't say for sure, but it may also have a little something to do with the type of bobbins you use - East Midlands with the spangles or continental (without spangles).
Hello al Arachneans, Working palms up or palms down is not only a caracteristic of one country or another, but within the same country the bobbins are taken differently too. I am speaking about Spain and Portugal: in most central Spain we learn to work palms up. But in Galicia (NW of Spain) and Almagro (SE) they use the palms down method. In Portugal there are two important lacemaking places: in Peniche (near Lisbon, they work palms up) and in Vila do Conde (N of Porto) they do it palms down. Our bobbins are straight (that is, just a cilinder, carved or not) and the Portuguese have a "baloon" at the bottom. The baloon (sorry for the not too professional description) would make me think that it is easier to work with them palms down, but in Peniche they do it palms up. I have always been told that working palms down is quicker, because you don't have to pick up the bobbins and leave them again, which is time consuming. So, I am at the moment trying to change they way of working. In some parts of the work I can manage to work palms down, especialluy when I am making cloth stitch or half stitch. But it is difficult to change the habits... Except in Portugal, in which case I have no explanation, I think that the kind of bobbins used are important for choosing one method or the other. For example, our commonly used bobbins are quite big and heavy (compared to spangled bobbins or any other fine bobbins from Europe); so, I find it easy to work palms up with them . But when I use the Danish bobbins I bought last year, they escape from my hands when working palms up, because I am used to move or "throw" them with some energy. What is clear to me is that, once you get used to one kind of bobbins, it is not easy to work with others that are very different, not only in shape but especially in weight. Greetings from Antje, in Guadalajara, Spain. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
