Leonard wrote... >Another way that might work with unspangled bobbins is the Flemish use of long pins to stack bobbins with; they hold a large number at the sides, as ten fill the space of one bobbin, plus the support pin. I have seen them in use, and they look very efficient, but have not experimented myself. I am not sure how polystyrene would survive the experience. <
When I started making Binche, I bought a number of these long pins (VERY long... about 17 cm (6 3/4"), and was shown how to maneuver the bobbins. I was told that experienced lacemakers can manage 6 or 8 bobbins at a time! I tried it, and finally decided that I just wasn't going to get beyond 4 bobbins at a time, and that meant that I wasn't saving any more space than with my paddle method. The other consideration was that, as Leonard suggested, the pins are really fat, and I am using a foam pillow and was concerned that over time the pins would just wreck the pillow. I also used the crocheted strip to manage my bobbins some years ago. But if you're working with large numbers of bobbins and needing to stack and unstack, you'll spend more time fiddling with the bobbins than you will making lace. The advantage of the paddle is that you can scoop and stack in one quick motion. No - the paddle isn't foolproof for keeping the bobbins in order, but the secret is not to overload, and to keep the elastic snug enough to hold the bobbins you're working with. There is a second kind of knitting stitch holder which consists of a short headless knitting needle with a flexible metal "cord" which connects to the ends of the needle with plastic caps. The cord is actually more like a very tightly woven spring. At any rate, it works well with spangled bobbins and reasonably well with small continentals. Some people swear by them, others hate them. The only way you'll know if they work for you is to try them. Clay Clay Blackwell [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
