On Sun, 5 Dec 2004 07:04:11 +1100, Noelene wrote: >I intend doing a workshop in Withof early next year, and >am curious to know what is the best shape of bobbins for >the project. I usually use spangled Midlands, but I read >I will need unspangled bobbins and want to get my DH >turning me some now. > >How many will I need? And do I need any special sort of pins?
If you happen to have them on hand, it is quite feasible to use unspangled Midlands to try out Withof, to see whether you like it before investing in a new style of bobbin. OTOH if you want to try some different bobbins, then I suggest Binche bobbins. Mine are light enough to use with the finest threads, but have enough head space to use with even a size 30 cotton, as I'm doing at the moment for Milanese. Anneke suggested: >you can find pictures of suitable bobbins on www.brejaart.com >I use bobbins nr 24 (30 and 32 are similar). Good bobbins for Withof are >also 39 (40) and 44 and 45. The ones I use are like 44 and 45. I have used them for Binche, Flanders, Milanese and Withof quite happily. The little bump on the bottom makes them easier to put through a loop than a bobbin with a plain end. Yvonne Scheele-Kerkhof says that the wood should be at least the density of cocobolo to get sufficient tension; she thinks that some of the least dense woods result in bobbins that are too light. Start with the pins that you already have for the size of thread you will be using. Different people do Withof in quite a variation of thread sizes, so you need to find out what you like before investing in different pins. The ideal Withof pins have small heads, are short and resist bending when pushed in fully. I started with size 80 cotton, but have now moved to 100. I have used up to 25 pairs, but you probably won't need more than 20 to start. You can see the Great African Snail I designed and made in classes with Yvonne at: http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/bobbinlace/images/Snail.jpg I call him the 500 pound snail, because that's about what I spent on courses and hotels over two years to make him. -- One of the serious obstacles to the improvement of our race is indiscriminate charity. - Andrew Carnegie Steph Peters [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm> Scanned by WinProxy http://www.Ositis.com/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
