On Dec 10, 2004, at 21:08, Gina Shillitani wrote:
I'm (still) a beginner at lace.
But you've stuck with it for at least a couple of years (as far as I remember), and, at your own pace, have arrived at a new portal... That's all that counts, really :)
I thought to go on to Bedfordshire. I tried it using the book Technique of Bobbin Lace, and was totally confused,
Nottingham is most excellent for people who absorb their knowledge best through words; for me, she's also been confusing *at first*, but priceless as an encore, once I got the ABCs from somewhere else. Return to the book later on; some of the patterns are well worth it.
Can y'all recommend a Bedfordshire book (or a book that contains beginning
Bedfordshire) that is suitable for rank beginners?
Pam Robinson's " A Manual of Bedfordshire Lace" (1985) is the one I used when having my own stab at Beds (because I wanted to tackle some patterns in Nottingham's Technique of BL), and it's good for introducing one to Beds, though uninspiring as to patterns. I've not seen Jennifer Fisher's "The Bedfordshire Family of Laces" (1991) but, since I've taught myself lacemaking from her "Torchon For Today" book, I'd be willing to risk an endorsement for this one, also. And, Barbara Underwood (head-to-head, with Christine Springett, "guru" on Beds) has a book "Introducing Traditional Bedfordshire Lace in 20 Lessons" (1993).
All 3 are available for borrowing from the IOLI Library, if one's a member. I thought Jean Leader also had a book on beginning Beds (which would be another one I could recommend sight-unseen, based on the clarity of her books that I do own), but it's not listed in the IOLI library.
The only skills I have are those covered in the Torchon Lace Workbook.
Don't have that book, so can't say... But, the skills I got from Fisher's "Torchon For Today" were more than enough to carry me through the beginnings of Beds, and Russian, and Milanese. With each new technique, I had to add an arrow or two to my "quiver of tricks", but it was a relatively easy process, compared to the first, Torchon, steps...
--- Tamara P Duvall http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
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