Hi, Congrats! I'm sure it's beautiful. I have a suggestion if you meet up with the same situation in the future -- re: crochet hook too big.
Take a long needle (so you can hang on to it) and put a thread through it. I would say..about 15-20 inches long. Give yourself lots of room. Push the eye of the needle through the pinhole. When you can see the thread loop, use a pin (stick pin or whatever) to pull the thread loop through a couple inches. Hold on to the thread loop and withdraw the needle. You now have a magic thread loop to use to pull up your bobbin thread. Insert one bobbin in the loop, and carefully pull both ends of the loop back through the hole, thus also pulling up your bobbin thread for the sewing. This is the basic concept of the 'Lazy Maid' tool that is used in some laces. It's just that the needle has been inserted into a wooden handle for ease of use. Sometimes the needle eye section has been bent, also to make it easier to use. One caution...With the lazy maid, the ends of the thread loop are tied so it won't come untied. The hole is very, very small and it's a pain to thread it. When the needle pushes the thread through the pinhole, BOTH threads need to be caught and a double thread loop is formed. The lazy maid is withdrawn from the pinhole, and only the threads are gripped to pull with. If the needle does the pulling, the eye will cut the thread and you have to start all over. The bobbin goes through the double loop. This way, when pulled back through the pinhole, the bobbin thread and the lazy maid thread will separate without having to cut the knot or rethread the eye. I just wanted you to know that you can add a magic thread after the fact, when you really need one and it isn't there. Happy lacing, Alice in Oregon --- beth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi, everyone > > I feel the need to rejoice loudly - I've finished > Les Lauriers at last; tied > off the last pair ten minutes ago(!), now it's > sittig quietly on the pillow > letting the last pins settle before I take it off > and start darning in the > ends. It's taken over two years to make, so the > thought of having it finished > and made up, and having chance to choose a new lace > project, is wildly > exciting. > > I wished tonight that I'd known about magic threads > when I'd started it - > My .6mmm crochet hook was too fine for the thick > linen thread and kept > chewing it up, but my next size up was too big to go > through the pin holes > without a fight! Thanks to Ilske and others for the > wonderfully clear > instructions - I shall be preparing a set of magic > threads before my next > piece of lace. > > Beth > In a bright but chilly Cheshire (at least, it was > bright until dusk...), NW > England > (Devon - I live about 8 miles from Congleton, and in > twenty-odd years here > I've never heard any reference to lacemaking in > Congleton - except one lady > who used to come to our lace class just the other > side of town from > Congleton, because there weren't any classes nearer > her) > > - > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > containing the line: > unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write > to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
