[lace] questions about Flanders lace and pins and pillows

[Dona B.]

Our summer has finally calmed down after DD's graduation from university and 
her wedding and I've now had a chance to sit down again at my lace pillows. 
Just before heading back to the States in May, I had finished a piece of 
lace but didn't have the time to take it off the pillow.  When I went to 
take it off last week I was surprised to find that my pins had all 
rusted/tarnished a bit and it was difficult to pull the pins out of the 
lace, particularly the picots, without really tugging and distorting them. 
I've always used brass pins - don't know why.  I suppose that's what someone 
started me with and I continued.  And while they've tarnished before, I've 
not ever had them become such that they were - non-slippery for want of a 
better word.  There was no rust or discoloration left on the lace, it was 
just difficult to remove them.  The only difference is the pillow.  This 
lace was on my new straw pillow.  I made one other project on it previously 
but it was on and off within several weeks as opposed to several months. 
And it was made while we still had the heat on in the house. Does the straw 
hold or draw more moisture than the ethafoam pillows?  If so, should I 
change pins?  Would stainless steel ones be better?  It has been a bit damp 
here in Belgium for the last few weeks but not such that we have a problem 
with things feeling wet. I love working with this pillow.  Just the scent 
alone is wonderful, so I'd be more inclined to change pins as opposed to 
pillows if that's what's needed.
My next question is in regards to "le point de neige", or snowflakes.  I'm 
following a course in Flanders lace and the next step is to learn the petite 
point de neige, followed by the grand point de neige before putting them 
into a pattern.  I have great diagrams and pictures but the group I meet 
with here does not meet during the summer so I'm learning this on my own. 
(not to mention that my limited French does not allow me to ask very 
detailed questions!) Over the past couple of days my mind's eye has begun to 
see the pattern and made sense of the stitch.  I can now work my way down 
each row and complete the headside as well as the picots without refering to 
the diagrams so I feel pretty comfortable with it.  When learning a new 
stitch or technique I like to make myself go back to it over several days, 
just to make sure it remains in my mind and my hands. Makes it much easier 
when later I incorporate it into an actual pattern.  Yesterday as I became 
more relaxed with the stich, I began to wonder if the order of placing pins 
and twists makes a difference.  For example after making the snowflake 
crossings, (petite point de neige) and you are ready to place the two lower 
pins, should the pins be placed before making the two twists (that go around 
the pin) and then close the pin?  CTC, place pin, TTCTC.  Or can the two 
twists be made as part of the last stitch and then place the pin? CTCTT, 
place pin, CTC.  It's just a slight difference (or perhaps none at all) and 
my untrained eyes don't see that it makes a difference in the lace but I 
wondered about the technical "correctness" of the order.  If one way is more 
correct, then I'd prefer to teach my mind and hands to do it that way.  It's 
the nuances you miss when you learn lace on your own.  Any thoughts?  Does 
the order make a difference or do I just need to turn the news on while 
making repetitive stitches to keep me from wondering about "silly" things?
Dona in Maisieres, Belgium where we're having a beautiful morning, cool with 
a slight breeze-the windchimes are making pretty music. 

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