Please bear in mind that my statements refer only to making Bucks Point
lace. When I took classes on Bucks Point lace, I had this pattern as
one of my lessons. I actually just worked the corner because in this
particular lesson, my teacher was teaching me to start a piece of floral
Bucks Point on a corner.
In my classes, I was taught that the purpose of the gimp is to highlight
or outline a design. For that reason alone, I would not want my gimp to
lay close to my design...and that may be why it is usually surrounded by
twists in any piece of lace where it is used that way. As far as how
many twists it needs, the general consensus at that time was that there
should be one always (two was traditional), but if a stitch surrounding
the gimp has more than one twist in the stitch, then the number of
twists should match the stitch. With that in mind, when working point
ground stitch, the bobbins will be twisted three times before passing
the gimp through them...when working honeycomb stitch, there will be two
twists. After passing a gimp through a pair of bobbins, the same rule
would apply; entering point ground, twist three times, and entering
honeycomb, twist two times. Twist once before entering an area of cloth
stitch. As far as Pamela Nottingham saying that there could be no
twists, I believe Mrs. Nottingham was referring to a time when there
would be two gimps lying alongside each other. There should be no
twists between them, so that there is not any separation there. I did a
quick check through her book on Bucks Point to find this information.
Regarding which bobbin to pick up, I was taught that it is always the
left hand bobbin. I had never heard of picking up the pair on the right
side, but my lessons were accomplished while I was living in England,
and at that time I was getting "intensive" training in English laces, so
I had also never heard of the different European names for stitches, or
different ways of working those stitches! I don't know if picking up
the left hand bobbin is an "English" way of working with gimps, but this
is the method described by Geraldine Stott in this book, so I would
stick with it. It is also the method in most English books printed at
that time...which is the time I was learning. In fact, I worked this
corner before the book you are using was out of the printers.
Now, concerning the little pin hole under the one-pin circle... I am
sure that if it is supposed to be there, it is there for support only,
but you should also consider that it could be printing mistake. There
is a pattern in 100 Traditional Bobbin Lace Patterns called "May" that
has a pinhole error like this. I'm not sure that any support is
necessary for a worker that is only passing through this one pair before
it makes the edge stitch... so I would think it is up to you whether you
ignore the pin or use it.
You have received so much good advice! This group is a wonderful
resource, but always bear in mind that different areas use different
terms and even different methods. Working lace differently does not
make a method wrong. I hope you will not wait too long to get started
on this wonderfully frustrating little design! Perfection is something
to personally strive for, but not necessarily to demand from yourself.
I have been told that when the Amish are working their needlework, that
they put a mistake in on purpose because they believe perfection belongs
only to God. I have not found the need to put one in on purpose,
because I seem to leave plenty of mistakes accidentally!
Happy lacemaking!
Debbie in Florida [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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