Brenda Paternoster wrote:
In 30 years time it's quite likely that most of the threads around today will be discontinued, your stash will be vintage and the patterns will require something not yet available! Nothing is set in stone, experiment with what you have and get to know how the different types of thread work up and in time you will know what you like and what you don't.
And to that, all I can add is that no truer words were never spoken. Read it and weep. Put it in a cross-stitch sampler over your lacemaing pillow, engrave it in your memory, and live and lace accordingly. Therein lies a major challenge in lacemaking. I've wracked my brain for an expression similar to "separates the men from the boys", and obviously, for lots of reasons, "separates the girls from the women" doesn't even come close (and is insulting as well - not to just the females in the equation, but to the men and boys as well!!)!
But... in more words rather than less, the more experience you have with working with various threads, the more you understand them (intrinsically), and the more you are able to substitute one thread for another (based on Brenda's research, of course!). This implies that you spend a lot of time experimenting with lots of different options. And this is where Brenda's book(s) become your best friend. She has done the groundwork which allows you to determine the comparative dimensions of various threads. Beyond that, you must work the threads to determine how the tensile values of threads compare to others - in your particular application. I'm certainly not suggesting that "Threads for Lace" is simply a resource for beginners. If you, as a beginner, use it to compare "like" threads, in order to find a suitable substitute, then you'll be a happy lacemaker. If, going a few steps further, you also use it to compare dimensions of threads which have different attributes... you become a pioneer, and will be able to help differentiate the qualities of threads which share similar dimensions. But the bottom line is just as Brenda (our thread Guru) has said... the threads we use and get attached to will always be evolving, and we just have to keep up with the changes as they are thrown at us. And that is why we need to keep up a continual dialogue with Brenda - as long as she will tolerate us!!!
TTFN Clay Clay Blackwell Lynchburg, VA, USA - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
