I have been reading this thread with interest and waiting for someone to voice up about the method I have been using. It is not a new invention by any means but no one has said it so here is my two cents worth.
I use coloured photocopy paper to print out on an inkjet printer then I laminate the pattern before pricking it. The prickings I have done this way are strong and hold up well to usage. The one time I bought gloss laminate I did the scouring pad trick and made a note to make sure I get a matt finish next time. I recycle the used prickings to other lace makers who have the same books - why should we both spent the time pricking if we can use the same pricking? Can you tell that I do not enjoy the pricking stage of lace making? My eyesight is bad and getting worse so seeing well enough to get the pricker over the dot is hard enough the first time. There is no way I would want to do several copies of the same pricking if I don't have to. Coming to lace making recently I skipped the 'prick through an old pricking' and 'draft your own patterns with graph paper' and skipped straight to photocopies and Lace RXP. I love the freedom to copy and paste with ease, no pencil and eraser for me. However, it is important to know what low tech ways there are to do the same job. For those of you who do use the photocopier - I have put together a Excel formula to calculate the percent to change a pattern to suit available thread when the stipulated thread is not available. You can download it from my website. The trick is to know the Wrap Per Centermetre of the stipulated thread and the wpc of the available thread. Key in both numbers to the yellow boxes and press enter - the percent size to set the photocopier at is shown in the blue box. Jenny Brandis Kununurra, Western Australia [email protected] www.brandis.com.au - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
