> We have had several people right here on Arachne who had pursued the
>skills on their own.
I'll chime up as another, from about the same time as David. No evening classes
I could find - Bridget Cook was still offering a day class, but no good to me
as I worked, and Batsford about to go under as the only book publisher. Thank
goodness for Oxfam and Galloway and Porter for remaindered books, and a few
bobbins. I started with Geraldine Stotts's the Lace Manual which I worked
through completely, moved onto Pamela Nottingham's Techniques, (so a bit of
Torchon and then mainly Beds) dipping into patterns I wanted to make rather
than anything systematic. And through t'internet discovered Arachne. I can't
begin to describe how helpful everyone has been - it seems like every day or so
there is a helpful hint in my inbox - on making leaves, tensioning threads,
picots ... THANK YOU. It may have been slower than class taught, but I have got
there.
I have had a go at what's taken my fancy, Russian, Milanese, Bucks, but I keep
coming back to Beds. I cannot wait to see that handkerchief, David. And the
lappet sounds amazing, Janice.
On Robins, I remember my first sight of American Robins scudding in flocks
across a university campus more than 25 years ago. ("That's not a Robin!") They
are a migratory Thrush (Turdius migratorius) , so a bit closer to our
Fieldfares, a big bird but a red breast no doubt - I can see why the settlers
named them. European Robins are in the Chat family, much smaller and
territorial (very), they are closer to nightingales, more like a sparrow size.
They are the iconic bird for the snowy scene Christmas cards - maybe a useful
source, and I feel sure someone will have done a Honiton pattern somewhere.
Louise
In Cambridge - weather - meh! Traffic - aargh!
-
To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line:
unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to
[email protected]. Photo site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
