[lace] RE: newby questions
Hello Folks, Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome to the list, to those who emailed me off list, and to Tamara and to those other newby's who were brave enough to ask questions, so I don't feel so alone. I so look forward to my digests. Ive giggled and laughed and visited some of your web sites and heard my jaw hit the floor at the beauty youve created. Ive already started a folder of things I need to know. Ever after, I decided that what counted was how my *lace* looked, not how proper (or improper) *I* looked. Thanks for this Tamara. I spend way too much time comparing myself to others as it is. Being a newby is definitely a humbling experience! G My DH is enjoying watching me learn. He calls it bobbering. Okay, first questions: Im practicing Bruges braids tight curves. Yikes! The instructions say to do a whole stitch and twist at the beginning and end. Okay, do I do that before or after I place the pin? My edge doesnt look right. It doesnt have that nice space running down the edges. Ive been doing a CTC with the last 2 prs, pin CTCT + T. Also, everything looks uneven. Im doing the sample with an S curve to it, and when I try to place the pins at an angle, they are in the way later on. But, if I place them straight up and down, my lace kind of climbs up the pins. Maybe the unevenness is a practice thing? I finally got the hang of holding down the passives as I tightened the worker and holding the worker while I pull straight down on the passives to straighten them. Im seeing some puckers in the straight part. Am I pulling too much or is my thread too heavy? Im using #8 perle cotton (waiting for the correct threads to arrive in the mail.) Okay, enough questions for now. I don't want to wear out my welcome! Humbly Yours, Mary _ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar get it now! http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Re. not lace-irritating mails
Hallo Lacefriends, Coming back from the congress of Deutscher Klöppelverband I found in my mail-box some strange mails. Often saying failed messages. Some of them have adresses from people who are on the list others have adresses I never saw before. Since yesterday I get some only with the picture of Jean Leader's website. Does anybody of you get such mails too and does anybody have an explanation for this? Greetings Ilske from today sunny Hamburg in Germany - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] RE: newby questions
hi Mary I have been making lace for 16 years, so can give you some help with your questions. I also teach weekly classes for children to make lace. I'm practicing Bruges braids - tight curves. Yikes! The instructions say to do a whole stitch and twist at the beginning and end. Okay, do I do that before or after I place the pin? My edge doesn't look right. It doesn't have that nice space running down the edges. I've been doing a CTC with the last 2 prs, pin CTCT + T. I'm not quite clear on this one, from what you say here. I am not familiar wiht Bruges braids, but have worked other braid laces. Do yuo have the full written instructins for what yuo are trying to do? Where are yuo putting hte pin, between those two piars or betewwn the rest of the work and those two pairs? Are yuo trying to achieve a smooht edged lace or one witht he pin loops on the outside edge? let us know what book yuo are working from, and how it describes the edge. Also, everything looks uneven. I'm doing the sample with an S curve to it, and when I try to place the pins at an angle, they are in the way later on. But, if I place them straight up and down, my lace kind of climbs up the pins. Maybe the unevenness is a practice thing? Angles are good when working tape lace. To get the pins out of hte way - push the pins right down into the pillow. ALWAYS leave the last few sticking up out of hte pillow (abuot an inch, if you can). You can get a special tool to push down the pins and pull them up afterwards (a pin pusher / lifter). Or yuo can push them down wiht the blunt end of a ballpoint pen. I finally got the hang of holding down the passives as I tightened the worker and holding the worker while I pull straight down on the passives to straighten them. I'm seeing some puckers in the straight part. Am I pulling too much or is my thread too heavy? I'm using #8 perle cotton (waiting for the correct threads to arrive in the mail.) My guess is that the puckering will be the result of not pulling hard enough! It is very difficult to snap #8 cotton (but I've had a 10 year old do so!) so tension a bit harder. Although in some ways it is easier to make lace with thicker thread, it is actually more work to tension it. You will know if you pull too much - the pins will pop out or the thread snap!!! Hold the workers with one hand, and tension each passive pair separately. Hope you are having fun Sue Babbs (in Chicago) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Re. not lace-irritating mails
Hello I have been sending strange mails. At least someone in Finland that has my email-address in the addressbook has. I sent ont of the messages that appeard on one list to my support and they saw that the mail that were sent from me originated from someone in Finland. It is very strange how computer and viruses can act. The Finland computer had a virus that sent out virus-mails with the addresses in her (I guess it is a her :-)) as senders. Maybe that has happend to more members of the lists. I also get mails with viruses from another address in Sweden. And I don´t know how to get rid of it either as I don´t know who in Finland are sending those mails. Yours Ann-Marie http://community.webshots.com/user/annma1 Hallo Lacefriends, Coming back from the congress of Deutscher Klöppelverband I found in my mail-box some strange mails. Often saying failed messages. Some of them have adresses from people who are on the list others have adresses I never saw before. Since yesterday I get some only with the picture of Jean Leader's website. Does anybody of you get such mails too and does anybody have an explanation for this? Greetings Ilske from today sunny Hamburg in Germany - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Fw: Teaching lace to children: question
I think Candace meant this to go the list, not me directly Sue - Original Message - From: candace [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Sue Babbs [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 9:30 AM Subject: Teaching lace to children: question Hi Sue, I have a niece (a mature 9-year-old) who has an interest in learning to lace. I've been hesitant to teach her, since I live in Pennsylvania and she lives in the Toledo area. I visit Ohio only about 3 times per year. Is there anyone in the Toledo area (or southern Michigan) who teaches lace and would take on a well-behaved, funny, and smart student? She's always had great hand-eye coordination and is very taken with the lace -- full of ideas of how to use the lace for herself and her dolls! There is no problem finding someone to drive her to lessons. Thanks, Candace Levy central PA - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] bobowa lace
Last year I wrote of the trip my friend Pauline and I made to Poland where we stayed at Czorstzyn in the Pieniny maountains in the southern area near to the border with the Czech Republic. Ours was an embroidery and lace tour and Pauline joined the Bobowa lace class and made a lovely lace mat. The lace-workers came from near-by and we had a local teacher. I think I sent some pictures of the lace to Lori for her web-site. My account was printed in the Lace Circle magazine and some of my lace photos were on display at the Alexandra Palace on their stand. Tomorrow I am off to Scarborough (with Pauline)for the Lace Guild Convention so will meet friends there. In haste Angela in Worcestershire UK [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Bruges
Mary
1. thread. If your pattern calls for 40/2 linen, then pearl cotton #8 is
too thick, a pearl #12 would be closer. But because pearl is so slippery, a
thicker thread may fit tightly into the space. You could try throwing out
one of the central passive pairs. Ideally a tape should have 6 or more
pairs, 5 passives plus a weaver. But if you are just practicing you could
use fewer.
2. the edge. Don't get too hung up on a literal interpretation of the
instructions. A Bruges edge to a tape should have an edge passive with a
twist on it between every cloth stitch. You can think of this as a
doublestitch, CTCT, or you can think of it as a cloth stitch plus a twist,
CTC T.
Assume you are approaching the far end of the row. Your weaver should get a
twist on it before it cloth stitches the edge passive. The edge passive
should get a twist on it before it cloth stitches with the weaver. Do the
cloth stitch. Set the pin under the weaver (pin after two threads). Both
the edge passive and the weaver should get one twist.{The weaver may get
more than one twist as it goes around the pin. The more twists, the larger
the hole at that pin. The larger the hole, the easier it is to do sewings
later if you need to. I usually decide before I start how many extra twists
the weaver will get going around the pin, and then I use that number all the
time, even if that pinhole won't have a sewing later (saves thinking, saves
wear and tear on the brain).}Do another cloth stitch with the weaver and
edge pair. (This closes the pin and starts the new row.) Put one twist on
the weaver before it stitches the central group of passive pairs. The
central passives and the edge passive should be separated by a twist on the
weaver throughout the length of the tape. It doesn't matter if you think
about is as a cloth stitch plus a twist, or whole-stitch-and-twist. Perhaps
if you think of it as a cloth stitch, plus whatever number of twists the
situation requires, it will be easier to keep track of what you need to do.
3. pins. In doing Bruges (a part/free lace) you will be meandering all over
the pillow and sometimes working over areas already finished. Therefore you
can't leave your pins sticking up. I've also learned by long experience
that putting in pins slanted into a cookie pillow may make the pricking
itself rise up off the pillow. Therefore on a cookie pillow put the pins in
perfectly straight and push them down 3/4 of the way. When you get to the
same side again on the next row, push the previous row's pin all the way
down. (Or, every 2 or 3 rows push down all the pins.) That will keep the
threads and lace from rising up on the pins.
Lorelei
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[lace] Newbie questions
Mary wrote: But, if I place them straight up and down, my lace kind of climbs up the pins. What type of pillow are you using? I can't get on with the high-domed mushroom ones recommended for beginners at all. I got on fairly OK with quite a low domed one for edgings and small pieces, but the work and the pricking still both rose up the pins. Now I almost exclusively use a flat pillow. The pricking stays flat, and the work only creeps up the pins a bit. I push the edge pins in all the way round, with only the last inch or so not pushed in, to keep the work down. I'm seeing some puckers in the straight part. If the work is more than about 6 inches square or round, I also push in pins *around* areas of cloth stitch. That means that if my tension isn't all it should be and the threads don't lie parallel, I can use a large pin to push them about a bit without wrecking the look of the lace. When I'm satisfied with how the area looks, I then take the pins out. I'm practicing Bruges braids .. The instructions say to do a whole stitch and twist at the beginning and end. Okay, do I do that before or after I place the pin? My edge doesn't look right. It doesn't have that nice space running down the edges. I've been doing a CTC with the last 2 prs, pin CTCT + T. In Bruges lace, there are two ways of working the edge. For the one that you're doing, you're missing a twist in the workers before working the last passive pair. Twist the workers before the last pair of passives, then CTCT the worker with this last pair of passive, put in the pin, CTCT and work back through the passives. That will put a twist in between the edge pair and the main passives. It also leaves a twist in the last passive ready for when you get back to it. The other edge method is four-about-the-pin-edge, where two pairs of workers alternate. When you get to the last pair of passives, twist the worker pair twice, CTCTT, put a pin *under* both pairs rather than between them so that they both go around over the pin. What was your worker will now be on the outside. Leave it there and work back with what had been the last passive pair. Next time you get to this edge, those two pairs will swap places again. This method gives a straight edge with a good gap between the edge and the first pair of straight passives. If you've got different coloured threads, try it with mixed colours so you can see where the threads are going. Jean in Poole - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Newbie questions
Mary wrote: But, if I place them straight up and down, my lace kind of climbs up the pins. And Jean responded: What type of pillow are you using? I can't get on with the high-domed mushroom ones recommended for beginners at all. I have found that the domed pillows work fine for straight pieces which are fairly short, like bookmarks, and for small motif-type lace. But the larger the piece, the more the dome distorts things. As for the levitating lace problem, remember that while your pins inside the piece need to be straight, you should put your headside and footside pins in at an angle, leaning out. This will insure that your lace is locked down on the edges, and the problem of levitating lace between the edges will be mostly eliminated, except for the largest designs. Clay - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Climbing up
Welcome to all our new members, your newbie questions are great. Somewhere in the depths of my addled brain I recall when discussing this topic before, someone mentioned that if you use too large a needle in your pricker, that your lace will ride up the pins? Is this right? I used to have this trouble, but not recently. But a friend of mine has just finished a wide edging which seemed to want to climb right up to the top of her pins, and we really can't figure out why. Flat pillow, side angled pins (maybe not angled enough, but the work really did want to fly up like never before with same pillow and pinning method) Another incidental - does anyone else have the same problem? if I work in linen, I find I have to put the half hitch around the notch at the top of the bobbin, then the linen thread can be easily released. But if I do this in cotton, the thread is continually slipping off, and I find I have to put the half hitch on top of the wound thread itself. Noelene in fogged-out Cooma, like pea soup! Winter is fast approaching - absolutely glorious days, trees ablaze with colour, sharp cold nights. [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nlafferty/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Climbing up
I used to have this trouble, but not recently. But a friend of mine has just finished a wide edging which seemed to want to climb right up to the top of her pins, and we really can't figure out why. Flat pillow, side angled pins (maybe not angled enough, but the work really did want to fly up like never before with same pillow and pinning method) If it was a very wide edging and there were a huge number of bobbins the way that the bobbins are stacked can cause the lace to ride up the pins. Could this be the problem? Ulrike Loehr shared with us a simple technique for stopping this. Take two divider pins or hat pins. It is hard to put this into words, but place one at each side of the pricking, at the level of where you have reached in the lace. Angle them in at about 45 degrees, keeping them parallel with the edges of the pricking. So the head of the pin is leaning towards the bottom of the pricking and pillow. Then as you move your bobbins to the side, make sure that the threads go underneath this pin. It works a treat at keeping the lace on the pillow instead of in the air. Hope you can make sense of my description. Sue - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Poem for Newbies
I've really got better things to do this morning than this, but thinking about our new members, I started (and I think finished) this: For Newbies. It caught my eye right from the start Come and see me, come and see! A pillow full of thread and pegs All tossed about so gleefully. The lacemaker looked up and smiled It's quite simple dear, you see. You only cross and twist like this. But it looked far too much for me. But as I stood and watched awhile The worker seemed so calm. Perhaps I could just try a bit It can't do any harm. So I acquired a pillow plain Some bobbins and some thread. A book which promised I could learn When I'd digested what I'd read. I'd only just done Chapter one And was thrilled with what I'd done. But now I needed different thread And far more bobbins - more than some. My pocket snake was screeching How much more he said. I stuffed a gag around his mouth And really wished him dead. But now I am addicted With thread and books galore; With bobbins spilling out of drawers And pins upon the floor. My friends who use the internet Solve any problem out. We talk about the craft we love The whole wide world about. I may be poor now at the bank But it was definitely worth while. For time is worth far more than gold And my lace just makes me smile. To make such things of beauty To conquer each new task.. To spend my time with hours of joy What more could I ask! Noelene in Cooma [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nlafferty/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [lace] Climbing up
Noelene wrote: Somewhere in the depths of my addled brain I recall when discussing this topic before, someone mentioned that if you use too large a needle in your pricker, that your lace will ride up the pins? Is this right? I used to have this trouble, but not recently. But a friend of mine has just finished a wide edging which seemed to want to climb right up to the top of her pins, and we really can't figure out why. Flat pillow, side angled pins (maybe not angled enough, but the work really did want to fly up like never before with same pillow and pinning method) Another incidental - does anyone else have the same problem? if I work in linen, I find I have to put the half hitch around the notch at the top of the bobbin, then the linen thread can be eeasily released. But if I do this in cotton, the thread is continually slipping off, and I find I have to put the half hitch on top of the wound thread itself. = Hi Spiders (especially newbies) Last year when I had Beds clas with Holly Van Sciver at IOLI, I was having some problems with the thread riding up. Almost in passing, she mentioned something to the effect of let's see about your pin placement. The point of our discussion was that, especially in this particular Beds cuff, where the thread paths are everywhere at once, each pin has to deal with the threads meeting at that particular place. And I found myself angling the pin, ever so slightly and ever so differently at each pin. You know when you have it right, because the lace just seems to squat down flat on the pricking. Usually I was encouraging the pin just off vertical to the back and then just off vertical in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the pairs meeting at that pin(Pretty much left or right). The edge pins are tilted to a much greater degree than this encouragement. And when all else fails, sink the pins to the pricking. I like rollers because they almost automat! ically get you to place your pins correctly. What I do when I re-tension levitating lace is to pull the pin out not quite all the way and just twiddle it until the lace squats down, then put the pin back in at whatever angle works. Over time, you get the control to just make very slight adjustments, so your pins are almost vertical and don't interfere with each other. Another thing that enters my mind is that very short leashes to the bobbins can simply not allow the thread to lay flat enough to the pricking, especially as you get to the bottom of the pillow. I always have less trouble with longer rather than shorter leashes. This is a pretty subjective, individual thing (as I bow to the Duchess Tamara, famous for liking very short leashes), but it wouldn't hurt to try. Prickings that start rising off the pillow usually have overtensioning as the culprit. If the pins are bowing in, then you really know that's your problem. Since natural plant fiber threads (cotton and linen) don't stretch, something has to give if there is too much tension. I think a rising pricking would be more sensitive to pinholes that are pricked with a hole larger than the pin. Then there wouldn't be much friction to hold the pricking down. As far as the linen vs. cotton issue, I find that linen takes one wrap on the half hitch and cotton usually two wraps. If you don't have a double headed bobbin and have to put your half hitch on the thread itself, there is a way to help prevent the hitch from digging into the thread. When winding the thread onto the bobbin, I wind from top to bottom very closely and then take the thread from bottom to top in a single turn. This leaves a vertical thread on the bobbin that prevents the half hitch from digging into the layer beneath it. I alternate the close horizontal layer with a single vertical thread. I find it helps a lot with sticky linen. (Note to newbies: linen thread has slubs, especially in the larger sizes and simply feels a little sticky compared to cotton threads) Well, I am just full of advice and opinions this afternoon, aren't I? Analytically . . . Patty Dowden - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [lace] Climbing up
Hi Jeri, That's an interesting point. Actually, I use all kinds of card for my prickings. I just finished a pattern from the Swedish Bobbin Lace Association that was printed AND pre-pricked on card that is almost 2 mm thick. THAT pricking did not rise (or bend, either). On the other hand, I have used card not much thicker than paper when in the throes of creative adventure and in too much of a rush to to make a proper pricking. So, I guess the answer is, it depends. Not a lot of help . . . Patty -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 5:06 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [lace] Climbing up Dear Patty, Could it be that you are using a different card for your pricking??? Not an expert on this, but YOU are. Regards, Jeri - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] question - braids (plaits?)
Hello everyone, Yet another beginner's question. Thank you all for being so patient and helpful with me. I tried to make a braid (also called a plait, I think - anyway, what I mean is when you take two pairs and just CTCTCTCT... straight without pins, to get a neat thin braid). I failed miserably. Even if I pull it up after every CTCT, it comes back down when I work on the next one, and then when I try to pull the next one up the whole thing becomes a nasty irregular knot. The only way I could make it work was if I actually put a pin in the middle after every CTCT or two, and then removed each pin after I put in the next one so that I could pull on the threads and prevent the hole from the pulled out pin from showing. It seems like it should be doable without that though... How can I make it work?? Weronika - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] question - braids (plaits?)
At 05:32 PM 4/21/2004, you wrote: I tried to make a braid... Even if I pull it up after every CTCT, it comes back down when I work on the next one, and then when I try to pull the next one up the whole thing becomes a nasty irregular knot. Hi, Don't despair. It will come. When doing a plait/braid, start with CTC tension. Then continue with TC tension, TC tension, TC tension, TC tension, etc. Always tension after the Cross. It will make a smoother braid. Tension with each TC. See if tensioning after the Cross makes a better plait. Plait up to, and not past the next pinhole. If you overlap the pinhole, undo one action. A tad short makes a nicer finished stitch than a tad long. I find that if I have a very long plait (I've done them up to 6 inches long), then an occasional pin is helpful. When the pin is later removed, the hole disappears. But the normal plait in a pattern should be do-able. If you are plaiting up to a sewing, and then turning in another direction, don't immediately change direction. Continue plaiting in the same direction after placing the pin -- for several TC's. After you have the next section of the plaint well started, then turn your pillow and swing the plait to the correct direction for the next pinhole. Always plait directly towards yourself, not sideways. Turn the pillow so the working direction is centered in front of you. The tensioning will not be even if the work is not directly in front of you. And then, the hint I just learned from Lia Baumeister-Jonker, when you have to make a sewing with a plait (4 threads), always use the middle two threads for the sewing. Hope this helps a bit. Happy lacing, Alice in Oregon -- where the sun just came out for a bit. And I can see a very pink tree from my window -- almost solid with pink blossoms. Spring!!! - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Re: Grey lace and Liz's question
Hi All, I'm just seconding Geri's comments. I wash my hands a LOT when making NL. Makes me look forward to the time when I have a bathroom on the same floor as the studio. And I will continue to wash my hands a lot. I made a number of NL flowers for gifts for Christmas. While making one I ate some little candies (Smarties - pale colored candies). When I finished one white flower I was dismayed to find a pink stain : ( Since the candy makes my tongue turn red you'd think I'd have been aware of the peril but I was not! When I whine to myself about washing my hands so often I remember one *very* hot summer when I made a cousins wedding dress. That was before I'd moved into the studio and I had sheets all over the floor and everywhere and washed my hands constantly. That was a trial but the dress looked fantastic and was pure white when done! Jane in Vermont, USA where the leaves on the trees are a little bigger. Thanks to those in the Mid-west US for only sending one 90oF day to us on the East Coast! I hate when Spring goes by in two days. [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [lace] question - braids (plaits?)
Weronika wrote: I tried to make a braid (also called a plait, I think - anyway, what I mean is when you take two pairs and just CTCTCTCT... straight without pins, to get a neat thin braid). I failed miserably. Even if I pull it up after every CTCT, it comes back down when I work on the next one, and then when I try to pull the next one up the whole thing becomes a nasty irregular knot. The only way I could make it work was if I actually put a pin in the middle after every CTCT or two, and then removed each pin after I put in the next one so that I could pull on the threads and prevent the hole from the pulled out pin from showing. It seems like it should be doable without that though... How can I make it work?? === Dear Weronika, You are correct that plaits are made without pinning (except at the beginning and the end). To make a plait, you start with a CTC. Now tension. Instead of making a CTCT, all you do is TC. Ending with the Cross will tend to not pull the tension out of your plait Now tension. Repeat TC - tension until you get the plait to its destination. -- Tension -- You'd think an art as serene as lacemaking wouldn't talk about tension all the time, but it's one of those inscrutable karma things. As a newbie, you may not have given much thought to how you hold the bobbins. There is a technique to individually tension each thread while holding all four bobbins in your fingers. Curve your thumb and your forefinger and your middle finger into a claw. Place your fingers over a pair of bobbins so that the bobbins are between your fingers. Now lift the bobbins with your clawed fingers. With just a little experimenting, you will be able to wiggle and adjust the tension on each thread separately. Try both hands with all four bobbins. My method of tensioning a plait is to TC, adjust the outside threads and then adjust the inside threads. When you arrive at the destination for the plait, it should neither be too long for the space nor too short. Since this is one of my weaknesses, I have developed a test. I put a pin in the pricking where the plait should end (there's usually one there in the pattern). Then I divide the pairs and let them rest on the pin. When the plait rides smoothly in the space without bunching up (my usual problem is that I make the plait too long)or without a space between the end of the plait and the pin big enough to put another CT into, then the plait is the right length. If the plait is too long, take out a stitch and re-measure. If the plait is to short, add a stitch and re-measure. When you are making plaits the same length in several places, you can develop a number of stitches to count to make them all exactly even, but since thread can vary a little in thickness (especially linen), it's not an absolute number. This is all a very wordy explanation, but lacemaking is a kinesthetic exercise and describing it without pictures or a demonstration is pretty hard. Good Luck! We are all interested in your progress. Let us know how it works out. Patty Dowden - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Re: Climbing up
On Apr 21, 2004, at 18:27, Patricia Dowden wrote: I like rollers because they almost automatically get you to place your pins correctly. Depends on the roller, and on the lacemaker :) I've had lace trying to go to heaven even on a roller (while I wished it you-know-where). Eventually, I realised that I was trying to work too far down the roller, without moving it (to finish a logical segment). But it made me aware that there is an optimum range on a roller, and it's the -- temporarily -- flat area on the cusp of it. From which follows that the thicker the roller (the larger the diameter of it), the longer you can work in peace and without distortion. It has also made me think that a bolster isn't such a bad idea (and, no, I have not yet succumbed to its possible charms g)... Another thing that enters my mind is that very short leashes to the bobbins can simply not allow the thread to lay flat enough to the pricking, especially as you get to the bottom of the pillow. I always have less trouble with longer rather than shorter leashes. This is a pretty subjective, individual thing (as I bow to the Duchess Tamara, famous for liking very short leashes), but it wouldn't hurt to try. Very short is not an exact term... :) When I took the class from Lenka Suchanek (in wirework), I was quite frightened by the shortness of the leashes needed for it; had I been working with fiber threads, I'd have had them breaking all over the place. I like my leashes (the length of thread between the hitch on the bobbin-head and the last-made stitch on the lace -- for the newbies) to be between 4 and 6 inches. The diffeerence is quite a spread in itself -- a third (I think it is? Math's not my forte) of the total length. I find that there's more than just personal preference involved in choosing how long the leashes ought to be for comfort; there are other factors as well. In general, the shorter the leash, the more control you have over tensioning individual stitches but, if the leash is *too* short, overtwisting or untwisting of individual threads is more likely to occur... In general, the longer leash is easier to work with... Sometimes, the balance between the two lengths is thread thin and razor sharp :) Pillow makes a difference; the flatter it is, the shorter the leash you can get away with without breaking threads. Hence, the type of lace you're making makes a difference; I use shorter leashes for Milanese (where pins are only on the sides, but the braids between the pins have to be tensioned just so to show off the dance of stitches) than I do for Torchon or Point Ground laces (which have a pin to tension against at every crossing). But I try to use a flatter pillow for Milanese than I do for PG. Bobbins make a difference; the heavier ones tension themselves much better than the lighter ones, even on a flat pillow -- but you have to allow them a longer leash. Thread makes a difference... 2yards of 50/2 or finer, and I'll wind it all close to the head, maybe half-way down the neck, and can still have relatively short leashes without the bobbin becoming top-heavy and the balance being off. 2yards of Bockens 35/2, and I'll distribute it evenly down the whole length of the neck even, perhaps, piling it a bit at the bottom -- I want the thread to add to the weight as low as possible (the German hooded bobbins are great in that respect)... I adjust to what the lace tells me to do, given the tools I'm using. And yes, I do all of that within the parameters of *personal* comfort :) Note to newbies: whatever leash length ends up being the closest to your personal comfort zone... All need to be as close as possible to being *the same*; it's *not* that one pair is 4 inches and the pair next to it is 6... :) As far as the linen vs. cotton issue, I find that linen takes one wrap on the half hitch and cotton usually two wraps. I use two wraps on all fibers -- silk, cotton, linen, metallics... It's easier than trying to remember what to use with which, the linen doesn't object, and all the others need it. It's like my turning on the car's indicators *every time* I'm about to turn. Drives DH up the wall (whom are you signalling??? There's not a car in sight!!!). But, if it's a habit, you don't have to think *when* to do it, so you're less likely to mess up if/when there is a need... Tamara P Duvall Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] Re: question - braids (plaits?)
On Apr 21, 2004, at 20:32, Weronika Patena wrote: Yet another beginner's question. Thank you all for being so patient and helpful with me. Just keep asking; we all love to strut a bit g I tried to make a braid (also called a plait, I think Yes, it's one of those instances of confusion in terminology; both terms are used and both are correct. And you'll also encounter a similiar confusion between braid and tape Myself, I prefer plait for the repeated TC done with two pairs, reserve braid for the *decorated* Milanese ribbon, and keep tape for things like Russian and Idria... As Patty'd said: a personal quirk :) Even if I pull it up after every CTCT, it comes back down when I work on the next one, a) as both Alice and Patty have said, you need to tension in untwisted position, ie *TC tension* is your basic unit of work. b) you *can* get away with tensioning after two stitches (TCTC, tension) if you're working with cotton or silk, but not so easily if you're working with linen (and *never* if you're working with wire. Sigh... Wire's not for the lazy people like me g) c) in a plait, *both pairs are workers*. Therefore, both need to be tensioned more like workers are tensioned: slightly up and to the side (sides, in this instance). *Not* like the passives, which are tensioned downwards. The lift locks the stitch in position better (especially when working with fuzzy/slubby linen). An aside: in tensioning workers in non-pliat situation, where they turn around the headside (and/or footside) pin with twists? Lift the pair towards the back and *separate* the two threads of it to set the twists before placing the pin. They'll resettle more evenly around the pin that way, and you won't have two separate threads before the pin and all the twists after... when I try to pull the next one up the whole thing becomes a nasty irregular knot. Yeah, well, by then it's po musztardzie (after the mustard). You *can* twiddle the tension *some* at that late date, but you have to make sure that *each thread* is tensioned just so and, even then, you can only correct the plait but so far... It's not worth the effort -- much easier to undo and redo the bit where one thread had been tensioned too much (which is what causes the knot) Yours, free at last to try and catch up with my lace-life. The last of the -- invading -- Mohicans -- 4 of them -- left this morning, so I immediately excused myself from most of the kitchen duty, and started to make a dent in the laundry pile. DH went to the gym (as usual on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, *except* when we have visitors, so he missed a week) and on coming back, remarked: I never realised how much of a relief it is to have a normal life back. I shouldn't say that; they're my children. Our children. Well, *my* children, but the pressure on you isn't as hard as it is on me. If he hadn't had the grace and the wit to inject a bit of irony into his tone of voice, there'd have been a murder done (and too late for this week's edition of the local paper, too g)... - Tamara P Duvall Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] historical lace
If this appeals, you might also do a search on the museum name to gather more information. My apologies to those of you who wrote to let me know you have no interest in history or historical laces Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center Hey, Jeri Ames, why bother apologize?? Obviously they haven't thought that some of us *do* like to know about lace history as well as just how to make it (and how the hell would we know how to make it if it weren't for some people who were interested in history???), and we should pity them instead since they are cutting themselves off such a wonderful wealth of knowledge and beautiful lace. I'm not particularly interested in reasearching lace history myself, but I vertainly appreciate any opportunity I get to read about it from someone who obviously knows. Keep it up, spiders who are not interested can always use the delete button :-)) Helene, the froggy from Melbourne Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies. http://au.movies.yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [lace] Climbing up
If you don't have a double headed bobbin and have to put your half hitch on the thread itself, there is a way to help prevent the hitch from digging into the thread. When winding the thread onto the bobbin, I wind from top to bottom very closely and then take the thread from bottom to top in a single turn. This leaves a vertical thread on the bobbin that prevents the half hitch from digging into the layer beneath it. I alternate the close horizontal layer with a single vertical thread. I find it helps a lot with sticky linen... Well, I am just full of advice and opinions this afternoon, aren't I? Thank you so much for that tip, Patty! I was always puzzled about how to solve that tiny annoyance. Please, fell free to shower us with your advice and opinions :) -Gabrielle (surrounded by tiny children who love to steal my bobbins, but I will get them out of the toybox, soon, and get back to making lace!) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Quiz
Here's a quiz to delight Tamara! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3645451.stm test your knowledge of Poland. Sue [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Chocolate Math
I don't think we have seen this one before and it is interesting how these work. Lee Daly in New Jersey USA where theApril showers have arrived This is cool chocolate math!! DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST! It takes less than a minute...Work this out as you read. Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out! 1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate. (try for more than once but less than 10) 2. Multiply this number by 2 (Just to be bold) 3. Add 5. (for Sunday) 4. Multiply it by 50 I'll wait while you get the calculator... 5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1754 If you haven't, add 1753 ... 6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born. You should have a three digit number The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week). * * * * * * The next two numbers are YOUR AGE! ~ ( Oh YES, it IS! ) THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS. To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Re: Quiz
On Apr 21, 2004, at 8:23, Sue Babbs wrote: Here's a quiz to delight Tamara! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3645451.stm test your knowledge of Poland. Thanks, Sue :) I got 9 right, which isn't entirely surprising (though one was a guess). But, as the -- self-appointed -- Queen of Cliche (if only a Duchess otherwise g), I still think they got #3 wrong... I didn't think that *any* of the supplied answers were *quite* on target, though two of them are fairly close. IMO, the best translation of what Johnny hasn't learnt, old John won't know would be as the twig is bent, so the tree will grow, not you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Even though the construction of the Polish proverb seems to favour the negative aspect (hasn't, won't), the proverb itself is used to stress the long term, *positive* outcome of training -- if we teach him now, he will know it later (as does the bent twig one). OTOH, the old dog proverb stresses the negative aspects *all around* -- it's too late to do anything, so don't let's bother... Ditto with the egg-sucking grandma, except that this one says it's too late to teach her, because she knows it all already - Tamara P Duvall Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/ To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Fw: [lace-chat] Quiz
I only got two! Solidarity I knew and cracking the Nazi code I guessed. I thought I knew one or two others but I guess not : ( I did learn some things! Jane in Vermont, USA where the magnolia tree across the street is in bloom! [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Re: Quiz
On Apr 21, 2004, at 20:41, Jane Viking Swanson wrote: I only got two! Solidarity I knew and cracking the Nazi code I guessed. Cracking the Nazi code was the one I guessed too (the theatre in Gdansk was another guess, but a more logical one, not sucked out of a finger). On the matter of key theories, I had the help of a little rhyme all of us used to learn in primary school when we came to Copernicus: wstrzymal slonce, ruszyl ziemie; polskie go wydalo plemie (he stopped the Sun, he moved the Earth; the Polish tribe gave him forth) Weronika, do they still teach that one? What has me totally floored is Miki's getting Winnie the Pooh one correctly; *how on Earth???* I've always thought the translation of the book (and the name) was excellent (done by the daughter of one of our best 20th century poets), but very, very far from the original (and very, very close to the spirit of the Polish language)... :) - Tamara P Duvall Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/ To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Fwd: (no subject)
I had to share this, my DH sent this to me. Lynn Return-path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Full-name: Wildgun2 Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 17:17:21 EDT Subject: (no subject) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: 8.0 for Windows sub 6024 X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative by demime 1.01d X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain An old man was sitting on a bench at the mall. A young man walked up to the bench and sat down. He had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange, blue, and yellow. The old man just stared. Every time the young man looked, the old man was staring. The young man finally said sarcastically, What's the matter old timer, never done anything wild in your life? Without batting an eye, the old man replied, Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son. To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] :) Fwd: Husband's Estimate
From: M. A. Joe's wife bought a new line of expensive cosmetics guaranteed to make her look years younger. After a lengthy sitting before the mirror applying the miracle products, she asked, Darling, honestly, what age would you say I am? Looking over her carefully, Joe replied, Judging from your skin, twenty; your hair, eighteen; and your figure, twenty five. Oh, you flatterer! she gushed. Hey, wait a minute! Joe interrupted. I haven't added them up yet. - Tamara P Duvall Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/ To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] :) Fwd: Life span
Not a new one, but still funny... From: M.A. On the first day God created the cow. God said, You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years. The cow said, That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty and I'll give back the other forty. And God agreed. On the second day God created the dog. God said, Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years. The dog said, That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give you back the other ten. So God agreed (sigh). On the third day God created the monkey. God said, Entertain people, do monkey tricks, make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty year life span. The monkey said, How boring, monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay? And God agreed again. On the fourth day God created man. God said, Eat, sleep, play, have sex, enjoy. Do nothing, just enjoy, enjoy. I'll give you twenty years. Man said, What? Only twenty years No way man. Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back, and the ten the dog gave back and the ten the monkey gave back, that makes eighty, okay? Okay, said God. You've got a deal. So that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, have sex, enjoy, and do nothing; for the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; for the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren; and for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone. Life has now been explained. - Tamara P Duvall Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/ To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
