Re: [lace] Book Search
Morning Spiders I get the impression that there are a lot of lace books that are out of print. Why they can't be released on cd gets me. Rather than their being reprinted, it would be useful if these old books could be scanned and put onto cd, cheaper than reprinting, more environmentally friendly on trees, can be used on computers (if they were .pdf files, they could be used on ALL computers) and we could print out the pages we need! My ten pennorth anyway. Sue in EY On 21 May 2009, at 23:37, Susan Reishus wrote: It seems most of the books I want are OOP and so it has been slow going. Please let me know off list, and apologies if this is an unacceptable request. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
Come on Shirley, put us out of our misery. we know the bobbins are now unavailable, but what style of bobbins were made?? Sue in EY On 22 May 2009, at 04:05, Tamara P Duvall wrote: On May 21, 2009, at 11:28, Jensen Marilyn wrote: I have some aluminum bobbins which make such a wonderful sound when lacing- does anyone know who the maker is/was and if they are still making them? I used to have a couple of aluminium hookies and they were made by someone in Australia. Tregellas, maybe? I'm pretty sure that the same supplier made straight bobbins as well. Sorry not to be of more help but, if we keep your query on the front burner, perhaps someone's memory (better than mine) will be jogged? - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
I got some of the RGS bobbins at Harrogate. Haven't spangled them yet. but they will be on the pillow soon as I get some beads to tone! Gorgeous colours! Sue in EY On 22 May 2009, at 07:15, Jacqui Southworth wrote: On Thu, 21 May 2009 23:44:54 -0400, you wrote: So, I got this, which, I think, can be safely forwarded to the list-at-large, without offending Lauren. It seems that I was right about the source of the aluminium bobbins. And, if so, then maybe Shirley Tregellas herself will tell us whether those bobbins are still available or not; I think she reads our list occcasionally. I used to sell the aluminium bobbins from Tregallas, and he stopped making them around 2001 - he made quite a few for the CD 2000 project, so it was definitely after 2000 - he stopped due to ill health. I still get asked for them, and there is another person making them in the UK - RGS Engineering: http://rgsengineering.net He makes them in lovely colours too. We saw him recently at the Chepstow Lace Fair. ttfn Jacqui - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
Sue Duckles wrote: I got some of the RGS bobbins at Harrogate. Haven't spangled them yet. but they will be on the pillow soon as I get some beads to tone! Gorgeous colours! I saw those and was definitely tempted, but I'd just bought a book and had come to the end of my budget. Have you used them before - I wondered how they handle as they did seem very light - do you think they'll need heavier beads? Let me know how you get on with them. Lesley - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Book Search
The Digital Archive of Documents Relating to Lace http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/lace.html is right up your alley. =) Sr Claire On Fri, May 22, 2009 at 11:54, Sue Duckles s...@duckles.co.uk wrote: Morning Spiders I get the impression that there are a lot of lace books that are out of print. Why they can't be released on cd gets me. Rather than their being reprinted, it would be useful if these old books could be scanned and put onto cd, cheaper than reprinting, more environmentally friendly on trees, can be used on computers (if they were .pdf files, they could be used on ALL computers) and we could print out the pages we need! My ten pennorth anyway. Sue in EY On 21 May 2009, at 23:37, Susan Reishus wrote: It seems most of the books I want are OOP and so it has been slow going. Please let me know off list, and apologies if this is an unacceptable request. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Book Search
I've got that site bookmarked! Excellent isn't it Sr Claire! Thanks Sue in EY On 22 May 2009, at 10:38, Sister Claire wrote: The Digital Archive of Documents Relating to Lace http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/lace.html is right up your alley. =) Sr Claire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
Do all bobbins need to be the same weight? IMHO I'd have thought not, some old bobbins could have buttons on them, different weight to glass beads or would one not put bone and wood bobbins together, or ones with wood beads as opposed to glass. Some ebay sellers put plastic beads on what do others think? Sue in EY On 22 May 2009, at 10:16, Lesley Blackshaw wrote: Sue Duckles wrote: I got some of the RGS bobbins at Harrogate. Haven't spangled them yet. but they will be on the pillow soon as I get some beads to tone! Gorgeous colours! I saw those and was definitely tempted, but I'd just bought a book and had come to the end of my budget. Have you used them before - I wondered how they handle as they did seem very light - do you think they'll need heavier beads? Let me know how you get on with them. Lesley - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Aluminum Bobbins
I mix bobbins of different sizes, weights, and materials without any problem. I do have a pair of the Tregellas aluminum bobbins and they are light. So when I spangled them, instead of a larger bobbin bead, I used silver charms from the charm bracelet that I had as a teenager. On 22 May 2009, at 06:47, Sue Duckles wrote: Do all bobbins need to be the same weight? IMHO I'd have thought not, some old bobbins could have buttons on them, different weight to glass beads or would one not put bone and wood bobbins together, or ones with wood beads as opposed to glass. Margot Walker in Halifax on the east coast of Canada Visit the Seaspray Guild of Lacemakers web site: http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/quinbot - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
Sue Duckles wrote: Do all bobbins need to be the same weight? IMHO I'd have thought not, some old bobbins could have buttons on them, different weight to glass beads or would one not put bone and wood bobbins together, or ones with wood beads as opposed to glass. Some ebay sellers put plastic beads on what do others think?| I was thinking more that they seem very light and I've got a couple of light bobbins that I find don't handle as well as the heavier ones - especially with regard to tension. Would appreciate the comments of those with more expeience than I. Lesley - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Book Search
Actually, some books now are available on disk, but not many. Clay Sue Duckles wrote: Morning Spiders I get the impression that there are a lot of lace books that are out of print. Why they can't be released on cd gets me. Rather than their being reprinted, it would be useful if these old books could be scanned and put onto cd, cheaper than reprinting, more environmentally friendly on trees, can be used on computers (if they were .pdf files, they could be used on ALL computers) and we could print out the pages we need! My ten pennorth anyway. Sue in EY On 21 May 2009, at 23:37, Susan Reishus wrote: It seems most of the books I want are OOP and so it has been slow going. Please let me know off list, and apologies if this is an unacceptable request. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
I'm not claiming to have more experience than you, Lesley, but I will share my thoughts anyway! When I'm working a project, I'm not watching the bobbins, I'm watching the work. So I pick up all bobbins the same. If it's larger and heavier than the others, I may fumble it. If it's lightweight, or significantly smaller, I may treat it (and the thread attached) too aggressively, affecting the tension. When I work with Binche bobbins, I've finally decided that they all need to be the same type Binche bobbin on a project. Maybe I'm being obsessive/compulsive (and yes, I have this tendency!), but that's just the way it works best for me. I have two different types of Binche bobbin, one which is slightly larger and heavier than the other. I like both types, but don't mix them. I think with my Midlands, there is more lattitude. But since the bobbins are mostly shaped the same, and have spangles that are consistent in size (my OCD again??), I don't have as much trouble with differences. I have a large project on a pillow right now that must have four or five different types of bobbins on it. I'm not enjoying this, because I'm constantly having to pay attention to the bobbins as well as the threads. But... we do what we have to do!! I am not willing to go out and buy three dozen more bobbins to fill in this project!! Clay Lesley Blackshaw wrote: Sue Duckles wrote: Do all bobbins need to be the same weight? IMHO I'd have thought not, some old bobbins could have buttons on them, different weight to glass beads or would one not put bone and wood bobbins together, or ones with wood beads as opposed to glass. Some ebay sellers put plastic beads on what do others think?| I was thinking more that they seem very light and I've got a couple of light bobbins that I find don't handle as well as the heavier ones - especially with regard to tension. Would appreciate the comments of those with more expeience than I. Lesley - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
I have a couple of the aluminium bobbins commemorating the CD 2000 project, and they are lighter (and a little slimmer) than any of my wooden bobbins. I love the sound they make, but I personally feel they're too light to use for anything except fine thread lace. I see that the RGS engineering describe their aluminium bobbins as being about the same weight as bone bobbins. I only have one bone bobbin, and it's quite a small one compared to my wooden midland ones, so ... how do other people find bone bobbins compare to wooden ones in weight? Beth in a rather showery Cheshire, NW England I was thinking more that they seem very light and I've got a couple of light bobbins that I find don't handle as well as the heavier ones - especially with regard to tension. Lesley - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Odd request: value of lace bobbins
Malcolm Fielding spangled wood bobbins bought in 2003 cost me between $13 and $17 each. I guess the smooth finish, the intricacy of his turning, the exotic woods and the importing from Australia all contribute to them being more expensive than the average wood bobbin. However you can tell when you've reached one on the pillow simply by touch. They are wonderful to work with Sue I agree with whoever pointed out that most wood bobbins, no matter how fancy the decoration, were well below $10 each in the '90s, probably more like $5 each (less, for the simpler turnings). I think bone were mostly around $10, maybe as much as $15 for the really fancy ones. Rather than trying to identify and price each bobbin, if you use these values ($5 for wood, $10 for bone) on the assumption that some of yours were more and some were less, that should give you a reasonable assessment of your collection's worth. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
Beth Marshall wrote: I have a couple of the aluminium bobbins commemorating the CD 2000 project, and they are lighter (and a little slimmer) than any of my wooden bobbins. I love the sound they make, but I personally feel they're too light to use for anything except fine thread lace. I see that the RGS engineering describe their aluminium bobbins as being about the same weight as bone bobbins. I only have one bone bobbin, and it's quite a small one compared to my wooden midland ones, so ... how do other people find bone bobbins compare to wooden ones in weight? Beth in a rather showery Cheshire, NW England I don't have any bone bobbins (yet!) so nothing to compare with. Thanks for your comments. It is rather showery here in Cheshire, isn't it? Lesley - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
I'll have to dig out an unspangled bone and the aluminium one and weigh them see if there is a difference, or they're the same mind you, different makers bobbins can be different weights, thinking of the shapes and sizes! It's probably so little that it doesn't matter... milligrams probably! Sue in EY On 22 May 2009, at 13:35, Lesley Blackshaw wrote: Beth Marshall wrote: I have a couple of the aluminium bobbins commemorating the CD 2000 project, and they are lighter (and a little slimmer) than any of my wooden bobbins. I love the sound they make, but I personally feel they're too light to use for anything except fine thread lace. I see that the RGS engineering describe their aluminium bobbins as being about the same weight as bone bobbins. I only have one bone bobbin, and it's quite a small one compared to my wooden midland ones, so ... how do other people find bone bobbins compare to wooden ones in weight? Beth in a rather showery Cheshire, NW England I don't have any bone bobbins (yet!) so nothing to compare with. Thanks for your comments. It is rather showery here in Cheshire, isn't it? Lesley - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com Regards Sue. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Odd request: value of lace bobbins
While Robin makes some good points here, and perhaps the $5/wood, $10/bone formula is a good one to go with, ultimately. The issue is not what you paid for a bobbin in the 1990's or even what you would pay for a bobbin now, but what you could sell the bobbin for, now. Typically retail has 100% mark up. So, the minute you drive that bobbin out of the showroom so to speak, you would be lucky to sell it for half what you paid for it. Also, the bobbins are used. They may not be polished, they may have nicks in them. They may have thread on them. They may be dusty. I bought hundreds of wood bobbins from an estate for a dollar a piece. That was a year or two ago. Now we are in a market where houses and stock are worth 30% less than a year ago in many cases. If a couple were to split their assets based on the historical value of their home and stocks, it would be unreasonable. What is the market for used lace equipment now? I went into a Metropolitan Museum store at my local mall, which is being closed due to severe cut backs at the museum, which will be resulting in layoffs. Everything in the store was at half price, including a lovely necklace such as I had bought to wear to my daughter's graduation two years ago. Even at half price, and with my museum discount, I didn't see anything I wanted to buy, given the economic climate. Devon In a message dated 5/22/2009 12:31:44 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, robinl...@socal.rr.com writes: A number of people have posted suggestions on who the makers were, and you have responded by whether the name sounded familiar. Another way to do this is to look at the websites and old catalogues and see if the *style* is familiar. Many bobbin makers have distinctive styles, especially the shape of the head and the tail. For example, Acorn bobbins generally have an acorn-shape tail end. Springett's bone bobbins have a head composed of a very round ball with a very flat disk (his wood bobbins don't have the distinctive head, but they're shorter than most makers'). Fielding's bobbins have a long tapered piece, like a cone, where Springett's is a thin disk. Stuart Johnson has a tiny head with deep groove for the thread. My suggestion is to start by looking at samples of bobbins, not just to find your bobbins but to see if you have some of the same style. Then you could write or email the makers to see if they have info on what their bobbins sold for in the '90s. Here's my opinion/suggestion for the relative pricing. In general, bone were much more expensive than wood (I'd say bone, in the '90s, cost about what fancy wood Midlands sell for now, but I don't claim to be expert). Painting pictures (flowers, people, scenes) cost a lot more than paint that colored areas of the bobbin (barber pole stripes, graduated color). However, some detailed painted designs are actually decals stuck on and lacquered. Mother-of-pearl inlay is quite expensive, pewter inlay significantly less so. Beads and/or wire wrapping are probably somewhere around the price of pewter decorations (a little more, a little less, but same ballpark). Fancy turning of wood would be a bit less than the extra decorations mentioned above, but certainly worth more than simple/plain bobbins. I agree with whoever pointed out that most wood bobbins, no matter how fancy the decoration, were well below $10 each in the '90s, probably more like $5 each (less, for the simpler turnings). I think bone were mostly around $10, maybe as much as $15 for the really fancy ones. Rather than trying to identify and price each bobbin, if you use these values ($5 for wood, $10 for bone) on the assumption that some of yours were more and some were less, that should give you a reasonable assessment of your collection's worth. Robin P. Los Angeles, California, USA robinl...@socal.rr.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com **Kick start your favorite gradâs career with mobile email for under $50. (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100122638x1221971194x1201441917/aol?redir==htt p://www.getpeek.com/aol) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
I like my bobbins to be all the same size and weight. I mostly work with large continentals (all the same) for thick yarns or spangled midlands bobbins, and they can vary a lot, in thickness and in length! If I mix sizes and weights it affects both tension and ease of working. I keep the shorter ones (Springett's etc) in one box and the longer ones (most other English turners) in another box, and over the years I've been trying to make the spangles all much the same size; a lot of ready spangled bobbins have spangles which are a bit light for my taste so I end up adding a couple of beads but some of my older (used old, I don't have any antiques) bobbins have spangles which are too big and clunky. Bone is heavier than wood so I don't mix them with wooden bobbins, but I have a couple of antler horn and a glass bobbin which mix OK with bone, and from what I remember of the aluminium bobbins which were around c1980 (I never bought any) they were heavy enough to have mixed with bone. Plastic and wood will usually mix together OK. Brenda Sue Duckles wrote: Do all bobbins need to be the same weight? IMHO I'd have thought not, some old bobbins could have buttons on them, different weight to glass beads or would one not put bone and wood bobbins together, or ones with wood beads as opposed to glass. Some ebay sellers put plastic beads on what do others think? -- Brenda in ALlhallows, Kent http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
I have several Aluminum bobbins, but I have no idea who made them. I also inherited a few of mum's aluminum bobbins (although I think hers would probably be made of aluminium as they were English)! I love them. I don't find them any different to work with except that they hold lots of thread because the necks are longer than on most of my wood bobbins. I have a couple which have the names of lakes in the Lake District (NW England) and others commemorate marriages and/or births of members of the royal family. They are straight with no other decoration than the inscription. When I was at the Lace Show in Birmingham last November there was a company there selling aluminium bobbins, but although I loved the colours I did not like the feel of them as they were too heavily decorated with grooves and bumps. I tend to look for plainer shaped bobbins (wire in grooves, pewter inlays etc are ok if the bobbin is smooth) and prefer lovely colours in the wood grain or other forms of decoration. Malvary in Ottawa where it is grey at the moment after a very hot sunny day yesterday (I got a little bit of sunburn where I missed with the suncream). - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
In message 5c3e2d9a-e7c6-40da-9a14-d7167a637...@duckles.co.uk, Sue Duckles s...@duckles.co.uk writes I'll have to dig out an unspangled bone and the aluminium one and weigh them see if there is a difference, or they're the same mind you, different makers bobbins can be different weights, thinking of the shapes and sizes! It's probably so little that it doesn't matter... milligrams probably! The aluminium bobbins I have are very light, as aluminium is a lightweight metal. Meanwhile, I have bone bobbins that are far heavier than any of my wooden ones (which is why I rarely use them) - the exception being small antique ones that are almost travel bobbin size. Having one of the ebony and silver bobbins that were produced for The Lace Guild's 25th anniversary, I could understand silver or brass bobbins being comparable in weight to bone, but not aluminium, it is the lightest of the three! If you have bobbins of more than one type and weight, it probably makes sense to separate them and use them according to the thread - thicker threads will need heavier bobbins, finer threads lighter ones. You can even out the weight in some respect by the spangles, but using a very light (eg plastic) spangle on a heavy bobbin will result in an unbalanced bobbin, and will be just as annoying in use! Where spangles are concerned, I hate dangly bits (including the teardrop beads sometimes used as bottom beads) and use beads made from glass, semi-precious stone or ceramics, sometimes with metal beads for spacers. I went through a phase of using glass beads shaped as cats as bottom beads, as I liked the beads - in practice, they caught on everything and were more of a pain than our three real ones! I haven't re-spangled the bobbins, they just rarely see the outside of the case they are in -- Jane Partridge - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Kenmare lace search
I am in Texas. I have not been able to find out anything about this except for a reference in an article on the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Ireland. http://www.crawfordartgallery.ie/1876-1900.html There is a reference to the wife of an American millionaire named Winnaces and a quilt costing £300. There is also a citation for this reference. HTH Pat -- From: Janice Blair jbl...@sbcglobal.net Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 1:50 PM To: lace lace@arachne.com Subject: [lace] Kenmare lace search Hi, Last night at our guild meeting at the local library, the librarian came in to visit and told us about a trip she had taken to Ireland. She has come back with a mission. She visited the Kenmare Lace Design Center where she saw demonstrations of a local needlelace run by Nora Finnegan. The center also houses the unique antique Kenmare Lace preserved by the sisters at St. Clares Convent. www.kenmarelace.ie They would like to trace a Bedspread and Pillow Cover of Kemore Needlepoint lace which was commissioned by Mrs. Winnaces from the convent of the Poor Clares, Kemare in 1889. The cost then was $300 - the cost of 3 houses at that time. I was thought to be in a museum in Texas run by a Senator Thomas'es wife - since deceased and the museum is now closed. This lace was described by Alan Cole in the late 1800's as The most important piece of lace ever made in Ireland. If any of our Texas Arachne or our more knowledgeable spiders have ever heard of this museum or piece of lace please let me know and I will pass on the information. I think the nuns want to have some photos for display in their museum and would like to know who owns the pieces now. Thanks, Janice Janice Blair Crystal Lake, 50 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois, USA www.jblace.com http://www.lacemakersofillinois.org - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Book search/Archives/a new book
It always makes me so happy when someone, Sister Claire in this case, introduces the Archives to someone who hasn't heard about them. Although we are no longer adding to number of CDs, eight in all, we are always ready to scan and post any books or other out of copyright (before 1923 or with the permission of the author if newer) and hope to keep on doing so as long as they can be found. And so, the great news for today is that Alex Stillwell has given us permission to include her marvellous book The Technique of Teneriffe Lace. It has been scanned and posted, and can be found at http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/ Scroll over to This Month and you will find it there, ready to read or copy. We don't have many copies of contemporary books, which is of course understandable, but we are extremely grateful to the authors for the few that we have been allowed to scan and post. This is a completely volunteer site and we check everything for copyright. Our only request is that anyone downloading books or other materials use them for their own purposes and not for any commercial gain. We also have requirements for the quality of the scans we are able to make, and look for originals that are in good shape. For instance, photocopies don't scan well, and we can rarely use them, sadly. I am always happy to be contacted by anyone who thinks that something she/ he has found would be a good addition. In the case of this book, I have to thank Alex first of all, because without her generosity we would none of us be able to read and use it. But I must also thank Jeri Ames, who pulled it down from the shelves of her enormous embroidery and lace library here in Maine and who was kind enough to drive an hour to bring it to me. And not least of all, we must all be grateful to John Cropper in Arizona who takes my scans, reviews them for errors, turns them into PDFs, and posts them on the site for all of us to enjoy. These make up the team which has brought The Technique of Teneriffe Lace to us all. We are grateful to them all. Now, go take a look! Tess (tess1...@aol.com) in Maine USA, where yesterday all records were broken with a temperature of 93F' (33.9C')! - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Cro-Knitting: was: broomstick lace
In knitting terms, Tunisian Crochet, aka Afghan Stitch, is worked by casting stitches onto the single hooked needle, binding them off by repeatedly pulling a loop through two loops, then picking up the stitches by pulling a loop through each stitch, then binding them off again. When was a child, we called it cro-knitting and I could do it long before I learned to knit or crochet. I never learned but the the one basic stitch, and used it to make dishrags out of scraps of cotton rug yarn. They worked rather like an abrasive sponge, and lasted a long time. -- Joy Beeson http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/ http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange west of Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A. where a long sunny spell is following a long rainy spell. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Book Search
I am aware of this, but of course Further Steps in Honiton Lace isn't there in the Arizone.edu archives. I am a visual person, have to touch and have access to all, and printing out 200 pages, typically is a $32 cartridge of ink (or most of it) and then some paper. (I have filled ink cartridges too, but find at least locally, they don't fill them, and once had the ink run out after about 35 pages, so that is no savings at all!) Thank you,Susan Reishus --- On Fri, 5/22/09, Sister Claire quietasa...@gmail.com wrote: The Digital Archive of Documents Relating to Lace http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/lace.html is right up your alley. =) Sr Claire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Aluminum Bobbins (and asst.)
...However you can tell when you've reached one on the pillow simply by touch... To me, this says it all. In a past life I was a competitive drummer, and carefully chose my sticks before purchasing. (Rolling on a glass counter determines if the stick was straight or not, for starters). I feel the same with bobbins, so often choose a less expensive wood, but the type and finish (which varies so much!) and then get as many as I can so they are similar. I am a tactile person with recovering perfectionist tendencies however). :-) Not an advanced bobbin lace maker like many, but consistency in the tools would make the actual weaving process the primary focus, and enhance the pleasure so your hand-mind isn't taking in extra info about differences in the hand and sound. I believe you buy the best tools you can afford. I liken it to paring knives. I remember a wife telling me her husband was a chef, yet the only paring knife she had was an old steak knife, which made the job tedious and hard to avoid waste. I would rather have one good paring knife, than a bunch of ineffective ones. On the aluminum note, there are arguments about toxicity, and some say it is, and some say it isn't, but note that many well-known knitters died of alzheimers, when aluminum needles were the main foray. I was just reading a medical book last night and they gave more evidence that it does factor into health. If you have ever had a metal detox, and specifically aluminum, you can't believe the difference it makes in how you feel and think! On the bobbin value subject, my concern is that Arachne posts are available to everyone/ANYone via search engine, and so what is shared can be used for or against querant. I posted what little I had to offer directly to the person asking because of this. Perhaps something to consider. I absolutely LOVE Devon's sense of equity and let her know personally, as all of her points are pertinent and relevant. I suspect she may have some legal education, or gleaned much practical and lucid wisdom from life. VBG Best,Susan Reishus - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Book Search
Dear Book Lovers, Books on disk will become obsolete technology. Remember what you were able to use 14 years ago (when Arachne started). Some products are no longer usable and may be physically degraded. In some cases, it is not possible to upgrade directly from them, or extremely complicated measures must be taken using equipment we do not have in our homes. Some books on my shelves that Tess has scanned go back two hundred years. At least, some amongst our book collectors are able to provide originals. A few old books have been reissued: It takes time, and long memos to keep you informed. And I am told many members delete my messages because of length. I like to write enough that there are no questions! Someone told me that the Chinese have obtained all rights to scan books in major libraries in the US. I do not know the details, but just think about the possibilities of some books being banned in future. We need lace books in as many forms (printed, scanned, etc.) and locations as possible - for future lacemakers. Jeri Ames in Maine Lace and Embroidery Resource Center **Kick start your favorite gradâs career with mobile email for under $50. (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100122638x1221971194x1201441917/aol?redir==htt p://www.getpeek.com/aol) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] obsolete technology
Please excuse the double posting but there is a lace connection because the appeal is on behalf of one of my lace students, and she uses this particular piece of obsolete technology to write up lace notes. At the moment she is using Brenda Paternoster's bookmark pattern and is way past her 50th variation - and that's all on the same size grid so she isn't doing the same variation with thick and thin thread and calling it two. And Brenda will now know who I'm talking about. Anyway, she has a gadget called a Phillips Video Writer which is a word processor and printer all in one. She is able to save to floppy, but although we haven't tried that yet I suspect that a modern PC isn't going to be able to read the data from said floppy disks. The problem is that this machine was made from 1986 (or there abouts) and discontinued in the 90s, presumably as PCs got cheaper and cheaper. The ink tapes that it uses were discontinued in 2002 (but she didn't know that, and didn't stock up) and she is down to her last one. Each only prints 40 pages, although I suspect if we can find a way to rewind it, it would print through at least one more time, in the same way that typewriter ribbons did. So.. Does anyone remember these machines and do you know if we can rewind/re-use the ink tapes, or arachne miracle time, does anyone have any tapes for these machines. I think they may have made more than one version of it; the tape she has is labelled NMS 3030/5. Or, finally, does anyone know what 'language' it worked in; is there any chance my PC could read/print from her floppy disks. If someone thinks I could, I'll get her to post me one to try. In hopes Jacquie in Lincolnshire. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] obsolete technology
Jacqui (and everyone) There is a device that reads floppies to our latest pc's transferring data via the USB connection. I have one, found it at a computer part recycling dealer. Check out the traders in your country, if there is a large dealer online for instance. I would check with NCIX, here, for instance. On Fri, May 22, 2009 at 10:04 AM, laceandb...@aol.com wrote: She is able to save to floppy, but although we haven't tried that yet I suspect that a modern PC isn't going to be able to read the data from said floppy disks. -- Bev in Shirley BC, near Sooke on beautiful Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] obsolete technology
I had a floppy disk reader installed when I had my PC built, as my digital sewing machine works from them, and I have a separate floppy disk reader that goes into the USB port, for my lap top, (for the same reason) if that's what you mean. I have the mechanical technology to read floppies, I just suspect that my PC won't understand the language. Or did you mean you can buy a reader that can translate? Jacquie - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Re: Size of Bobbins
Bobbins the same weight? Well, not necessarily. I have met people who required their bobbins to weigh the very same on a pillow. To the milligram. Butthat's a bit compulsive. I would say...lacemaking is more efficient if the bobbins on a project are similar in size and weight. The fingers can fumble more when switching from a short to a long bobbin, or from a thick to a thin, or from a light one to a heavy one. I have mixed styles of bobbins frequently, when I didn't have enough of one kind available for the project. However, I try to keep them as similar as possible. The exception to this is for gimp bobbins. I often use a distinctly different bobbin for gimp because I want my fingers to be alert that it's not a normal thread bobbin. Thus, I can use a larger bobbin that can deal with thick gimp thread better than whatever bobbins are being used on the main project. I'm currently making a scarf that has a design inserted into every repeat with a different color for each design. When winding bobbins for all the color inserts, I ran out of the type used on the main scarf. I used what was empty, and now find myself weaving a very thin pair through the thicker ones of the passive threads. It feels, and looks, very weird. Thankfully, I will use the thin pair only a short distance and then discard it. It's experiences like this that encourage lacemakers to acquire a quantity of bobbins in different sizes. (But I have to admit that I know a couple lacemakers who have only one kind of bobbin, and they stick to their preferred bobbin on all projects.) Alice in Oregon -- where summer has come, at least for a couple weeks. Predictions are for a long hot summer. I may be very happy about installing a heat pump this spring. PS...My one new lace student is very enthusiastic. Her grandmother made lace and she's excited about learning how to do it. - Original Message From: Sue Duckles s...@duckles.co.uk Do all bobbins need to be the same weight? IMHO I'd have thought not, some old bobbins could have buttons on them, different weight to glass beads or would one not put bone and wood bobbins together, or ones with wood beads as opposed to glass. Some ebay sellers put plastic beads on what do others think? - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace-chat] Re: [lace] obsolete technology
I suspect it is highly unlikely you will be able to read the floppies on your computer - it is even possible they are not standard diskettes - and the language is almost certainly a proprietary one. It is just possible that the files are plain txt, in which case, if your computer will read them, you might be able to access them by either copying to windows and changing the extension to txt instead of whatever it is at present and opening in Notepad. Alternatively, if you have a friendly local printer, they may have hardware capable of reading old disks and obsolete proprietary languages (I had one extract data from some 5 floppies not that long ago) Good luck Liz On 22 May 2009, at 18:39, laceandb...@aol.com wrote: I have the mechanical technology to read floppies, I just suspect that my PC won't understand the language. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
RE: [lace] Book Search
I am aware of this, but of course Further Steps in Honiton Lace isn't there in the Arizone.edu archives. *** Further Steps in Honiton Lace is still in copyright and will be, probably for the lifetimes of everyone on Arachne I am a visual person, have to touch and have access to all, and printing out 200 pages, typically is a $32 cartridge of ink (or most of it) and then some paper. (I have filled ink cartridges too, but find at least locally, they don't fill them, and once had the ink run out after about 35 pages, so that is no savings at all!) There are internet sites where you can have out of copyright material from the Archives printed and bound for very reasonable prices. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of the one I like. I have sent a message to a friend and will post when I get an answer (or remember!) Patty - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Re: [lace-chat] obsolete technology
I think that maybe I haven't been clear enough about the difficulty we have with the Video Writer. Several people have written to tell me that A-drives/floopy disk readers are still available. That isn't the problem; I have one on both my PC and my laptop for my sewing machine software. There also isn't any problem with what is on the Video writer at the moment; she has printed off her latest batch of lace notes and the rest of the stored stuff in the memory or on floppies is things like recipes that she doesn't need as paper copies. The floppy disc bit only comes into the equation if we can't get any more ribbon cartridges because *if* a PC could read the Video Writer's language (highly unlikely) then she could go on using it and someone else could print for her. But it's not worth her doing that if we then have to jump through expensive hoops to get it converted and printed. The alternative is that she buys a laptop and small printer but that is really more than she wants to/can spend out and she has very limited footprint space for it. What we need is either a source of more cartridges (none on e-bay) or advice on reusing the ones she has. There is a company that comes up on Google that appears to sell them, but they are all 'Not Available'! This isn't surprising as Phillips stopped making the cartridges in 2002, and the machines some time before that. And yes, we have phoned Phillips here and in Holland and they sold their last ones just before Christmas. So, it's a very long shot that someone may have had one of these machines and still have some ribbon cartridges in the back of a drawer, or found out a way to use a cartridge more than once as at only 40 pages each, it must have been an expensive business, and I think if it was us we would have at least tried to find a way to use it a second time. But arachne has come up trumps in the past on equally long shots, so I thought I would try it. I hope that I have clarified the matter. Jacquie - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Kenmare lace search
Hi Pat, Thanks for the web link. I will pass it on to Eve at the library. Sounds like it might be the piece they are looking for but it does not say where it went to. Janice Janice Blair Crystal Lake, 50 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois, USA www.jblace.com http://www.lacemakersofillinois.org --- On Fri, 5/22/09, Pat Tinney tinn...@austin.rr.com wrote: From: Pat Tinney tinn...@austin.rr.com Subject: Re: [lace] Kenmare lace search To: Janice Blair jbl...@sbcglobal.net, lace lace@arachne.com Date: Friday, May 22, 2009, 9:05 AM I am in Texas. I have not been able to find out anything about this except for a reference in an article on the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Ireland. http://www.crawfordartgallery.ie/1876-1900.html There is a reference to the wife of an American millionaire named Winnaces and a quilt costing £300. There is also a citation for this reference. HTH Pat -- From: Janice Blair jbl...@sbcglobal.net Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 1:50 PM To: lace lace@arachne.com Subject: [lace] Kenmare lace search Hi, Last night at our guild meeting at the local library, the librarian came in to visit and told us about a trip she had taken to Ireland. She has come back with a mission. She visited the Kenmare Lace Design Center where she saw demonstrations of a local needlelace run by Nora Finnegan. The center also houses the unique antique Kenmare Lace preserved by the sisters at St. Clares Convent. www.kenmarelace.ie They would like to trace a Bedspread and Pillow Cover of Kemore Needlepoint lace which was commissioned by Mrs. Winnaces from the convent of the Poor Clares, Kemare in 1889. The cost then was $300 - the cost of 3 houses at that time. I was thought to be in a museum in Texas run by a Senator Thomas'es wife - since deceased and the museum is now closed. This lace was described by Alan Cole in the late 1800's as The most important piece of lace ever made in Ireland. If any of our Texas Arachne or our more knowledgeable spiders have ever heard of this museum or piece of lace please let me know and I will pass on the information. I think the nuns want to have some photos for display in their museum and would like to know who owns the pieces now. Thanks, Janice Janice Blair Crystal Lake, 50 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois, USA www.jblace.com http://www.lacemakersofillinois.org - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] obsolete technology
Hi Jaqui At the moment she is using Brenda Paternoster's bookmark pattern and is way past her 50th variation - and that's all on the same size grid so she isn't doing the same variation with thick and thin thread and calling it two. And Brenda will now know who I'm talking about. She's going a rate of knots - last time I spoke to her, about 2-3 weeks ago it was only 40 something! Anyway, she has a gadget called a Phillips Video Writer which is a word processor and printer all in one. She is able to save to floppy, but although we haven't tried that yet I suspect that a modern PC isn't going to be able to read the data from said floppy disks. I've been Googling Philips Video Writer. It seems to be a thermal ribbon, whatever that is/was. Have you tried to re-wind the ribbon? It might be a case of semi-destructively prising the casing apart, rotating the spindle or whatever manually and then sticking the cartridge back together with glue or sticky tape. Anyway, the person most likely to know what the operating system of the VideoWriter was is someone called Rex Battenberg, http://www.dieterkoenig.at/ccc/po/s_po_rexbattenberge.htm bottom quarter of the page or same article at http://www.classic-consoles-center.at/interviews/interview-with-rex- battenberg but neither of them have a contact for the guy. Have you tried putting one of the floppies into your PC? Brenda in Allhallows, Kent http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/index.html - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Re: Aluminum Bobbins
Clay Blackwell clayblackw...@comcast.net wrote: I think with my Midlands, there is more lattitude. But since the bobbins are mostly shaped the same, and have spangles that are consistent in size (my OCD again??), I don't have as much trouble with differences. Human physiology is such that, the smaller or lighter-weight an object is, the smaller the detectable difference. So two binche bobbins need to be quite similar in size and weight to feel the same. Midlands are larger and heavier to begin with, so the difference must be larger to be felt. My impression is that fast lacemakers require more uniformity among their bobbins than slower lacemakers. I don't have any problem with differences in size and shape (within reason), but I'm quite slow. I'm not looking at the bobbins while grabbing and moving them (although one reason I'm slow is that I do stop to look at them and admire their beauty!), but I'm not thrown when a bobbin is a different size/weight/shape from what I just put down. I think the really fast lacemakers are just too efficient, so relatively slight variations interfere noticeably with their efficiency. I'm so inefficient that I can absorb the differences without noticing any slowdown. I also think those who work with very fine threads have to have more uniformity among their bobbins. Slight differences in tensioning are not noticeable with heavier thread (I do get praise for the uniformity of my tension, but I tug pretty strongly), but finer thread takes very little tension, so slight differences are more noticeable the same as slight differences in weight are more noticeable when the weight is small. Robin P. Los Angeles, California, USA robinl...@socal.rr.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Are you new to lace or was it passed on?
Synchronicity abounds on Arachne! I was just to ask if most have come into bobbin lace (or other forms) via lineage, or self-initiation, and then Alice posted this: new lace student is very enthusiastic. Her grandmother made lace and she's excited about learning how to do it. Sometime they say hobbies, twins, looks, skip a generation, but I am interested if most on this life are repeating something that they were exposed to about lace, or came to it of their own accord. Of course the various forms of lace would add interest to the response! In my case, my Granny did everything creative, and I begged to learn to tat and was promised when she retired, but when that happened she said she was much too tired, and her eyes weary, so I picked it up on my own later. The lace knitting evolved from the knitting she taught me, but I don't think she did bobbin lace. I understand my great grandmother from England did all, but with the Great Depression, even thread was an issue so only have some cutwork and crochet from her, though the pieces were divided amongst many offspring so cannot be certain. Best,Susan Reishus - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Are you new to lace or was it passed on?
Oh good, a poll! I found lace on my own, none of my foremothers did such a thing - they sewed, mended, knitted, as required, during their careers as housewives and mothers; they were also businesswomen. No lace pedigree in my family, and none of my offspring or their offspring are interested. There it is, and here I am. On Fri, May 22, 2009 at 6:26 PM, Susan Reishus elationrelat...@yahoo.comwrote: Synchronicity abounds on Arachne! I was just to ask if most have come into bobbin lace (or other forms) via lineage, or self-initiation, and then Alice posted this: new lace student is very enthusiastic. Her grandmother made lace and she's excited about learning how to do it. -- Bev in Shirley BC, near Sooke on beautiful Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Are you new to lace or was it passed on?
HI all, I am new to lace as of 2001. I had tried everything else, from my mother's knee to classes to reading the book to learn to do most everything, even weaving and spinning. So Lace just seemed like the next step in the study of fiber Arts. I have never regretted my interest in fiber arts. Susie Johnson Morris, IL cjohnson0...@comcast.net - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
[lace] Aluminum Bobbins
Thanks for all the wonderful comments on our aluminium bobbins. Yes we do still make them but we have reduced the number of styles we make because my husband can no longer polish them (courtesy of the medical profession). At the moment we only sell in Australia and make to order. I've not had any problems with difference in weight and I do tend to use whatever bobbins are not presently in use on other projects. Cheers, Shirley T. - still needing rain in Adelaide, South Australia. endso...@internode.on.net Home Address: J.S. S.R. Tregellas 14 Sheringa Drive, Morphett Vale, 5162 Australia Electronic and Ham Radio Home Page: http://www.users.on.net/~endsodds - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Are you new to lace or was it passed on?
I first saw Bobbin lace being worked in 1976 at a Heritage Fair and thought some day I want to learn that. Then some 12-14 yrs. later I heard about 'gold and silver wire lace' and since I was using gold and silver wire in my jewelry career I thought 'I can do that too' but realized I needed to learn in fiber first. First from books and then I found Lacemakers of Puget Sound. I have made some wire lace but really became hooked with the process. So while I found 'lace' myself, I come from a family of women who were sewers, knitters, and needle workers. I have always done things with my hands. I even did a weekend class at Blacksmithing. Really fun too! Lorri --Synchronicity abounds on Arachne! I was just to ask if most have come into bobbin lace (or other forms) via lineage, or self-initiation, and then Alice posted this: new lace student is very enthusiastic. Her grandmother made lace and she's excited about learning how to do it. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace-chat] obsolete technology
Are any of the ribbons on this site what she needs? if so, maybe she can email the company to find out who stocks them - or find a business to order them for her! http://www.compredia.com/ribbons-philips-ptw-series.html Sue To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com.
