In a message dated 6/27/03 9:29:37 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:I heard the 'bone lace' expression explained that fish-bones were used for
pins.
Liz- I read that somewhere years ago, but don't remember where either.
Ditto, and ditto :) Heard it, but no idea where... Possibly from *several* sources -- one of which might have been Mrs Bury-Palliser -- each of which repeated after the previous one "like the prayer after the lady mother" to use a Polish phrase :)
The Luton Museum has some "make-shift", home-made pins from early times, and none are fishbones... And, given how brittle fishbones get once they're dry (even those a bit too thick to use as pins even for wire lace), I'm beginning to have doubts about the veracity of that statement, depite the fact that fishbones have a perfect *shape*. Bones used as early bobbins seem far more likely (some of the knuckle bones are shaped like spools -- were they the origin of the spool idea?)
----- Tamara P Duvall mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED]
