Sharon, Sorry for writing back so late after the post but I'm still trawling through the 190 emails after being away for only 5 days.
I have used the snake book mark as a beginners project for the past 10 years for the simple reasons - 1) using different colours allows the lacemaker to see if they twist pairs, 2) the thick thread means that it makes up easily in only 1 or 2 sessions, 3) because the exact amount of thread is quoted it makes it easy for the beginner to pull off the right amount of thread and gives that safety net so that they don't worry about running out, 4) nothing in the world would induce me to do the worm bandages after suffering 2 months of them myself. I can only think of 2 points that have caused concern and I've over come those - 1) I add the eyes for most lace makers - but some can quickly see how to do it after you show one, 2) you must ensure that the pattern is correctly placed on the pillow if they are using an 18" one as often they put the pattern on too low and have no room at the base. Once they have completed their first snake in whole (cloth) stich, most go on to make another in mixed whole and half stich. Another great source of starter patterns for inserts etc in thicker thread and colour is the red torchon book by - is it Bridget Cook? Its the one with the table cloth at the end. Regards Liz On Jan 17, 2004, at 17:56, sharon wrote: > > Dear Lorelei and all you other kind spiders who have responded. I'm > beginning to revise my opinion about using the snake as a starter > project > since a couple of you pointed out some areas of potential difficulty. > Perhaps the boring bandage might be best after all? I hadn't thought > of > tape lace as a second choice. I do have Pam Nottingham's "Bobbin Lace > Making" it's the book I used to teach myself 20 yrs ago and has been > as > much my "bible" as the Cookbook :) I have to admit though, I > completely > skipped the tape lace lessons because they didn't look like "real" > lace to > me. What is the opinion of other lacers? Would tape lace grab you? - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]