I'm going to throw something else into this mix of spangled bobbins and tension. How many of us place our pillows on a bit of a slant? My flat cookie pillows are slanted towards me no matter if I am using Midlands or Continentals. I find the spangled Midlands hold the tension very well on the slant and the Continentals hold the tension much better with that little bit of a slant. I use my hands to tension but when those pairs are put aside, sometimes on a pillow laying absolutely flat, they can lose their tension with all the moving them aside even if they are spangled Midlands or Continentals. Then I spend a lot of time continually "re" tensioning which isn't what anyone wants to do. And isn't the fact that Honiton bobbins are supposed to hang off the edge of the pillow because that way they will hold the tension by their hanging weight? Just as a domed cookie pillow has the natural slant that keeps the bobbins lower than the actual lace. Jane O'Connor [EMAIL PROTECTED] New Lenox, IL USA
Subject: Re: [lace] RE: midlands bobbins and spangling Not to be argumentative, but ... -------------- Original message -------------- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Well, this is kinda my point. Midlands without spangles are rather light, > compared to continentals with significant bulges at their bottoms. Hence the > need for spangles on the Midlands. But your point misses my point. *If* the spangles were needed for weight (in the period when people were doing this on a cottage industry level) then conversely when making the light weight laces we would see the use of unspangled Midlands. I am assuming that Downton, Honiton, etc. are not unspangled Midlands in effect -- but I might have to say "I see your point" if you raise that issue. Nonetheless, I've used Midlands with very fine threads -- 140 at least -- with absolutely no problem. I actually do only fine thread lace, so that is significant amount of experience. > I have had fine threads break with spangled Midlands (not often, because I don't > do much fine-thread lace). And I have had cases where the thread was "too big" > or "too strong" for Midlands that I hadn't yet spangled. Yes, my hands are > necessary for the details, but gravity *keeps* tension on the thread that does > affect the lacemaking. Not enough tension and the hitches keep popping off and > the thread (even when the hitch is still on) comes loose around the shaft. Too > much tension and the threads start getting stressed. I don't find that gravity is an element in keeping threads tensioned. Many if not most lacemakers today use some form of cookie pillow (that includes block pillows) so the bobbins pretty much lay without tension. I actually have more problems with hitches unhitching on the necks of the Midlands -- I often need to use a double hitch. I think your argument holds much more water when we think of the old big bolster pillows that were used in England. But more than keeping threads tensioned, I think the weight would make the bobbins hang in such a way that tangling would be reduced somewhat. But that is something I just thought of, and I have next to no experience on a bolster pillow. > I'm not arguing against Carolyn's theory for why Midlands bobbins are > spangled--her theory is reasonable (although I'm allowed to prefer my own)--but > arguing against some of her explanation. I think it would be very interesting if the chronological development of spangles could be traced. If the carving came first, and then as/after the bobbins thinned out we could see the spangles being added, I might be more inclined to think weight was the thing. Guess I am arguing against your theory, Robin, but what an intersting conversation it has been. Best, Carolyn - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
