Dear Heather, We have an Arachne member in Ontario, Malvary, whom I hope you will hear from. She will most likely be familiar with the lace makers fairly near to you and be a very good friend in the process. Twelve lace groups in Ontario are listed and inserted in each quarterly issue of "Canadian Lacemaker Gazette". Lace suppliers in Canada advertise in it. Sitting next to other bobbin lace makers is often the best way for someone to get comfortable with making lace. There are so many "understood" and "automatic" things that you will be able to learn from those who have been making lace for a long time. My suggestion is to get together with others, and they will share their pillows with you for a few rows. That way, you will learn what is really the most comfortable bobbins for you. It used to be that lace makers used the traditional bobbins for each type of lace. Now, lace makers are more independent. At least, until they take a special class with a well-known teacher who insists on a certain type of bobbin. One thing almost everyone would agree with is that all the bobbins on each individual pillow should be the same type to make the movements of your fingers more comfortable. Happy you did not buy the horror kit that has discouraged so many beginners! Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center
-------------------------------------------------------- In a message dated 7/15/2014, jazmin...@gmail.com writes: Finally, after long thinking 'oh, perhaps someday I'll give bobbin lace a whirl', I kicked the excuses to the curb and sat down at the beginner's kit acquired easily more than a decade ago. (The snowgoose one, not the horror kit. I've now toddled through some torchon, and have wandered over to beginning bedfordshire lace, which I'm rather fond of. That being said, my mix of bobbins is small and well.. mixed. If you were advising a beginner Beds lacer, what sort of bobbins should I order first? I am rather fond of the sleek look of the squared off continental. Heather in unseasonably cool SW Ontario, Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
