We can have so much fun with our tools. Six centuries of development have given us a large variety to play with. I learned with Midlands. That's what the teacher had and I knew nothing else for quite a while. I made lace for several years with them. Continentals looked like they rolled too much. Then I started making lace styles with sewings, etc, that made Midlands awkward to use.  After acquiring and using some continentals -- surprise! They worked just fine. I usually had enough of them on the pillow that they didn't have much room to roll. Besides, all the different shapes and sizes intrigued me so I started a collection. Now i choose bobbins for a project according to: type of lace, size of thread, quantity needed, size of pillow, and what's available in my bobbin drawers at the moment. (Yes, I usually have several projects 'on the go' at any given time so what's left in the drawers can be critical.) I find the Midlands sit in the drawer a long time between uses. (Such a shame since I have some very pretty ones, and enough to do the famous mat pattern.) However, my Beds class this summer will see some of these in use again. As to spangles, over the years I've tended to smaller and smaller spangles. I also removed the dangles that some people put on bobbins. I don't weigh my bobbins so don't know how close in weight my various Midlands are. I find length of bobbins more important, and choose bobbins the same length when selecting a set for a project. My fingers like both the heads and the spangles of the bobbins to be fairly even on the pillow.
I may be more tolerant than some people for variation in size/weight of my bobbins, but I'm not bothered much by variation. I don't like to mix Midlands with continentals, but I will mix continental styles. I've been working a series of patterns and didn't want to spend a long time winding nor waste any more thread than necessary. I chose to wind one bobbin full with 20 yards, and then pull off one yard for the partner bobbin after each use. It takes less time to reset the project, and saves some thread. Bobbins capable of holding 20 yards are on the larger side of my bobbin selection. To fit better on my pillow, I matched each fat bobbin with a skinny continental for the one yard half. Besides, I didn't have enough to the fat bobbins to use only them. It worked better than I expected, and was not a problem for my fingers in handling them. Most people start out with the type of bobbin their teacher used. Some people go on to try other styles, and some just use their starting kind. As long as they work for the project and for you, use whatever bobbins you want. The most sensitive part of choosing a bobbin is the weight compared to the thread. When you start working in the very fine threads, the bobbins will need to be light weight. A heavy bobbin can break a thread easily. Conversely, if you are working a a heavy thread, a larger bobbin is needed just to hold the thread for a project. So, choose your own style of bobbins. Just smile when someone insists there's only one right way to do something. It may be the way they were taught. Alice in Oregon -- where it's only two months till the Pacific NorthWest Lace Conference, June 18-21. See details at portlandlacesociety.com - 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/
