[lace] Thread amount per bobbin
I have a question about thread amounts per bobbin, when the directions don¹t give that information. A spinner/weaver friend of mine(she spins wool and other fibers) had cut groupings of this very silky smooth varigated thread called sinstel(? Or something like that. It is a rayon type thread) that she had from a weaving project and had made a jacket out of the finished hand woven material. GORGEOUS and felt so silky! Anyhow.She couldn¹t just throw away all those bundles of 18 inch lengths of thread. The colorways are so beautiful and it is about a size 10/2. Although to me it looks to be a size 12 pearl cotton just by the look of it. But all threads manufacturers have a different sizing method, so she explained. I told her that these threads are perfect to bobbin lace a bookmark. Good use of left over thread. So she gave me one of her bundles that has 36 strands of the 18 inch lengths. I chose a simple pattern out of Rosemary Shepherd¹s ³Introduction to Bobbin Lacemaking² on page 89, shaped insertion. But I am converting it to a bookmark and ending it at a point. To get to my question, how would I know that these 18 inch lengths will be enough thread to finish a fairly good length of this pattern. I copied and made it so there is 6 spider repeats. I may have to fudge and reduce the repeats if I think it won¹t be enough. Just by the look of the length it may work, but how can I be sure. Is there a formula to judge if I need to reduce/enlarge a pattern and when I am limited to these thread samples if it is feasible? How much thread to wind on the each bobbin? I plan on winding each 18 inch length on each bobbin and then knotting the pairs together. I will try to hide the knots at the top for the start. Hope that won¹t look too messy. Your technical advice is much appreciated. -- Mark, aka Tatman website: http://www.tat-man.net blog: http://tat-man.net/blog Magic Thread Shop: http://www.tat-man.net/tatterville/tatshop/tatshop.html email: tat...@tat-man.net - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
RE: [lace] Thread amount per bobbin
Mark, The question is answered before in general. Search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/lace@arachne.com/ You might try to study how the threads run through a design with my program on http://code.google.com/p/bobbinwork/ but that might still be too elaborate and it still requires a learning curve. It might be too short for a runner. Rather than knotting, you could try to plan working with double threads to lengthen. Work double through one or two tctct's and it will hold. The twists are the most important, both to hide working temporarily with double threads and to keep them firm in place. You could also attach extra lengths to the threads that is just used to wind on the bobbins. In my experience: use thread with the same twist, others seem not to mind. Jo > I have a question about thread amounts per bobbin, when the > directions don¹t give that information. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Thread amount per bobbin
Hi Mark and everyone What the weaver gave you are 'thrums' (= end waste on the weaving loom) and the fiber is tencel. Yes threads vary in size system according to content and purpose. If your lengths compare to the pearl cotton 12, that is quite fine for weaving! and coarse for bobbin lace :p This is a good question, and I don't have a pat answer, it just depends on the lace design. For passives, you have a measured amount, for weaver/worker pairs, 'lots'. However, here are some tips that will help you. To get the most use out of your 18" lengths, use waste thread at either end of each strand. One waste-end is the leader around the bobbin, the other waste end is useful at the start, as a handle for the lace thread during setup. Further hints below, you might not need to do this if you know the lengths of the pathways. Plan on a fringe at either end, then you won't have to deal with knots, and the piece will look balanced. A straight-across start would be my suggestion, rather than a pointy one, or, using waste thread in the same colour tone and size as your feature thread, start the pattern from a bundle at the point. The knotted section can be wrapped as for a tassle, later. End the same, with a tassel. If you have time, make the pattern in some other thread of the same lengths, to find out how far the 18 inches will go; if you need to be really miserly at the beginning or not. A quicker way: With colour pencils on a copy of the pricking, trace a few of the thread paths, and measure the colour pencil line. anyway, hope this helps. On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 11:18 AM, Mark Myers wrote: > > To get to my question, how would I know that these 18 inch lengths will be > enough thread to finish a fairly good length of this pattern. > -- Bev in Shirley BC, near Sooke on beautiful Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
Re: [lace] Thread amount per bobbin
Unles it's a tiny bookmark, they probably won't be long enough as an 18" length only gives you 9" per bobbin. At a usage rate of 2 to 3 times the length of the lace, that gives you 3" to 4 1/2" of lace, IF you don't have any workers, and if you work right to the very end of the thread. As Jo said, you can add leashes so you can do this. You'd get more options if you start and end with a tassel, as then you can have a bobbin per thread, and will only 'waste' say 4" for the starting tassel and anchoring the threads. You'd have enough thread for 18 pairs wound in that way. Why don't you work a simple all ground book mark, with a point and a tassel top and bottom. That way you'd know how far the thread will go. Once you know that, you can design a bookmark with spiders, grounds, rose grounds etc, but avoid designs with cloth stitch areas. Narrow half stitch trails would probably be OK, so long as you DON'T do an extra twist as you go around the pin, as then you'll use a different worker every row. What I am more worried about though is if this is a silky rayon thread, it is often difficult to get it to tie a firm knot. This would make it difficult to finish off the tassel - you may find you need to use a matching cotton thread to do the final knot around, and even then you may find that the ends slip. I used a rayon thread of about this thickness as a gimp with cotton as the main thread and the ends just kept slipping out of place. So do experiment before you spend the time doing lace. Jacquie in Lincolnshire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachnemodera...@yahoo.com
