Re: [lace] Multi-part prickings tricky; skeins also tricky
My 1973 edition of the 1954 book âThe Modern Textile & Apparel Dictionary by Professor George E Linton published in USA (He was a textiles teacher and Dean of the textile department of Fashion Institute in New York) at describes a skein as âan appreciable length of yarn or thread that has been wound onto a reel or swift⦠the circumference of a skein varies, usually from 44 inches to 54 inchesâ¦.. That is describing a skein as being in the same format a s a hank. He does not mention the centre pull rolls, balls, cakes etc, but it does now seem to be common parlance in USA to describe centre pull balls as skeins. In UK the work skein is used more often for the small coils of embroidery cottons which if you are very careful with itâs possible to pull a length without taking the label off. Thatâs how language evolves. Or ask my husband, he would say itâs a group of flying geese! Brenda > On 7 Nov 2015, at 04:44, wrote: > > As we started getting more varieties of yarns, we got more varieties of shapes of skeins. We have balls (some but not all allowing center-pull), hanks (the English skein, I guess), cones (those used to be for weavers), 'cakes' (short cylinders, diameter greater than length) and what-not. My experience is that 'skein' refers to the fact that there is a specific quantity of yarn gathered together in an orderly shape, and the other terms refer to the shape of the skein. Even hand-spun and other non-commercial or boutique yarns can be in 'skeins' usually in the shape of hanks or cakes. This would be because ball-winders make cakes and swifts make hanks, and those are the most commonly-available machines for winding skeins. Brenda in Allhallows paternos...@appleshack.com www.brendapaternoster.co.uk - 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/
Re: [lace] Multi-part prickings tricky; skeins also tricky
Brenda Paternoster wrote: Julie, itâs not clear what is meant by âskeinâ I know from the knitting/crochet forum Ravelery that there is a lot of confusion about that word. To me, in UK, a skein means a small hank, but a lot of Americans seem to use the work skein to mean a centre-pull machine wound ball. Back in the 1950s, nearly all knitting yarn came in elongate cylinders, about 12" (30 cm) long and 3" (7-8 cm) wide. Finer yarns made smaller cylinders but they were proportioned about the same. Those were called 'skeins'. Many cheaper yarns still come in that form. You had to fish around inside to find the end of the yarn that was supposed to be used, and leave the label around the skein until it collapsed from loss of 'innards'. As we started getting more varieties of yarns, we got more varieties of shapes of skeins. We have balls (some but not all allowing center-pull), hanks (the English skein, I guess), cones (those used to be for weavers), 'cakes' (short cylinders, diameter greater than length) and what-not. My experience is that 'skein' refers to the fact that there is a specific quantity of yarn gathered together in an orderly shape, and the other terms refer to the shape of the skein. Even hand-spun and other non-commercial or boutique yarns can be in 'skeins' usually in the shape of hanks or cakes. This would be because ball-winders make cakes and swifts make hanks, and those are the most commonly-available machines for winding skeins. Robin P. Los Angeles, California, USA robinl...@socal.rr.com Parvum leve mentes capiunt (Little things amuse little minds) - 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/
Re: [lace] Multi-part prickings tricky; skeins also tricky
ââHello Julieâ â and those interested in making the scarf by Brigitte Bellon,â â I wonder why I had no problem making those prickings but for the scarf prickings I had so much trouble getting them to fit together? âBecause you must observe carefully the pattern and watch how much part of the pattern is repeated. In the case of this shawl you are making, the repeats are clearly marked with an arrow on the side, so you should not have problems at all. One arrow is on the left âand the final one on the right. But... as you can observe, one pattern does not fit with the other if you do not turn it. This is the only trick, if we can call it so. > â...â > I will try again to use only three parts instead of four. It did seem to > me that three SHOULD have worked and now you've said that you do it with > three! > > âYes, one part is the beginning and the end. And two parts are the central repeat (same repeat, same pattern). You have to change them in the bolster pillow. Once you are halfway the second pricking, the first one will be free of pins, and you must add it to the end of the one you are working on, and so on So I think I put in the top fringe as I start the scarf, although I don't > put it in all at the same time. The instructions say that first I work the > top left triangular region of the scarf and then I turn it and work down. > So it will be a while before every one of the top footside pins are reached > and worked. Is that what you mean by saying that I don't make the fringe > all at once? > â âLook carefully at the instructions on how to make the fringe in the book â and how to work the scarf in general. At the beginning, you âwill have to work a little piece of fringe â (the first triangleâ , where the numbers of pairs are printed â)â . âThen you must turn the pillow and work the rest of the top footside. Here you can choose to work the remaining fringe, by working the worker out of the edge pin... but I chose to work a normal footedge and add the fringe at the end with a crochet hook. Another observation: take care with the sides of the scarf: you are working the scarf in horizontal stripes (except the little triangle that serves to change direction). When you start working horizontally, you have to leave 3 pairs waiting in the border for the footside, which are not worked in the horizontal lines. Hope you manage well. I am sure once you get working, you will see that it is not complicated and a real pleasure to work. Best wishes, Antje in Spain. www.vueltaycruz.es - 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/
Re: [lace] Multi-part prickings tricky; skeins also tricky
LOL, I respectfully disagree. When I use silk 120/2, also Treenway, my umbrella swift is like having a third hand. The skein itself has enough thread to last a lifetime or three of bobbin lacing. It is sold as weaving yarn, for those who like doing projects at 40 ends per inch. If the swift is secure, a skein shouldn't drop, unless the skein itself was poorly wound. Or if it does loosen in the process, that is just something to watch for. I also use the swift for winding bobbins from skeins of embroidery floss. This saves me a lot of headache as I don't have the knack for pulling a length from the folded skein - now *that* makes a tangled mess in my hands. Admittedly, winding bobbins from a spool is a lot less fuss than from a skein on an umbrella swift. We do what we can with what we have. I don't have a skein winder but I do like using the niddy-noddy, good for winding small skeins of bobbin lace threads for dyeing projects. On Wed, Nov 4, 2015 at 9:42 PM, Bespokethreadsandyarns < bespokethreadsandya...@gmail.com> wrote: > For very fine yarns such as used in bobbin lace, -- 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 arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Multi-part prickings tricky; skeins also tricky
For very fine yarns such as used in bobbin lace, umbrella swifts are not the best. Towards the end of ending off, the skein may drop leaving a tangled mess. Instead a skein winder (not a ball winder) such as used on charkas work well. I use that type for silks, fine cottons and linens. Sue M, Master Handspinner > On Nov 4, 2015, at 22:51, Bev Walker wrote: > > Hi Julie, Brenda and everyone > > An umbrella swift is good to hold a skein for winding directly onto a > bobbin (spool, shuttle) :) > > It is possible to wind from a skein without a swift, or a willing pair of > arms to hold the skein for you. Place the skein on a flat surface, place > weights opposite each other within the skein so it is made taut, and > carefully wind off what is needed. > > For a precise amount per bobbin e.g. for large-grid projects, commercially > prepared skeins are usually wound by the yard or metre. Measure once around > to find the unit. Mark the beginning of the round in some way and count the > passes as you wind it off. > > As Brenda mentioned, ravelry does use 'skein' to refer to the commercial > put-up unit of a yarn, whether it is a ball, cone or skein. > > On Wed, Nov 4, 2015 at 2:51 PM, Brenda Paternoster < > paternos...@appleshack.com> wrote: > >> ... If you try to use it directly you will soon learn why you >> shouldn’t; it will sooner or later end up in a tangled mess. >> >>> I don't think the instruction is exactly that I must never wind bobbins >>> directly from skein. > -- > 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 > arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: > http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/ - 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/
Re: [lace] Multi-part prickings tricky; skeins also tricky
Hi Julie, Brenda and everyone An umbrella swift is good to hold a skein for winding directly onto a bobbin (spool, shuttle) :) It is possible to wind from a skein without a swift, or a willing pair of arms to hold the skein for you. Place the skein on a flat surface, place weights opposite each other within the skein so it is made taut, and carefully wind off what is needed. For a precise amount per bobbin e.g. for large-grid projects, commercially prepared skeins are usually wound by the yard or metre. Measure once around to find the unit. Mark the beginning of the round in some way and count the passes as you wind it off. As Brenda mentioned, ravelry does use 'skein' to refer to the commercial put-up unit of a yarn, whether it is a ball, cone or skein. On Wed, Nov 4, 2015 at 2:51 PM, Brenda Paternoster < paternos...@appleshack.com> wrote: > ... If you try to use it directly you will soon learn why you > shouldnât; it will sooner or later end up in a tangled mess. > > > I don't think the instruction is exactly that I must never wind bobbins > > directly from skein. > > -- 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 arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Multi-part prickings tricky; skeins also tricky
Hello Julie, You need 3 pieces of the pattern: 1. the beginning and the end, which is one same pattern. 2. Two central parts or repeats, which are indicated with arrows. You only need to add the central parts one to the other as you go. That is, once you reach the beginning of the second pattern, you will have the first pattern free of pins, and can add it at the bottom again. And so until you decide to finish and add the ending pattern. It is complicated to explain, but you need to have all this clear before you start working. You must also observe that that pattern does not indicate you to make all the fringe at once. But you can also do the whole fringe in the end, adding the fringe with a crochet hook. The pattern is very well explained. Look at it carefully and you will see everything matches perfectly. Good luck!! Antje âGonzález, in âSpain. www.vueltaycruz.es - 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/
Re: [lace] Multi-part prickings tricky; skeins also tricky
Julie, itâs not clear what is meant by âskeinâ I know from the knitting/crochet forum Ravelery that there is a lot of confusion about that word. To me, in UK, a skein means a small hank, but a lot of Americans seem to use the work skein to mean a centre-pull machine wound ball. If your skein is in the form of a loose coil or hank then you most certainly do need to wind it into a ball before you try to use it - for BL, for knitting, for crochet or any other use. If you try to use it directly you will soon learn why you shouldnât; it will sooner or later end up in a tangled mess. If itâs an oval ball shape âskeinâ you can use it directly from the ball and you can pull from the inside or the outside according to your personal preference. Brenda > > I don't think the instruction is exactly that I must never wind bobbins > directly from skein. I think the instruction is that whenever I use a skein I > must spread it out totally, not let it bunch up, and I put something in the > center so stop the loops of yard from merging. So: a chair back, an arm and a > foot, two feet. So if I want to just pull yarn out without giving the matter > any thought I need to wind the yarn into a ball. Brenda in Allhallows paternos...@appleshack.com www.brendapaternoster.co.uk - 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/
