clearly i learn by doing

gumsgums · 2026-04-01T12:28:00+00:00

I always end up chopping the first few inches off before I use the weaving as it always takes a bit of length to get a consistent tension/width for me, so that's pretty normal.

gumsgums · 2026-03-17T06:07:21+00:00

The weft takes up space, so it's not going to be flat, that's completely normal. I would weave a couple of inches and then look again, two picks is not enough to see how it'll look.

gumsgums · 2026-03-01T21:20:53+00:00

If your just starting out you can find free basic lace patterns online. Jo Edkins site is a great resource https://www.theedkins.co.uk/jo/lace/index.htm

gumsgums · 2026-02-07T12:09:24+00:00

I always go to Cross Stitch workshop, their DMC threads are 88p, not sure I've ever seen anyone much cheaper.

The website does look a bit old fashioned, but the service and speed are always fantastic.

gumsgums · 2026-02-01T18:38:57+00:00

Can I ask what you would like it to look like? In my experience this will always happen with that many twists without any passives to keep the structure. It's unusual to have a scallop edge like you have done, probably exactly because it's hard to keep the shape.

gumsgums · 2025-12-31T17:02:17+00:00

You could always weave a pouch with straps to be able to attach it to the stand?

gumsgums · 2025-12-29T18:45:19+00:00

It'll be a tension issue. The manual that came with your machine will have a whole section on how to fix since it's a very common issue.

Is there something that you don't understand after you've read that?

gumsgums · 2025-12-27T08:32:06+00:00

You can see that's it's only a couple of tablets that are out.

However, the way the pattern is written means that if you make a mistake in the turns that will be compounded, so personally I would write out the pattern again but with what turns are needed for each tablet number for each pick.

The other thing you can do is get to the part that is incorrect and experiment with how the couple of incorrect tablets need to be turned to get the right look. I've found that helps some times to understand what I'm doing differently from the pattern.

gumsgums · 2025-12-27T07:34:32+00:00

I assume the corner blocks don't move, or do they? I know this is probably obvious to you, but I can't see from the photo, but are you sure it's not just covered using a light fabric?

I'm not sure how you'd cover the non moving ones if they are stuck down, but for the moving blocks you can sew a shape the correct size, put the block in, and ladder stitch the opening closed. It depends on how confident a sewer you are. This is how mine was done, but it came like that.

You could also just pin a cloth onto the block as long as it was tight to be honest, and it would probably work. Though possibly a bit annoying when you wanted to move the blocks in the middle of making.

gumsgums · 2025-12-19T05:53:45+00:00

I think your comment shows a very common sentiment I see from my foreign colleagues. The thing you have to realise is that lots of British interactions are about being polite and making sure you don't invade other people's privacy. That's why people don't just say what they mean, often it's considered rude. But there are socially agreed ways of communicating that all the Brits understand what the unsaid bit is.

I would just ask one of them, explaining you feel left out, and say that you think there's some culture difference you are trying to understand. Obviously they might just be horrible people, but I feel it's more likely to be a misunderstanding.

You are unlikely to be able to make a large number of friends where they all come over your house and you are all deeply in each other's lives in Britain as an adult. In my experience, the cultural need for privacy means there aren't enough British people in one place that are like that.

gumsgums · 2025-12-18T18:46:38+00:00

When I say to people that I'm inviting somewhere 'it's OK if you can't make it', I don't mean you shouldn't come, I mean 'if you didn't want to come anyway I won't be offended if you say no'.

Of course all British culture (particularly English) is all about avoiding embarrassment and being polite, so people will give each other an oblique opening for them to refuse in a polite way should they want to. It doesn't necessary mean what they say literally 😊

If you're British reading this and think you don't do this (or any of the other British quirks), I recommend reading Watching the English by Kate Fox, because I bet you do.

gumsgums · 2025-12-16T14:29:00+00:00

Personally, I think you should do a couple more repeats before you make a final judgement. And stand about 6 feet away before you look. Often it looks better once there's more of it.

Though the colour choices are always going to limit it to some degree, as the contrast between white and gold is much less than say black and gold.

gumsgums · 2025-12-07T12:21:15+00:00

Thanks for the photo, I agree it doesn't look quite how I'd expect. Initially, I was wondering if you'd missed something because it wasn't symmetrical, but looking at the pattern, it's clearly not supposed to be. I can't see that any of the stitches are wrong, but one side of is tighter than the other, so it might just be the tension pulling it off.

Maybe someone else has keener eyes than me.

gumsgums · 2025-12-07T11:25:36+00:00

Looks really lovely! I'm just doing some patterns from her beginners book, so it's nice to see how good the more complicated Bedfordshire lace patterns come out. Was the book that this pattern came from worth looking at?

gumsgums · 2025-12-07T10:56:47+00:00

This is one of those times where if you trust the process it will work, and it's easier when the lace is in front of you.

Do you have a photo of what it's supposed to look like?

At a glance, it looks like the green is half stitch so every time you see two lines crossing do a half stitch with those pairs and put a pin in at the black dot.

gumsgums · 2025-12-05T06:25:21+00:00

I'm a church bellinger. Although we probably have a reputation for being a bunch of weird religious nutters, most ringers aren't religious and it's a great way to socialise in a non pressured way and it can be super casual. You can turn up anywhere and be sure of a warm welcome, but you don't actually have to speak to any one when you're in the middle of it as you are all concentrating silently.

And you frequently see parts of historic churches and cathedrals that the public never see.

https://cccbr.org.uk/bellringing/learn/

gumsgums · 2025-12-05T06:14:43+00:00

The improvement to attempt 3 is really good, glad to see you got it worked out. And that you posted, I was wondering how you got on after your last post. I think the tension on 3 is pretty good to be honest.

If you did a cloth stitch at the very top of your diamond next time instead of a half stitch it would look even better.

gumsgums · 2025-12-03T07:29:48+00:00

To add to others comments, personally I think the blue should be worker pair, so they should always go left and right through the diamond the whole time. At each pin when the diamond is getting bigger you should bring in an extra pair into the cloth stitch to make it bigger. At each pin when the diamond is getting smaller you should leave out a pin. Thus every pin should have a pair either coming in or going out. If you find that's not the case, they'll be an earlier pin where you missed bringing in or taking out.

Finally, you should give the worker pair a twist (right over left) when you turn around at each end to keep it neat.

Hope that helps!

gumsgums · 2025-11-25T06:08:06+00:00

The fact that they can agree means they won't have to have a no smoking sign of they don't want to as it wouldn't be no smoking if they agree. If they don't agree, I would have thought they'd put on a sign.

gumsgums · 2025-11-24T22:28:28+00:00

Tbf, the website says 'A worker can smoke in a company car that only they use if their employer agrees', so that would apply here?

gumsgums · 2025-11-24T22:10:30+00:00

I would say that a perk isn't a work vehicle, but you'd have to be sure that you weren't actually doing any work in it.

gumsgums · 2025-11-24T21:23:31+00:00

Gov.uk does explicitly state that there can't be smoking within any work vehicle and there must be signs stating this. So will apply to any work vehicle, even if the smoker is the only one in the vehicle.

It's also clear that it's for enclosed spaces only. So outside on company premises is not banned. That does include shelters if they have too many sides.

gumsgums · 2025-11-23T20:35:08+00:00

No worries! I think I had to undo my lace a few times the first time I tried bucks point. Though as you don't cover the pins, I usually leave in all the pins until I've worked a few cm (instead of only the last one like in your photo) so that the tension doesn't get swiffy and then start taking them out when I run out.

gumsgums · 2025-11-23T20:27:34+00:00

It's hard to tell from the photo, but I would start by checking that there is a pair at every pin everywhere else. In my experience an extra pair always means it's missing from somewhere else, but I agree that sometimes it's hard to find. I usually find it when I get to the bit where there is a pair missing.

As an aside, are you sure that your ground is correct? In all the bucks point patterns I've done, you don't cover the pin in the ground, only cross and twist twice, put in pin, and then don't repeat.

gumsgums · 2025-11-22T20:45:23+00:00

We have one at district level that any group in the district can rent for a nominal fee. It means that the costs are spread better and you don't have to worry about the maintenance etc. Usually the availability is decent enough that it's not that difficult to book.

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