Thank you all for your responses about the Thimblelady technique. I think I will order a plastic thimble and some needles and give it a try. Like you, I think I can get the technique from the online videos without the book/dvd as they are very expensive also. Do not know anyone in my area that has a thimble that I could try. In the past I have had a very difficult time finding a thimble that fit which is why I use the Clover open end, however have some wrist problems occasionally so the pain free method makes a lot of sense. Have the same problem with shoes so don't know why my fingers would be any different :-) Will let you know how it all works out.