Hi Val and everyone, Stefan brought up in the Lessons in SignWriting Textbook on page 54. You worte: …..- but they will have to be constructed in SignPuddle the way you like them - I am sorry about that - but they can be constructed fairly easily -. Using SignPuddle 1.6 (ISWA 2010), I would like you to show me how to construct “5 fingers bent at the middle joint” (white palm facing) (Parkhust rule). Regards André ----- Original Message ----- From: Valerie Sutton To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 6:44 PM Subject: Re: Bent - 5 hand SignWriting List September 29, 2011 Hello Stefan - Thanks for this message - You have been on my mind lately...perhaps you knew that? smile... See my answer below your message... ------- On Sep 29, 2011, at 1:43 PM, Stefan Wöhrmann wrote: Hi Valerie, looking at old hand shape designs I noticed that there have been made some changes in the actual version. I prefer very much the “original” as printed in your “Lessons in SignWriting” page 44 – showing thumb and fingers at opposite directions if the fingers are bent at the Middle Joint – as it can be seen in the right symbol looking at the back of the hand. Stefan --------- Yes...The change you notice above has been in SignPuddle since 2008....starting with the ISWA 2008...so it has been 3 years now, that the symbols have been like this in SignPuddle...below is a screen capture from the ISWA 2010... The ISWA 2008 and 2010 are the same in this regard... (continued below)... these are the "in-directed palm facings" of the 10 palm facings... I am working on creating charts but I am not ready yet... But in the old SignWriter DOS program, it is as you say above, like you prefer it - a mixture - some are in-directed and some are out-directed - and the page you bring up in the Lessons in SignWriting Textbook, is I believe on page 54, not page 44...I have attached a screen capture of page 54 below, with my comment next to it - This is the very problem - Writers, when they write by hand, write all 10 palm facings - I have seen it time and time again here - but our software...SignWriter for the Apple //e and //c and SignWriter DOS back in the mid-1980's...was a very small program with very little memory...and we could not have so many symbols because there was not enough memory...so we had to choose only 6 palm facings from the 10 palm facings - and I chose inconsistently and regret it to this day (smile)...so in time I hope to clean up my old textbook too...smile... Meanwhile, of course go ahead and use any of the 10 palm facings just as our writers do - in your TrueType fonts and in SignWriter DOS you have them already constructed the way you like them I assume - but they will have to be constructed in SignPuddle the way you like them - I am sorry about that - but they can be constructed fairly easily - Software is not perfect and nor am I, obviously! (grin ;-) Since we are working with 6 palm facings in computers, I tried to at least be consistent in the ISWA 2008 and ISWA 2010 - Please see the attached diagram below from the old Lessons in SignWriting Textbook which was written between 1995 and 2002... And please know I am happy with however you choose to write - it is all a great blessing for the world - I love your writing and look at it everyday with admiration - Val ;-)