A note about thimbles: there are two types available in the UK. The commonest in recent years seems to be moulded with a recess in the tip - these are too heavy and fly across the room when you play with any force. The better type are pressed steel with a convex tip - they're lighter and stay on your fingers better.

Micropore tape round the inside of the thimble helps it stay on your finger. So does rust.

Since "thumbles" are so hard to get now, I've been thinking about moulding thimbles directly onto my thumbs using repair-kit fibreglass (and clingfilm to stop it sticking).