Monday, August 22, 2011

Why?


WHY?
Why was this beautiful motif so hard for me to tat?  
Why has it taken me three days to tat it?
Why did I have to start it FOUR times?
Why did I decide to use beads after I had promised I would concentrate on the tatting?
Why did I have to cut the thread five times?
Why could I not figure the directions out after I had done two motifs?
Why did I not READ THE PATTERN properly the first time?
Why am I taking any of these questions seriously, anyway?  : 0

Ladytats said in a comment to the last post:
... Since you have earned Master Tatter status, I can't imagine that you need to work on your technique as much as you say you do... 
Well, Ladytats, here is a perfect rejoinder to your words.   If I want excellence in tatting, the T.A.T. course was a wonderful place to begin - but that is what it was for a new tatter - a good start.

One can learn any of the techniques quite quickly and with not TOO much difficulty over time, but the perfecting of them - ah, that is an other entire universe. And, after this motif, I am spaced!


Nothing went  smoothly with this pattern.  At the end I managed to sew the thread to my finger and jammed the sewing needle into my hand.  Oh, dear. The perfect end to a thorny tat!


What I love about lace-making is that there is always the next challenge, even before the current one is mastered.  There is always something to improve, always something to learn or re-learn. That is also the frustrating part,  as we all know.


I forgot to add that because there are so many chain joins, I added a half ds at the beginning of the chains to snug up the tatting to the previous ring.  That seemed to work very well as a way of making this soft thread behave without pulling it out of shape by tatting too tightly.  Anyone else do this?


I did use a brand-new-to-me thread for this exercise and I LOVE it!  It is fine - a bit finer than #40, but not a #60.  Maybe a bit finer than that, so the finished tatting is quite small.  It is a bear to un-tat and breaks if you do too much of that - which I did.  Yes, well....  It is a wee bit fuzzy, but has a lovely, silky sheen.  Also, it is soft, but can be tatted tightly to end up holding the shape quite nicely. I am impressed and it was a new experience.

I think I heard about this thread - Finca, #16, from Eliz, a while ago, and since it is very inexpensive, ordered a couple of balls, as I am so pleased at having reduced my thread stash BIG TIME! Thanks Eliz! (I think it's you!)

Perhaps there will be some good out of all this.  I bought  summer hat on sale which I will probably never wear as I loathe anything on my head - but I am trying to be good about the sun...

Maybe it works?

18 comments:

  1. Oh, yes! It does work... beautifully!

    I'm going through one of those spells right now. I've started the same cross bookmark four times. After finding yet another mistake, I started a different cross bookmark... another mistake. Sigh... I must have the start of school on my mind!

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  2. It turned out well in the end!

    I start chains with a half ds to pull the threads together and not have gapsosis in many cases.

    I bought a lot of size 16 Finca in Australia. I think it's similar to perle cotton size 12 and have it in the same drawer. I think it was promoted for embroidery work in the boothe where I bought it, probably for its sheen.

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  3. It looks lovely! And makes a great hat decoration, as a bonus - and the hat looks good on you. Please wear it!

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  4. Oh, you are a determined soul - I believe I would have (gasp) given up after 2 or 3 tries! I consider myself pretty stubborn but I'm learning not to torture myself :/

    The hat definitely works - especially with that fabulous motif!

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  5. Love your hat and I think you did a great job on the motif! Yuo know you really do beautiful Tatting!

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  6. Oh! Too cute on the hat!

    Hide the hat - Gian will go for it. Vader taught him that.

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  7. What a pretty pink and green motif. Tatting can be frustrating sometimes. But you overcame and the result is rewarding. I think you placed the beads so appropriately in this design.

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  8. Sewing the thread to your finger, that's definitely a new one. Please at least try not to bleed on your tatting, OK?

    Maybe having tatting on the hat will be an incentive to wear it.

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  9. very pretty hat, I too hate(d) things on my head, when I was a baby, no covering me even if it was cold, I had to see!! but over the years I have learned to use a hat to try to avoid the dreaded vertical frown line that runs between the eyebrows when you squint to keep the sun out. So I now wear hats with brims a majority of the time.
    love the motif,
    glad you are pleased with the final result.

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  10. It turned out so nice. One cannot see the nerves it cost. And it is a beautiful decoration for the hat.
    I had to start my earrings for an exchange two times, because I had not quite finished the design of the pattern.
    Petra

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  11. Its a beautiful motif even if you did start it several times, you are a good tatter and it really is a beautiful colour with the beads adding a lovely affect.
    Looks great on your hat. I dont like hats either but yours looks great on you.
    Margaret

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  12. Thank you for all the encouragement!

    I MIGHT even fasten the motif to the hat and actually wear it - maybe! I have no confidence where hats are concerned!
    Fox : )

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  13. Oh yes, the hat works! Add the tatting et voila! Smashing chapeau!

    Ouch! Jamming a needle into your hand is painful! Do you need a tatting first aid kit?

    Is the Finca a 3-cord or 6-cord thread?

    My heart skipped a beat when I read your desicription: "a bit finer than #40, but not a #60." Size 50 is my favorite! But I confess that I am too hard on 30-cord threads. They snap on me way too often.

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  14. I like it, good color scheme...

    I love hats, but feel like an idiot when I wear them (no one else thinks so)!

    I can see the hat being worn with the motif to the side of the head :-D

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  15. Love the hat with the motif!!! You should really wear it out.

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  16. Lily, Thanks! I just stuck it on for the pic - normally I would never have it plunked in the in the middle like that! : ))

    Isdihara, I'm afraid it is a soft 2-ply! : 0

    Your tatting is a mite ....ahem ..tight for it I think! Might be a way to loosen that 'death grip' though!
    Fox ; ))

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