Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Near Nasty

The Mystery Doily came close to suffering a humiliating demise.

Perhaps, just maybe I may have gained an ounce of severely delayed maturity;  I put the thing aside; I did NOT trash the many pages of pattern that have accumulated plus all of Jon’s photos and I kept the remaining tiny ball of Cébélia out of harm’s way. Not bad for a bad-tempered bull. : ))

Just look! It is finally correct. Four cuts into the row below is just insane! I used a photo of PattiD's, at InTatters that has coloured lines on it that separate the rows. For some reason this pic got through the dyslexic fog that I have been battling for days, Whew.


Here it is just after the last repair job:


Amazingly, I cannot see where I have fixed all those cuts, so I suppose the silver lining is that a) my ability to cut and repair has improved and b) the joins at the end of the rows do not terrify me in quite the same way.


Perfectionism (obsession with a prettier moniker) has its up-side.  : )

Perhaps you noticed the shuttles? They are Sunlits and surprisingly, I like them quite a bit. I am a bobbin-kind-a-gal, but these are not the same as Clovers, which I do not like at all.

They are flatter and very light like the Clovers, but the tip is straight and easier for me to manipulate.  I do like the colours as well. Anyone else liking or disliking them?

The problem for me with post shuttles is one of language. The words uttered in winding and unwinding them are not fit to print.

26 comments:

  1. i actually like them because they feel lighter... i love love love the colors, and they seem friendlier to my kids...in other words, they made my kids want to join me in tatting

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  2. Wow, the doily looks fabulous! Dyslexic or not, we all need to stop and get a fresh perspective sometimes, and it sounds like that's what worked here.

    I have to say, and all you bobbin users will find this incredible, I much prefer winding post shuttles to winding bobbin shuttles. As I wind, I always dangle the shuttle frequently to get the extra twist out of the thread-- I have to do this no matter what kind of thread I'm using. With post shuttles, I can simply let go of them and let them untwist; with a bobbin you have to pop the bobbin back into the shuttle, dangle it, then pop it back out to continue winding. Doing this several times during the winding process gets on my nerves. And then you have bobbins that insist on unwinding a bunch of thread every time you pull on the core thread to snug up your stitches, or thread getting caught between the bobbin and the shuttle... yeah, post shuttles are definitely the way to go. ;P

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    1. Miranda, I let my bobbins hange while winding. a half twist around the bobbin is all that is needed to keep it from unwinding and allowing it to untwist. However, rolling the bobbin on the thread pretty much eliminates this problem.

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    2. I am glad to see that you managed to 'get it' with the Mystery Doily.

      I like my post shuttles especially my Clovers, maybe I will like the Sunlit too. My problem with using bobbin shuttle is pretty much as what you have pointed out, Miranda. Plus, and this may sound funny to the bobbin-ers, I have a hard time shortening the shuttle thread when I have to do chains. How do you do it?

      Having said that, I bought every single colour of the Aerlit bobbin shuttles, hah ... one of my insane moments.

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    3. Hilarious! Sounds like one of my online fiascos!
      Fox : ))

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    4. I rewind using my thumb, which can get a bit sore because the Aerlit bobbins are quite sharp on the edges.

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  3. You ever see the movie "Ulysses" with Kurt Douglas, where the wife said she would marry this weird guy when she finished the tapestry. But secretly at night she would undo her work, so she could put off marrying the bad guy (knowing that Ulysses would return cause he wasn't dead) Well this reminds me of that, maybe something up when you finished and your putting it off! :)

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    1. That is very astute of you! I have been wondering if I am sabatoging myself for some reason that I do not recognize! However, this is definitely not fodder for the psychoanalyst's couch just yet! I will let tatting sort it all out ...eventually!
      Fox : ))

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  4. It's looking good. I have to admire your fortitude. Mine is still in the thinking stage. I can keep things there a very long time.

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  5. Fox, I love you. You are such an amazing person to be willing to let us in on your foibles and your rants. Love it. You are real.
    I think your doily is amazing, so much work and so quickly and so well.

    As for the shuttles, I have not tried them, so can give you no reviews.

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  6. Ladytats, I am at a loss for words and am humbled by this comment! Especially as I sometimes feel so silly writing the things I do... A heartfelt thank you... : )

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  7. I think you will miss this one, too, when it's finished! And I like Starlit shuttles, but not as much as Clovers! The Starlits are very light, hold about as much thread as a clover and the colours are fun - but because the pick is so small I keep picking them up wrong-way round and upside down. Surprisingly though, the tiny pick is functional, both for joining and for unpicking.

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  8. You are right, Maureen, it is easy to have them suddenly upside down, but that pick is excellent!
    Fox : )

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  9. You are still doing a fabulous job on that doily!!! :)

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  10. Love your doily despite all your snips and rants. Always amazed at the language you use - no not the unmentionables- wonderful descriptions: humiliating demise, dyslexic fog, fodder for the psychoanalyst's couch.
    Have not tried sunlit shuttles and like Miranda, I never have any problems with winding a post shuttle. My favourite at the moment is the Sewmate and large Clover shuttles. They hold more thread than bobbins.

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    1. umi n tsuru,
      Your comment means so much to me! Thank you.
      Fox

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  11. So glad you found the right version of the pattern before you gave up!

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  12. Hi Fox
    You amaze me, you rant on and yet that doily is looking beautiful, ok you have had to repair a bit here and there but looking at the picture I can't see where, well done keep up the good work.
    Shuttles I only use post shuttles always have, mine are very old I bit before your tatting time , recently I brought some lacis they are ok but I bit heavy, they hold a lot of thread and for me that is good I don't have to keep winding on. I don't like hooks my hand and hook meet when I was learning and it hurt for a long time, so I avoid hooks, I still like the old milwards can't beat them, light and they hold a lot of thread, oh I wish they made them again.

    Love to Gian
    Margaret

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  13. I can't believe that you, Ms. Foxy gal, would ever utter a f*&^** nasty !!?*& bad word.

    How unseemly.

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  14. Thank you, Tatters! Lovely and encouraging comments, all!
    Fox : )

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  15. Beautiful doily. I really like the Sunlit shuttles for smaller thread, size 40 and smaller. On size 20 thread I still prefer the ol' metal bobbin shuttles because they're easier to wind. What I like most about the Sunlit shuttles is how much thread they hold and how light and small they feel in my hand. Just may try my hand at "blinging" these shuttles.

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  16. I can only echo what everyone else says. Chapeau!, I say. Your perseverance in the face of adversity can only be admired. And look at that result!

    Very pretty new header by the way... I like the seemingly three-dimensional, suspended bit of tatting on the colourful background. Very artistic.

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  17. I think it's absolutely beautiful! Good job. I also like the updated look of your blog.

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