Sunday, August 31, 2014

Brainwave At Midnight...

This is going to hold me up a bit, but I really like it! : 0
The beads are VERY tiny and inconspicuous and Victorian red.
What say you?

Row 8 of 15.


Monday, August 25, 2014

Seventh Row With More To Go

This is going to take a long while. 
10 1/2 inches so far...



Luckily, I learned a trick from Frivole while tatting the Mystery Doily; I use reverse tatting for the chains rather than flipping all the time. This is much faster, but a disaster when I must un-tat. The DMC Perle is merciless.

How do you get all the little picots facing the right way? Blocking every one with pins? Yikes! Many are turned and twisty from being scrunched. So, do you iron them? Or just leave them because there are so many you can’t notice a few twisty ones? I am flummoxed.

While my attention is diverted from His Highness , Mr G finds comfort in the company of action flicks...

Friday, August 22, 2014

A Philosophical Finish

When I used to play the flute, I often wondered why I was given impossibly hard pieces to learn, because the end result was never pretty. However, though never mastering the really difficult ones, I came to realize that in the process of learning and endless, frustrating practice of the impossible pieces, my “regular” playing flowed; it was smoother, easier and considerably more pleasing.

So with tatting. This piece is full of mistakes and it still buckles and frills, even with much pressing and blocking galore, and there are a few - gasp - knots to be had, hidden away on the back side.

As I struggled along with this pattern, the tatting I did when I took a break from the Kurbatskaya were tatted with more ease and liquidity. My muscle memory has changed and improved.

At the end I made a mistake that I could have fixed, but it would have taken a day more and I realized it really was finished just as it was, and so was I. So, here it is, finally, all twelve inches of it, tatted in #30:

Kurbatskaya’s Doily




without whom I never would have tackled this in the first place. 

Thank you so much my tatting friend!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Finished As Five?

Another, adding beads...

Looking at the Jan Stawasz pattern, I can see this as a motif with four plus one in the centre, perhaps surrounded by white, or maybe not. Maybe just blue and perhaps some more beads. Good NY Ranger team tat!

Two and a half inch square, #12 DMC Perle - VERY soft and a bit fuzzy. Not fun to un-tat.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Taking My Time

These are SLOW projects. 
Not rushing as I usually do. 
Will update when I have a lot more tatted. 

Jan Stawasz Monster D...

Kurbatskaya D... From Russian Book

Thursday, August 14, 2014

It Will Get Finished


Can't quite believe I am still on target. This part is actually fun. 

Before I get to the Monster D...., before I " go fishing," I am going to finish this.

There was a slight deviation of the plan this week. 

The thread Liyarra sent me ages ago called out when I saw 
Umintsuru's Jan Stawasz motif. So pretty.


The thread, says Liyarra is RARE! It was a sample of #20 Manuela, colour 204.

There is a lot left so I might tat another one or two.

There you have it. 

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Progress on Both Fronts

Jan Stawasz Monster D... Challenge

Kurbatskaya D.... Challenge

This Russian pattern is finally behaving after I wet it and pinned it . This, after telling another tatter that I hardly ever pin/block anything, preferring a steam iron instead. But the pins certainly did the trick this time.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Team Tat

One of my Grandsons asked for a blue tatted piece. He is a Ranger fan. I had promised a large piece - at his request not my suggestion - and wanted him to see I have not forgotten, so I tatted Lisa Trumble’s design, but added a third row in white to complete the New York Rangers’ team colours. I will put it in the post today.


I learned something tatting this.

It took only about half an hour to tat this and I realized I couldn’t wait to finish it as I was bored! 

This reaction surprised me, as I had been looking forward to a short hiatus; the Monster D... and the Russian piece are stressful. I thought this would be an enjoyable break.

Seems I am not at all into tatting small patterns anymore. Too fiddly and my ADD mind wanders away quickly. The larger, more demanding pieces seem to keep me engrossed and focussed, though I would have imagined that they would not hold my concentration because of the repetitiveness. Seems I was wrong.

I am also tiring of the blog. Maintaining a hobby (aside from photography) for as long as I have tatting - nearly 6 years - is precedent-setting and having kept up tat-ology this long is astounding! 

What is the new medium? Facebook Twitter? Where do tatters share info these days?

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Frustrating Frill

Beside myself... The iron did not get rid of it. I know Umintsuru had the same issues, but I am still disgruntled; I have tatted this so often and am really paying attention to tension, but ruffle it does. : (

I'll carry on, but am not hopeful. 

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Going Green

Oh oh. Methinks too much tatting in front of Mr. G

Again. And again and again with this pattern!
The next row is where I screwed up the last time.

Seems to me this piece is smaller and tighter than the 
pink, though both are tatted in the same #30 thread.

The pink was beginning to make me bilious!
Time for another colour...



NOW
Jellyfish!

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

NO! Not Again!


This one is fine. I am moving on to the fifth motif.

It's this one...WRONG! 
I missed some instructions. Binned. Again.  : (


Monday, August 4, 2014

Roundly Renukek

It is a very large collar. The white beads slowed the tatting and really do not show up at all. But I know they are there!


I realize my camera is far superior to the iPad I have ben using for the photos. Laziness rules. Here is a better update of the Monster Doily!



Sunday, August 3, 2014

Summer Successes

Can hardly believe I am really enjoying theses - and the Renulek collar as well.

Three on the go and I am happily tatting along. I am amazed. No grumbling today. : )

p.s. These are not pressed!




Friday, August 1, 2014

Instructions? Who Needs Them Anyway!

The New Attempt


Remember how I struggled with this?

I gave up on this one where I used different kinds of
thread and it was just not working for me:

I now realize that the problem was my stubborn inability 
to just read and then re-read the instructions.

This time I followed the pattern. 
: O