Friday, March 27, 2015

Wiosna 2015, Round Nine

This row is taking some time.

If I understand correctly,
there is to be fancy ending at the tenth row.
I am curious to see it.



Gian's eyes are almost the same blue as the thread!


Thursday, March 26, 2015

Results of The Re-Tat

Oh the joys of cutting off every single motif and re-attaching them all! But it is done. I had even inadvertently snipped into the row belore, so another fix was necessitated.

I have an excuse - eye infection! So I was not seeing properly. Now, the medication is working, but makes vision still a bit blurry, but almost back to normal - whatever that is!

Here it is to this point. Now I had better get cracking on Renata’s Wiosna, Row 9.


Here it was a few days ago:


I agree with tatters who said they did not see the problem - the errors are clear,  but really only obvious to a tatter who examines the work closely will pick up on them; the same error is repeated a couple of times. At least I am consistent!  

Those mistakes were ALL I could see. : ))

Sunday, March 22, 2015

To Cut Or Not To Cut...

That was certainly the question several times during this round that I am posting, unpressed and unblocked, straight off my shuttles just a few moments ago. I am excited to show it to you, but a little disappointed in how my high expectations have not been met.


I still love the thread and the design, but the promises to myself about maintaining a high degree of excellent tatting have been dashed upon the sharp blades of my ever-ready scissors. DRAMA!

Several times, I debated whether to cut out an element missing a picot, or once when I had mistakingly cut through a picot. No one would notice - right?

So, I repaired those bad bits, took great pains to fix them, but persisted in fanatically finding them, again and again, going back to re-examine them, wondering...

Yes, I cut them all out and re-did each and every one! I am glad I did.

It is very difficult, for me anyway, to keep the tension consistent working with so many independent motifs and then joining them to ones I might have tatted days ago. However, all in all I am still pretty excited about this Ben Fikkert beauty. : )

Yikes - and there I see two that will have to be re-done! I just saw the errors in the photo. DRATS.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Loving It

I spent a lot of time debating which thread to use and this #80 Lizbeth is behaving- so far so good.

I love the colours. I love the pattern. It's been a long time since I picked such a satisfying project.

Here is my progress. Actually, I have only one more motif to finish and then they all (12)  get joined up.



Sunday, March 15, 2015

A Little Bird Told Me

Round Eight


Strangely enough, I look at a little print 
every day that incorporates just these very colours:


I noticed this AFTER I had tatted the 7th row.
I must actually really like them!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Wiosna Row 7


There is a bent picot there. It's okay - just flopped over. : )

This yellow is all that is left in the #40 stash. Not sure of how large this piece will be, but having participated in a few Renulek Tat-Alongs, I don't want to be stuck with no colours to add in, and as I have already run out of white, I had to use it. Who knows what this will look like at the end. A guessing game.

I do know my hands are really sore from the rough thread. But the upside is, I think this is the most consistent tension I have yet achieved in tatting! It seems not as floppy and the stitches actually look all the same. Newbies take heart! It only took 6 years to reach this place and there's always more to learn  and overcome.

When I first began, I recall experienced tatters telling me to "practice, practice practice." Well, I certainly have: almost every single day since 2009!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Ben's Beauty Begun

Well, umintsuru and I have both begun the lovely Ben Fikkert Corona Doily, Anyone else joining in? The more the merrier!

I am using #80 Lizbeth. Here are the first four rows: 


I wonder about something. I believe I would find thread maneuvering so much easier if I could just wrap it around the pinkie and not the ring finger.

What do you do? It gets so tight so quickly this way, but I cannot seem to break the habit.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Sewertka Wiosna 2015 Round Six

Love this piece!
Such a pleasure to tat, except - get ready - #40 Lizbeth!
 Like tough rope. The silver lining? 
After this piece I shall be done with it!
Only these balls and the gold now left. : ) 



Sunday, March 1, 2015

Idiotically Intimidated

Yes, I admit it! I am quaking in my boots, so that I cannot even peek at the thread I have chosen to begin the Fikkert tat-along.

So, I am allowing full rein to that emotional state, hoping it will fully play itself out by tomorrow, which, if I am not mistaken, was my projected start date for the project. Ah the fortitude we tatters must summon. Truly astounding, isn't it?

In the meantime, I managed to mangle one of Karey Solomon's patterns from her First Quarter 2015 subscription. I ALWAYS have trouble following her patterns and often it has been Marty or Martha  who have been of terrific help with them.


The heart was easy and tiny. Cute. With the larger piece, I did not see, or ignored or misread and consistently joined the wrong picot every time, so could not advance to the final few rows.

You can see in the photo that procrastination also engendered SSSR practice! Why not? 


Instead of tossing the thing, which also badly buckles, I added my own final row with pink beads, imagining it in the front of a white or pale pink T-shirt for my niece, Baby Hayley, recipient of the crocheted Granny Square blanket, who is now  months old. The little heart will go at the top of the neck in the back.

It's not pretty for sure, and it is very buckled, but wee Hayley might just gurgle at it, PLUS I have avoided the Fikkert for another day!

I also reasoned I'd get this week's instalment of Renata's Spring Doily finished. Then it will be time to move on.



And Bob's your uncle.