Sunday, May 2, 2010

Done With Lizbeth

Party's over, folks.  

 #10 Motif Challenge
 Mary Konior's Sweethearts
(BTW - No rings. This entire piece is tatted CHAINS!)

The gorgeous purple #20 ball of Lizbeth caused hours of grief, as I re-tatted  and messed around with split and fraying thread. that twisted and turned till I my face was as purple as the thread itself!

Now, granted, I did have to re-tat, as this was the first attempt at this pattern, and true to form, I made a lot of errors.  However, the thread did not show the stitches well in the first instance, and then after they were picked apart a few times... don't ask!

Another thing.  When I placed the cut glass pitcher down on the dampened piece to press it, as I always do, I lowered it too heavily and heard a disturbing crunch:  the coup de grâce.  I had pulverized a bead.

This project tested my love of tatting!  Luckily there was no destination for this tatted piece or I might have been upset.

Strangely, I was frustrated, but in a different way, this time. My attitude was more accepting of the capriciousness of the art, how sometimes anything anwhere near perfection is so elusive and unattainable. I believe the Leps have helped me  immeasurably  with this.

Maebh consulted with The Cat and  decreed that the the result looks reasonable from a distance. 

I'll take her word for it.


Anon,

13 comments:

  1. Well isn't Maebh a little wonder...the cat's not a bad judge either!
    I looks really good from where I am sitting....and to an 'ordinary' person it would look outstanding!...which it is.

    We are way too critical of ourselves.

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  2. Sorry it was such a stinker to tat, but the end result is "wunderbar!"

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  3. I think these kinds of hearts are fiddly to begin with so tatting a whole bookmark is a remarkable feat in my mind.

    hahahaha....the pitcher pulverized the bead? Sounds like a little frustration vented. I hadn't thought of doing that...pounding on the beads, one by one.....crunch, crunch, crunch...could be very satisfying.

    It looks fine. Good job with a tedious process!

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  4. For what it's worth, Barbara Foster recently told me that the Lizbeth factory is getting a new machine that will improve the spinning quality. I don't know when it will actually be up and running and the threads made with it hit the market, though.

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  5. Sounds like a good reason to not tat with beads to me. I never thought that they might crunch!

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  6. I think it looks great love the colour, but then Purple is a favourite colour of mine!!!!!!

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  7. Penny-for-your-thoughts: what thread will you tat with now, if you are swearing off Lizbeth?

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  8. Isdihara,
    Problem is that I have a lot of Lisbeth. I am going to have to use it - except the stuff that I really cannot.

    I also have a ton of Cèbèlia. So, I intermingle these with the lovely HDT's and someday I will get through what I have.

    By then, maybe there will have been an redevelopment of the thread industry! It is going to take me a long time to get through this hoard!

    Fox of the Vastish Stash : )

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  9. That is a nice piece. Instead of pressing it under something heavy, why not pin it out the dampened piece on a blocking board? I use a sheet of styrofoam covered with with parchment paper.

    I feel your pain about the Lizbeth thread quality. I have a few balls that take up valuable space because the twist makes it unusable! A while back, I actually had a ball that the bled color. Good thing I have lots of different threads in lots of different colors.

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  10. You're right! Gorgeous color and some very nice chain tatting!

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  11. I was wondering which book this was in? I have her Tatting w/ Visual Patterns.

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    1. Jessica,
      The pattern is in ' Tatting Patterns."
      Fox : )

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