...and I don't mean the ones in the running shoes!
#11 Motif Challenge,
Maybe it's more about the stepping stones to success - in a future endeavour!
I was so excited when I started this and again, everything went south from there: uneven stitching, picots of differing sizes, cut picots, split threads, wrong counts, misplaced joins - you name it, it's wrong!
This piece; I cannot work on it any longer. I am calling it a day. Finito.
Crazy Mom was saying that the heat can have a powerful effect on us all - well maybe I should blame all the bad tatting events of the past few days on the awful weather of the past month. And those effects are certainly cumulative.
This piece has depressed me beyond words. I think the beads were just a bit to much to deal with as I am not comfortable with all the joins. I found myself becoming extremely anxious and intimidated as I sat down to tat - not the reaction I would look forward to on a regular basis, that's for sure!
Back to basics, I think. The beads are going to have to sit in the drawer for a bit, till I get back to a regular rhythm. I tend to forget that I am still relatively new to this thing called tatting that has taken over my time and my apartment. I really need to slow down and perfect all the skills I have learned, and sure, go overboard with the embellishments once in a while, but not all the time. That seems to be very counter-productive for me.
I think I will opt for simplicity in the short haul.
To sum up, I am doing the pattern over again, with a 3 ply HDT by Karey Solomon in a slightly larger size
- #30 - that I have left from a few months ago. Maybe a change of colour , a larger thread and a lack of beads will promote a more positive outcome.
Anon,
I was loving the look, but I hope the change will give you great success!!!!
ReplyDeleteMay you find joy, excitement, and success in the next project to cheer you up and help encourage you greatly! :)
I think you made a wise decision. Sometimes it is just better to put it away. And heat does deplete one. I know when it hit 117 in Tucson, I was barely functioning. Plus those stairs…good grief!
ReplyDeleteBack up and slow up…and I hope you have, at the least, a fan going. Sometimes air circulating really helps.
I had a couple of tatting days like that earlier in the week. It was as though I'd never tatted before…very frustrating.
Do a new thing Fox, cut yourself some slack!
xxx bj
I would like to make a suggestion based on difficulties I have faced. I see you are working your third motif so that you are joining motifs with the final corner. Working into an enclosed space like that can be hard. Perhaps you might try joining motifs at a different stage so that your last repeat falls on one of the outer edges.
ReplyDeleteYou are right!! A change is good. The next time you come back to it, it may be a breeze.
ReplyDeleteI find it easier to do the joins to the previous motif first, before tatting the other sides. That way if I make a mistake, I just cut it off and start again. But I know what you mean.
Glad to hear you are not giving up totally!! Changing the thread and no beads sometimes a whole new pattern or motif will do the trick.
ReplyDeleteTime for Dessert!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Fox!
ReplyDelete"The agony of defeat" puts images of that poor guy, skis flailing, twisting like a rag doll on a fan as he flies down the mountain and hits stuff on "Wide World of Sports." Did you watch that show?
Well... at least you aren't THAT guy (HAD to hurt)... although tatting your way that far only to have it go up in flames is PRETTY painful. Sorry. It may not have turned out the way you planned, but it was beauty unfolding and a masterpiece in color!
I also think the heat can zap us of our superhuman strength and laser-like powers of concentration. Don't get me wrong, I still like summer over winter, but the heat can really take it out of you some days.
I hope "back to basics" gets your creative juices flowing and sends your spirits soaring.
:) Ann
Thank you so much for all the supportive comments! I am ALMOST back to my cheery, wordacious self!
ReplyDeleteHot Grumpy Fox : )
We all have these moments, Fox. Don't be discouraged. You are wise to take time to regroup. May I share a tip about this pattern before you start again? I find it much easier to join to the other motifs as I do side two and/or three rather than have to finish a side after I begin joining it.
ReplyDeleteLooks pretty cool! I like it... but I have to agree, sometimes we just have to put things down and walk away... come back to it later
ReplyDeleteI can verify that the heat can take its toll on a body... I find myself giving up on my crafting projects because it's so hot!
I am curious to see how the new one will turn out - keep us posted!!
AW that's rough. I was liking it a lot too. I think the others have a good point about when to do the joins.
ReplyDeletePractice it first, and then throw yourself in head first when you are sure you know how to land.
Don't give up tho'. It must be the heat!
you know what... heat does mess with crafts, especially with tatting. i know that the other day it was really hot and i was trying to close my rings and they just wouldn't, because my hands were hot and sweating and it would get on the thread and make it almost impossible to close...just one more reason to hate the heat!
ReplyDeleteWhen working with more than one motif I always consider how things are going to work as I join the pieces together. When there are 2 motifs you can join more or less at any time you want, but the more sides you have to join to, the easier it is to join sooner rather than later. That way you don't end up having to tat upside down and inside out to get those last joins done.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see it when you finish - when it's cooler!
ReplyDeleteLove the color....
I feel for you that after all that work it doesn't work! *sigh* Hope things go better with the changes you plan. I, too, am trying to start working with more beads and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI learned early on that tatting motifs together requires a lot of concentration. Also it gets more and more awkward to handle the piece as it gets larger. (And I never could have dealt with beads at the same time!) That's why the motif 'doily' on my Victorian doll doesn't go around the back!
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's great to have a 'challenge' to work on, I prefer my needlework these days to be totally relaxing!
However, I AM enjoying all the experiments you and others undertake so that I can just sit back and enjoy the results!!!