Endings And Beginnings

Yes, I did want to finish The Boss’s mat before I moved and I have managed it - just... The truck will arrive in 12 hours and I have a few things left to pack, but Gian and I are going to sleep early, or at least he is. I am going to attempt an early lights out..

It was a long day and my hands hurt; moving is a right pain! Grumble grumble.

But I am happy I finished the piece. The Boss got very excited, her mom told me, when she saw a photo of it in an email I sent her today.

 Tatting does make the big chores easier!

Another thing... I had to rewind the bobbin many times with the #10 thread - it does make a huge difference in coping with ends when one tats with gigantic rope. NEVER again.

#32/100 MC

Inspired by Jan Stawasz Pattern for Cap          

Tatted in #10 (yucky) Cebelia

Never Again #10

WHERE was the warning label? WHERE? Where is it, the label on the ball of Cebelia #10, where it tells you there will be danger to your hands and to not tat with it if you are packing up to move; where it comes with a tube of soothing salve and bandages, which will come in handy when you have packed all yours for the move and your hands are RAW and HURT and STILL you keep on tatting... through the night, box after box, stitch after stitch till you think you will go mad... unpicking the knot in the T.I.A.S., tatting in your underwear before you have even showered... tatting to beat the band... ta-da..

Can you see the Josephine Knots?

I thought they would give the piece some ballast.

Day 7

T.I.A.S

And, really. My hands are a mess. That heavy thread is murder on the skin - dries it out like crazy and then I cannot use cream when I tat - too greasy! Never again, number ten!

So, why am I tatting and not packing? 

What a very foolish question!

My Way

I have no patience for this mat anymore...the move is surely getting to me, though there is not much to pack. Becoming disturbed by the unsettled feeling in our tiny space, caused by the growing pile of boxes, Gian is not  his usual chipper self either - he knows something is up.

Ah well, it shall be over on Friday and really, I cannot complain, as there really is not a whole lot to do. Plus, I am so well-organized that I have done all necessary re-location things - address changes and so forth.

But - going back to patience: I HAVE NONE! So, Mr. Stawasz patterns are not sitting well with me in this particular state. That final row on the cap demands a lot of attention and I am not willing at the moment, so I have taken another edging in the book and will tat it around the mat.

Actually, I am not fond of those petal-like edges, like the ones on the cap and the Renulek pattern.

So, I shall apply a simpler edging, also from Jan’s book. The Boss will not care and it will be finished far earlier. Most importantly, I will like it better. : )

No more large doilies for me. I want to get back to small, contained motifs - even to  design a couple of things that are brewing in my brain -  but first I want to finish all incomplete tatting. And move!

Last, but definitely not least, the 

best fun of the tatting week:

Day Six  -  T.I.A.S.

Mat - Not Hat

I have no idea how Jan Stawasz made this pattern into the cap that you can see in his new book. Nice photo, but I really don't get it. This is very flat - except for this second purple row, in which I increased the ds count to keep it from cupping. Also I am using #8 Finca Perle for the purple and it is a lot thinner than the #10 Cebelia that I bought especially for the hat.

In hindsight, I never needed #10 thread which is very hard on the hands. This pattern could have been tatted in any size for a mat, and I do have pink thread, so I do resent having bought this heavy stuff because the pattern calls for it.  Grumble grumble....

Not the colours I would have chosen, but The Boss most definitely knows her own mind. Really.  : )

Forget It!

The Boss wanted a large mat for her bedside table in pink and purple - so forget the cap!

I just blocked this and I am going to proceed and add a border in Finca #8 variegated purple that I shall pick up later today. it is less expensive than the Cebelia and comes in those little perle balls. Perfect.

That cap is not going to work and I looked at the pattern, which I think will remain flat - or I will adapt it to. There. A decision. Now to get some more boxes to pack...

Problematic Pattern?

Hmmm.... This is the progress on the cap pattern by Jan Stawasz. There is minimal cupping at this point and I am suspicious that this is not going to behave as portrayed in the book.  

Anahoj, over at InTatters, warned me that she had trouble with the pattern; she had to make changes to her cap. 

I am pushing on with it because it is good when I need a break from the HN, but I do not have very high hopes for The Boss’s spring bonnet at this point in its creation...

Anybody else out there in Tat-Land tried this? 

Blue Omen

Even though I love it and am more than half way around the row, I get nervous every so often thinking I may have made an impetuous mistake. The thing is now 231/2" across. Two feet! So, to think I have done something hideous at this point is a bit unnerving.

I could not go on with the red, which was starting to depress me, and the large piece was looking very traditional and boring, so off I went to the store to try green and pink and every colour in between.

After purchasing a ball of green and consulting with the crochet thread lady, I went home and looked at it for two days before deciding I wanted to exchange it for blue - this after perusing interior design sites and liking what I saw in red, beige or brown and cornflower blue. Then I dreamt about the doily with blue. A sign!

Just a hint for now...

Offering For Today

T.I.A.S. Day Five

What’s it going to be, Jane???

She certainly has us all wondering.

Two is Too Many

Two large tatting projects that is! 

The HN is huge; you all must be sick of hearing about THAT one, and The Boss’s cap, though minuscule compared to the Honey Napkin, is still larger than my normal tatting projects.

So I have nothing worthwhile to show you yet, EXCEPT Day 4 of Jane’s most entertainingly fun and amusing T.I.A.S.

Recess

... from the Honey Napkin...

which I had to cut AGAIN! Can you believe it? Ah, it is getting so large that it is easy to jump over a join and not even see it till much later. I have to be very careful from now on, as I am weary with taking scissors to my blunders. You can imagine!

However the good news is that I have done something rather... unusual, I think, and it is looking quite wonderful! I shall save the reveal for later. : )

The break this weekend was enough for me to get started on The Boss’s new hat for spring from the new Jan Stawasz book. I am hoping the size will be good; I purchased some #10 Cebelia in order to be able to follow his instructions to a ’t’. Using #10 is a whole new world!

Most of his patterns call for larger thread. It certainly makes a difference tatting with this’rope'. For one thing, I am constantly filling the bobbins. No wonder the Jan Stawasz shuttles are so very large!

This is the crown:

I know The Boss will like it. I just hope it will not be huge on her. I figured using #20 would be too small .

There Is A Winner...

I was so pleased to have #3 pop up in the Random Number Generator!

That is because #3 happens to be...

God’s Kid!

﹡﹡Congrats, GK! ﹡﹡

Please send me your postal address.
My email is under my profile.

Thank you everyone who played the game.

Fox : )

Fetching

Isn’t it just?

This is Renulek’s completed design and it is a real beauty! 

Tatted with #20 Lizbeth. 

Then there is Day three over at T.I.A.S.

I Have A Plan

Yes, I have decided on a way I can get through this baby! You will have to wait to see the next round, which is fast approaching, to see what I have in mind... I hope it works...

Meanwhile, here is the update on the 14th row. You can see how large it is in comparison to Renulek's partially completed motif beneath it, which is in the second stage of its existence as I re-tat it...

I am using #20 Lizbeth, a gift from Denise, which does feel very thick, as I have not tatted with something this large in a long time! But, a terrific colour red!

#31/100 Lizbeth #20

** Thanks to Frivole, 
I can now tell you 
this is Renulek’s pattern!

p.s. Sorry Tat-Land!

I had to re-instate the verification code... 

Too much spam and I am even using a Mac!

What is wrong with people anyway?

Making Moving More Manageable

I am preparing to move, so lots of going through stuff, getting ready to pack up my little place; I had a look at my tatting stuff, and in fitting Fox fashion found enough flavour for a fine, fun giveaway.

Please leave a comment. If I cannot identify your name, I will not include you in the draw, which will be on January 20. : ))

Sorry if you are a regular reader and I do not include your name - but this giveaway is for the tatters I recognize. There are just too many giveaway-chasers; folks who comment on every giveaway they can find on the Internet, so that I have to very discriminating. 

Apologies to those I may not include because I do not recognize them as legit. : (

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The game is on!

With great dismay I made the same mistake! Can you believe it? Last night I had to cut out about 8 repeats in the centre of this row. 

I have never done that kind of repair before and it was challenging to ensure that the ‘fix’ is invisible. The result is okay - I cannot find the re-do, so I am ready to move on to the 15th row. It feels as if I have caught up to where I was before the little meltdown.

As I tatted, I paid attention to the up/down joins (could be why I messed up!) to see what I was doing on the fs/bs.

I figured out, thanks to Martha’s comment on the last post, that in fact I have not been doing this wrongly. The confusion came about because of joining so the red or beige blips do not show. At any rate, all is well.

To double check, I looked at my favourite reference book:

Mags commented on the previous post:

For FS/BS tatting, down on the front and up on the back is correct. At least according to Judi Banashek's book Impeccable Tatting, which is where I learned FS/BS.

Thanks, Mags! That is exactly what I did! I always run to Judi when I am confused. : )

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I started this border weeks ago.

It is from this book:

I am using #40 Olympus and it is lovely indeed!

Initiated by Insomnia

No sleep, but a lovely Jan Stawasz pattern produced,

 the same as the last one in green.

#40 Milford from Val  Thank you Val! It is so pretty. : )    #30/100 MC

It reminds me of my china mug, which I love a lot.

I just read something over at InTatters that shocked me. There was a discussion about joining to picots and I realize I have been doing it wrongly for quite a long time. I do not know when I switched, but I know I started off on the right foot and then... well, you know!

Apparently, I have been doing a down join on the front side and an up join on the back side! Why would I have done that switcheroo?

I can only surmise that I did this once because of the colour bump showing and then continued all the time. I am relieved that I do not have to do that down join on the front side any more as it is a real bother.

I am still shaking my head about this. This is what happens when you tat in a vacuum!

So as not to be in such an empty tatting space, I am joining the T.I. A. S. for the second time. It is such fun. Thanks Jane. : )

Day 1

You know what else you do to avoid the tatting void? 

You go back and complete the last round of beige... I have only about 9 repeats on Row #14 and then I will be back to the row before the big snip.  Row #15. Back on track. Happily : ))

Rest and Relaxation

I would never have imagined back in September of 2008, when I learned to tat, 

that THIS would be something I called rest and relaxation! 

#40 Lizbeth  #29/100 MC   Jane E’s Fandango Button Snowflake

Taking a break from Honey Napkin 

has certainly altered my perspective. : ))

***p.s. I use #40 Lizbeth with this pattern, as that is what is in my stash; I am pleased with how it works with the 1/2” button, although Jane calls for #20 thread.

Musings and Mystery

I tatted this heart almost three years ago, and I must say this Mary Konior looks the same as the heart pattern in the new Jan Stawasz book.

Because this man has been outspoken over the years about copyright issues, it strikes me as an odd thing that he has published a book of his designs with a Mary Konior credit in it, attached to one of his designs.

Although he gives credit to her, his design is virtually a replica of Queen of Hearts - with a clover at the tip and not a ring.

It just seems to me to be a bit out of character. Though I have never met the man, nor corresponded beyond ordering shuttles from a relative of his -  he was very ill at the time - I have a distinct impression of his personality.

In my mind, this person would not include in his book his design with “Based on a design by Mary Konior” in the margin in tiny, very inconspicuous type!

Maybe I am way off-base. I had the thought that he has not been involved much with the publishing of the second book, nor with the re-publishing of the first one. His permission must be there, I realize, but I do wonder...  

These are things that go on in my mind when I make colossal tatting errors! You can see why!

Here is another of my Queen of Hearts tattings 

from about three years ago. 

This one is designed by Mary Konior.

********

Here is my second attempt from that Jan Statsz new book
I have been talking about that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE,
tatted with a thread sample from Snowy

#28/100 MC

Diane said she could not see the mistake, and 

I love her for saying that, but it did not! 

I had missed all but one of the rings on the third round. 

Here are the two motifs together and you can see what happened.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Seems to be the story of my life these days. First the thumb - then the Honey Napkin; now I am back to this:

I had to cut of TWO COMPLETE ROWS!!!  Arghhhhh! I missed a step at the beginning of the first row I cut. There was no way to fix it without it showing.

At that point I gave myself permission to quit. I am not enjoying tatting this at all and wonder why I even started something so big that I do not even want to keep! The jury is still out; I don’t know if I will go any further.

So, I decided to tat a small motif from the new Jan Stawasz book and left out all but one of the rings on the last row! Honestly, I cannot seem to keep my mind my stitches, as it wanders all around or is captured by a movie, which is usually only background noise.

Lizbeth # 40 and something larger - left over.         #27/100 MC

More Dangerous Than Tatting

Edwige Renaudin Design     #8 Finca Perle           #26 -100 M/C

I cannot believe the damage I did washing dishes. I grabbed a newly-sharpened knife hiding under the soap bubbles; it felt as if I had cut into a cucumber - only it was stinging big time!

When I had a look, I wondered if I needed some stitches and also worried that the cut was not only deep, but in the underside of the thumb joint. Ohhhh.

Well, having been a stained-glass artist, in another life, and nearly severing the other thumb and treating it myself,  I  have the knack of figuring if I can deal with a bad blunder on my own, so off to the medicine chest I trotted, holding the thumb aloft, squeezing like mad.

Today, three days after, it is much better. It never did slow me down, surprisingly enough, and I completed the Edwige Renaudin pattern above, over the weekend. : )

The injury might have been the reason I could not concentrate on the Honey Napkin, however. I had to cut out... wait for it... about 12 repeats, not only once, but twice!

I kept omitting the same ring, over and over. Finally I admitted defeat, put it aside and entertained Mr. G. instead, who worked wonders with HIS tatting thread!

***For cat-lovers: do not worry! I monitor his play-time with thread bits, and do not leave Mr. G in their company unattended! : )

New Year Reflections

My Musings

My Progress

My Little Treat

My First Tatting 

from Snowy’s Book 

My Next Venture with 

Edwige Renaudin Begun

From My Fabulous Friend...

...Snowy.

In the mail - a huge package that was really heavy. 

I was mystified as I could not figure out what I had ordered. 

Imagine my surprise when I opened that airmail package and saw this...

Can you imagine?

I have lusted after this book for a long time and now I have 1,000 photographs to ogle! Ohh, I am one lucky tatter! 

I have already opened the book and randomly chosen a little motif to take the edge off the numerous Honey Napkin repeats I have endured today. Blessed relief!

Snowy also included three tiny tatted motifs, which she says I can pass along if I want. No way! They are an inspiration and a joy to behold and I am keeping them all for myself! You can easily see why. : )

Once again, thank you, Snowy, for this marvellous gift.