Par Avion For Mini-Boss

This is already in the mail. I sent it to NYC, for Mini-Boss-Maeve to put under a lamp in her room or to use for her family of dollies.

This Jan Stawasz doily has another section to the outer row, but I am so tired of the Finca #8 and so bored with the pattern that I did not follow my normal habit of finishing no matter what, but rather made the whole process as painless as possible and changed the outer row in order to finish it.

I figure that Mini-Boss will not care a whit about the pattern and I have had fun tatting the Jan Stawasz pattern with no mistakes, so I should just finish up and move on.

How’s that for a new attitude!

Photo For Size:

Monsieur Intuitive

When I went to get my camera to show you how much I have tatted on the Stawasz doily, I found this. Honestly, this cat can be positively spooky! Look at his expression; he knows exactly what he is doing!

I have only three rows to finish this, but the second row is a stop-start operation, as it is done in 32 individual sections. LOTS of sewing in and I do not like the Magic Loop thing...  : (

If you recall, I had ordered two Boye shuttles locally, with the thought they would hold more thread and thus be helpful in having fewer ends to sew in.

Well, they do hold more thread but I cannot bear using them! They are not my cup of tea. So, whoever wants to trade a skein of HDT in variegated pastel colours or one light-colour solid, leave me a comment and I will happily trade. First come, first serve. I would love to get rid of them!

Angles and Omissions

 

 Inspired by Jeff, I just had to tat this.

He has done something quite marvellous with the triangles. Go see.

The pattern is from Susanne Schwenke’s “Spitzen-Kreationen."

An apology to Rachael,

and many thanks.

I totally forget. I had taken a photo and then misfiled it and so forgot to post this for Rachael over at InTatters. Here is a photo of her amazing surprise package.

We had engaged in a swap and she was more than generous, even sending a wonderful shuttle she made herself, fashioned from wood of a mesquite tree on her property.

You can see there is a cornucopia of thread there, all #40, my favourite, Lizbeth and HDT. And a little silver spoon charm.

You must see her tatting.

This was tatted in #100. 

Yes, you read that right: #100!

Fabulous, perfect picots and double stitches.

Lastly, I have grappled with an Iris Niebach pattern and wasted far too much time and thread. I will return to this when I have more patience... Grrrrrr.

It wasn’t the clunies that stumped me, but the directional turns in the pattern. I kept getting lost and the fd/bs situation was abysmal.

Questions

Row eight completed and four left :

I do most of my tatting very late at night - or rather early in the morning! This causes very problematic situations, probably because of poor light and tired eyes, let alone fried brain.

Last night I noticed, just as I was about to pack it in, that I had completed row #8 and skipped a picot join WAY back near the beginning of the round. Horrors.

This time, I acted in a rather rational way - for me.  I thought hard about my options, cut out split ring at the missed spot and tatted in the extra three split rings - all the while holding my breath and chanting: you can do it, over and over again. You get the picture, I am certain!

Luckily, I can find the spot with some difficulty, but this time, rather than pondering the visual issue, I wonder how the piece will hold up over time (though it will probably go under one of The Boss’s bedroom lamps and I am not that concerned.)

Also, I realized at the end of the night that I tatted the three little flowery rows on the back side, even though I checked repeatedly to make sure that I was on the front - too late; too dark; too tired. I almost cut back the rows, but then would definitely have to have purchased two more balls of thread, so I just shrugged and carried on.

Funnily enough, the little side picots kind of stick up because they are on the “wrong” side and look very appropriate for this pattern! Good bad luck!

But, it is questions I have. Do you have vintage tatting where you can see breaks in the thread where there were repairs? Do folks repair old tatting as they do crochet or knitting? Though tatting is generally washed in a delicate manner, do the fixed bits stay put because of the general knot construction of the stitches or can they loosen over repeated use or cleaning?

Easy Break

Yes, a tiny motif by Petra Tornack-Zimmerman, that you can find on  Georgia’s site, here:

The thread is from the lovely supply that Rachael sent to me, and it is #40 Lizbeth. Love the way it had just the right colour breaks for this motif!

Also, it starts on a chain and I could practice that no-paperclip beginning! Frivole has a terrific youtube video of this technique, here.

Stawasz Doily Update

Row 6

Row 5

... and so on to Row 7. 

: )

Kristen sent a lovely comment yesterday, and mentioned the colour orange. I do hope that the photos you are seeing show the threads as ecru (light) and pale peach.  ???

It is so difficult to get the colours right on the screen and one just never knows how it is being seen. Ah, computers and the critical tatting eye. 

Renulek Returns!

I posted this on InTatters this morning...

"I have stumbled on a remedy for what I thought was a finished piece, as I do not have enough thread in the colours I chose to finish. By accident I saw a ball of lilac and thought... hmmm..... so I tried it. Might just do the trick for the last three rows.”

So, the Renulek Snowlflake doily has been resurrected!

Oaks, Acorns And Fuzzy Finca

The little linen square is completed and took quite a lot of the Elefante Algodon Mercer Crochet  thread, #80, from Monica. 

I had to tat really fast - I always do that if I think I might run out - as if it would do any good! 

Thread this thin is callenging and was murder to un-tat, but I love the end result. I have no idea what to do with this seven inch square.  But, I like it. 

The finished edging was a bit too large for the square - just a tad - so I crocheted another row around the first one around the edges of the square with #50 Cebélia, and it made up for the oversized tatting. Whew!

The pattern is Oaks and Acorns by Mary Konior.

Why, oh why have I chosen to tat with Finca #8 again? I thought I said I would not repeat this! It is really difficult, being only 2-ply, and as I have stated before, reminds me of toilet paper! It separates, twists, knots and does all kinds of things that would make 6-ply tatting thread cringe and run screaming from its shuttle.

But, it has a plush feel once tatted and the colours are pleasing to me.

Mail - Minnesota to Singapore

Minnesota

A Happy Bluebird sent this to me, and I am more than delighted with the little fabric envelope with all its pockets and the adorable needle case that closes with velcro!

Thank you, Cindy!  I love the colours in the pouch - my faves - and the needle case has been in constant use with all the ends I have had to sew in lately!

Your photography on the card front is beautiful. It is obvious that you have many talents beyond tatting.

Singapore

I was so excited to see another parcel the next day that I saved opening it till I was in the Beach, near the lake, and I sat by the water and opened the envelope... from Umintsuru, out of the blue!

The hankie is silk and a beautiful shade of pink/shell. The thread looks amazing, #40 and in my favourite pastels. I am really looking forward to trying out this thread that I have never seen before.

Thank you very much, Wendy! 

I am so fortunate. 

: )

Tatting

Inspired by a post of Frivole’s here, I thought I should brush up on my cluny tatting because I like the Iris Niebach pattern that she has done. It is a real beauty. If I can find time to tat it, it is one that I am eager to attempt.

Progress On The Little Linen Square

Giveaway

Orsi has a giveaway here. It is pretty. Go have a look!

Salmon Pink and Ivory

I have begun the new piece: a Jan Statwsz doily.

Being a glutton for punishment, I am using Finca #8, as it is easily available in a local shop. I chose ( from a limited selection of colour) a salmon pink. The top picture is too pink; the actual colour is close to the bottom colour.

Finca 8 is fuzzy and 2 ply, but works up to a rather dense fabric, close to between a #20 and a #10 Lizbeth. I like the bulk of it for Jan’s patterns, as he works in a heavy thread. I have one of his pieces, a small motif and I really like the feel of it. His work is very tightly tatted, but in a softer thread than Lizbeth.

I had considered ordering a Lizbeth, but it is just too rough to me, and the Cebelia that is available in a shop here is not right either - too bland in colour and not the right texture, so fuzzy Finca it is

The constant reloading of thread drove me nuts while tatting the Honey Napkin, so to avoid insanity, I have 2 shuttles on order at the local shop: 2 plastic Boyes! 

I must have something larger than my constant companions, the lovely LaCossettes, as tatting only the small centre motif of this new pattern emptied the bobbins! 

The Starlits are too big for me as are Tatsys, and I do not like the nasty point on the Sew Mates. Having used Boyes before, I think I can cope... We shall see!

Comely Corners

Karey wrote up patterns adapted from some vintage fragments of lace she found in an old tin at an antique sale. This is one of them.

As usual, I had difficulty with counting... there were several un-tats, (lucky the HDT from Yarnplayer was great to work with - #30) but it was worth it: such a lovely square bit of tatting.

From Karey Solomon Publication:

Apologies to Angeline...

... and many thanks to Frances, 

who showed me the error of my ways!

I stated that all the Angeline Crichlow patterns that I attempted did not work out for me; I wrote some not-very-nice words along those lines.

My unsuccessful experiences have probably been the result of my mistakes all along. At least that is the case with this particular pattern.

Remember I tatted one a few posts back and it cupped? Well... look at this:

Lizbeth #40

Here is the first where I made the error:

Hmmmm. 

Vive la différence!

p.s. Those chains are 24 ds each!

Woven Rose

Woven Rose by Jaquie Teal

Lizbeth #40

Isn’t this a great pattern?

You can find it in Karey Solomon’s ‘Tatting Times” for May 2013.

Zwicky Silk To The Rescue

Eight inch diameter

You would think I would learn... I keep promising. It was late when I finished the border last evening and I could not resist sewing it up. Of course, I sewed the ends too well and cannot undo the mistake; I attached the thread to the wrong place!

When I looked this morning, I could not figure a way to fix it without cutting, and I do not want to do that, as the fault can only be detected by the shrewdest of tatting eyes - you know who you are! So, it shall remain  - blemished - but pretty all the same!

The green thread is Zwicky Silk, which is about a #20-#30 in weight, that Krystle sent to me a couple of years ago (can it be that long ago?!). I have two spools of this silk - one in burgundy, one in green - and I save them because this fibre is no longer on the market. It is wonderful thread.

Because I was becoming bored, I added beads to the last round. I am a sucker for white beads - they are my absolute favourite - though I usually use colourful ones for more effect when playing with colour.

Then, I could not resist starting a small motif, though it was by now very late, and so many mistakes were made on the first try. However, it is a great pattern and I am going to finish this before I begin either the small linen square or the BIG one. : )

Forgoing Frustration

Update: Jan Stawasz Do**y
I have wasted so much thread trying to get a final round that is 1) without mistakes 2) the appropriate colour and 3) the right weight of thread, that I took a break before stumbling on the perfect solution. That I shall keep hidden from view till I finish!

*****

Here is what I attempted in the interim:

This is one of many of the pattens I have tried from this book and I have to admit I am not at all impressed!

Angeline Crichlow must be acknowledged for contributing much to the tatting community by writing the book, teaching and by her enthusiastic education of the public about her beloved art-form, but I have had no luck with any of her patterns - not one, as the stitch counts all seem off, as in the example here.

This is supposed to be flat, not cupped:

The thread called for was one size from what I am using, so I cannot say that is the reason for the problem.

No matter - it was a fun escape from the doily and I liked the thread and the beads were fun, so cupping or not I finished it!

LATER: Please note the comment by Frances, who noticed I left out a bunch of chains and that is why the row was so tight! I cannot blame poor Angeline for this - my apologies all around! [though I have had problems with most of the patterns of hers I have tatted : )) ]

Yessss!

One row to go and I might JUST have enough thread..

Noooooo!

I had almost finished the last two rows and I noticed I had missed some picots in the very last row so I cut it off - upsetting enough, right? ( I was so disappointed that I did not even take a photo of the almost finished work.)

Then I realized I had snipped a picot in the SECOND last row!

Now I am back to beginning of the last two rows all over again.  : (  And I do not have any lilac thread left!)

However, I do have a ball of Olympus light lilac, which may in fact be a better colour for this piece anyway. Aha, the silver lining. : ))

This should keep me busy over the weekend. I think I am thinking too much about Monica’s thread and the little linen square, and while I was tatting, my

                                                     little                  
             
                                                                            mind
                                                     

                                    wandered...

Stawasz Success - So Far!

(un-blocked!)

There is one round after this one and it will be done and I can begin the larger “doily.”

It is unfortunate that I was trying to just use my stash and chose the little balls of Olympus to begin as I have run out of pink and white and have only the lilac for the outer edge - not the best combo for the pattern, but there you have it.

At least the tatting, which is what it is all about anyway, is on track! I am amazed I am getting through this and not finding it too difficult. I hope this recent understanding of the Jan Stawasz patterns will extend and translate to the larger piece!

NOW:

This fantastic hand-dyed thread comes all the way from Monica in Argentina! Thank you Monica.

We traded threads, and I trust that the Canada Post Corporation has not embarrassed me by not delivering my threads in good time... : O

I know exactly what I shall do with the #80...

When I was purchasing thread - Finca - for the large doily, in the Portuguese shop that I frequent for this thread, I spied some lovely linen squares on the counter. They are sold for crocheters to work around and make into large tablecloths or other things, like runners.

The linen is of a very good quality and the cutwork is pretty.  I purchased one square which measures 7X7 inches. 

The edges are rough and unraveled, but there were holes all around the square, so I was advised to crochet around the material through the holes and it would be perfect for adding a tatted edge.  The advice was indeed correct. 

The real deal looks much finer than this photo...

So, here is my next project, 

the relief work while I attempt the big “D”.

QUESTION FOR TAT-LAND

There is 50 meters of this #80 thread. I am wondering if that is enough to go around this little square, which is so much smaller than a small hankie. Any idea, tatters? I am going to use  Mary Konior pattern, a very simple one called Oakes and Acorn.