Happy New Year, 2015!

Last post of the year. This pattern by Tomoko Morimoto is turning out better than I had expected. I really like it; the chains are not quite as problematic as I would have imagined. Also, I do think that red thread is complimentary to this design.

Have a Great New Year, Tatters!

Before New Years - New Beginnings

Jan Stawasz in DMC #60 Cordonnet. 

Another rather large pattern, chosen by my daughter.

Tatted in #40 Lizbeth 

The pattern is in a book I received from a very dear tatting friend: 

New Tatting by Tomoko Morimoto.

Winter Solstice

Here we go... 

Another Jan Stawasz pattern, this time in white, 

which is what my daughter ordered, tatted with #60 DMC this time.

May you all enjoy a happy, healthy and totally wonderful 

Holiday Season, and a fabulous New Year, 2015!

oxox

Fox & MrG. : ))

Five Months Later... the Big Reveal!

Here it is, all 27 inches.

It is an exquisite Jan Stawasz design.

 Tatted with #12 DMC Perle. 

In about 30 minutes, I ironed it, photographed it, measured and packaged it up and stored it on a shelf to await the fast approaching  family festivities. I could not wait to get it out if my sight!  Strange that after about 20 weeks, I feel only relief to be finally done with it. Off the shuttle, it is entirely out of mind.

************

What must be acknowledged is that this piece would never have been completed without the constantly uplifting support of the many tatters who left encouraging comnents on this blog. 

I cannot thank you enough! You know who you are. And I do hope you realize just how necessary your thoughts, wishes and often very amusing words were to the completion of the Monster. 

Big grateful hugs to all of you. : )

Approaching The Finish Line

There are 10 curved elements in the final row. I have THREE left to tat! THREE!!!

This will take several more days, but I am fairly confident I shall finish in the next week, ahead of schedule. Keeping fingers crossed.  

Tip For Troupers

For any of you Tatters out there in Tat-Land who are tackling The Monster, I have a suggestion for the 9-picot reverse rings in the final row.

The first few of these rings I tatted did not lie flat, and they closed with a bit of a rollover effect.

So, I tatted 2 ds at the beginning and at the end and then POSTED the shuttle. It worked well. It is obvious to me in the photo. Perhaps you can also see the difference. I am pleased to have discovered this fix early.

At Last - The Final Row!

Here we go! 

Row 18.

I had a terrible time yesterday, as I had to cut into the 15th and 16th row, from the 17th, to fix missed elements.

Can you imagine my horror when I saw what I had to do?

But, there was NO other option. So, I did the snippy deed and in the end it was fine...

Whew! Talk about stress.

The Beastliness of Boredom

You know how when you sometimes cut out a mistake you cut into the previous row as well?

You know how sometimes when you tat a few repeats in a long row you realize half way around that you have made a mistake in the pattern?

You know how you repeat that same mistake the next time you tat that row, after you have cut it and started again? Twice?

You know how you repeat that error yet another time?

Arghhhhhhhh! 

After recovering from the shock, 

I fixed the row below and proceeded with the repeats.

Luckily, I have heeded Maureen's warning - one of quite a number - to re-order a couple af balls of thread so I don't run out. I seem to have wasted a lot of thread trying to get going on this very annoying row.

Finally, I have got the pattern and the starting part right and have completed three repeats. There are ten, so only eight more to go and then it's on to the final round.

Tatting Times, November 2014

Karey Solomon is a very prolific pattern producer. I enjoy her quirky patterns very much. This square was very satisfying to tat, especially using Karey's own HDT, #40, which is a Lizbeth thread. Nice change from DMC perle. 

A certain somebody had an odd reaction to the booklet. I'm still bit uncertain what he was saying! Perhaps just sending belated birthday greetings to Uncle Vernon...

The Penultimate Round

I wasn't going to post about the Monster again till it was done, but I LOVE the word penultimate, and really, when do I get the chance to take it to lunch?  : )

So, here I am; actually several inches beyond this point. I am hoping I might have this completed by the holidays. Ideally, would like to give it to my daughter-in-law before the new year.

Festive Frolic

This motif is from the DMC Festive Tatting book. 

Frivole was right - it is difficult to avoid “gaposis,” and there is an unevenness that occurs in the pattern going from one repeat to the next, and at the top of each onion ring where there is a small ring, and once again in the final ring of each clover.

As Frivole suggested, I added a half-ds to the small ring on top of the onion ring, so it would not be lopsided. Then I added two at the end which made it even better - good tip for anyone tatting this motif.

I tried a number of solutions, from SLT to an extra join here and there, in an attempt to accomplish a pleasing symmetry, but just could not come up with a workable, consistent solution.

In spite of the difficulties with this pattern, I do like the end result.

The thread I used is #40 Lizbeth. I have 2 almost-finished balls of #40, and it was a nice change from the finer threads I have been tatting with for months.

Announcement

Many have seen the disturbing news about CBC celebrity Jian Ghomeshi. Unfortunately the "Q"  star's name is pronounced the same way as Mr G's previous moniker.

Be it known that GiGi or MrG or simply " Shrub" (yes, as in small tree!) prefers to ditch the old name. Tally Tatty suggests a re-baptism! We of our faith do not have this custom, but consider it a fait accompli anyway!

MrG, GiGi, and Shrub thank you for your consideration.

,

Interesting Improvisation

I saw an interesting pattern on Frivole's blog, and because I feel as if I have lost all ability to tat anything beyond simple rings and chains (Monster Madness) I thought I would try it. Not finished but looking okay. I like it.

It is fiddly and I think overly complicated in the way it is written. So, I followed Frivole's lead and made my own pattern. Well, actually I am sort of just improvising as I go.

The pattern is from this book:

Ignore the tail please. He would NOT move.

Not Impressed

He's a hard ticket...

My Tiresome Treasure

Just tatting on...and on. These posts are so boring, I know, but when I look over them I get a  feeling of satisfaction. Otherwise I lose perspective on this massive piece.

Thanks to all of you who have commented and supported me for months. Your interest and kind words have encouraged me no end.

Three more repeats on this round and on to the penultimate row.

Third From Last Round

I think I miscounted - nice! 

This row is the 16th and there are only 18 (ONLY!) rounds in the pattern. So I am closer to the end than I thought.

Not Without Ninetta

Interconnected rings...I have been practicing for months! Never getting it right. So frustrating. AND, I am using # 80 thread.

Today I went for a run in the rain and decided that the next motif for Under An African Sky would be a success, et voilà! 

I think this will do. Only after reading Ninetta's blog over and over again, have I had the fortitude to keep trying. Merci beaucoup, Ninetta!

Do you suppose I shall be able to tat another? : )

Illustrious Inches

Half-way around this round. 

It takes an evening of tatting 

to do just over one element repeat. 

The diameter is now just over 21 inches.

Defeating Demons

I said I would accept the challenge. So, I am trudging on. 

This is as far as I am, and the  Monster is now languishing, untouched for days. 

Ah, the difficult decisions of a dedicated but slightly demented tatter...

A Huge Apology To Jane!

An admission... I have been harbouring the thought that Jane McLellan was an evil tatting sadist. Yes, I really held tightly to that nasty little meanness for about three entire weeks.

I was certain I could not meet the challenge Wendy and I had agreed to tackle before we were joined by other eager tatters, game to produce Under An African Sky - Jane's original design.

Imagine my disgust when I could not complete the first round. Over and over I tried and even attempted to adapt the pattern to avoid the overlapping rings. As it was, these rings had frustrated me for a good half year. Plus, I am using #80 thread! 

Many hours and a good deal of thread have produced nothing but dismay. The Monster was neglected. Meals were skipped. I raged.

WELL! I have completed the centre correctly! 

Dyslexia be banished! Apologies to Jane! Hugs to my shuttles! Joy! 

Happiness had me ordering a new LaCossette shuttle to celebrate! This was big.

The downside to all the good cheer is that there are SIXTEEN more of these ahead. However, I  think I now have the procedure committed to memory. I can only hope...

Ok,Tatters. Another Ball Ordered!

Thank you.

You are all probably very right! : ))

The thread is in the mail.

Fast Fourteen

I am more than half-way through round fourteen -  in only a few days! Then only four rows to go!

There are just two balls of thread left of the original eight, and I am a little anxious about running out That anxiety causes me want to tat very fast, so I won’t run out of thread! Logical, eh?

So, I have to be extra cautious that I do not tat overly fast or I will be unpicking constantly from now on  till the end.

Before I bagan this row I tatted 

Robin Perfetti’s Snowflake again, 

this time in #80 DMC.

FINALLY! Five More Rows To Go.

Break Time

Design by Robin Perfetti

#80 DMC

LATER

Finally on the last repeat of the round on the Monster. Next row ahead, : ))

Similarity To A Snail

It will not be done for weeks, as each row now takes a lot of time. Still taking it slowly and not rushing. Keeping it slow takes away frustration and the crazy desire to rush!

This row is the last with beads. Thank goodness.  : )

Rollin' With A New Round

Finally! Who hoo! I am one happy tatter now that I have left those wretched repeating motifs in the dust! This big d... Is now over 19 1/2 inches in diameter! LARGE!

This row is straightforward and so comparitively easy, even with the addition of the #11 beads (a gift a million years ago from Psychomomom). After this row I am finished with beads, but I needed to tie in those in the previous rows.

Now, a confession. After seeing how umintsuru tatted the interlocking rings of Under An African Sky, I realized I might not have been doing them correctly when I trudged off in my own direction. As usual. So pig-headed.

So, I think I will start over - following the pattern this time. No beads. Whew! Also. I was not thrilled with my colours and have picked different ones this time. Eventually, I will get started. Thanks, umintsuru for the photos on your blog. : )

This is how far I got. It was good therapy as a change from the Monster.

A Bit Bothered

Ohhhh, I am getting more than fed up! I am just finishing the last motif of this round which took longer than it needs to, as I am also paying with Under An African Sky - for the sake of sanity.

Now it will not even fit on the chair, but I have not yet re-measured it. Considering it is tatted in #12 Perle, it is pretty darned large.

Therapy 

Lovely pretties in the post from Frivole for me, 

and from Marta for me and The Boss!

From Marta

From Frivole

Lucky me!

AND lucky Mr G,
who received mail from Kos, from Auntie Margaret!

Thanks to Frivole, Margaret and Marta! : )

Mr G? Not Impressed.

What do I have to do? A red ribbon does not win him over. 

In fact it might just annoy His Majesty:

It took a wee bit of coaxing, but he came round in the end:

Probably, I was too immersed in shuttle-activity, 

as I began the Under An African Sky Challenge, 

which I have revised, with apologies to Jane McLellan:

#80 Lizbeth

The overlapping rings do not work for me. They look all forced and do not flow. Actually, I rarely see any in Tat-Land appealing to me - just not a design element of which I am fond. So, I took the liberty of doing my own thing.

Update on The JS Monster D... 

I am still trying to complete the same round I was on last week. Two more motifs to finish and then into the final three  or four rows, which are much more straightforward. Thank goodness!

It is becoming very unwieldy; I’ll be glad to finish it. Although I am pleased that I decided to tat this pattern, the Monster D is the most patience-challenging project I have yet attempted. Next post: an update photo.

Markham Fair - First Place!

A red ribbon in Canada is first place. 

The blue ribbon takes second. 

Proud me! How I love red.

Dreadful photo as it is from my iPhone, taken at the fair,
where the piece was in a display box.

It will remain with the fair folks, for it will be displayed
 at another event in Toronto in November. : ))

Yay for tatting promotion!

Many thanks to Renulek, with whom I share the prize. : )

Motif Madness!

After this row it is just straightforward tatting with no more separate motifs. It will take a 

while, but at least there will not be all the cut and hide stuff.