Attached and Advancing!

Front-side Frothiness

After these are secured by the third row of the motif, there are 24 smaller motifs to be tatted and attached by twisty chains... I am working on fortitude.

There is a lilac blob in the centre, bottom left of the photo. That is my "right-side" marker. Without it, it is difficult to immediately differentiate front-side from back-side.

You might wonder why I am tatting fs/bs in #80. Sheer obstinacy.

Recontextualizing

No longer striving for perfection, mastery or excellence might just be the solution for the Ben Frikkert disaster. My operating intention has just shifted and recreated itself as...wait for it.... COMPLETION.

Yes, my new focus, though still painfully informed by my addiction to achieving new personal bests, is now merely just getting through to the end of this intensely irritating pattern! I do think it will be worth the effort - though I might just "quit" again in the days ahead. : )

The Hapless Cap

Actually, it isn’t THAT unfortunate as it IS finished, though still too large for a one year old. When I finished it I could get it comfortably on my head, so that wouldn’t do for little one year old Hayley.

To remedy this, I ran some very hot water and squished and swished the cap around till I felt it MUST have shrunk somewhat. Happily it did! Now, I think it will be good for a young child.

I thought I was very creative making a form to put the wet piece over to be able to shape it. I used a glass with a bowl turned over on top of it.

Then I had to form each repeat so that it would dry with all the tatting in place as it was meant to be. Took a while to get it sitting properly. And I see here I have missed a few bits!

Every time I look at these photos, it reminds me of a burqa! Strange! Must be the shape of the tatting pattern. There are not many patterns for hats, after all. : )

All in all, I am pleased with this pattern. But be warned: if you tat this use nothing larger than a #20.

I were to tat it again, (for the 4th or 5th time!) which I will not, I would use a #30 for a child or  a very small adult.

Taking Heart

Susan K. Fuller's Heart's Deisre that is. 

This is just over 2"wide, 

tatted in #80 Lizbeth Wildflower.

The Retractable Measuring Tape

I finished the Russian Mignonette pattern and had fun with it. The thread was DMC #8 Perle and I did enjoy tatting with it. I suppose on a large project it could be problematic, as it frays when un-tatting is called for, but it is lovely for a small design that can be soft and rather plush.

It was a bit of a squeeze to prevent that last row from frilling. Usually I don’t block with pins, but I had to in this case. It was worth the effort.

Mr G was very interested in that measuring tape! He loves to watch it retract and I can see the brain whirling as he fixates on it. Very cute.

On Hold

I forced myself to finish the last motif. This doily is a mess - patched places prevail throughout and many, many bad spots. I cannot pretend anymore that I might actually be able to finish it to look okay.

Well, it was good practice and I shall attempt another Ben Fikkert as I have the thread I purchased for a new project - a smaller pattern, and a present for a friend.

Perhaps I shall try this one again in time; perhaps with another thread. Perhaps this learning experience will prove advantageous next time.

Another Thread - I Don't Always Complain!

While in New York City recently, I took a stroll to the garment district, where there is a big, old storewith all kinds of notions for sale. I bought a couple of balls of DMC Perle#8.

This is a very soft thread, (2-ply?) but I do enjoy it for small things as it is kind of plush and cushiony. 

So, taking yet another Fikkert break and leaving the lilac cap for a bit, I picked a few colours and looked through the Russian book that I got from Elena a while ago.

I realize, again, how much I love to tat mignonette motifs - very relaxing pour moi. : )

Never-ending...

Currently I am adding the third last motif. The thread is really bad and slows me down considerably with all the splitting and knotting. So disappointing. I certainly have thread woes, don’t I!

The cap is more the right size. It is working up quickly and the #20 was the right choice. 

I am pleased with it so far, though the baby will probably not be wearing it for about a year, I think!

Funny...

A few weeks ago I got a letter from my pal Suneeti. She wrote to tell me she had completed her project and I thought it was the lace collar. So I wrote back to her to say how beautiful it was:

It wasn’t till later that day, when I went back to look again and admire her tatting that I saw it: the turquoise beads!

I burst out laughing and realized what I had done. This was MY tatting, sent to her as a gift earlier in the year. She had found an appropriate sweater to sew it to and in the photo her daughter models it to display the collar, now months later, attached.

My face must have been quite a study when the lights finally flickered on!

Thanks, Suneeti, for the lovely photos; the sweater was a most perfect choice. The entertainment provided was also very appreciated. : ))

Moving Along

Ditching the #10 Cèbèlia. 

Now I am using lilac #20 and it is much smaller.

I am now wondering if the cap will be 

large enough for a one year old. 

After this attempt I am finished with this pattern. 

Enough trials. Time to return to the Fikkert.

This photo was taken a while back. 

There are currently only four more ovals to attach.

Yay!

Fathead

BIG.

(It is cupping though!!!)

I have ordered #20 Cèbèlia in violet for the little one. I considered #30, but I think it will be too small.

Much Better

A big improvement. After cutting off three of the ovals and re-reading the pattern, I am now one third done with the joining plum chain.

There are so many mistakes in this, and also this is the unblocked version; nevertheless the piece is pretty and lacey. Unless one is really looking for missing picots, missed joins, bad thread and on and on, the faults are not even noticeable - except perhaps to the obsessed or a tatter with very good vision. Unfortunately, I have both traits! 

Ah, well. As with a three-legged cat or dog, or a tuneless canary, I have come to be inordinately fond of my very flawed masterpiece.