Findings

I am not talking about the findings that refer to notions or jewellery making, but rather to the pattern I found on Sally Kerson’s blog, here, and the new one I have chosen for the hankie I am working on.

Sally’s motifs were so pretty and I realised I had the book they were in, so I chose some #80 Yarnplayer HDT that I had been given as a gift a while ago and loaded up my shuttles. 

This is a fun, fast tat. It measures about 4”.

The hankie?

I began using Robin Perreti’s pattern, but it was slow going and I wasn’t enjoying the process. I found the Catherine Wheel joins cumbersome and I could not get them consistently equal in size, so I found another pattern:

Here is Robin’s pattern. Very pretty and I might use it for another project, but not good for me on this one.

Lastly.

Anyone who knows me or reads tat-ology for any length of time knows I do  not play well with frills, neither in tatting, nor jewellery, nor clothing nor home decor. So, it is strange that I actually gave this delicate, bone china dish a new home.

I was jogging on the weekend and noticed a forlorn plate peeking out of a box of discarded household goods that had been put out on the sidewalk for the garbage truck. I rescued it and ran home with it tucked under my arm.

Though it is really out of place in my spartan, white cupboard, I rather like it. It may be useful to photograph my tatting!

C'est Fini!

"Buttercups" by Ben Fikkert. 

Thread: Lizbeth #80

Here it is!
All set to post to my friend as a surprise.

I am pleased; it turned out better than I had anticipated. This time, the Lizbeth gave me - dare I say it- no problems!

Actually, that is not quite true. I attempted to tat the little three-ring inserts in dark blue (which did not look good anyway) and the thread was MISERABLE! It ended up in the garbage can.

But the good news is that I preferred the original thread anyway, as it looked way better. : )

Those little 6ds rings took hours and hours to tat. This is the area where the dyslexic brain goes a tad haywire, the spatial reasoning skills being severely challenged . So frustrating! But look how wonderfully  they turned out!

Thanks, Ben Fikkert!

Halfway

Back To Ben

...Fikkert, that is! 

Yes, I am more than fifty percent done. Way easier than The Cirona Doily.

The bare threads are a challenge. They were cupping in the first circle, so I shortened them and it's a bit better, but I need to really concentrate and shorten them a bit more.

I'm hoping I can coax them flatter by a bit of blocking.

Karey's Continued

#80 Lizbeth

Love mignonette. It is always such a challenge to tat those pesky bare threads exactly the same length. I haven't mastered that trick yet.

I chose that red because the motif is mainly such a pale yellow that it appeared white till I added the dark border. Anyway, I always like red and yellow.

Sweet Three

Another one. 

(from Karey Solomon’s Tatting Times publication)

(See previous posting)

Interesting that the Wildflower colourway of 

Lizbeth thread looks very different depending 

upon which colour it is tatted with:

Several tatters asked about MrG.
His Highness is very well, thank you,

busily enjoying his very own cardboard box...

Sweet Squared

Here it is again, mindful of the size of the picots. 

Much better; requiring much concentration!

I didn’t use split rings in this one;

I like the overall shape a lot better. 

Useful though they may be, split rings, in my opinion, 

warp the shape of the rings in certain situations, 

distorting the pattern.

A few days ago, my daughter sent me this, as she had noticed 

the bit about tatting in the novel she is reading.

I was pleased and also touched 

that she had thought of me and my passion...

Sweet

From Karey's recent Newsletter. I always find interesting little projects in her booklets:

This is a vintage pattern, apparently from an early 20th Century magazine. It's about 2" wide. Love it. I am going to play with this pattern as I tat the second Ben Fikkert.

Now, about the purple thread. Again, I used #80 Lizbeth. But surprise, surprise; this time it is SO 

DIFFERENT from ALL the threads I used in both Ben Fikkert pieces. This purple feels stiffer, is not 

as twisty and tats with lots of body to my work.

Thé inconsistent, undependable quality of Lizbeth threads continues to enrage me! But the colours always manage to lure into overlooking all the awful flaws. I wish there were an answer to this problem...like a new competitor in the world of thread to render Handy Hands more accountable.

How can I whittle down those floppy picots? With the tiny thread, for me, this a huge drawback; I don't seem to have enough control of the thread to tat tiny picots, though I keep trying. Very frustrating indeed. 

Barrelling Along With Buttercups

Now for the 12 motifs that are tatted individually all around the centre...

This piece is much smaller than I imagined it would be.

Small Stuff

This book is great for small motifs and taking a break.

The new Ben Fikkert is coming along beautifully; I am really enjoying it. The hankie edge not so much, as it is pretty time intensive.

Needing a break from both, though not at all stressed out, I looked into the book and came up with this motif, which is full of mindless mistakes and loose ends, but great fun...

Breaking from tradition, I actually used my own tatting and sewed this motif on a tiny pocket of a white shirt. Not sure if it will stay there, as it is not my style at all, but it just seemed to be a good thing to do at the time.

So Small

Maybe it's because I'm still in LARGE TAT mode, or perhaps this is going to be a much smaller mat than I imagined. Here I am so far:

Whatever the case about the size. Thís is a delight to tat.

Again, I have chosen #80 Lizbeth, and blue thread, as that is what my friend will appreciate when she receives this surprise.

I'm happy so far, with one reservation: my picots are TOO BIG! 

I keep trying to whittle them to half the size, but I think my tatting DNA will never permit this structural change. I seem incapable of tatting tiny picots that I so admire in the works of other tatters.

Gathering No Moss

Someone on Crafttree was wondering what to do with finished tatting and how to pick thread colours. Part of my response had this to say:

"For me, it is all about the challenge, the process and the colour-play. Beats a therapist! Cheaper too. Think of Tibetan monks creating their breathtaking sand-painted mandalas .They spend weeks on some and then whisk them away in a few seconds when they are complete! Ah, Zen... : ) You don’t need a reason to tat!”

I kinda like the sentiment. Go Fox!  : )

Moving on..

I started a new Ben Fikkert pattern, Buttercups, for a friend. Tune in next post to see the other colour I chose in #80 Lizbeth thread.

The last ring on the centre element took me over THREE hours to figure out. There were two trial runs at this, before I figured it out. Sheesh. Well, in my defence, the four parts of the centre are mock rings.  I’m very glad that part is complete.

Seems there is alway a hitch for me with Ben Fikkert’s patterns, though Elena Koval says they are a “piece of cake!” over there at Craftree. 

Her work continues to amaze and inspire me. Go have a look at her Buttercups. Then you’ll know why I picked this beautiful design to give to my friend.

Revelling In The Reveal

Joyous- that would be moi this evening! I am DONE, after almost 5 months. I began on March 11.

In case you missed it, this is Corona, by Ben Fikkert. I tatted it in #80 Lizbeth and it finishes at 22 inches.

Drumroll please..