Now Number Nine

It now feels as if it will take forever to finish this Spring Doily...

I might not post again till it is finished.

The red Lizbeth is making me crazy: can you see the knot and the fuzz above it? In the second shot you can see how the thickness varies, which makes having good tension, particularly in chains, almost impossible to attain. Grrrr.....

One more thing:  the red thread has broken twice. No pass! I will NOT buy more Lizbeth - any size. 

The horse has bolted the gate, I realize, but at least I have not purchased a huge amount - just enough to keep me in tatting thread this next year! 

However, in the future I will try other brands, as I am now totally done with this thread.

                                         ⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜

Dreaming about the nearly-here Canadian Spring, and a border pattern I have not yet tatted that will look good around Elena’s Russian hankie.

I have the perfect shade of Purple in #40 Lizbeth.

Hmmm......

Slow Spring and Sparkles

Spring, the season, seems nowhere nearby in Toronto, and the Spring Doily is making progress at a snail’s pace. That last fact is a good thing.

Here it is today in the new threads using 

Perfect Quilter for the green this time...
and BEADS!

I was cautious to add beads that blend in so well that you can hardly see them, but they catch the light a bit and sparkle modestly. : )

The last row is the second go-around. 

Sticking to my new promise to tat with more attention, I had to cut off the first attempt at the 8th row, as the picots were the old sloppy large ones...

In the first version of Spring Doily, I used DMC green in the 8th row, which I had to discontinue as I am using it to tat the Lucky Clover and was afraid I would run out if I used it for both.

I have not touched that green piece since beginning the latest Spring Doily.

The switch to Perfect Quilter, I must say, I quite like!

Travelling and Tatting

These activities did not fare well together! I have been busy and also paying attention to my new “do not rush” promise, resulting in not much to post.

So, little to talk about today, but thought I’d show you where I am in the Spring Doily: Row 7.

Lizbeth thread, #80 has been a miserable repeat of all my previous usages. Thick and thin inconsistency, knots, slubs and the red is a horror.

Now, I know red dye is problematic, but I have had absolutely NO problems with reds of DMC or Altin Basak. Or Cèbèlia, for that matter. This thread is awful.

The beginning of the ball is fine and consistent thickness, and then about a quarter of a ball in it gets fine, slubby and inconsistent. I am into the second ball of it and it was a repeat of the first.

This is upsetting because I have whittled my stash right down and ordered several balls of #80 Lizbeth, since the #80 threads are now my threads of choice. Thought I ‘d start amassing a stash of colours... What now? Lizbeth palette is great. Too bad the product does not hold up.

The colours I picked for this second try of the Renulek pattern are also disappointing. I am not sure why I have a green and red thread in my thread box, as these are not colours I like at all! I do not remember ordering this mix, but perhaps I did not see a good representative photo online.

The red in person is a bit more burgundy, but still not a preference. Oh well, it is nearly gone anyway.

Commencing...

Renukek's Spring Doily once again...

Using the same #80 Lizbeth and another lighter green, I find this so much brighter. The last colour tones I found to be a bit depressing. Reminded me of something but I don’t know what.