OK, before I get to the real post I have some exciting news...Chris and I were told where we will be heading after our two years in Vladivostok are done (early 2015)
So, does anybody have information on the tatting scene down under? :)
-----
Ook, February was not been a particularly prolific month of tatting...more just a little of this and that...
First of all, here (finally!) is my sailboat from Jane's TIAS:
My sister-in-law gave me the Ring of Tatters' "30th Anniversary Book of Patterns" for Christmas, and I have been mostly dabbling there for the past few weeks:
If you compare this to the actual pattern you will find (on the outer round at least) there are a few differences...all due to user error, of course. Fox has been quite vocal about her alleged "Instructional Incompetence" and I have to admit that I, too, suffer from that disease. Oops. :)
I've actually had to abandon this motif here--it's impossible to tell on this terrible picture, but apparently I tatted this with dirty fingers--the inner rings are new-snow white, but all those lovely chains are closer to snow after the first plowing. Oops.
Finally, another project from that same book that is just giving me fits...Jane has this adorable badger bookmark that I'd so love to tat...
But I can't get the joins to work properly!!
The pattern calls for both up joins and down joins, techniques that I understand in theory, but have struggled to execute in reality:
Here is the back side, which looks right(?)
Any suggestions? I literally worked on this for two days last weekend (this is the 4th or 5th attempt), and I'm stuck! :(
Also, I'm very sad because the Olympics are over, but being in the host country has some perks...like finding Sochi chocolate! Hooray! :)
We are totally looking forward to 2+ years in...Canberra, Australia!!!
So, does anybody have information on the tatting scene down under? :)
-----
Ook, February was not been a particularly prolific month of tatting...more just a little of this and that...
First of all, here (finally!) is my sailboat from Jane's TIAS:
 |
| Motif #6 |
My sister-in-law gave me the Ring of Tatters' "30th Anniversary Book of Patterns" for Christmas, and I have been mostly dabbling there for the past few weeks:
 |
| Motif 7: Buttercup by Hannah Crowle |
 |
| Motif 8: The first motif of Adelheid Dangla's Doily |
Finally, another project from that same book that is just giving me fits...Jane has this adorable badger bookmark that I'd so love to tat...
The pattern calls for both up joins and down joins, techniques that I understand in theory, but have struggled to execute in reality:
 |
| The first ring does not require the down join...and the down join worked pretty well on the second ring...but WHY are there black marks on the third and fourth rings?! |
Any suggestions? I literally worked on this for two days last weekend (this is the 4th or 5th attempt), and I'm stuck! :(
Also, I'm very sad because the Olympics are over, but being in the host country has some perks...like finding Sochi chocolate! Hooray! :)
Hi, Kristen! On your badger, if you put the thread above the picot you wish to join to, then insert the hook from the bottom of the work to snag it and pull through, your join will be on the front of the work (the side you are looking at anyway). If you place the thread beneath the joining picot and pull upward, the join will be on the reverse side. You can control which side the black shows on in this manner. If you flip your work to the reverse side to add one of the sets of rings, then place the thread on top of the picot for the join, and the join will show on the side you are working on (the back). This probably made no sense whatever, but this is one of the things I learned lately, so I wish I could explain it well, as I know exactly your frustration! I had to use this "trick" to make my Neudorf hearts (the ones with the rosettes in the middle) turn out as I wished.
ReplyDeleteOOOH! I looked at Jane's pattern!!!! Cute!
Thanks Grace! It is a cute pattern, and I will get back to it...soon. :) Thanks for the helpful hints!
DeleteYou will find Australian tatters on this site:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/tattingshuttleaddicts/
Jenni, who started it lives in Australia. So does Maureen. I think there are others as well. It's an interesting site.
Exciting news!
Fox : )
Thank you! Group joined and contacts will be made...I just have to keep reminding myself that I have 9 more months in Russia! :)
DeleteAnd Canberra, how exciting! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteLots of tatting in Australia. One guild has 60 members!
ReplyDeleteExcellent. Can't wait! :)
DeleteAustralia sounds good, might be a bit warmer than Russia, The paromyplics start at the end of the week so that should be interesting. I hope you enjoy your chocolate.
ReplyDeleteLovely motif and great colour. Sorry I don't know the badger pattern so I can't help you with it
Margaret
Thanks Margaret! :)
DeleteGrace Taylor gave a good explanation. One thing I would recommend, start with 2 contrasting larger threads and practice doing both up joins and down joins and see which you like the best. Also, when you do a join, watch what way you put your shuttle through the loop.
ReplyDeleteWhen I do a down join, I lay the thread across the picot, reach up through the picot with my hook, then pull the thread down through it. I then take my shuttle out of the loop i pulled through, and come through the loop from the back. I think snug the join down, and do the 2nd half of a ds. For me this makes a join that looks very close to an actual DS. Let me know if you can understand or if I need to break it down further.
There is also a couple of methods blipless joins too. I like the Larks Head Picot join and the easiest directions I find are the one that Krystle Pyette does This link will take you to her instruction page http://krystledawnetats.blogspot.com/2012/05/ask-and-ye-shall-receive.html
Thank you very much! Between the directions from you and Grace I am looking forward to getting back in the up and down join saddle :) Thanks for the link! :)
DeleteYour Buttercup project is very nice! :)
ReplyDeleteYour little motif with "dirty" chains could probably be finished and then dyed. :)
Looks like you will get that badger done at some point!! :)
Thanks for the suggestion about dyeing the white thread...I wonder what the Russian word for dye is :)
Delete