Tuesday, October 12, 2010

A Ruse by Any Other Name . . .

Let's start with a Sprout story.

The Sprout has an "eenie meenie mynie mo" boy in his class who is having trouble learning to share. After every class I hear how this boy pushes, grabs or hits Sprout.

This morning Sprout said he couldn't go to school because he had a fever. 'Hmmm, he really doesn't want to confront that EMMM boy,' I thought.

As it turns out, he was using the EMMM boy as a means to an end. He wanted to go visit the doctor's office because the doctor has a shark car toy [Fisher-Price Car-nivore Shark] that Sprout would trade anything for. He wants this shark car toy and is willing to ruse to get it. That's smart and devious.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor's office, where Sprout will play with said coveted car-nivore and pitch a screaming fit when I won't let him take it home.

Guild News and Tatting Tea Tuesday
This past Saturday two new lacers came to the monthly guild meeting. Both were shuttle tatters. Our little guild has grown to almost 10 members in the past two years. When I joined there were 6 (counting me). Great news!

So today I raise my teacup and offer a toast to lace guilds everywhere who are welcoming new members. It is a wonderful sign of renewed interest in tatting, as well as all other lace forms.

Today's tea is a mixed concoction of decaf pomegranate green and apple cider. Super tasty!

In between sips, I stare longingly at the pumpkin teapot pattern from Martha Ess.

But I can't start on a teapot until the mixed media project is finished. MUST finish before starting anything else. Here is a snapshot of my progress.


Tunisian Crochet and Broomstick Tatted Lace
(prototypes for a mixed media bookmark)

The white sample on the left is tatted in size 20 Flora #201. The color sample on the right is tatted in size 40 Lizbeth: Navy #654, Ecru #603 and Marble #121.

I chose this color combination purposefully. Some variegated threads work with certain patterns and not so much with others. Many tatters think this variegated thread is ugly and unusable. I find it to be masculine and strong like its namesake.

I love how this thread resembles veined marble on the ball. The veining effect is present in the lace, but perhaps the strong stripes are too bold or clash with the variegated thread?

Looking past the color questions, I love how the bit of hen-and-chicks finishes the ends. Does the edging complement the broomstick tatted lace? Is the Tunisian Crochet a pleasing counterpoint? I think it breaks up the motion of the lacework, giving the eye a resting place much like negative space.

The trick, as you can see from my samples, is to crochet the fabric evenly. I use a bullion crochet hook to crochet this one-inch panel.

It is also important to note that both of the samples in the photo are incomplete. Another section of Tunisian Crochet with a hen-and-chicks edging needs to be added to the opposite side of the broomstick tatted lace to complete the work.

Ah! I could go on and on and on with this analysis and get nowhere. You see why I have been consumed these past few weeks.

Where do YOU think this experimental project should go? In the trash bin? Back to the drawing board? To the finish line? I invite you to weigh in and share your thoughts.

9 comments:

Gina said...

Great combination of techniques! Keep them...they will be the source of more inspiration 5 years from now. Truly.

Umintsuru said...

I love it! The coloured one is especially interesting and I agree it is a more masculine colour but it makes it very contemporary. It is a keeper.

Miranda said...

I like both the design and the colors. Tatting has often been combined with other techniques, so it's nice to continue the tradition. And it's good to use masculine colors sometimes. I know plenty of men who appreciate the tatting but obviously don't want something really girly. Using colors like this allows you to give them gifts too.

Tatskool said...

Clever boy that Sprout of yours!
The mixed media bookmark just looks HARD to me!
Have just printed out the pumpkin teapot...tonight's project!

Suztats said...

Oh, I love this! It's gorgeous! I like everything about it! Where should this experiment go? Well, I think it would be just perfect on my wrist! O!

tattrldy said...

Isn't it fun the way a child's mind works? I'm glad mine are now finding this joy with their own children - I can just sit back and enjoy the show.

I wasn't too sure about your mixed media project when I first looked at it. Then you mentioned that the other end would be done the same the prospect changed. I guess it looked unfinished or unbalanced to me. I'm looking forward to seeing them complete. I'm glad you're sharing your experiments with us as it encourages us to try new things, too.

Anonymous said...

It looks amazing! I've been working on a broomstick crochet scarf recently, and I'm desperate to try this now too. A very successful experiment :)

Anonymous said...

I have 2 words about Sprout... Too Cute!


The Mixed Media...I agree with Tatskool.. it looks hard... but it IS intriguing.

IsDihara said...

Well all, my twin sister -- the artist in the family -- has chimed in privately on this experiment! She HATES it! She advised me to lose the Tunisian Crochet and tat the broomstick lace alone. SO SAYETH THE ARTIST.

(This actually hurt let the air out of my sails a bit, since I thought it looked quite nice. But to each her own.)

So don't feel bad if you also think it looks like a dog's breakfast and just are being polite about saying so. My sister didn't pull any punches!