Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Blue Hands & A Braid

This morning The Sprout has his second harrowing experience at the pediatric dentist. He is having cavities filled. He has decided he hates going to the dentist. Do you blame him?


Hands of Blue
The photo reminds me of the mysterious pair of assassins from Joss Whedon's cancelled TV series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity. Those blue-glove-wearing baddies were creepy and deadly.

The red doodad on The Sprout's nose is supplying laughing gas. Even with the gas he cried hysterically the entire time (10 days ago) and I suspect he will scream again.

Make no mistake, these visits are hard on the mommy too. Tatting zen doesn't even scratch the surface of guilt I feel knowing that I did not do enough to keep his teeth clean.

(An inside voice is saying, "but thank goodness we found out before the decay affected his permanent teeth." Is that even a valid thought? Would tooth decay affect the underlying teeth?)

We are now using fluoride tooth paste, dental floss and an anti-cavity rinse to keep future cavities at bay. And by we I mean the whole family. I guess that's something.

Once we get home I intend to break out the chamomile tea and a big box of tissues, in case my post-procedure nerves get the better of me.


Motif 25 - Interlocking Ring Lanyard
I have begun the "braid" technique described in Jane from South Africa's Interlocking Ring Choker pattern. (A lovely piece of jewelry!)

Jane Eborall describes it in her post from July 2010: Just look at these

The threads used for this are:
  • Lizbeth® 40 #157 Raspberry Frappe for the foundation row. 
  • Lizbeth® 40 #638 Christmas Green for the Interlocking Row.

If you are fond of tatting split rings (as I am) I encourage you to try this technique. I am enjoying it immensely. My only regret is not planning ahead to include beads in the center of the foundation rings. If I had done that the end result would be spectacular!

The photo shows only a few inches, but I have so far completed interlocking rings for 12 out of 36 inches of the foundation row. (30.5 cm out of 91.4 cm)

This, or one of Gina's (Tatting Goddess), Interlocking Ring techniques would make gorgeous friendship bracelets, don't you think?

This will be a lanyard for Palmetto Tat Days. Once finished it will be counted as Motif #25 of my first 25 motif challenge.

9 comments:

Sharren - Tatting in Greenwood, South Carolina said...

Please don't beat yourself up over The Sprout's cavities - his dental hygiene may not be the whole cause of cavities, after all!

When we go fishing in the gene pool, we don't know what we're going to reel in - and we can't throw it back - it's ours, regardless. Someone back in the family (on either side) could have been prone to cavities, and The Sprout just inherited that trait.

Good for you for switching the whole family to fluoride toothpaste and pre-rinse! Seeing how serious Mom and Dad are about taking care of their teeth will make him want to as well.

Your braid looks wonderful! I can't wait to see it finished, displaying your Tat Days ID!

Gina said...

I taught 4 methods of interlocking rings at Palmetto one year but they were continuous, not quite like this, although the chain method was - but still ring on ring, not two at a time....I know that doesn't make sense. It's somewhere on my blog. And I did use beads on one, at the base of each ring. It's time consuming but cool to look at.

Cindy said...

I do NOT like the dentist either! And I really haven't had to have a lot of work done. It's all those hands in my mouth and the strong gag-reflex . . .

I LOVE the interlocking split rings - that is going on my list of things to try!

Fox said...

My dentist is not allowed to use that air device near me! He has to pat the saliva off my teeth with cotton pads till they are as dry as he likes. Also, no cold water in there... and no slurpy-tubey thing that sucks out liquid. Uh-uh. He gets bitten if he does not obey! And apparently I am NOT the worst patient they have! So, The Sprout is in very good company, says I!
Fox ; ))

Martha said...

Oooh, poor Sprout.

For so many years, I envied the Palmetto folks with cool lanyards till I eventually made myself one. It looks like you will have a winner too.

I love Firefly. When we switched to using those blue gloves at work, I kept on thinking "two by two, hands of blue."

Sally Kerson said...

I felt so so sorry for your son, the picture just said it all. The Vicars eldest daughter is training to be a dentist and I can't see why anyone would want that profession, only talking to her mum about it on Sunday.
Remember that braid but as with a lot of tatting projects you pass them by and on to another one and forget that you meant to have a go! I am sure we are going to see even more lovely creations from you using this method.

Gina said...

Oh, and congrats on finishing the 25 motif challenge!

Anonymous said...

Poor little Sprout!!! I don't envy him.

Laughing gas? They still use that?!
Reminds me of that one scene in "Little Shop of Horrors"

Thanks for providing the info on the braided technique, I love making SRs and am sure I'll enjoy this.. Gotta try it!

tattrldy said...

That Firefly episode immediately popped into my head when I saw those blue hands. Though the dentist saves our teeth and helps us maintain a healthy mouth it's never a fun place to go for me.
Love the chain! I keep thinking I'm going to try that but haven't yet. Though I do need a chatelain, that would be a good way to utilize that technique.
Congratulations on finishing your 25 Motif Challenge.