Tatting Tea Tuesday (on Wednesday)
Today's tea is an infusion of minty sweetness that hits the spot during Spring rains. It is Traditional Medicinal's Organic Spearmint. My backyard spearmint crop hasn't come up yet, so this will see me through until Mother Nature provides. Mmmmm, soothing spearmint. ツ One of my tatting goals for 2010 is to submit an entry into the County Fair in August. This is a huge goal for me, since I have never successfully completed a doily.
The last doily I started (back in the late 1990s) never got finished because at the time I didn't know how to work in new threads. I dug out the "ole' girl" for show and tell:
Still have it and yes, I now know how to add new thread to continue if I wished. But the white cotton I was using was a "big ball" crochet cotton in size 30. It might give me nightmares to tat with that thread now. LOL!
Spoken like a true thread junkie, eh?
Debbie Arnold © 2002
Row 1 is tatted using LadyShuttleMaker's Treebeard HDT in size 50 and Lizbeth Linen size 40.
With this project, I stressed over color decisions. For example, I didn't want to get halfway through to find the variegated thread overpowering the design. So I paired Treebeard with a solid.
Sounds simple, right? It would have been, if I had a stash of size 50 solids. I don't.
Using mismatched threads bothers me. I can't help but fixate on the size difference. But without a solid in size 50, the best option was the size 40.
It already is bugging me. My eye is drawn to the larger thread. But the Treebeard is so lovely and fine and dreamy that I press on.
It took two days to tat the second row because The Sprout hasn't been napping. So adjust, I must. Please bear with me (and my frazzled nerves) while I carve out "me time" that doesn't involve losing sleep.
Debbie Arnold © 2002
Started, found errors, retro-tatted and started again three times. And then noticed that I had attached to the wrong picot at the very start! So instead of cutting it off and starting over, I tatted around to the beginning and carefully snipped off the first repeat and tatted from the end over the cut away section.
Good gracious! I hope the rest of this project goes more easily or else my sanity is doomed!
Isn't it funny how the simplest things can be the ones that drive you nuts?
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty thread. It looks like trees with the leaves just coming out.
You've carved out enough time for a beautiful start to that doily. The colors are SO pretty!
ReplyDeleteMy Baby Doll also gave up her nap in the last month or so (she is 2.5). The nice thing for me is that no nap has meant an earlier, easier bedtime so IF I have my ducks in a row when she goes to bed at night, I can grab my "me time" then. I've also been taking my tatting outside since the weather has been pretty and have been tatting while she plays in the dirt.
:) Ann
Miranda, the thread with the green in it is LadyShuttleMaker's HDT in size 50. It is called Treebeard.
ReplyDeleteThank you for asking. I had forgotten to include that info in my post. Must add it now!
How do you spell obsessive? LOL! You sound like my inside -the -head- tatting-chat-station!
ReplyDeleteLove that green thread - I have a little bit left and will probably get some more of it.
I always have that two size thread dilemma as well. Most of my stash is #20, but I have recently added some other sizes and that is where the process begins....
Your stitches are lovely and consistent. Lovely tatting.
Fox : )
Sewmuchfun4, now why didn't I think of tatting in the sunshine while The Sprout plays? I will try it.
ReplyDeleteFox, you can relate? Were we secretly separated at birth?
I thought that might be Treebeard. I've got some too, but mine must be from a different batch, because it's a lot lighter. Sherry does such gorgeous threads.
ReplyDeleteTatskool commented:
ReplyDeleteYour doiley is going to be so pretty, don't give up. It's going to be a joy to watch as it grows.