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Thursday, December 20, 2018

The next gift


I can’t decide!
I have worked some snowflakes from this book in the Metallic. I quite like how they look. They are stiff enough without starch to use on a tree or hanging in a window. I’ll share pictures after blocking. And making my decision…..

Originally, I thought I would use them around an ornament. I still may. Must decide….

Practice comes first for the next few days. Christmas is coming. Have you found all the gifts you’ve squirrelled away? And do you know where your metronome is?

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

My Pantone challenge


I finally get to share what I’ve been working on. At least this gift:




The challenge was to use the Pantone color that has been associated with your Secret Santa person. I used Candlewicking thread for the band and the tatting. Not ideal, but good colors. The darker color used in the snowflake was the target. As usual, there was a bit of learning curve with this project!

Tablet weaving is tough on my wrists, so I started and stopped a lot. That translates to mistakes. A lot. Didn’t hesitate to cut the band up and I found a nice fabric to compliment. Sewing it on didn’t work as well as I like, but I hope it will be used. It’s not meant to be an heirloom, but a frequently used item. I have a friend who dusts the house with her loom samples!

Snowflake 8 from Festive Snowflakes & Ornaments
The thread was not as tightly plied as I usually tat with. That required extra attention with every DS. To get the colors in the proper place on the snowflake, the pattern ended up needing quite a few SLT. The advantage of using such a soft thread is that those knots end of disappearing into the piece. I plan to use this pattern quite a bit. It looks good in thread! I wonder how it will look in the metallic thread???

On to the next gift……

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

What's coming up in 2019


I’ve been trying to focus my energies for 2019. Unsuccessfully. I’ve got just too, too many ideas!
Here’s a few:
Teach more people about the organ with a workshop/class on the physics used in organ building.
Play the organ more in different locations.
Teach more people to tat.
Create documentation of original patterns.
Create pieces for display/sale in galleries.
Oh, and keep up the snail’s pace of remodeling/restoring the house and property.
That’ll keep me busy! What are you thinking of tackling in 2019?

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Destructions


I had a heart to heart with myself again. It’s tempting just to express opinions while writing a blog. But, like all very personal communications, those posts don’t always represent what I intend. So, here’s my pledge: I promise to keep my posts helpful and positive as much as possible. Of course, that means I need to keep up posting, even when life is giving me lemons.

So, the topic for today: destructions

I laughed out loud when I read this post. That’s what we called the instructions/manuals that came with anything requiring assembly or a learning curve to use. My Dad was a gifted technician in all things electronic. He was a tech whisperer before the term was even thought up. He just re-engineered what didn’t work the way he thought it should. That left the rest of the household trying to figure out how to change the volume on the record player; unlocking the front door in a specific order of pulls, key rotations, pushes and key removal; and my personal favorite, Dad not using my brand new electronic typewriter because he wouldn’t read the instructions I unpacked. It also meant that we had a stack of computer programming cards to play with and construct our card houses out of; more money in the bank because Dad could fix or patch up anything; and conversations with people all over the world before chat rooms existed. In his view of the world, instruction manuals were for dummies.

So what have I been doing lately? Writing destructions for pattern ideas. That’s including learning a graphic program so that I can create diagrams to go along with the text. I find I execute a pattern better if I have both. I’ve given up creating good photographs. The brain just doesn’t see focus and light well enough and I spend way too much time taking and editing photos. That’s best left to those who have those skills.

I’m not nearly ready to share any of those destructions. In order to have a prayer of turning this idea of music as thread art into a reality, my designs are quite complicated and specific. If I do come up with something that I think others would enjoy tatting to use as gifts or enjoy creating their own riff, I’ll let you know here where you can find those destructions.

A long winded way to say, nothing to see here, pick up you needle or shuttle and tat. Well, and maybe find something to ammuse you and reduce your stress.

And oh by the way, the lemons are ripe. Anybody want to come pick some and help with the limoncello? You must be willing to taste test……

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

I created another design element


That’s how I’m looking at it. In the cold hard light of day, it’s a mistake:

Musicians who start playing a piece in one key with their brain still in the previous key can relate.

I’m working a snowflake while keeping at the insertion. The rings in the snowflake are R: 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 . The small rings in the insertion are R: 4 – 4 – 1 – 4 – 4 . I did manage to make all 4 picots the correct length, but I put 4 DS in the center section instead of 1 DS. Sigh. I’m too far along to take it out. I’m counting on the pass along the other edge pulling things enough into shape that when I sew the tatting onto the blouse, all will be adjusted. I hope….

So, instead of just I – IV – V – I , I’ll put that extra vi chord in.