Fussing with stitch count

 Normally, I dislike patterns I need to fuss with to make it work for my tatting style. That’s probably why I don’t tat more vintage patterns. I figure if a designer puts down a ring of 8 DS, I shouldn’t need to tat only 7 DS to make the final piece lay flat or look right. I understand that I tat tighter than many tatters. So, when I come across a pattern that doesn’t work with the published stitch count, I assume (yes, I know a dangerous stance) that something isn’t right.

I came across a pattern in a book of crosses that I’ve wanted to explore for some time. The end points of each arm/leg/top are split rings. Easy enough, right? Well, the pattern as published has those split rings with 8 DS on each side. One side has 3 picots, so if you do picots the Jan Stawasz way, that changes how many times the thread wraps around the core. I tried the pattern both ways. It was no go. I used a different tension. No go. I even tried using a different brand of thread that is just ever so less a diameter. No go. I finally just changed the stitch count.

Why should this matter so much?

Because my design style depends on stitch count. There are some pieces I design with stitch count driven by the music structure. Well, I learned something very valuable with this pattern:

If I need stitch count to matter, I should steer clear of certain elements.

During Christmas

Ah Christmas….

I love Christmas. As a musician, it’s a great time to join in the general fun of carols and music. And music is a huge part of celebrating the Holidays.

I tend to unplug from just about every “normal” activity during Christmas. Today being the 9^th Day of Christmas, I figured I could pick up blogging again.

 Here’s what I completed tatting

Not finished yet. Which reminds me….

finishing…..

That word tends to strike terror into some stitcher’s hearts. Well, I’ve discovered that a lot of the finishing involved in tatted pieces really happens as you tat. You can hide ends with loops, you can tat snugly so blocking is minimal, and you can work loops for hanging and such into the pattern. Easy-peasy!!

Incidently, I tried to strategically place black beads as I was loading the clear beads for these guys. Makes ‘em look beady-eyed. Pun intended!

Fair 2017 time!

A busy few days! I’ve enjoyed sharing my love of fiber arts! It’s so much fun seeing people get excited about creating. So many people wandered in and left with a bounce to their steps. It’s just plain fun!

The marketing team for the Fair has focused on the anniversary of 1967 Summer of Love events that happened here in Monterey. I was not here. I lived in Oregon then. I was begging my Dad to take my training wheels off my bike. I was not participating in the newsworthy events here.

It’s been interesting to hear what people are focusing on. I’ve heard stories of teen escapades, family and friends exploring the World, and sad, horrible stories of tragedy. To those families, I extend support to move on and make the world a better place.

Personally, I have no wish to return to that era. I like living in the present. I have a hard time with Living History. Maybe it’s my life as a musician playing 7 centuries worth of music in one day on a regular basis.  I don’t like dressing in costumes and using modern tools to tat. If I really wanted to be true to technique, I would be limited to post 1970 era. That’s not to say that tatting hasn’t been around a long time, just that I use modern shuttles, modern thread, modern joins, modern colors, etc. The future invigorates me. I go crazy trying to recreate the past. I get crazy creating the future.

Today, I’ll be helping out with the Embroidery Guild table. They’re a great group of ladies and several men who love fiber. There are those who stitch who spend a lot of energy “doing it right” and there are those who create and learn and dream. I’ve enjoyed learning with them. Time to pack a tatting bag and a stitching bag!