Widor project on to the next phase

You know how you get a song stuck in your head? Well, I have a registration stuck in my head. I attended the Angela Kraft Cross concert last weekend. I know one of the pieces she played well. It was required to learn if you were in the studio I was in during College. The tune isn’t that catchy; it’s just chords and not much else. What is stuck in my head is the registration. It wasn’t rocket science; the organ is not large. It just sounded so good! So French! So right!

Fortunately for the family, I don’t own the score anymore. They were spared me playing the section using different stops on the organ here at the house. Still, guess what I’ll be hearing as I tat. Hopefully it won’t distract me and cause errors to creep in. I’d like to finish the next section of the Frauberger triangle.

At any rate, I do wish the travelers a good journey to record in France.What a fun trip it will be!

Happy Birthday Stephanie

It is with great pleasure that I wish my daughter, Stephanie, a Happy Birthday. 

I am proud of what she has accomplished in her life. She is growing into a wonderful adult. Happy Birthday!

We’re working on another room in the house now. This one is a room we use daily, so we’ve moved those activities into another room. I haven’t been using the room to do my tatting or music activities, so I really have no excuse for not being able to find things. It’s time to just do some cleaning up, organizing, and all that boring stuff.

While I’m doing that, I’ll be thinking about how rings and chains that arc can be put together for squares and triangles. 

The Celtic project

That sounds devilish doesn’t it?

I just wanted to tat a pattern using the Celtic Knot technique. 

Celtic Picot Mat by Jennifer Williams

This is what I came up with.

I know the scan is a bit hard to see detail, but that’s because I broke the software for the printer…..again! I just couldn’t manage to get it all sorted. Another task for another day.

I am pleased with the addition of the sequins to this pattern. And I do like the way the pattern flows. It was a bit wonky while working on it, but as the last few joins fell into place, it worked just fine! 

Who knew?

I can see uses for this in my designs. Maybe something on the Bach Trio Sonatas. Maybe something with ornamentation like Daquin. 

Today is all about organ. I know it’s a change, but the news is too good.

cover of April issue of the magazine for AGO members

This is the organ that went in last fall. It’s about 5 miles from my home. I’ve had the pleasure of playing it several times now. It’s a gem! If you’re in the area, please consider taking the time to hear it, or even play the instrument. The next in the recital series is April 10 at 4 PM. Angela Kraft Cross will be sharing part of her Widor project.

The magazine is gratis to members of the AGO. Usually, they put select articles from the magazine on their website. I hope they do. I’ll let you know with a link if they post this one.

Thinking outside the round

Perhaps it’s because music is typically printed in square or rectangular format, but I’ve always been drawn to square shapes in tatting. No, I guess that can’t be the reason. Could be I’m just all angles and points. Regardless, when a friend showed me a copy of Workbasket from the 70’s, I had to try this from the tatting page:

Tatted Scarf Square from Workbasket

I thought that the onion ring corners might turn out better than my previous attempts at onion rings. The picots joining to the chains help. I rather like the negative space with the long picots from the center ring. I have a list of possibilities to dress that area up: beads, twisting, complex chains, maybe even daisy picot style wrapping. I left the square unblocked so that I could remember the issues working through the pattern easier. The center ring was a bit difficult to keep from twisting around as I tat the DS separated by so many picots. The chains forming the onion layers tended to wander away from where they were supposed to be due to the picots joining. Overall, I do like the basic structure. I’ll be writing up my notes and practicing making diagrams with this little bit.

Could that be a doily pattern?

If you read my ramblings for long, you know I love a good sunrise. There’s nothing like a cup of tea or coffee while watching the sky light up! The colors can be spectacular, the play of light always delivers.

branch on pine tree with cones forming

The other day, the sunrise wasn’t very colorful. Not a cloud in the sky. Not even a contrail from a jet. Nada. Rien. Nicht. Normally the sun has been between the huge pine trees. The position of the sun at this time of year is behind a massive Live Oak tree. Love the name of that tree! Sorry, squirrel moment. 

I couldn’t even see the sun crest the horizon over the Santa Cruz hills.

That’s when I noticed how the shape of the tree looked circular….like a doily.

As the light grew brighter, more detail came visible. I began to see a pattern in the leaves….like a ring and chain combination.

Just a bit of aha to start the day. Of course, I had to browse the Dover reprint books I have for a doily pattern like my Sunrise through the Oak Leaves. Several fit the bill. Now I have to decide to drop the flag and start a monster doily (rewritten off course), or to stay on task. Tough choice for me! Squirrel!

Butterfly! Butterfly!

Celtic Knot Butterfly by Rozella F Linden

Well, I proved I could. I can needle tat passibly. This is the Celtic Knot Butterfly pattern from Rozella F. Linden’s book Celtic Tatting Knots & Patterns published in 2004 by Handy Hands.

We discovered in the Tatting Study Group that there were some errors corrected in my copy. I guess I have a later printing than the other ladies. So, much of time last Tuesday was spent proofing for pattern errors. I must say, that has to be the part of designing I absolutely detest! My eyes start to cross very quickly!

Anyway, I’m not entirely happy with my work on this butterfly. It has nothing to do with the pattern, nor using needle rather than shuttle. I chose the wrong size thread for the outer round of black. It just doesn’t work for the pattern. I may try again; after I work up a square motif that was shared with me at the last Carmel Craft Guild meeting. Thank you Nancy!