1) The visual 'pattern' that appears as I tat is more important to me than what the final object will be. I can be working on a small motif that will be finished in a day or two, or a doily that has many rounds, as long as the lace that is appearing is exciting.
2) I am afraid the result of the above attitude will be lots of UnFinished Objects over my tatting lifetime!!!???? So far, I tend to start new projects before finishing the old ones.
3) I have a hard time keeping my thread clean. I am in and out of the house all day... the outside work is 'dirty work'.. around animals, dirt, and the various things found in chickenhouses and barns. I am in the habit of putting on an apron or tying a towel around my waist when I cook the meals during the day, but for some reason, it never dawned on me to do the same when I am holding the ball of thread and tatting work! So, I now have my tatting work/supplies in a very pretty vintage apron... and when I have a few moments during the day to tat, I lay it all out on my lap. It can be rolled up quickly when I have to go back to work.
4) I found out you can't tat very well laying down! Or at least I can't! I tried needle tatting a butterfly several evenings ago, and it was a disaster! This would be a very good 'technique' to master... as I wait up for hubby many evenings during the summer when it is haying season. He bales the winnows of hay into large round bales in the evenings from supper to midnight... when the hay is a bit 'toughened up' as the day cools off. I am a 'worry-wart' (there have been a few 'terrible' baler accidents/deaths that have given me nightmares) and so I stay awake while he is out. I can see many of the hay fields from our bedroom window, and so I look out every few moments to see if his tractor lights are still going around and around the field. I am hoping tatting will relax my mind while I wait... but I might have to sit in a comfy chair by the window!
5) I will confess to making some very embarrassing mistakes! There is usually lots of activity going on around me as I tat.... and my mind isn't sharp enough to think on more than one thing at a time... so when my fingers are tatting along without my head, LOOK OUT! We were watching a movie last night, and here is what resulted:
I mean: you would think I would have caught this mistake before I FIRMLY closed the ring!
This was shuttle tatted in 20 thread, quite tightly... and so I think I will simply cut it off and start over. :(
6) The hardest thing for me is to find the 'just right' color of thread! At least four or five times, I have actually changed the pattern I was planning because there just didn't seem to be a thread in my box that fit that particular pattern.
4 comments:
I avoid getting dirty... Dave does the gardening, Carol does the cleaning, and I tat! I guess I'm really a city girl living in the country. However, I do have an apron somewhere...
Save the tats!! You can retro this one - with only a couple of rings and chains (or only 1 each?) to go, why not cut the shuttle thread with about 1 yard or so (enough to finger tat the last bits), loosen the ring by spreading the legs of the last picot and pulling the shuttle thread out through there (got hackle pliers? small smooth needle nose?) You should be able to undo without undue thread abrasion even with tight tatting. I'm a tight tatter myself, and this works for me anyway.
That is one of the reason I tat in my room - pathetic I know. Others are ok because I can easily take out the stitches.
Anyway, I've got to answer all these tags and award thingy. just too plain tied up and ppl are really being such a pain in the butt. arghhhh!!
I'm so particular about getting my tatting dirty after learning to tat in my teens and not being so particular, I got sick of having to launder every piece I did. Plus when I had cats I would tat cat hair in...ewwww....gross, I know, well, that doesn't happen anymore! LOL! That's a great solution to put your tatting in a clean apron.
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