Friday, February 18, 2011

Getting To Third Base

 
 Orsi said something interesting and it has caused me re-evaluate something I stated a few days ago. I used the word 'bored,' but in fact I think that might be wrong.  Orsi's comment was:

I don't get bored with repetition, but I am really impatient. I can't understand, why things aren't done in the minute.
I think that may be more to the point, as I definitely love the process of tatting and the rhythm I find I get into.  It is almost meditative - no - it IS meditative.

All right, maybe not bored, however, I am a bit disgruntled when I pick up this piece, as there is still quite a lot of tatting to do.  Disgruntled works for me!

Being a tad worried about getting the white dirty, I tried putting the tatted bit in a sandwhich bag, leaving just the part I am working on sticking out.

Drove me crazy!  Plus, it seemed heavier that way; it seemed that being all folded up gave the thread more mass. And the plastic bag felt awful.  What do you do to keep tatting clean?

Because I tend to tat around meal hours, I have to be very careful that there is none of my repast on any  digits!

14 comments:

  1. Well Fox, I would say having clean hands, I wash mine before I start to tat, and if I eat something while tatting I get up and go and wash them again. Also I have a cover that I put over my lap as I have a lovely snuggle blanket to keep me warm but the bits get into my tatting. Bags dont work for me at all, the ball or the tatting would possible fall out. When I have finished I wash all my tatting even if it looks clean. Always put your tatting away in a bag or something to keep it clean until you have time to start tatting again.

    I think I sound fussy I am not but years of experience and making something pnly to find there is a mark or stain and it wont come out has taught me to be careful

    Margaret

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  2. I fold or roll up my tatting, and cord it with a ribbon. If you think it isn't safe enough, you can put the whole thing in a little piece of chiffon and cord after that.

    Yes, it feels heavier, but you can hold it in your palm.

    Your edging is wonderful! Still love it.

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  3. You're halfway there! It will be over before you know it, and then you'll be missing this pattern!

    I keep my tatting in a bag when I'm not working on it, but I've never tried having it in the bag while I'm working. I do sometimes work with the ball in a plastic bag. It seems to only get about half the amount of cat hair on it when I do that. Of course, I almost never work in white, and that's one of the reasons why.

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  4. I think this is the reason so many of us don't like large projects - we like to make it but we want to see it DONE!
    Working in white is always chancy for me. I have to wash my hands very thoroughly before starting and then, maybe, again while I'm working. And make sure the hands are very dry. I have a small bag of snowflakes that I put up at work, a somewhat dirty environment, because they don't look clean, somehow got that way while I was making them. Where I put them at work no-one can tell they aren't completely white.
    Your edging is looking beautiful. May your hands stay clean and your thread stay white!

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  5. >>I can't understand, why things aren't done in the minute.

    +1000000 ))))
    The same problem )

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  6. I end up soaking it in OxyClean if it's light colored and big. Smaller things usually aren't in hand long enough to get dirty but sometimes I soak those too. I've used the plastic bag too. That reminds me, when I tatted the cross for my granddaughter's baptism, I somehow got a tiny drop of spaghetti sauce on it. I immediately rinsed it and washed the spot but it only faded into a bigger spot. So when I was done tatting, I soaked it. This is the one with the pretty pink beads - which turned white. So your fear is real!

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  7. Fox, no desesperes. Es precioso la puntilla para pañuelo realmente HERMOSO

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  8. Zoom zoom - you actually are getting this done at the rate of knots...... :)
    Remind me again of which pattern it is? - I'm getting quite fond of it.
    (the verification word is "hapness" - seems appropriate!)

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  9. Maureen, This is Iris Niebach's "Gardenia". It is a lovely pattern to tat.
    Fox : )

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  10. I did enough edging to go around the veil of a co-worker, about 120 inches of lace in size 80 thread, and only worked on it at lunch time, at work. After the first couple of feet I wound it around an empty thread spool and pinned it with a straight pin. Then I put it in a zip lock bag. I didn't want a massive blocking job and by wrapping it around the spool, it kept it from getting rumpled, while the bag kept it clean. I unwound about a foot of lace when I wanted to work on it so that the weight of it was laying on the table or in my lap. I found it much less obtrusive that way. I always washed before I started work on it and that way, it was still pristine when it was done. The 44 inches needed for a hanky only takes about a week which isn't long enough for it to get really dirty anyway.

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  11. Sharon, The spool is a terrific idea.

    I am back to coping with the plastic sandwich bag and you are right - I will be finished shortly, so barring any smudges of peanut-butter, all should be okay.
    Fox : )

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  12. You know, I guess I have to say the same thing... it's not boredom - it's lack of patience.

    Oh, I'm a very patient person with other people... just not with myself LOL

    I'm an Obsessive Compulsive when it comes to working with thread. If my hands haven't been washed just before I sit down then I have to go wash them *even if they were washed not 5 minutes before. if I thought I touched something.. you get the idea*.

    Also, this is especially important to me if I'm working with white... I lay a clean towel on my lap and lay the thread on it... so between constant hand-washing and a clean towel my white stays crispy white.

    I fold it up in the towel when I'm not working with it, that way I can remember which side of the towel was tat-friendly and both the towel and the project stay clean.

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  13. Keep working! At the end you'll have a big satisfaction!

    Bye

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  14. It may seem to be drudging along, but you are making great progress. Try to focus on the next immediate goal (...three more repetitions and I reach the corner!) and before you know it, finished!

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