Saturday 14 March 2015

Collecting Wisdom

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Working on Renulek’s Wiosna Doily 2015

One can learn so much when one comes across the right people, the right places, the right attitudes ! One stores little snippets somewhere in the grey niches, and at times they pop up like AHA moments .

(click on coloured, bold links for source)
I started Renulek’s Wiosna (Spring) Doily 2015 a few days back. And am finding myself applying tweaks & techniques that I read of / learned along the way. A lot of it was garnered from the tatting angels at InTatters (now Craftree), some from actually tatting patterns shared by experienced designers, some from blogs (posts & comments), and of course the numerous tutorials that have been shared.  I am truly grateful for all the combined & cumulative wisdom.

·        Flat Rings :
Adding a 2nd half stitch before closing rings helps them lay flat. (InTatters).
I now do this almost on a regular basis.

·        2 shuttles :
I am getting into the habit of using 2 shuttles, whether the pattern calls for it or not. It is much neater, convenient, & it opens up numerous options. One can switch shuttles when required (instead of making SLTs) . And one does not need to buy 2 balls of same thread !
Used this is even in round 3 & was happy ! Learned my lesson during last year’s Chrysanthemum Doily, where my natural tendency was to go with shuttle & ball wherever possible.

·        Hiding ends, customized :
As detailed in the post on Hiding ends sans sewing, I learned a few techniques. However, there was overwhelming opinion in favour of sewing down the ends. One cannot ignore combined wisdom ! Hence, although I still used MTT, Frivole’s hiding ends in the last chain, SSSR, etc., (because they eliminated that eye-sore Knot!), I also sewed in the end(s) to be safe, using Jon’s instructions on sewing.
I am happy with the combo & now have many options to choose from; and I Did use different methods in different roundsCustomized treatment, shall we say ?!
hiding ends - SSSR, sewing,  & adding tiny stabilizing picots
·        Tiny Picot to stabilize elements :
The 5-ring flowers in Round 5 were fiddly. My tatting experience with Jane Eborall’s TIAS 2015 & her Chicken Wing Coaster came to mind. I had been impressed by her use of a teeny tiny picot to anchor adjoining elements. Thought to give it a try here.
It Worked ! See how flat the flower lies, and it will be much easier to join the next round, even if I don’t iron it.
Working 2 rounds simultaneously
 ·        Hiding ends with SSSR :
Working the flowers separately, gave me the added advantage of being able to easily use SSSR to finish off the flowers. 
(I remember seeing a tut long time back, but don’t remember exactly who wrote that post …. She had used SSSRs to hide ends in jewelery tatting. Will add link when I find it)
'Lengthening' Thread functionality
·        ‘Lengthening’ the functionality of thread :
Joining a length of extension thread to tail end. Many a times you Know that there is enough thread to complete the next element, before reloading shuttle. But it is so difficult to handle & manoeuvre that short length that I always ended up cutting it off. Recently I recalled another tip from InTatters. Attach a piece of scrap thread to the end so that one has ample length to wrap around & work ! I joined this extension (tan thread in pic) using a weaver’s knot , thus giving me plenty of working & wrapping length !
In photo below, one can see the very very short tail left !

SCMR instead of normal ring to use up last length of thread
·        SCMR instead of normal ring !
I could see that there was enough thread to complete that single ring. But not possible to work a Normal ring. So, SCMR to the rescue ! Used the last length (with extension) as a chain thread, making a mock ring with Sh1 thread.


Abbreviations Used (in order of appearance) :
SLT : shoe lace trick
MTT : magic thread trick / magic loop
SSSR : single shuttle split ring
SCMR: self closing mock ring
Sh1 : shuttle #1
   
Isn’t it nice that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel ?!
All solutions are already floating around
– simply collect, collate, combine, cumulate –
and wait for them to waft into our conscious from the mental storage pool! 

12 comments:

  1. I love reading your posts and how you gather up information it is great! doily is lookin good!

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    1. Thanks :-) Putting up correct links, sources, etc. does take a lot of time, though it becomes an easy reference for the future.

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  2. Yes, I love the way tatters have come up with so many different ways to do things, and are willing to share them so that we can all learn new tricks!

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    1. So true, Jane :-) And this learning becomes a continuous and Interactive process .... It is what makes 'practice, practice, practice, ... ' really effective.

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  3. Great tips. Wish I had read this post before I made all those little flowers on the Renulek doily. I would have employed many of your suggestions.

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    1. Thank you so much ! But, see, That is the beauty & purpose of this title "Collecting wisdom". What I applied here was not meant specifically for this project. These are tips/tricks we come across during our reading, etc. without realising their immediate importance.
      So, I am Sure you will get plenty of opportunities in future tatting to use such shared pearls :-)

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  4. I wish I had anchored all those little flowers the way you did in the Renulek doily. I often 'tweak' patterns and DO that sort of thing, but usually I'll work the pattern 'as is' the first time I do it. Next time, I'll use a tiny picot - like you did. :-)
    StephanieW

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    1. Thanks, Stephanie :-)
      I, too, have been used to tatting a pattern as is. Now, with a little more techniques under my belt, I am starting to get a bit more confident in 'tweaking' to see what works best for me.
      And of course, all these tips are timeless :-)

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  5. Wow, I love the colors of the first doily, very inspiring. All your work is so perfect.

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