Searching for a square

I had an idea the other day where I wanted a tatted square. I reviewed some of my pattern books, looked through patterns and projects on Craftree, and paged through pictures on Pinterest. I didn’t see any that was quite what I had in mind so I started doodling.

1st try at a square

I do better designing with thread in my hands than I do with either pen and paper or computer screen. I can envision the end result better and I can change things up as I go to see what works and what doesn’t. My first try was in size 10 thread. You can see where I made a few changes as I went along. It ended up okay, but there were a few things I was disappointed with. 

2nd try at a square in size 20

I was a bit happier with my second try in size 20 thread, though it still wasn’t quite what I had envisioned. I made a couple of these squares, adjusting the stitch count slightly, which made it closer to my ideal, but still no.

3rd try at a square in size 30

I tried a third time, now in size 30. Making thrown rings off the center chains changed the look a lot, which changed up what I ended up doing on the outside round, too.  This square made me much happier, though the center ‘poofed’ up a bit. A slight stitch count change and blocking flatted it out a bit.

Three squares

The change in thread size is quite obvious here.  Which one do you like the best?

6 squares together

Here are six of the small squares joined together. Even with all the thread ends still attached and not blocked I was pleased how it was working out.

9 squares together

I am satisfied with it now there are nine squares together. With the strings trimmed and having been blocked, the patterns created by the joined squares are visible. It looks better at a distance I think. (Not due to bad tatting but to see the patterns!) You can see how small it is in contrast to the regular-sized Clover shuttles.

9 squares with an edging

The joined squares didn’t appear finished so I added an edging around it and blocked it again.  It looks completed now. I can see I wasn’t directly above when I took this picture, it doesn’t look as square and even as it actually is.

The finished doily is 5 1/2 inches across made in size 30 DCM ecru thread. Why in such small thread? Because I have several balls of it that I have thought I should use for something.  I suppose I could join a few more squares together – a lot more! – and make a tablecloth or something.

Maybe not. That would take me forever!

“A good goal is like a strenuous exercise – it makes you stretch.” Mary Kay Ash

Pink vacation doily

Pink vacation doily start

I started this doily on the trip home from our Colorado vacation this year. The thread is size 10 Lizbeth #621 Dusty Rose Light. I hadn’t realized it was size 10 when I grabbed the ball before the vacation, but I was glad it was. It made it much easier to see and work with while traveling, as it was cloudy and rainy almost all the way home causing the light to be a bit uncertain. The larger size thread and the light color were great to work with in those conditions.

I came up with this center, not certain it was just a center. When I got this far I decided I’d try another round, see where it went.

Pink vacation doily round 4

My aim while tatting this was to keep it simple, something to keep my hands busy and still see some of the passing scenery without having to think too hard. I know that the scenery along I80 in western Nebraska isn’t all that interesting, but you never know what you might see when traveling. This fourth round fit the bill of not having to think too much.

Then it was a question of “is this done?” I decided the answer was “no” and tried another round.

Pink vacation doily 5th round

This round was easy also, the most complicated part – besides keeping the count right – was the Josephine rings and they aren’t hard.  I think this last round gives it a nice finished look. The size 10 thread leaves it at about 5 1/2 inches across.

I want to do this in size 20 though that will make the overall size smaller. I suppose it can be a coaster instead of a doily.

“Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs.” Susan Sontag
www.brainyquote.com

I resemble this remark 🙂

Colorado tatting

The last week of September my husband and I joined some friends of ours for a week in a cabin in Colorado. We have vacationed with this couple multiple times, they are very long time friends. Like all the other times we’ve vacationed with them, we had a fantastic time.

During the eight hour drive from our place to Fort Collins, Colorado where we spent our first night, I did a little tatting.

Blue thread medallion with finding center

For all that I try to have a variety of tatting threads and miscellaneous items with me when we travel, I’m never sure what I’m going to work on after we leave the house.  Once we were on the road and I delved into my travel stash I found this finding and a shuttle that had this size 20 blue Lizbeth thread. I had thought to bring the ball with me so was able to tat this piece. I finished it the first evening.

After we started through the mountains I didn’t tat much due to the marvelous view. I had been afraid all the aspens and willows would have already changed colors and possibly dropped all their leaves before we got there this year – we are two to three weeks later in the year than usual – but there was plenty of fall colors still showing. We were so busy that I barely touched my tatting for several days.

Dark purple medallion

The next time I picked up my shuttles I made this small medallion in purple size 20. This was not a good choice to tat with. It is such a dark color it was hard to see the stitches while in the cabin, especially when I made a mistake and had to untat. I did finally get it done.

Pink vacation doily in size 10

The next time I started a project I chose the lightest color thread I had with me, size 10 light pink. I hadn’t realized it was size 10 at first, but it was a good choice. I started this on the way home and didn’t finish it until after we got home. This picture is not of the finished doily, I’ll share that later.

The cabin we stayed at had several chipmunks that were extremely friendly. We could see right away that had been fed before. My friend immediately decided to buy a bag of critter food (seeds, peanuts, corn). These little critters kept us entertained the whole week with their antics.

Chipmunk advice

I had one chipmunk come to check out my tatting. When he saw it wasn’t anything to eat he abandoned me in search of more tasteful things.

Curious fox

We had another visitor. This fox would come by twice a day. He would pose for us and gave us time to admire him through the cabin windows.

Bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

Our cabin is on one end of Grand Lake, just down the road from the west entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. We bought a seven-day pass, which we used every day. There is a campground about 10 miles inside the par where it is very common to see elk, usually in the evening. One evening this magnificent bull elk was there keeping an eye on his harem. At one point he and one of his ladies ran past our truck so close he almost scratched the paint with his horns.

The trail to Cascade Falls

My husband and I took a hike one day on the trail to Cascade Falls. Did I mention that there was still a lot of fall color to be seen?

Colorado River west of Grand Lake

This is the Colorado River just before it enters Shadow Mountain Lake. My husband stopped the truck in the middle of the road so we could get this picture. The only thing I did to this picture is crop it to get rid of the window frame. I can hardly believe these gorgeous colors are real.

The timing for our vacation was right on. We caught the color change when we thought we would miss it. The weather was pretty warm for the end of September, but not hot. One week after we got home Trail Ridge Road, the highway through RMNP over the continental divide, closed due to snow.

It was such a wonderful vacation. But like all good things, it had to come to an end. We are now back to work with only memories – and a lot of pictures – to remind us of our beautiful week in the mountains.

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” Emily Bronte

Mignonette bag done

My mignonette bag was not forgotten, I just lost the tube of beads that I needed to finish it.

The good news is I found them and was able to finish the bag.

Mignonette bag finished

I only needed a small amount of thread so I used the smaller Clover shuttles to finish the bag. The top edge is hardly ruffled at all because I didn’t re-read the pattern for the number of beads suggested, I just used three on each chain. At the time I thought it was enough and later I wasn’t going to go back and do it again. I still do not have the pull string done, but that is a minor issue.

You can see that it ended up a bit on the narrow side. I’m thinking of using it to carry my lip balm, which fits quite nicely.

I am pleased with how this came out, and how easy it was. It is likely that I will use mignonette tatting again, maybe in one of my patterns.

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality.  The beginning, as you will observe, it in your imagination.” Napoleon Hill   www.brainyquote.com