Pursuing the Perfect Picot



Another perfect day on the Farm



At the beginning of June, my friend Mary and I ventured north again to our friend Luann’s place, The Nestle Inn, for a weekend visit and for the circular sock knitting machine retreat in nearby Coleman.  We did the usual gabbing, eating, tech-talk and crafting. This time, the subject of tatting was high on the list. 

 

Out for a jog



I shared my news about discovering needle tatting through a cousin of mine and both were intrigued.  Mary, who is well connected in just about everything, including the lace making world, told us about the upcoming Great Lakes Lace Group, Inc. guild meeting and sale in Farmington, MI.  



Bobbin Lace





Bobbin Lace Close-up





Bobbins



By a stroke of luck, the Great Lakes guild sale was to take place the following weekend,  June 9th – perfect timing and location!  Mary, her visiting cousin, and I were able to attend while Luann stayed back to tend to the Inn and farm. As you can see from the pictures, it was an awe-inspiring event.  There were ladies demonstrating and some even gave free bobbin lace mini-lessons to those interested.  We asked lots of questions and did a lot of jaw dropping! 



Tatted Earrings



Tatted Blanket



Tatted LaceTrim





Learn the Easy Art of
Needle Tatting and More
by Barbara Foster
Handy Hands, Inc.



Meanwhile, around the corner and down the hall from the display area, we found the conference room where the sale was taking place.  It was filled with oodles of supplies for most needle crafts; books, thread, yarns, needles, shuttles and bobbins galore, even knitting supplies. 

UH OH!  I feel "new hobby fever" coming on!  <swoon>  We found the tatting needles, tatting threads of all weights and sizes, and books and DVDs on the subject.   Mary and I picked up supplies for ourselves and a little sumpin' sumpin' for Luann.  We came away with a pretty decent haul.  After a reviving snack of delicious guild-supplied homemade treats and a cup of coffee we got our strength back and headed home with our stashes. 

Over the last few months, several attempts at using the tatting shuttle have been made with little success.  For me, it's a coordination thing.  Being a true lefty, learning to hold the shuttle (right-handed) and manipulate the yarns with the correct tension in my left is a futile endeavor at this point.  To say the least, it's a humbling experience.

As soon as I got home from the sale, I began studying how to use the needle.  I had purchased a how-to DVD and began working along with the video.  After a few small samples, I was convinced.  I think I’ve found the needle method is the one for me!!  <sigh of relief> 



Needle Tatted Medallion
Very First Tatted Project



Well, there are lots of mistakes in my samples and the picots are far from perfect but I am working on it!  At least I have something to show for the effort and I’m finally beyond only being able to do the double stitch!

I haven’t given up on the shuttle; in fact, I want to learn it now more than ever.  I will definitely give it another try after I master the stitches using the needle.  I also love the idea that beads can be added using a needle or a shuttle.  Woo hoo!  Lace and beads!  What more could a girl want!

   

Needle Tatted Medallion - Project 2



Another relaxing visit with Luann at the Inn and farm this last weekend produced these two samples... it's great to learn in a positive and nurturing environment with a couple of good friends, even if one friend could only attend via Skype.   



Lace Trim for a blouse - Project 3



D.I.Y.

Do It Yourself... Master Bedroom floor reinforcement-replacement and electrical upgrade from knob and tube.

Sister boarding the joists for added strength and leveling.
Upgrading all outlets and light fixtures from knob and tube wiring
(all on one circuit - yikes) to Romex and multiple circuits

Living in a construction zone is always a challenge and a good test of a marriage.  The challenge is finding the time to get it done, finding a temporary spot for all of the displaced items (including us!), keeping every day items nearby for easy access and keeping the entire house as debris-free as possible.  All the while hoping the budget planned for is sufficient but realistically expecting it to be double or even triple the original estimate, especially when renovating an antique house.

The Mad Tatter

In January of 2012, my friends and I got together for a girls’ retreat at our dear friend’s bed and breakfast in Beaverton, northwest of Midland, Michigan.  Luann opened her home to us and closed her business during that week so that we could visit as long as we wanted with no guests to be concerned about.  We had so much fun catching up, staying up late, sleeping-in, eating, weaving, spinning, eating, knitting, sewing, baking and eating, crocheting, and learning to tat.  It was hard to believe how fast the time flew by.  Did I mention eating?    Oh yeah, and the chores… feeding the animals, feeding the wood-burning furnace (thank you, Luann, for keeping us warm!!) and the shoveling of snow. 

  Nestle Inn Bed & Breakfast - Beaverton, MI Luann O'Dell, Owner  

Since then, I have fondly revisited our gathering multiple times in my memory.  Although the temperatures were well below freezing that week, we had warm hearts all around.  On our second or third day together, Mary lovingly gifted Luann with a tatting kit, including an instructional book with DVD and two tatting shuttles.  It was such a sweet and unexpected surprise!  Luann was so tickled that she immediately popped the DVD in the player and we watched it together while the two of them started practicing.

As the video played on, I mentioned that “someday” I hope to learn to tat also, stating that it will have to be put off for another time since I have so many other projects going right now, but it's on my bucket list.  Despite our distraction with the thread knotting and shuttles flying,  I didn't realize Mary caught my comment.  Within a month following our get-together, I also received a gift pack from Ms. Mary,  my very own tatting kit!!  Thank you again Mary, what a sweetheart - I hope to make you proud! 

It had been several months since receiving my generous gift and I am still stuck on learning the basics – the double stitch, chains and rings. I need to graduate to picots and joining rings, since I’m way behind my peers. Tatting is the ultimate craft for the perfectionist. There are many types of shuttles to try and patterns to learn.  It takes patience and daily dedication to teach oneself the muscle memory for creating proper tension and consistent stitches –  something I have not been good at upholding. 

While testing my nerves with this craft, I realized all too well how my eye sight is not what it used to be and I became a bit overwhelmed with the vision issue compounded by the attempt to teach "my left-handed self" to perform right-handed shuttle tatting.  Manipulating the shuttle over and under the thread while maintaining tension requires dexterity that my less-than-adept right hand can produce.  It’s making me a little crazy but it’s better to force myself to learn this way since the majority of patterns are written for right-handed tatters.  At this point, it’s a love/hate relationship.  Several attempts at creating rings have produced little to no progress, certainly nothing worth picturing on the blog, so I have set the shuttle aside for another day……

The Third Time is the Charm

They say that most anything you’ve learned in the past is like riding a bicycle; the mind and muscles remember (eventually).  When it comes to knitting, it’s the mind where I have the trouble.  Sure, I can make the stitches and I can be consistent with my tension but when it comes down to remembering how to execute a series of stitches to create a cable, remembering how to do short rows for shaping a garment, or how to do a Kitchener stitch to close the toe on a sock, I have to reteach myself every time.  All I can say is thank GOODNESS for YouTube!!!

Image used with permission.

Image and Design by, Melissa Morgan Oakes

for Valley Yarns ©2007



In March, 2011, I was so excited to have found a beautiful cabled cardigan pattern by Melissa Morgan-Oakes, pictured on her Ravelry.com page, and sold for her by Webs in Massachusetts.  It’s not only an attractive and fairly easy pattern, it’s also figure complimentary because of how the cables cause the sweater to pull in at the waist (where there is none on this body). 

I immediately purchased and downloaded the pattern and chose Webs’ Colrain yarn in a luscious burgundy, heavy worsted Merino/Tencel.  Once the yarn and needles came in the mail, I swatched and discovered I needed larger needles to meet gauge than what the pattern called for.  Unfortunately, the Size 7 needles I required were on backorder through Webs. Luckily for me though, the Knit-A-Round knit shop is only 30 minutes away so I drove over and bought the cable needles from them. 

Life took over that spring and summer and the project ended up on the back burner.  When I finally got back to it, it was January, 2012.  It had been so long since I knit anything.  I started knitting the garter-stitch border and I was sure it wasn’t right so I tore it out (all 200 stitches) and started over. 

Second attempt:  I began with gusto, knitting along until I got to the cables.   It seems I’ve let my knitting skills go too long.  I had issues with the cable pattern but I finally figure it out. (Note to self:  always swatch the cable pattern too so you know what the heck to expect!) 



Second attempt with faulty needles

The new size 7 needles were the Addi Turbo lace needles with the finer points -- nice to work with and something I really miss in regular Addi Turbos.  As I worked along though, I discovered my yarn was snagging on the joins where the needle and the cable came together.  I carefully continued on but it was a real hassle.  I got about 14-1/2 inches done and thought to take a picture.  When I laid out the sweater, I could see it… all those snagged spots with uneven tension where the yarn got hung up on the joins.  Ohhhhh nooo!

So, I drove to the Knit-A-Round hoping they would exchange them for me.  YES!!  No issue on the exchange.  However, they didn’t have any Size 7, 32-inch cables in the store so I had to wait until the next order came in....  One month later, I got the call and picked up the needles. 

Time to make a decision.  I debated and asked friends, what would they do if it was their sweater?  Everyone agreed, if it was their sweater they could not wear it with so many flaws and would start over.  I knew in my heart of hearts this is what I had to do but I also cringed at the thought of ripping out 14-1/2 inches of work.  Well, it turns out that the third time IS the charm...  so far so good!

One pair new needles and 5 rewound balls later...

10 inches closer to done!

A Change of Scenery

For our entire marriage my husband has been telling me about the beautiful Superstition Mountains outside of Phoenix, AZ.   I recently had an opportunity to meet up with him for a long weekend out in Phoenix.



Saguaro Cactus on rocky cliff above Apache Trail






We drove into the mountains for a relaxing day in the Tonto National Forest and nearby Lost Dutchman State Park. 

Lots of Very Large Cacti (this one is nearly
5 feet tall)









Everything he raved about over the last 20 years was no exaggeration. I hope to go back again soon with all my camera equipment to capture the desert in full bloom.


Desert Flowers







The Craggy Earth

What an austere, yet hauntingly beautiful landscape!

 

The Wash Outside of Tortilla Flat (Pop. 6)

 

Canyon Lake







Speed Limit Advised



My Newest Haul

Spinner's Flock Winter Fleece Fair - Beech Middle School
Chelsea, Michigan

On February 18th, I met up with a couple of my good friends to attend the Spinner's Flock February 2012 Winter Fleece Fair in Chelsea, Michigan.  It's an annual sale that is always full of beautiful Michigan grown fibers, Michigan handspun yarns and lots of exotic fibers.  There are plenty of books, magazines and patterns for knitting, crochet, weaving and spinning for sale.  There is always new and used equipment for sale as well.  It's the perfect way to cure "cabin fever" in February with all the bright colors, the soft and warm fibers and yarns, and of course all the delightfully warm-hearted fiber artists from our region.  We look forward to it every year.

Spinner's Flock 2012 Winter Fleece Fair Purchase

This year I had a "small haul" but it is beautiful nonetheless. The burgundy, blue-gray, and bright multi-colored rovings are from one of my most talented good friends, Edie Bowles.  Her farm is called Spinning Moon Farm and she has a shop on Etsy. 

I kept waiting for the sun to shine to take advantage of the good light outside on the porch in order to best display the incredible colors.  But alas, the weather wouldn't cooperate; it would be windy, cloudy or snowy.  I decided I'd better just go ahead and take the picture inside since it's been nearly 3 weeks... the picture doesn't do it justice!  Anyway, I can't wait to spin it all.

My First Inkle Weaving

My First Inkle weaving…  

Schacht Inkle Loom - a gift from the Hetter Family


I always wanted an Inkle loom. Thank you to the Hetter family for your generous gift!  I will treasure Mrs. Florence Hetter's inkle loom knowing that she had made beautiful items on it for her family and friends.  I look forward to doing the same for mine. 

My First Inkle Weaving - Close up

I took my first inkle loom class on-line today with Daryl Lancaster through Weavolution, an Internet weavers’ network. 

What a joy!  I can hardly wait to design my own trim, ribbons, bands, belts, shoe laces... the possibilities are endless!