Tag: round robin

Tatted Bag Trial and Error

In July I started a Round Robin Doily through Craftree.  I tatted several of the centers for my doily trying to come up with one I was happy with.  The last sample that I made before I did one ‘for real’ is almost the same as the final except it has several places where I changed stitch counts which I didn’t go back and change.  It was a trial.  But it still looked pretty good.
So I thought I’d use it for another sample. I thought this center would look good as the bottom of a tatted bag.  At least as the bottom of a trial tatted bag.
Tatted Lace bag from Round Robin Doily Center, trying out some ideas for a tatted lace bag on wandasknottythoughts
Round Robin Doily center as the bottom of the bag.
The first few rounds went very close to my vision except for a few changes in stitch count.  As this is a trial and the stitch count change very minimal I didn’t go back and change them, just left it as tatted.
Tatted Lace bag from Round Robin Doily Center standing up, trying out several ideas for a tatted lace bag on wandasknottythoughts
Tatted bag sides
For whatever reason I made the split ring round a bit too big.  I had even started with smaller rings and changed my mind – I’m not sure what I was thinking.  I like the idea, but definitely need to change the counts there.
The bare thread sections at the top are a little too long, Well, they might not be when I finally get a material lining made.  That is material around a larger ball of thread inside the bag, filling it out so I can see what works and what doesn’t.  If it was the actual lining I suppose the tatting would be stitched to it and it would work/look better.
I had a lot of fun making this.  I’m not sure when I’ll get back to it to finish all the details and make a lining for it as there are a lot of other things waiting to be done.  But when I do I will already know a few places I need to change.  It should go faster and easier then.
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.”
Henry Ford

Random tatting

The zipper pulls on my purse are wearing out.  The purse has fake leather pulls which last okay, but the material that actually attaches to the zipper do not.  As these pulls are used a lot something needed to be done.
Original zipper pull on my purse
The plan was to get black grosgrain ribbon to go on the ring and tat around that.  The problem was there was no black grosgrain ribbon to be found anywhere in the stores I was able to check, including Hobby Lobby.  There were spaces on the shelves where this ribbon usually is but every place was out of the black.  There were a lot of other colors but of course nothing that matched or coordinated with my purse.
Except white.
White ended up the only other choice.  All the thread colors worked okay with it, but I think the black would have been better.
Tatted zipper pull on my purse on wandasknottythoughts.com
The pull is longer than the original, but that isn’t a problem.  The tatting is doubled so it looks the same on both sides, so no matter if the purse is open or closed the pulls hang with the tatting visible.
Thanks to Marilee Rockley for tatting only partway around a do-dad.  I don’t know why I never thought of that.  I wanted a pair of earrings to go with a blouse but didn’t have a lot of time to make them. I was inspired to make these even though I would have liked to add beads as well.  When I’m in a hurry beads are not a good idea.  Check out Marilee’s cute little earrings on her blog,  they are very pretty.
Simple tatted earrings on wandasknottythoughts.com
I’ve just finished tatting the center for my Craftree Round Robin doily.  After several starts at tatting it I finally did it without mistakes.  Now I need to write out the pattern and get everything sent off in the mail.  I think I’m the last one in the group to get their center done.  I’m looking forward to seeing every one’s doilies.
I’ve also been working on an edging but have gotten frustrated with it.  One of the colors keeps twisting so bad the rings are hard to close.  Yes, Fox, it is Lizbeth thread.  It’s only one of the balls but that is more than enough!  I’m going to try to finish anyway as the thread colors go well with the material.  Wish me luck 🙂
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Round Robin

I am participating in a round robin doily on Craftree. Each of us are designing the center of a doily then sending it on to another tatter to design each consecutive round until each person in the round robin has done a round on every doily then it is sent back to the original tatter.  In the end there will be five unique doilies.
I’ve started three times on my center for this.  The first two weren’t bad just not what I have in mind for this project. I’m finally happy enough with the third try to send it to someone else to see what they will do for the next rounds.
Okay, I’m happy with the pattern but I have to actually finish tatting it to send it on 🙂
Start of the Craftree Round Robin 2015 on wandasknottythoughts.com
Round Robin start 2015
I looked for a thread color that will set off this doll-sized tea set that I found in an antique store on the way to Colorado earlier this month.  It has six tea cups, tea pot, creamer and sugar bowl, all like new.
With that in mind I’ve decided to make this doily in Lizbeth size 20 in a shade of pink.  The label in the center of the ball says it’s #617 Magenta Med, but it looks a lot closer to #608 Coral Pink Med on the computer monitor.  I wonder if sometime when using this thread I got the labels mixed up???  I’m going to have to have a ball of thread to go with the center of the doily when I send it so I was going to order thread anyway, but now I’m going to have to order both colors so I get the right shade.
Someone twist my arm.
Like I’ll only order one ball of thread at a time anyway.
Except for this doily there hasn’t been much tatting done lately.  I’ve been distracted.  I found a book series that I just couldn’t put down.  There are five books in the series and I read all of them in less than a week and a half.  If you like fantasy stories I recommend The Legend of Eli Monpress series by Rachel Aaron.  It is a lot of fun to read.
(I was not compensated in any way for reading or mentioning these books.  I just enjoyed them a immensely!) (She also wrote Nice Dragons Finish Last, which is also a fun read.  I’m waiting on the next book of that series which is due out soon! I wasn’t compensated in any way for reading or mentioning this book, either!!)Now that I’ve read the entire series I can focus more on tatting again. I’m sure the other members of the round robin would appreciate it 🙂

“The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference.”
Audre Lorde
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