A busy time and a few new tools

I wish I had more time for crafts and I do wish I had more time to share my world with, well, the world.

I have been agonizing over last weekend’s Pack Campout. I have two Webelos (my son and his best friend) and by tradition the newly elevated Senior Webelos prepare the meal for the Pack at the Spring Campout. All went fairly well. I was a little short on Taco Meat and Pizza pockets, but made up for it with the two cobblers. They were excellent.

On top of this our Pastor called a meeting with two choir directors and myself to plan an up coming Confirmation Mass with the Bishop. I am the “Music Resource Person” for the Parish. I do miss leading a choir, but that’s another rant.

But on to my crafty life, I have been working on “the project that does not exist”; a cross-stitch kit that I am making as a gift and I am trying to get my boys to not talk about it. I started it about a month ago and thought I would have it in time for a birthday next month until the day I noticed I had worked exactly on hour and knew exactly how many stitches I had made. I should be able to complete the project in less than 270 hours, so Christmas then.

I didn’t get much done at my Bobbin Lace class last Tuesday (yesterday). Some days it is just too much fun to be more social than dedicated. Well for one thing it was the last official class of the semester so we all brought “finger foods”. For another our local bobbin maker visited and brought some of her wares for us to admire desire and acquire.(http://www.lacebobbins.com/).

I was able to resist buying a pair of really nice tatting shuttles, but that was the end of my resolve. I bought a pair of what I believe are her Barley Twist one in Kingswood and one in Ebony, I also bought a pair of Fancy Turned Bobbins that do not really match anything on her Web Site but as you can see they are very nice.

I also bought a scissor tip cover. She had several with an elastic monofilament string of bead and I was quite taken with one with a Cat bead, but decided I would do my own beads (still regret it a bit, but mine should still be nice). Cute kitty though.

I also bought a hoop style pin puller, DymondWood-Fuchsia color.



I am also including pictures of some of my older tools made by Fran; my v-style puller with matching crochet hook and pricker.

And finally my oldest tools, my tatting set of three crochet hooks and knot un-doer tapestry needle thingy.

Well as you can see, though I had a lot to do after my class I did manage to spangle the two pairs.

I also added a couple of Hedgies to my collection. I won a silent auction item at our Elementary School’s PTA silent auction which included a plush Fox and a gift certificate which covered most of the cost of the two Hedgies. They are the two brown ones on each side of the WebKinz Hedgie in the center. I also placed the winning bid on a Violin Lesson but that’s another story. Poor thing (violin) had not seen the light of day in twenty years.

TTFN
Pat T.

Aren't my toys nice

I wondered if I would get to this today. It has gotten to be a busy evening.

At my bobbin lace class today I started a test of pattern 3 from Underwood’s Introducing Traditional Bedfordshire Lace in 20 Lessons. The interesting event of the last couple of days was that all of my bobbins were off the pillow. Though some did have thread on them.

I took this opportunity to photograph the various groups of bobbins.

When I first started this class in the summer of 2008 the friend who invited me (one of my sons' Godmother) had made some skewer based bobbins. I know my oldest son still has some of these and hopefully I will find them and present them here.

My first set of “real” bobbins was an anniversary gift from my wife back in 2008; six dozen Lacis 4” hardwood bobbins. I like them but they are too big to fit my Mattson Mora winder. These old hands do not like winding too many bobbins.

I made an order for supplies in September of 2009 and added a dozen of the SMP Traditional Middland bobbins and thought I was set up. But before February of 2010 I decided to go through Underwoods’s Introducing Traditional Bedfordshire Lace in 20 Lessons and knew I would need more bobbins.

In July of 2010 I ordered 200 bobbins from SMP in England. This order included 50 of the Traditional Midlands and 50 of the Fancy Midlands. The remaining 100 are Honiton, but that’s another book and another dream. These turned into another wonderful anniversary (August 21) present.

It took a bit too finally get the 100 midlands spangled, and there were times I thought I might be a bit whelmed. But before Christmas 2010 I found myself in spangling withdrawal and ordered a dozen of the polished beech East Midlands from van Sciver, my favorite supplier.

So that’s 72 Lacis, 62 Traditional Midlands, 50 Fancy Midlands, and 12 Beech East Midlands for a total of 196 bobbins, or 98 pairs.

Ok I also have two commemorative bobbins. One from Hilary Davies' class last November the other was a prize.

Last Christmas season the Lace Guild in England had this fun Advent Calendar where you got hints indicating the location of a particular style of lace, and if you were able to identify the style of lace associated with each and every hint you were entered in a drawing. Two were selected and I have a second commemorative bobbin, Two Turtle Doves.

They are beautiful aren’t they? At some point I started using primarily semiprecious stone beads. And I found that I had more fun if I made two matching spangles at a time as this requires half the thought.

At this point I guess it is time to seriously think about moving up to the next level of bobbins, we have a wonderful local maker, but that is not really a consideration at this time as I might have enough bobbins for my immediate plans.

Pattern3 only takes 18 pairs, and even if I start this Torchon piece I want to do I have more than enough. Its was March of 2009 when I finished my last Torchon piece and I want to make sure I remember the technique plus I have a beautiful Gold Velveteen Roller Pillow by Van-Dieren I received last July. Not only have I not used it I have not shown it to my lace friends. I’ll get into pattern 3 and then start looking at the Torchon.

I have to find more time to make lace

Just a short note to express my joy and my distress.

First the distress, I hope I can make more time for lace making. I spend time studying, but I have little opportunity to actually make lace outside of my class, which due to the child care situation I cannot attended during the summer or the holidays.

I have been wanting to work on several types of lace but some time ago I decided to go through Barbara M Underwood’s Introducing Traditional Bedfordshire Lace in 20 lessons. Lesson 2 has two patterns. Most lessons have one but there are a few with even more.

On top of this I do not just make an ‘L’ to practice a corner I make a square. So I was aware that with the additional number of repetitions and the lack of time I might take a bit to get through the book, but after finishing Pattern 2b I had a frightening discovery.

I finished Pattern 2a on March 3, 2010. Take away the summer and the few weeks I spent on a project from a class with Hilary Davies it still seems unbelievable that I just recently finish Pattern 2b (sewed it up February 19, 2011).

I can’t take 20 years to go through this book, even if I could live that long.

Oh, well, the real problem is that I do not seem to be able to improve my technique this way.

In nearing the end of pattern 2b last week I forced myself to take the time to work up to the last corner and then to complete the project. After a little while I found I could actually develop some speed and I really did get a sense of “throwing bobbins”. So I must find some time, hopefully at least a few times a week to work on my lace.

One thing I did not do for pattern 2b that I have done for other projects is make a few repetitions of the lace, tie it off and make a few more repetitions from above the beginning to allow me to test finishing. Big mistake, I ended up with way too many pairs in one place at the end and used a tied bundle instead of individual sewings and sewing in the ends. I did try to do double sewings and tied them off, but the knots were huge, much larger than the bundle. I was lucky to get the knots out.

I will make at least one practice ending of pattern 3, though given my dislike for how the DMC Tatting Thread (size 80) worked on all the previous patterns from this books I was thinking of using DMC Cordonnet Special Size 100. The book calls for Madeira Tanne 30 and I do have some Madeira Cotona size 30, but I was saving it for more heirloom projects, should I ever get that good.

Well with all it inconsistency and bunny eared picots here is pattern 2b.

The first couple of repetitions have leaves as I first learned them from books and a couple of web videos, followed by the majority learned after watching a Christine Springett video. And the last legs after Hilary Davies worked with me. Still very inconsistent but at least a few are getting fat, and mostly tapper in both directions.

Oh the worst is finding that with some of your picot you have caught another pin. So unlike Barbara says, I am working on the back, for now at least.

Oh, and how did I pick the size to make pattern 2b. I had made what I thought were an adequate number of repetitions to practice in pattern 1, also a square. Pattern 2b fits around pattern 1.

TTFN
Pat T.

A manly Craftsman

Not so much back to tatting (I wish) but still lace / needlecraft related.

I had a Beds class with Hilary Davies here in Austin Saturday and Sunday November 20 and 21, 2010.

I had to move my current project to an old pillow I both loathe and have great memories of. Styrofoam breaks down and makes a nasty squeaking noise when the pins go in. I want to go back to this project so I needed to spangle some bobbins. I needed 30 to 40 pairs for the workshop (yes that’s 60 to 80 bobbins). So I had to spangle 14 pairs beyond what I had readily available.

I started my lace making supplies with six dozen Lacis bobbins. I then added a dozen from Holly (like SMP) and then for my last anniversary (August 21) I received 100 Middlands and 100 Honitons acquired from SMP. Tonight I spangled the last Middland bobbin in my collection of 184 Middlands. And just when I was starting to really enjoy spangling.

What I really am dwelling on though is how little the people I know understand what it is I do. Someday I need to do a demonstration at my younger son's elementary school.

I spend a lot of time on a playground waiting for after school programs to end or the older child’s school to let out (5 minutes away). So I am part of the picnic table crowd, most of whom, including myself, are active on the PTA board. I am the music liaison, mainly I type things for the music teacher and update her website.

So I am talking about spangling and a woman asks me. “What is a bobbin?” So I explain bobbins and bobbin lace. I also explain that I do not want to be caught again with too few bobbins for a workshop. So I explained that I needed 30 to 40 pairs for the workshop, to which a person who I have talked to before about bobbin lace exclaims “For the group or just yourself?”

When I said for myself she got this shocked look on her face and said “I had no idea.”

Ok fine we expect this, but being a male lace maker I did not expect the next day to get into one of those one-ups-man-ship macho conversations about needlework.

This is another father of a first grader; mine are first fourth and eighth. The first time I noticed this man the school was in lockdown and I was staring out the window at a man I did not recognize sitting on top of one of the play structures.

We have talked a few times so when I saw him on the top of the slide I said “you really like being elevated” forgetting that he is a rock climber.

He is originally from Essex so listening to his accent I thought of Hilary and told him about my workshop. He then started asking me about bobbin lace. But his questions were not like others’. He was focusing in on the needlecraft distinctions; stitches, loops, knots, weaving. I had to ask

“What needlework do you do?” and that’s when the manliness took over.
“Cross-stitch”
“Counted or printed”
“Counted”

Turned out he does these copies of masterwork painting using single and double strands so of course I had to mention my experience with mixed colors, half-stitches, 22 count Aida.

So now for my challenge:
“I was one of those that put the knot on the front and stitches over the thread underneath so there are no knots in my work.”

‘Yeah, people look at my back and say, it looks like the front. But why shouldn’t it?”

“Yes, I took a needlepoint in to be blocked and the woman turned it over and asked if I had made it." She then said "Men are always so much neater on the back.”

“That’s because we get more into the technical aspects of the craft.”

Just before his son asked if they could finally leave we went on. He asked if I know what goes on with needles. He used gold plated tapestry needles, very small ones.

“I end up squeezing the eye pushing it through and eventually the eye distorts and then breaks.”

“I have not had that problem but mine always develop a curve to them”

“Yes from squeezing as you pull them out.”

We then discussed our methods of needle disposal; tape, card, etc. Don't want the wife rummaging through the garbage and getting stuck now do we.

It was a nice conversation, but it was strange realizing afterward that I had just gone through traditional male bonding over the topic of cross stitch. Cool.

Back to the past

I originally meant this blog to reflect my activities and thoughts on tatting and thus the recent lack of any activity.

I still want to tat but my life has been quite hectic so art, crafts and music have not had their rightful place in my life. Unfortunately I am finding that my mental health is taking a turn for the worse because of this.

I am still taking a lace class but if it were not for the actual class times I would not be doing any lace at all. There is a workshop on Beds in November and since I have been working on Beds for a while I plan on attending. Wow almost six hours a day for two days; should be fun.

There was something that happened today that I want to tell people about, but before I get to that a little background or rambling, depending on how you look at it.

In order to try and put some life back into my existence I have decided to take up the traverso again. I have started to playing-in some of my one-key transverse flutes and have been more or less happy with my progress.

I am over halfway playing in my Verhoeven Beaulieu bore in Blackwood with no rings, pitched at A=392 hz; a gorgeous instrument both in appearance and sound (http://users.skynet.be/fluiten/sold.html look for number 89). The bore is based on a French flute circa 1720. It has a small embouchure hole and this took some getting used to. At first I was very concerned about intonation and unevenness, but it was me not the flute.

When I first took of the “baroque flute” back in FEbruary of 1981 I was mainly a recorder player and had played baritone in High School. I had wanted a “baroque flute” for a while mainly because of a recording I fell in love with: Michel de La Barre, Pieces Pour La Flute Traversiere, 1710.

Stephen Preston used a copy of a Hotteterre flute. It was the most amazing sound I had ever heard. It is a great recording and I still get a little annoyed at myself for taking so long to figure out just who Jordi Savall, Blandine Verlet and Hopkinson Smith were, a few year actually.

But in 1984 Amster Music and Art shop, sold me a Moeck one-key in Blackwood and ivory. It was funny; the main saleman knew me and knew I might buy the flute. When he saw that I had seen the flute he almost knocked one of the other employees down getting to me. I seem to remember the flute costing about $500 back then and it being the largest check I had ever written. I was so nervous I had to get on my knees and my writing was a bit more than a little shaky.

I still like this flute and now that my Verhoeven is in its third week of breaking in (30 minutes a day) and my CF (later) is still in its second week (10 minutes, twice a day) I started playing-in the Moeck today.

Now the Moeck is a copy of a F.G. Kirst (1750 – 1806) so though alright for Quantz, CPE Bach and the like, it certainly never satisfied my desire for the sound Preston produces on the Hotteterre copy.

After two weeks I am getting control over the Beaulieu bore and when I play La Barre I can actually hear the sound I have been after, even if I am still horribly out of practice.

So here I will leave off for now and get ready for bed. When I can’t sleep, all too often, I sit in a recliner and listen to my mp3 player. It was mainly Blavet and Quantz, but the last couple of days it has been Locatelli. I appear to be addicted to the flute again. I hope this is a good thing at this time in my life. It does make me feel good, I am even exercising (a little).

Feeling Punchy

I remember once on the original eTatters having a bunch (ok three or four) people taking issue with me knowing how many double knots were in the project I was working on. There were also some people that thought it was a good idea, especially if you are a teacher or a seller.

In Mary Konior’s Network I came up with something like 7614 double stitches. Of course all the rings have the same number of stitches and all the chains are the same length or half that. So it was easy math, especially since I had to keep track of where I was to know when to insert the rings within the mesh. This is the piece I did in 2006 when I published the ds count.Today’s math was easier, but we will get to that in a minute.

Since it is hard for me to pull out my pillow when the kids are home, but I had some time I decided to get ahead on my prickings. I am on lesson 2a in Barbara M. Underwood’s Introducing Traditional Bedfordshire Lace in 20 Lessons. I already have the pricking for lesson 2b created and punched so on to Lesson 3.

What most people may not realize is that I must agree with Alexandra Stillwell, “The most important factor in an attempt to achieve good lace is to use an accurate pricking, and to draft it oneself is the answer,” from Drafting Torchon Lace Patterns. I do hope to acquire this book someday.

Lesson 3 in Introducing Traditional Bedfordshire Lace in 20 Lessons is a circle requiring 18 pairs of bobbins.

At first I decided to just copy the pricking from the book and I got as far as printing it on a piece of a Manila File Folder and covering it with plastic. Then before I started punching pinholes I decided it was just too uneven for my technocratic self.

So I drew it using DrawPlus X2. Now the first thing you need to know is how many repeating patterns. In this case 72 so every 5°, so a few concentric circles a few lines all drawn over a scan of the original. Some simple rotating of copies and voilà you have a pricking.

So print, cover and punch. Punching pin holes can be very relaxing, but I might have done too much. My right hand is a bit sore. But if each repetition has nineteen pin holes, 72 of them will have 1368. Here is a photographically enhanced view of the back.Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully I will tell you about Christmas soon.

TTFN
Pat The Tat Rat

A Tatting Fiasco

Strictly figuratively speaking; today I have turned around and may have flipped my vehicle in so doing.

Some time ago (October of 2007) I started the T.A.T. Tatting Proficiency Program. The first project required size 10 thread and I decided to use the shuttles that appear in my September 20, 2007 post on this blog.

Shortly thereafter I had an allergic reaction to a medication and the swelling caused my tendons to become inflamed so I had to quit tatting for a while.

Recently I have started tatting again and shortly after my return to the art I became involved with an online Design class.

Since I had these shuttles still loaded from the end of 2007 I decided to use them.

I remember how much trouble some of us had with these shuttles. Since the ends did not close very well the shuttles have a tendency to run away should you let one loose. I have watched video of the maker tat so I know that my manipulation and his are very different so I can see how it would not be a concern for him.

In the design class I did a simple second row pattern and was fairly happy with the look. But, I decided to try some simple modifications as an aside. Well today I was making a join and I shredded the thread. Grabbed the wrong hook I think. Well between torn thread and frustration with the shuttles I cut the project (literally) and unscrewed the shuttles (three at this point) and removed the thread.

The shuttles have been packed with my other archived shuttles and I will return to the project I started to take with me on vacation last July. But I will need to decide which shuttles to use with size 10 thread. I have a few clovers that would run away, clicking all the way down, with size 20, but they are small, especially compared with the ones I have retired.

Well I felt I had to rant so as a little gift for your time here is a picture of my design project. All rings are 4-4-4-4 and all chains are either 10 or 5-5. I just ask for fair attribution should you attempt to copy it. I will post a pattern someday.


TTFN
Pat T.