I was nearing the end of round 9. It was going really good. Because not all chains had picots on them, I thought it would be harder for me to keep track when I had to make a picot and when I didn't. I was a little nervous that when I got to the end something wouldn't work out. Well, something didn't work out.
I'm sure those of you who have tatted this pattern before can tell, the last repeat is too short. I checked the row for errors. Then double checked and triple checked and I couldn't find any problem. I checked the diagram and then checked the row again. Nothing. I decided to check the previous rounds. It didn't make sense to me, but what the heck, right? Guess what I found?
That's right! A mistake! Each motif on round 5 is supposed to be joined to two picots and on one motif I only joined once. Round 6 is missing three chains and rings because of this error. What both fascinates and infuriates me is that despite this error, rounds 7 and 8 still worked!!! If I had ran into problems with round 7, I could have fixed the error earlier. As it happens, each repeat on round 7 needs, you guessed it, 3 rings from round 6. I just want to scream. Still.
That brings me to what I'm going to do now. Well, I think I have that figured out already. Right after I found the error, err, right after I finished swearing, my mind went into overdrive thinking about what I should do next. I think the best solution I could come up with will involve carefully cut a section of the doily though the three affected rounds. I will have to cut off about half of round 9 since new section will screw up all the picots after the inevitable repair. After the cuts, I will have to hide and reattach thread and, one row at a time, retat the missing sections. Hopefully I make some sense here, I'm not in a right state of mind right now.
If anyone has any suggestions and/or concerns about my plans, please leave a comment. I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work. I don't think the repair will cause any problems with the rest of the doily. I don't think it would be necessary to cut of the whole rows. And just to be clear, I have NOT cut anything yet. As tempting as it was to start cutting last night, I really didn't think it would have been a good idea. I still don't think I should cut anything yet. I'm going to wait at least a couple days until I'm in a better mindset. I'm going to distract myself with some knitting for now. Although, I should probably think about powering down and getting ready to recharge for the night. Um, getting ready to go to bed! Till next time.
Oh, I'm so sorry. It seems to be the month for oopses. I think you are wise to take a break from it for a bit before diving in to deal with the problem. I recently tried to fix a section of a section of a much smaller motif with a similar problem. When I tried to cut out the problem area, I found that I was loosing picots I needed for joining the new section as these picots relied on the work that was being cut out. I finally realized in my case, that I was going to have to remove the entire round. I hope this makes sense. Just consider carefully what ring and chain picots will be intact to support the joining of the new tatting before you cut anything.
ReplyDeleteI can sympathize, Jeff! I made a huge mistake last summer and wound up snipping off several rounds. It took me over a month to re-tat. My only suggestion... stay calm, snip where necessary, and tat on!
ReplyDeleteOooh, I'm sorry to hear this! It's really looking gorgeous. I admire you fo waiting, you're much smarter than I. I think your idea of amending each row in the necessary spot is an inspired answer, I hope you can do it to your satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteOoooooch a lot of work to snip out or repair, don't go rushing in take your time if you snip and make a bigger mess than it is now, would it be kinder to cut it out and start those rows again.
ReplyDeleteMargaret
I have always admired the skill of those who can snip out the offending section and re-tat only the necessary bit(s). For me, I end up cutting out the whole section - sometimes months of previous work on a big piece - and re-tatting it. I figure it this way: if I have enough thread to re-do the whole thing, it will be fewer 'weak' places (knots are ....to me, at least....'weak' spots in the lace), and my motto seems to be 'as long as I am tatting, I don't care whether I am re-doing or doing it for the first time. It's *all* tatting, so I am enjoying the process.' I was pretty devasted the time I had to cut off - quite literally - *months* of work, but after giving it a rest while I worked on something else for a week or two, I was fine with re-tatting all of those rows. Your 'monsterpiece' is lovely, just a bit frustrating for you at the moment. It's the 'journey' that counts, not the 'destination,' (unless it's a gift that has to be finished by a certain time). Good luck with it, whatever you decide to do.
ReplyDeleteStephanieW
What a bummer to find such a mistake. I admire you for taking time to cool down and think through a solution. I have not done this doily so I can't say if your idea to fix it will work but it sounds good and reasonable. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Diane, once you've made the decision to snip get on with it. I don't know if you can save any rounds. Sleep on it as sometimes solutions show themselves once we stop seeing red. Wishing you a satisfying solution.
ReplyDeleteThat pattern can drive a tatter to the asylum... Yes, been there, done that. You can do this. Address the mistakes when you are calmer and take it one ds at a time! You'll be fine, I know, and you'll get this beauty done yet! It's not a race anyway. Have fun! Process is everything! Says me. : )
ReplyDelete