tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45396770252667616172024-03-17T20:19:36.629-06:00Bridge City TattingJeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.comBlogger315125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-77707243002399829572020-07-27T20:18:00.001-06:002020-07-27T20:18:36.400-06:00Just Stopping By: My Pattern LinksHi all! I know I haven't been here much. I've been mostly on Ravelry lately, working on knitting and crochet projects. I'm also posting on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jeffhamilton2/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Just stopping by to let everyone know my patterns are online again! I think I forgot to repost them after I had difficulties with my previous hosting site. I have them on my personal Dropbox now. I have added a separate page for my patterns called "My Patterns". The link is just under the left of my page banner. Let me know if you have any issues accessing the files. Hopefully I'll post something tatting related soon! Till next time.<br />
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PS: Check out this blog: <a href="https://prairielacetatter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Prairie Lace Tatter</a>. I did an interview with her!Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-59915950152274603002018-05-13T19:00:00.000-06:002018-05-13T19:00:09.596-06:00Still AliveI'll make this quick. I keep meaning to post, but never seem to have the time. I've been mostly knitting for the past four months or so. I did do a little bit of tatting a few weeks ago, so that's what I'll start with for now.<br />
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Like many tatter out there, I bought several balls of the new Liz Metallic thread shortly after it came out.<br />
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I decided to make a bracelet using it.<br />
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The pattern is adapted from one in the Korean book <i>Tatting Lace With Your Life</i>. Its part of the pattern Retro Stripe, square C. The book has a diagram to make the bracelet. I wanted it on the wide side, so I made two strips. I was going to tat three stripes, but since the metallic thread is a bit thicker than a size 20 thread, two was enough. The bracelet is about 1 1/2 inches wide. I have to say, I really like the Liz Metallic thread. I might have to buy more, I only got 8 of the colours available. Fortunately, there is a Canadian vendor of Lizbeth that I'll probably buy from. My only issue with the thread is how it's packaged. Handy Hands isn't kidding when they say the thread doesn't stay on the ball. It unwinds <b>very</b> easily. I can't help but wonder why they chose to wind it into balls and not onto spools like all the other metallic threads available. <br />
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That's it for now. I have lots of stuff to share, mostly knitting, but some crochet and chainmaille. I just have to take pictures of everything.<br />
Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-60170421881413342422017-11-19T18:30:00.000-06:002017-11-19T18:30:11.563-06:00Playing Catchup I didn't mean to disappear again; it just kinda happened. I finished tatting a magic square for my mom. I also worked on some crochet for my mom as well. For the last few months, I have been working on a knitted cardigan for me. I'm working on the second sleeve, so it shouldn't take me too much longer to finish. Then I can get back to tatting for a while- I haven't tatted for a few months! Oh, and I updated my last post to include the author's name of the Korean tatting book. I received a comment on that post from someone who knew the author's name. Thanks Mary!<br />
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I made another Magic Square Triangles Variation by Robin Perfetti. This one was made for my mom.<br />
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This was tatted using Flora thread in colour #s 64 and 213, size 20. Man, do I miss Flora thread! It is such a nice thread to use. I don't know why Handy Hands replaced it with Lizbeth. One of the threads is variegated, the one I used for the chains. I'm not sure I totally like how it worked out, but I think my mom liked it which is what counts.<br />
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I also made a crocheted jewelry bowl for mom. I think it turned out quite well.<br />
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It is crocheted over a 1/4 inch thick rope using four strands of sock weight yarn. I used three strands of sport weight yarn, Omega Sinfonia, and it still worked out. The pattern is by goolgool and you can find her Etsy shop <a href="https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/goolgool?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">here</a>. I really enjoyed making it and will have to get the proper yarn to make another one, or two. The pattern is written a little weird but it was still pretty easy to follow.<br />
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As I said, I am currently working on a knitted cardigan for my self. I have to finish the second sleeve, which I hope to do either today or tomorrow. Then I have to sew the sleeves on, and knit the collar and front bands. A zipper sewed under the front bands should complete it. I'll post a photo when it's done. That's about it for now. Till next time. <br />
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<br />Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-18009399024388422272017-08-15T20:38:00.004-06:002017-11-19T07:15:32.339-06:00Magic Squares and a Korean BookI have to say, it feels awesome not having to work on the Monster Doily. Yeah, I am so happy to have it finished. Don't get me wrong I am pleased and proud of myself for finishing tatting it. It was just so....big. Thank you to everyone for the comments. I appreciate each and every one of them. Keep'em coming! I will post a better photo of the Monster after it's been blocked, along with other info-finished size, thread information, etc.<br />
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I started tatting one of <a href="http://tattingbythebay.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Robin Perfetti</a>'s Magic Squares (Triangles Variation). You can find the pattern in her Etsy Shop <a href="https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/tattingbythebay" target="_blank">here</a>. I started tatting the pattern back during the beginning of the year while I was avoiding the Monster Doily, er, taking a break. I initially was going to tat the "Option 1", or a small square version, but once I had tatted half the square, I decided to turn it into the "Option 2" square.<br />
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I think it turned out quite well. Once you learn the pattern, it tats up pretty quickly. I did make a few mistakes though. I forgot to join several picots. Instead of retro tatting or cutting off the errors, I just tied the picots together after. This is just a test piece anyway, as I really didn't care for the thread I was using. It is DMC Babylo, size 20. It's not a bad thread, I just found it pretty soft to tat with. It will be great for some crochet projects I plan on working on soon. The square measures about 5.5 inches, um, square. I'm working on anther one right now.<br />
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Finally, I got a new tatting book! It is one I've wanted for awhile, though, I haven't seen much blogged about it. It is a Korean book called <i>Tatting Lace With Your Life</i> by Ha Mi- Kyeong. Thanks Mary Victoria for the author's name.<br />
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I chose a small motif to tat from this book. This motif is called "One of the pleasures". It was nice and quick to tat. I started tatting it Sunday morning, and finished it Sunday evening. After the Monster Doily, it was nice to start and finish a tatting project in the same day. As you can the see, the motif is on the front cover of the book. I need to tat it again, as the picots in the centre are too big, and causes the motif to lose it's round shape. After tatting with the DMC Babylo for the previous project, I found the Lizbeth thread stiff. The motif is rather stiff too. I guess I need to loosen my tension a bit. The motif is about 2.75 inches across. Thread stats: Lizbeth size 20, colour #?. I put the ball of thread away, and don't want to look for it right now.<br />
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That's about it for now. I have to get to bed. I'll try to post again soon. Till next time. <br />
<br />Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-62419595971753895262017-08-07T15:11:00.002-06:002017-08-08T04:29:44.006-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily: Fini!I honestly thought I'd never be able to announce the end of the Monsterpiece doily. I was sure I'd run out of the green thread, and couldn't finish round 18. I wound all the thread from the ball onto all the clover bobbins I had since I would need to use two shuttles to tat the final round. I was keeping track of how many repeats I could tat for each shuttle, and my estimates said I would probably run out. I finished tatting the doily this afternoon and didn't run out. I had about 14 inches of thread left. It's shown in the first picture below.<br />
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I thought about posting earlier. But I kept tatting. I actually started getting bored with the doily last weekend, and was constantly getting distracted with other things I was finding online. Anyway, I don't want to make this a really long post, just a quick update. Here is the finished doily!<br />
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Well, I guess I should say I'm finished tatting it. I have <i>a lot</i> of ends that need to be trimmed (from joining thread, and ends hidden with magic threads). There is also at least one thread that needs to be sewn in, the result of a forgotten or failed magic thread-not sure which. It should be washed then blocked as well. I can get an accurate measurement then too. I think I have a place for it as well so it won't have to be hidden away. For the most part, I enjoyed tatting this doily. Yes, I had some issues with it. Mostly stupid errors I made and had to fix. I know I made a few mistakes in the final round but due to the thread shortage chose to leave. I would definitely tat another one of Jan's patterns. Probably not this one again.<br />
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That's about it for now. I will be moving on to other projects. I started one of Robin's Magic Squares earlier in the year that I need to finish. I would love to try her new Onion Ring Magic Square pattern too. I have a bunch of crochet and knitting patterns queued up. I won't miss working on the Monster Doily!Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-66105602246515749392017-07-02T17:09:00.002-06:002017-07-02T17:09:58.146-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily: Round 17, Nearing the End!I'll make this another quick post. I had meant to post earlier, but I guess I've been too busy tatting. Since my last post, I have finished tatting round 16 of the Monsterpiece doily and am over three quarters finished with round 17.<br />
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As a bonus, you get a photo of the whole Monster. The photos where taken over a week ago, as I had planned on making a quick blog post, but got distracted and forgot. I am currently working on the eighth scallop. It's kinda weird knowing that the next round will the be last. Thread stats: Manuela size 20, colour #055.<br />
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With any luck, I can have this round finished by the end of the week, possibly earlier than that. I can then begin the final round. The end is near!Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-17093591569852737792017-05-28T17:00:00.000-06:002017-05-28T17:00:05.138-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily, Round16: Working My Way AroundI'll make this quick. I finished tatting round 15 of the Monsterpiece doily a few days ago. I have since started working on round 16.<br />
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I'm currently on the fourth scallop, so it shouldn't take me too long to finish tatting this round. As you can see, I'm using one of my new Clover bobbin shuttles. I actually switched to using them on the previous round when I used up all the thread I had prewound on to Aero bobbins and had to refill a few more. I really enjoy tatting with them. I wasn't too sure about the picks as I prefer shuttles with hooks, but with a bit of practice I have gotten pretty good at making joins with the pick. I might have to get a couple more of these shuttles.<br />
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Thanks for all the comments on my last post. I really appreciate each and every one. To answer a question, I'm not sure where I will put the doily when it is finished. It will probably be put away until I move into a different place. I do intend on displaying it somewhere. That's it for now. <br />
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Once I started back on the Monsterpiece doily, it went pretty quickly. I tatted my way through round 13, which I was about half done when I put it down. Round 14 went by quickly, I think it took me like four days to finish, and I didn't spend a lot of time each day on it. I am currently past the half way point on round 15. It is pretty quick to tat, but not as quick as the previous round.<br />
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I'm really having a hard time photographing this beast. I'm looking forward to the next round as I will be changing colours. It's also the last easy round before the final two rounds. I'm kinda getting sick of this green, but that could be because I've been looking at the ball and shuttle attached to the doily for six months. Thread stats: Manuela no. 20 colour #a044.<br />
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Finally thanks to a number of people posting about them, I purchased a couple of the new bobbin clover shuttles.<br />
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I really like the case, I not sure why though. I bought them the Japanese source Jane E. mentioned, found <a href="http://aphyu-tatting.ocnk.net/product-list/4" target="_blank">here</a>. They arrived on Tuesday, and they shipped on May 5th, which is almost as fast if not faster than coming from the US. It worked about to be about significantly cheaper to order from Japan too. I haven't used them yet. I'm trying to get the Monsterpiece Doily finished. I might still play with them later.<br />
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That's it for now. I won't promise anything, but I'll try to get back into the habit of posting again. Till next time. Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-77739155059492286822016-11-24T20:00:00.000-06:002016-11-24T20:00:05.868-06:00Crystal StarWow, where is the time go? I can't believe November is almost over, already. I did plan to post earlier but I never seem to have the time. I am still working in the department I transferred to at work. Generally all my shifts start around 5 am. I've gotten used to for the most part, but I'm still having some time management issues. Hopefully I will get them worked out soon. Anyway, I've been working on a number of projects, I'm just not sure I'm going to get around to posting everything.<br />
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I was working on The Monsterpiece Doily, but I keep putting it aside to work on other stuff. When I saw Frivole's Crystal Star, I knew I had to tat it.<br />
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I think it turned out pretty well. I used some DMC Cordonnet size 20 thread with Swarovski 4mm bicone crystal beads. I like the star in white, but I think it would look even better in a yellow thread with yellow crystals. I may have to try that sometime. I'll definitely be tatting this pattern again soon. I am currently working on another one of Frivole's designs, so I might be able to post that in a few days.<br />
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I've been doing a lot of crocheting lately. Mostly things that will probably be used for gifts this Christmas. I still have a few more to make. I'll try to take some photos of the finished items, but no promises. I still have a pair of socks to finish knitting. I have picked them up and knitted a few rounds just to prove to myself that I still remember what I am doing. I have also done some chainmaille as well, a few surprise sales. If anyone is interested, I am planning a Black Friday Weekend sale, starting tonight at midnight and going until midnight Tuesday morning. I have been thinking about closing my shop in the new year. I haven't decided yet, but I feel like I spend more on Etsy fees than I earn from sales. We'll see.<br />
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That's about it for now. I'll try to post again soon-I really mean that. I think I should be able to spend some time this evening tatting, so I should finish my current small project and perhaps start another one. Till next time. Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-34798329503136324182016-10-31T20:02:00.000-06:002016-10-31T20:02:15.290-06:00Happy Hallowe'en!Sorry for the lack of posts. I have been working on stuff, but I just haven't gotten around to posting. I'll try to get a regular post written up sometime this week. Until then, you can see my Hallowe'en costume that I wore to work today.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Hallowe'en!!!</span></div>
Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-63894522217070834512016-08-28T20:46:00.003-06:002016-08-29T08:31:52.197-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily, Round 12: Complete. Finally!Well, I did it. I finally finished round 12 of the Monsterpiece Doily. It took a lot of perseverance on my behalf to get through it. I'm really glad I'm finished with this round. I'm so tired of cream coloured thread. I'm glad I get to use a different colour for a while. I haven't done much else besides tatting since my last post. I've done some crochet, but nothing I can share right now. Hopefully soon though. I'm not going to bore you with a really long post, though hopefully I'll make progress on the next round much quicker and can post more often again.<br />
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Not much to say here. Here is the doily as of Friday afternoon:<br />
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I looked back through my blog and realized it has taken me about four months to finish this round. That did include a short hiatus, but that is a long time. I'm also pretty sure I will be coming up to the one year mark soon too. That is, of course, when I first started this monster of a doily. While I'm by no means in the homestretch yet, I think I can see the end on the horizon. I have started the next round, but that was mainly to test my written notes. Thread stats: Manuela no. 20 colour #a055. Oh, and the doily is 20 inches in diameter. I remembered to measure it. <br />
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That's about it for now. I recently transferred to a new department at work which has partly affected my crafting times. I now have a few shifts per week that start as early as 5 am. That takes some time to get used to. I have a day off tomorrow, so I'll probably go downtown and catch Pokemon by the river. Yeah, I joined that bandwagon too! I'll try and get some tatting in as well. Till next time.<br />
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<span style="background: rgb(189, 8, 28) url("data:image/svg+xml; border-radius: 2px; border: medium none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font: bold 11px/20px "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-3411055543098777142016-07-17T22:15:00.000-06:002016-07-17T22:15:10.012-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily, Round 12 & Some CrochetMan, this round is taking forever. I feel like I should be done tatting it, but I'm only about half way around. I have, however, taken a few breaks from tatting, so that is probably a big part of why I'm not done with this round. I went on a camping trip last weekend with my dad, his girlfriend and my brother so I didn't get any tatting done then. The doily isn't exactly a portable item anymore, and I didn't want to risk it getting damaged, dirty or smokey smelling. I took the socks I've been slowly working on and some crochet projects. I ended up working on the crochet projects. As it happens, I continued working on crochet projects for most of this past week. I also discovered a new crochet technique which I'll hopefully get to.<br />
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Not really much to say about the Monsterpiece Doily.<br />
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As you can see, I am almost halfway around the doily. As I said, it's taking forever to complete. On the plus side, I have the pattern memorized for the most part so I don't have to constantly look at my written notes now. Since I'm waiting for a book arrive, I hope to continue working on the doily. Thread stats: Manuela no. 20 colour #a055.<br />
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On the crochet front, I managed to finish or almost finish several projects. The first is a cycling cap. It looked kinda cool, but I don't know if I will actually wear it though.<br />
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This isn't quite finished. I need to stop at a fabric store to get some interfacing to stiffen the brim. If/when I get to that point, I'll share a photo of it being worn. I used some Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash yarn in Camel Heather. The pattern is on Ravelry/loveknitting.com by Emma of Steel and Stitch.<br />
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The next item are crocheted Beer Cozies.<br />
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I don't know if it was me or what, but pattern didn't quite work for me. The cozy on the left is made as the pattern is written, using two strands of worsted weight cotton yarn and a 4 mm hook. It is way too big. I may wrong, but I don't think the size of beer/pop cans differs significantly between the US and Canada. The can I used is 355 ml which is equal to 12 ounces, which I think is a standard can size. The cozy on the right is made following the pattern with an extra row using one strand of cotton yarn and a 3.5 mm hook. It fits the cans perfectly, though it is not as thick as the other one. I'll probably have another go at this pattern later, as I do like it and it would make great guy friendly gifts. I used Bernat Cot'n Corn yarn for the cozy on the left and Bernat Handicrafter yarn for the blue one. The pattern is by Pan and can be found on Crafty <a href="http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/home-decor/king-of-beers-coaster-cozy/94629" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The last crochet item is more of a sneak peek of more to come.<br />
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Yes, they are coasters, but its how they are made that is special. They were made using the technique of "Hard Crochet". That is, using specific yarns and a very specific hook size (2.75 mm) to create a crocheted fabric that is stiff and can hold its shape without the used of stiffeners. The coaster on the left isn't quite right, as my gauge was out, and the coaster isn't as stiff as it should be. The one on the right is in the right gauge range. Both coasters were made using Red Heart Super Saver yarn. The technique comes from the book <i>Hard Crochet</i> by Mark Dittrick. You can see the book on Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0801532795/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_img?_encoding=UTF8&colid=38M08X2RG4FDB&coliid=I2RMTZBZCIQOUT" target="_blank">here</a>. I came across the book accidentally-I think Amazon actually suggested it to me. I'll go into more detail another time, but if you are curious and want to learn more, Sandy Marie of Mom's Crochet has been working on modernizing the technique. You can find her hard crochet tutorial <a href="http://www.moms-crochet.com/hardcrochet.html" target="_blank">here</a>. She has several patterns available using the technique, including the coasters above, and you will see another one of her designs once I get the yarn. I also have many ideas for this technique too and will of course try some of the patterns from the book when it arrives. Stay tuned.<br />
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That's it for now. I'll try and post a few photos from my camping trip in my next post. I got a pretty bad sunburn which I'm still nursing. Till next time.Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-47069919172615875862016-06-19T21:17:00.001-06:002016-06-19T21:17:12.171-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily, Round 12 & The Desert TeeSorry for the delay in posting, again. Life keeps getting in the way lately. I managed to finish the Egyptian Desert Tee Back before last weekend, and got a good start on round 12 of The Monsterpiece Doily. I got hardly anything done last weekend as I had said would happen. I volunteered at my city's Pride Parade and Community Fair for part of Friday and all day Saturday. Sunday was spent resting. I had an awesome time. I met lots of new people, and I think the experience helped with my anxiety a bit. The whole experience has got me wanting to get out and do more. I spent most of yesterday and today cleaning and de-cluttering, as I seem to have acquired a lot of stuff I don't need anymore that is taking up too much valuable room.<br />
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I got a good start on round 12 of the Monsterpiece Doily. It's definitely going much slower now. But that makes sense, so I'll just have to go along with it.<br />
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Those scallops really increase the length of the row, don't they? As you can see, I'm 1/5 the way around the doily. It's not too difficult a row to tat, but the stitch counts do take a bit of time to memorize. I can see why Jane E. adjusted the stitch counts and eliminated a lot of extra picots. I find myself referring to my written version many times, just to be safe. Thread stats: Manuela no. 20 colour #a055.<br />
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I ended up not stopping knitting when I reached to point to shape the armholes, as I had initially planned. Before I knew it, I had finished it.<br />
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In case anyone is wondering, this isn't blocked yet. It will be much wider when it is blocked. The particular pattern I am using, Mistake Stitch, is a rib pattern and is stretchy and form fitting. And the pink yarn seen at the shoulders are just waste yarn stitch holders. I get to do a three-needle bind off to join the front and back together. I haven't started the front yet. I'm going to work on the Monsterpiece Doily for awhile. The yarn is Knit Picks Lindy Chain in the colour "Linen".<br />
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That's about it for now. If all goes well, I'm going to keep working on the doily until I finish round 12. Till next time. Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-54089074587416696822016-05-31T22:00:00.002-06:002016-05-31T22:00:32.610-06:00Just Checking InI haven't disappeared. I just haven't done much since my last post. As I had said, I kept knitting after my last post. After I got back from my weekend away, I did start the next round of the Monsterpiece Doily. I didn't get very far. I made pretty good progress on my knitted t-shirt and I decided I should keep working on that at least until I get to the point I have to start shaping the armholes. I'm about two inches or so from that point. I would probably be finished if I didn't develop a head cold early last week. Between the cold and some stupid shifts at work, I didn't really feel like working on much of anything. I did work on some chainmaille for myself and a little bit of knitting but that was about it.<br />
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Hopefully I'll get the knitting completed to a convenient point where I can stop. Then I hope to continue working on the Monsterpiece Doily. I don't know how much I'll get done next week, as there is a lot happening. I'm also doing some volunteer work next Friday/Saturday so I know I won't get anything done then. Till next time.Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-68931424150141676542016-05-12T22:13:00.007-06:002016-05-12T22:13:56.195-06:00Tatting Hiatus 2016: What I Have Been Up To, Part 2 CrochetAs promised, here is part two of my post about what I have been up to while not working on the Monsterpiece Doily. This is about the crocheted projects I have been working on. For the record, these were done a few weeks ago when I started my short break from tatting. I've been working on knitting projects this week, and will hopefully continue to do so until the end of the weekend.<br />
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The first couple of crocheted projects are, of course slippers. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I go through a lot of slippers as I don't really care for socks, and I'm not a fan of bare foot.<br />
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I'm trying to move out of my colour comfort zone with these. The top pair, the ones I'm currently wearing, are made using Lion Brand Fun Fur in the "Tropical" colourway. I don't need to say that I used Lion Brand "Red" Fun Fur for the second pair. Both used Patons Classic Wool in red. If you're new to my blog, these slippers are made using two strands of wool yarn and one strand of fur or eyelash yarn together. The finished slippers are felted or fulled in the washing machine to shrink them and make them all warm and comfy. I love making these!<br />
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These next two projects are part of my Mom's Mother's Day present. I will be giving them to her this weekend. Mother's Day was last Sunday here in North America.<br />
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The first project is a crocheted cactus and succulent garden. It utilized patterns from June Gilbank from her shop <a href="http://planetjune.com/shop/" target="_blank">PlanetJune</a>. She has two collections of four different cacti each and two more collections of four succulents each. If you buy all four, you can mix and match between 16 plants. She also a large and small pot pattern in each collection to make your own customized garden. This was pretty easy to follow and lots of fun to make. I won't link to the collections directly in case the links stop working but they are in the Flowers and Plants part of the crochet pattern section. The link to June's shop is above.<br />
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The second project is a crocheted Primrose, another one of June's patterns. For some reason the colours are not quite right in the photos. The primrose flowers are a dusty rose. This was also pretty easy to crochet. If you haven't seen June's patterns before, she make mostly amigurumi style animals and plants/flowers. I love her designs and have purchased a number of them. Most are stuck in my to be crocheted list for one reason or another. Most, I think, need eyes purchased in order to make them and I just haven't done it yet. Hopefully I will get them crocheted. <br />
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That's about it for now. Since I posted twice in less than a week, I probably won't post again for a week or two. Unless something important happens or I get a lot done. Anyway, till next time. <br />
<br />Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-19172592298143555782016-05-08T19:55:00.001-06:002016-05-08T21:22:45.810-06:00Tatting Hiatus 2016: What I've Been Working On, Part 1 KnittingAs I mentioned in my last post, I decided to take a short break from tatting, specifically tatting on the Monsterpiece Doily. I guess I might still do some tatting, but I have many other non-tatting projects I want to work on first. I've been working on both knitting and crochet projects since I last posted. Instead of making one long post, I will post it in two parts. This first one will just be about the two knitting projects that I have been alternating between and that I will probably keep working on for the next week. I'll try to post the second part, the crochet projects later in the week as I will be away over the weekend.<br />
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The first project is probably going to take me awhile to complete.<br />
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It's a t-shirt style garment. It's called the Egyptian Desert Tee from the magazine Knitting Traditions Spring 2015. I'm using Knit Picks Lindy Chain yarn in the colour Linen to knit it. Lindy Chain is a linen/cotton blend yarn. I chose it because the recommended yarn, Louet Euroflax, would have cost me close to $200 to buy the required amount. I really can't afford that, considering I would still have to knit it after receiving the yarn. The Euroflax yarn is a 100% linen yarn which would be nice to use if it wasn't so expensive. Lindy Chain is 70% Linen and much more affordable. I think I paid about $50 for it. It isn't an exact match though. It is a little finer so I will have to try to factor that in as I'm knitting. I'm using the recommend needles, and it seems to be working. It might be a bit on the open or lacey side, but it still looks very much like the photo in the magazine. You can see a closeup of the fabric in the middle photo. The model in magazine is wearing the tee over top of another shirt, so I don't think the laceyness will be a problem if I did the same thing. If anyone is curious, the tee is made using the Mistake Stitch Rib pattern which looks really cool and easy. I'm going to be working on this for a while, so don't expect to see any update on this any time soon.<br />
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The next knitting project is going a little faster. Though, not that fast since I'm using sock yarn.<br />
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I started another pair of socks. This time using actual sock yarn and really fine needles.Well they are US 1 (2.5mm) needles, but that is still pretty small. I'm using Patons Kroy Socks yarn in "Route 66". I'm really loving how these are turning out. They look so complicated, but it's not me it's the yarn. I guess this is a self-striping yarn, but it looks like I'm changing colours like a boss, and maybe even throwing in some Fair Isle colour work for good measure. You may have also notice my new knitting needles I am using in both this and the Egyptian Desert Tee above. They are Knit Picks new Majestic interchangeable and fixed circular needles. They're a gorgeous mix of dark purple, blue and green laminated wood with black cables. I've been avoiding wooden interchangeable needles, but I really like these. I bought a few tips, cables, and the fixed circulars for socks. I really needed them! I also bought a case to hold all my interchangeable needles and most of my required odds and ends. I'll have to share a few photos later as I need to retake one of them.<br />
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That's about it for now. Like I said above, I plan on working on these two projects for the next week or so. I'll have to write out the next row of the Monsterpiece doily. I will hopefully start working on it again next week. Till then, I'm enjoying my break! Till next time.Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-67444092418965656382016-04-26T20:00:00.000-06:002016-04-26T20:00:06.756-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily: Round 11 Complete!Well, I finally finished the last scallop of round 11 this morning. I am very happy to have it finished, as I really didn't care for these last two rounds. Between the two rounds, there were over 40 ends that had to be dealt with. Since I used Magic Threads for most of them it sounds worse than it is. I have one end that needs to be sewn in. The Magic Thread broke when I tried pulling it. I'm going to say that it was probably my fault, as I forgot to replace it. I usually replace the MTs every 2-3 uses since I find they weaken from use pretty quickly. Anyway, here is the doily:<br />
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Hopefully its obvious, I used my regular camera to take the picture. My iPhone just wasn't doing the doily justice; it's too big now. The doily, not my phone. For anyone who's curious, the doily measures approximately 18 inches (45.72 cm) in diameter, tip of scallop to tip of scallop. I know I keep saying it, but I think I really should block it before continuing on. I am looking forward to the next round, but I think I will take a week or two break from it. I still have several knitting and crocheting projects I'd like to finish. Thread stats: Manuela size 20 in colour #a022.<br />
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That's it for now. My next post probably will not have any tatting in it, but I think that's OK. I'm sure you guys might want a change too. Till next time. Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-42958509139934741602016-04-17T21:21:00.001-06:002016-04-17T21:21:31.066-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily: Round 11, Half Done!This round is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. Granted, I haven't been working on it exclusively. I have been working on my mom's Mother's Day gift. I've also been playing with some yarn/thread that a coworker gave me. I made several granny squares to see how many I could make per ball. Probably more on that at a later time.<br />
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Not really much to say about this round.<br />
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I am tired of tatting these short rows. You getting going, then you have to stop. I love Jan's designs but I wish he had some how had all the scallops connected so you didn't have to stop and start all the time. Oh well. I'll just power through them as they are. I'm almost done the sixth scallop. Hopefully I'll have it done tonight. Thread stats: Manuela size 20 in colour #a022.<br />
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That's it for now. Hopefully I can get these finished soon. I will keep working on my other projects so I can keep my sanity. Till next time. Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-51597346567285083932016-04-04T21:10:00.001-06:002016-04-04T21:10:31.752-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily: Round 10 Complete!I finished round 10 of The Monsterpiece Doily yesterday, as expected. I had no issues with this round. I want to thank everyone who commented and provided suggestions for tatting this round. I didn't really follow most of them. Sorry. I didn't have issues with which picots to join to, so I didn't mark which ones to join to. Bernice mentioned that she did rounds 10 and 11 together and used split rings to do it. I wasn't quite sure how that would work so I waited until the last scallop of round 10 to try it. With great care, and reorganizing the pattern on the fly in my head to make regular rings into split rings, I did it. It works, but I don't know if I love the result. I can tell that a split ring was used in round 10, and I'm not happy about that. I like split rings to look like a regular rings. With careful blocking and shaping, it might look OK. You be the judge.<br />
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It's getting harder to photograph the beast. My new background will be too small after round 11. I have to be further away from it each time to get it all in frame. I am looking forward to getting round 11 finished. I don't want to sound impatient though. Might be a sign that I should work on another project for a while. Thread stats: Manuela size 20 in colour #a022.<br />
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That's it for now. I'll probably keep working on the doily for a while yet. I started another pair of socks a few weeks ago, using actual sock yarn. I could work on that for a while. I also ordered some fur yarn online earlier in March. And I bought more wool yarn last Friday, so I could crochet some more slippers for myself as well. I shouldn't find it difficult to distract myself from the Monsterpiece Doily for a while if needed. Till next time.<br />
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PS: I love your comments, even if I don't always follow the suggestions. Keep'em coming! Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-24016373862282507642016-03-28T17:46:00.003-06:002016-03-28T17:46:39.994-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily: Round 9, Complete!I finished tatting round 9 of the Monsterpiece Doily Saturday, but I guess I got sidetracked yesterday and forgot to blog about it. I was understandably a little nervous as I neared the end of the round. I kinda feared it would not work out again. However, I finished it with no problems.<br />
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It looks like nothing happened. It's a little wavy but I think that's less of a problem than cupping and I'm sure it'll flatten out more rounds are added. Thread stats: Manuela no. 20 colour #a055.<br />
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I have started tatting round 10. This round begins the scallops, so it's not a full round. Just 10 small half circle shapes. They're each pretty quick to tat, but because each is tatted separate from the others, I have to hide ends on each one as I go. I currently have three done. Hopefully I can get the remaining seven finished by next weekend. That's it for now. Till next time. <br />
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<br />Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-40496374774278629582016-03-20T20:43:00.001-06:002016-03-20T20:43:39.059-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily: Repair UpdateAs expected, I finished the repair of round 8. No issues except for a few more ends that need to be sewn in.<br />
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I think it looks awesome! Minus the few extra ends that need to be dealt with. Granted, I thought it looked awesome before I found the mistake. But it doesn't cup anymore, which is great. I decided that I should sew in a few of the ends that need it before getting round 9 back on track. I hope to finish that tonight and then I can get threads reattached to round 9.<br />
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That's it for now. With any luck, I'll have round 9 finished, again, by next weekend. I'll be sure to post again then. And, thanks for everyone who has commented over the past several days. Your encouragement and help has been greatly appreciated. Til next time. Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-5236793986135401852016-03-19T22:24:00.003-06:002016-03-19T22:24:23.523-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily: And So It BeginsAfter a few days of calming down and reflecting, the scissors came out. I spent some time Friday morning carefully cutting and undoing some of my tatting. The squeamish should probably look away. It isn't pretty.<br />
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It actually looks worse than it is. As you can see, I only cut out what was necessary. I saw absolutely no reason to have cut off all 3-4 affected rows. Once that was done, I began the repairs. Round 6 was easy to do, and was done before I had to go to work in the afternoon.<br />
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I don't know if it is obvious in the photo but the now correct section makes an immediate difference in the doily. It may be a bit premature, but I might not need to worry about blocking it after round 9 is done after all. I finished fixing round 7 today after work, though most of it was tatted Friday evening.<br />
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No major issues with this round. I think the only problem with this repair work is that I will have several extra threads that will need to be sewn in. I have managed to hide most of them but not all could be hidden with magic threads/tatting over.<br />
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Since I'm about halfway done the repair of round 8, I will try to post a quick update tomorrow. I should have it done by then. Then I just have to retat the part of round 9 I cut off. After that, I'll decide if I will take a break before starting round 10. Since blocking may not be needed more, and, despite this setback, I'm still enjoying the tatting right now, I don't feel the need for a break. Till next time.Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-68467471221538563412016-03-16T21:41:00.002-06:002016-03-16T21:41:10.698-06:00Houston, We Have a Problem....I'm kinda pissed off that I have to write a post about this. Well, I don't <i>have</i> to, but I guess I should share that I am human that makes mistakes and not a machine. I really hoped I would be able to write a post today showing off the finished round 9 of the Monsterpiece Doily. Instead, I get to share with you all how I made a major mistake that I just noticed last night. On the plus side, I think I figured out why the doily is cupping a bit. <br />
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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.<br />
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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?<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
<br />Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-73686449174823867502016-03-07T21:04:00.002-06:002016-03-07T21:05:04.342-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily: Round 8, Complete!I finished round 8 of the Monsterpiece Doily today. I would have finished it yesterday but I got called into work Saturday night, so didn't get a chance to work on it then.<br />
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Nothing really to say about this round. I tatted it with no major problems. I almost ran out of thread on the shuttles near the end, and had to finger tat the last couple rings and chains. I really enjoyed tatting these last two round. I'm kinda sad to be done tatting them. Thread stats: Manuela no. 20 colour #a044.<br />
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I've written up and began tatting round 9. I might keep tatting just to get the round finished. As those of you familiar with the pattern know, round 10 is where the scallops begin. That might be a better place to stop and take a short break. I have also decided that I will definitely steam/block the doily before moving on to round 10. If I wait much longer, it's going to be bigger than my blocking tiles, and I'll have to get more, delaying the blocking. Till next time. Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539677025266761617.post-76210634889006529042016-02-28T20:13:00.001-06:002016-02-28T20:13:26.632-06:00The Monsterpiece Doily, Round 7: Complete!I finished round 7 of the Monsterpiece Doily last Saturday. I snapped a quick photo and began round 8. These two rounds proved quite easy to do, and they are interesting enough to keep me tatting. I won't bore you with too much text; not much to say otherwise.<br />
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Nothing really to add about this round. Finished it with no major issues.<br />
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I agree with a comment Carollyn left on my last post. The doily looks great as it is and I agree it would be a good place to stop for anyone who doesn't want to make the whole doily. I won't stop though; it's starting to get interesting. I'm sure other people probably figured it out before I did, I'm looking at you Jane E., but one could go from round 7 to round 8 by starting with one of the chains that connect to round 6 instead of the small ring and make two split rings to jump to round 8. I noticed it when I only had a couple of repeats to go before I had to join the last ring to the first. Thread stats: Manuela no. 20 colour #a044.<br />
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As you can see I've completed about half of round 8 already. Despite being almost a mirror of round 7, I think this round so far is easier to tat. Probably because there is only a slight difference in stitch count for most elements and it's pretty obvious where round 8 joins to round 7. Thread stats: same as above.<br />
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That's about it for now. With any luck, I may have this round completed by next weekend. I think at that point I may take a short tatting break. I want to knit another pair of socks. Jeff Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13521350068442897265noreply@blogger.com7