Have you ever tried to clearly map out a 3 dimensional drawing? Places where parts of the lace ovelap other parts mean that on a flat drawing, all of the tiny little numbers are stacked one on top of the other. It's hard for a tatter to tell which of 3 numbers occupying the same space actually ought to be used without guessing. After trying repeatedly to clarify the same tiny bits of drawing I finally gave up and started one more time. After all of that, you'd think that a very plain and simple edging would be a piece of cake. No way, not this time. As I rounded the 3rd corner of the hanky I suddenly realized that the ring joining into the corner treatment of the very first corner, was attached at the wrong point. There's no way I was going to re-tat the whole edging. Two little -snips- and the offending ring is gone. I have 4 ends to hide in one ring now, but the corner is finally attached in the right place.
At this point I should have realized that there is something definitely wrong with the way things are going, but being I glutton for punishment I push onward. As I finish off the blue base for the columbine and pull out my shuttle full of white thread to do the inner section of the flower I realize I have a different type of thread on this shuttle. It's not the size 8 perle I thought it was but some size 20 or maybe 30, 3 ply bedspread type of stuff. Not the same size or the same texture. I discovered the problem in time and all I had to do was change threads.
Except that I did't have a ball of white thread. All I had were some short pieces left over from
other projects. I could work with short threads, but it was going to take me that much longer to
get things done. I pressed on, knowing that there was light at the end of the tunnel even if I couldn't see it. As I worked on the second white petal I looked at how the flower was coming together. The construction was OK but the white part was way too long and out of proportion with the base. The best thing to do with it was cut it off and start again. Only, I couldn't start again, I didn't have enough thread. After debating with myself about all of the possibilities I decide I have to cut it off and I also have to save as much thread as possible. So, very carefully I cut the rings at the top of the petal throw away the tips and add in some new thread. With the crisis over I whip through the rest of the flower adding in new thread 3 more times.
At this point I'm thinking "Isn't tatting fun?" NOT! I finally have the columbine done and it's down to the homestretch. One more pattern to draw and pull into the newsletter, and I'm done. I get the drawing for the base completed and I'm thinking it won't be long now. The base is completed and I just have to do the cup shape for the centre of the flower. Then I run into another snag. I need to show how the pieces are connected, but it means changing the colour of all the different rows and redrawing part of the middle so that I can keep the rings and chains of one part distinct from the other part. Step by step I manage to get it done. I bring the drawing into the publishing software and then the colour starts dropping out to the diagram. I change to colour of one chain and another goes from black to green. I've been down this road before and I'm just too tired to play the game. One click of a button and my drawing is a picture. No more unexpected changes to my drawing. Finally, it's done and I'm ready for bed. Unfortunately it hasn't finished tormen ting me enough. BUT, that's a story for another day.
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