Monday, February 01, 2010

Utterly random

That's how I feel today. It started with a sock. Why is it that you carefully pair up socks before you start the laundry, but somehow you ALWAYS end up with one odd sock?

The blue primrose is a little flower I treated myself to because they were on sale and when I walked by the stand of them they smelled divine. The sad thing next to it was the red one I bought Friday. A lovely little plant just ready to burst into blossom and chock full of buds to come. That was before we'd had another furnace failure. I'm not blaming its demise on our erratic indoor temperatures, although I doubt that the constant change has helped much. It's not totally dead, but it may not revive enough to bloom.


This is how it looked when I brought it home - I even remembered to take a picture of it.

A lovely little primrose just ready to burst into blossom and chock full of buds to come. That was Friday before we'd had another furnace failure. I'm not blaming it on our erratic indoor temperatures, although I doubt that the constant change has helped much. It might have been in shock coming from the 9F temp outside into the sometimes 73F inside. It might have been dried out from sitting on a rack in the store. I might have over watered it to compensate. So I bought another one just in case. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

And the tatting.....If I was designing a trumpet shaped 3D flower this would be an awesome design. Since what I'm actually designing is another snowflake, it's an abysmal failure. I'm having far too many of those lately. Out of the projected 30 designs I have 20 done and 12 drawn so I'm not much further ahead even though I have been tatting steadily.

I thought about knitting socks but knitting seems too tedious to me. I know what you're going to say. How can anyone who tats call knitting tedious. It is to me. I suppose it's because I don't enjoy it. I can tat, crochet or embroider for hours, but knitting just doesn't do it for me. Then there's the whole knitting in a circle thing needed for socks that I have never mastered. The other day I saw a reference to a circular knitting machine and thought that's just what I need. A machine to speed up the process so that I could endure the tedium. A quick search of the internet and that idea fizzled quickly $1750.00 delivered. No way baby! That much dough will buy me a lot of tatting thread.

I love tatting, but it's totally impractical. you can't make socks or shirts or blankets out of tatting like you can with knitting or crochet. Tatting is beautiful, elegant, timeless and lovely. But it's definitely not practical.

See what I mean, utterly random. Maybe if I get my brain back in gear, I'll have better success designing. Or maybe not.

9 comments:

  1. Hey, Sharon!
    I think that these abysmal design times are when your subconscious is busy brewing up magic! It zaps your energy and makes it seem as though there is no hope! Really! The worst storm often herald the most beautiful day....

    I find everything I touch at the moment os horrid! I cannot get anything right - not just tatting.

    So, I thought I'd make socks - which I did for The Boss. Little ones. For a three year old.

    Nearly bored me to death! It is insanely BORING. To me, knitting is absolute drudgery. Crochet, not so much. I use it to relax sometimes.

    So, I'm with you. Tatting is not practical, but it sure enables the creation of gorgeous designs. Especially yours!

    That little primrose will be showing up in your new batch of design brilliance, I suspect. You just haven't made it manifest just yet!
    Fox : )

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  2. Maybe it's not a snowflake, but it is a beautiful beginning of ... something. I've had several designs that started out as something else and developed a life of their own. I bet you have too.

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  3. Finally, someone else who feels the same way I do about knitting. And I see we're not alone. Lovely plant too.

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  4. I feel your pain about designs not working out the way you want them too.

    Just had to say that trumpet-shaped flowers just so happen to be a favorite of mine and I would be greedy to have a 3D pattern.

    If it were me, I would keep that sample for a future book.

    (Uh-og, my word verification came up a variation of the word "desist" -- better stop now! ;-)

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  5. Jenny3:23 AM

    That sounds like a challenge -You can't make socks out of tatting. We will have to think about that. I do agree about knitting, but socks are not as boring as jumpers!
    Jenny

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  6. I'm not crazy about the actual process of knitting but I do love the lacy items that can result. I'm not big on heavy knits tho I did knit a popcorn stitch afghan once. I rarely knit these days.

    Sounds like you need some comfort tatting, not something you're pushing yourself on.

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  7. I like the trumpet shaped snowflake. I hope you're saving it for when you feel like making flowers! I agree with you about knitting -- except that I think if it as mindless. Something I can do when I really need to concentrate on the something else I'm doing!

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  8. I'm curious if you've tried knitting Continental style, holding the thread in the left hand (if right-handed). The stitches are picked off the left needle, as if you're crocheting, and it goes faster. Once I discovered this method, I was off and running - for 40 years!

    Cable patterns and fair isle knitting (with colors) help keep one's interest. Scarves are fun to make (and useful) and don't involve shaping, so you can just enjoy the process of knitting. The self-striping yarn is also fun to work with, but can be expensive.

    I could write a lot about knitting, so I'll quit here!!!

    Just do whatever makes you comfortable and happy!

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  9. Me again! One reason to knit or crochet is to make an afghan to keep you warm when that so-called furnace stops running! Speaking of that, I think you should call that guy (Holmes?) in Canada who has a very popular show on the Home and Garden channel. Maybe he lives in your area!!! He would relish a story such as yours - contractors who don't do their job properly!

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