Perseverance

I'm proud to present the Sea Shell:

I love the way the sleeves came out (finally) and with the seashell button I found to finish off the collar.  Usually I say it's great when something comes out the way you envision it but with this one, I didn't even envision anything.  I started out somewhere and then tried this but didn't like so I tried that and I liked it.  Then I tried this other thing and didn't like it so I took it out and tried another thing, didn't like it, tore it out, tried yet another thing and liked it.  It wasn't so much creativity as perseverance.

If I were to make it again (and, you know, I'm pretty darn sure I will) I have things I would change because I learned something about the construction.  But I don't believe there's anything I would change about this version.  At all.

One of my trial and error efforts came from a technique I found this weekend in a 1933 issue of Needlework Magazine.  I had been thinking about tatting the sleeves so this seemed like it might work.

First you tat the frame.  The pattern is actually for an edging where the motifs are attached for the length of the piece you're edging.

 Then you thread the thread through each of the inside picots of the frame.  You tie down the center by weaving the thread through all the spokes a couple of times.

 Then you start working up each section to create the petals.

How fun is that?!  Isn't that great?

It didn't work as the sleeves (too small) but I think it's super cool so I'm going to make a scarf with the size 8 mercerized cotton I used to make these and then attach these as the scarf ends.  I started experimenting with the little circle of tatting at the top of this photo and I'm now makeing a VanDyke edging the same way (it was the other pattern in the mag).  I'm planning to make 3 tatted triangles (which will be attached) that then have a wide 3-petaled centerpiece in each.  I'm going to frame them because I think that will be a wonderful way to display the work.

One of the other 1933 issues that I found had some cover art that showed this technique used in a cutout of an embroidery piece that I am totally going to do with the knitting as the frame and the needleweaving as the interest piece.