That's Done

I kept my focus pretty sharp yesterday, well, once I had time to sit down anyway. The morning was busy with schooling and laundry and final test runs on the kids costumes including makeup for the youngest. When I did sit down, it was straight to work.

I managed to finish the last two round on the sample doily. Of course I also discovered that I had failed to write out the last round correctly, so that slowed me down a bit as I had to write it as I tatted it.

The next step is to make all the corrections I found in the computer and then I have to write it all again with the page layout and pictures included. I also have to figure out what else the pattern needs to say to be clear. This is all so much easier when I'm just keeping a design to myself. It doesn't even have to be really legible, just notes, a picture and usually a prototype sitting about as a refresher.

I definitely won't get all that done today, or even this weekend as it should be a busy one. My mother's birthday is on Saturday and as it's a milestone birthday I offered to host a get together at our house. I won't call it a party, because I am rubbish at parties. It does still mean, cleaning, food, guests, and more cleaning. Then of course there's the Halloween evening itself followed by Sunday recovery time. I'm tired just thinking about it, but next week I should have some free time to get the pattern ready and listed. Here's hoping.

Three More Rounds

First, I want to thank everyone who answered my shuttle tatting query. I am so glad to know that the pattern can easily be worked by all, no matter how they make their knots. I also got introduced to the Celtic tatting shuttle, what a neat little tool for getting the shuttle into places as easily as the needle.

Yesterday's outings and meetings did use up a good portion of the day, but I still managed to get a few more rounds done on the sample doily. I'm finding it interesting that the look of the piece is completely different when worked in three colors. I am also so glad that I chose to work this from the written pattern instead of my usual way, which is working from the prototype itself. I've found scads of mistakes in my pattern and I feel pretty confident that once I finish this, I'll be able to publish the pattern without error. Of course now that I've said that it's going to be a proofreading nightmare. I am also getting ahead of myself as I still have a few more rounds and they are long ones.

Today should be pretty productive as we have no extra things to do. I'll have time to work and maybe even time to clean. I even started the third and final circle cardigan gift. It's good to work on while i do other things as I've pretty much got the pattern memorized. It turns crochet into that meditative state of my hands moving without my brain having to focus at all. So again, even without sales in the shop, I have many things to keep me busy.

Progress and Crochet a Necklace

Yesterday's teacher meeting took a good chunk of the morning, but was far less stressful that I built it up to be. This means I had the time and inclination to get working on all sorts of things. I finished up the second circle cardigan gift and I finished writing up the pattern for the Gothic doily.

I grabbed a few different colors that I had an excess of so that I could start making it using the written pattern. I figured I can be my own test tatter first. At least I can try while I work on the pictures for the pattern. If you hadn't guess by now I can't be bothered to learn how to diagram patterns, so photos are my thing. I'm only on round 3 now, not counting the center, so it might still be awhile before it's ready for prime time. I did already find a mistake in my written pattern, so it really is serving two purposes.

While I have some eyes though, I have a question for any shuttle tatters out there. It's quite simple to work the woven rings with the needle, can they be worked as easily with the shuttle? I just don't know and I'd like to answer the question of whether this pattern can be worked both ways correctly. I've always assumed everything that can be done with one, can be done with the other, but since me and the shuttle are in a lifelong battle, I don't actually know that that is true. So please straighten me out here!

In other creating news I used some of the leftover yarn from the circle cardigan to make an additional gift and I thought it look pretty neat. I just had fun making it and it was so easy that I thought I'd give a little tutorial on it.

Crochet Necklace

It's a medium weight yarn and I used a size F hook to crochet a tight chain 125" long. Then I joined to the beginning chain and formed one long loop.
I wrapped it into 5 loops and then using a J hook I crocheted about 7 single stitches around the whole bundle and finished by slip stitching through the tops of those stitches just to give it a little more decoration.

Distracted

I was distracted much of the day yesterday. I'm not entirely certain why, but I think I was just, well, overthinking. It's a busy week ahead and I just couldn't concentrate on making anything for too long. All I managed to work on was another circle cardigan and even that didn't get finished even though I really should have had time enough to do so.

Today's prospects aren't much better as the first real distraction of the week is today's teacher meeting for one of the kids. The next one is tomorrow, followed by an outing. I know it's suppose to be the kids being evaluated, but I always get a bit nervous myself. After all, if they aren't doing well, that's on me, right?

Hopefully, I'll relax enough to work on something today. I did just wake up to a sale in my shop. It's just a simple necklace, so I should be able to handle getting another made for the shop after I get one shipped out. I'm just crossing my fingers that this whole week goes well and I get a minute to relax before the holidays are upon us.

Done

On Friday, after the pumpkin patch, I gave another round one last try on what has clearly become a doily. I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to pull off any more rounds, but this one came out just fine. It's so fine in fact, that I proclaim the motif all grown up. That's right, this is it, I'm done. The completed pieces is about 8.5 inches across at the widest points.

In other good news, I actually started writing up the pattern on Saturday. I stopped about halfway through as it was hurting my head, but I do plan on finishing and eventually getting it listed as a pattern in my shop. I'll need to remake it one more time to test the pattern once I write it and I might do that in multiple colors just to help show the chain weaving rounds. This week might be too busy for it though. There are teacher meetings, another outing, and I've got to prepare for Halloween,which is also my mother's 60th birthday. That means hosting a get together here as well, which means cleaning. I'm just tired thinking about this week.

I did also get to some of the gift cardigans over the weekend. I ever so slightly redesigned the center motif so that each of the girls don't have the exact same one. The all picked different colors as well, but I thought I'd do just a little more. I still have two more of these to make, so I will have plenty to keep my hands busy anytime I have any free time. Of course I'm not expecting a whole lot of that this week. Well, guess I'll get to it then.