When I'm sewing or quilting, sometimes my mind wanders... and that's usually no big deal. But when I'm tatting and my mind wanders off somewhere, it often results in snipping threads, rewinding shuttles (I get why tatters have so many now), and tucking a little snippet of rings and chains away because throwing it in the trash right then seems... mean. I'm just not competent enough yet at tatting to afford an idle brain.
My mind was wandering as I made this little heart because I had just finished listening to Austenland, an audio book by Shannon Hale. I enjoyed it because it made me laugh out loud a few times. That is unusual for me, I am a smiler or chuckler when I read, or in this case, "read". Not surprisingly, Austenland revolves around Jane Austen and her books. Which made me think of Pride and Prejudice, which made me think of BBC, which made me think of Colin Firth and then this poem which I liked as a teenager, LONG before Mr. Firth threw down any looks as Darcy...
The Look
Strephon kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
And never kissed at all.
Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,
Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes
Haunts me night and day.
- Sara Teasdale
Is it any wonder then that I had a few false starts in making this heart? But I found a way to compensate for my wandering mind and constant interruptions (OK, frequent interruptions). A magnetic board. Don't know why I didn't think of it before. I used one of these ALL the time during my 1980's cross stitching days!
I found it to be handy, not only for helping me keep my place in the pattern, but also for keeping my threads tidy when I have to lay my work down. I simply pinned the threads from each shuttle down with a magnet so they wouldn't twist. I could also pin unfinished rings down and pick up where I left off with no problem. Baby Doll is a climber so I have to jump up a lot!
Even with the false starts this was a fun heart to make. It is #69 from Minitats, 69 Petite Motifs by Patti Duff.
Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteThat heart is very pretty!
I like the poem, LOL!
Thanks for your comment on my blog about the little baby dress with tatting on it that I rescued from an antique store years ago.
BTW, Martha did not congratulation me, LOL! I congratulated her for some tweet she had a link to some article that said she was a "magazine magnate" and so I congratulated her. I follow her, but she doesn't follow me. She probably never even read my tweet back, LOL! I can only WISH that Martha Stewart tweeted me. I think that would be awesome! :)
Well don't that just make you wanna bawl! (I really like Andy Griffith) I thought you were the lucky winner of 4 tickets to the show AND lunch in the studio because when I clicked on the "Congratulations!", Martha had tweeted about it. It's not out of the realm of possibility you know, you ARE lucky!
ReplyDeleteIt would be cool if Martha did follow you - you could do a segment on the show about tatting! Because tatting is "A Good Thing"!!!
Ann
Love, love, love the pink heart. I so want to learn tatting -- it's just lovely -- and of course, there's the appeal of the shuttle which is such a neat tool, a fact which I am sure I have mentioned before. I agree with you on the use of the magnet board -- I also have one left over from my cross stitch phase -- and I have adapted it for many other uses in other projects.
ReplyDeleteThank you Martha!
ReplyDeleteYep, I have always found tatting to be very appealing. Grandma tatted and I WANTED that shuttle AND the pretty thread, NOT TO MENTION the delicate crosses she always made! And then there is the whole string thing - I always wanted to play those games with a circle of string, but all I got were knots! Too bad there weren't tutorials back then! I guess I'm still making knots, but in a good way!
And yes, magnet boards, they are also, "A Good Thing."
Ann
Sweet little heart, Ann! such a good book of motifs.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like your ruminations about the bits and pieces...... a won=man after my own heart.
I have not had a lot of luck lately in the audio book world..... Maybe I should check out Austenland.
Thanks for your comments and support during the TAT marathon! Your words gave me courage! Fox : )
Hi Fox!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm finding mini tats to be fun and am enjoying working with finer thread for a change.
I think it's great that you have completed T.A.T. part 2. I took exams in school of course and also professional exams, but I believe this takes more courage because it involves your creative passion. I'm happy for you!
Ann
I love that poem! Your heart is lovely and it is always fascinating to see how ones mind wanders...
ReplyDeleteThank you LadyShuttleMaker! I THINK I am finally catching on to tatting! I am feeling less intimidated by some of the patterns. I'm not quite ready to commit to a big piece though, mostly due to my wandering mind. When I let my guard down and begin to meander it all goes down the tubes...
ReplyDeleteThank you for dropping by!
Ann
Ha ha! Yes, Tatting IS a "good thing". I would LOVE it if Martha followed my blog...or any of our tatting blogs! I think it would be neat to have the opportunity to share the joy of tatting with a mass audience!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know that I'm having a giveaway! Be sure to come on over and join in!
Thank you so much for reminding me! I saw that you had a giveaway right before I had to leave to take a couple kids to a movie last night and I was too bushed when I got home to get on the computer. I better get my name in the hat!
ReplyDeleteAnn
Hi Ann! I came back to say thank you for entering my giveaway! Good luck to you!
ReplyDelete