CQJP July Block

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tatted Mock HairPin Lace

I offered to test tat a pattern for the Online Tatting Class using Ruth Perry's Tatted Mock Hair Pin Lace (TMHPL) technique.  Now, I am not an accomplished tatter, but I do enjoy learning new techniques, so I decided to try Saundra Hameed's Angel pattern. It's supposed to look like this:
Isn't it pretty?





The pattern calls for creating a TMHPL strip, cutting and tieing,  and then later attaching to the head.

I wanted to avoid an extra cut and tie, so I decided to begin the pattern with the head, then create the MTHPL piece and complete the rest of the pattern in one go.

And the changes I made worked, but my angel looks like this:


slightly wonky

Why? Because my picots are not long enough. Had I followed the pattern, I would have realized early on that my picots were too short.
Doing the pattern in one go, and beginning with the head as I had done meant that by the time I reached the second wing, and discovered that it pulled it out of shape, I was almost finished the pattern. 

I should have stopped then, and started a new one, but, there's that stubborn streak...............and I was running out of time........


The TMHPL  creates an up and down picot, which resembles the hairpin lace. Having several lacemakers remark that the fancy picot (FP) stitch I often use looks like hairpin lace, I decided to try an experiment. The FP creates an alternating up and down picot.
Realizing that the TMHPL uses 3 half-stitches per picot, and the FP uses only two half-stitches, I added in an extra ds/set to create the same length.
The usual FP stitch is written thusly if d= 1st half of ds  and s= 2nd half ds,  - = picot
1ds (-2d-2s)x  where x is the total number of FP sets desired
and adapted it to:
1ds (-2d-2s, 1ds)x  and this way strengthened the FP mock hairpin lace strip, as well as matched the length of the TMHPL strip. I decided to test my theory by tatting Saundra Hameed's "Round Center Motif in Tatting and Hairpin Lace" Here's a pic of her example:




 It's a wonderful pattern.




 My result:


not perfect, but I think the FP as an alternative method  for TMHPL has possibility. I still need to work on my tension, and not tat so tightly.
Because I like to use the FP, and do so frequently in my tatting, it was quicker for me to tat this larger motif with the FP, twice, rather than the angel with the TMHPL once.





On my first attempt at the above pattern, I made a joining error, and this happy accident occurred:







a cute fan motif that may just find itself on a future CQ block




I hope all your tatting accidents are happy ones!
Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz


24 comments:

  1. That certainly is an interesting technique! I've read the instructions, but I'm not sure I'm ready to try it yet. I have trouble keeping short picots consistent!

    Not following a pattern is one of my biggest temptations. Luckily, I don't have the confidence to take the plunge and try something new. ; )

    Have fun with your new-found technique!

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  2. It looks an interesting technique, and something different to learn,
    Margaret

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  3. Hi Diane,
    I didn't find the technique difficult, I just had to pay attention! Which is sometimes a struggle for me. lol I usually use my finger to measure picot length so this was new using a large guage to keep the picots even.
    I do like to play and experiment with tatting, but have to concentrate to tat patterns.
    It's not my technique Diane--I'm just trying a known stitch as an alternate.
    Hugs

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  4. Margaret, the TMHPL technique by Ruth Perry is quite interesting. I love the look of hairpin lace, and now I can tat a lookalike. Fun!

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  5. Suz your tatted hairpin lace looks quite intriguing. My grandmother did hairpin lace and now I wish I would have paid attention (hard for me to do ever) and learned from her. I especially like the fan you tatted and it would look lovely in a CQ. Happy tatting to you...

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  6. Very interesting post today, Suz. I love that last pic! A lovely accident!
    Fox : )

    p.s. great colours

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  7. Thanks, Createology. My friend Shirley brought me a hairpin lace loom on her last visit, so this winter I hope to create some real HP lace. My grandmother was a tatter and seamstress, but I didn't learn either from her. I think we don't appreciate these arts when we are young. Perhaps we take them for granted, and it's only when we are older and realize these skills are not so common that we begin to understand their real value. Happy creating..

    Gita, thank you for your visit and kind comment.

    Thanks Fox. I thought it was pretty neat. Then, when I was in the Online Tatting Class last night, I saw a fan by TatMan that blew mine out of the water. His is much more complicated, but also more gorgeous. Something to aspire to. The color is Lizbeth 'Falling Leaves'

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  8. very nice tatting beautiful color!

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  9. I'm not a tatter so this is a clear as mud - however, your end results look pretty decent to me!

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  10. Suz your new tattered pieces looks wonderful the fan motif will be great on a CQ block.
    Hugs Anni

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  11. Sorry for the muddy post, MA! I do like the accidental fan, though. Thanks for commenting.

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  12. Yes, it's all rather gobbledygook for me I'm afraid but I'm glad your error turned into something useful and so cute!

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  13. Thanks, Anni. I think I like the fan best, too.
    Hugs

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  14. Hi Janet and thanks for your comment. Sorry about the gobbledygook! ;-) I think the fan is the best accident!
    Hugs

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  15. Yes errors are there for us to accept new ways of looking at things!
    Your creative tatting is amazing - you are so gifted with this!
    Love and hugs,
    Suzy

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  16. You are so sweet, Suzy! I'm still learning about tatting, and this time there was a happy surprise. You don't, though, want to see the box I have of tatted UFO's, mistakes, and thread messes! ;-0

    You're right about errors, though. They often do lead to new ideas, patterns and knowledge. I hope I keep open enough to recognize them.

    Hugs

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  17. well your work looks just fine to me.....gorgeous in fact!

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  18. thanks, Karen. But I know where all the errors are.......lol

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  19. Heavens, you've made a brilliant job with what looks v difficult - you're speaking a different language!

    Just catching up here - happy birthday for last month! Better late than never ;) Lovely tatting/zipper flower & cards.

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  20. Hi Emma, good to 'see' you. I know you've been busy with your show. Maybe if I keep practicing my tension, mine will one day look like Saundra's. Hugs

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  21. I love how accidents can be quite creative. The fan shape is one very happy accident. Will look lovely on a CQ block.

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  22. I do, too, Dianne. I wonder how many accidents became new techniques? I get a lot of 'happy accidents' in my painting, but not usually many in tatting, so the fan was a nice surprise.

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I love to read your comments!