Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Well, there you are....I am just so pleased with myself that I probably can't get my head through the door! I decided to try left-handed tatting yesterday. I'm right-handed. I can write well enough to read the writing with my left hand but it is slow and cumbersome - so I only do it when I'm bored in meetings. (shhhh....don't tell!)

Anyway, someone who would like to learn to tat is left-handed and figured I wouldn't be able to teach her because someone tried a long time ago but her left-handedness seemed impossible to deal with at the time.

I had some knots initially, yes, but I was amazed at how easily my left hand knew the motion. My second attempt tonight (the green rings) went exceptionally well and it seemed like the knots flipped themselves. And I could swear the tension looks better than my right-handed tatting! It is still slow and I had a load of trouble joining the rings together. My fingers did not want to cooperate with that, but the actual tatting part is easy enough that I can show a leftie how to do the stitch and that's what I was going after. Well...haven't tried chains yet and that might be a different story. I did find I had to wind my shuttle the opposite direction because the thread comes over my shuttle hand in the opposite direction.

And here is my not-so-mellow yellow bag! I'm working on the drawstring now, crocheting a braid and will put tassels on the ends, I think. I still need to make the lining...so how does hot pink measure up with black? LOL!
My granddaughter thought purple might be good...or was it green? She's 13 and likes those funky color schemes.

I don't have a victim....errr....recipient picked out for it yet. That bright yellow really limits my choices. Maybe I should just raffle it off - oh, there's an idea - I could put it in our Lace Day Raffle!

Oh...just realized a CD would fit in there perfectly if it weren't for the narrow top. I used a size 20 thread instead of the size 10 called for...and I could change the beading at the top.....so then it would make a nifty CD gift bag! I'll have to keep that in mind if I tat it again.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:00 PM

    Stunning bag. Nowt wrong with bright yellow, Gina!!!!! Nowt wrong with any bright colours. Grand lass that granddaughter of yours!! She's got taste!!
    Jane

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  2. Gina the bag is fabulous! Looks nice against the darker color, a dark lining would show off your tatting pattern better. Oh I'm sure lots of us would stand in line to be your next "victim", hehehe.
    Gail

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  3. I think I just need to step away from it for awhile. It's kind of in-my-face right now. Things always look better to me later.

    Thanks for the compliments!
    :-) Gina

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  4. Anonymous1:03 AM

    OMG, there are still people who tat!

    Fifteen years ago, I couldn't find anyone to teach me to tat. So I went to a local retirement home and the nurses found a resident to teach me. She was very old and very alone, but still her fingers so nimble!

    I tried and tried and tried for weeks under her gentle instruction, but just couldn't get the 'snap' .. that's what she called it, now I understand it's called the 'flip'?

    Anyway, once that happened, I HAD IT! She was so happy that I'd finally gotten it, and wanted to kiss me good-bye. I would have none of that, I visited her three times a week for the next two years until she passed, and then I learned that she had no family, so I buried her and bought a stone -

    Dear Mayra, Teacher and Friend

    Life then proceeded to get in the way, and I'm just now coming back to this lost art.

    I'll be back, daily!

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