True as a Mystery Would Be

Just when I thought all plots have been revealed, a new villain surfaces, this time the snippy kind.

Right then, this is the doily after Round 4.  See how it is laying out so pretty with just a small trace of ruffling in Round 3?


So, I started on Round 5. After two repeats done, I have this feeling that it is not going to turn out right.  As in the earlier rounds, it is the battle of the chains.  I tried this with the count 4-4-4+4-4, but it is curving way too much to my liking.  I wanted to try again with a stitch count of 4-2-4+2-4.  Out comes Mr.Snippy and he goes snip, snip, snip.  He must have blinked because next I noticed, a ring of Round 4 was a victim as well.  Urgggghhhh!

There is no other way around it.  I have to unpick a few repeats of Round 4 to fix it.  You have heard before that a tatting knot is a real fast one and it will not easily come undone.  Well, I can vouch for that.  It took me all of 15 minutes to undo one double stitch.  There was so much pulling and poking that the 6-ply thread split into three.

The shuttle also took its toll from all the stabbing; the point of the pick broke.

Now,  I know that fixing a break in the middle of a completed round is not easy!  I'd rather spend time tatting rather than un-tatting.  Luckily, the mistake was quite close to the end of Round 4.This is how much I ended up cutting of off Round 4.

If you have been following my Mystery and tatting along with me, here is another "tip", sort of, for you to consider.
PattyD's chart shows that, for Round 4, the inner cluster of rings is in the sequence - 5 rings, 5 rings, 6 rings, and repeats.  I followed Vickie Reynolds' written pattern which show that each inner cluster contains six rings. I don't suppose it will make much difference to the final result, but I would be interested to know how PattyD's version turns out.

Comments

  1. It looks as if you need to use a metal tatting shuttle, Jon! I still like yoiur mystery doily!

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  2. How lovely the doily is coming out. I can't wait to see the finished piece and the pattern. Just one more thing to add to my "I want to make that" list.

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  3. ARGHHHHH! That is a nightmare for sure! I am following Vickie’s as well.... Some ruffling in round three but I believe it will be fine once pressed...

    I am glad you are ahead of me, as I see the dangers before I get there... hopefully!
    Fox : ))

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  4. Oh goodness, my heart sinks just reading that!

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  5. Ouch, that's painful! :-( But your perseverance encourages me. :-)

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  6. Wow that's some story, you poor thing it would have driven me up the wall, and the final straw the hook breaking off, I hope you can sort it out, it looks so lovely so far and you are doing a wonderful job with the doily.
    Margaret

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  7. I'm following PattyD's 5-5-6 sequence for round 4, will post a picture as soon as I'm able to :) Great job!

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  8. ARRRRGGGHHHH!

    My response in sympathy.

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  9. I love the colors and beautiful of that doily!! :)

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  10. oh no, how unfortunate. Otherwise your Doily is looking very nice.

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  11. Drat! I hate when that happens. When I have really stubborn knots, I use a tapestry needle. I'm not nearly as upset by a bent needle as I am by a broken shu

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  12. Oops! I tapped something wrong! To finish that thought... broken shuttle tip.

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  13. Jon, I must confess to wanting to tat this doily -- as I love the look of it so much -- but am utterly intimidated by you and other folks who find so much stitch adjusting. But no one says exactly why they are adjusting...are the connection points coming up wrong? Are the chains too long? Is it a case of ruffling or cupping? Or all of the above? Sounds like achy-brain inducing work...

    Any words of encouragement?

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    1. This doily started as a mystery to Georgia Seitz. There was no pattern. After Georgia posted on her site, Vickie Reynolds came up with a version of the instructions on how to tat it. Later, Patty Dowden put up some charts for it. Now, some of us tatters are tatting this doily working with Vickie Reynolds' instructions or Patty Dowden's chart, or both.

      I have been working on this doily for over a month now and have blogged about my progress, as well as the changes I have made. All my adjustments have been in the stitch count for the chains. What I am aiming for is to have the doily lay as flat as possible, so I don't have to block much. Some rounds work well with Vickie's count and for other rounds Patty's stitch count is a better fit.

      Words of encouragement? I don't know ... I suppose it comes down tension. I guess you know your tension better than anyone else, so any adjustments should be suited to your working tension.

      I know this still leaves much to the imagination, but I hope you will try and tat it, someday. In spite of the changes and some major unpicking, I am enjoying this doily very much.

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  14. Your patience is admirable! It's amazing how much study and work you are putting into this! You're definitely paving the way for those who follow. I love the colors, and the perfect hole in the center! I know you'll be up and running again soon. That was tough break, though - or should I say 'snip'.

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  15. I'm planning to follow PattyD's diagram too (diagrams over long text anytime). It'll be interesting to compare and contrast.

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  16. Superbe, merci pour tout ce que vous montrez. Il y avait longtemps que je n'avais pas fait cette dentelle vous me donnez le gout de recommencer. Merci

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  17. Thank you so much, all my sympathy as I'm struggling with ths doiy right now! Your detailed diary is helping me so much. Hugs, Ninetta

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