Mystery Doily - Epilogue

I was so excited to share my finished Mystery Doily in the earlier post that I forgot to add a few details about it.  Even if I did, I may lose you attention mid-way because it will be a lengthy one.  So, here it is  now.

The Mystery Doily pattern is from here for the full length instructions by Vickie Reynolds or here for the diagrammatic form prepared by PattyD.
The threads used are Lizbeth size 40 in two colours; 127 for the multicoloured and 615 for the solid.  All rings are tatted using the multicoloured thread and all chains are in yellow.
The amount of thread used; almost three-quarters of a new ball of thread for the multi-coloured and half a ball for the solid.
The finished size is 10.25 inches or 26cm in diameter.

Now for a little bit more detail, but before that -
I am not finding fault in any of the two instructions available to tat this doily.  I am just sharing my observations when I compared Vickie's and Patty's version, in order to get the version that I am happy with.  You may or may not agree with me on this.

If you compare Vickie's and Patty's version, you will notice a difference in the stitch count for the chains; 4-4-4+4-4 in Vickie's and 4-2-4+2-4 in Patty's.  You can use either for the doily, I don't think there is much difference in the end result.  But for my Mystery Doily, I used both stitch count for the different rounds; Patty's version in rounds 1, 3 and 5, and Vickie's version in rounds 2, 4 and 6.

Why?

I noticed that my chains are being pushed up if I use 4-4-4+4-4 (Vickie's) in rounds 1, 3 and 5.  And conversely, I have to really stretch the chains if I use 4-2-4+2-4 (Patty's) in rounds 2, 4,. and 6 to avoid the bowling or cupping effect.

I also noticed a difference in the number of rings in the inner cluster for Round 4 (that are joined to Round 3); a 5 5 6 5 5 6 sequence in Patty's while Vickie's are all 6-rings cluster.  I decided to use Vickie's version for round 4 because that it what I see when I studied the picture of the doily given by Georgia in her website.

Other than these two main points, the rest of the doily was tatted as the pattern.

The End

of the Mystery.

Here it is after I had washed it and laid it out to dry.  As it is, I did not have to block it at all.  After squeezing out the excess water, by rolling it between an absorbent towel, I just had to pull it into shape and leave it to dry.

This is with all the end trimmed off and all dry.  The measurement is 26cm across, or 10.25 inches using size 40 Lisbeth thread.

This is a close-up of a quadrant of the doily,

But the ending was not without some drama.  It took me four attempts to finally get the join of the final repeat.  I totally miss the join in the first attempt, and I joined to the wrong picot in the second attempt. At the third attempt, the joining picot ended up twisted.  I almost butchered the thread when un-tatting it after the third attempt.  Spent almost 30 minutes un-doing a lock join. Lesson learnt from this, the quality of thread is very important.  It would have broken off much earlier if I had used a 3-ply thread instead of the 6-ply Lizbeth.

I don't which is worse, butchering the thread or breaking the tip off the shuttle, as I had blogged here.  But, i managed to save the shuttle by carefully filing the broken tip.

If yo are wondering how long ago I started on this doily, this next photo gives the approximate date,

All in, I have spent more than 50 tatting hours on this Mystery Doily but it is worth every second of it, mistakes and all.

A Mystery and a Whodunit

No secrets that the Mystery refers to the Mystery Doily that have been my obsession these past few months. I had wanted to finish Round 5 before sharing a picture but I ran out of thread in one of the shuttles so I decided to share it at this point before continuing with a full shuttle.

Oh, by the way, I was asked about the amount of thread used for the doily.  I have not set out to measure the thread used so I can only give an estimate based on the number of times I had re-load my shuttles.  I am using Lizbeth size 40 in two colours, a solid and a multi-coloured.  Up till now, I am on the fourth shuttle-load of the solid thread, and  used up five full shuttles of the multi-coloured.

I will be loading the shuttle with the multi-cloured thread for the sixth time to continue with Round 5 and expect another full shuttle will be needed before I finish Round 6.

This is the status at Round 5, with just a bit more to finish the round.  As it is, the doily is laying reasonably flat without any need for blocking - just the way I like it.

The dimension at Round 5 is about 9in (22cm)

Below is a close-up to show Round 5.

While all the earlier rounds were rather smooth (except for that mistake in Round 4), Round 5 has several points to take note of.

Firstly, the repeat in the number of rings in the inner cluster is not as straightforward as the earlier rounds, where it was a continuous repeat.  In Round 5, the repeat is in every three clusters sequence; 6 rings, 5 rings, 5 rings.  This sequence is repeated at the fourth cluster onward, like so - (6 5 5), (6 5 5), (6 5 5) and so on.

Secondly, by the way that the inner clusters were joined to Round 4, the blank round spaces alternates between small and big.

The picture below illustrates the points that I am trying to make.

Another useful point to note is the number of outer clusters for each round, as summarised below:
Round 1 has 8 clusters;
Round 2 has 16 clusters;
Round 3 has 32 clusters;
Round 4 has 32 clusters;
Round 5 has 48 clusters;
I am guessing that Round 6 also contains 48 clusters.

Then, I took a break from trying to unravel this Mystery and was treated to a whodunit - a theatre play of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap"!  The theatre company performing this play is currently on a tour of this region.  Agatha Christie was one of my favourite authors when I was in school and still is.  I used to catch episodes of the Hercule Poirot series on the cable tv.  It was a rare opportunity to be able to watch the play, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

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.

Me! A perfectionist? Naah!

I know that I have described myself as being a perfectionist. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not.

Okay, this an online dictionary definition of a "perfectionist" -
Perfectionist - a person who strives for or demands the highest standards of excellence in work, etc.
By that definition - Yes, I am a perfectionist.  But, by whose standards? It is all very subjective to me.  What I deem as perfect may not be so to another person.

I don't do FS/BS tatting.  I reverse my work and start with the first half-stitch almost all the time.
I don't mind the little blips of colour that show up when working with different coloured thread.
I can overlook gaposis, only sometimes.
I eye-ball my picots and they end up in all sizes, without actually affecting how the design looks.  I only measure the picots if the design requires them to be of equal in length.
I don't like ruffles appearing in my work, unless the design calls for it.
I give extra time in determining the stitch count when I design so that they lay flat when done and do not need blocking.
I seldom block my tatting, but I press all the time under a stack of heavy books, if possible.
I am very particular with design symmetry, such as in the turn in the chain of the next repeat.
I don't always match the colour flow of variegated thread when I need to add new thread.
I don't mind starting over with a new design if it does not appear like what I had envisaged, though the design itself is acceptable as it is.

I aim to be perfect in my tatting, but by my standards.  I sometimes feel that we are trying too much to measure by others' point of views. There, I have said it all.

Thank you Tally Tatty for leaving comment earlier and giving me an idea to write this post.

Hey, this post is not as serious as it sound.  So, get that chocolate out or brew a cuppa tea, and get tatting.

Starting Round 4 of the Mystery Doily.  This photo is after I had pressed it overnight under a stack of books 6-in high because I forgot all about it after that.

I kept forgetting to include the link to the pattern.  Here it is, http://www.georgiaseitz.com/mystery/reynolds2.html.
Towards the end of this page from BellaOnline, http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art748.asp, there a chart for the doily prepared by Patty Dowden.

I made slight adjustments to the stitch count where necessary as I worked this pattern.  You can choose either one and make your own adjustments, if required.

And the Mystery Continues

If you read my earlier post, you would know that I have decided to start over with my quest of the Mystery Doily.

That's right.  Not just cutting off Round 4 as I had first intended but to begin it all over again.

Early on, I had contemplated adding some colours to the doily, as this post here.  By now, I think I have enough understanding of the way the doily is constructed to use colours in this re-tat, while still bringing out the distinct feature of the doily.

This is Round 1.

Lizbeth 615 (yellow), Lizbeth 127 (multi-coloured) size 40

It got off to the good start. Notice how the clusters of outer rings have alternating colours in them?

That was beginner's luck.  It would be quite impossible to replicate this in the subsequent round. Anyway, this is Round 2 in progress.

Excuse the slightly blurry picture, but I think you can see how this is going.

I like it, so far.

Also read Fox's blog and her issues with the last joins of Round 1.  I know that last join can be a bit of a bother.  You can choose to begin at a different point to avoid this.  If it helps at all, I have prepared a pictorial explanation on how to go about this.

The letters in black, which I hope you can see, denotes the sequence of the rings.  The numbers in white give the sequence of making the joins as you tat the rings or chains, where applicable.  To make join #1, you may have to fold the work to avoid a twisted picot. Joins 3 and 14 are lock joins

Mystery Doily boo boo

Round 4 is going to be snipped off!

I did not read the pattern carefully and miscounted the sequence in the number of rings.  In fact, I just took a glimpse of the picture and thought I had it, after all the sequence of construction is the same for all round.

Wrong!

Never mind, it is another good reason to quickly use up this thread which I am not particularly fond of.  So, I don't feel so bad snipping the round off (if you understand my quirky reasoning).

Added later (after I slept on it and read all the comments that came during the night)

Yeah, I know I am crazy sometimes ... oh wait ... I can be stark raving mad to make my tatting perfect, but
I decided to start over from Round 1.  Hopefully, I can fix the ruffling in Round 2 because I think the mess started from there.  Further, Maureen had left a good point in her comment that she wrote early this morning.

Maureen20 September 2013 06:24

Oh bother! - but if it's almost a whole round you're cutting off, you can put it in a box and one day it will be Useful for Something. That's what I've started to do,with all my mistakes, and my 5 year old granddaughter loves rummaging through it.

So I am leaving the white version as it is and use it as a 'what-not-to-do' reference for this second try.

Mystery Doily Round 4

Completed Round 4 of the Mystery Doily.  I pressed the doily a bit before taking the photo so the rippling of Round 3 is not so visible. I think a bit of blocking and stiffening may solve that issue.

But, the ending of this round was not without a mistake, as you can see below.

I did not feel like opening up six tiny rings just to correct it.  Since there are only four double stitches in the ring to reach the picot, I can easily sew the picots together, when I sew in the thread ends.

Two more rounds to go.  I am really enjoying tatting this and seeing the end result.  I like that there are no free picots in the design, except for the decorative part in the final round.

Slow progress

Still at Round 3 of the Mystery Doily.  Progress is rather slow, which is expected as the round increases.

This round is showing some ruffling even though I have reduced the stitch count somewhat and also made smaller joining picots.  But, I pressed it a bit and the ruffling disappears (below).

I am getting comfortable tatting this doily once I get the rhythm of the rings and chains.  Just a point to note for anyone working on this.  Make sure to pay attention to the number of rings in each round, because the number is different for different rounds, as well as where the joins are made.

Even at this point, I can see that it is going to be a lovely piece.  I am glad I decided to stick to one solid colour for this.

Mystery Doily: Round 3 start-over

There is still some little bit of ruffling in Round 3, though you can't really see it in the picture below.

But, I am going to proceed with it, with the hope that Round 4 will smoothen the ruffling later.
In this second attempt of Round 3, I have reduce the stitch count in the long chains by 4ds, and make the picots smaller.

Mystery Doily: Round 3 started

If Round 2 bowled up,  I am afraid that Round 3 is beginning to show some ruffling. 

I know the ruffling is not yet noticeable in the picture above but it is there. I am going to cut this off and start again.

I am working this doily using the pattern prepared by Vicky Reynolds as provided by Georgia Seitz.  I had to adjust the number of rings for each cluster of Round 3 because, when I followed the pattern it did not show up like the doily in the picture; the pattern gave me 6 rings per cluster but the picture shows 5 rings per cluster.

PattyD has also prepared a diagramatic explanation of the doily pattern in the InTatters forum which can be downloaded as a pdf.

Comparing the two, there is a slight different in the stitch count in the chains.  I plan to change it to follow PattyD's to avoid the ruffling.  I hope it will work.

White it will remain ....

I was thinking of using this HDT in the next round of the Mystery Doily.  There is white in it and the pink is quite subtle that it may blend well with the white.

But,
careful scrutiny of the Cebelia that I am using showed that it is not really white but more creamy, even though the label has it as 'blanc'.

Reading all the comments for the earlier post also convinces me that I should stick to white.  The other reason for keeping it all white is the flow of the pattern itself, as Jane, Miranda and Snowy had commented.

Right then, off to load the shuttles.

Mystery Doily - Round 2

Done!

As I had feared, there was slight bowling on finishing Round 2, but not that serious that sufficient pressing and blocking will not fix.  I have to think carefully of how not to aggravate the bowling when I start Round 3.

These two rounds used up two shuttle-full of thread; I was using two shuttles.  Since I need to load up more thread, I thought about putting in some colours and use Lizbeth multicoloured.

Or, should I keep the classic look and stick to white?

Mystery Doily - progress photos

Round 1 completed

Round 2 started - a quarter of the way done

It is laying flat at the moment, but I am still worried that it may bowl up as I add more repeats in Round 2.  Because of that, I have increased the size of the picots slightly in this round.

Mystery Doily

There is a thread running in InTatters forum on this Mystery Doily. Georgia Seitz posted this doily 13 years ago asking the question of how was it tatted.  The doily is interesting enough to provoke some thoughts on the workings of it. To me, the weaving in and out of the flow is challenging enough o make me want to to attempt it, but not without making some mistakes before getting it right.

I misread the stitch count in the chain my first attempt.  Where it should be 2ds, I read as 12 ds, which had the rings in a concave.I got the rings rightly positioned in my second attempt but had added an extra picot, where there should not be, in the long chain.

Since I am using Cebelia size 40, not really a favorite thread because it frays easily, I decided to cut off each time and started again.  Got it right at the 3rd attempt.  Found it quite easy going  since the rings are all (2-2-2-2) and the chains have 4ds segments.  I did not have to refer to the pattern after the second repeat.

5 repeats, out of eight, done in Round 1 of the Mystery Doily

I think the other rounds are going to be along the same line with different number of rings for each repeat of the subsequent rounds.

Oh,, this is the link to Georgia Seitzs' site for the pattern, http://www.georgiaseitz.com/mystery/reynolds2.html