tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-333931142024-03-07T12:09:28.707-08:00RecreativityThis is a short, sweet, easy-to-read blog to showcase my efforts for the 25 Motif Challenge.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-81642829248788927412009-01-06T17:55:00.000-08:002009-01-06T18:35:03.941-08:00Something to Look At<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_IAYoeMruKrde7fpI6cXdmNTBnOlTX65S4H_pGu7PbZ7TCFpfZAq_Cj7L8I4-vnR6q1BuJDXp47wUqev4mgR3E6-7Qi5ViP1cMIFC-ju73oFVtS0uXBzzVykDk5bSoUEXzWA/s1600-h/Arabesque.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 257px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_IAYoeMruKrde7fpI6cXdmNTBnOlTX65S4H_pGu7PbZ7TCFpfZAq_Cj7L8I4-vnR6q1BuJDXp47wUqev4mgR3E6-7Qi5ViP1cMIFC-ju73oFVtS0uXBzzVykDk5bSoUEXzWA/s400/Arabesque.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288368732363445570" /></a><br /><br />Each of the squares in this piece is 2" x 2". I also have an edge that finishes it off nicely and addes about 3/4 of an inch to an inch around the outer edge. Each square takes approximately 45 minutes to complete. I think if you like this pattern, I can make it 7 squares wide by 13 squares long, giving an overall finished size of 15.5 or 16" by 27.5 to 28".<br /><br />I thought I had one around here with the edging on it but I can't find it.<br /><br />I like this square because it actually sort of looks like two motifs. At each corner of the square, you have an eight ring flower thingy that almost looks like a separate motif.<br /><br />The other nice thing about this motif is that it is very easy to care for. It maintains its shape really well during laundering and can be blocked simply by putting it wet on a flat surface. Works really well on a glass table top.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4QabRnc1GRW1jXQd2EmtEZYh8AYLmptLwjPaJBDAhgFIapG8kdknv9DYMkyTZXl_zs6KQ-I89FdyMa8LEmEUryOdhrddQRBOqp6ie04zLyLIvdhcbTIY6am68mNvSF2IpcXk/s1600-h/Little+Snowflake.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 381px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4QabRnc1GRW1jXQd2EmtEZYh8AYLmptLwjPaJBDAhgFIapG8kdknv9DYMkyTZXl_zs6KQ-I89FdyMa8LEmEUryOdhrddQRBOqp6ie04zLyLIvdhcbTIY6am68mNvSF2IpcXk/s400/Little+Snowflake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288371555736662786" /></a><br /><br />This is a simple snowflake pattern, about 2.75" across; it would require more work to block but would be quite nice as a matt of joined motifs.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpRscgPEaxIhL74bCOT9DQtZtAoRRHpXiHw3UysbyhMYOGTED7GlmLUzJ7OvqapFNY4jqXqvrt8COe-KIorc4CX0s5p0YIm0Vjz-_7EBhwYLn3ejwqRi0Y6mj-xOTkAsWBBJB/s1600-h/Russian.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpRscgPEaxIhL74bCOT9DQtZtAoRRHpXiHw3UysbyhMYOGTED7GlmLUzJ7OvqapFNY4jqXqvrt8COe-KIorc4CX0s5p0YIm0Vjz-_7EBhwYLn3ejwqRi0Y6mj-xOTkAsWBBJB/s400/Russian.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288374449632620450" /></a><br /><br /><br />This is from a brand new Russian tatting book that I got last week. I have no idea what the finished size of the motifs would be, but I thought I would send it along anyway. It's almost more like a bunch of small doilies put together.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-24523380246532494302007-05-27T20:59:00.000-07:002008-11-12T21:44:56.269-08:00Little Johnny Gets a Star<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0kYGgHcPYK0x3gm_kwqaRBx6dVYMSJn1Blwze-OL2THW5FFDQLwCONkoZwq4nK8BM1rJSW1dg5cmHb3VEAopI-XbP2OglyqF9gdtnDNI43Q0K65_ON3iQwjYDfpMKpK6r-h8/s1600-h/lludmanjohnnystar.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0kYGgHcPYK0x3gm_kwqaRBx6dVYMSJn1Blwze-OL2THW5FFDQLwCONkoZwq4nK8BM1rJSW1dg5cmHb3VEAopI-XbP2OglyqF9gdtnDNI43Q0K65_ON3iQwjYDfpMKpK6r-h8/s320/lludmanjohnnystar.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069456915273086738" /></a><br />A star pattern I designed a while back.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1160331662610852752006-10-08T11:20:00.000-07:002006-10-08T11:21:02.610-07:00Stuff (and nonsense)<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/Portrait.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/Portrait.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1160330533365277472006-10-08T11:02:00.000-07:002006-10-08T11:02:13.366-07:00Motif 9<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/Little%20Snowflake.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/Little%20Snowflake.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Here is a smaller piece of work - a little snowflake using self-closing mock rings. This one is about an inch and a half from point to point. I used the same mystery thread as for the last motif.<br /><br />Thanks, everybody, for the kind comments.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1160271530239986792006-10-07T18:32:00.000-07:002006-10-08T10:59:14.993-07:00Motif 8<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/Motif%209.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/Motif%209.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Another motif - all one round, about five inches across in mystery thread.<br /><br />I think it's JP Coates size 40 but I'm not sure. It's a donated ball I received that had already been partly used and the tag discarded. Nice to tat with, especially after the yucky junk I have been using.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1159309802062406872006-09-26T15:29:00.000-07:002006-09-28T05:23:36.053-07:00Motif 7<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/SCMR%20bookmark2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/SCMR%20bookmark2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Another bookmark. Again, pretty simple but uses self-closing mock rings.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1159065792958740102006-09-23T19:40:00.000-07:002006-09-23T19:43:12.976-07:00Motif 6<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/SCMR%20bookmark1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/SCMR%20bookmark1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Ah, the bookmark. Quick, easy, useful, especially when you are sunk deep into a good book and some jerk interrupts you.<br /><br />I've been reading <em>Prelude to Foundation.</em> Therefore no tatting for a while.<br /><br />This little bookmark is made with self-closing mock rings and, if you know the technique, is very easy.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1157844331128754932006-09-09T16:25:00.000-07:002006-09-09T16:25:31.136-07:00Motif 5<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/Centrehearts.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/Centrehearts.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />This is the last motif I will make with the same center configuration. I promise!<br /><br />The motif is about 4" across. The thread is unsized, but it works up about the same as 40 Cordonnet Special. It's also a bit fuzzy, contains some slubs and some thick and thin spots, and is <strong></strong>not<strong></strong> a joy to work with. I don't remember where I picked it up or what brand it is, but it's only good for doodling. I just hate using good thread for experiments that may come out badly.<br /><br />And that's one of the reasons all the motifs you will see on this blog are in white. I have a pretty good stash of thread in various colors but I am loathe to use them for designing. Colored threads are hard to find in my neck of the woods except for Cebelia. I know a lot of tatters love using Cebelia, but I don't care for it because it feels mushy to me.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1157508338149366402006-09-05T18:59:00.000-07:002006-09-05T19:05:38.163-07:00Motif 4<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/Hearts%20and%20Spades.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/Hearts%20and%20Spades.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />This motif is more what I had in mind when I was working on the last motif - only I couldn't get it to come out quite right so I fluffed and did something else altogether.<br /><br />I had intended to mirror the interior motifs on the exterior of the piece. So I let it set in my mind for a while. Sunday while I was washing walls (what a wonderful way to spend the Sunday of a long weekend! Not!!!) the pattern came to me, and here is the result.<br /><br />We could also play a game of "two of these things are not like the others" because two of the outer "arms" have slight unintentional design modifications (i.e., mistakes). Maybe they all do. I just know for sure that two of them have. <br /><br />Again, not washed and blocked, worked in size 40 and about six inches across.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1157233689237382972006-09-02T14:48:00.000-07:002006-09-02T14:50:55.926-07:00Motif 3<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/windstar.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/windstar.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Motif 3 grew out of an idea I got while doing the last motif. You will note the similarity between the centre bits. It's about the same size, too, about six inches across done in size 40 thread. This piece is also one round.<br /><br />I'm not ecstatically happy about the outer bits, though; they didn't come out quite the way I wanted.<br /><br />Again, this piece is not washed and blocked as it should be.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1156990833767491832006-08-30T19:17:00.000-07:002006-08-31T05:19:03.676-07:00Motif 2<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/motif%202.0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/motif%202.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The idea for this motif came to me while I watched "My Fair Lady" a week ago Saturday; I started working on it midweek and had a partial working motif by Friday night.<br /><br />Saturday I started working on the final version and here it is! The final version is about six inches across worked in size 40 thread, and it's all one round.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1156695499044428442006-08-27T09:18:00.000-07:002006-08-27T10:03:18.006-07:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/1600/lludmanjohnnystar.1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3831/3666/320/lludmanjohnnystar.1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />After setting up this blog yesterday and posting a rather lame opening post, I explored a little bit and figured out a bit more what a blog is (I kinda knew) and how to run one (I kinda knew). Although I am the family techie, the shorter and younger folks in my house know much more about these sorts of things than I do. They may not know anything about how a computer actually works, but they understand blogging!<br /><br />After my exploration session, I feel a bit less uninformed.<br /><br />I decided to join the 25 Motif Challenge as a way of challenging myself. In the past, I have been quite involved in tatting - designing, writing, communicating online with other tatters - but have been forced away from it by life. Life, of course, must intrude once in a while. The last three years have been very intense, work-wise, with two different jobs with the same school division. The last move was a definite upward step and required a BIG step up in learning. Now that I am more comfortable with my job, I have a little more time for contemplation.<br /><br />And that, dear reader, is a very important thing for me when it comes to being creative. I need time to mull things over, to muse, to consider. Ideas come to me when my mind is in neutral, like when I'm sitting on a bus on my way to work and have forgotten to bring a book with me and find myself staring out the window. The last few years have been very short on that kind of time for me, but now things are slowing down (just a bit) and I need to get back to being creative.<br /><br />This challenge came along at the perfect time!<br /><br />The challenge is to complete 25 motifs within a year. I intend to design 13 original motifs and complete 12 motifs from other people's patterns. I am not limiting my own designs to size, shape, or style, but will post whatever happens to come from my shuttles.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33393114.post-1156620412073934882006-08-26T12:23:00.000-07:002006-08-26T12:26:52.080-07:00August 25, 2006This blog has been set up specifically to track my motifs as I participate in the 25 motif challenge.Knotty Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700197799765775794noreply@blogger.com0