Tuesday 2 July 2013

Middia's Motif

I saw this on Occasional Crafter's Blog.  Isn't it pretty how she combined the motif with embroidery?  I liked it so much that I followed the link to Middia's pattern who does absolutely beautiful and perfectly executed cro-tatting.

But frankly, mine didn't turn out right!
Or rather, it didn't turn out looking the same as Occasional Crafter's at any rate...


I notice that on hers, the shape below the central rings is different, as if she'd done a SCMR although the pattern just shows a chain, a ring, then a chain again.  She does say that she left out the stitch between the petals of the flowers which means that her flower is closed at the bottom whereas mine is open, as in the pattern. I think I'll have to try it again.  I wonder also that tension must be different with shuttles vs needle and perhaps that made a difference too?  This worked out way too tight on the outside round, it needed quite a bit of pressing to stay flat!

As for the butterfly doily, I made a few more repeats and then noticed that, on that also, the outside round was feeling a bit too tight.  Debating whether to cut my losses now, chop off the bit already done and start again on the last round with a few more stitches added in...

Best wishes,
Frivole

13 comments:

  1. Mmm, quite pretty, can't tell it's been pressed into submission. I do like the original with the flowers at the "points" too.

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    1. Yes, "pressed into submission", that's a good expression! :-)

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  2. Yours is actually correct, and as the pattern is written, mine is wrong!

    Basically because that stitch is missing the only way to continue is to force each flower closed as you go with an extra stitch. It means the final piece is better when it's blocked, as it doesn't lie 100% flat, but it does change the shape of the pattern quite a bit. (I'm a shuttle tatter too). Ah- except I've just re-read and seen you've needed to block it anyway! Hmm.

    The doily decision is a tough one - will it block out, perhaps? If you carry on with a few more stitches perhaps after blocking it will be ok, and you wont notice the difference?

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    1. Yes, that's right Crafter, even when I followed the pattern as written, mine didn't lie flat at all. That's why I wondered whether Middia, with her cro-tatting, achieved a different tension and shape.

      I think my doily would block out, yes. But I still think it would be better if it fitted without the help of an iron! :-)

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  3. Very pretty motif, worth working on if you're not altogether happy with this one.

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  4. I think yours is very pretty even if it not the same as hers. Maybe Occasional Crafter worked chain, RW, 5 rings, RW, chain to get the different shape. She increased to 8 repetitions to get hers to lie flat. Thanks for the links to both blogs, lots to look at there.

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    1. Hi Martha,

      I'm glad you liked the links. I always enjoy discovering new places I've not seen before...

      And I hadn't noticed Crafter had 8 repeats!

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    2. Ah - that's a embarrassing, to be honest, with circular patterns I never actually count how many repeats I do, I just keep going until it seems to match up!

      Looking at Midda's other work though I think that it could be the mix of needle tatting and thick thread that makes this lie flat.
      http://cro-tat.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/schemat-gwiazdki.html
      I can't see the 'cro' in that execution - it's just needle tatting... isn't it?

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    3. It's not embarassing! :-) I hadn't even noticed until someone else pointed it out. Looks just fine.

      As for Middia's tatting, you are right, there is no crochet involved in that particular piece so maybe it's just a regular needle for that one... but cro-tatting is her thing so maybe she uses a cro-tat hook all the time?

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  5. Cro-tatting has a padded look to it. It looks like all your rings are thrown and Crafter's are not. I haven't looked at the instructions, just the pictures.

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  6. Hi Sherry,

    I suppose it is like they are thrown as there is one stitch between the rings in the pattern which Crafter didn't do. Is rings with a stitch between the same as a chain with rings thrown off it?? I'm going to have to do both now to see if it's any different!

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  7. The motif is lovely, and it certainly has generated some wonderful discussion!

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