I haven't posted anything about tatting this week as I'm kind of frustrated. I have gotten so confused and can't seem to work off the frustrations. When I'm trying to read a tatting pattern I get really aggravated. Some designers are very good and tell you when to turn your work, or reverse your work, some tell you exactly where to join and some do not. Some tell you to work clockwise or counter-clockwise but others do not. Some of the visual patterns are good and some are not.
I know tatting has been around for a long time and people just write up and publish their own patterns nowadays but I sure wish I was smart enough to look at them and tell where everything is supposed to go. I have stopped tatting two different patterns because I got about half way done on them and couldn't follow them to see how to finish. Talk about frustration! I will keep at it and work through this, I just needed to vent...
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4 comments:
I've had the same experience many times! That's when I tend to go back to small motifs or patterns that I've tatted successfully. Somehow it just seems to reset my tatting ability! I find that if I spend a lot of time with one designer's patterns, I catch on to his/her little quirks, and suddenly all the patterns make sense! In the meantime... frustration!
Unfortunately, efforts to standardize tatting terms and even diagramming haven't been wholly successful so far. Most tatters want to be helpful and want to know if something in their design is not clear. Just contact them and ask. Better than being frustrated!
I know what you mean! I wish designers were more consistent in telling how to tat their patterns. It is frustrating when a designer just assumes that "Oh, they'll know...". Well, some people might, just know, but not EVERYONE will. WHat they don't know is that they are actually turning people OFF from tatting when they are not crystal CLEAR. I've been tatting for 30 year from very poor patterns (old workbaskets, turn of the century pattern books) so I am used to the horrible description and poor visuals, LOL! Keep tatting, you have lots of people here to support your hobby. :)
Tatting isn't old enough to have standardized terms (grin) We're still inventing new stuff. Sometimes it's easier to follow the picture than to follow the pattern and many tatters won't tat a pattern unless there is a picture to go with it. The easiest way to get unstuck is to just ask someone in the tatting community. Mention the pattern and what book it comes from if it's an old pattern and ask on any of the tatting lists. Someone will answer. If it's from a newer publication ask the designer. Designers can only improve their patterns when they know what the problems are and they usually appreciate the input.
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