Motifs #6,7 and 8!

3/4/11
Kristen says...

Well, I've been doing a bit more hobby-stuff recently (a positive benefit of teaching things I am more interested in, and therefore know more about so I have to do less background research on to teach). Last time I posted about tatting, one of our commentors (is that a word?) suggested I try the "stumpy" bookmark motif (found here).

So I did! (I love it when people comment, and I really loved getting a suggestion...I will take any/all suggestions or comments anyone wants to give me!)

I can't say that stumpy was my favorite motif I've ever made, but it wasn't too bad. I think part of my problem is that my first time through I tried to make it longer, and it just didn't work for me...plus, I kind of started it late at night, and so I had to put it down the middle of one of the sides...so by the time I picked it up again a few days later, I ended up messing it up and having to start it all over.

So here's my "Stumpy" little bookmark:
The day after I finished it, I was invited by the art teacher at my school to participate in the school's art project in support of Japan...she had gotten out some Japanese ink and was teaching the students the art of Sumi-e (Japanese ink painting). Her plan is to have the students make images which are being attached to a scroll, which will all be given to our local Japanese embassy (we have quite a few Japanese students at Discovery).

As she was demonstrating the technique (unfortunately I don't have any images of my Sumi-e "skills" to show you, but you can Google it if you really want to see it...), one of the things she drew was a little gecko climbing a bamboo stalk...and it hit me how much the gecko's body and tail looked like my little stumpy...

So when I got home I looked at the little bookmark and tried to design my own stumpy gecko... here he is:
As ever, he didn't turn out quite how I wanted him to be. I think the head needs to be bigger, and he actually looks either pregnant or just extremely well-nourished...but overall, it could have been much worse! Basically, the changes I made were to enlarge and add beads to the top ring, add a tiny picot to the four 5-15-5 rings, and then use those small rings to add the arms (2 extra rings) and legs (3 extra rings).

And then I stuck him on the plant for a bit of "realism." :)

It's one of my first tries actually "designing" a motif...if you can call adding a few rings and making another ring larger designing...maybe it's more of a "gecko based on the pattern "stumpy" by Kersti" :)

Finally, I get the Be-Stitched newsletter each month, and I liked Nancy's medallion well enough to give it a go...as someone mentioned a few weeks ago, I do find myself thinking I might end up with "drawers full of doilies" as I have nobody to give these too, but I guess there are worse things to have too much of...hopefully someone will want them someday, a niece or someone...

Anyway...Nancy's medallion: I have all that new thread, so I thought I would use some of it, so I have this variegated yellow-white medallion...maybe I'll try to add another round to the outside and make it a real doily...
So that's what I've been doing lately on the tatting side of things...I also bought and read another copy (#3, I think) of James Michner's "Hawaii", my all-time favorite book (my other two copies are in the States...well, one is really my dad's copy that I kind of "borrowed" and never returned, and then I found a beautiful first-edition hard copy a few years ago and bought that too, and then I found another version down here for 20 lps...$1 is more than fair for my favorite book ever!! even if the book is a little worse for the wear...it was still very readable!)
I have also been doing some baking...which I will tell you about (and show you) in another post.

Hope you've had a great weekend! :)
KF