Tuesday 13 January 2015

A Tragic End

I could hardly believe my eyes… as I got closer to the last repeat of the Butterfly Doily - the one that's been more than 2½ years in the making! - I realised, with horror, that it wouldn't fit!  Although everything was fine all the way through,  there must have been some discrepancy somewhere as the last butterfly wouldn't fit.  I could have cried.  Now, normally I would undo and fix but NOT THIS TIME!  This has not been my favourite tat by a long way but I just had to complete it once I got far enough into it.  The circumference on the last round is about 96 inches!!  That's a lot of tatting, and I had to refill my shuttles frequently.  I have no idea where I might have missed something along the way so that the last round wouldn't work out.  I knew though, that if I had to un-do and re-do anything on this particular piece, it would probably never get completed again.  I've just not enjoyed it enough.

So I made it fit.

Actually I could fit the last butterfly but what I was short of was a ring below to attach the second half of it.  I'm afraid in this case, I improvised and changed the bottom part slightly to make it fit in what I hope is a not-too-obvious manner.  If you examine the whole edge closely, you'll see it but I think at a glance, it's not glaringly obvious.  Phew!


Ok, enough of an introduction, here it is:



and here with a shuttle
for size reference



I couldn't remember how many balls of Lizbeth I used…
so I weighed my doily:  88 grams
(not much weight for all that work!)
so that 3½ balls of Lizbeth Mocha Light.





I'm certainly pleased I finally got to the end (even if not perfectly)
If just for that reason, I'm going to celebrate.

I even widened the columns of my blog for this post
so I could have one larger image of the completed piece.

It does look rather nice on this last photo.



Yes, you're right, my title was a tad over the top (I was just having a laugh and being a bit of drama queen!), obviously, it's not that tragic and I have a large piece of lace to show for but I wouldn't recommend this particular design for anyone else to tat.  After the second round of butterflies, I wasn't really enjoying myself and all those long chains kept misbehaving and needed a lot of coaxing into place.  I debated when I got to the last round whether I needed to change the stitch count slightly to try to get it to frill less.  In the end I went with what was written but in spite of all my efforts, it still doesn't lie flat properly, which is a shame… and then to get to the last butterfly and find that I couldn't attach that last chain…

Anyway, enough about it.  Thank you so much for cheering me along.  Your words of encouragement always mean a lot to me.  At last, it's done.  Dusted.  Time to move on.  Definitely happy about that.  :-)

Best wishes,
Frivole

46 comments:

  1. It's wonderful, I can't understand why you don't like it, I absolutely love it. Is it about 80cm in diameter? Wow! But I can understand the "tragedy", I also would have got mad for not having the last ring to join! :) quite invisible indeed...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ninetta, it was more the process I didn't enjoy rather than the end product. And although you can't really see it in the photos, the fact that it doesn't lie flat (i.e., frills a bit on the edge) does bother me.
      96 inches (or approx 2m40!) is the circumference, it's about 65cm across.

      Delete
    2. It's beautiful. Be proud of finishing such a large work. Centre tablecloth if you ask me. Keep up the wonderful work!!!! Thanks for your videos. I am just getting back into tatting so I that along and do a few samples to brush up on techniques. Thanks again

      Delete
  2. Nie widzę błędu . Jest piękna i duuuża .

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a dramatic finalé to the drama you whipped up ;-P
    Seriously, all the effort and time were well worth it - it is a very beautiful, lacy piece.
    And any 'errors' are not even visible after a span of time !
    Congratulations :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Woohoo! You did it! It's done! It's lovely ( although not exactly what you wanted)! Congratulations! One of the reasons I love your patterns so very much, they lie correctly from the moment the are tatted! Thank you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Several times I've got to the end of a project to find I've gone wrong somewhere and the design isn't correct, but I can only imagine how you must have felt after working on this for such a long time! But it looks very beautiful and no-one would know there was a problem. Well done for finishing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations!! I'm really glad you managed to finish, and I applaud you for forcing the finish, neither abandoning it nor trying too hard to find out where the error is. It is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bravo! Quelle belle dentelle! Superbe! Fabuleuse! Quel travail!

    Depuis quelque temps, je jongle avec l'idée de frivoller cette belle dentelle, mais je vais plutôt opter pour un autre modèle composé de motifs à joindre. Patron de nappe de Aunt Ellen.

    Au plaisir de continuer à te lire et admirer tes réalisations

    ReplyDelete
  8. Brava! Congratulations! It is beautiful!

    I do understand about not enjoying the process. Takes the joy out if tatting. So, time to move on. What will you be up to next, I wonder. : )

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congratulations well done on finishing what is a beautiful design and cloth. A master piece of tatting ok a slight whoops at the end but forgetting that which most people won't even see or know it is a master piece and an heirloom for years to come
    Margaret

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is absolutely gorgeous!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is absolutely gorgeous and I certainly could not see the butterfly problem.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, is is not a doily! It is a table cloth! glad you got it to work it is very beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right Madtatter and in fact, in the book, it is tatted in size 10 thread and this version, the large version (there is also a smaller version of this design) is shown as a table cloth.

      Delete
  13. I looked but cannot see the error. I too, get very frustrated when tatting doesn't lie flat. I must say, I love the second to last photo. The rustic table and color of the doily go together very well. I'm very fond of antiquing and visiting historical homes, and I could see this doily as being a wonderful centerpiece. I'm glad that you finished it, and hope that you decide to keep it on display.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Either the mutant butterfly didn't make it into the pics, or it is not obvious at all. I could not find it. I am in awe. It is lovely.
    And, in this crowd at least, you know we all understand the work that went into it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Congratulations! Jubilations! You deserve to celebrate - it's a tatting MARATHON and again I'm in awe of your endless talent and industriousness! Madtatter80 is absolutely right - it is a table cloth, not a doily. In fact it is a perfect size to use as a cloth on a round occasional table (lovely for a cuppa beside you - you soooooooo deserve one of those now too) and when it is hanging down as a cloth a slight frilling actually looks quite lovely. So - just dub it an "occasional table" cloth. Why not? I've got several occasional tables, I always like to have a cloth on them (not a doily) and so I hoard my collection of occasional table cloths in my linen closet like Smaug and his gold. :-D

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, it's very impressive. Congratulations on finishing this HUGE doily. It is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  17. p.s. It is VERY unobtrusive! No one will ever notice it.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think it is magnificent...and I want to say also that as beautiful as butterflies are in nature, they are not perfect and yet are truly more perfect with their small imperfections. This is the case, also, with your doily!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. The doily is lovely, even with the small "glitch". Congratulations on a job well done!

    ReplyDelete
  20. If I had tatted this, I would be feeling more than proud of myself - I think it is something to be passed down to daughters and granddaughters. I love the colour - did you used size 10? While I can see the fitted-in-butterfly, it doesn't detract from the work at all, and no-one looking at it on a table would notice anything wrong at all! Congratulations - what's next?

    ReplyDelete
  21. It's gorgeous! I don't think anyone would ever notice your "mistake." I look forward to seeing what you take on next!

    How's the snowflake afghan coming along? I thought of joining you in crocheting it, but I don't have any white yarn for the snowflakes, and I really am trying to use up my yarn stash. Maybe I'll make blue snowflakes! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. This doily is amazing! So beautiful. I can understand your frustration, getting to the end of a not-much-enjoyed LARGE piece and finding it one ring short.... I am very impressed at the finished doily - you managed to get that last butterfly in without the 'problem' showing! Congratulations!
    This is SO awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  23. It looks amazing! So glad you were able to find a way to finish it without having to cut and redo - that would have been agonizing. I admire you for persevering on this beautiful piece.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Awesome! Well done, stick to it pays off!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Es sieht wunderschön aus. Ich kann den Fehler nicht sehen. Freue dich an dem schönen fertigen Werk.
    Ich mußte bei meiner großen Decke eine Runde abschneiden. das Frustriert und man möchte nicht mehr weitermachen. Nun beendige ich meine Decke durch ihren Anstoß doch noch. bin gespannt was ist ihre nächste Arbeit.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wow ! Bravo !! Toutes mes félicitations pour être venue à bout de ce magnifique napperon ! Le résultat est vraiment superbe même s'il te pose quelques problèmes pour rester à plat. J'admire ta patience !

    ReplyDelete
  27. It is gorgeous!!! And I couldn't spot any mistake :).

    ReplyDelete
  28. This is a fantastic piece, Frivole. But I know your secret! It lies in your fast shuttles that fly through your fingers! Bravo!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I am not going to search for that mistake. It looks gorgeous as it is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hunted for it, I really did - with "zoom in" - and just couldn't find it. I decided in the end that if it is that hard to find it's quite fun to have it. It's a bit of a puzzle, rather like trying to find the "hidden drawer" in a cabinet - it's fun if you know there is one, but not-so-much if it isn't well-hidden!

      Delete
  30. Ohhhh! I wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry. After looking very hard, I might possibly have spotted it, or it might just be a place where I can't see the design properly due to a ruffle. So it's definitely not noticeable to most people.

    I think you should display it proudly as a monument to your perseverance. If the error bothers you a lot, just make sure that's the side that hangs over the back edge of the table, where no one will ever see it.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I agree with Miranda! I'd have to see this magnificent doily in person to find the error, as I certainly can't see it here. I'm sure you have fixed it so skillfully that it wouldn't be noticed even by the fussiest judge at a Fair! Congratulations for staying with it! It is truly an elegant heirloom!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Die Decke ist wunderschön!

    ReplyDelete
  33. It's lovely! And thanks for your notes about the tatting process. If I ever tat this doily, I will proceed with caution...

    ReplyDelete
  34. Way to make it work!!! Congratulations of finishing a huge project! Now forget your troubles and just admire.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Despite your devastated feelings it looks AMAZING!! I hope you can relax now and enjoy your next tat!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Despite your devastated feelings it looks AMAZING!! I hope you can relax now and enjoy your next tat!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Wow! I am in AWE of your beautiful piece. You definitely deserve a huge celebration.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Astonishing Work!!!! big, and beautiful doily.

    ReplyDelete
  39. It's beautiful. Congratulations on finishing the Butterfly Doily.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Quel travail ! J'admire ta persévérance. Félicitations, il est juste magnifique !

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thank you so much everyone for all your lovely comments. I am re-reading these in 2021 and I don't know why I didn't take the time to answer each one of you at the time. Your support and encouragement is always wonderful and means a lot to me.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to write a comment, it's always appreciated!