27 June 2008

The difference one double makes

I'm intrigued. After all these years of tatting I still don't know the answer. Perhaps somebody can help?
As anybody who's been following this blog will know I've been struggling with a decent way to enclose a sequin within two layers of tatting but with the proviso that it must be worked in one 'hit'. Years ago I made them by working two rounds and joining them with the third one working outwards from the sequin.
I finally managed to do this in one round a few months ago and was pleased with myself!!! I went back to this again a few days ago and was bitterly dissapointed because it didn't work so well this time. However much I tried the sequin was loose in the tatting.
While out walking the other afternoon I thought about the problem so then sat down two nights ago and tried doing it another way - again in one hit.
Now, the question is that on this final and utterly fabulous attempt in each SR there is a total of 7 ds. YET in the version before which was loose, there are only 6 ds. Can anybody explain?
Time after time I find anomalies like this. When I work on animals something done a few days/weeks previously can be knocked out of shape by one join meaning a re-think or even re-start on the whole thing. It's absolutely no good drawing it out first as this still happens.
Anyway, this is last night's outer round.


9 comments:

LadyShuttleMaker aka MadMadPotter said...

Oh Wow! This looks fab! Let me know when you solve the mystery!

Anonymous said...

Jane
This is beautiful. When are you going to have your patterns for sale? You are so talented.

With regards to the sequin do you think the size of them could vary just slightly - enough to make a difference, the diamater may look the same but a miniscule difference would increase the circumfrence much more...just a thought.

another Jane

Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ Diane said...

I have no idea about why or how anything works in tatting... I follow blindly! This is beautiful!

Jane Eborall said...

Sherry, I doubt I'll ever solve the mystery!! It's just 'one of those things'!!!!
Jane, I give things away and never sell. Life's too short and I'd rather see more people tatting than me making money!!!! This sequin is pretty well standard size - 20mm and is easy to get hold of. I don't think now that I've finally got a good fit it would matter much if a sequin was a tad smaller. As the first round is so fast and easy to work now it wouldn't take much time to check that out!!!
Jane

Unknown said...

I think I may know the answer to your mystery, although conveying it into words may prove a challenge. Think of the split ring as a little "hand". Having the 3ds of the split ring covering the sequin and the 4ds on the outer part is kind of like a grasping "hand" when both sides of the split ring are even (regardless of the ds) the "hand cannot "grasp".

Look at you hand, hold it out evenly before your with fingers together (not tight) see how "even" the hand looks from palm to finger tips....now pretend to "grasp" something...see how the end of the hand becomes smaller in proportion to the palm of the hand?

Also, it would be interesting to know if the 3 ds of the SR (that are closest to the center of the motif) if they they are the regular ds of a ring or the SR type of ds....I hope that makes sense. I find that when I make a SR that the regular ds close a little tighter, thus making the SR a little uneven so I solve this dilemma by making my regular ds of the SR a little tiny bit looser in their tension so the SR looks perfectly even when it closes....
if they were the regular DS of a ring then that would contribute to their ability to "encapsulate" or "grasp" the edge of the sequin better.
I have know idea if this rambling makes any sense, but those are my thoughts on the subject! :)

Jane Eborall said...

Now this is very interesting tattingchic. In both instances I've used SR's!!!
Could you email me privately (lovetotat@gmail.com) so I can send you the two ways to try for yourself and see if it happens the same for you? Interesting discussion.
Jane

Anonymous said...

Jane, to add to other theories I've noticed that even using the same type of thread within a brand, i.e. DMC Cebelia, that some colours actually are slightly thicker than others. Dark blue is an example, so over a number of stitches that could make an appreciable difference. Add that to the fact that sequin and button manufacture is not all that accurate and buttons etc. can vary slightly and you have a recipe for one extra or less double stitch. The button variation along with dye variation was something I became aware of when I worked in production planning for Jaeger.

Best wishes - Babette

connie said...

Hi Jane
How is this for a theory. The extra doublestitch makes the curve deeper on either side of the split ring. So end to end the two halves of the split ring with the 7 ds may actually be a shorter distance than the 6ds split ring.
BTW I am math challanged and so this might be a bunch of baloney,but if you think about it it seems possible
Connie

Jane Eborall said...

Now that's the best theory I've heard so far!!! It's a real conundrum!! BTW I'm mathematically challenged too!!!
Jane

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