Sunday, March 6, 2011

Grand Slam!

I just got the fourth Mary Konior tatting book - A Pattern Book of Tatting.  I can't believe I wanted her books for such a long time, and within a year, I've got them!  I'm glad that Tatting With Visual Patterns is readily available (in softcover) at a decent price; why can't they re-issue the rest of her books as well?
This is Mary's,
photographed
from the book

Of course, I had to browse through it to see what treasures I could find - and I found "Mark-My-Words," which is another of her cross bookmarks.  I tatted it yesterday while watching "Elizabeth - The Golden Age" with David.  Two things about the film:  first, that is one heckuva long movie!  Second, the box art shows Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth, in the scene where she is rallying the troops at Tilbury.  It's a closeup picture, where she is wearing armor plate, and her lace collar is peeking up around the top of the chest/shoulder armor.  I looked very closely at it and the lace in the picture is definitely tatted!

Now, the film takes place in 1585; tatting has been documented back to the 1840s; is this anachronistic? Artistic license because the costumer just wanted some lace and didn't know the difference? Or could it be that tatting was actually being done in the 16th century, but nothing was documented?  Despite this being the height of the English Renaissance, 90% of the English people lived in poverty, and schooling was limited.  Could it be that tatting was passed from person to person through an oral tradition?

I tatted this one - just wanted
to clear up any confusion
Back to the book.  I tatted this one straight by the pattern, but as you can see, I managed to make some mistakes.  I like it, though, and I've already loaded some shuttles so I can tat some more of them.  It amazes me, the sheer number of patterns Mary wrote!  The lovely doily on the cover of this book is named "Primrose Path."  Does it remind you of another doily?  Perhaps "Flowerpiece," from Tatting With Visual Patterns?  At first glance, I thought it was the same pattern with a different name - but they're not.  I think Mary did this with some of her other patterns - changed some elements here and there, and made a new pattern with similarities to the original, yet different in the finished form.

Change of subject: there is still time to submit your idea for the logo for the Palmetto Tatters Guild's Tat Days - Tatting In A Winter Wonderland!  Entries are due by March 16. 

6 comments:

  1. Primrose Path is one of my favorite doilies... I've made three! I hope you'll make one too!

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  2. Neat! Have you posted any pictures of any of them? Did you do all one color, or use a variegated? I like her Cloudburst and Dahlia, too - what to make next???

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  3. Ooo.. I have just ordered this book and also Tatting Patterns by Mary. I will have three of her books and only need to get Tatting With Lace and Tatting (the booklet that she did) to complete my set. I so agree with you that they should reprint her books as we all seem to love her patterns. Sigh...I guess we will just have to try and get her books as reasonably as we can. I love the cross that you did it is lovely. Can't wait to get my books!!!

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  4. I haven't seen this book of hers yet. I'll be talking to my librarian tomorrow for an inter-library loan to check it out!!

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  5. I'm still exploring the last two of her books - she has some seriously beautiful work in both of them! I think Visual Patterns will always be my favorite and my go-to book for tatting, though.

    The green variegated is Lizbeth and the solid is Flora that I happened to have on a shuttle - I wasn't sure I'd have enough to tat the whole cross, but I actually had about two inches left after tatting the lock stitch cord.

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  6. Congrats! It is a lovely book.
    Fox : )

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