Notes on the Magic Thread Trick

As I was responding to some of the comments from my last post, I had an "ah ha!" moment about the magic thread trick. This is a trick I haven't used very often. It requires planning ahead so that you get loops in place before you need them and I've usually been too lazy to bother, since sewing ends into the piece worked pretty well for me. I find that more difficult to do these days so I'm once again motivated to use the Magic Thread Trick. One of the mistakes I sometimes make is that I put a loop in headed the wrong way. Frustrating! I've always pulled it out and grabbed my needle, but I just realized I don't have to do that. I can pull another loop through with the first which will now be headed in the right direction!

For those of you who don't want to bother with the Magic Thread Trick, Fox tells me that she and Jane Eborall use calyx needles (which have slotted eyes) for sewing the ends back into their tatting. I just love having choices! I plan to get a few for my tatting bag for those times when I forget to add a Magic Thread loop. It will happen. :)

P.S. I got several inches done on the hanky edging last night. I'll post a picture later today.

Technique Practice

I haven't picked up the doily yet today, but I did some technique practice.  After practicing a little more on the motif I was messing around with yesterday, I started my tatting time today by trying Mary Maynard's candy cane again (see the previous post for the link). I'm really pleased with my split chains. I also successfully tatted over ends and enclosed the final ends with the Magic Thread technique. I often forget to include my loops or get them in backwards, but I took the time to carefully think out where they needed to be.

The other motif started out as Lene Bjorn's Thirteenth Day of December from 24 Snowflakes in Tatting. While grumbling to myself about the thread I had chosen to use, I missed a small chain segment in the second round of chains. I didn't realize my mistake until I had come around with the third round of chains. I decided to quit with that round and hang it from the messed up chain side as an ornament. It is a wonderful pattern which I will use again with a thread I enjoy. It served well to give me some split chain practice though. There is a short 4 ds split chain in every round. The Magic Thread technique took care of the ends again.

Now I'm going to go work on the hanky edging for a while.

Hospital Update

I'm supposed to be resting at home, but I can't sleep so I'll blog instead. Dad had hoped to go home today, but the latest tests show his cancer is no longer in remission. He got a blood transfusion today and will see his oncologist some time this afternoon. Perhaps he can go home tomorrow.

He's been unhappy with the program selection on tv, so last night we watched a John Wayne movie from my laptop's dvd drive. I got a lot of tatting done during "Hellfighters," a movie we've both seen numerous times. That means I have some tatting to report!

After many stops and starts, I finally finished Jon's Foldover Bookmark. I plan to empty my shuttles with the Fan Bookmark and then reload for another of Jon's Foldover one's. I'm practicing tatting over ends and the Magic Thread Trick so I don't have to deal with any ends. Failed to plan for the final ends on my first Foldover model, so I had to take care of those. With all of the times I had to cut out mistakes, that one bookmark gave me plenty of practice!

When I finish these, I think I'll pull out some of my size 10 thread for a while. It is easier to see in a dimly lit room and easier to untat, too. Good thing I never got around to getting rid of it. Some times it pays to be a pack rat -- and I'm definitely a thread pack rat.