55 in 5 and 1 in 15

No, no, please don't leave... This is not an equation !

Just my frivolous statistics.

If you enjoy puzzles, go ahead & decipher before reading further J

my newest buy - Lindsay Rogers' 'Mastering Tatting' !

When I made my 1st one way back, I wasn’t sure about mailing it. It had worked out larger than the required dimensions (see pic below) and I was too caught up in loads of other projects, among other reasons.

loosely tatted original square with reduced stitch square
which now measures 3cms in Anchor size 20

Both factors (& the other reasons) remained the same but I don't know what exactly changed my mind. An email from Usha probably. DH knew all of my reasons, yet I couldn't explain what really happened now.

Don’t regret it one bit! I went on a tatting binge for 5 whole days, loving every moment of it, down to sewing in ends. Yeah, I guess Anita got it right - I’m “an overzealous overachiever” ;-P But the 'competition' is with myself.

So here’s the 'solution' to the title –

55 Brussels squares tatted in 5 days.

And at least 

1 of them was tatted in 15 minutes!

Pattern : Tat a Brussels Monument in pink by Cathy de Greef (Canarithy)

I don’t time myself ever. There are too many interruptions and distractions while life goes on when tatting. However I was averaging about 25-30 minutes per square. Then on Day 4 I happened to start a square just as the news went on on fm radio & I finished the square as the news reader signed off – 15 minutes flat!

Huh, didn’t know I could tat fast. 

Errr, I did have fewer stitches to work – in order to get the right size in Anchor 20, 4 stitch repeats are used instead of the 5 in original pattern.

Day 3 - end of morning session in the warm winter sun !

Day 3 - end of evening session in artificial lights

Efficiency & rhythm could be part of the reason, besides the sheer joy of working the pattern – it had enough variety to sustain my interest.

• All the materials needed were placed in this chocolate box (see pics above).
• I tatted 2 sessions per day and sewed in the ends at night (day 3 pics above).
• I stuck to the same pattern, getting into a good rhythm.
• Used 3 different pinks to create some variety.
  
• Used a ball and shuttle. My Pony bobbin held enough thread for 4 squares.
• Path used :
  

I started at the same point where Cathy did but with the ring instead of chain. Worked 2 chains around, then reverse tatted (unflipped/wrapped stitches) the inner chain. This eliminated frequent RW or switch shuttle.
NOTE (update) : To join subsequent chains to this central picot, use the 2nd side of Split Ring join.

Continued to end – lock joining the last inner chain to ring picot and completing the last outer chain.

Ending at the starting point meant it was easier to hide ends later.
And fs/bs tatting, hence started the ring in RODS (reverse order of half stitches), which meant all chains were tatted from the front.

When starting I had no idea how many I wanted to make. Then based on each day’s output I decided to give myself 5 days to complete 50 squares. On the last day I contemplated the title of my blog post & decided to increase the count by 5 - how corny is that ?!;-P  

[starting on Jan 31st - 9, 10, 13, 12, 11 squares]

On day 6, with all squares roll-blocked, dried and photographed, I set about tatting a couple of new patterns that I had sketched earlier. I will show them in the next post. They won't be in pink, though - I'm mighty tired of that colour !

I hope to finalize the patterns today and may include it in the envelope to mail to Cathy.

I did find a few of my old squares fit the 3x3cms requirement, but they are in size 40 (quatrefoil squares) and the brown one (undulating) needed a bit of work. So I was very happy working Cathy's pattern. 

Thank you, Cathy, for a lovely pattern

and for the initiative to put tatted lace on the world map !