Sunday 17 June 2018

wish to be a fish!

Oh yes, you read it right! I do wish I could be a fish and stay in the water. It has been so horrid – hot and humid – here for the last 3 weeks that all one wants to do is laze in cool water or swim about like a fish. All energy is sapped out. We have been facing temperatures in the 110°F or 44°C range and no respite in sight.

So as I was saying, this adorable little fish tat-along came at the right moment!
I’ve admired this cute Kiss Kiss fish all along. Loaded my shuttles with thread and beads.

designed by Carollyn Brown

Size 20 Lizbeth – 132 Tropical Punch and 
pearl beads which are slightly larger than the required size 11

Day 1 – the tail fins and ventral part of the body.
Two long tails from each shuttle act as the padding for the body to allow the fish to keep it’s shape. I really like how she used the tails instead of adding thread separately!

Needless to say, the stitches are unflipped here (reverse stitch for encapsulation or padded tatting).

Day 2 – eyes, kissing lips and dorsal half of body.
With beads for eyes and lips in place, the encapsulation continues on. Dorsal and ventral fins are made with decorative picots.
After joining & knotting back to the tail fins, I simply tied a bow with the thread ends instead of hiding ends. Yup, lazy!

I thoroughly enjoy patterns that can be worked all from the front! And a sweet cute little fish is just so much fun! I do wish I could’ve taken pics against better background with seaworld props. But the weather does not permit all the physical activity involved ;-P I'm fried fish here ....

I intend to make this again with thread & bead sizes complementing each other. Perhaps then I will exert myself for a better background.

Carollyn has explained everything beautifully with stepwise pictures. She has given me permission to draw out a diagram for her patter pdf. So stay tuned to her blog !
It may be a small fish, but the designing is very clever - no small fry !

Thanks a heap, Carollyn, for this wonderful tat-along & pattern!
I still wish I could be this fish :-D


19 comments:

  1. Oh wow I love the pearls, it's so true "Pearl's go with anything" 😃 I love the bow especially with pearls. Wow a hundred and 10 it's rare but when it happens I always say do you drink water or pour it on you head? I would short out my computer by dripping sweat on it. So be careful, and thankyou for making and showing this fancy fish ❤ and that bow solves tedious problems 🌻🐟🌻

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    1. and pearls are from the sea/water, just like fish ;-P
      I'm so glad you approve, Carollyn. Thanks for a wonder-fun pattern :-) Definitely repeatable to empty shuttles!

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  2. The eye bead is a bit big, but I like the pearly tail, it works fine. Keep cool there. We’re frezzing here.

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    1. I was so focused on the pearl bead size that the eye escaped notice (I just wanted a red eye) ;-P Thanks for pointing it out, Jane.

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  3. beautiful pattern :)
    Regards

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    1. It is, Renata :-) And tying a bow is one of the lazy methods of 'hiding' ends ;-P

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  4. Adorable! I really need to look for my beads!

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    1. and I'm glad Carollyn took the tat-along route. It really got me going, Diane, instead of filing away the pdf for future.

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  5. Replies
    1. I hope you give it a go, too, Margaret :-)

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  6. I missed the tat-along but the pattern looks quick enough. I like your little fish, even with tails in a bow tie. I also did that before, so not judging :D
    I hope the heat will be more bearable. Use air conditioning?

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  7. Charming! I have Carollyn's fish on my to do list .... errrr my to tat list ; )

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  8. Thank you so much for stopping by with your encouraging comments, Maryla, Lavi, Sue & Lelia :-)

    Lavi, window AC in bedroom keeps me holed up in that one cool room except when chores need to be done leaving me drenched and fatigued ;-P No AC in study where the desktop is. Over the last few years, the weather here has gone to extremes compounded with pollution. But yesterday was cooler and cleaner, offering a thankful respite.

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  9. Ishhhhh....is the ��. Beautiful tiny doodle with pearls. Loved the making of tails.

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