What’s in a gaze?

I am still a baby when it comes to tatting. I can only do simple elements. I get messed up with stitch counts and repeats very easily. I throw tantrums and take it out on my shuttles when I cannot get the pattern right… But I smile from the bottom of my heart whenever I am able to complete projects.

 

As a tatting baby, I am still learning about my way of tatting. And one of the things that give me a clue is my gaze. My looking time when I search for projects I want to take on. So, what’s in a gaze?

 

Maybe vigilance.

It seems I am always on the watch. At first I only spent time looking through tatting books. A good starting place, but there were not so many that I could get a hold of. So I started to surf the internet and visit blogs of fellow tatters. There are so many talented tatters and their beautiful creations out there, I have to restrict the time I spent looking through them! But that has not stopped me from thinking about tatting – I now spend time looking at tiles and stained glass and even traditional motives of my culture to see if they can be made into tatting.

 

Maybe preference.

I seem to be focusing on certain aspects of tatting more than others. It may be the design of the pattern. I think I have a liking for curvy lines organized in geometric patterns. It may be the colour of thread. Some patterns take forever to complete, because I find out midway through that it was the colour that someone else tatted in and not the design that attracted me. It may be the creativity of the designer of the pattern. I cannot help but come back to look at motives that can be a pattern on its own but form a different landscape when aggregated.

 

Maybe interest.

It seems I am equally attentive to the details as I am to the final big picture of tatting. I am intrigued by techniques. I especially like those that cleverly plan movement to the next element or round. I am attracted to the quality of some tatters. Perfect tension, even stitches, symmetrical shapes… just how in the world do they do that?!

 

Maybe, then, what’s in a gaze is my love for tatting. A baby’s gaze can tell so much!