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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Baby Steps for Bumpkenz



Here's a little TRICK to make working with grids a TREAT!


 

When Linda Farmer posted the new pattern Bumpkenz by Beth Snoderly I could not wait to work with it.  As a matter of fact, I liked it so much that I included it in "It's a String Thing" #12
 
(In my enthusiasm to get the message out, I misspelled the pattern name in my initial post.  My apologies to Beth and my thanks to Linda for bringing it to my attention.)  
 
Yesterday, I sat down to draw up the steps for the tangle in my pattern notebook.  Perhaps it was my mood or the distractions around me, but I had the hardest time learning it.  I'd start with a grid, slice it diagonally, and draw the Bumpkenz.  Every time I ended up with squished, odd shaped orbs - nothing as pleasing as the intended outcome.
 
It took the better part of the morning to figure out where I veered off the intended path.  In the process, I stumbled upon a little trick about grids.  I may be the last tangler to figure this out, but just in case this helps someone, here is what I found...
 
 
If a square grid is lined vertically in each direction like so:
 
 
 - the result in each of the smallest squares on the grid is a unit comprised of four triangles.
When you draw a tangle on the diagonal line in one of these square units, you work in a triangular shape.
 
 
On the other hand, if a square grid is lined vertically in each direction - in every other row - like so:
 
 
 - the result in each of the smallest squares on the grid is a unit comprised of two triangles.  When you draw a tangle on the diagonal line in one of these square units, you work in a square.
 

 

The latter is the base structure of the new tangle Bumpkenz.   I tried in vein to work it into the first type of grid and all too slowly realized why my orbs were so squished; the tangle was fitted to a triangle not a square as it was intended. 
 
Hopefully, I can save you some time and trouble by posting my notes.  I call them "Baby Steps" because I needed simple, simple steps! 

 
Give Bumpkenz a try - it's a lovely tangle pattern.  Check out "It's a String Thing" #12  and send in your tile.  I'd love to hear your stories!
 
 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
 
 
Please feel free to leave a comment below. 
If you would like to hear from me, please use the email box located to the right.
 

2 comments:

  1. Thank you! Sometimes it just takes someone hitting you over the head with an 01 Micron to make the seemingly difficult actually very obvious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AHA! The key to unlocking Nzeppel! It being the first grid!
    Paula (PEP)

    ReplyDelete