Craftree Forum Tree > Round Robin > Round Robin Designs
Many many years ago there was a spate of roundrobin design groups running. They seemed like a lot of fun and a great design challenge.
The way it works is you sign up to a small group (typically 4 people) and agree on limitations for your design - ie will it have split rings or cluny leaves or be a simple rings and chains only design (base this on the minimum skill level of the group.
Each person tats a doily centre of one or two rounds. You then send your centre along with the thread and your pattern instructions to the next person in the round.
They then design the next round or two, send along to the third person with all of the instructions and remaining thread and so on.
You can choose to leave it at one round per person, or you might like to increase the doily size by send to each member twice.
After the forth person has done the last round they then send back to the first member. So each member receives the doily that they designed the centre for.
You then publish all of the designs online so that you end up with 4 unique doily designs with their patterns.
Now it's not something I can commit to being a part of at the moment but I'd be more than happy to help organise if others are interested.
I don't think I have the design chops to take part in something like this. But I would love to tat along! So I hope our doily champions will step forward...
Maybe....I always thought it would be fun to do. It would depend on how busy I am when it's time to start.
Love the idea, but am not confident enough with my designer skills!
It's a great way to hone your skills, you can always add a simple round when it's your turn - in fact some of the most striking designs have quite a few simple rounds in them. You can also share what you've got here and look for ideas and inspiration within the community.
Sounds fun, but right now I have way too many doilies in progress now to think of making another one. I'll watch for now and if this is still up and running when I get done with some of them, I'll participate.
Elenemich, as has been said by others on this thread, start simple! Perfectly tatted, ordinary rings and chains can be lovely and interesting. If everyone in a round robin tries to out design everybody else, the design as a whole will suffer. There is a flexible area where a small change can really charge up the strength of the design. The change can be a larger or smaller ring, or more picots on the chains than on the rings (or vice versa!). You can take a chance on one repeat and learn something to improve your idea or else decide you are not quite ready for so many changes.
A round robin doily should be a learning experience! Where else could you simply add a row and get the satisfaction of seeing it work with the rest of the piece. Seeing is believing.
This sounds like fun! I'd be interested in doing this if there's anybody else out there that would like to. I have never participated in something like this before but I've thought about it. C'mon GraceT, Elenemich, let's give it a try! Don't be shy :-) Simple is okay. Just let your shuttle or needle take you where it will. As kersti said, you can share here and get ideas and inspiration from the community. It'll be fun!
Sounds like a great idea, I'd love to do something like this, unfortunately I can't do any tatting at the moment as I got bitten by a dog at work, it bit through the tendons on my index finger (can't move it at all) and I'm still awaiting surgery to repair it. May be I could take part when I've gained use oft finger again:)
Well... okay, I'm in! 
But not the first round, please. That's so foundational...
I'll do it too - I have never designed so I can't promise what the results will be but I'll give it a go
Ginny, I think there are only three or maybe four of us right now...
Okay, I'm in! I have always wanted to do a Round Robin. It has not been explicitly stated, but you will tat one row on each of four different doilies. BUT.... the rows will all be different.
So everyone will come up with their own centre and then we all add to 4 different centres?
I think the way it works is that there is a circular list of people. Everyone tats a center and then sends it to the next person after them on the list. They tat a row and send it to the next person, and so on. Everyone starts a center, and everyone ends up with the doily that started with their center and has each other person's additional row.
That means that each person will do a center, a second row, a third row, and a fourth row, all on different doilies, if there are four people.
This sounds like so much fun..... I wish I could join you, but I have been having a hard time finding the time to tat lately with being buried with Work and yard work .... and like Carol, when I do find the time I really should work on the projects I already have going.
You don't think I actually tat, do you? I'm a computer geek - I catalog books and patterns and look for answers to questions. :)
Actually, though, I've never done anything larger than a snowflake, although I recently actually started a very small Celtic doily. I was tempted, I must confess. But none of the round robins in the catalog have more than 5 participants, and you already have 5. I think 6 might be pushing it in size, complexity, and time.
Thank you for asking, but I think this time I will watch your creations with curiosity. Maybe next time. :)
in reply to becky400's post:
Wondering why none of our enthusiasm and creativity has rubbed off on you yet ....hmmmm
hugs
in reply to muskaan's post:
Shhhh... she's my gem! Don't distract her!
OK so, those of you taking part you need now to work out your parameters - what size threads will you use? Are there any techniques you want to avoid?
I'm happy with any thread size. The only technique that springs to mind that I have lots of trouble with are cluny leaves so I'd prefer to steer clear of those. Other than that I'll give anything a go.
