spin in some ideas

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I’m in a bind. This is the 3^rd snowflake I’m making for the 25 Snowflake Project. It’s from a sketch dated 26^th Oct, 2017.

I started my trial with 2 colours in order to keep track of the shuttles, since there are so many split rings.

Satisfied, I worked the yellow one. I was happy at first, but then the proportion of the arms to the center seemed off, leading to the 2^nd prototype in blue.

But now the spinning/twirling effect seems to be lost, right?

As I was notating the pics, an idea hit me – I might be able to get back the spinning effect! I’ll have to flip the SRs such that the one at the base of the dendrite has a larger outer edge (as in the yellow one)!

Another idea I’ve been mulling over is graduated picots on the chain linking 2 arms – long to short to highlight the spin direction. Do you think that will work, or should I keep all decorative picots away?

What other suggestion can you offer to improve the design?

Do you like the design concept? It can also be worked without split rings, but that will be another flake for later.

All are worked in Anchor size 40. The yellow is 5cms and blue is 7cms tip to tip.

Waiting to hear your ideas....

an aspiring flake

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While hunting for something, I came across many snowflakes in various stages – from sketches to trials to completed-but-not-presented. So, despite having sketched 2 new designs after the Paisley snowflake, I’m taking this opportunity to reduce my backlog.

My Snowflake #2 for the 25 Snowflake Project started by Land of Laces on facebook....

Aspiration Snowflake

click to download free pattern pdf

This is the snowflake that arose from my Aspiration doily trials in 2017. with an additional final round of spiky dendrites! I prefer curve to points, but this is a deliberate experiment. The reason is evident in the yellow trial piece below.

The size 40 white is pretty stiff and starchy and not enjoyable. It is also slightly thicker than coloured size 40s as can be seen between the original yellow trial piece and this white one.

I don't even like my stitches! Hence I’ve decided to change to another bold colour in 40 for trials, and may also play with Pearl 8 colours for flower flake versions.

This 4-round snowflake can be worked as separate rounds or in one pass. 

The written pattern is given for individual rounds, but the very same instructions can be applied to continuous tatting by working the last element of each round as split ring or split chain, with mock picots to climb out. Except for the central rosette, the white model is worked continuously.

In Anchor Pearl cotton size 8, it measures 3¼” tip to tip and just under 3” as a hexagon side. This is equivalent to Lizbeth 20.

I intended to make some picots longer in the coloured version, but didn’t quite get it right. Pearl cotton tends to mask a clean picot due to the fibrous nature of the thread.

There are numerous ways to tat this flake and is a prime practice piece for a study of This Way or Tat ? (TWoT) when different methods/techniques are used - such as SLT, reverse join, direct tatting (reverse or unflipped stitch), and so on.

click to download Aspiration Snowflake pattern 

first doily pattern

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Repetition Doily / Snood

pattern pdf (click to download)

Remember the doily/snood I was trying to design out of a mistake? Well, it’s all done, including the pattern writing! In size 40 Anchor, it measures 7 inches in diameter.

 

So this was where it all started, and when last posted, with one post in between. 

 

Continuing the design story …. I completed the final round with long twisted picots instead of simple double picots. I like how they arch and are sturdy, giving a sense of finality.

I wanted a relatively open center, hence tried a basic spirographic filling – like in string art. A quick trial above looked fine, and I was going to stabilize the long threads with another single round of beige in the center. I had even tacked the doily on fabric in an embroidery hoop! After several days I snipped it off..... 

 

… and this was the result ! A star is born ;-D

I overcame the odd number in previous round (15) by skipping 2 picots and joining to every 3^rd picot, thus resulting in the star shape.

 

But those free picots bothered me and I snipped off both central rounds replacing those 2 picots with a long double picot parallel to the star curves! 

Double picots also follow the thematic repetition of outer brown rounds. Star remained the same.

Tadaa !!!

Click to download Repetition Doily pattern.

While picots are normal throughout, the long picots differ in length in each round and a picot gauge is required. I have included the gauge requirement for each round in the pattern.

Each round in this doily is worked separately with shuttle and ball and easy elements. Writing/presenting the pattern was a tough ask! It took me days and days to simplify it as best as possible since the working sequence of the 9 rounds is not a regular order from small to large or in to out.

Jane McLellan kindly and quickly ran her eye through the final presentation with valuable feedback. She is my reliable go-to "glazometer" (((Thank You)))! 

I hope you enjoy the pattern. It is my first complete doily pattern that I have completed and written. My first - Aspiration Doily still awaits that day ;-D