let it go

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… or not – that is the question!

I skipped this Sunday’s snowflake (we started with 28 weeks for 25 flakes, so …). For one I felt drained with all the pattern writing – some of the patterns are really tough to get through in as simple a format as possible. 

For another, I was simply unhappy with all my attempts. To the extent that I kept picking up a different pattern to work up! Look for yourself …

I designed and tatted this in 2016 as a first round. I really like it and can’t seem to let go of it, but creating another round has me stumped. 

Disregarding my past sketch (see the brown in lead pic?), I tatted this last week. 

This yellow/green one is another attempt at an outer round. It ruffles when tatting but lays flat with blocking.

What is your verdict?

TõT

Then I tried to extend this small vintage snowflake. Those long chains are meant to be narrow. I like the shape they create individually & collectively, but clearly too large for this center. Having run out of thread, I’ve left it for now.

TõT

This is another flake that emerged from my mistake here. I made the left one in Dec 2018, but there is significant ruffling along the periphery, hence did not share. I’m giving it another go, using a larger center, but keeping the outer arms same. It should work, right?

It is worked in one pass, but during trials I like to work rounds separately so that one can snip off and discard parts instead of the entire tatting.

 Along with your verdict, suggestions for names will be most appreciated :-)))

TõT

And before I sign off, here’s what Barbara Slodka shared with me. Dani Rotach’s Celtic Starfish from Finger Lakes 2015 Tatting Seminar. 

From what I can see, it also uses the same numerical formula for the arms, though it is so much more ornamental and more advanced than my MatheMagical star! Isn’t it beautiful?!

live and kicking

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...tatting in my pocket

2 years back (huh, July again!) I posted a few of my verses on ‘Tatting in my Pocket’. On 3^rd of this month Noelene Lafferty – the originator – revived it in the Just Tatting group on facebook!
If you haven't, do check out all the new contributions members made there.

I wrote a new verse immediately …
((English teachers, please excuse the poor meter! ;-D))

I have simple Pony shuttles

Threads I have galore

With tatting in my pocket

I couldn't ask for more !  

- July 3, 2019

I also shared my old verses there. But it is so addicting – lines kept whirling in my head and even though I didn’t get around to sharing them on facebook, I’m doing them here now.

To save our ecosystem, I'd

like to plant many a tree

but with tatting in my pocket

I'm on a lace making spree !

Ma taught me cooking

Pa taught me cycling

with tatting in my pocket

my hands are always singing

- July 4, 2019

And then some more ….

Sitting in the balcony

Watching monsoon shower

with tatting in my pocket

I ... have the Power

I don't need yoga

Nor do pranaayaam

Tatting in my pocket

Is my way to Dhyaan

- July 7, 2019

And more recently in O’Claire de lune’s post on lace v/s tatting, this is what I posted

In the world of lace

Tatting has no place?!

Tatting is alive in my pocket

‘n’ will ne’er vanish without a trace.

- July 17, 2019

The flower in the pics is an old prototype - the 3D Carnation. Tatting is alive and kicking !!!

magic revealed

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magic revealed

Snowflake #5 in Land of Laces’ 25 Snowflake Project !

MatheMagical Star

click to download free pattern pdf

It’s a simple case of counting – in decreasing order, then in increasing order. This forms the 2 sides of an arm, tipped with a clover, and an additional ring at the base, between each arm. The base ring is of same size as the one with which the arm starts/ends. Clover has same sized side rings as the ones we end the count with, with a larger central ring.

All rings are bilaterally symmetrical, hence I remember them as a 9 ring or 5 ring, etc. instead of an 18 (9+9) or a 10 (5+5) ring.

Thus in the large 9to4 version, I go up an arm with

base 9,

arm up 9,8,7,6,5,4,

clover 4,7,4

arm down 4,5,6,7,8,9,

repeat.

Easy to keep track!

Each pair of sequential rings is separated by a chain. Each segment of chain (separated by a picot) has the same count as the ring adjacent to it.

Perhaps all this text has you confused. If so, simply click on the pdf and read/see for yourself, where I have shared counts for 4 versions, and you should get an idea of the possibilities and tweaks you can make yourself.

I must thank all the enthusiastic responses to my query – here and on facebook, including some valuable suggestions, which have hopefully been incorporated in the presentation with some success. However, if there is any difficulty, please don’t hesitate to ask. It wasn’t an easy presentation, sigh.

1. Keep all picots normal sized.
2. It is a pretty forgiving and versatile pattern and all versions lay flat.
3. While working the ring pairs, avoid gapsosis. This pattern provides good practice!  
4. Fill up the main shuttle to capacity, since the large version consumes a lot of thread. I use Pony bobbin shuttles which are relatively smaller sized.
5. 2 shuttles are required only if one is tatting the filled-in version. There are options one can use to still work with ball instead of 2^nd shuttle, but I prefer the 2^nd shuttle look.
6. Since the star joins back to the start, picot join to the right is required.

 

I’ve included instructions for all 4 of these versions – large (9 to 4), medium (7 to 4), & small (5 to 2) ; open- & filled centers. Yet there is so much one can play around with! 

download free MatheMagical Star patterns here

  Enjoy :-)