colouring the Cluny

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The current Cluny tatting series has covered how to wind the loom and weave tallies where the loom and weaving threads are either the same colour or different colours. For many more tips, ideas, and possibilities, refer to my earlier series and posts.

We now come to the original purpose of this series – multicolour Cluny leaves or tallies – a glimpse of which you saw here last year.

As usual, let’s go progressively… 2-coloured Cluny tatting. For 2 colours to show on a tally, we will actually need 3 threads – 1 for the loom which is hidden, and 2 for the stripes that are visible.

Adding more threads allows us opportunity to play with colours for the next Cluny leaf or element(s) in a pattern.

I chose to work on a cardboard loom, weaving with a tapestry needle especially when using multiple colours. The process itself is simple, but some management of threads is required as we increase colours (threads). If we choose a flat surface to place our loom while weaving, and lay the unwanted thread on the side, it avoids tangling and weaving can be done comfortably.

To repeat – this same method works on a box loom ; and in any pattern a split ring can be substituted with a regular tally/petal/leaf, and a normal ring with a hanging Cluny leaf.

• How to add new thread (knotless method)
• How to hide tail of new thread
• How to avoid the colour blip from loom thread

  

Two-Colour Cluny Tatting

Loom/Warp thread - mustard ;

Weaving threads – Colour 1 on the right – green; Colour 2 on the left – pink

Sequence of weaving : green, pink. Colours alternate after each wrap/weave, giving a striped appearance.

You can try different visual effects: from regular stripes to broader bands to random, and from broad to hanging Cluny leaves.

Refer to basic Cluny colour variation pictorial for any missing details.

1. The previous element (split ring) already has 2 colours – mustard and green. 

We will add a 3^rd thread (pink) while weaving the tally.

Wind the loom as usual, with 3 Warps.

Bring green to the right (Under, Over) and leave pink on the left side.

2. Make 1 pass to the left with green (Under, Over, Under),

place pink over the green ….

(as mentioned in previous post, you can choose your own style of weaving)

 3. … and make the return pass to the right (Over, Under, Over), trapping the pink within. 

Leave a pink tail to be hidden later. 

 4. Snug and tamp down the weaves before proceeding.

Notice the new thread is captured within on the left side.

5. With pink thread, move to the right (Under, Over, Under) …

Scroll to end for 2 ways to hide this new tail. 

 6. … and back to the left (Over, Under, Over)

7. Pick up green and move to left (Under, Over, Under), and return to the right.

8. Similarly, make another weave with pink moving to the right and back to left.

9. Continue, alternating the colours as desired, and shaping the tally as you go.

This tally has 15 wraps and threads are back in their original position.

10. Pass both needles through the top loop, back to front.

 11. Both threads are through the top loop. This will hide the loom thread colour.

12. Top loop pulled off the loom and start closing the tally.

13. Top and bottom loops of the loom are closed.

14. One 2-Colour tally made.

To hide tail of new thread :

Needle the tail and weave it through the back of the tally. 

If we weave under the green thread, then the tail will not be visible at all. 

Snip off excess.

See also tip #12 for hiding tails here and Dagmar’s video here. : In pic #5 above, fold the tail behind to align with Warp1. Then, weave as normal, incorporating/encapsulating this tail within. After a few wraps, the excess tail can be snipped off. 

Next in this series is a 3-coloured broad Cluny leaf (4 Warps), and hopefully a practice pattern for these 2-coloured tallies.

The only 2- or 3-coloured Cluny tatting I have come across is by the talented and prolific Dagmar Pezzuto. In both cases, she has worked hanging Cluny petals or leaves. The principle remains the same. You can find all her Cluny patterns through Georgia’s site here.

All my Cluny Tatting pictorials are listed here.

… to be continued

Clunied !

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2-Tone Cluny Bracelet

aka 

Ganga-Jamuni bracelet

This bracelet is based on the basic Cluny tatting with colour variation pictorial. I chose these 2 colours in order to complement the beads I had – notice the subtle colour striations? And the name was chosen accordingly, though it’s Indian name could be Ganga-Jamuni bracelet – symbolising a fusion of colours and techniques (taking off from a fusion of Hindu & Muslim cultures symbolised by the rivers Ganga & Yamuna).

One can work it in one colour with no need to think of where the shuttles should be. Working with 2 colours brings a degree of interest and apparent complexity since one has to ensure the colours are switched correctly. I’ve employed various little tricks to smoothen the transition between colours, as seen in the process pics. I make the ‘switch’ within the previous element itself. But it is all optional – you can work at will, using SLT if you like.

Materials :

·         2 shuttles (or needles)

·         Anchor size 20 thread in 2 colours 
(I used the light 00366 in shuttle1 & the dark 00896 in shuttle2).

·       Seed beads : 14 beads size 16/0 per repeat. 
For 8 repeats load 112 beads. String 56 beads in each shuttle.

·        2-tone beads : 1 per repeat (+1 for end) size 5/0. 
For 8 repeats, 9 loose beads required.

·         A Cluny loom of your choice.

·         A crochet hook to load the loose beads.

·         Findings for the bracelet.

Techniques :

• 2-shuttle tatting ;
• Add findings ;
• Lock stitch (1 unflipped half stitch; 1 flipped half stitch)
• Under-Over or Alligator join ;
• Slope and roll join
• Cluny tatting ;
• Working with beads.

Measurements :

3 repeats (including beads) = 5 cms long

Final bracelet (end to end): 1½cms wide and 7 inches (<19cms) long

Abbreviations :

          Sh – shuttle ;  vsp – very small picot ;  b – seed bead

Pattern

Pre-string 56 seed beads on each shuttle and join both shuttle threads.

All tatting is done from the front, progressing from the left to right end.

With Sh1 -

End Ring1 : 10, with finding.

Join Bead.

With Sh2 - Lock stitch to hold bead in place.

Wind loom with Sh1 and weave tally with Sh2 …

Tally: 12 wraps. Emerge from the right side, hiding the colour blip. This ensures that the shuttles automatically switch positions.

With Sh2 –

Chain: vsp, 2 b 2 b 2 bbb 2 b 2 b 2 rotate , Under-Over join across base of tally ,

2 b 2 b 2 bbb 2 b 2 b 2, join to vsp as shown in pics. This method of joining automatically switches the shuttle positions & hides colour blip.

Join Bead as before.
With Sh1 - Lock stitch to hold bead in place.

Wind loom with Sh2 and weave tally with Sh1 …

Repeat tally and chain motif for desired length, switching colours.

To Finish :

Join Bead as before.
With Sh1 –

End Ring2 : 10, with findings.

Tie and cut and hide threads. 

Process

 1. Start first end ring with finding and continue from pic #2.

I tatted 4 repeats before deciding to take process pics. 

 2. Pull up a Sh1 loop through a loose bead, pass Sh2 through this loop …

3. …pull Sh1 such that both threads are now within the bead. Adjust tension.

I first saw this in Usha Shah's Lanyard #4.

 4. Pick shuttle2 and make 1 lock stitch. 

I made unflipped 1^st half stitch, and flipped 2^nd half stitch.

5. Wind loom with Sh1 and start weaving with Sh2.

Refer here for detailed pictorial  

6. Ensure that Sh2 is on the right side before closing the tally.
Hide colour blip as described in A6 & A7 .

Pick up Sh2, move seed beads forward on Sh1 to start chain.

7. Make a very small picot at start of chain.

To cross over to other side, rotate work and make an Under and Over join.

8. Complete the chain and make a slope and roll join to vsp as follows :

Pull a SH1 loop through the vsp and pass Sh2 through it…

 9. Tension the threads such that the SH1 loop is NOT pulled back through the picot.

This method ensures that there is no colour blip And the shuttles switch positions.

All odd numbered motifs are worked in above manner.

 10. Repeat Steps #2 to #9, but with the shuttles switched.
All even numbered motifs are worked accordingly, 
starting with shuttle2 in place of shuttle1. 

Continue for desired length, switching colours/shuttles accordingly.

End with another 10 ds ring with finding attached.

TIP : Continue for a longer length to make a necklace. In the middle, after a chain around a tally, add another beaded chain(s) on one or both sides, to act as a pendant.

Clunied !!!

I am so thoroughly Clunied! Earlier this month I bought a set of bathroom mats – not my style, not my colour, and it took us a few days to get used to that large print and relatively bold colour! But guess what – don’t you see Cluny leaves there? Freudian slip or serendipity?! 

happy tatting J

among friends

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A short thank you post to my creative and generous tatting friends for sharing such lovelies !

This is my version of Jane McLellan’s Leaf Braid with Flowers. 

I’ve been tatting the leaf braid for quite a few weeks now (for hanky, then saree, and now this), but haven’t tired of it yet! And of course this one with buds and blossoms was even more fun. I intend to use this short length on a future card. Worked in Anchor size 20.

Jane also has pics on how to work the split/SCMR! 

Again, this braid can be worked with 2 shuttles using a ball instead of 3rd shuttle for the top half of split/scmr).

Next is Ninetta Caruso’s Swirling Butterfly 

This is my one shuttle free flying adaptation. 

When winding the shuttle, leave a short length of thread (CTM) to act as core thread for the final chain. All the rest is worked as simple rings (one with treble tatting) starting with the head and moving clockwise. The body is a tds chain worked last.

So now we have 3 versions where the original 2 & 3 shuttle versions have the butterfly on a twig. Ninetta has great stepwise pics which made it easy to 'reverse' sketch and tat with one shuttle.

Now this butterfly is a 9 month old trial that popped out of my Cluny tatting box! It caught my attention because of it's positional similarity to Ninetta’s butterfly. I was trying to create a butterfly with the intention of later converting the 2 wing rings into Cluny leaves. I need to do a lot more work on it before it can work out properly. But design suggestions are most welcome.

That’s it for now. When I complete the tat-along, I will share another way to do the 2^nd part of the tds – one all experienced tatters have done or seen - as a twisted picot !!! So don’t fly too far - keep close to the blossoms :-D