timeless dancers

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The tribal dancers are finally here in their full glory! These gypsies took their own sweet time, didn't they?! Modern style presentation of pattern #18 from the German book ‘Die Schiffchen-Spitszen’,1920, by Frau Eleonore Endrucks-Leichtenstern is now in pdf form for the Endrucks 1920 Project. 

Direct link to #18 pattern reworked by Paola Bevilacqua and muskaan - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vib_1C2e0SuRzUsMitUCbp67Nc5iT7xQ/view 

There are 4 rows, tatted in one-pass. No modernisation here - Endrucks' herself tatted it continuously! Simple techniques - 2-shuttle tatting, block tatting, thrown rings, lock join - and voila, a complicated-looking design is born!

The single motif  is a bilaterally symmetrical version, which is also indicated in the pdf. 

Paola Bevilacqua first tatted a single motif in Dec 2020 using a ball and shuttle. Her pics are shared here, and her process pics are also in the pdf.

Row I - This is also a stand-alone pattern listed as #18/a and reworked by Paola Bevilacqua. This is uploaded as a separate pdf in the Project files.

It can be curved a wee bit by making the upper yellow rings smaller or substituting with beads. Embellish with beads and we have ourselves a beautiful necklace!

I deliberately used 2 contrasting colours in order to clearly distinguish which shuttle is in play for which element. 

Row II - The model is tatted using frontside/backside tatting and it was amazing to see that All red elements are worked backside while all yellow elements are frontside - throughout the entire 4 rows!

In this row, Endrucks uses an extra chain on one side of the block to reach the other yellow ring. It is barely discernible.

Row III - This is a chains-only row. We climb out of the previous row with a long chain. In the original, this chain is shorter because she ends row II after the 1st block despite having 2 blocks at the starting end. I chose to make them symmetrical and preferred the broader arch.

Row IV - A quick chains-only row! 

Do you see Gandhiji's 3 monkeys here? Possibility of yet another adaptation? 

TIP: Throughout the pattern I counted my joins as a half stitch. On the front side, I used a down loop for lock join (and vice versa) since it leaves a smaller footprint.

Rows II to IV also form a standalone pattern #18/b. It was tatted and diagrammed by Elisabetta De Napoli and the pdf is in the Project files. You can see all her other contributions to this project in Ninetta's post here.

I have strung beads on metallic threads and wound up my shuttles to make this 18/b into a crown!

Merely curious to see how this broad lace would look upended. What do you think?

TIP: My block tatting in this project is a midway path.... Endrucks' uses (1ds,picot) to climb out to the next chain in a block. Instead of the 1ds, I simply made the picot long enough to span the height of the current chain, and a bit extra to ease joining of next chain. I think it works well doesn't it? 

On close inspection, you can see that some rings in the red/yellow model face opposite to each other, when cut vertically or horizontally. Compare this with the 4-coloured model on the right where symmetry is 'perfect'. 

With a tiny bit of jugglery and thrown rings in place of normal rings, this lace can become symmetrical. Only one chain requires a downward picot for the adjoining ring to be linked later. These modifications are also explained/inked in the pdf. 

I used 4-colours to distinguish each row if we want to tat it in this manner. But despite 4 colours, it is still worked in one pass, and I used false ctm to add in new colour. 

Anchor Pearl cotton size 8 is used for both models. A few minor changes from the original had to be made.

I had attempted to increase the skirt by another 2 rows in a 3rd model but ran out of thread and time. Perhaps some time in future. And what about a 3D skirt that goes all around? Easy enough to tat using the same stitch count! Could be adapted for a skirt/gown or bell, etc.

It is now up to you creative tatters to adapt this pattern to your vision and share with us. If one Facebook, tag Ninetta or myself, and use the hashtag #Endrucks1920Project. You will find all details and links to original and modern in the Project files here. 

My heartfelt thanks to all the lovely ladies mentioned here - 

dancing is fun only when friends are around 💖💝💖

Related Posts

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/05/has-tatting-made-you-cry.html 

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/05/tears-of-joy.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/05/chain-reaction_15.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2021/06/co-learning.html

taming the threads

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 Last month I bought a set of metallic threads and needed a good storage place for the 22 spools. My silk thread box had usable space. A while back I had placed the spools vertically in colour zones, but over time the silk thread ends had unspun and tangled a bit. It happened since most of the used spools didn't have their brand sleeves. 

It called for better organisation and this simple solution hit me - 

Simply cut narrow strips of paper, roll it around each spool, and tape the ends! I could've inked in the details, if I had (or needed) them.

I could've done a better job, but the high point was that I did not have to get up at all - everything was within hand's reach : blank paper, scissors, sellotape, and as I reeled in the ends for each spool, it got "tagged"!

The horizontal spools are only posing for the photograph! After the smiling, they were sent back to standing position.

I still have Mom's leftover pure silk threads from when she used to do machine embroidery some 50-70 years back. A couple of them are visible on the right (wooden spools).

Some left-over spools are from my Mother-in-law (eg. the brown one at bottom center & pink at top left).

The rest of the threads are rayon silk. I used them more for embroidered greeting cards.... made and sent lots of them, and still have a stash left. Some day I'll get around to taking pics and sharing.

hopping around

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Bunnies and Tulips for Easter 2021
pattern - Kathleen Minniti

Couple of months back I was in a tatting funk - had lost the will to pick up my shuttles. And then suddenly patterns sprang into my inbox from generous friends! One such was from the very talented Kathleen Minniti. She sent me these bunnies and tulips pattern as an International Tatting Day gift on April 1st!

My shuttles came to life! Tried these, adding a bead for nose. The one on the right has whiskers and a dense tail which was supposed to have been frayed, but haven't gotten around to it yet. These were straight off the shuttles, without blocking or shaping or trimming the whiskers (made from sewing thread)

I still have thread left in the shuttle for a 3rd one, this time with a bead for eye.

Although I made little tweaks - so many what-ifs floating around in my head - there are no notes to share. I went with the flow and pleasure of simply tatting away.....

I Love the sense of movement this pattern has. Almost as if the bunny is about to hop, or is already hopping! Above, the black-nosed bunny is enjoying the fragrance of the tulip while the red-nosed bunny wouldn't be left behind and hops closer ...

... and displaces the smaller black-nosey who switches to the other side, awaiting it's turn again.

Aha, our curious red-nosey has found a new flower to explore, so black-nosey gets right back to it's original perch!

Although tatted around 4th/5th April, it's taken me so long to take pics and post. There's a whole lot more I wish to try out which was one of the reasons for this delayed post. There are lots of little versions to choose from or to tweak for our pleasure! Kathleen's genius in designing is evident in the use of simple techniques and effects to create several versions of swaying tulips and hopping bunnies.

And the great news is that all these patterns are now public - shared with the Online Tatting Class recently - https://www.georgiaseitz.com/2021/lessons_loglinks_reg2021.html 

You can be sure I'll be getting back to this again some time to make a proper composition!

Many many thanks to Kathleen, a generous friend and constant inspiration !