ConcentriCITY pattern

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Snowflake #21 in Land of Laces’ 25 Snowflake Project

All Snowflake Patterns in Google Docs.

List of Tatting Tutorials with links.

This time I decided to go simple. Trouble with ‘simple’ is the constant fear that it’s already been done! Which is perhaps one of the reasons I did a 2^nd round. A quick search did not throw up anything like this, and if there is, I haven’t seen or copied it.

I’ve used Kathleen Minniti’s captured adaptation of Aurora Lozada’s Onion Rings method. I find it ‘simpler’ and easier to remember, with great results. Kathleen captures the 1^st/innermost ring in the first half stitch (within the loop after flipping the stitch) and proceeds with the 2^nd half stitch. The rings stay snug.

In the 2^nd round, where I worked the 2^nd ring backside (RODS), I captured the inner ring in the 2^nd half stitch (see pictorial below).

Both rounds are worked from front, clockwise....

ConcentriCITY snowflake

Small / Round 1 pattern

Worked in both Anchor Pearl (size 8, white) and Lizbeth (size 20), it is <4½ cms. As a hexagon, the side is 2cms.

Ball and shuttle, continuous thread. Start with the innermost ring (A) of onion ring. 

Choose your favourite method to make the onion rings.

I used Georgia Seitz’s Onion Ring or ball thread join.

Then work the chain. Note that the chain picots are NOT linked to each other. They remain free, and are slightly longer.

ConcentriCITY snowflake

Medium / Round 2 pattern

Worked in Anchor Pearl (size 8, white), it is 8 cms. As a hexagon, the side is 4cms.

2 shuttles, continuous thread.

Join to the 2 free picots on adjacent chains. I used a normal lock join, pulling up a loop simultaneously through both.

Check out this explorative study by Eliz Davis of how different ways of joining 2 picots together can be visually different. She tried Consecutive vs Simultaneous Joins. 

Start with the chain, going clockwise.

Lock join to the center picot. Make the 2 inner onion rings. Outer one is a chain, with a thrown ring. Join chain to middle ring, leave some picot space and make thrown ring. Leave equal space after closing ring, and continue chain. Lock join to same picot and continue chain, again making a join to the double picots simultaneously.

Repeat all around.

NOTE: I often have to tweak the stitches - adding half or full stitch in onion rings. Hence, depending on your tension, make the necessary adjustments.

PICTORIAL (with FRONTSIDE/BACKSIDE TATTING) 

The following pictorial shows how I worked one repeat, in directional or frontside/backside tatting. Red is shuttle1 & yellow is shuttle2.

1. After making the chain, make innermost ring with Sh1.

 2. Turn work and start next ring backside. Capturing the inner ring in 2^nd half stitch.

 3. Close ring. Both shuttles are now in position to start chain.

 4. Make chain around the onion rings. Make onion ring join or lock join. Switch shuttle to tat a thrown ring, leaving mock picot space. Switch shuttle, and continue chain back on other side. Lock join to base. [see inset].   

 5. Make chain. Put hook through both picots of previous round to pull up a loop and make a lock join.

 6. Continue chain

 7. Make lock join and repeat from 1.

8. Snowflake complete.

 Round 3 TRIALS

I tried a 3^rd round. These are the 3 repeats with tweaks in each (from 1 to 3). I couldn’t decide whether to go through with it or not, but feedback on facebook seems to be in favour of making a 3^rd round.

I have a couple of questions, though –

• Should there be a small ring (as in 1 & 2) or 2 picots (as in 2 & 3) between chains?
• Should the outermost onion ring round be normal (1 & 2) or Victorian Set (as in 3)?
• Anything else?

This will require making the entire snowflake afresh to make the picots the right size and avoid stretching. Hence it will be counted as a new snowflake for the project – I have 4 more to design/tat before the 25^th, so I’m taking this lifeline ;-P

hidden treasures

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I can’t explain the feeling. I have tatted patterns shared online, making coloured versions or with other tweaks/techniques. Some morphed into adaptations. Something similar is now happening with my patterns! It is so gratifying to see tatters enjoying a pattern, a design so much and exploring new avenues through it.

When creating a pattern, one keeps thinking of ‘what if…’, but there are limitations to how much I do myself. Then I get to see those or newer ideas being implemented on the original and I am thrilled!

Of the patterns I've shared so far in 25 snowflake project, Hidden Rose snowflake is one of the more popular ones. Some have attested to becoming ‘addicted’ to it – making more than 4, 5, 6,….! Playing with it! 

With due permission, I am posting only a few pics to showcase some of their ideas - some pics were sent privately, others were on facebook. In chronological order - 

Anita Barry immediately converted it into a heart!

Elisabetta de Napoli tatted the entire flake with metallic thread.

Jeanie Schekel quickly belted out SIX 2-coloured beauties and even ‘taught’ it to her group. They had some difficulty with the direction, which I can totally understand. When this project is over, I intend to tat the flake again so that it moves in clockwise direction instead of counterclockwise, and post those instructions.

Jean Gordon is on her FOURTH flake, determined to make it perfect and send out as gifts.

And the piece de resistance …

Krystyna Mura made several (and has a half page of notes for tweaks/ideas!). Of those, this one holds a very special place in my heart. She wove in gold thread in the center to reflect the gold-plated rose I showed you!

She went further to make these single rose buds as jewellery for her daughter.

Aren’t they the cutest! I couldn’t have done such a great job.

There are many more tatters who uploaded their beautiful work on facebook (or in respective blogs) – many of them can be found in my timeline or in one of the fb tatting groups, or by typing Hidden Rose Snowflake.

If you have made any of my patterns and wish to have it posted in my blog, please do not hesitate to tell me. 

Silver Linings snowflakes

Before I forget yet again, I condensed the 4 pages of Silver Linings snowflakes into 1 single page, and added a legend and some more info. I had already updated the post. But here’s the new link to the single page.

Keep them coming, tatters, and thanks for your interest ! 

And time for the 21^st snowflake …stay tuned !

heartland rainbow pattern

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Snowflake #20B in Land of Laces’ 25 Snowflake Project 

Here is the pattern for 2^nd version, including instructions for tatting in one pass. The entire pattern is given even though round1 is similar so you won’t have to go back and forth between the 2 versions.

Heartland Snowflake patterns

Version 2 – Rainbow

I wanted to enclose only rainbow hearts, leaving the rest white. It alludes to the spectrum components of white light, but also has an inclusive symbolism, hence I wanted only the heart shape & colours to be pronounced in the outer round. However, you can choose to work this exactly as the basic pattern I shared here (with SSSR).

And just like version 1, this rainbow coloured snowflake can Also be tatted continuously - make the desired colour stitches using scrap lengths of threads. These alternate instructions are in coloured italics.

Choose your favourite method of making Dimpled Rings for the hearts. I chose Sue Hanson’s method (Method 2), also called Dimpled Yorkie. I find it is an Excellent method to keep the bilateral symmetry of even large rings and facilitate smooth closure. It is now my go-to method.

For other options & tutorial links, see a listing here. 

Abbreviations/Notations, in order of appearance.

ctm = continuous thread ; dRing = dimpled ring ; vsp = very small picot ; sp = small picot ; p or - = picot ; + = join ; rw = reverse work ; ch = chain ; -- = long picot ; SS = switch shuttle ; R = ring ; MP = mock picot ; SCMR = self closing mock ring ; Drop/down/downward/paperclip picot 

Round 1 - ball and shuttle, continuous thread. (white)

2 shuttles, ctm, if working continuously

[ dRing1: 6 vsp 7 p 2 sp 3 + 2 + 7 vsp 6. , rw

ch: 5, rw. ] x 6

In order to climb out, tat last chain as a split chain, then climb out with a

split dimpled ring : 6 vsp 7 p 2 sp 3 + 2 / 7 + 6. Continue to Round 2, leaving mock picot space

You can add decorative picots to the chains as in the basic version.

Note: Rainbow in Round 1 :  The hearts in this round can be colourful, too, by working each dimpled ring as a mock ring. Join the desired colour at the beginning of a SCMR. The core thread will remain white, while the stitches will be in colour. Tat the dRing as per pattern and close SCMR. Continue chain with both white threads, hiding the coloured tail within the chain. Similarly do next dRing in 2^nd colour, and so on. Very short lengths of coloured threads are required.

Tutorials : Dimpled SCMR - http://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2014/02/hearts-cant-hurt.html

Adding new thread on a chain (knotless method) & Magic Thread Trick (MTT) -https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2016/11/beginning-or-ending.html

Individual Heart – single shuttle only.

dRing1: 4 sp 2 sp 10 sp 5 + 10 sp 2 sp 4.

Make 6 such motifs in spectrum colours.

This step is omitted if working continuously.

TIP : In order to avoid sewing in ends, here’s how I did each heart (see pics above):

Tat over the starting tail, BUT leave a little loop at the start. Complete the dRing and close. Pass end tail through the tiny loop. Tug the starting tail end, making the loop disappear. The end tail can now be tatted over when it is joined to the main snowflake. No ends to sew! Or use Magic Thread Trick.

Round 2 - 2 shuttles,  ctm.

Join to center of any inner heart.

Ch: 10, SS. Leave bare thread space for a mock picot before starting R.

R: 6 -- 6. SS

[ Ch: 8 lj(heart) 2 lj 4 SS

SCMR: 6 -- 6. * SS

Ch: 4 lj(heart) 2 lj 8 , SS

R : 6 -- 6. MP, SS

Ch: 10 lj to next inner heart, 10 lj(MP) ] x 6

For last motif/repeat, make only 10ds chain and join to inner heart. Tie & cut.

Note: the mock picot is asymmetrical, so that when adjacent chains are attached to it, the ring appears to be in the middle.

* the end tail of heart can be hidden under the SCMR stitches to avoid sewing.

If you have already sewn/hidden the end tail, continue chain & SCMR without any join to base of heart. With 2 joins on either side, it is secure.

For continuous tatting, proceed as above :

...

[ Ch: 8, drop picot, 2, drop picot, 4. rw

dRing worked as SCMR and colour thread used to make the stitches: 4 +(drop picot) 2 +(drop picot) 10 sp 5 + 10 sp 2 sp 4. rw, SS

R: 6 – 6. SS

Ch: 4 + 2 + 8, SS. …..

Continue as per above pattern

 A few tidbits during the trials and tatting. It wasn’t a bad run!

All 3 snowflakes layered to show comparative size.

The pink in Anchor 20 is <10cms. >5cms as hexagon side.

The white rainbow in Anchor Pearl cotton 8 is 9½cms. 4½cms as hexagon side.

The red in Anchor 40 is 7cms. ~4cms as hexagon side.

Hubby liked this rainbow version very very much. And he has set a task for anybody willing to take it up – Increase the arms to 7 to include the missing indigo heart, and 8 to include a white one as well. Anybody?

I would really like to make the inner round with SCMR rainbow hearts too.