intentions and consolations

day 8 snowflake pattern by Lene Bjorn

The last few months just got away from me, leaving me with a horde of snowflakes yet to tat for the snowflake tat-along (huh, the last I tatted were in September?!). In a tatting frenzy, I spent the last few days of 2016 trying to catch up. From 9 incomplete I'm now down to 4; with 4 flakes blocked last night and have to be photographed.

I'm too scared to review my 2016 resolutions - there are so many still left on the list. Only consolation is that I did accomplish a few unintended projects, and made a major last-minute leap with this tat-along. 

Eighth Day of December Snowflake

Lene Björn

from 24 Snowflakes in Tatting

for 2016 Snowflake Challenge on Craftree 

I love the swirling effect of the blocks in this flake. It was my plan to make at least one snowflake in white and add some glitter. This is the chosen one.

Where’s the glitter you ask? I think it’s too good a pattern to overload or distract with glitter. Some other pattern perhaps ….

Stumbled right at the start, when in my haste I thought it was one continuous tat !

I have a tendency to refer back to the tatted model more frequently than the instructions or diagram. This caused me a lot of confusion while tatting till I realized that ….

Note : Blocks in the diagram and tatted model face in opposite directions!

Finally I stopped comparing my tatting and simply continued to tat as per pattern stitchcount. Smooth.

Block Tatting : A while back, following Grace’s example on Craftree, I did a study of various methods of block tatting. Resulting from that study, I used only one half stitch as a riser. Instead of 1DS or 1RS before the picot, I used 1fhs, and 1ushs respectively. So it was the same half stitch as the one following in the next stitch.

Having decided to make this exactly as per instructions I went with single shuttle and ball. Wonder if it’s just me, but I had to pull out a second shuttle for the clover rings at the tip.

I think going counterclockwise after climbing out would’ve worked better, without the need of another shuttle.

Future Idea : work inner round blocks in one direction and outer in opposite, to compare effect. I adore the pattern, and will be tatting more in future, but without the trefoils at the tip. 

Rnd 1 - 1¼" ;  complete - ~ 3¼"  in Anchor size 40 white

 happy tatting :-)Z