I love tatting spring

Spring – the season of new blooms, new leaves, stirrings of the avian community, flitting butterflies, love in the air and spring in the step! To top it all, is the Indian koel with it’s melodious cooing that starts out low and reaches a crescendo – one of the sweetest sounds (but don’t be fooled – it can be quite the mimic!).

Naturally, spring and/or Easter was the topic for this month’s kocham frywolitkę. The task was set by Justyna with a caveat – it must have yellow and green.

Recognise those dyed yellow feathers? 

Yes, they are from our trip to Boston and reenactment of the Boston Tea Party

My entry is this work-in-progress round robin doily. 4 of us are participating in an in-house round robin. It means the doily will not be mailed to the next person. We each tat each doily and only the design for each round is shared in the order of working.

We each got to start the center. This is Coretta’s center. I worked it in size 40 yellow. 
Mine doesn't show it, but she has a beautiful design with very interesting elements, including the free rings.

It was my turn to design the next round. After many trials and tweaks, without intending to, what emerged looked like butterflies!!! So I deliberately chose to highlight that group of elements to bring the butterflies to life.

TIP: To create the butterfly, instead of SLT, I kept making an unflipped 2^nd half stitch in the colour that I wanted to show. This worked better for me.

I added a 2^nd round in the center to secure the unattached rings of the central round. Although I worked them on the back like a calyx, these orange chains look good as a floret when worked from the front, too. And I might just cut it off and do it in the front once the other rounds are designed. This is how it looks from the back at present ....

This pic is shows the colours as they truly are. 

Scanning tends to subdue the richness.

But where is the green, you ask? 

Hey, I did place the doily on green leaves in the lead photo, didn't I?!

Okay, okay I know it is cheating.

Luckily, my eyes landed on the summer coverlet we are currently using. Huh, it is yellow with green lace!!! And although tatted ages back (and this photo was taken in 2013), I haven’t shared it on my blog yet.

This shuttle-only edging was tatted by my MIL much before my marriage (probably her first lace) and she used & reused it on her sarees, then got tired of it. When she gave it to me, I sewed it down to the new coverlet. 4 long rows, with 2 hiding the joining seams. I only had to tat a short length to cover the last mile.

Goes to show how durable tatted lace can be.

Both these are my entries to the March 2018 … 

Have I told you that each month's entries are summarised and posted by the task-setter on the 2nd or 3rd of the next month. You can check them out any time - real talent and creativity from all skill levels!

 Here’s wishing you good weather and friends

with tatting by your side always :-)