Friday 14 September 2018

Cluny basic colour variation

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Colour Cluny Tatting contd.

In the previous post the tally was worked in a single colour. But what if we wish to use 2 colours in a pattern? There are a few examples out there, but I find that the tallies are of the same colour in all. In a couple of examples, SLT was used to switch colours for the next element. What if we could switch the colours easily within the tally, with no need for a SLT? It’s what I tried in this braid and motif.

Confession: My Cluny leaves are far from perfect. Please do not let my limitations dissuade you from trying it out yourself. I’m sure you will do a much better job than I.

What we have here is a kind of transition between the basic single colour tally (where both loom & weaving threads are of same colour) and the multicoloured tallies where 2 or more colours can be seen in the leaf itself. As in the basic Cluny, we are still using only 2 threads, albeit in different colours. And this entails an additional step to hide colour blip.

UPDATE : practice pattern for basic colour variation : 2-Tone Cluny Bracelet.


Cluny Tatting –Basic Colour Variation
Basic (2 threads) Cluny tatting in 2 colours
(where Warp/loom thread is of different colour)
Resultant tally is single coloured

The following will be covered here :
  • Weaving a different coloured tally (2 ways – A & B)
  • Exiting in a way that the desired colours/shuttles are in position for next element (A4 & B2).
  • Hiding a colour blip (A6 &B3)
 
A1. As seen, the loom/Warp threads are mustard, while the weaving thread is green.
A2. We start weaving by bringing the shuttle to the right – Under Warp2 & Over Warp3

 
A3. First pass made to the left – Under, Over, Under. To complete the 1 wrap/weave, bring shuttle back to right – Over, Under, Over. (not shown here)
A4. The tally is woven and shaped. Shuttle is back to the starting position - on the right.

 A5. Start closing loom by pulling the top loop off the loom.

A6. If we close normally, the Warp colour will show at the tip. 
In order to minimize it, I introduced an extra step
Pass shuttle back-to-front through the top loop
NOTE : In certain cases, it may become necessary to pass shuttle front-to-back.

 
A7. … the shuttle is through and we can start closing the top loop
A8. Top loop is closed. Now close the bottom loop.
 
A9. All loops closed and tally is complete. 
Notice I haven’t pulled the lower loop tight enough, leaving a colour blip at the bottom (I still need lots of practice). This would be unnoticeable in a single colour basic tally, but when working with more than one colour, it can pose a problem.
If we follow this weaving pattern, there is a tendency for the weaving thread to emerge on the right, and the loom shuttle on the left.

A10. If we want to change colour placement in the next element, we would normally resort to the SLT/overhand tie as I did in this case. But, the following pictures show how we can avoid the SLT.

I took this opportunity to also show the other way to weave (Ninetta pointed it out in her comment). No right or wrong, it’s just how one prefers to work, as long as one is consistent. 
B1. After the SLT, the shuttles got switched and loom is made with green, 
and weaving is done with mustard.
Here, the weaving commences from left to right by going Over Warp2, Under Warp3.
 Move to left is Over, Under, Over (not shown) Continue weaving.

 B2. Tally is woven and shaped. The shuttle is on the left, and it is time to close.

 B3. To avoid colour blip, pass shuttle, back-to-front, through top loop….

 B4. … shuttle is through. Now close all loops.

 B5. This closure brings the weaving shuttle to the left and loom shuttle to the right.

So basically, 
the last pass determines whether the weaving shuttle will emerge on the right or the left.
If the last pass is to the right (as in A4), weaving shuttle will emerge on the right 
and loom shuttle on the left.
If last pass is to the left (as in B2), weaving shuttle will emerge on the left 
and loom shuttle on the right.

Where you park your shuttle, is where you will pick it up from – the left curb or the right curb. And in case you want it on the other side, then take a U-turn, i.e., weave one extra pass and you land on the curb of your choice!
Couldn’t resist a bit of frivolity ;-P 

It is what I followed in the Cluny Flower Motif pattern by Jennifer Williams. No SLTs. I chose to make the short chain between tallies in maroon, but could just as easily have made them in pink by choosing where to leave the weaving on the last pass.
In Anchor size 20 : Rnd1 - 1¼” ; Rnd2 - >2"
One can see my tallies get a wee bit better as I go along. One of the pink tallies is actually shorter than the others. I keep losing track of the count when weaving ;-(
Further, I didn’t RW to join to the center ring, opting for a lock join instead. This meant I could tat the entire Cluny round clockwise from the front.


We’ve taken the first steps towards colour Cluny tatting. From the next post on, we start with the tallies that have more than one colour in their weave! I found that a bit more exciting (my tallies came out better, too), though one does need to manage the extra threads. Hope you stay tuned...


I’d like to thank Jane McLellan with all my heart.
Appreciate her indulgence and help as we tried to figure out a suitable name 
for this transitional basic to multi-colour Cluny tatting.

…to be continued



13 comments:

  1. Wonderful tips, and beautiful motifs! I have never been able to master the technique to make clunies. I can make one, provided I use my loom, but the 2nd one is never the same size! I decided they were not essential to my tatting, but your beautiful motifs may make me change my mind... need to find that loom now ;)

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  2. Being able to work clunies or tallies in two different colours within one motif is very clever!

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  3. Those both look great! I love the round one!! :)

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  4. I think your Clunies look great, and I love seeing the two colors... very clever!

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  5. Your clunies look great, I have never tried to do a Cluny I suppose one day I should at least try one,

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  6. Love the Braid (I want one). Too advanced for an elementary tatter? Going to give it a go. Jean (U Know Butterflies!)

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  7. Your comments have made my day (and the series, hopefully) .... thank you all so much :-D

    Sylvie, I wish I could make the tallies plump - it needs a lot of practice, and like you, I don't mind if my tatting does not have this technique ;-P It would be nice to incorporate them, of course.

    Jean, give it a go. We'll never know if we don't try, right? Hopefully these stepwise pics will help. Also check out my 2015 series, where there are many more tips and tricks for beginners.
    The braid is simple -
    SR: 3-3-3-3
    leaf: 12 wraps
    Keep repeating for desired length and add findings if you wish. And you can switch colours, add beads, as you wish ... play with it :-D

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  8. Love your colors and wonder if now your ready to try the stripes with clunies, they are fun to make. Georgia Seitz, has that ladies name (I forget) that envented that one she has a video out but it not very clear but it is fun to do. I would think with the board set up it would be fun to explain too. 😀🌻😀

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    1. Carollyn, this is all part of that journey ;-P There are 2, 3 and 4 colour stripes that will now follow (all photographed in Dec last year), so stay tuned... And I'm working on some patterns to use these multicolour tallies, too.
      I think you mean Dagmar Pezzuto? She is the only one I know who makes them and so immensely talented!

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  9. Lovely clunies. I like how you are using them, too.

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    1. Thanks, Eliz :-) Y'day I completed a bracelet to showcase this alternating colour possibility. I'm having fun now ;-P

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  10. Wonderful clunies! Thank you very much for another interesting&indispensable tutorial! But there's a mystery behind: who persuaded you that all handmade clunies must be perfect and all equal. Very similar, yes, with same wraps ok, but equal! Only Dagmar and Elisa du Sud or Mimi Dillman can!(Another mystery is that the date up for this post is 14 Sept,then comments are also from 10 Sept...) I absolutely agree with the rule "where you park your shuttle...etc", it is valid for everything in tatting, thanks a lot for pointing this out.

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    1. Aha, Dr D's wise advice and perspective!!! Don't you wish you could sit beside one of these tatters and learn firsthand, though? I managed to achieve so many different shapes in my earlier series, but not a plump perfect one ;-P

      As for the other mystery - blogger has uncovered the secret of Time Travel!!! I edited this post with a NOTE (under A6) last morning and that caused the switch in dates and sequence of posts ! It's happened once before. Just now I edited my Alibaba post but the wormhole has closed - nothing happened ;-P

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