happy tatting with old and new

A very happy International Tatting Day!

I’ve had a fruitful day – I’ve tatted a cross from a vintage edging, tried a new technique, gorged on black forest pastry (it has chocolate ;-P), and am now going public with this blog post. 

Georgia Seitz has a puzzle - can we work this vintage edging continuously? Hmm, I couldn’t, but I did convert it into a cross that can be tatted in one pass. And if the puzzle intrigues you, attend class today to see if our talented participants have answers. They always have tons of ideas !

The dark purple one was made first but felt too long, then 'improved' upon in the brown one. But I think the chains in the long arm should be shorter, leaner. That arm looks like it’s grown biceps !!!
In Red Rose pearl cotton (size 8) the brown cross measures 8½ cms x 6½ cms & the first one is longer at 9½ cms.

Techniques I used : 2 shuttles, directional (fs/bs) tatting, central picot, SCMR with mock picot and thrown ring, ring made with 2^nd shuttle (like thrown rings), lock join.

I need your help in naming the cross. What should I call it?

It is edging #436 from Coats and Clark #138 Priscilla Edgings. And if you have any design improvement ideas, please do advise.

Now to the lovely new effect, Mimosa Knot, shared by Daniela Mendola to create pointed rings and chains. I tried them on rings only including half-closed rings.

My understanding of the Mimosa Knot on ring, based on movements in video :

1. It starts off as a self-closing mock ring or SCMR (holding core thread loop at base) ;
2. Make the 1^st half stitch, but before snugging, pass shuttle front to back through open loop and adjust tension – this creates a twist in the thread just like in the treble tat stitch. Except that in treble, there are 3 twists, whereas here there is a single twist.
3. Next make the 2^nd half stitch, and pass shuttle back to front to twist, and snug.
4. Close loop in 2 stages as we do for any regular SCMR. But my core thread did not slide freely after closing SCMR. I had to do this 5^th step to ensure free movement & it worked every time ...
5. Hold the mimosa knot in pinch and tug/pull the core thread such that the knot transfers and core thread becomes free.

Doesn’t this remind you of Frivolé’s one-stitch SCMR (for pointed chain) combined with Ninetta’s treble tat stitch (2^nd half)? The SCMR lifts up the stitch to create a point (see 1 wrap tds here). 

Usha’s dot picot also creates a pointed effect and I remember doing a comparative study on pointed rings (perhaps privately?). Jon Yusoff also created pointed chains. Now I’ll have to add the mimosa knot to the compilation :-D

All links can be found in the tabs above (My Tutorials & Tatting Resources) or type in search box.

Can’t thank global tatters enough for sharing generously !