balancing act

Vintage pattern in modern format and pictorial showing some of the options available especially when using 2 or more colours.

Pattern Updated - March 17th, 2021 (in this colour). 

Pattern #1 (Happy Hands) from Frau Eleonore Endrucks Leichtenstern's 

book ‘Die Schiffchen-Spitszen’,1920

Original book in pdf - http://www.georgiaseitz.com/public/endrucks/eleonoreendrucks-leichtensternschiffchenspitzenbook1920.pdf
Diagrams & patterns Insert - http://www.georgiaseitz.com/public/endrucks/endrucksinsertsdiagrams.pdf
for Endrucks 1920 Project -
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17LEVftXweztBIOWh4sL4BB7bX65ssoOsOn4oXIgCepY/view

original sequence of work

Then - The above is an old model from 2015, tatted as per original pattern. Look closely and you will see that the left and right side of each motif is not a mirror-image; all chain stitches face the same way.. as in block tatting. It makes tatting very easy as seen in the notated sequence. You start with a chain, holding a picot with paperclip and work up and down towards the right.

modern sequence of work

Now - We would shudder at the nonsymmetrical nature of the original! We now prefer that everything is laid out properly, symmetrically. And when using 2 colours, their placement is balanced. Which led me to the reworked 2-colour model inlead pic, and a pictorial to describe the steps as well as options we have. The modernisation involves a bit of complexity in tatting sequence, but it is the best/easiest of all I tried/could think of.

Notations/Abbreviations used : 

-,p=small picot; --=decorative picot; •=lock join; rw=reverse work/turn work; SS=switch shuttle; dnrw= do not reverse work 

Techniques used :

2 shuttles; thrown/floating ring; lock join; fs/bs tatting (optional); reverse join (optional); 2-colour tatting (optional) and related colour placement methods like SLT, etc. 

NOTE: 2 colours are used in pictorial to highlight which shuttle is in play.

Shuttle 1 - blue thread ; shuttle 2 - mustard thread.

All joining picots are very small.

OPTION 1 - 

When working with single colour, follow the directions from 1 to 15. 

    1. A ring: 4-4-4--4-4-4. rw

     B chain: p 4•4•4-4. rw
    2. C ring: 8-8. dnrw, SS

    3. D chain: 4•4• SS
          E ring: 3-3. SS
       F chain: 4•5•

NOTE: As often happens with concentric chains, you may need to adjust the count with an extra stitch or half so that they lie flat.

  

    4. G chain: p 4•4•4-4. rw

TIP: For smooth curves, use CWJ (Catherine Wheel Join) instead of LJ (lock join) wherever possible

    5. H ring: 8+8. dnrw, SS
       I chain: 4•4• SS
        J ring: 3-3. SS
      K chain: 4•5• . rw  (Instead of lock join at end, I prefer making a picot join as in Motif#2)
    6. L chain: 3-3-3-3. dnrw, SS
First Motif Complete.

NOTE: Unlike the original, with our tighter stitches and tensioning, this edging tends to curve (as in lead pic). If you want a straight edging, make L chain: 3-3-3-3-3.

Leave bare thread space before starting nest ring (as seen in #7 pic above)

    7. A ring: 4-4-4--4-4-4.
    8. reverse or rotate work

    9. B chain: 4•4•4-4. rw

 

    10. Make ring C & chain D as before

    11. Join to ring E above and lock join to chain below. Keep Both threads on same side (I prefer to keep them above). Continue chain F

    12. Make normal picot join and continue to other side, as in 1st motif.

NOTE: I found this normal picot join is neater than the lock join used in motif#1. I had even tried the under-over join but was not satisfied. You can choose whichever join you prefer.

    13. 14. 15. – continue as first motif. 

Second motif complete. Repeat this motif till you reach desired length.

OPTION 2 - Tatting with 2 colours.

Reverse Join for bilateral symmetry of colours 

    16. After making F chain, start making lock join and

    17. Entrap other thread between loop and shuttle before tensioning.

    18. Notice the shuttles switch positions after Reverse Join. Complete 3rd motif. See how the colours are positioned.

 

    19. 4th motif continues with shuttle positions switched, and another RJ while crossing over to right side. Notice that there is bilateral symmetry of colours, but they alternate with the 3rd motif.

TIP : See Lock Join Plus tutorials for more options on switching colours (shoelace trick, reposition, twist work, etc.) whether within a motif or between motifs.

Thus we have several options on how to place colours, which join to use, which sequence to work, etc. It is up to the tatter to play around with the options to create and adapt. 

This will be converted into a proper pdf with stepwise diagrams and uploaded to the Endrucks 1920 Project document. There are more adaptations of this pattern in the works - sunflower coaster, beaded necklace, interlaced bookmark, besides the heart already shared. In fact there are now adaptations of the heart by inspired tatters which I will share in another post!

Yet another idea is from the multi-coloured Girotondo here. I can visualize each motif in a different or alternating colour, and the connecting chains in another colour, encapsulating the motif thread(s). I plan on doing this for the bookmark adaptation. 

I hope Frau Endrucks will not be too unhappy with our 21st century style....