timeless dancers

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The tribal dancers are finally here in their full glory! These gypsies took their own sweet time, didn't they?! Modern style presentation of pattern #18 from the German book ‘Die Schiffchen-Spitszen’,1920, by Frau Eleonore Endrucks-Leichtenstern is now in pdf form for the Endrucks 1920 Project. 

Direct link to #18 pattern reworked by Paola Bevilacqua and muskaan - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vib_1C2e0SuRzUsMitUCbp67Nc5iT7xQ/view 

There are 4 rows, tatted in one-pass. No modernisation here - Endrucks' herself tatted it continuously! Simple techniques - 2-shuttle tatting, block tatting, thrown rings, lock join - and voila, a complicated-looking design is born!

The single motif  is a bilaterally symmetrical version, which is also indicated in the pdf. 

Paola Bevilacqua first tatted a single motif in Dec 2020 using a ball and shuttle. Her pics are shared here, and her process pics are also in the pdf.

Row I - This is also a stand-alone pattern listed as #18/a and reworked by Paola Bevilacqua. This is uploaded as a separate pdf in the Project files.

It can be curved a wee bit by making the upper yellow rings smaller or substituting with beads. Embellish with beads and we have ourselves a beautiful necklace!

I deliberately used 2 contrasting colours in order to clearly distinguish which shuttle is in play for which element. 

Row II - The model is tatted using frontside/backside tatting and it was amazing to see that All red elements are worked backside while all yellow elements are frontside - throughout the entire 4 rows!

In this row, Endrucks uses an extra chain on one side of the block to reach the other yellow ring. It is barely discernible.

Row III - This is a chains-only row. We climb out of the previous row with a long chain. In the original, this chain is shorter because she ends row II after the 1st block despite having 2 blocks at the starting end. I chose to make them symmetrical and preferred the broader arch.

Row IV - A quick chains-only row! 

Do you see Gandhiji's 3 monkeys here? Possibility of yet another adaptation? 

TIP: Throughout the pattern I counted my joins as a half stitch. On the front side, I used a down loop for lock join (and vice versa) since it leaves a smaller footprint.

Rows II to IV also form a standalone pattern #18/b. It was tatted and diagrammed by Elisabetta De Napoli and the pdf is in the Project files. You can see all her other contributions to this project in Ninetta's post here.

I have strung beads on metallic threads and wound up my shuttles to make this 18/b into a crown!

Merely curious to see how this broad lace would look upended. What do you think?

TIP: My block tatting in this project is a midway path.... Endrucks' uses (1ds,picot) to climb out to the next chain in a block. Instead of the 1ds, I simply made the picot long enough to span the height of the current chain, and a bit extra to ease joining of next chain. I think it works well doesn't it? 

On close inspection, you can see that some rings in the red/yellow model face opposite to each other, when cut vertically or horizontally. Compare this with the 4-coloured model on the right where symmetry is 'perfect'. 

With a tiny bit of jugglery and thrown rings in place of normal rings, this lace can become symmetrical. Only one chain requires a downward picot for the adjoining ring to be linked later. These modifications are also explained/inked in the pdf. 

I used 4-colours to distinguish each row if we want to tat it in this manner. But despite 4 colours, it is still worked in one pass, and I used false ctm to add in new colour. 

Anchor Pearl cotton size 8 is used for both models. A few minor changes from the original had to be made.

I had attempted to increase the skirt by another 2 rows in a 3rd model but ran out of thread and time. Perhaps some time in future. And what about a 3D skirt that goes all around? Easy enough to tat using the same stitch count! Could be adapted for a skirt/gown or bell, etc.

It is now up to you creative tatters to adapt this pattern to your vision and share with us. If one Facebook, tag Ninetta or myself, and use the hashtag #Endrucks1920Project. You will find all details and links to original and modern in the Project files here. 

My heartfelt thanks to all the lovely ladies mentioned here - 

dancing is fun only when friends are around 💖💝💖

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