happy ITD 2024

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 A day early, but we love our tatting year round, don't we?! So, keep your tatting tools and materials ready, choose your pattern, friends, and location, and have a blast with chocolate, tea, and chatting!!!

This is such a quick and fun medallion from Rebecca Jones' 'The Complete Book of Tatting', Fig. 123.

Tatted in Lizbeth size 20, with half-closed rings (HCR) instead of chains or bare thread to bridge the distance. A single-shuttle pattern obviously.

TIP: Notice how the top and top right cords appear more pointed than the rest? It shows how you can change the curve by changing how far you close the ring! The middle ring in both is closed more than halfway as seen in the shorter bare thread space. I'm tempted to tat another with a sharper pentagon shape, LOL.

I did use a folded picot gauge for the HCRs , but messed up with some of the rings. Of course the sure shot method would've been to use beads.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

After a hiatus of three months, we begin our new game of the month for this year tomorrow, in the Endrucks FB group! Let me know if  you wish to join even if you aren't on FB. This is our pre-announcement:

A game of decoration where you will get a chance to

• Refresh your skills
• Learn something new
• Apply your new learning
• Do a bit of designing
• And all while beautifying a little model!

It all depends on how far you wish to take it! But let us warn you that this can be quite addictive!

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 Once again, a very happy International Tatting Day to all 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

counts

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A bit of mixed media card for my March 2024 Small Decorations entry. My heartfelt thanks to splocik for graciously accepting the earring I made in February and I hope this card meets the requirements of the game. 

This is where it all started with a counting error I frequently make, despite my cautious counting! Notice that one daisy has an extra petal.

Pattern for the classic daisy is from 'The Complete Book of Tatting' by Rebecca Jones  (Fig. 122 page 47, 2011). Worked in Olympus size 40 (equivalent to Lizbeth size 20).  

Elgiva Nicholls calls this medallion a Classic Daisy formation, made with a single thread/shuttle, in 2 rounds. Olympus size 40). 

The more modern style  (coloured motif) is worked in one go, using two shuttles to throw rings off a mock center. I used the exact same pattern for the petals, but added 2 ds in the SCMR between each petal. 

Which version do you like? The Classic or the Modern?

A few more pics of the card ---

Actually when I opened my box of watercolours, I found most of the jars empty! Hubby quickly ordered a box online and while I waited for the delivery (about 15 minutes), I doodled this with the watery remains. And was too impatient to wait for the leaf to dry, hence the smudging.

Probably the last time I painted was 15 or 20 years back! 

I painted the leaves, then glued the daisies. The little orange florets are from my 2022 flag project (link below). After trying out a few arrangements, I painted the brown twigs and glued the florets. Added a few more twigs, leaves, .... and finally the diamonds. Can't even remember when or where I bought those highlights!

TIP: I deliberately glued the orange flowers on the frontside, coz the backside is more dimensional- the picots curve up a bit.

You can easily see how amateurish my painting is! Nevertheless, it felt good to hold and reacquaint myself with my brushes. This was a very hasty project - probably a half hour from start to finish. Hopefully it has opened the gates to some more doodling in the future. 

Check out the Feb gallery here - https://splocik2.blogspot.com/2024/03/male-dekoracje-galeria-lutowa.html

Related Posts
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/10/meddling-with-medallions.html
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2022/08/har-ghar-tiranga.html

exciting firsts

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 Editing the book, 'The Six T's of Shuttle Tatting' is creating opportunities to try out exciting techniques and effects, long in my to-try list. And learning a Lot in the process. The author, Net Best, had created one glossary for her book, and another more comprehensive glossary for her group and possibly for later digitization. We decided to combine both to make the glossary as updated as possible, which was her main goal. This also means we have to add missing sampler images. I have reached out to several of my tatting friends to contribute some specific pics (with due credit), and so far everybody has graciously given permission. 

While I won't be sharing all pics, here are a few - I love the way these turned out!  

1. BROOMSTICK PICOT - 

I followed Karen Cabrera's Lesson #104 - https://youtu.be/yp5W6ZrDF9I

And since the long adjoining picots need to be joined to create the effect, I allowed my shuttles to create this little motif - like a flame within a flame. 

Is it interesting enough for the pattern to be shared?

Although I'm sure there are tons of tatters who will simply count the stitches and tat it up, and we all know who will get the credit ... yes, Pinterest, LOL. 

I used really thick thread (probably a size 3) so that the effect shows up in thumbnail pics.

2. DANCING PICOTS -

I followed Karen Cabrera's Lesson #107 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX7Ig978Xg4

This is a variation of the Daisy Picot and requires 2 shuttles.

I encapsulated the 2nd shuttle thread within the first half-stitch at the start and the last half-stitch at the end. (Judith Connors' tip).

While I tatted over the shuttle 1 tail at the start, I didn't do it for the Sh2 thread, although it can be done.

NOTE: All picots here (bare threads) can be both decorative and functional (for joining).

3. INTERWOVEN  SPLIT  RING  CORD -

This 2-shuttle variation is attributed to Wally Sosa, and I referred to Jane McLellan's Choker pattern - https://janemactats.blogspot.com/2012/04/choker-pattern.html  [In the right panel on her blog page, you can find the pdf links for the lovely beaded versions of choker as well as a necklace].

All split rings are 8/8. This time I used Anchor size 20.

It comprises a red foundation cord tatted to desired length. Then the teal cord is worked, weaving the red cord alternately over and under through the open ring before it is closed. 

It is such a lovely piece! However, I have no idea how to use it. It is a bit short for a friendship bracelet coz I ran out of thread and don't wish to add more. 

Any ideas how I could use it?

I hope you enjoyed seeing and reading this, and will try to use these techniques in future tatting. And adding beads for even more variations. I certainly hope to incorporate my new learnings some day. For the present, I am busy tatting more samplers and working on the book, to the exclusion of all else. If I don't concentrate on it it will never get done. Our target is to finish it before year end.

And there are more to share ....

waiting for spring

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 It's been a long winter and we are barely stepping into spring. We expect a few more weeks of waning winter since Holi is late this year.

Hubby has been prepping our little balcony garden and this time we have Jasmines. There are plenty of blooms and buds on the plant, I simply picked up two that had dropped. Their fragrance is milder than mogras (which I've shared before). 

Hubby took this sunrise pic on the leap day! The sun looks a lot farther (smaller and less red) than in real life, blame it on the phone camera. 

For almost three months we barely had any sunlight during the first half of the day which is mostly the only time we get direct sunlight. A lot of it had to do with severe air pollution. Finally the last ten days or so have been glorious and we've been able to sit and enjoy some Vitamin D time!

And I pruned some ajwain this morning. These leaves have since been washed and separated, and the twig broken into smaller pieces to dry and use in dishes. 

Just wanted to say Hi and hope you are all doing well!