Thursday, 12 June 2025

variant tatting

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At the end of May I received this lovely cheerful version of my Just So Coaster tatted by Vani Kattoju. She designed a variation on the last round based on my original. 

Notice how she used Lousie Uteg' stacked rings but shifted their placement for a less dense round than mine. Alternating with these clusters is lower motif with a thrown Josephine knot/ring for a cute point.
At my request, she quickly and graciously shared her pattern ...

Round 6 counts are inked on the model above. It is best to use 2 shuttles, ctm, to throw off the JK neatly. 

Find the complete pattern here - 

Many many thanks, Vani, for being a real trooper!

Friday, 6 June 2025

bridge tatting

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 Like I said in my recent posts, expert and experienced tatters have graciously come to my aid whenever I asked for it. And some have gone a step further by sharing their work and/or discussing techniques and terminology even before I asked.  One such is Judith Connors who has been instrumental in guiding and inspiring me through this past decade. My presentations have been influenced by her despite not being a perfect student.

Early last month, Judith sent me her article on 'Building Bridges' along with a pic of her Fan motif (If you are a member, you can see her model in the Queensland Tatters 2025 group post here - https://craftree.com/forum/threadfs/40423?page=1#258577). We had discussed bridging some years back, too. I was in a state of tatting inertia when this motif instantly spurred me to wind my shuttles and tat since this decorative/functional bridge had been on my trial list since 2019 (https://craftree.com/forum/threads/39159), but never got down to actually applying it. I did do the Rose Motif from Priscilla Tatting Book No.3!   

Bridging Flower Motif - based and adapted from Judith Connors' Fan motif
sharing my process, pattern, and tips/tricks

How many rounds does this motif have? 
Do we cut after the inner 'rosette' round?
Were Celtic shuttles or needle used for the Celtic effect?
Or were 4 shuttles used for the interlaced/overlapping chains? 

Getting back to the present motif, it occurred to me that I could use the element to create overlapping or interlaced chains instead of single lines! So off went my shuttles to confirm. 

Now this post is only about the adapted motif - process, pattern, and tips/tricks. I have pics for a pictorial, along with the background and explanation, terminology and history. Part of it is already explained in the link above (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2022/01/bridging-gaps.html). The rest will be shared in a few days to avoid stepping on Judith's class despite her permission. For the curious, we know the technique as split chain, which is a misnomer and limiting, meant mainly for climbing out.  

My first attempt. I ran out of thread and also realised that if I continued around there would be cupping (I had increased the count in some parts). Moreover the thread had a tendency to unravel, even though it is Anchor mercerised cotton. Cut my losses and started over.

Design Tip starting with a magic circle: Since I wasn't sure how big the central ring should be, I preferred to use the  magic circle (the multiple threads are to make the picot large enough to join to later). Wrap the thread around the magic circle and start the first inner chain. End each chain with a lock join around the circle. 
TIP to keep last half-stitch flipped: The marker on the right - since each bridge is a long chain, by the time it was completed, the last half-stitch often unflipped and locked the core thread below. This temporary marker on the core thread prevents it from happening. 
After a few repeats, I pulled on the magic circle to see whether it was working well. Successful; no cupping or ruffling.

Bridging Flower Motif pattern
  1. Only 2 shuttles are used with continuous thread and the entire motif is worked in one pass. 
  2. 8 repeats and all chains in this prototype. No space for a central ring. In Anchor mercerised crochet cotton size 20 (equivalent to Lizbeth size 10), the motif measures 6.5cms in diameter.
  3. In the image above, I have split the sequencing (A to F) to indicate where there is a change of direction , shuttles, or element. 
  4. The entire motif is worked clockwise from the front.
  5. Chains C & E are bridging chains aka bridge, bar. 
  6. I used a 2cms folded picot gauge to measure the bare thread for bar/bridge before lock joining it to a picot on the previous element.  TIP:  I found that making a lock join by pulling the loop down instead of up through the picot makes a neater start to the bridge.
  7. These bars are covered with Dora Young's Knotless Method or tied stitches worked from left to right. I worked them all from the front, though there are several variations of the method. 
  8. NOTE: The arrows for bridges indicate where the thread from shuttle2 goes, not the direction of working the stitches. 
  9.  While making each subsequent bridge, keep it in FRONT of the previous chain so that the overlapping is synchronised.  
10. For the bridges on the last rosette chain, TWO each had to be made! The above image shows the first pair done and the 2nd pair is being bridged.
After working the first bridge exactly like ch-C, then one more bridge is made joining to the first rosette on the right, at the base of the very first bridge. The stitches are then worked using the Australian method. This, too, is worked from the front, but in the opposite direction (right to left). Repeat this for the 2nd pair of bridges. 
Important: To maintain overlap, pass the shuttle under and over the last bridge both times.

11. After the motif is finished, and both threads are in the center, I threaded them together and inserted the needle through the picots held open with the magic circle, and kept removing the threads from the circle. Final tie, cut, and hide ends.
Option: One can use metallic thread or colour-coordinated thread for the magic circle and leave it be after tightening the slip knot. Then hide all ends - from the motif as well as the circle.

 
Possible Variation: However one can use a central ring of 10 small picots separated by 1ds and make a 10-repeat motif. 
Future Idea: Can we use this bridging technique to work block tatting over or across an element?

I will try to write the pattern in a more lucid form when I share the pictorials and other details. Here I wanted to focus more on the process.

Technique Option: Also, instead of the bridges going from right to left, we can move forward. Thus from chain A we can work the 'bridge'  like a floating chain or single shuttle split chain, leaving a picot open with a paperclip to join to later. 

Bridge tatting or bridging encompasses a lot more, not all of which is outlined here. In this post and motif, the bridges are ornamental - a design element; they can be functional too. Hopefully I will be able to cover it all in the pictorials post. 

I cannot thank Judith enough for her valuable mentorship and guidance since we 'met' at InTatters a decade ago! We may not always agree but the discussions are always lively and passionate!

Wednesday, 4 June 2025

design tatting

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 Its been a while since I updated the entries that came in for my DAL 2025 challenge. I shared the first 7 versions (with patterns!) here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/03/colour-me-happy.html. Now, the next one to start the challenge was Donna McDade who made 8 versions (3 up from last year's DAL)! I will dedicate an entire post to her next time, since there is a lot of good news to share and celebrate. Meanwhile, these are what my other wonderful participants sent in .....

All versions of Muskaan's DAL 2025 Challenge can be found here -https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mQmdXWXQmcbXQ48nRz9FBeTJf_DoJqKz/view


Anita Barry 

See the dense 3rd round? Those are Louise Uteg's stacked rings from her 1970s original doily!  
I think this 4-round version looks like a nice Christmas wreath.

Padma Mandayam
Round 3 was inspired and adapted from Lella Loops' version, with the addition of a 4th original round.
Written pattern is shared in the google doc.

Janet Crow
A colourful spring version with inclusion of butterflies and more rounds. She graciously presented the pattern in a PDF. https://drive.google.com/file/d/16wfGTDxjNovnfWMYmZfqIgn1tmwDzIgY/view
The motif glued to her hand-sewn bag in which she carries her tatting supplies to meetings, etc.!

Lillyan
Janet's 14 year-old talented granddaughter is trying her hand at many crafts, including tatting! Her version is like clubbing where she adapted and applied Karey Solomon's Cat & Mice pattern. Pattern will be shared if they get due permission.

 Margaret Davies
Despite all the curve balls life throws her way, Margaret has valiantly participated again. She shared her WIP here - https://margaretsdesignercards.blogspot.com/2025/03/happy-international-tatting-day-and.html
Her 5th round ruffled and she decided to cut it off. While this modification lays flat, she might tweak the stitch count at a future date. Hence no pattern shared yet.  

Elisabeth Dobbler   worked the initial 2-round motif but was discouraged with the way her picots came out. Shelved for the present. The WIP pic is in the doc.

Join in whenever you can! This is open-ended. Perhaps I will also climb out of my limbo to add another round or two to my own version.

Words fail to express my gratitude and happiness to all participants! 

Related Posts
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/02/dal-2025-challenge.html  Start the challenge any time you wish, and send me your version!
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/03/colour-me-happy.html  First batch of DAL 2025 versions

Thursday, 22 May 2025

bead tatting

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Over the past couple of years I have approached many experienced and expert or domain tatters for some explanation or confirmation and feedback, or even to ask for a pic of their work ... all in the cause of the book/glossary. Not only have I learned a lot, but everybody has been very cooperative!

Late last year I had approached Nina Libin regarding her BEANILe tatting and if she would share a pic of one of her models for the book (I didn't like any of the beaded models I had tatted till then). Despite her ailment, she willingly obliged with both an explanation and a pic. However, she was adamant on one point - do NOT call it Beanile or BEANILe lace! Shocked, I asked her why and she said it was merely her 'arrogance' for wanting her name associated with the term. She told me in no uncertain terms to call it Bead Tatting instead. 

Bead Tatting (formerly known as Beanile lace) is tatted lace decorated with lots of beads that are incorporated during the tatting process itself. Earlier the beads used to be strung on the ball thread so that they would embellish the picots. Nina was instrumental in stringing the beads in the shuttle thread as well, in order to position them in beautiful arrangements. 

I am uncertain about beads being used in single shuttle tatting before the introduction of chains (or 2nd thread). Did they use beads to cover bare thread between rings? Do you have any idea?

Nina differentiated this from Beaded Tatting, where beads are sewn into finished lace, as in ANKARS. 

Tatting with Beads is another common term. This would mean that beads are used in lace either during tatting, pre-strung or free, or stitched in later .... any which way(s). Thus this term encompasses both Bead and Beaded tatting and any other method (for instance pinning down beads on a foam ornament covered with tatted lace).

It would be great if you leave a comment with  your thoughts on the matter or any other input you may have. 

Now despite what Nina says and wishes, it will be difficult to erase the term Beanile lace from our tatting lexicon! And the terms above are not airtight categories! We all use them interchangeably.

Some of my recent bead tatting samples ... all are my own designs applied in different situations or techniques. See if you can guess them!  Since these are all prototypes, mostly tatted on the go, there are minor errors or untidiness. 
1

2

3

4

5


At a future date I will try to share more details about each model, and a pattern wherever possible. At present I'm just relieved to write this post which has been pending for so long.

I have tried to keep in touch with Nina, as she requested, sending out an email every 4 to 6 weeks. However, I haven't heard back from her for several months now. Sending her my best wishes for good, manageable health. 
Read her interview here - http://www.beadsky.com/nina_libin.php

Many many thanks to Nina Libin for her continued help and support through the past 10 years and the inspiration her work continues to provide ! 

Tuesday, 13 May 2025

stop tatting

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Not literally, of course! But do read on for the full story ...

I didn't want to bore you with the continuing saga of my Just So Coaster, but it is one of the few pieces of tatting I can show at present; one of the very few that doesn't need too much effort to present. 

After round 5 the only thing I was sure about was to bring back the cream shade from round 3. After rejecting several design ideas, when I finally zeroed in on what felt good, I started second-guessing my choice of the shade. Asked hubby (all cream or cream rings with pink chains) and he said go ahead with all cream cautioning me that I would need to add another round with the dark pink shade outlining the piece. No problem, it was intended!

This is another scroll round with a slight difference. That is Not gapsosis you see between the triad rings. It is a deliberate design element and a version of stacked rings. Last year Anita Barry reworked a doily from the 1970s (by L. Uteg) which had 7 or more such contiguous rings with bare thread deliberately left at the base to maintain the curvature of the round and also act as a picot for joining future elements/rounds.
I only used three rings per set so it is essentially a trefoil here with overlapping rings.


ROUND 6
: A scroll with stacked ring sets.
Start with the 1st ring and move counterclockwise.
Each ring has 14 stitches and is joined in the middle to a picot on Round 5.
Chain counts are inked in the model above, with a lock join to Round 5.

TIP: For the mirror-image sets, each subsequent ring is worked or positioned 'above' the other. In the right set, leave a bit of bare thread space (yes, gapsosis!) between each ring and while joining to the previous round, position it behind the previous ring.

In size 10 Anchor Knitting Cotton, and after 6 rounds, the coaster now measures 15.5cms in diameter.

Sadly the pics don't do justice to how beautiful it really looks on my glass dining table. Anyways, when I showed hubby the coaster, he said stop tatting! It looks complete and beautiful just as it is, Just So! 
Yes, I agreed. I will certainly stop with this piece since I wouldn't know what to do with this thick 'hot pad?' when it grows larger.
However, I'm not done designing. I still feel the urge to continue with more rounds. The only way out is to start afresh with size 20 or 40 crochet cottons. Let's see ....

Related Posts
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/04/just-so-tatting.html
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/05/comfort-tatting.html
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/05/identity-tatting.html

Thursday, 8 May 2025

identity tatting

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 It was called a coaster, and coaster it shall be!

Padma Madayam surprised me with her Rounds 1 to 4 of my Just So Coaster soon after I had posted the pattern last month! However it escaped her notice that I was using size 10 knitting cotton which is a pretty thick thread. Worked in size 20 crochet cotton, her 'coaster' turned out to be too small for a coaster! And after my coaxing, she embarked on a journey to make her coaster a coaster! This is the beauty that emerged ....

Her coaster now measures 15.5 cms after the addition of two more rounds designed by her and which she has kindly shared with us. No more identity crisis ;-D

This is her first four rounds following my pattern here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/04/just-so-tatting.html

And following is her pattern for rounds 5 & 6, inked in the image as well as written notations ...
ROUND 5 (designed by Padma Mandayam) - a scroll with rings facing outwards.  This can be worked with a ball and shuttle, continuous thread, if working as separate round.  See NOTE for continuous tatting ... 
  Ring1: 4 - 3 - 3 - 4. RW
Chain1: 5 + 2 + 2 + 5, RW
  Ring2: 4 - 3 - 4 - 4. RW
Chain2: 5 + 1 + 5, RW
Repeat all around. Join last chain to base of first ring, tie, cut, hide ends. 
 
ROUND 6 (designed by Padma Mandayam) - this scroll round has trefoils and all rings face inwards (towards the center).  This can be worked with a ball and shuttle, continuous thread, if working as separate round.
  Ring1: 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3. do not RW
  Ring2: 3 +(to ring1) 3 - 3 +(to round5 ring) 3 - 3 - 3. do not RW
  Ring3: +(to ring2) 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3. RW
Chain1: 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3, RW
  Ring4: 5 +(to ring3) 5 - 5 - 5. RW
Chain2: 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3, RW 
Repeat all around. joining Ring1 to Ring4, and final Ring4 to first Ring1. Join last chain to base of 1st ring. Tie, cut, hide ends. 

NOTE: For continuous tatting of rounds 5 & 6, use 2 shuttles, CTM: Make last ring of round 5 a split ring to climb out, and climb in to round 6 with a split ring for Ring2. Adjust tatting sequence accordingly, ending the round with Ring1. 


If you visit her timeline in Facebook, Padma makes superb beaded jewellery including beaded crochet ropes, besides tatting and crochet. She sent me two pics sharing her crochet and tatted coaster sets (six each). An accomplished lady for sure. Padma has also worked on several Endrucksian derivatives despite having joined recently, and participated in my DALs!

Many many thanks, Padma, for sharing this beautiful version of a properly-sized coaster :-))))

Related Posts 

Saturday, 3 May 2025

comfort tatting

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 Wonder why I find this my go-to for comfort?! Is it because it increases in girth so fast, the knitting cotton being a size 10? Perhaps, because it is easy on my eyes when working late into the night and secondly I have been so involved with sample tatting that I couldn't take time out to tat larger doilies. And since my resolution is to keep the design simple, each round tats up real quick.

This is how I started Round 5, but noticed that the previous round started to cup. Tried tugging on the new round, but realised it wouldn't work and the stitch count needed to be modified.

Snipped off the core thread in each chain but left the rings there. Two advantages - 
1. I saved the knotting thread (maroon) [Jane McLellan's tip - https://janemactats.blogspot.com/2015/03/snip-rings-not-chains.html ]
 and more importantly
2. when flattened, it was easier to work out the increase in stitches to avoid cupping.

And here's the pattern inked on the pic! Another scroll round.
Round 5 of the Just So Coaster
There are enough picots in this round to add a 6th round when I need some comfort tatting ;-D I have no idea how it will progress though. I only know that the cream will be back! 

It measures 12.5 cms across BUT remember I am tatting with thick thread (Anchor knitting cotton, size 10). Your model might be much smaller in tatting cotton. Nevertheless, feel free to design your own next round and share.

Pattern for the previous 4 rounds is shared here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/04/just-so-tatting.html

TIP: If you wish to work the coaster in one pass, ensure the last chain in Round 4 is worked as a split chain, followed by a mock or false picot and then a split ring.

Tuesday, 22 April 2025

just so tatting

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Over the past few weeks I had been receiving versions of the DAL 2025 challenge and I was feeling very inspired and motivated, itching to design/tat. While I couldn't focus on adding another round for my own DAL version, I picked up a motif I had worked for the glossary and decided to tat around it. My aim was to keep it simple.

For many samples I have been using Anchor knitting cotton size 10. This is very thick but smooth and a bit loosely twisted. Sometimes it is necessary to be attentive while tensioning the stitches to keep them uniform. Nevertheless, I do enjoy tatting with it. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to use such thick pieces in SOUP tatting. So I am happy that this has now become a good size for a coaster (9cms across).

Sharing the pattern for the Just So Coaster if anybody is interested. I was simply winging it but it lays flat.

  • It can be worked continuously in one pass by climbing out with mock picots, split chains and split ring. Trace the path before you start. Otherwise, enjoy working as individual rounds and play with colours. 2 shuttles are required only if you wish to tat it in one pass. 
  • Count for each round is marked in a different colour.
  • It starts with a central ring with long picots, followed by two rounds of chains lock joined below.
  • The 3rd round is a scroll with rings and chains. I wanted the smaller rings to overlap a wee bit but they ended up only squished together. Both small rings are joined to the same picot of previous round while the large ring is joined to the hidden picot above the lock join.
  • Again a chains-only round with medium sized picots. 
There are pics for individual rounds - WIP and/or completed. However, I doubt they are needed and would take too much time to notate. Hence I hope the inked count along with my notes will suffice. 
  • And if working as separate rounds, it is a beginner pattern with only rings, chains, picots, picot joins and lock joins and each round can be worked with a ball and one shuttle, CTM.
I deliberately have picots on the last round in the event I feel like adding one or more rounds. 
Feel free to extend the design to more rounds, if you wish, but do share it with me. All my contact details are on the top right panel of my blog.

****
UPDATE (3rd May, 2025): Round 5 is shared here https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/05/comfort-tatting.html and end Round 4 with a split chain for continuous tatting. 
****

I hadn't intended for the scroll round to be so overwhelmingly ecru. So it lay around for some inspiration. It was a happy coincidence that I bought new threads from a 'new to me' online store. I needed more contrasting colours in this knitting cotton to work on the samplers and as soon as the package was delivered my mind was made up with this maroon shade! 
Since it was my first time with this store, I bought single balls/sets of different types of threads/brands so that I know what to expect in future, except for the six knitting cotton shades. And I am very happy with the quality and service and will definitely be going back for encores ;-D It was nice to see they stocked size 40 threads too, albeit in Red Heart, since Anchor has stopped manufacturing it. The other balls are all Anchor - size 20, perle, etc. More about the 'cone' threads later.
So this is my knitting cotton palette for now. Bottom row are the 4 shades I have had for a very long time (there are at least 6 more balls of ecru, bought from my local shop at least 10+ years back). I have already used all shades in my recent samplers, giving new life, energy, and colours!

Happy Tatting! Thank you for inspiring me!

Friday, 18 April 2025

hospital tatting

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 Its been over 10 years that I took any tatting along with me. This time I felt like taking my shuttles along to my doctor's appointment. In our minds it was supposed to be a routine visit after 6 months and since everything was stable, we thought the regimen would just continue. We spend anywhere between 3 to 5 hours there, mostly just sitting around. 

A question that has constantly plagued me .... Which came first - patient or patience?!

So anyways, turns out we started a new line of treatment (basically injections at stated intervals) in order to get rid of the oral steroids. I only have a 50/50 chance but any little decrease is better. So off we tromped to the hospital again the next day which required a few hours of hospitalisation for observational purposes, and along came my shuttles again. Following are the motifs I tatted as a patient patient. All in Anchor size 20.




I gave away a couple of butterflies. One lady noticed the hook on my shuttle and asked whether this is how crochet hooks are made nowadays! I explained to her that it was a shuttle used to make tatted lace. She bemoaned the fact that nobody wants to wear or use handmade stuff any longer.



I kept each motif different. Couldn't bring myself to repeat the same counts, LOL.
All tatted with single shuttle or one thread aka single tatting.
These are all very generic patterns hence feel free to copy-tat ;-P

These came home with me. I have decided that it is better to glue them on cards or bookmarks and then gift randomly. Easier than explaining what one can do with the motifs, how to wash and block, etc. So, whenever I'm in the mood, I'll be gluing them to card stock and adding a bit of background. 

And while I had no side-effects from the injected biologicals, I did come home with viral flu which later shifted to my stomach and I lost about 10 days doing hardly anything due to the fever. Back on track now and tatting up samplers, etc., writing an article, creating PDFs, and catching up with blogs.