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.

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!

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.

playful tatting

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I had started tatting these cute balloon dog doodles couple of days before ITD and realised that there were a couple of elements left to tat, which started off my 'shagun tatting' for the day! Of course, I later found the time to tat the heart, too! Actually my list had contained a different heart which I still haven't gotten around to tatting. Some other day, soon, perhaps. 

Sarah Nielson shared two versions of her Balloon Dog Doodles - 2D & 3D. You can download the pdf from her blog here - https://laceandbees.blogspot.com/2025/03/balloon-dog-doodle.html

Quick to tat with lots of split ring practice. And one doesn't have to hide ends! Simply tie an overhand knot and snip close for the nose or 'balloon' end. 

I chose this tinted colourway for the added fun factor. Size 20.

The model starts at the tail end. 

My piece doesn't much resemble a dog here, does it? Is it how the shades spread themselves out ... how the darker shade pooled at the lower half? Or is it my tatting tension?

Now this 3D version I like. It does look like a dog frolicking in the park or flying high! Very happy indeed.

Technically, the highlight of this 3D doodle is the Folded Split Ring. 

• Sarah suggests folding one half against the other before closing the SR, a method she learned from Jane Eborall's Turtle pattern (2012). My two attempts on the legs didn't give me a sharp fold. [http://janeeborall.freeservers.com/SwanTurtle.pdf]
• Hence for the ears, I chose to do the half moon split ring by Sabina Carden-Madden (2003) [https://web.archive.org/web/20110625190617/http://www.paradisetreasures.com/hmsr.html]. I got a much more defined fold or crescent. 
• We are spoiled for choices! I had used Martha Ess' (2007) folded rings method (node stitch) to fold the SR in my jasmine braid here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/03/fresh-fragrance-of-jasmines.html. 

Overall, I am happy with these doodles - fun and quick and excellent doodles to embellish cards, etc. Some time in the future I will paint some background to give them a context, a story ;-D

Many many thanks to Sarah for these innovative and fun doodles!

Related Posts -
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/04/shagun-tatting.html
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/02/in-fold.html

shagun tatting

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 'Shagun' is a Hindi word derived from Sanskrit which denotes good omen, auspiciousness, a token, .... Though it it is associated more with Hindu rituals, we also use it in daily life to commemorate an event, an occasion, or any good news with the elders blessing the young with a symbolic token. Or if we cannot perform an entire task, some small part of the ritual/task is started on an auspicious day.  

This is what I try to do every International Tatting Day! This day is also very special for personal reasons and I tend to be busy elsewhere. Yet I make it a point to pick up my shuttle and thread and tat at least a ring or two and not let the day 'pass by' ;-D Despite a very busy first half, I managed to find time from evening onwards and actually completed not one but two motifs! One had only 2 rings and a chain left to tat (I'll share this tomorrow) while the heart motif I started from scratch and completed! 

doesn't it look like a possible angel?!

My new version using graduated and 'erect' vapour stitch which is more like a picot here. I was inspired by a recently shared Turkish Tatting video by Eftelyanin Mekikleri where there are many more than 3 wraps and the bare thread is not pulled down so that the stitch/picot stands erect. Also, the wraps are followed by a complete stitch rather than the 2nd half-stitch. 

I did it all in tatting. But it was not easy and many of my stitches are not as neat as they should/could be. I had started one in perle cotton but the thread unraveled so much that I snipped it off and started afresh with this Anchor size 20 thread. 

TIP: I suggest using 2 shuttles so that the thread can be balanced again by suspending the shuttle frequently. And use tightly twisted thread, polyester, silk, ....

I winged it and don't really have an exact count for the decorated chain. I started and ended with vapour stitch (3 wraps) but graduated up to 7 wraps.

The motif is 4cms wide and 3cms high.

For more Vapour Stitch info and links - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2024/09/variably-padded-lines.html and a few effects - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-years-flow.html

My previous E28 hearts & pattern from prototype to tweaked versions and a beaded jewel version - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2023/06/yet-another-heart.html   and  https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/04/happy-tatting-day.html    Pattern PDF - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-rWqmDAd51VwxOqtt9spD-FIX5zYDAUE/view

I had more shagun tatting to share - something tiny and fun, but will continue in a couple of days. Time to juggle ;-D Meanwhile I also have much more to share on the vapour stitch as well when I can take some pics .... 

I hope you did much more than shagun tatting, like I ended up doing ;-D

happy tatting day

Pin It now! The happy day of tatting, tatted lace, and tatters is here again! Hope you are well-stocked with threads, shuttles/needles, patterns, and ideas to feed your creativity, and of course tea and chocolates to feed your tummies! I hope to get tatting later today. 

In our Endrucks 1920 Project Facebook group, Ninetta has initiated a small event with a small motif pattern. The E28 Heart which I had derived from Eleonore Endrucks' pattern #28. 

When she shared the idea with me, I realised that my presentation from 2023 had been a quick one. So I took some time to update the PDF as well as tat another heart to refresh my memory, this time in two colours. 

You don't need to be a member of our FB group to join in! Here's the pattern link and if you send me or Ninetta a pic of your finished heart, we would be so happy to include it. (see top right section of my blog for relevant links under 'Follow Me'). And if it is your first Endrucks' pattern, you will be the recipient of a token gift.

E28 Heart by Muskaan - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-rWqmDAd51VwxOqtt9spD-FIX5zYDAUE/view

Ninetta tatted a pair of beautiful earrings. What will you do with the motifs you tat? I have a few ideas but it all depend on how much time I can devote.

So, happy tatting and happy ITD to all my readers and followers! Spread the cheer! 

And a huge thanks to Ninetta!