muskaan's T*I*P*S: playful tatting

Monday, 14 April 2025

playful tatting

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!