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Confession
#1 : I would never have chosen this
doily to tat, despite it’s simple beauty. I would’ve argued that it’s all
simple rings & chains, nothing new to learn. Well, it Is after all a
Beginner’s doily.
But I so wanted to try out a
doily in size 40 thread, after seeing all those lusciously dainty laces belted
out by many of my talented fellow tatters. (Many in size 80 , 100, .... I can't even count beyond that !) But
40 is as far I can go for a large project).
So this seemed like the
perfect opportunity. A beginner’s doily pattern being revealed in stages…. The
Tat-Along began on June 1st & the last (9th) round
was revealed on June 21st.
Confession #2
: I Love it ! I enjoyed it all through … waiting
eagerly for the next clue. And I am so happy I made it.
Also, now I’m hooked to size
40, at least for larger projects. (I Will need to finish off my huge size 20
& 10 stash, but those will be for smaller projects). The doily looks so
delicate & dainty to touch. Perfect !
Threads Used
:
Anchor Mercer
Crochet Cotton size 40 .
Brown : 0355
Yellow : 0302
Colour choice was by default. I don’t have many to
choose from in this size, & these 2 were bought back in 2002 for a
different, large project, that barely got off the ground.
Measurements at end
of each round are given under respective image.
Techniques involved :
Single shuttle & ball tatting ; Lock Join .
The pattern can be needle tatted easily, as many
participants did.
Optional techniques : beads, decorative picots, split chain,
split ring .
A Few Notes
- This 9 round pattern is by an Unknown designer, but
presented in modern format by Kersti. She uploaded 2 versions for each
round : a Beginner’s version & an Advanced version, accompanied by
diagram. She also indicated joining
picots & decorative picots.
- Accordingly, I made the decorative picots longer , but graded for most rings & chains. No picot gauge (I don’t like the pauses). The
graded effect is not clearly visible, especially in photographs ; but it
made the process more interesting.
- The pattern mentioned Tie & Cut after each
round. This can be avoided by use of split rings or split chains easily.
However, I largely stuck to tie & cut this time …. It was so Easy to
thread a normal crewel needle & sew in the tail ends ;-P
- And I also used Weaver’s knot (tatman’s video) when adding thread. Unlike size 20, in size 40, it just does
not show !
- I adjusted the stitch count in a couple of rounds
to avoid cupping/tightening. Details under respective photo.
- Frontside/Backside tatting throughout.
- I am generally very pleased with the long chains
in size 40. I used size 20 thread in Renulek’s Wiosna here (notice the black chains ?!), & I never know how much
to snug the stitches …. If I do it too tight, well it buckles; if I leave
it a bit slack, then the chain slackens even more later ! But with size
40, there is less elasticity in the thread, & one cannot over-tension
the stitches !
- It was the perfect foil to Iris’ TIAS doily which I was tatting simultaneously (along with other new learning/projects) ; with the added advantage that this simple pattern could be tatted while watching the Roland-Garros French Open & Gerry Weber Open ! But I Did have to keep a magnifier at hand Always ;-P
The Rounds !
 |
Round 1 : Measures
1½” across
|
Round 2 : Measures 2” across. Forgot to take a photo. No need to tie & cut after this round.
 |
Round 3 : measures 2¾”/ 7cms across
|
At
this stage, it looked like the centre of a Sunflower !
So I switched colours,
took a leap of faith & decided to go with solid yellow for the ‘petal’
effect.
 |
Round 4 : measures >3½” or 9 cms across
|
 |
Round 5 : measures
5” across.
|
Halfway along, the
round felt slightly tight . Thenceforth, I added 1 ds to the chains.
 |
Round 6 : measures
5¾” across (15 cms)
|
 |
Neater
double chains …
|
I was unhappy with the long
'double' chain joins in this & the previous round.
A tweaking experiment
was called for! I reduced the stitch count by 1ds on the returning chain (7ds
instead of 8ds), and was pleased with the result! The before & after are
visible in the image from the white oval point …
 |
Round 7 : measures
7” across
Changes made to double chain as indicated in previous pic.
|
 |
Colour Choices
|
With only 2 rounds
remaining, I wanted to bring back brown. But wasn’t sure where to use it.
Did a
quick coloured sketch with 2 options & asked my DH. He went traditional
& chose brown chains.
 |
Round 8 : measures
8”
|
Added 1ds to chains
to avoid tautness.
This could well be a
final round, especially with the brown acting as an outline, bringing it all
in.
 |
Round 9 : measures
9½” across .
|
Added 2 ds to ring
where it joins between the chains of previous round. Worked well.
Also added 1 very
small picot to anchor the long chains between adjoining scallops.
Some of the graded
picots in most rounds are visible here.
************
So that's it ... the ta-da... moment. LOVE the scalloped edging !
I should’ve ironed it … but
was too lazy – heavy weather here ;-(
That’s it for the present. I
hope my Doily-Mode lasts a tad longer so that I can finally complete the Wiosna
.
happy
tatting
Motif #24/II for 25 Motif Challenge
