timeless dancers

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The tribal dancers are finally here in their full glory! These gypsies took their own sweet time, didn't they?! Modern style presentation of pattern #18 from the German book ‘Die Schiffchen-Spitzen’,1920, by Frau Eleonore Endrucks-Leichtenstern is now in pdf form for the Endrucks 1920 Project. 

Direct link to #18 pattern reworked by Paola Bevilacqua and muskaan - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vib_1C2e0SuRzUsMitUCbp67Nc5iT7xQ/view 

There are 4 rows, tatted in one-pass. No modernisation here - Endrucks' herself tatted it continuously! Simple techniques - 2-shuttle tatting, block tatting, thrown rings, lock join - and voila, a complicated-looking design is born!

The single motif  is a bilaterally symmetrical version, which is also indicated in the pdf. 

Paola Bevilacqua first tatted a single motif in Dec 2020 using a ball and shuttle. Her pics are shared here, and her process pics are also in the pdf.

Row I - This is also a stand-alone pattern listed as #18/a and reworked by Paola Bevilacqua. This is uploaded as a separate pdf in the Project files.

It can be curved a wee bit by making the upper yellow rings smaller or substituting with beads. Embellish with beads and we have ourselves a beautiful necklace!

I deliberately used 2 contrasting colours in order to clearly distinguish which shuttle is in play for which element. 

Row II - The model is tatted using frontside/backside tatting and it was amazing to see that All red elements are worked backside while all yellow elements are frontside - throughout the entire 4 rows!

In this row, Endrucks uses an extra chain on one side of the block to reach the other yellow ring. It is barely discernible.

Row III - This is a chains-only row. We climb out of the previous row with a long chain. In the original, this chain is shorter because she ends row II after the 1st block despite having 2 blocks at the starting end. I chose to make them symmetrical and preferred the broader arch.

Row IV - A quick chains-only row! 

Do you see Gandhiji's 3 monkeys here? Possibility of yet another adaptation? 

TIP: Throughout the pattern I counted my joins as a half stitch. On the front side, I used a down loop for lock join (and vice versa) since it leaves a smaller footprint.

Rows II to IV also form a standalone pattern #18/b. It was tatted and diagrammed by Elisabetta De Napoli and the pdf is in the Project files. You can see all her other contributions to this project in Ninetta's post here.

I have strung beads on metallic threads and wound up my shuttles to make this 18/b into a crown!

Merely curious to see how this broad lace would look upended. What do you think?

TIP: My block tatting in this project is a midway path.... Endrucks' uses (1ds,picot) to climb out to the next chain in a block. Instead of the 1ds, I simply made the picot long enough to span the height of the current chain, and a bit extra to ease joining of next chain. I think it works well doesn't it? 

On close inspection, you can see that some rings in the red/yellow model face opposite to each other, when cut vertically or horizontally. Compare this with the 4-coloured model on the right where symmetry is 'perfect'. 

With a tiny bit of jugglery and thrown rings in place of normal rings, this lace can become symmetrical. Only one chain requires a downward picot for the adjoining ring to be linked later. These modifications are also explained/inked in the pdf. 

I used 4-colours to distinguish each row if we want to tat it in this manner. But despite 4 colours, it is still worked in one pass, and I used false ctm to add in new colour. 

Anchor Pearl cotton size 8 is used for both models. A few minor changes from the original had to be made.

I had attempted to increase the skirt by another 2 rows in a 3rd model but ran out of thread and time. Perhaps some time in future. And what about a 3D skirt that goes all around? Easy enough to tat using the same stitch count! Could be adapted for a skirt/gown or bell, etc.

It is now up to you creative tatters to adapt this pattern to your vision and share with us. If one Facebook, tag Ninetta or myself, and use the hashtag #Endrucks1920Project. You will find all details and links to original and modern in the Project files here. 

My heartfelt thanks to all the lovely ladies mentioned here - 

dancing is fun only when friends are around 💖💝💖

Related Posts

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/05/has-tatting-made-you-cry.html 

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/05/tears-of-joy.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/05/chain-reaction_15.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2021/06/co-learning.html

chain reaction

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…and what an explosion – fission as well as fusion!

Meet Paola Bevilacqua, a contributor to the Endrucks 1920 Project and an inspiration ....

Brooch adaptation

This spectacular brooch has been derived from pattern #18a! The base on which beads were added is the pic on right and the scallops might bring a flash of memory....the necklace idea from my previous post. This brooch is tatted in 2 parts, with a chain running all around the outside.

Block Chain Bracelets

What a transformation of a vintage lace to modern jewellery! No wonder it led to an inspired explosion of ideas by Anna Tedesco followed by Daniela Galli. 

Anna Tedesco's bracelets inspired by Endrucks and Paola

Daniela's bracelet inspired by Anna's

Reworking Vintage Patterns

Let me start at the beginning. When we first asked for volunteers to rework and represent the vintage patterns, Paola Bevilacqua was uncertain what it was all about. But once she joined, her work spoke for itself. Her diligently drawn diagrams for #18/a have been tremendously helpful.

While #18/b was worked by another wonderful tatter, Elisabetta De Napoli, Paola put the 2 together for #18 (above). She sent in a few process pics as well. Both standalone 18/a and 18/b pdfs can be downloaded from the Project doc. Work on #18 pdf in underway and will be published in a week or so).

Interestingly, Paola used a ball and shuttle to tat both. This is one of the few patterns by Endrucks that has very few ‘thrown/floating rings’, and since these are not in the middle of any chain, it is easy to make a SLT and work with the repositioned shuttle.
So, the lock joins notwithstanding, it would be easier for needle tatters, too.

Brooches/Bracelets/Jewellery
One can hardly predict the path of a free neutron, but it seems everybody was in the same nuclear reactor! A week back when I started #18, Ninetta discovered that Daniela and Anna were each working Paola's brooch pattern with their modified counts and mostly picot-free! 

Anna tells me that the models on the left are test tats and the pearled one will most probably be an insert for a necklace!

Daniela hasn't decided whether she wants to make this a bracelet or a wrist watch embellishment. I loved the pic she shared with a little watch in the center!

Brooch to Bracelet :

Ninetta loves bracelets and in collaboration with the others, this is the beauty that emerged from her shuttles! She has drawn and shared this collaborative brooch/bracelet pattern here : https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninettacaruso/51176482803/

In her own words - 

"Then, I looked for a way to tat the entire bracelet in one pass, it seems that I have nearly done it. But, to work from one side (start) to the other (end), one last row of chains is always missing (that are the blue chains in my drawing). If you like the asymmetrical effect, you can leave the bracelet without the last chain. But I preferred adding that in my own bracelet.
I tatted 3 repetitions, but it is slightly larger than my wrist." 

TIP: The final scallop chain can be worked as Floating Chains (4 parts), thus allowing for a totally one-pass tatting experience. 

Inspiration Explosion
Impressive chain reaction and explosion, right?! Are you ready to be impressed further? Paola Bevilacqua had a solo exhibition of her tatted pieces!!!! Check her album on Facebook here and be ready to be wowed with the diversity and range of her projects.

Also check out Anna Tedesco’s group – Tatting Art for her spectacular tatted jewellery and Daniela Galli's Cover Photos album for her superb 3D compositions! And we all know where to find Ninetta's blog displaying extraordinary works!

Italian Transilation

And, Ninetta and Anna have painstakingly translated the relevant pages of the book into Italian!  They have meticulously worked on it to make it technically understandable to modern Italian tatters who increasingly prefer diagrams to text. 

Direct link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/17R1LYneE2KDTWVOTjzv4yfsQ6oPizR8t/view 

Endrucks 1920 Project

It has been such a Huge pleasure collaborating and corresponding with all these cool talented ladies. We cannot thank them enough for all their work, enthusiasm, and inspiring ideas. This international collaborative project has brought in so many friends in its fold – such a wonderful ‘blockchain’ of common interest and goals! It is a pleasure and honour to thank you all, mie carissime amiche di chiacchierino.

Feel free to join us any time whatever your tool of choice! Be a test-tatter or an adaptor, or simply enjoy the modernised versions of this 100-year old book, ‘Die Schiffchen-Spitzen’ by Frau Eleonore Endrucks- Leichtenstern. All links can be found in this downloadable Endrucks 1920 Project doc. 

Send in your work (to Ninetta or me) for display and/or inclusion or use the hashtag #Endrucks1920Project on Facebook so we can find you. 

Many many thanks Paola for all your contribution. 

And thanks equally to Daniela and Anna for participating tangentially. 💖

muskaan and Ninetta

tears of joy

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 Oh yes, tatting brings tears of joy sweeping aside all those moments of frustration so that we plunge into yet another project! In this case, I continued tatting and look how the first part/row looks! 

UPDATE : direct link to pattern 18a - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t32mcZ4ifi88TGZECoNA5lsONxUL-5Uy/view?usp=drivesdk

This is #18/a pattern from Endrucks' 1920 book. I have deliberately curved it because these bright colours and pattern make me think of a broad necklace. 

Of course, it needs beads and imagine it in gold metallic thread! 

The 4 horizontal yellow rings along the top edge can be smaller with 4 less stitches to ensure the curvature remains in place. Or replace them with crystals!

Just the block tatting segments can be worked into an accompanying bracelet!

In Anchor Pearl Cotton size 8, the necklace is 4.5cms broad and 19cms wide.

So are you inspired? You can find the modern-style pattern (worked and diagrammed by Paola Bevilacqua - thank you, Paola💖) and much more from the Endrucks 1920 Project doc here. I will also be presenting this later within the larger #18 pattern, in a slightly different format; 4 rows tatted continuously.

has tatting made you cry

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 Oh, I've had plenty of frustrating moments over the years - be it figuring out a technique, perfecting my work, designing and subsequent trials, even creating pattern pdfs. But this one takes the cake! For numerous days now, I've been working on presenting a pattern and it has left me on the verge of tears almost every night, sigh. Each time I felt I had it all figured out, I would discover yet another issue and so much of my day's work would go to nought. Ninetta has been a solid and helpful shoulder to cry on, though, preventing me from actually shedding tears which would've agitated hubby dear 😉. 

Finally, I took up my shuttles (which I had avoided for so many weeks in order to stay focused) and have begun tatting it myself. Now I am happy with hands that are tatting instead of typing every evening and eyes that are gazing at cheerful colours.

Quick Tip: Notice the starting tail at the bottom? I leave it there till the end of project for many reasons, one of which is that is helps me identify the frontside from the backside at a glance.

The straw that killed the camel's back was when, after days and hours of intense drafting, I finally noticed this -

the original model

the original diagram

Notice the difference? Add to this the fact that this pattern can be worked entirely in one pass as a combination of 2 standalone laces 18/a and 18/b, with a few tweaks to climb around/over. And each of the 2 parts was beautifully tatted and presented by 2 talented tatters with hugely different styles of working and presenting. Using those to present the combo lace meant frequent references back and forth - confusing and demotivating to any tatter attempting it. Reconciling pics, patterns, diagrams, styles, and synchronising them all took up way more of my energy and power not counting a new issue cropping up daily. 

Perhaps it is just my own shortcomings that led to all this turmoil or perhaps I have this sense of TWoT that makes me want to present a pattern that is the easiest possible I can think of.

Whatever the case, I am grateful for all my friendly tatters, their sincere efforts and enthusiasm. And a huge hug to Ninetta!

1. So has tatting ever made you cry? Why?
2. Which way do you think the lace should face - like the model or the diagram? Your response will help us decide.
3. What shapes and designs can you see in this lace that may lead to future patterns?

Eager and curious about your answers ....

All relevant links can be found in the Endrucks 1920 Project document here.