warmafrost

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Snowflake #16 in Land of Laces’ 25 Snowflake Project

Marja tells us that Kuurankukka is an old Finnish word for frost flower and since I perpetually seem to make my snowflakes warm, summery and floral, ‘warmafrost’ seemed like an appropriate portmanteau for this post which has snowflakes in very warm earthy colours indeed - the cool flake is in some subterranean layer ;-D.

Made in one pass using 2 shuttles. There are thrown rings, SCMRs, Josephine rings, starting with chain/starter picot. And I also used direct tatting and directional (fs/bs) tatting.

My starting point for the design process is a motif : the Josephine Ring cluster from this split colour edging. The rest is simply a way to create 6 arms for the snowflake. And in order to make the tip pointier, I used a normal ring instead of the JR.

The little evolutionary tweaks are evident in the image, starting with a smaller arm, to better-sized ones, and then to filling in the blank space within.

BUT, I am not a good student, repeating the same mistake which led to the mutant snowflake! (yes, I remember my promise to post the solution(s)!) There is no way I could tie off after 6 repeats. Tongue-in-cheek, I showed my amusement to Ninetta, and good teacher that she is, she marked out what I needed to do. Very helpful tips, again, but I need to become independent!

I took a lazy way out this time – snipped the outer joined picots (there were 2 joins earlier) to confirm that the flake would lie flat with only 6 arms! Phew! No drastic changes.

I had deliberately left the inner ring free. But finally gave in and joined it at the base. Now, one could tat the ring facing upward (see the single small yellow motif), but I didn’t like the look.

Meanwhile, I tried a few other tweaks in those single motifs, but settled back to my ‘first child’. Does it happen to you? I frequently find myself unable or unwilling to venture too far off the original.

A single upended motif can be worked as a quick earring. I’m not happy with my beads or their placement, and will try to do a better job. The inset pic shows the true colours.

Do you see a larger fabric with the flakes attached to each other? A challenge for another day or year ;-D

This pattern can be worked in multiple ways, using one’s choice of techniques. I followed an ergonomic path where there is least switching of shuttles and of reverse work. So the flake is worked clockwise and all from the front except for the ring inside. I have taken stepwise pictures of how I went about it, and I will share the pattern alongside in my next post.

I am tatting a slight variation ( 12 points ) and want to see how that works out in Lizbeth 20. The ones above are all in Anchor 20 (which is equivalent to Lizbeth 10) and measure 6cms; and 5cms as a motif.

I have other ideas in mind - to increase the arm lengths, or to introduce another motif between the arms. I'd like to play with those ideas as a personal challenge.

Thank you, Marja and  Ninetta!!!  

under-PINning

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I had selected my pin for the pinterest challenge & started early this month ! But like the proverbial hare, I happily took a short break. Then came 2 unexpected but very exciting & absorbing projects, and this hare couldn’t get back on the original track. Needed to find a “shortcut” ! Thus under-PINning undermining my resolve to not include tatting, this month’s post is all about that : my very First tatted edging , with pattern & possible variations ….

My brief was to tat “a simple edging in size 20” for a handkerchief set that my MIL wanted to gift her friend. My MIL was tatting one edging herself (she learned to tat at the age of 50 & had made lots of simple edgings during that phase). But simple ring & chain was boring & I took the opportunity to design my own edging !!!

click on any pic for larger image ....

Split Colour Edging

click here for free pattern pdf

 

A narrow handkerchief edging tatted in size 20, with easy corner where required, 

that can be doubled back in various ways for other applications.

The track wasn’t straight – many stops & starts because this tatter was really harebrained and dithered on timely decisions ...

The Design Journey

TRACK I : Made a few sketches, & chose to tat this pattern, using threads left on the shuttles. 

TRACK II : Chose the final colours & added a double picot to raise the flat line between 2 trefoils.

But colours seemed too dark for the hanky & picots would be difficult to control when the hanky was washed; they would require blocking each time.  Not practical.

TRACK III : Hmm, a Josephine ring cluster could raise the height and complement the trefoil – like little buds perhaps ? Here, the trefoil rings are not joined together.

Started JR cluster with a loop tatted JR over the left JR (LTROR method) – looked good. Then switched to SCMR method only because it so much quicker to tat.

But, the top JR in the cluster kept twisting. Wasn’t totally happy, & tried a couple of tweaks midways, but continued tatting. Until finally, I just couldn’t go on & needed to re-think. After all, this edging was going to be gifted ….

TRACK IV : Joined the trefoil rings ; increased center ring by 1 ds on either side ; made requisite changes to the JR cluster. Yes, the floating JR stayed in place ! Also realized that the floating JR needs to be started as close to the SCMR as possible, for it to stay afloat properly. But 2ds increase messed up the proportions. Finally stopped again.

TRACK V (the final version) : Back on track & tatting full speed ahead ….

All changes incorporated & this is the final pattern. A total of 32 repeats, coming to a bit over 1 meter. Corners form easily with the trefoil sewn close 

Look at the distance this hare covered, all because it took too long to take a decision 

– one step ahead, two steps back ;-P 

See the threads still wound to the bobbins? I intend to use these discarded lengths in some of the following ways ….

Running Ahead 

I like the versatility of this edging. Some possibilities .…

insertions, braids, bracelets, bookmarks, .....

 

   

Back on Track or backtracking? 

The edging was to be sewn on to the hanky in the pic (hence the choice of green in edging), using a couple of tutorials on how to sew tatting to fabric from my Stitches & How-tos board, including using crochet. This later changed since MIL bought fabric & stitched the hankies. And logistics didn't work out anyways ...
So off went the edging, along with a tiny freeform floral motif to sew to a corner ...

 

The motif is 1¼” high & ¾” wide, tatted in size 40 green, & 2 strands of variegated pink silk thread.

The edging is slightly over ½” wide & 3 repeats (of trefoils & JR clusters) are 4" long.

A total of 32 repeats were required for a length of a little over 1m or 40" approx.

Retracing My Steps

A few words about the pattern itself …

It is made of alternating trefoil & Josephine ring cluster.

Each trefoil has 2 split rings at base & a normal ring with graduated picots in center.

Each JR cluster starts with a self closing mock ring (worked as a JR), with a thrown JR on top. The SCM(J)R, after completion, is followed by a short chain & then a normal JR.
It is a very quick tat, if we know the techniques.

A quick pictorial on how to tat the Josephine Ring Cluster ….

Josephine Ring Cluster pictorial

TIP : Make the half stitches 'lose' so that the Josephine rings look & function better.

Step 2 is very important in order for the ring to lie flat later. Do not leave any space/bare thread between the mock ring & the top JR.

TIP : I ended each JR with a shs, which I don’t normally do. In this case it seemed to reduce the twisting of the JRs, allowing them to lie flat.

I tatted the short chain with unflipped/reverse stitches (direct tatting), thus avoiding reverse work (RW) totally. Although one can RW & tat the chain normally, it would be very good practice to try out direct tatting, especially since one is already familiar with split ring & the same technique needs to be applied to a chain setting.

One can add a half stitch at either end of the chain, if desired. I liked the slight layered look.

TIP : Use Down join if Josephine ring is made with 1^st half stitches (fhs) because it imitates the fhs.
Use a normal Up join if JR made with  2^nd half stitch (shs).

The 3-page pattern pdf contains the diagram, written pattern, and the JR cluster pictorial (without text).

Final Lap

Download pdf here : Split Colour Edging pattern

Phew .... my race was not against any tortoise (or pin chicks), but against time, desires, temptations, late decisions ! And also against erratic internet servers :-(
But what are the talented pic chicks up to ? Let's take a little 'de'tour, shall we ;-P
I'm going a-blog-hopping ; have a LOT of catching up to do .....

Suzanne

Margaret

Carollyn

Imoshen

Margaret (II)

the pinterest challenge race is open to all hares & tortoise; come join us ...

happy tatting, happy pinning :-))))

Related Posts : my 5 previous pinterest challenges