coronet doily for snood

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I need snoods or hair bun nets. In different colours and designs to go with my mood ;-P

This time I chose Linda Davies’ Coronet Doily (the larger version) with the beautiful center and a clever end round.

The initial rounds ruffled but I continued tatting, and a quick rolling-pin blocking after 5^th round flattened it out neatly. However, a bit of overlap re-emerged in Round 7.

After Round 9 there is pronounced ruffling (overlap clearly visible in pic), which will get masked when pulled into a snood. Tatted continuously till the end, as instructed in pattern. 

In Anchor size 40 this now measures 6½ inches in diameter.

Round 10 is beautiful with a very interesting construction, but had to be forgone here. Perhaps I can adapt that pattern into a bookmark?

TIP : One can work round 10 but string the tie through round 9. When worn, the final round will create a nice trim or frill around the hair bun.

My first snood (also a Linda Davies pattern) lovingly slogged daily for over a year and half. Finally binned it when many of the outermost chains wore out due to friction with the tie.

I used a satin ribbon in the next (yet to blog) but am not very keen on it.

Hence this time I used my homemade French knitter to weave a loose cord, also in size 40 thread. Let’s see how long this works – it is very soft unlike the previous lock chain tie/cord. 
And for those who had asked how the hair bun holder looks, I've stuffed a bun net with some cotton to give an idea. Cover the hair, make a simple overhand tie, and hide the long tails around the base.

I have another in the pipeline. 

Many thanks to Linda for generously sharing her beautiful patterns for us to enjoy and use. 

Related Posts

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/search?q=snood 

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/07/forgetfulness.html

picot join to the right part1

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Several weeks back an expert told me that the last to first join is not a beginner technique. I can see why, since there is a tendency for the joining picot to twist when linking to it. We are familiar with different names for this technique - twisted picot join, folded join, avoiding folded join, joining in a circle, rosette join, etc. (scroll down to I.1.b here) and excellent tutorials in various formats show us multiple ways of going about it.

But whichever method one employs it boils down to just 2 facts :

• the joining picot is on the right side of the current ring or chain being worked; and
• the join is ultimately a picot join.

Hence we can employ a generic term, Picot Join to the Right, irrespective of which particular movements a tatter uses to achieve it.

I understand and have tried the folded & twisted picot joins, but continue to avoid them. I get a sense of security & comfort in working it as a normal picot join. 
All I have to do is move the last picot to the left of the current tatting! 
And I consider this easy enough for any beginner to grasp and accomplish. Scroll down if this interests you …

The flowers (rosettes) in Blossoms motifs all require this join. Hence Part 1 shows how to do that last join, continue to completion, and also how I finish off the ends.

Picot Join to the Right - Part 1

( joining last ring to first in a rosette )
Only one step – rotate work to bring joining picot from right to left side!

One-shuttle pattern.

Each ring is (7–5–5–7), joined to previous ring. 7 rings total. 

Ring7 is linked to both Ring6 & Ring1, closing the medallion or circle.

 1. This is the common Picot Join where the joining picot is on the left side of the working element  (Ring7). We pull up a loop of ‘ball’ thread, pass shuttle through it, tension and snug, and continue with the second half stitch or a new double stitch.

Note: 

In fs/bs tatting, we pull a loop down on the frontside and then make the second half stitch.

 2. Here we have reached the point where the last ring (wip) needs to be linked to the first ring.

3. Rotate work on your hand. We do NOT have to take it off our fingers, simply rotate counterclockwise.

Notice how the picot is now on our left! Looks familiar, doesn't it?!

 4. Pull up a loop of ‘ball’ thread, just as in a picot join (as seen in #1).

5. Adjust the tension. Make sure that the core thread slides freely.

Notice how the threads are all on the front of (or above) the motif.

Note : 

If we need the threads to be at the back of the work, use this simple trick by Linda Davies. 

 6. Continue tatting to finish the last segment of this ring.

7. Close the ring. Picot Join to the Right has successfully completed the rosette!

Permit me to continue, to show how I end the motif. Notice there is a tiny loop (like a vsp) at the base of the first ring. I had tatted over the starting tail, leaving a small loop, but did not pull it tight. I left this tiny space for a reason...(I showed it here in more detail along with a pdf). 

UPDATE: This loop is used for the final join and Dale Pomeroy coined the term Shepherd's Crook Join for it.

8. Snip off the shuttle and thread the new tail.

 9. Insert needle through that space or loop.

10. Tug strongly at the old tail to close that gap. This also traps the new tail within.

(I sometimes use my teeth for a strong grip & pull) 

11. Bring the needle back through the space between the 2 rings 

and whip stitch through the back arcs of the last ring.

12. After whip stitching for a few stitches, tug tight and snip both tails close.

As with all techniques, what I have shown here is a viable alternative, but optional.  

We all have our favourites, and this works well for me.

I used a down loop, hence the joins all look like a complete double stitch.

This pictorial was already photographed when I received a ‘distress’ email last week, asking for help on how to proceed with the last chain after it has been joined to the first chain. I will share it in the next post since this is already pretty long.

.... Part 2 in next post 

Related Posts

Part 2

Part 3

Joins in Shuttle Tatting

Part 4 

forgetfulness !

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3 acts of forgetfulness came together for this quick and functional adaptation of a doily into a hair bun (jooda) net.

  A few days back I realized that I was completely out of hair bun nets and the one I was using already had the frayed elastic knotted for tension. I had forgotten to replenish my stock!

  Around the same time, while doing some housecleaning of my tablet files, I came across Linda S Davies’ Split Chain doily pattern saved there - don’t know when/why.

  And the same day, while working on a sidelined project, I realized that I’d again forgotten how to do the split chain (I always get the 1st hs but fumble on the 2^nd hs) :-(
  These coincidences meant something, right ?!

Got right down to it & completed in 3 evenings….

I loved the triangle-type rounds in this doily – such a lovely uncommon effect. And the additional bonus was that I could stop at any round without affecting the pattern.

Remember this one in size 40 ? Ahem, it’s still an UFO & may be too small for my purpose.

I chose to do this in Anchor size 20, in a neutral colour, for quick completion & immediate use.

I've always worn black nets, but the tatting Should be visible - hence colour.

Since I wanted a slightly cupped look, I snugged the chains tighter in rounds 2 & 3.

Then I eased up a bit on latter rounds, tatting normally.

My preference is for nets with smaller spaces. Hence I decreased the stitches in Rounds 5 & 6.

Rounds 7 & 8 were tatted exactly as per pattern.

Despite peering closely at the process pics accompanying the pattern, I may’ve made a mistake in Rnd 7 chains, resulting in a wavy rather than spiked chain; still, happy with it.

The cupping decreased tremendously as the doily grew and lay fairly flat ! 

Diameter is 7 inches from tip to tip.

Instead of encapsulating an elastic band, I left my options open by doing a Lock Chain string with a black wooden bead at either end.

If woven around lower rings of Round 7, the string creates a nice edging/trim when pulled tight. Very vintage and matronly :-P  (see lead collage)

But my hair needed the string around the outermost arches. Now that’s a proper net!

And I am so very pleased to state that I wore it to sleep last night and all was well !!!! Yippeee :-D The hubster approves of it, too - after all it is he who will see it - I have yet to grow eyes at the back of my head ;-P

This was kind of a tentative pilot project in many ways, but it’s success has paved the way for many more. I’ve been collecting patterns for my nets for a while now.

Split Chain in Directional Tatting :

Look closely and you will notice an extra half stitch indicated by the arrows. Here I was working chains frontside but using Marie Smith’s method for split chain. In later rounds I used  Dora Young’s Knotless technique for the frontside chains.

Another aspect of SCH that I'd forgotten! Hence a reminder to self about working the split chain in directional (fs/bs) tatting :

For frontside split chain – DYK or original method

For backside split chain – Marie Smith version

Techniques used : fs/bs tatting (with chains frontside), split ring, split chain - DYK and Marie Smith methods, lock chain, lock join.

I enjoyed tatting this up and it’s functionality just makes it that much more special. Linda has such amazing patterns on her blog, especially her 3D flowers !

Mission successfully accomplished. Now to complete the UFO net – errr, now where did I keep it? Huh, about that ummm forgetfulness – may be eat more almonds then ?!

Many many thanks to Linda Davies 
  for her wonderful patterns and tutorials Z

happily tatting always :-))

More resources for Split Chain :