I love tatting spring

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Spring – the season of new blooms, new leaves, stirrings of the avian community, flitting butterflies, love in the air and spring in the step! To top it all, is the Indian koel with it’s melodious cooing that starts out low and reaches a crescendo – one of the sweetest sounds (but don’t be fooled – it can be quite the mimic!).

Naturally, spring and/or Easter was the topic for this month’s kocham frywolitkę. The task was set by Justyna with a caveat – it must have yellow and green.

Recognise those dyed yellow feathers? 

Yes, they are from our trip to Boston and reenactment of the Boston Tea Party

My entry is this work-in-progress round robin doily. 4 of us are participating in an in-house round robin. It means the doily will not be mailed to the next person. We each tat each doily and only the design for each round is shared in the order of working.

We each got to start the center. This is Coretta’s center. I worked it in size 40 yellow. 
Mine doesn't show it, but she has a beautiful design with very interesting elements, including the free rings.

It was my turn to design the next round. After many trials and tweaks, without intending to, what emerged looked like butterflies!!! So I deliberately chose to highlight that group of elements to bring the butterflies to life.

TIP: To create the butterfly, instead of SLT, I kept making an unflipped 2^nd half stitch in the colour that I wanted to show. This worked better for me.

I added a 2^nd round in the center to secure the unattached rings of the central round. Although I worked them on the back like a calyx, these orange chains look good as a floret when worked from the front, too. And I might just cut it off and do it in the front once the other rounds are designed. This is how it looks from the back at present ....

This pic is shows the colours as they truly are. 

Scanning tends to subdue the richness.

But where is the green, you ask? 

Hey, I did place the doily on green leaves in the lead photo, didn't I?!

Okay, okay I know it is cheating.

Luckily, my eyes landed on the summer coverlet we are currently using. Huh, it is yellow with green lace!!! And although tatted ages back (and this photo was taken in 2013), I haven’t shared it on my blog yet.

This shuttle-only edging was tatted by my MIL much before my marriage (probably her first lace) and she used & reused it on her sarees, then got tired of it. When she gave it to me, I sewed it down to the new coverlet. 4 long rows, with 2 hiding the joining seams. I only had to tat a short length to cover the last mile.

Goes to show how durable tatted lace can be.

Both these are my entries to the March 2018 … 

Have I told you that each month's entries are summarised and posted by the task-setter on the 2nd or 3rd of the next month. You can check them out any time - real talent and creativity from all skill levels!

 Here’s wishing you good weather and friends

with tatting by your side always :-)

a mixed bowl

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First things first…

I was going to post some of these along with the answers to my Set I questions. But This Way or Tat? (see all related posts at end for all links) has been lapped up by Georgia Seitz for her Online Tatting Class on Oct 10^th (wait for the official announcement, though, just in case!) :-P  Thanks Georgia! Makes no sense in giving out answers at this stage. Plus, it struck me, why should I give answers ? It is the interested reader who should be sending in the answers if they wish, right ?! However, I will share some of the links later next week.

Also check out Eliz’s latest post comparing direction when tatting with left v/s right hand. Great pics and explanation.

And now, ladling out …..

a mixed bowl of  tattiness :-P

Eliz Davis’ Ring Only Wreath – beads in the soup !

Decided to make the wreath  more Christmasy with beads for bling and ‘red cherries’ for a crunchy topping. Strung all these beads (and more) while thread was still on the ball, and then realized it was a short leftover thread :-( Restarted. 

Wound the beaded part on to shuttle but left thread attached to ball (the dark green on left side). It was a good decision coz I ran out of thread midways and could continue from the ball end, by stringing in more beads.

With beads adding some nice weight, it looked like a potential paazeb (broad anklets here) . (this video is of a Hindi movie song. It is a very decent song - don't get all excited by the first glimpse! I added this link because the song is all about the paazeb as a metaphor and as a bond between the 2 lovers. They are the Romeo-Juliet couple of Indian folklore). Of course, it would need a few ghungroos too!

Instead, wary of bead-stringing, I took the easier route – sewed in the two laurel leaves from previous post (mirror images).

Can be used as a necklace/choker with some stiffening & the right materials, and a chain added. Or as a frame around an oval daguerreotype.

My Butterfly Liberated - can't escape now, booked for a serving !

Wherefore did this daguerreotype emerge ?  The House of the Seven Gables – that’s where.

I’d read this long back, but picked it up again by mistake, and decided to read again. I love these leatherbound editions (although there are always some typos) with their attached satin ribbon bookmarks. However, the ribbon is short & tends to fray. It s also difficult to actually find the page coz there's no long ribbon end to hold on to. Here’s my instant solution (and expect many more such for all my other books in this publication)

My butterfly prototype with ribbon inserted & glued. Added just the right weight & stability, too.

TIP : My idea is also to try to string a few more butterflies & flowers along the entire length…..must rummage through my stash of old motifs !

Rachael Mohler’s Hen n Chick Square Motif – a mini coaster to set the bowl !

Intending it for a mini coaster, I used thick thread – a size 7 perhaps.

My first time trying out the Dora Young Knotless Method (DYK) on a Ring ! Loved it! Opens up more possibilities. UPDATE: video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SoGklhCqL0

Unsure how the DYK rings would turn out, I had started with leftover threads. Hence the numerous tails.
TIP : Adding new thread to a bare thread pattern : Leave about 4-5" tail of previous ring. Start new ring with new thread by grabbing the old tail within the new thread loop, and tatting over the new tail for few stitches. This takes care of one tail. Later, sew in the old tail in this new ring. No Knots !!!

And I misspelled Rachael's name in the Set I pdf . So I took the plunge into Doc Hubs and figured out how to edit it, YAY! New downloads will have the correction, but those who have already printed it out, please make the correction.

It was also my very first Hens n Chicks working.

But my MIL had made several handkerchief edgings using this pattern back in the 90s for gifting, etc.. Sorry about the blur - the original pics were small.

Together we fly butterfly – it’s all in the mix !

A small butterfly project on Craftree. Unknown designer, stitch count & prototype by Claudia & diagram by me. Many others have shown interest in test-tatting. That’s why I called mine ‘Together We Fly”. The diagram is not finalized – waiting for more feedback. This is my working. All in one pass. Can easily be made in 2 colours, using single shuttle and ball. Will share more details eventually. It’s such a pretty butterfly.

tattingweed’s Crinoline Doily – keep stirring in all directions !

This gorgeous doily pattern by the talented Korean, Hamigyeong, was added to the Craftree database yesterday. And the moment I saw the pattern, I just Had to give it a go. See all the directional changes it incorporates ? Wow ! Started in size 40, aiming for a glass window effect . This has given me so much more thought for the TWoT series. Will share working details later; this is just a quick peek ….

I enjoyed this multi-project bowl tremendously ! Hope you enjoyed my serving :-)

happy tatting always :-)

Related Links :

This Way or Tat? (TWoT) Series - Preface (Quo vadis) ; Introduction ; Set I - Rings Only

Eliz's left v/s right hand tatting effect on direction

Patterns for Laurel Leaves & Butterfly Liberated