teachable moments

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or learnable moments! 

 We are having a fun time playing games in our FB group, and surprisingly several teachable moments have arisen especially in our current event #tagmeEndrucks! Sharing tips, sharing resources, sharing options, ... There is even a hashtag #eptutorials in our FB group to locate them.

These short games are a good opportunity to learn and apply a 'new' technique, try something different, improve one's skills, experiment, find solutions.

#1. If you run out of thread in one shuttle before completing the project, simply do a shoelace trick (SLT) and switch threads if there is plenty of thread in the other shuttle. (SS - switch shuttle)
Or choose a convenient element further down the line to add new thread (false CTM).
Add new thread, knotless or with a knot, and hide ends simultaneously.
(a huge curated list of situations, options, tutorials - http://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2016/11/beginning-or-ending.html).

My resolve to never share the length of thread required in shuttles has strengthened after this project - my personal learning moment. Too many variables to factor in!

#2. We decided to use 2 colours to tat the model in order to clearly show which shuttle was in use. However, this meant the split rings were bi-colouted while their corresponding rings on the other side were a single colour, See the encircled areas.

Solution - Double core SSSR Karen Cabrera's lesson #43 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfILdiZ2C20&t=4s  

#3. Alternatives to Lock Join - Lock Join is needed when joining to a picot below our line of tatting or below the core thread. It is basic, convenient, and tiny. However it leaves a little dip and it also locks the core thread (the colour of the picot below is also more visible - see image below). For a smooth edge, there are alternatives such as Catherine Wheel Join, Anne Dyer's Join the Smooth Side, and the Slope and Roll Join, to name a few.

In the first pic, 3 white arrows indicate where the Lock Join was replaced with a Slope & Roll Join for an unbroken rows of stitches.

SLOPE & ROLL JOIN (SRJ)
[This was all meant to be part of the Joins in Shuttle Tatting series (2016!)... perhaps some day].

WHEN TO USE -
1. when the joining picot is below the line of tatting/below core thread.
2. when we want a smooth, unbroken line of stitches.

ADVANTAGES -
1. easier to accomplish than a CWJ
2. can be done with shuttle and ball
3. keeps the core thread sliding freely
4. can be used for ring or chain. Especially useful for Onion Rings or Concentric rings, hence also known as the Onion Ring Join
5. If the join is followed by the 2nd half-stitch, it resembles a double stitch. Hence it is a seamless or invisible join.
6. in 2-colour tatting, it creates a blipfree join.

DISADVANTAGES -
It is sometimes difficult to hold a picot space, especially a vsp, immediately before or after the SRJ since it appears to twist. After completing the 2nd half-stitch, ensure the space is intact and a slight tug with a hook/pick helps prop up the picot.

RESOURCES -
Debbie Arnold (coined the term SRJ)- https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4089642167730639&set=a.3691414670886726
Karen Cabrera (video Lesson 25) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6o3RT4bb9
Ninetta Carusoo (diagrams Simple Joins) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninettacaruso/6896834805/
The Online Tatting Class - https://www.theonlinetattingclass.com/technique-tools


Teaching or Learning are interchangeable, just as we have tons of options to choose from our tatting kitty and can change when needed!

Tutorials to all terms and techniques mentioned in this post can be found here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/tatting-resources.html

dancing continuously

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 My apologies to those who have participate in the TAL - a bit under the weather. 

Carin Jansen’s Angel Choir doily TAL – Round 4 

pattern - http://handwerk-fee.blogspot.com/2020/11/engelenkoor.html

Techniques : 2 shuttles ctm, long chains, lock join, dot (tiny ring).
Optional Techniques : 1 shuttle and ball ctm, mock picot, adding thread on a chain, substituting dot, fs/bs tatting.
All tutorials, including for needle tatting, can be found here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/tatting-resources.html

Anita Barry and I join forces to share our notes and thoughts .....

This is Anita's doily all pinned out on foam at the end of round 3. In her own words -

"I felt I needed to pin Round 3 flat in preparation for next round. I needed my Picots of the Round 3 rings to be fairly centered above each ring. That way as I’m tatting the chain of Round 4 I have correct distances from one center picot join to the next center picot join."

As pointed out in previous post, we can climb out of round 3 by working the final ring as a split ring. Then leave a tiny mock picot and continue with the chains.

I wanted to change the colour, so after making the mock picot, I added yellow ball to the green core from shuttle, hiding the yellow tail under first few stitches. 

I snipped the unwanted green (on left) and later whip stitched it under the split ring.

Cristina Reb (facebook) followed the tip to work both rounds in one pass.

Carin tells us she did the same for her white version. But a designer has to keep the pattern simple and uniform to make it easy to follow. As tatters, we have the liberty to tweak the basic framework to suit our skills. All the hard work has been taken care of by the designer!

My round ruffled, but settled beautifully after blocking with the rolling pin.

This round is made up of mainly chains with just one dot per repeat where we need to reverse work to tat it. I realised too late there was this barely visible ring - I might've gone with yellow throughout!

Worked clockwise, mainly from the front, this is a speedy row.

In Lizbeth size 80, the doily is now 12cms in diameter.

The dot is merely a 4ds ring but it serves to increase the height of the adjoining chains. Perhaps one can easily substitute these dots by simply adding a couple more ds to the chains on both sides, and a small picot to join them. The quick round will become quicker still with All Chains only. Just a thought for the lazy tatter!

TIP : We can climb out of this round as well with a short (8ds) split chain. The next round will then start with a split ring for the center ring in the clover.

If you join us on facebook, remember to tag your post : #AngelChoirTAL to allow us all to enjoy your version!
I have completed the next round and started the 6th. Wonder what you will think of the colour placement!

Related Posts -
Round 1 Notes - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/01/two-to-tango.html

Round 2 Notes - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-quadrille-or-more.html

Round 3 Notes - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/01/dance-nonstop.html

Round 4 Notes - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/01/dancing-continuously.html

what social distancing?

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The road to friend’s house is never long – Danish proverb

And our digital age has proved this despite social distancing norms and lock downs in countries. A friend can reach out any time and connect 1000s of kms away – a mere hop, skip, and virtual jump :-)

Ninetta Caruso’s Girotondo - Ring of Rosies edging will be taught in the Online Tatting Class on Monday (April 6^th) and she sent me an advance copy for feedback, etc. In order to confirm an idea, I tatted it as well. So here are my notes, at her request. It is a simplified option, eliminating a few steps.

NOTES on my working of the Girotondo Edging :
1.  Work moves from left to right tatting first the body then the head. However, overall, the edging progresses from right to left as seen in the flow of colours - green to orange. For fs/bs tatters, only the head ring is worked backside. This piece starts with the green motif.

2. Since I intended to use this as jewellery, I started, CTM (green), with a ring using Sh2. Switch Shuttle.

3. Work the chain (arm), SCMR (body) with floating rings (feet). RW and tat head. RW and continue with 2^nd arm. One motif in green complete.

Notice no Turn Work or Under-Over/Alligator join is required. And the shuttles/threads are in the right position to start next element.

TIP: Initially it is easier to follow the path on the single upturned diagram (page 2 of pdf) rather than the main diagram with 3 kids because the single motif shows how the lace looks in our hand while it is being made. We are basically tatting the kids upside down!

4. The left and right arm of each motif has a different core thread colour. The new colour is added before tatting the head ring.

5. Here’s how I worked in the new thread colour differently. I took pics only when reaching the white head, but the green and white tails ends were done similarly.

(fig-1) Snip green tail. Add orange thread. I crossed the tails as usual. This crossover creates a barrier to any accidental pulling out of tails and one can give a good tug to hide any colour blip.

(fig-2) Green tail gets hidden in the white head ring, and

(fig-3) the orange tail in the white arm chain.

Securing tails in different elements means barely any bulk.

(fig-4) As seen from the front.

(fig-5) 3 motifs completed – as seen from back, and 
{The multiple orange tails is coz I ran out of thread and added new}.
I always snip off the final bit of tails at the very end.

(fig-6) from the front.
NO COLOUR BLIPS, back or front, even without the alligator join.

6. I did a long picot join in the orange foot for symmetry and equidistance. This was an after-thought. The difference is visible when compared with the other white leg and I prefer the symmetry. 

7. I made only 3 motifs, ending with a SSSR to hide the final tail, as suggested in the pdf. Jump rings linked to a chain were inserted through these end rings for a pendant necklace. In finer thread, these could be earrings!

8. Worked in Anchor Pearl cotton size 8, 3 repeats measure 5½ cms without end rings and 6½ cms including end rings. Each motif is 2½ cms tall.

9. Saffron, white and green are the colours of the Indian flag. Timely symbolism …

Tonight at 9 pm, for 9 minutes, we will be switching off all lights and lighting diyas or candles in solidarity with Nature & Mother Earth against our global enemy. Will you join us?

I enjoyed test tatting this fun edging, long on my to-tat list. Glad for this opportunity! I always learn something new from Ninetta’s patterns – she is such an ingenious and innovative designer. She made a new version in rainbow colours – gorgeous and lively!!!

The original pattern (8 years old!) can be found here and here. I will update with the new pdf link later, in which she has stepwise pictures and other details, including written instructions.
UPDATE : Ninetta has written a detailed post about her working, along with the pdf link. Check it out and start tatting :-) 

Don't forget to attend class. I can no longer attend, sadly.

Thank you for a Wonder-full pattern, Ninetta !