Two-Colour, One Pass Strategies
Faced some dilemmas in this round ...
Round 5 consists of 3 separate motifs, joined to each other
& to previous round.
{ Motif 5A is a snowflake ; 5B is a starlet ; 5C is a leaf
clover for stability.}
Next there was the problem of colours – which colours to
use, how to show them up at the right places, how to hide a particular colour, and so on.
And of course, the problem of hiding multiple ends!
I tried to balance practicality with pleasure, trying to be
as precise as I could.
I would’ve liked to make at least the snowflakes ahead,
& join as I tatted Round 4. But the all-cream snowflake (shown
in previous post) did not appeal,
hence shelved the idea. And I think it was a wise decision – the completion of
rounds 1-4 gave me a better perspective on choice & placement of colours. Pretty
happy with the outcome … wouldn’t you agree ? :-)
AND I got to learn a new technique, which Always
generates immense interest & excitement !
List of abbreviations
at end
* Click on titles/coloured font for links and pdf
A 2-round snowflake that can be tatted in one pass by using
split chain.
Techniques required : 2-shuttle tatting for outer round;
Floating/Thrown ring.
Techniques I used : FS/BS (RODS) tatting ; Floating Ring ; SSSR
; LJ .
Row 1 (yellow) – Made them all together. For 1
st
few, I hid the tail ends using
Frivole’s
finishing on a chain method. But since I was still sewing in the remaining
tails under a few sts, I decided to simply go traditional (& practical).
Knotted the tails, then sewed them under to hide. With size 40, knots are not
discernible , Yay !
TIP : I tend to
leave part of the tail ends visible till the motifs are completed & attached.
It helps to easily identify the front & back sides of the motif.
Snowflake motif measures 2" in size 40 thread
Row 2 (cream) – Ended with an SSSR for one tail. For
other tail, I made a LJ to base for security & evenness ; then sewed under the chain
caps.
(the tiny telltale tail-ends are
visible in above close-up pic)
TIP : One can use
tiny picots at base of the thrown rings, to anchor them. However, considering
that all 6 of these are joined to some part or other, I dismissed the idea.
Would’ve been even pretty fiddly, too. Practicality ruled.
Ditto for the long chains – these could use a very small
picot join at base (1ds away). But I kinda liked the flowery freedom &
precision was discarded for pleasure :-)
These are very tiny motifs, especially in size 40, for me.
Hence when these came up, I tried to use a little brainpower – surely they
could be tatted together ?! Easy with single colour, but with 2 colours, in
predetermined positions ?
There’s always a solution in our WonderTATland, isn’t there
;-)
I tatted the 2 parts together using Brown in SH1 &
yellow in SH2.
It can be started from either end ( I tried one starting
with clovers, followed by starlet) but I preferred starting with starlet &
ending with clover leaves.
Part of the Starlet is complete, joined to snowflake.
Now trying to hide brown within a yellow ring.
Instead of SSSR, one can continue with SH2 to complete the ring normally !
Then cut & hide yellow thread.
If one opts for a normal double core ring, then make a Lock Join with SH1
& start clover motif
Starlet, in size 40, is 1" long & less than ½” wide
(Alternate Method - Double Core Ring shown below)
****************
1st ring of clover motif is SSSR. I added anchoring vsp (9vsp1/1vsp9)
Yellow tail can be hidden within this ring or to previous yellow ring.
2nd ring of clover is normal, joined to adjoining vsp & then to Row 4
3rd ring is also normal. Cut thread & pass through centre to bring it to the back
Hide threads. Motifs 5B & C complete
3-Leaf Clover, in size 40, is ½”across
****************
Techniques required : 2-shuttle tatting;
Floating/Thrown rings; Onion Ring join ; Lock Join.
The 2 motifs are tatted separately in original pattern.
Techniques I used : FS/BS (RODS) tatting ; Floating
Rings ; SSSR ; CWJ (for onion ring join) ; LJ ; Double core SSSR and later, Double core Ring ; Reverse Join.
I tatted the 2 motifs in one pass, using 2 colours.
I have prepared a diagram, with instructions, to show how I
did this motif. Click to download file.
****************
Double
core SSSR – quite a mouthful, right?! And if one really deconstructs it, this is only partially applicable.
1. the double core is for part of the ring only
2. the ring starts by using Two shuttles to tat ! And
3. one can complete the ring as a normal ring with the visible colour, as in this case.
This technique allows us to tat the complete ring in a single colour, while hiding one colour And positioning both threads as required. So in a SSSR, both threads emerge together at 'opposite' end, as in a split ring. But if one completes the ring as a normal ring, then the hidden colour emerges at one end, while the visible colour comes back to the base of ring !
It hit me almost towards the end, that for this particular pattern, why was I using SSSR after double core half ?! I could so easily avoid loop tatting by doing a normal ring for the 2nd half. The last few motifs were done in this manner :
Double core Ring
This also gives me more options to hide/sew in the yellow tail !
Notice where the yellow thread is emerging in this picture : it is at the base of ring...
unlike in the double core SSSR, where the yellow thread emerges at opposite end, along with brown.
* I learned this technique by watching Karen's video (Lesson 43)
However, before posting here, I decided to do some more hunting. The first
place to look is always Jane
Eborall’s blog & sure
enough there was the tutorial on Double Core SSSR with Two Colours Or how
to crawl out of a round while using 2 colours and keep the SSSR one colour!
And that also revealed that this technique was originally conceived by TattingChic in 2009. Read all about that interesting
experiment & process (with pics) in her blogpost titled “A Tale of Two Split Rings” .
****************
I like how the brown clovers form a defined outline for previous round - almost like a large flower !
Measures around 11" in size 40, after round 5
Abbreviations
used :
SH –
shuttle
SSSR –
single shuttle split ring
fhs –
first half stitch
RODS –
reverse order double stitch for frontside/backside tatting.
LJ – lock
join
CWJ –
Catherine Wheel Join
ds - double stitch
The brown doesn't quite show up against the blue background ; but colours get muted against the pale b/g !
In Conversation ...
What I considered to
be ‘routine’ repetitive rounds after Round 5, have suddenly perked up my
interest.
As I was looking for
the stitchcount in Rnd 6, something sprung up that I’d missed earlier. Rounds 2
& 3 have the side rings facing in one direction, while rounds 7 & 8 face the opposite direction ! And I think my round 2 & 3 rings
face the ‘wrong’ direction ;-P
And the very latest
includes new learning again – Join to Smooth Side by Anne Dyer.
More about
these in next post .
Till then, happy
tatting :-)
