smiling together

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Ninetta recently surprised me with a thoughtful and gorgeous gift on my birthday. She sent me the pattern for her cute little flowers which she named after my moniker Muskaan which means Smile! What an honour! This sweet Hiding Lady knows how to impress and she shared the Smiling Flowers (rose) pattern here -- https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2024/07/smiling-flowers.html 

This is my adapted application into a rakhi/bracelet choosing to represent our tricolour (tiranga) Indian flag. This month we celebrate our Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan just days apart.

Saffron Marigold impression - Marigolds are considered pure and auspicious flowers and you will find them during any Hindu festival or ceremony.

It largely follows Ninetta's instructions except for the petals on the 2nd row where I used graduated treble tatting with 4 wraps. 

(For graduated tds, refer - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2018/07/multiples.html)

 

White Lotus impression - Lotus is our national flower and also symbolizes purity and peace. 

Although not very clear in the pics, the 2nd round petals have distinctly graduated tds with a pointed tip. Instead of 5tds, there are 7 tds with 1tds(1,3), 1tds(1,4), 1tds(1,5), 1tds(2,6), and ditto on the other side with 5, 4, 3 wraps.   

(For notations, refer - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/05/double-trouble-motif.html)

Blue Center - Clear blue bicone faceted crystals at the center for the Ashok Chakra in the center of our flag. I didn't have any blue bead larger than this.

Tempted to tat one more round of petals for the marigold but I desisted for two reasons - one, I ran out of thread; two, how can a marigold be larger than a lotus, LOL.

( Find treble tatting tutorial/video links here - https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_95.html and on my Tatting Resources page.)

Green Leaves - The third colour of our tricolour is green which symbolizes prosperity, vitality.

Ninetta used the tds rings as calyx for her flowers. I used it to make leaves with more tds and some graduation.

Tatted continuously with a single shuttle, the leaf clusters are connected with a ring braid with pulled loop joins (leave bare thread at the back of the ring and make a lock join to the picot). This will act like a frame to secure the flowers.

Assembled together and attached to a doubled string of beads (12 on one side, 14 on the other for that 'gap'). All sewn in.

The beads are actually silver - like silver lining clouds against a blue sky.

So this is my Rakhi/Bracelet 2024 from Ninetta's beautiful pattern! Over the years, I have often used the tricolour to celebrate August 15th (including Har Ghar Tiranga with the 75 year old coin), and have also shared some of my tatted rakhis. 

And making short work, I am submitting this for Natalie Rogers' PICOT Bingo game, crossing off three boxes --- Treble Tatting Stitch , Add Beads , and Tat a Bracelet! 

Oh, and I used Anchor Pearl Cotton, size 8, throughout. 

I find the treble tatting stitch quite addictive! I honestly didn't want to stop tatting. If it weren't for the thread and time running out, I would've continued!

In my haste, though I forgot to add a clasp to the beaded ends!

Small 3D flowers always remind me of Carollyn Brown who had made it her personal goal to tat one floral sprig every month for a year! She always managed to amaze me. You can find her blog here - https://tennbrown.blogspot.com/2020/11/

And adding to the all-encompassing nature of this post, this rakhi/bracelet in flag colours is my August submission to splocik's Small Decorations game. Please do head over to the July gallery to check out the talented and diverse submissions compiled there - https://splocik2.blogspot.com/2024/08/male-dekoracje-2024-galeria-lipcowa.html

Thank you my dear partner in crime, Ninetta, for the honour and friendship you bestowed on me. It is precious! Keep smiling, always :-))) 

my DAL tadaaaa

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 And the reveal!!!! My version of the 3rd Round design-along for the DAL Celtic Snowflake. This is where I first posted the game - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2023/05/lets-design-round-3.html. My next two posts showed my own dilemma, course correction and solution trial (thanks to Anna Bonelli!). 

Several techniques, effects, stitches, and their modification have been used to achieve this result. 

I am very happy with the end result. I challenged myself and am quite satisfied.

Tatted in Red Rose size 20 threads (equivalent to Lizbeth size 10), the final size is 14cms.

Motif 1 = 4cms ; Motif 2 = 7cms.

I did away with the Josephine rings. For the tip I used a decorative picot; for the treble arches I used graduated treble tat stitches.

This is how it looks in toto. I would've loved to try Sam's visualization of the flake in blues and greens. Hopefully I will do another one in finer threads using the water effect.

To anchor the are thread in the center, after doing a lock join, I made a tied stitch (as in encapsulation) at the very base and then again at the tip. The bare thread is deliberately left uneven to give an open, free-style look.

This is the same, but from the back. After all Celtic interlacing creates a different overlap on the two sides.

Again from the back.

We now have a total of, I think, 15 models submitted or WIP, with 6 patterns (I have to write out mine to make it 7) and 2 more patterns promised. I have started compiling them in a Google Doc but it takes time to get it all done properly since time needs to be squeezed in, LOL.

peacock in the snow

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Snowflake #8 in Land of Laces’ 25 Snowflake Project

Whoever heard of a tropical bird prancing and showing off it’s plumage in snow? A bird that dances in the rain! It can only happen in lace where creativity knows no geographical bounds.
Yet, I stuck with cool colours for a seamless transition.

2 flakes stacked, creating a lovely effect and design!

Peacock in the Snow flake

Click to download free pattern pdf

Pattern is finally ready and converted to pdf which includes details, along with a close-up pic. Contact me in case of any problem. Hope you enjoy this layered flake. 

The story in pics ....

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

2 together as motifs for a larger fabric.

Round 4
It measures 10 cms in Anchor Pearl cotton, size 8 (similar to Lizbeth size 20)

An extreme close-up to show details.

2 together as motifs for a larger fabric. Each side is 5 cms.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating and playing with it!

Download pdf here

Julibeth and group, have fun! 

Related posts :

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/08/life-without-ts.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/04/dancing-in-snow.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/05/double-trouble-motif.html

double trouble motif

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So, here’s what I did with the treble arches (from previous post) to showcase their gracefulness! And despite the title of this post, I found it very relaxing and enjoyable ;-D Perhaps you would like to give it a go as a practice piece?

I started with the same first round rosette as in the snowflake since I wanted to check on something. It can be made smaller, of course, and the next rounds adjusted accordingly.

Treble  Arches  Flower  Motif pattern

muskaan © May 2020

Abbreviations : ctm = continuous thread method ; SCMR = self-closing mock ring ; 

rw = reverse work ; tds = treble tat stitch

NOTATION for Graduated or Variable Treble Tat Stitch (tds)  :

The original tds is made by pulling 2 loops consecutively for 1^st part, and 3 rolls/wraps in 2^nd part. In order to create a relatively smooth gradient, both halves of the tds have been tweaked. A notation that can convey this clearly was needed. I find the following notation (similar to the pds) easiest to indicate the range of variability.

I followed this pictorial and this explanation. Here is Ninetta's summary and links to tds posts.

Following the above logic, a normal tds would be notated as tds(2,3) where 2 loops are pulled and 3 wraps/rolls are made. However, tds is retained in instructions. 

The following tds variations have been used in this pattern :

tds(1,2) = 1 loop pulled, 2 wraps/rolls made.

tds(3,4) = 3 loops pulled, 4 wraps/rolls made.

tds(4,5) = 4 loops pulled, 5 wraps/rolls made.

tds(5,7) = 5 loops pulled, 7 wraps/rolls made.

A single tds is tatted each time, hence, no number is indicated on the left in this pattern.

All rounds are tatted using a single shuttle and ball, without cutting the thread between them (ctm). Shuttles require only short lengths.

Round 1 : Red ball and shuttle, ctm

SCMR: 4 ± 4 ± 8 – 8 – 4 – 4. close. rw

Chain: 1

Repeat this 5 more times, joining to previous ring and last ring to first ring.

I direct-tatted the chain using reverse stitch. See details here.

Round 2 : yellow ball and shuttle, ctm

Note: Each arch starts and ends with 2 double stitches.

Attach thread to 2^nd picot on Round1.

Chain: 2, tds(1,2), tds, tds(3,4), tds(4,5), tds(5,7), tds(4,5), tds(3,4), tds, tds(1,2), 2, lock join. Repeat 5 more times.
One can stop after this round.

Round 3 : mustard yellow ball and shuttle, ctm

Attach thread to free picot on Round1, from the back.

Repeat Round 2 all around.

Possible variations –

• Overlap the arches of 3^rd round with previous round.
• Add more rounds/layers.
• Instead of blocking flat, keep the petals raised in 3D effect – in the right colours one could make a water lily or lotus surrounded by leaves!
• Add beads and findings to convert into earrings or pendant.

Measurements when worked in Anchor size 20 - 

Round 1: <4cms (with picot)

Round 2: >5cms. (3 cms as a hexagon side)

Round 3: 5½ cms (3½ cms as a hexagon side)

So what do you think? Are the instructions and notations clear? If you can suggest an alternate or better notation, please do share. 

happy tatting :-)

dancing in the snow

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In January I was contacted by Craftree’s jmjtat. Her guild, ‘Fiber Frenzy’ from the USA had decided to work on my snowflakes as a tat-along through to August, to be displayed in September. They ‘really liked the variety in style and techniques in my collection’! Many were interested in the Peacock in the Snow flake of which I had uploaded only prototype pics. She requested me to release the pattern.

As I had written earlier, I felt the theme was not complete, since white snow was missing in the flake! I finally got around to designing and tatting the final round of snow.

I kept tweaking the treble stitch arches through the round, but now feel confident of what I want for the final.
In Anchor Pearl cotton size 8, it measures 9.5 cms tipwise, and 5cms as hexagon side.

Each round is layered tightly hence ruffles slightly, but settles flat with quick blocking with rolling pin. Can’t say if I have the stamina to test a few versions to get it sorted. We’ll see.

Just wanted to share the first complete look, though. What do you think?

See the white sewing thread across the purple rings in pic below? My prototype had picots and I wanted to see how it would look without them. Hence sewed them to the back – laziness personified ;-P

But look at how beautiful the arches really look from the wrong side!!! From the front, they are partially hidden by the Josephine rings. However, JRs are part of the peacock motif, so I’ll simply reduce the half stitches in each.

And I really have some ideas to re-tat a variation without the JRs so that the arches are in full view! 

And to make flowers with these arches – getting ahead of myself ;-P

Waiting for your comments - answers and suggestions !