better than nothing?

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free bookmark pattern

I wanted to insert some bookmarks in a book to give away as a gift. Rummaged through my stash and chose a few. But an incomplete bookmark caught my eye. Remember I had promised a pattern back in 2014 at the end of the magic square deconstruction?

At the time all I did was the basic/central row derived from the magic square, 

but I couldn’t quite get the next row to work. 

You can see my woeful attempts along the left side before I had set it aside.

Slow forward to 2018 - This time when I laid it on paper, I could easily create a satisfactory design (sketched on the right side).

The recipient loves yellow. I Had to use it.

Combo of Lizbeth Falling Leaves & Anchor yellow both in size 40.

This combination looks even better in real.

The 2 rows were worked separately since I wasn’t sure what size ring was needed.

But if the same colour placement is followed, we can throw rings off row 1 chains using 2^nd shuttle. Then the outer row will be mostly chains all around.

It can be worked continuously if we climb out with a split chain.

With requisite beads, it can make a lovely bracelet or choker or perhaps adorn a headband.

Struggled with naming it. Thought of ‘magic square bookmark’ to mark the end, & remind me, of that exercise years ago. But the overall design barely qualifies as a magic square, right?! And the outer row is nothing special either. So what better name than: “Better than nothing” from the heading above ;-P

The book is "Einstein. In his own words" by Anne Rooney. It is a fairly good collection of his thoughts and ideas on varied subjects, with some rare images thrown in. A hardbound copy, good print, and one can pick up reading & leave off anywhere.  

Better than Nothing bookmark pattern

stitchcount

ROW 1 : shuttle and ball

R1: 5 vsp 2 vsp 5. rw

Ch: 6 – 6 – 6. rw

R2: 5 + 2 vsp 5. rw

Ch: 5

This forms 1 motif. Repeat for length required.

To turn corner, omit the 5ds chain. Instead make chain: 6 – 6 – 6.

Then turn back, joining the rings as you go. First ring will be joined to R2, and next ring will be joined to both the previous ring and R1. 

sequence

ROW 2 : 2 shuttles

Attach threads to one of the side picots.

R: 8 + 8. rw

Ch: 10 lock join to same place as ring, 8 lj , rw.

Repeat till corner is reached. To turn corner :

Ch: 10 lj 8 rw

R: 6 + 6 rw Switch shuttle

R: 10 switch shuttle

Ch: 8 lj 10 lj 8 lj 

Continue with ring as before. 

Turn other corner in same manner.

Add decorative picots if desired. 

a question :

Do you think it should have a tail? If yes, any suggestions?

Enjoy  J 

were they hieroglyphs ?

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free vintage edging pattern in modern notation  
this post is in a lighter vein, though it involved serious work

 Hieroglyphic, err, Arsenic and Old Lace

 dedicated to the wonderful Online Tatting Class

                                            A mummy wrapped in old lace,

                                            I sought to make new and replace

                                            with minimal invasion –

                                            a diagram and notation.

                                            There arose a cry in class

                                            ‘how to tat this is one pass?’

                                            To a new diagram it led,

                                            but wasn’t clearly read.

                                            The new sequence highlighted,

                                            Why was not it sighted ?

                                            Was there a real glitch

                                            or words were like hieroglyphs ?

                                            Such tricks plays our brain

                                            This is arsenic, pain not again !

                                            The new mummy they turned over

                                            To decipher the top as the lower !

                                                                           -- muskaan, May 31, 2017

I promise, je promets, lo prometto – the last and final revision of this edging. And I do apologise for putting my dear readers through this yet again - March, April, and now May, oops - the mummy rises again !

This is an image from the original Georgia sent me, for working out the sequence and diagramming. Here all 5 rows were tatted separately, with tie and cut after each. 

During my first revisit of the tatted edging from Coats and Clark (Book 121, Pattern 295), without specific guidelines, I didn’t want to change anything, except climbing out of rows for a continuous tat. Hence rows I to IV were tatted as one continuous unit. Then tie and cut. And row V was worked separately.

Some tatters wondered how to make all 5 rows in one go. Hence I included this in a revised diagram (below), to be read in conjunction with the original modern notation, and all links and information were provided in that single page (shown encircled)

Yet confusion persisted. Eyes went straight for the diagram, skipping the written matter which was highlighted through colour coding, or within boxes and the tatting sequence was the first thing on the page ! They were Not hieroglyphs, were they ?! 

I recently finished reading The Brain by David Eagleman and it is an 'eye'-opener to see how our brain takes over all our perceptions, sensations, knowledge, learning, comprehension, actions and reactions.

Anyway, they solved it by turning the page upside down ;-D (Ingenious lot here, though momentarily blinded by the diagram perhaps, ;-P !)

Why ? Because then Row I became oriented correctly – the way we would tat it. Another TWoT lesson for diagrammers.

All this could’ve have easily avoided if I hadn’t tried to avoid some extra work (yeah, yeah, a stitch in time …. and all that jazz ;-P) I should’ve re-oriented the pattern (in pic below) for the revised diagram, but thought it’d be too much work. It is easy enough to flip a diagram in Inkscape; turns out it is just as easy to flip the numbers – individually or as a group !!! I did have to reposition, but it was all fairly quick work. Another happy lesson learned too late :-)

So I give you yet again, the re-revised reoriented and this time stand-alone pattern for the edging. download reoriented diagram-only pdf here. 

Since I was going through it all again, and I didn't want to show you the same old pic, I tatted another sampler, this time in black size 50. 

And I also made another pdf this time with the pattern in written notation too. 
download Complete reoriented pattern pdf with diagram and text here

I know you must be bored, but hey, “I’m picky” ;-P And hopefully no hieroglyphic this time!
I will be striking out all previous pdfs to avoid confusion in future.

Thank you Georgia and the Online Tatting Class

for new perspectives, 
and for making me work harder to improve J

keep tatting till posterity J

quest for a tail

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tatting diagrams for 3 braids

3 Split Ring braids / tails 

derived from and for Jon Yusoff’s

Chinese Coin Bookmark 

I shared the completed body in my earlier post. Jon’s original bookmark ends in a long tassel which looks beautiful. Instead, I decided to make a tail, with a possible short tassel or charm at the tip. 

I made a couple of rough sketches, which are now converted into the following diagrams: 

These were my initial thoughts –

Split ring braid #1 rejected right off.
Couldn't decide between #2 & #3 (although I preferred the latter), neither whether I wanted a tassel or a charm.
Nothing to it but to start tatting one side ...

... and the shuttles decided to go with a single coin motif as charm :-)

The stitchcount for the entire tail is same as for the original bookmark.

After completing the charm, I tried to see how split ring braid #2 would look - after all it would be a miniature coin...

Nope, didn’t like it – seemed too angular.
Un-tatted and went with #3 and am very happy with the phase shift in chains !

As with a few other patterns, it was easier and quicker to switch shuttles and tat the chains with reverse stitch (unflipped) – no need to unwind & rewind main shuttle !

With direct chains, all tatting is from the front side, hence no reverse work, which adds to the confusion in such serpentine or magic square-type patterns.

TIP : I also discovered an easier way to join these RS chains with a down join. A down join, followed by the unflipped 1st half-stitch, creates the visibly complete stitch.
Pull loop of SH2 down through picot, pass SH1 through loop and snug. Make sure thread slides freely. 

These tails (and the bookmark itself) can be used as edgings and insertions or beaded jewelry.

Following the Chinese theme, I picked out a few related books ...

Peony was my first Pearl Buck book, and also my first literary window into Chinese culture. It was one of a few books that my friend gifted when she left for the US. While not in good state, I treasure it very much because she spent a lot of thought into which books to be given to which friend.

One thing I always remember from Peony - they wake a sleeping individual with soft music or songs, giving the 'wandering soul' time to return to the body.

Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud  This book I read a few years back and it was real eye-opener. Retracing Xuanzang's journey along the silk route in search of Buddhism in the 8th century, Sun Shuyung has woven a beautiful picture of the past and present. We studied a bit about the monk (our history books called him Huen Tsang), but to actually be brought to life in that era was a whole new experience. And to think all this was lost till an interested British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham rediscovered Buddhism in India !

The only thing I missed in this book were photographs. A few more photos would have done wonders, especially when the author was visiting and talking about real monuments, etc.

happy tatting and happy reading always :-)

crowning Chaos !

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What a colourful life I live, in complete disarray! Who knew when I chose 'Chaos' as my next book to read,  it would become manifest in various aspects - not exactly the Butterfly Effect, but not in my control either. Do I sound like a broken record ?! ;-P

Tatted Edging

Coats and Clark Book 121 , pattern A295

Remember this vintage pattern I was 'modernizing'? Anetta spotted why the straight edging curved into a collar - a missed ring ! Decided to tat the entire pattern again, so as eliminate all chaos in pattern-writing while climbing out of rows.

Georgia shared it in this Mar 9th Bellaonline newsletter and will be sharing it in Online Tatting Class today. If there is any confusion due to conversion glitches, the original pdf with all symbols can be downloaded here. Scroll below for tatting all 5 rows in one pass - new reoriented pattern pdf

It has a dense centre (row 1) with all those picots,  but I really like the scalloped shape.  And the versatility is visible in the various projects derived from that one edging pattern ! Add beads and you have such a plethora!

Please note : Adding a short chain at end can enable us to work the entire 5-row pattern in one pass !! The sequence of working the rows will change, though.

I have not changed any stitch count. Row 1 ruffles. I used my usual rolling pin blocking method after shaping with fingers.

I had more pics, but they are inaccessible at present.
I realise that the images and text are not in sync, but that's the crowning chaos ;-P

Click here to download free pattern

Click here for one-pass pattern *

Many many thanks to Georgia for "empowering" us !
Join in if you can.

happy tatting down through the decades :-)

UPDATE (April 5, 2017) : In class, there were queries on how to tat all 5 rows in one pass. I have now diagrammed a revised version to address this. The sequence of tatting the rows, however, changes.

*May, 2017 : New, reoriented one-pass pattern shared. pdf of complete pattern with text ; diagram-only pdf

matter of the eye

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I would first like to thank everybody for their immense support and prompt help with testing the block heart pattern. I am very touched, to say the least. More when I post the pattern – and it will be within this week !

The Cosmic Eye or Anti-flake

Twenty-Third Day of December Snowflake

Lene Björn

from 24 Snowflakes in Tatting

for 2016 Snowflake Challenge on Craftree

This pattern always reminded me of our schoolbook atoms and molecules or of orbiting planets. The long chains made perfect elliptical orbits. And this book I’m currently reading ('Genius' by James Gleick) only reinforced that visualization.

Also, I wanted to see how a flake in black would work out – yup crazy me. Can’t say whether this is matter, antimatter or the universe. The beads (are they electrons or planets?) are very glittery in real – difficult to capture here. Sequins were a first, too.

I passed shuttle 1, back to front, through the space created in round 1 chains and then continued with the Josephine chain. A simple over-under ‘join’.

I’d had a tough time keeping count of the Josephine chain stitch count in the Day 22 flake. This time, my little bird came to my rescue. Every 10 half stitches, I take out a pin and stick it in the mattress. Yippee – so easy to keep tally and gaze at my little birdie (who doesn’t seem too happy with all those pin pricks !)

How I added the sequin here

My first attempt at sequins, though the principle of tatting with beads, buttons, etc. is essentially the same or similar.

I wanted the sequin to be flat inside the ring, rather than outside. So, start ring and when we come to the picot, first pull the picot loop through the sequin hole, pass the shuttle through this loop (as we would normally) and snug neatly but not too tightly. This keeps sequin flat and in place. Continue with the rest of the ring and close. 

I would’ve liked to work in 2 colours to better reveal the interweaving chains, but that might’ve become a very busy kind of rendition.
30 beads strung randomly on shuttle #2 in round 2, and brought forward on picots.

Do you see what I see ? Doesn’t it look like a fierce cheetah – eyes glaring out ?! Or perhaps it is Lord Shiva’s Cosmic/third Eye ?

The boring details !

TWoT notes : Round 1 worked counterclockwise ;

Round 2 worked clockwise.

Techniques : thrown rings and clovers, spiral or Josephine chains, beads & sequins on picots, over-under join.

Materials and Measurement :

Anchor size 40 in black ; seed bead soup (including tiny bugle beads) ; white sequins ; crochet hook to load sequins 

Rnd 1 : ~ 2½”  ;   Rnd 2 : ~ 4”

50 half stitches of Josephine chain in size 40 thread = ⅞”

‘Genius’ by James Gleick is a biography of Richard Feynman the exuberant ‘mad genius’ written in an engaging style! It is a very absorbing read. Even though I superficially ‘understand’ much of his work and the physics described, it is a commentary on the evolution and establishment of Physics & of course quantum mechanics. As I read, I am frequently reminded that all that we take for granted now, or what we thought was done ages ago, is not even a century old, even Medicine as a a science !!!

My husband had a couple of books by Feynman before our marriage and he has become one of my favorite scientist-writer – always so full of spirit, full of ideas, practical solutions, and such a great communicator. Down the years, we’ve bought many more of his books, but I’ll share more in future.

Now, back to tatting – besides ‘inspiring’ this snowflake, ‘Genius’ has also sparked off another set of tatting-related fun that I hope to share and would love for you to join in. Not revealing anything for the present ;-P

happy tatting happy reading J