polymorphic

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Is it a fan, a cat, a swan, or a peacock?! May be even part of a barge? Or a slice of a potential doily? Actually, each stage has the potential to be used as something whether alone, tiled, or in combo. I am talking about Anita Barry's FanCatstic purse pattern which I wrote about in my last post, along with the PDF link -https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/09/its-fancatstic.html 

Here I share pics of my own tatted cat worked in Anchor size 50. This was tatted back in 2018 in order to be sure to diagram it correctly, hence I no longer remember the nuances. Fortunately, a bit of hunting threw up a draft post in blogger with a few notes. So without further ado, let's scroll through the stage-wise pics and enjoy the possibilities and shapes that emerge.

Is it a mini hand fan perhaps for a doll?! Makes for a good jewellery piece, too, with additional bling and findings.
Didn't have right sized beads but thought these would work. Should’ve used larger beads.

This appears like a blossoming flower and also has an arabesque mural effect.

Love this! Already looks like a fan.

Among the notes I mentioned, a couple don't seem to make sense to me now unless I sit and compare the pattern in detail. Best to ignore that rather than create confusion.

And this could be worked in the round for a beautiful doily!

Body completed.

To compensate for the small beads at the beginning,  I included larger pearl beads. I like the combo, better seen in the next image.

The tail is added. 

I would've liked to leave the tail tip unattached so that it curls naturally over the body. Not that it would work for the purse though. 

Though the green beads fade into the background, I like the lace on this black background. Hence boring you with picture-pairs ;-P

Body and tail completed and model turned 90degrees.. The purse part needs to be sewn and lace attached to it, besides the other accessorising. I didn't do it, which is why I say it is still a WIP. Complete pattern PDF link in my previous post.

 

So, doesn't this look like a peacock??? Notice how I drew a pair of pointed chains for the legs. 

And here it looks like a swan serenely gliding over water! This pic is courtesy Sharada, to whom it was gifted.

If we extend the neck/body behind, I can visualise it as Queen Cleopatra's royal barge as she cruises down the Nile! If I wasn't so lazy, I'd have taken a pic from Asterix and Cleopatra (one of The Best of these comics) to accompany this 'barge'.

Many many thanks to Anita for the opportunity to be part of her lovely pattern and journey!

dancing or flying ?

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free tatting pattern

Peacock is the national bird of India and today we are celebrating the adoption of our Constitution in 1950. Seemed like a good day to share the pattern inspired by peacocks – one of my favourite birds.

Dancing Peacocks

Medallion & Earring patterns pdf

 UPDATE : Dancing Peacock Earrings updated pattern with count 

See blog post here. 

It all started with my desire to make a medallion enclosed with onion rings. If you remember I shared the design process & trials here...

There are reasons for choosing certain techniques and effects, most of which I have already explained in that post. I have detailed my own working in the pdf. 

However, it is left to the tatter’s own preference to work the pattern as s/he sees fit. I have deliberately not tried to work it in one colour, though.

I found it Extremely difficult to take a photograph of the blue/green model alone without having something else beside it. It always turned out hazy. Below is the only pic that survived the dump.

I find that if picots are added to the thrown rings, we can join medallions for a longer lace. Placed side by side, this is how they would look.

The previous post contains some more details and pics of the earring adaptations.

I got back to Inkscape after more than 2 months and it took a few moments to recover my motor memory for icons, etc. But once I got going, it was exhilarating. Which is how the earring schematic came about ;-P

And in the process I figured out another Inkscape hack on how to quickly draw an over-under thread - as a continuous curved line undulating around a previous element. Hope I have time to make a proper post.

Lots of links are included in the pdf. Click on the blue text to go to the source.

There are also suggestions for some variations and adaptations of the pattern.

download pattern here.

Republic Day is also celebrated by flying kites. The late afternoon/evening sky is filled with colourful kites! I don’t know how to string and fly a kite, but I can sure string and let my shuttle fly!!!

hope you dance & fly with this pattern as I have :-)