bonding together

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I haven’t been able to pick up my shuttles for the last several days - a tatting hiatus seems quite inviting! But I have permission (some for quite a while now) to share pics of stuff inspired or learned from this blog. 
So here's a colourful spread to cheer us all -

Tatting binds us.....and liberates us! Soaring together ....

In no particular order ….

Krystyna Mura – tweaked Blossoms heart (from Buddy Hearts) to create quite a wild boho version. Love it!

Sheetal Kakodkar – her bookmark journey took a zigzag path instead of S turns, giving us such a picturesque view! Tweaked from the picoted S-chain tutorial! (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/04/picoted-s-chain-cords.html)

Carolyn Miller – her practice piece for various techniques, starting with Interlaced Rings. She has cleverly converted it to hold picot gauges. See, we put every little piece to good use!

Margaret Davies – Such a beautiful adaptation of the Hidden Rose snowflake into an ice drop! She shared the pattern here - http://margaretsdesignercardspatternsandhowt.blogspot.com/2020/05/hidden-rose-ice-drop.html

Usha Shah had tatted and sent me her version of the Magic Square Cross almost within hours of my posting the pattern!

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/03/magical-patterns.html

Anita Barry - Master Tatter - has often been inspired, and sent me her off-shoots –

 

Inspired by the Heartland Rainbow Snowflake, she went wild with these hearts ...posing as plumes on a proud peacock and colourful heart balloons (lead pic top) – such happiness and good cheer emanates from these - a true reflection of her peesonality!

 

Remember my invite to design-play? This is how Anita added a new round to the NeoVintage heart.  Looks like an embrace,  doesn't it? !

She has also shared her count.

And finally, such an honour - she used the Rosette Enchained Ice Drop only-chains idea to frame a miniature of her tatting teacher!

This is how the back looks.

I know of 2 tatters who actually learned treble tatting in order to make the Peacock in the Snow flake - one of them worked it a second time using a different colour palette !

These are but a few of what I would like (or remember,  sadly) to accommodate. Any omission is due to a faulty memory, not intentional.
There are quite a few others I have to share, but need to hunt them down for a future post. I invite you to send in your versions to share in my blog!

Many thanks to all these wonderful tatters – 

you inspire me to try harder and do better!

You can find links to respective pattern or tutorial in one of these pages –

My Patterns page https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/patterns-designs.html

My Tutorials page https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/my-tut.html

Tatting Resources page https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/tatting-resources.html

All my Heart patterns - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LpHU69wNsQspIHgvt9pihgTNhHFDRBab3I5_MDEYyNw/view

All my Snowflake patterns - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r4OmXX_c5LjFebMN2UbSNiYqXYETLmoridK0X1YIQco/view

tracking both sides

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So, Life got majorly in the way! You indulged me, but ALL my plans to utilise my time on blogging and ticking off my check-list, while keeping my personal correspondence staggered, got way-laid. Where did this entire week go?! I literally lost track of everything beyond the very personal.

But life's train runs on 2 tracks - there are 2 sides to everything. So there was some good mixed in and everything is back on track, fresh ‘n’ fine.

And look what I discovered on the other side of the picoted S-Chain! 

Isn't it pretty? In my previous cords, this intricate weave did not reveal itself so clearly. Obviously, there needs to be greater contrast in colour or tone between threads. It may also be lost in finer threads.

The above cord uses Anchor size 20.

We can now choose which side we want to show up front and which to hide!

picoted S Chain cords

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Ever since I shared the S-chain cords using scrap threads, there has been a renewed interest in this beautiful effect. Last week Madhur asked for help with the picoted S-Chain I had used in a bookmark tail here. 

I took pics and prepared a quick pdf to send to her. I’m sharing some background notes here along with detailed steps and large pics, if you are interested.

S-CHAIN WITH PICOTS or faux Pearl tatting!
- PICTORIAL -

NOTES :

1. Sabina Carden-Madden first wrote about the S-Chain, along with instructions and comparison. 
2. 1 double stitch is followed by 1 reverse stitch or lark’s head knot. In other words, 1 flipped stitch is followed by 1 unflipped stitch/hitch, and repeated to desired length.
3. If picots are added before every stitch, the cord looks like Pearl Tatting, without the hassle of 3 threads or even 2 shuttles.
4. It can be tatted with single shuttle and a ball, but the effect is best seen when there is a contrast between colours.
5. For initial practice, use a thick thread and 2 colours.
6. For even picots, a picot gauge can be used. Scroll down to page 3, III-A – Direct Tatting, to see how a gauge is used in direct tatting or reverse stitch.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Above pics show vertically and horizontally measured picots in 2^nd side of split ring which uses reverse stitch.

Double Stitch v/s Reverse Stitch :

1 double stitch is made of 1^st half-stitch (under-over) followed by 2^nd half-stitch (over-under).     1 ds = fhs, shs

1 reverse stitch is made of unflipped 2^nd half stitch (over-under) followed by unflipped 1^st half stitch (under-over).     1 rs = ushs, ufhs

UPDATE - 1 reverse stitch is made of 1st hitch (over-under) followed by 2nd hitch (under-over). 1 rs = 1st h, 2nd h

Pictorial shows coloured thread in shuttle, and a ball of cream thread.

Tie threads or start with a ring in order to get a good grip.

The 1^st image shows a ring (with tails hidden within) followed by (1ds,1rs)x4 already worked.

1.  
Start chain with picot followed by 1 double stitch. 

2.

The next stitch is a reverse stitch or unflipped stitch (as in 2^nd side of split ring).

Bring shuttle over-under to make an unflipped half stitch.

Do NOT snug tight. Leave picot space at the beginning. See next pic for a better idea.

3.

Notice the bare threads after previous ds? This will later become the picot.

Make next unflipped half stitch (under-over) to complete 1 rs.

4.

Now snug the stitch.

The space converts into a picot at the beginning of this reverse stitch.

Also notice that the reverse stitch faces downwards as opposed to the double stitch.

IMPORTANT : Snug properly only after you are satisfied with picot length because each stitch locks the work in place. See above on how to use a picot gauge.

5.

Leave picot space and make another ds.

6.

Repeat the 2 stitches (p,1ds, p,1rs) for desired length.

See bookmark tail made using a doubled-up cord. It is also linked into a mock ring that resembles a Maltese Ring! 

Hope to see this cord being used in patterns - it can easily be substituted for regular chains, mock rings, etc. Vary the length of picots to create feathery effects! Let your imagination free

UPDATE : If distinctly contrasting colours in size 20 or thicker thread are used, a beautifully woven pattern emerges! Check the image in this post -  https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/05/tracking-both-sides.html

locked in place

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One can never have enough bookmarks ! And I have been itching to tat one for quite a while. Hence what started out as a practice braid out of curiousity, got extended into a bookmark for my latest book.

Rings and Curves Variation

Braid to Bookmark

Original braid : 'Rings and Curves' by Elaine P. Gan

Variation : Judith Connors, on Craftree

This variation of the braid pattern was shared by Judith on Craftree as part of her description of & practice for Elaine’s Reverse Join (“The handy reverse join”). I have used the RJ frequently since the Wiosna doily & prefer it to the SLT (shoelace trick/overhand knot).

So here is my practice piece of the braid which I later decided to extend to a full bookmark.

Having used leftover green thread, it soon ran out. So I used Ninetta’s ‘elementary’ technique to add the chain thread and it felt a bit like deja vu. Loved the ease with which the thread was added & no ends to sew!

It was interesting to do directional tatting (RODS) in this braid - the changes were made in blocks of elements, just as in the Spinning Wheel mat 

With the main body length completed, I had to think of a tail. A lock chain would be too narrow for this braid. The tail needed some width to be proportionate to the width of the main body. Picots on both sides !

UPDATE: Pictorial for the Picoted S-Chain -https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/04/picoted-s-chain-cords.html  . S-chains are a variant of the zigzag chains.

For the few who actually read through my posts, do you recognize this? I tried it with metal here.

Yes, it is not a pearl tatted braid, but a S-Chain with picots. And the S-chain is a simple extension of a lock chain with complete stitches. Refer samplers # 10-12 here for comparison. I love how the stitches are diagonal to each other !

The tail still felt too narrow; so I decided to go for 2 tails & snipped off after desired length. And as always, the NanoMoment you snip, there comes this Big brainwave sweeping in all kinds of regrets !  Why have 2 separate tails ? Why not have them interlaced ?! I could’ve simply turned back ….

Oh well, damage was done. Reconnected threads to base & started 2^nd tail, intertwining it with the first. Here, I used Martha’s ball thread join (explained in her Butterick Butterfly Bookmark pattern) to mask the links & keep the picots seemingly intact.

Look carefully & you will notice a green join on the lower left overlap & a pick one in the upper overlap.

Threads used : Anchor Mercer size 20 Art 4054. (pink – 052; green – 0241)

Measurements : Main body – 5½” x 1¼”  ; Tail – 4 “ x ½”

Techniques I used : 2 shuttles, RODS/directional tatting, reverse join, S-chain, ball & thread join, adding new ball thread in a chain

Without planning it, this bookmark has 2 adaptations/variations of the lock join – the reverse join & the ball thread join. The latter is already covered in Part II of the Joins series, & the former will come later.

My Observations/thoughts on Reverse Join :

• RJ eliminates the visual dip caused by a lock join, and another dip when using SLT (I am not a fan of SLTs). Due to the encapsulated thread, no dip is produced.                     
• There will remain a colour blip which can be incorporated as a design element.
• RJ is much easier to undo than a traditional LJ, because of the encapsulated thread.
• In the bookmark, I deliberately used a down loop throughout to make the RJ. And since I was tatting fs/bs, some of these turned up as up loops. It doesn't change the spot of colour, but it Does change how the colour bar appears ! 

I enjoyed tatting this braid to bookmark - although only rings & chains, it needed one's attention. Another page in my learning turned :-)

Many thanks to all the wonderful tatters named in this post - 

you enhance my learning at every step !

Related Posts : Shuttle 2 to the rescue

Chains in shuttle tatting