new and old

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metallic thread, background, snood

As promised yesterday, this is the medallion (not blocked) I started immediately, using Red Rose metallic thread.

The thread is nice to tat with – soft and smooth - but very strong. It is so much easier than using 2 or 3 strands of metallic embroidery thread.
I did consciously loosen my stitch tension. And no extra half stitch at end of rings. 

TIP to close ring: While closing rings, pull evenly till almost the very end, then another tug towards the left (for right-handers) to close that final gap.

TIP to retro-tat: I had to un-tat a ring. It felt safer & easier to undo half stitch at a time (using the blunt head of #10 crochet hook) instead of forcing open the ring. After a few stitches were taken out, it was easy to pull open the ring loop wider and quickly unravel the rest.

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Playing with camera settings for background using same metallic thread medallion. Didn’t know my phone camera had such a wide range – these are only a few I selected to upload. The top right is 'autumn'.

 

 

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And a UFO from mid-2016! I kept finding and losing it in my closet. But this time when I found it, I felt energized to complete it. Perhaps Eliz's perseverance rubbed off on me. Also, I need to replace this 2017 snood because some of the end chains have frayed due to daily friction.

It measures about 5½ cms across (in size 40) while I need at least 7 cms. So off to the drawing board to chalk out some rows. I intend to use a dark shade - brown or black - to keep the spinning wheel in focus. Now to decide how to fill that space - a daunting task.

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honeytrapped !!!

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Blossoms motifs 21-30

Who said the thieves were fools?! They were old hands at remaining free and unfettered (that's how they amassed that vast treasure stashed in the cave!*)! So, when 20 of their mates went missing – some wound tight, some cornered, roped in, corralled, split down the middle, and what not - they got into a consultative huddle to chart their future course of action. Most importantly how to avoid detection. By now they had realised that moving alone or in small groups made them easy targets. Henceforth they would move en bloc; split into 2 groups of 10 each seemed a safe bet to overcome their unseen enemy, Alibaba.

But our Alibaba was smarter by far and changed his MO (modus operandi), He laid a sweet honey-trap. Who can resist a ‘sweetmeat’ ;-P  He put forward his clever and resourceful slave girl, Marĵanah (Morgĩana in some online versions, pronounced Marjiinaa) who enticed and lured the entire group of 10 thieves to partake of the very many tasty candies till they doubled up in pain arising from decaying teeth! Who can think of anything else with a bad case of toothache, and were easily rounded up.

How cheeky of Alibaba – Was he being unethical and unfair in compromising their long-term oral health? Sadly, all’s fair in love and war.

So parading here are the captured blossoms motifs from 21 to 30, with their stitch count inked in respective images.

Techniques : rosette ; picot join to the right ; luggage tag loop or larks head knot ; lock join.

All worked in Lizbeth size 20 threads with a single shuttle.

Blossoms Motif #21

>2” X 1½”

Blossoms Motif #22

2½” X 1¼”

  

Blossoms Motif #23

2” X 1½”

Blossoms Motif #24

2” X 1½”

Blossoms Motif #25

<2” X 1¼”

Blossoms Motif #26

2¼” × 1¼”

This motif works well as an asymmetrical or freestyle corner motif.

Blossoms Motif #27

2¼” X 1¼”

Blossoms Motif #28

2¼” X 1¼”

Blossoms Motif #29

~2½” X 1¼”

Blossoms Motif #30

2¾” X 1½”

Spiraling out of control, lured by the sweetmeats!!! There's a lesson in this, isn't there! Enjoy festivities but control sweet temptations ;-P

A Blossoms spinning wheel mat ????

How will the last remaining group of 10 save themselves now? Wait for it - they may go underground or go digital ..... 

*Alibaba and the Forty Thieves from One Thousand Nights and One Nights aka Arabian Nights 

All Blossoms Motifs patterns will be listed here under Nature 2D.

a cool warm-up

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The weather has taken a turn for the better, at least for now. We had a storm & rain Monday evening. So I got back to working at my desktop a bit. Lots of piled-up emails to answer still …

I was going to delete the previous post which was a mere notification; but how can I do that now ?! Your support, concern & advice through comments & emails has touched me so very much .

But I did get a lot of tatting done during this sojourn. Besides the Wiosna, I worked a bit on the Spinning Wheel snood, completed Ninetta’s bookmark with a bit of floral flourish, caught up with some more picot effects while learning a couple of new ones too. 

But this post is to get back on track :-)

(words in blue are direct active links)

Wiosna 2016

A doily tat-along by Renulek

Rounds 1-8 of tat-along Wiosna 2016 designed by Renulek

ROUND 7 :

I liked the way Renulek used picots on one side of the rings. Reminded me of a kitten’s face ! The floating rings were pretty tiny, though. Worked clockwise, exactly as inked in her sampler image.

It was easy to guess where the next round would join. Hence I climbed out with a split chain & split ring.

Techniques I used : directional tatting (fs/bs), floating rings, SCh & SR to climb out.

Measures < 8½”  in size 40

I actually forgot to take a pic of Round 7 before starting Round 8. So the doily here is un-blocked & only a wedge pic.

ROUND 8 :

I immediately fell in love with this round ! The overlapping rings, a reflection of the central round, with their chains, looked like a lotus in half-bloom ! The stitch count was very easy to memorize.

Tatted all from the front, but going counterclockwise because I used direct tatting (reverse stitch) for all the chains; rings were all normal.

Unfortunately this round has ruffles. We have had different ideas on Craftree about why it is so or how we can rectify it. My own feeling is that the joining picot in round 7 should’ve been a normal picot which would increase the circumference & allow the chains to lie flat, without tweaking the stitchcount. On close inspection, even Renulek’s model seems to have a bit of ruffle. She does seem to suggest in one of the comments that the next round(s) will correct that.

I tried to lay the second ring over the 1^st & 3^rd rings throughout. But I think the opposite might look better. Will try it later & take a pic to compare. 

Midway through the round, I ran out of thread in one bobbin and used Marilee’s Lark’s Head Knot trick as the last stitch of a ring to add new thread. It worked great, especially since single colour is being used !
As seen in pic, the last chain is yet to be tatted. Depending on how the next round is laid/joined, I will either climb out with a split chain, or complete the chain & start round 9 afresh.

Techniques I used : direct tatting, lark’s head knot to add new thread

Measures 9½”  in size 40

Spinning Wheel snood (an adaptation)

Mary Konior

Following Batty Tatter's example, I have doubled the repeats in the original glass mat in order to use it as a snood or hair bun holder. I use simple crocheted ones in black. But how can one hide such a beautiful pattern in black (there’s still some way to go before my hair turns grey ;-P). So I chose the next ‘sober’ colour that would work with any colour dress. There is a very slight difference in shades between this ecru & the Wiosna one, which is a richer cream in reality.

I’m working on this in very very small steps as something to fall back on when no thinking or concentration is required… a snail tatting !

The diameter appears to be about 4” to 4½” in size 40, which should work fine. Let’s see …

happy tatting :-)

Related posts : Wiosna 2016 Rounds 1-3 ; Rnd 4 ; Rnds 5-6

Strawberries & Leaves for bookmark

the Spinning Wheel of Time

Look !

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Look what a lock join unlocked !!! Access to my very first MK pattern. My head was literally spinning with palpable excitement when this popped out of the Tatter Chatter newsletter last week (March)! Thanks to Bev, and her wonderful team at The Tatters’ Guild of Australia (NWS Branch). Their newsletter was the first to officially publish a post of mine - How to Unlock the Lock Join.

And just as I was finalizing this post, Another Huge gift arrived, just in time for ITD. Once again from Australia & probably partially connected to my Joins in Shuttle Tatting series. Judith Connors sent me a copy of her book ”An Illustrated Dictionary of Tatting” *! WooHoo – can you see me doing the happy dance ?!

In Hindu mythology, we consider Time as a wheel (‘samay / kaal ka chakra’) that keeps rolling … The Spinning Wheel glass mat symbolises how tatters across time, space & nations can come together through their continuing love for this beautiful art. We are truly joined, interlaced :-)

So what better way to celebrate International Tatting Day than dedicate it to Mary Konior, the queen of visual tatting.

I also want to dedicate this to the Wonderful online tatting community from where I have learned so much in such a short time & the community continues to inspire me in so many ways every single day, and in particular to Judith, my inspiration & guide.

Spinning Wheel Glass Mat

Mary Konior

The Spinning Wheel glass mat looks great irrespective of which colour(s)/colourway one chooses. But Diane's charcoal mat here threw up such interesting negative space designs tempting me to choose black.

In Anchor Mercer cotton size 40, black, it measures 4” in diameter.

Techniques I used :

2 shuttles CTM fully loaded bobbins .

Directional tatting

Switching Shuttles takes care of the change in chain directions (reverse chains).

It was interesting to note that directional tatting changed en bloc : while going up an arm, the rings were RODS, while returning back, chains were RODS.

If one stops at 6 arms or 7 arms, one gets a nice bowl shape – perfect for little truffles & treats to share on ITD :-)

There was a tip on Craftree to start the mat from an outer ring, so that it becomes easier to join back & tie off in the end. However, for my first mat, I decided to go as per directions.

I intend to tat another, with increased diameter like this, for my snood.  I've been collecting possible patterns but this one is exactly what I wanted !

Happy Tatting and nibbling on chocolates while you distribute tatted goodies :-)

I chose some symbolic tatting for the lead pic, alongside the Spinning Wheel glass mat –

Bonds of Love rakhi bracelet ,

Hold My Hand heart ( for the interlaced rings) ,

Anne Bruvold’s Hearts of Hope , and

Super 17 Butterflies to give away (one has already been given away on Sunday)

* This edition of the book is available at Lacis.com 

Related Posts : ITD 2014 - pattern

ITD 2015 - poem