monkey business

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Snowflake #23 in Land of Laces’ 25 Snowflake Project

Why did I title this post ‘monkey business’? I’ll tell you in a bit. Let me start from the beginning.

It was an amazing start in a sense. After a few beaded trials that needed more figuring out, I finally decided what I would do. But no lessons learnt, sigh. It ended up as a square. I think it looks superb as an ornament – pendant, earring, brooch?

While it holds well, if one wants to wear it, I think some stiffening will be needed otherwise the swinging beads will fold down with gravity. 

I wish I could capture the beautiful sheen & shine.

For the snowflake project though, I started a new one without beads. Folded rings are not often seen in snowflake patterns and I repeated the top ring inside the negative space as well. Lots of folded rings (need to practice, so don’t look too closely) and I like the overall design! 

Anita Barry spoiled it for me!!! I was pretty happy with my latest star but she saw a monkey face in it! She’s such a Goose. Now all I can see is a Monkey, too, or perhaps even a Lion or Tiger face. She even suggested a name like Monkey Mania and is determined to call her's 'monkey face'! Grrrr, I’m too Chicken to use it because then all everybody will see is that darned monkey!

I still know which name will stick, though ;-P
And do you see a Butterfly? I saw it while tatting and is worth pursuing.

While I have finalised the count, this star model can be considered a prototype since there is a bit of tweaking going on. So if you have suggestions, please do share. I might incorporate them.

It is too cold for me to work at my desktop for long, hence pattern will have to wait. I also want to make this a 6-armed snowflake. Then all 3 patterns can be uploaded in one go.

Meanwhile I have worked the first trial of #24. Should be able to work and share in a couple of days. 

UPDATE: 2 more variations in 6 points - Folded Fun Snowflake and Stupa, shared here.

Shuttlebirds challenge accepted

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Shuttlebirds has started their Wednesdays Weekly Challenge after a hiatus of 4 years. I didn’t have a clue at the time, but when it showed up in my blog roll, I couldn’t stay away. Nicola’s patterns are always a treat – to see, to follow, to tat. And even though I’m no fan of tatting animals (except birds, butterflies, & bunnies) tatting long shapely chains are always a challenge.

Wednesday's Weekly Challenge #45

Cheeky Monkey by Nicola Bowersox

Techniques I used:

2 shuttles, ctm (for 1^st part)

scmr with thrown/floating rings

directional or fs/bs tatting

dimpled chain

lock join

lock join with 2^nd shuttle

switch shuttles

In Anchor size 20, the monkey stands 3" tall x 2.5" wide

As always, the images, notations, and instructions are very clear.

However, for shuttle tatters, one needs to choose which shuttle to work with, when to switch shuttles and with which shuttle to make the lock join.

I sewed in 2 black beads for eyes later, though they can be pre-strung.

My ‘mistakes’ –

For the right armpit, I didn’t make the lock join with other shuttle. The ‘twist’ is glaring!

I was so focused on the stitchcount for the long tail that I forgot to snug the stitches more compactly.

Long chains are not easy to control or hold shape, but I’m fairly happy with how these turned out. It is a very cleverly designed and executed pattern and wish my monkey was more perfect.

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I went through the list of previous challenges and chose the very first one. This butterfly has been flying around pinterest for ages and I first made it in 2013, before I started blogging. Not satisfied, it’s been in one of my to-retat boxes (don’t remember which one – I need to ‘organise’ a massive hunt!).

Wednesday's Weekly Challenge #1

Butterfly by an unknown designer

UPDATE: Pattern is by Anna G.Vecherskaya in Frivolité  1991, p19.

Read about her here - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art5624.asp

The link on the site doesn’t work, but a quick search through pinterest will throw up the pattern. This is the one I followed (from a Russian book). It is a beautiful butterfly within butterfly design, tatted in one pass!

Techniques I used:

2 shuttles

scmr

directional or fs/bs tatting

lock join

slt  

very small & decorative picots

lock chain

In Anchor & Lizbeth size 40, the butterfly is 2” high with a wing span of 1½”. 

Knotted the 2 threads together and worked a lock chain for first antenna, then worked the 4 inner rings as mock rings separated by an unflipped 2^nd half stitch to secure.

I had earlier started with normal rings but horrors, the thread broke while closing the last ring.

In the 2^nd round SLT is used to keep the chain and rings of same colour.
Ended with the 2^nd antenna, knotting and snipping off ends.

No sewing !!!

I tweaked the stitchcount on the lower wings (outer round) to get this shape.

Trying to play with colour combinations, though I’m not too happy with the pink shade.

This old butterfly from 2013 is worked in South Maid size 10. 

Normal rings instead of mock rings. And it is missing an antenna. Will tackle it when I find it, and update with the dimensions. 

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Catch you later, folks :-D