unhappy trials

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I was impressed by Lauretta Tondelli's experiments and effects which she shared in a FB group a couple of years back (she seems to have left FB when I checked before finalising this post and her posts are missing, too). Always meant to try them and here are two attempts - my first trials. Not happy but more details below ....

Lauretta Tondelli's Interlaced Onion Rings, a trial motif, placed inside a 2D medallion gone 3D!

 

The two images above show the piece from the 'front' and 'back' though it really depends on how you interlace the mock rings.

This interlacing effect of onion rings is made with one continuous chain starting with a small starter picot. Once all three mock rings made, they are interlaced through each other. Lauretta created a cute pair of earrings using this motif as the center and adding a teardrop.

My own reservation is about the third chain which I feel is too long in my trial and also the overall untidy visual. First trials, so perhaps there is still hope for me.

Okay this motif is supposed to be a flat medallion center for another effect that Lauretta was sharing. As you can see, my work has cupped enormously. I realised what was happening but continued nevertheless so that I can make the requisite changes in my next trial. For one, the picots should've been longer.

So now my issue was what should I make with this! It looks cute and has potential, doens't it? So I played around a bit ....

If we upturn the medallion it can make a nice bezel setting and one can add another layer beneath encasing the gem. I was too lazy to hunt around for the right sized gem, though.

I decided to add a base. This is a coil starting at the center with few slope and roll joins as the chain progressed. I should've stopped a bit sooner with a shorter coil.

The reason for the base is my idea to convert this into a miniature basket.

Same 'bowl' reshaped into a squarish bowl or potential basket.

And when I pinched the corners a bit more, ....

Some more pinching so that the cupping looks deeper and with addition of accessories, it can become a flower.

So, what is your verdict? What do you think it should grow into?

Many thanks to Lauretta for sharing her notes and apologies for my bungling ....

solution

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 Remember my problem and the mood to give up on my own 3rd round design? Well turns out there were two possible solutions! Anna Bonelli suggested something in Italian which, though lost (on me) in translation actually threw up the first solution to my mind! After making the join I could leave some bare core thread, work and interlace the large ring, then go back and cover the bare thread with 'tied' stitches using the 2nd shuttle!

Anna then tatted a sampler to show what she meant, and that is the solution I adopted. Notice the ring is now horizontal instead of vertical, and I made it smaller too.

Meanwhile I had this idea to use block tatting at the tip. It caught my imagination and between these two elements I allowed my shuttles to do the work, starting with treble tatting arches.

 

I like how the block appears like a flame. 

In several places I hadn't made any picots. Used a finer crochet hook to clear enough space for a join.

To offset any denseness, I did the bare thread thing in the center. I could use dot picot strings, but wouldn't it be overkill?

Just like the Josephine Ring at the tip of the 'flame' is an overkill, right? Although I cannot decide on the JR above the treble tatting arch.

I was going to include decorative picots, but I like the clean lines here.

So what is your verdict? 

I am open to suggestions since I haven't yet started tatting. Oh and this time I'll be using a muted shade of yellow.

So far the design-along has roped in 12 tatters: 1 diagram only; 5 models only (1 WIP); 5 models with patterns; and 1 late starter. I will collect them all in a Google Doc with shareable link so feel free to join the game whenever you can .... 

My journey so far -

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2023/05/lets-design-round-3.html 
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2023/05/problem.html

Many many thanks to Anna Bonelli for her wonderful solution that got me going!

spying again

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 I have been spending all my tatting time in front of a computer screen, writing, updating, coordinating, ..... Too much 'intellectual' activity without dirtying one's hands is not the way to have fun!  So I took a little time off last night and did a trial of this heart.

If you remember it is the 3rd hearts that I outlined in Endrucks' doily #37 here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/12/cupping-hearts.html. [pattern for the '2nd' one has already been shared here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-hearty-meal-of-tinies.html 

Tatted in Anchor size 20, the size is perfect for earrings or pendant. Or a brooch or charm.

This was a quick trial to get a feel of the shape, etc. Worked continuously in one pass.

A few things that need tweaking -

1. Proportion - it should be taller!

2. The side ring on the left bottom needs to face in opposite direction for symmetry. Also, the joining picot there was a bit too long, hence the untidy effect.

3. The side rings can be asymmetrical in order to achieve a better overall shape and height.

4. Make the topmost chains longer and also join them above the center.

5. Decorative picots/beads

What else do you think needs improvement?

I have this idea to add long picots in one pair of negative spaces, and join the chains above to these --- like a filling. But it will be in the faraway future unless somebody gets in on the game ;-D

primordial soup

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Over-dramatic, I know ;-D This post is about uncooked, errr unfinished, razzmatazz morsels in minestrone soup. Instead of waiting for life-forms (tatting patterns!) to evolve from the primordial soup, I am ladling out servings to see but not consume :-D 

Last year I bought a stash of beads directly from an online shop most of which can be seen in this image. These include Miyuki, bicone crystals, drop & tube glass beads, drop resin beads, and so on.

In person, I wouldn’t have bought the bulkier ones. But it also got me thinking about how to use them. 

Playing around with some leftover metallic thread, these 2 little earrings came about. 

Single thread, picot flowers, free-style. I’m calling them Spring Drop earrings for obvious reasons. I intend to use each type of bead in similar fashion....

Recently, when test tatting Anita Barry’s Laura & Itsy-Bitsy Angels, I went on a tangent and this emerged. Played with some bead arrangements. Which one of 3 do you prefer? Do you see a Victorian era lady/gown? Made with single thread/shuttle, and the 2 rings on the side are regular rings folded over and linked. This can have no other name than Laura Angel Earrings.

Anita has this uncanny ability to spy/create heart motifs from vintage doilies, etc. She’s done it before - Daisy heart here and Hidden Rose heart here - to show a few that are in public domain. 

She calls it Eye Spy, and I got to playing as well. These are 2 hearts that I spied in the Elizabeth Round Robin Doily. There’s still a lot of work needed to get into desirable shape, whenever that happens.

Can you spy them in the images below?.

This is Elizabeth Heart #1 from Round 4 designed by Kathy Lowe 

I started tatting from the right side clover, going counter-clockwise, to finish with a split ring at the tip. Why split ring?

TIP : Split Ring creates a distinct point at the tip (rather than base, as in normal ring). And using my whimsical method to finish on a split ring without sewing, (Mathew Takeda's method cannot be used due to the joins) enhances that point.

Elizabeth Heart #2 is from Round 3 designed by Bettina Lauth. I've taken a real liking to these picot flowers! 

In both motifs, worked with 2 shuttles, elements were added or removed without changing the original stitch count. The shape that seemed fine in the doily, does not appeal as an independent motif. Tweaking is needed.

Now why is it that hearts in any bookmark are always identical in shape and design? Can’t we put together different designs and sizes? I’ve done it with sizes in this Patchwork Bookmark, and the Italian Connection bookmark, but the design was the same. Elizabeth Hearts Bookmark could be an idea to work on.

let it go

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… or not – that is the question!

I skipped this Sunday’s snowflake (we started with 28 weeks for 25 flakes, so …). For one I felt drained with all the pattern writing – some of the patterns are really tough to get through in as simple a format as possible. 

For another, I was simply unhappy with all my attempts. To the extent that I kept picking up a different pattern to work up! Look for yourself …

I designed and tatted this in 2016 as a first round. I really like it and can’t seem to let go of it, but creating another round has me stumped. 

Disregarding my past sketch (see the brown in lead pic?), I tatted this last week. 

This yellow/green one is another attempt at an outer round. It ruffles when tatting but lays flat with blocking.

What is your verdict?

TõT

Then I tried to extend this small vintage snowflake. Those long chains are meant to be narrow. I like the shape they create individually & collectively, but clearly too large for this center. Having run out of thread, I’ve left it for now.

TõT

This is another flake that emerged from my mistake here. I made the left one in Dec 2018, but there is significant ruffling along the periphery, hence did not share. I’m giving it another go, using a larger center, but keeping the outer arms same. It should work, right?

It is worked in one pass, but during trials I like to work rounds separately so that one can snip off and discard parts instead of the entire tatting.

 Along with your verdict, suggestions for names will be most appreciated :-)))

TõT

And before I sign off, here’s what Barbara Slodka shared with me. Dani Rotach’s Celtic Starfish from Finger Lakes 2015 Tatting Seminar. 

From what I can see, it also uses the same numerical formula for the arms, though it is so much more ornamental and more advanced than my MatheMagical star! Isn’t it beautiful?!