heartland basic pattern

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Snowflake #20A in Land of Laces’ 25 Snowflake Project 

Here is the pattern for the snowflake I showed yesterday. There is a 2^nd version with colourful heart motifs, but let me get this out of the way, and I will upload that pattern tomorrow, although you can see a few glimpses below ;-D. I apologise for repeating the same snowflake, but it takes time to present ….

Heartland Snowflake patterns

Version 1 – basic & continuous

This snowflake is tatted in many individual parts, but is can be worked continuously without cutting thread. Options/alternates are indicated in italics & colour.
In Anchor size 40, this flake measures 7cms. The hexagonal side is approx. 4cms.

Choose your favourite method of making Dimpled Rings for the hearts. I chose Sue Hanson’s method (Method 2).

Abbreviations/Notations, in order of appearance.

ctm = continuous thread ; dRing = dimpled ring ; vsp = very small picot ; sp = small picot ; p or - = picot ; + = join ; rw = reverse work ; ch = chain ; -- = long picot ; SSSR = single shuttle split ring ; SS = switch shuttle ; R = ring ; MP = mock picot

Scroll down to Rings for dimpled ring and SSSR tutorials here  

Drop/down/downward picot tutorial links

Round 1 - ball and shuttle, continuous thread.

2 shuttles, ctm, if working continuously

[ dRing1: 6 vsp 7 p 2 sp 3 + 2 + 7 vsp 6. , rw

ch: 1-1--1--1-1 , rw. ] x 6

In order to climb out, tat last chain as a split chain, then climb out with a

split dimpled ring : 6 vsp 7 p 2 sp 3 + 2 / 7 + 6. Continue to Round 2, leaving mock picot space

The topmost pic shows the inner round without the decorative picots.

Individual Heart – single shuttle only.

dRing1: 4 sp 2 sp 10 sp 4 + 10 sp 2 sp 4. dnrw

SSSR: 5 -- 5.

Make 6 such motifs.

This step is omitted if working continuously.

TIP : I tatted over the starting tail, hiding it in Ring1, and using Takeda’s SSSR technique, the end tail gets hidden in Ring2. No sewing in ends! But I snipped off close Only After each motif has been joined in Round 2, to avoid any mishap.

Round 2 - 2 shuttles,  ctm.

Join to center of any inner heart.

Ch: 10, SS. Leave bare thread space for a mock picot before starting R.

R: 6 -- 6. SS

[ Ch: 8 lj(heart#1) 2 lj 4 Under-Over join across base of ring, making and snugging 1ds over the intersection*, 4, lj 2 lj 8 , SS

R : 6 -- 6. MP, SS

Ch: 10 lj to next inner heart, 10 lj(MP) ] x 6

For last motif/repeat, make only 10ds chain and join to inner heart. Tie & cut.

Note: the mock picot is asymmetrical, so that when adjacent chains are attached to it, the ring appears to be in the middle.

* this 1ds is just something I tried in order to make the chain look continuous. It is optional.

For continuous tatting, I am only including the 'altered' part; rest of Round 2 pattern remains same :

….

[ Ch: 8, drop picot, 2, drop picot, 4. rw

dRing: 4 +(drop picot) 2 +(drop picot) 10 sp 4 + 10 sp 2 sp 4. rw, SS

R: 6 – 6. SS

Ch: 4 + 2 + 8, SS. …..

Continue as per above pattern

I hope this is clear and without error. 

Pattern for rainbow version of this snowflake tomorrow ....

piece my heart together

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Snowflake #20 in Land of Laces’ 25 Snowflake Project

This snowflake Can be worked in one pass. But I chose not to. I enjoyed creating it in patchwork style, since it was easier to guesstimate during designing trials. And I had this idea of using rainbow colours in the outer hearts. With no ends to sew in, it was fun!

I made 2 joins between adjacent hearts in this round. When it started cupping, I snipped off the outer picot and everything fell flat ;-P

After the inner round, I made 1 heart & ring motif. On top left you can see my chain trial around that motif. Seemed workable, and I went ahead with the 6 hearts. I used a circular polar grid to keep everything in place, and also to figure out the lengths.

On the outer round, my idea was to have 2 rings joined in a pointed fashion to create a kind of star round visually. In the first 2 repeats (clockwise from 7 o'clock position) itself it became clear that the diameter was increasing. Hence tried without any rings. Then in the last repeat I tried a single ring. With blocking, and stacking the double rings, the flake laid flat and I chose single ring for that bit of snowflakiness!

The center is not anything unusual. I’ve seen something similar. But just so I wasn’t creating something from the recesses of my memory, I checked Sharon Briggs’ blog for her designs last year. Phew, her’s are a bit different. However, she did use the outer heart & ring combo in this heart pattern. So, while not deliberate, I can surely see my inspiration derived from her designs.

Both Anita Barry and her husband (thanks, P! 💖) felt the outer heart should have one stitch less. Tried it, and Loved the shape. So, the red one in size 40, has that tweaked count. My feat of messing up he chain arches was unfounded,  I think? And I added picots in the center - a bit denser now, although the rainbow one is again without picots, since I cannot decide. 

I’ll share the pattern for Heartland Snowflake tomorrow when I finish my rainbow model. Hope you like this 20^th flake; 5 more to go. Technically I count 20, but if I include all the versions/variations, the count is already at about 40! Not bad for a tentative start in June!

disATtraction

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Obviously I was attracted to this snowflake – you know I have a weakness for flower flakes, right! And I would've made it... eventually ;-P 

When Ninetta asked if I would test her diagram I jumped at the distraction. I didn’t realise what a This Way orTat (TWoT) lesson or reminder really it would turn into. There are truly multiple ways to work this pattern, and oftentimes the tatter simply follows her default method without even realising. For instance I came across a number of Paisley snowflakes facing the other way, I'm sure unintentionally.

So anyways, I have worked my model based off Ninetta’s original diagram (since revised and uploaded here), hence the block stitches face the other right. Further, I did not reverse work after the 1^st inner ring (which has a central picot) since I wanted to work the block chains frontside.

If I were to make this again, I could start with a wrongside ring & RW for the sake of uniformity.

This is my default method for block tatting. I use 2fhs at the end of a normal row and 2 unflipped shs at the end of direct tatting row, to turn. I find it keeps the rows snug. However, it’s been a while & I could’ve used some practice!

Due to this turning method I did not need a paperclip to hold a picot. (I needed to refresh my memory, hence first block has a paperclip.)

UPDATE - I have also used a single half stitch for rising to the next row in block tatting and it looks much better. Will have to confirm which I use in future. Memory can be so fickle ;-( 

Both my rounds are worked in clockwise direction from the front.

TWoT Notes : Reverse work, how one starts the first row of a block, switching shuttles, etc. all can cause a change of direction to what the designer has presented. As long as one is aware, one can make informed choices.

Notice how the 2^nd round goes around the block with stitches facing the same direction as the latter? Cleverly sneaky way of fooling us into thinking it is a 6-row block!!!

Can you spot the difference between this latest chain-around-block repeat and the earlier ones? The chain here surrounds the block with All stitches facing outwards, creating a petal-like effect. Overall, though, I don’t think it really makes a difference which way the chains face, right? You can’t really tell – our brain ‘corrects’ any slight difference.

Be sure to leave some more space between the 2 blocks in round1. I had to pull them apart to allow round 2 elements to squeeze in (4 chains in the same space!). I could’ve done a much better job, but am still happy – it’s such a pleasing design! I think I’ll make another in size 40.

The printable pattern is uploaded here and the related post is here.

It was such a fun distraction and I got a beautiful mug coaster to admire daily :-D.

Worked in Anchor size 20 (my shuttles had been preloaded for my 20^th snowflake trial), the flake measures 9½ cms tip-wise, and 4 cms as a hexagon side.

Thank you, Ninetta, for the pattern as well as the chance to test tat :-)))