Gapsosis can be good !

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Common Threads IV - Gapsosis can be good

Did anyone think I’d repeat it so soon ? Well, I didn't, but ... call me high maintenance ;-)

In the earlier working, I followed the tatted model. After all was done, on the desktop large screen, I noticed the stitchcount for the inner rings at the base, in the diagram. Thought I’d give it try & this time use a lighter colour for the rings with picots so that I could see them ! 

1½” x 1½” in Anchor size 40 Art 4054 (0131 blue & 0300 cream)

I like how this turned out. But take a look at the process (this might be just me ?) ; the spiraling route that it takes & how the coils need to be coaxed & literally pulled into shape. The same thing happened in earlier model, but to a slightly lesser degree. 

Why did this coiling occur ?! 

The bare thread spaces seen between upper rings in final pieces emerged due to the pulling . Hence, for this pattern, I think the rings need a bit of space between them. Yes, Gapsosis can be Good !!!

Gapsosis can be good 

… sometimes !

We struggle to keep gaps away. But following are a few scenarios/patterns where a bit of gap/bare thread space is welcome & desired.

A few scenarios : 

1. When making a rings-only central ‘flower’ (as in pic below). Leave tiniest bit of space between 1^st & 2^nd ring – just enough to Span the double stitch distance !!! 

I was always wondering why my adjacent rings sometimes ‘turned’ a bit at the base even though I made sure there was no gap before starting next ring. That’s when it dawned on my slow brain that thread & stitch occupy space. If one closes the gap completely, there is no space for the next ring stitches to abut neatly & get squished. Leaving a space equal to the ‘height’ of a ds will ensure a close & ‘gap-free’ arrangement of rings.

2. In this vintage pattern & pictorial tip shared by Marilee … 

3. In this 2-coloured edging using floating/thrown off rings. This is a pattern commonly tatted in single colour or by simply following the shuttle, such that the colour shows up respectively. This gives a split of colour along the length. But I wanted the floating Josephine Rings to have one colour & the chains to have another. Another consideration was to keep colour blips from showing and to stabilize the floating rings.

After a lot of experimentation & heartburn, this is the best I could come up with (it is still on my to continue-with-experiment list! At the time I tatted this, I was working against a deadline).

Leave a tiny space of thread before starting the JR. Make the ring & close. Then …

TIP : Bring the ring thread around the ring like a little knot & tighten at the base of ring. This generally hides colour switches, stabilizes the rings And makes them lie flat & even as can be clearly seen in the 2 strands. Compare the Before & After rings.

All this was possible firstly because of gapsosis, & then a kind of slip knot noose at the base.

This edging was made about 2 years back when I used to snug the chain stitches closely. Since then I have realized that the chains should not have been tensioned so much; one should allow them to curve naturally. I am getting a bit better at handling chains ;-)

4. And last but not least, the layered rings in above pattern.

Rings have a curvature that is broad at the top & narrow at base. One should account for this width, such that adjacent rings lie neatly side-by-side rather than overlapping or loosing shape. Clearly some gapsosis is called for.

In conclusion, factoring for individual differences, one can use gapsosis judiciously when certain patterns or design elements call for it.

What has been your experience ?

happy tatting :-)

Heart to heart ....

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Hearts reach out 

across ages and generations , 

across borders and boundaries , 

across arts and crafts, 

across blogs and sites,

from cold snowflakes to warm hearts ....

hearts reach out !

These are some of the most elegant tatted heart patterns I’ve come across. These are hearts I have admired & wanted to tat since first I set eyes on each. And they were just as pleasant to tat as to ogle.

A few common points :

• Click on title of each for link to the pattern source & on name of designer for their blog wherever applicable (all red words are active links). All are free patterns.
• I use fs/bs (RODS) tatting . I’ve listed it in the techniques, but it is optional.
• Since I knew that these patterns worked great in single colour, I decided to continue with my study in colours (very very limited colours to choose from – Madura Coats (Anchor), are you listening?).
• All these hearts are definitely going to be repeated over the years !

In no particular order ….

A Sweet Heart Valentine

Pop Lenuta Maria

Techniques : 2 shuttles, ANKARS (basic) or layered rings, graduated picots, floating ring.

Measurement : 1½” x 1½” in Anchor size 40 Art 4054 (052 pink & 022 maroon)

"Officially” this is my first ANKARS project, even though it is pretty basic. It Finally lay to rest a niggling doubt I had harboured, not having studied the technique properly. Yes, I had tatted it, without knowing that it could well be ANKARS ! ANKARS is an elaborate & dense working of simple layered rings . It is also the technique I used in my Curled Rings earrings. And all it takes a simple picot join !

Georgia Seitz will be walking us through this pattern in the Online Tatting Class on Monday the 15^th … Join in :-)

I added a tiny ring with SH2 after joining back to the first ring. There was a bare, flattish space in my working that I thought needed filling up. The tatting is all done from the frontside, not reverse work, except for this additional ring.

Also 3 graduated picots in the centre of the chain to make the tip a bit more prominent.

I used a picot gauge, as recommended, but found that it causes my picots to twist & become unseemly, and the stitches to become uneven ! It was back to eye-balling … this works better for me. 

It ruffled a bit. Lay flat easily after dunking & rolling. I didn't block each picot. Now, looking at the diagram, I realize that rings 21 & 23 are the same size ! Didn’t appear so in the tatted model … good excuse to tat again :-)

Kiss Curl Heart

Nicola Bowersox

Techniques : 2 shuttles, CTM, dead end/blind start to chain, floating ring, RODS.

Msts : 1½” x <1¼” in Red Heart size 20 (0289 bright/dark yellow)

I fell in love with this heart that moment britinpa shared it on InTatters over a year ago. Simple, elegant outlining, & I love floating curled chains !!!  

I was a bit unsure how much to tension the chains, so left them without snugging closely. But I definitely need to re-tat & experiment a bit more. For one, I need to start the chain in RODS, for it to lie on the left side as in original pattern. Also, Frivole had suggested using a SCMR instead of floating ring, which I want to apply as well. And check out Jane McLellan’s gorgeously colourful hearts she did a while back, inspiring me to use a yellow.

Heart’s Desire

Susan Fuller

Techniques : 2 shuttles, thrown/floating rings, RODS.

Msts. 3”x 2¼” Anchor Size 40 Art 4054 (0131 blue & 0896 copper)

Arguably the most elegant heart pattern I’ve come across & it works with all kinds of threads & colours/colourways ! I have yet to come across a working that did not work :-) It is a Perfect Design !

Great diagram by Frivole – equally elegant with colour coding ! 

Hearts of Hope

Anne Bruvold

Techniques : 2 shuttles, CTM, CWJ, thrown/floating ring, twisted picot, SLT, RODS.

Msts : ¾”x ¾” in Anchor size 20 Art 4054 (020 red) 

Love the simplicity of this pattern. 2 shuttles. To maintain continuity of the chain outline, she uses the CWJ. Very quick to tat up & a great way to empty the shuttles, (and to learn the CWJ if one is dithering).

The twisted picot in the little ring looks frayed & forked - probably the picot should've been just a tad longer keeping thickness of thread in mind. 

Hearty Thanks to all designers for sharing these wonderful heart patterns,

&

to all who have made it possible through diagrams, classes, etc.

Have a hearty tatting weekend !

Motif #21 of III for 25 Motif Challenge

Freshly Tatted

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The Second Day of December Snowflake

Lene Bjorn

I joined a Year Long Snowflake Tat-Along on Craftree. We are using Lene Bjorn’s book , 24 Snowflakes in Tatting, to tat two each month. Remember how last year I had made a similar resolution, but didn’t stick to it. Well, this year I’m hoping that the tatting together will provide me the required motivation or guilt !

After a hiatus from tatting, having picked up hook & knitting needles, I decided to start with Day 2 first. I was not up to the challenge of tackling all that bare thread; wanted something simple & quick.

My objectives to join along are :

1. to study colour combinations & placement in these small motifs.
2. to practice split chains & make them part of my repertoire.
3. to tat patterns from the books I own rather than merely collect them.

Trying to keep it simple here, & carrying on with The Flower Within series.

Anchor size 40 thread in white & variegated red/black (4054-1206)

The snowflake measures just under 3” & round 1 was just under 1.5”

I made a couple of early mistakes in round 2, but continued nevertheless. I used single shuttle & ball for 2^nd round – back to basics :-) A fully loaded bobbin was required.

This snowflake ruffled a bit , as seen in pic. Simply wet it nicely, rolled the rolling pin over it to remove extra water, patted it with a towel & it was ready for a photo shoot !

At the end of the year, I may convert some of these into bookmark charms, or join a few to make bookmarks.

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Birthday Motif 2016 *

Wally Sosa  

* click for pattern source

This is my 5 Point Charm for a future bookmark 

This is the SuperBowl Sunday ‘protest’ tatting that Georgia & her group has going for the last 17 years !!! All previous patterns are listed here (scroll down through 2^nd column). Again, I am using this simple motif to play with colours.  

This is how I started, but abandoned. 

Tatted in Anchor size 40

Variegated red/white : 4504-1203 ; Variegated red/black : 4504-1206 ; Black
Measurements : Rnd 1 : ~ 1" ; Rnd 2 : < 1" ; final : 2.75"

I have been doing fs/bs tatting now for quite a while & usually do rings as normal DS & chains in RODS (reverse order ds). However, in order to keep the direction of large ring same as in the original pattern picture, I had to do the rings in RODS, & chains, & floating ring in normal DS. This enabled me to work in clockwise direction.

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What did the Leaning Tower of Pisa say to Big Ben? 
" If you have the Time I have the Inclination !!!"

(Okay, I switched the two, but it still works, doesn't it ;-P)

I have done a little cleaning up of the Resources Page (see tab above). Took hours & still needs more work - some formatting is just too stubborn to clear :-(  Check it out when you have the Time. Feel free to suggest any good resources that have helped you & I have an Inclination to use & add them :-)

And if anyone has the Inclination & Time,  Georgia Seitz taught the following in her Online Tatting Class on Monday  & the lesson logs are uploaded (& I attempted to teach one session) :
Padded Double Stitch , &
Snowflake Sparkle pattern alongside the Twisted Picot (floating) Tutorial.  Incidentally,  Karen Cabrera has uploaded a video for these freestanding twisted picots - Lesson #153. Very clear demo ( thanks & hugs Karen ). Keep your pinch on the thread at all times while twisting,  and it will give nicely coiled & stiff picot.

happy tatting :-)

Related Posts : Lene's Day 1 Sunflake