workings of a dreamy tatter

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Dreamcatcher

Usha Shah

This layered pattern has been shared here. 

Tatted throughout with 3 strands of Anchor embroidery threads. Probably a size 30.

TIP : How to separate embroidery floss. This video link and handy tip shared by Martha Ess in the comments here, really really helped ! This time the hubster watched amused, from afar ;-P Life is easy :-D

Techniques : 2 shuttle tatting, split ring, mock picot, dot picots, dots, thrown rings, decorative join, lock join, long or decorative picot join, rosette, bare thread space, fs/bs tatting.

Workings of a dreamy tatter ...

I wanted a floral look, with emphasis on the black, hence the choice and placement of colours.

Rounds 1 & 2, worked continuously, form the foundation of this medallion.

After climbing out with split rings (remember to leave BTS on both sides of the SR while climbing out, and a very small mock picot before SR of rnd 2), I switched shuttles. Thus I could work the chains and dot picots and thrown dots frontside, using SH1. 8m thread in SH1 was completed depleted , and barely 2m in SH2. That worked out well – no short scraps left!

Both rounds were worked clockwise because of switching shuttles.

Check out her video on how to work dot picots 

I blocked only at the very end, hence the tatting is not as flat as should be.

Round 3 is the highlight of this pattern, worked Over the previous round, creating a layered effect. The decorative lock joins form a lovely ‘V’ at either end of the ring.

It is made in the same way as in these cute flowers here.   

This is how I did it : Make sure the chain stitches are snugged properly. Place the core thread over/across* a ring, and pull out a loop through the ring and above it. Pass shuttle through loop as in any lock/shuttle join. Tension just enough that it does not distort the ring.

Now this is lock join that is easy to undo !!!

* I didn’t like the end look of the join when loop was pulled up instead of down.  

Rounds 4 & 5, worked separately, are rosettes or flower medallions, attached ‘above’ !

Worked with single shuttle, the rings are separated by bare thread, and joined cleverly to the rounds before, through the ring ! These are simple picot joins, but with visible lengths of the loop that go round the ring base. These are worked in the same was as the long or decorative picot joins shown in these flowers.

All 5 rounds were worked in clockwise direction. Although if shuttles are not switched after round 1, then round 2 will be worked counterclockwise.

There’s a lot going on in this cleverly constructed and enchanting pattern, yet it is all pretty simple to work. I got to play with some of my favorite effects of layering and intertwining.

And this dreamcatcher is woven around the talents of so many designers and their techniques – a tatting dream J

Many many thanks to all the designers who clear the path for future creativity 

and 

a special thanks to Usha for sharing her pattern

always dream tatting ! 

the bugle calls again

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updated on May 13, 2017

Sally’s Bugle Snowflake

Jane Eborall

Jane has been truly prolific with this lovely pattern, displaying such a range of colour combinations on her blog. When she uploaded the pattern, I had to give it a go.

The highlights of this pattern, to me, are the beads radiating in the centre and the lock chains forming a lovely petal shape. Jane’s tutorial on how to add beads that face outwards helped a great deal.

My Notes & thoughts

• 12 seed beads (size 11) are needed for the long beaded picot (LBPbug) in center. Since my bugle beads are shorter (4mm instead of ¼ inch), I used size 8 or 9 beads in gold, thinking that these would make up for the length.
• When loading LBPbug, make sure the loop for ring still slides.
• Also, managing the 5 LBPbug with dangling paperclips can be a bit tough. I had to make certain each time before joining to them in next round, that they were in the correct sequence and not twisted around. I did use different colored clips for each, to keep track of sequence.
• This technique for loading beads on a long central picot such that they radiate out, was first described by Frivole and also demonstrated here.
• These kind of reminded me of LTRORs (loop tatted ring on rings)!
• The central picot should’ve been more tightly snugged.

• As in my previous forays, I again used picot gauges for the LBPbug on chains (as seen in pic above). 2 sizes were required for the beads I chose – ⅜ inch and ⅝ inch. And this time I used thread to load the beads later (one of the many ways of adding beads in Jane's tutorial).

How does one gauge the length of picot ?

Well, load beads as instructed and hold with paperclip. Tat the next couple of stitches. Then remove the clip and beads and measure. Voila . No hanging clips getting in the way and slowing one down. Once the length is known, use the gauge for future beaded picots, adding beads only at time of joining. 
And the added benefit is that one can usually use beads from one's stash rather than order new ones if the pattern calls for a size one may not have.

• The lock chains could’ve been a tad longer for a more graceful curve as in Jane's snowflakes. One additional stitch would accomplish that for my tatting tension.
• The split rings are another spot of genius ! They look like thrown rings, but being split rings, they become well-anchored with an ever so slight broad base.

In order to hide the space in center where some bare thread is visible, I placed a large crystal bead in center. Doesn’t it perk up the flake even more ?!

Measures 4” from tip to tip. Inner round is 2”.

Techniques used : 2 shuttles, lock chain, beads on central picot, lock join, picot gauge, beads on picots, split ring.

Many many thanks to Jane for all her lovely patterns and tutorials

happy tatting always J

edging out a snowflake

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Patterns in this book start with edgings, and I was interested in the way the chains seemed to be curving around like a continuous scroll in this one. Annette was my very first tat from this book, even though I shared the star medallion first.

Annette Snowflake

Adapted from Annette (p28, Dover)

“Tatting Patterns and Designs”

Blomqvist and Persson

Techniques : 2 shuttles, fs/bs tatting, thrown rings.

Overall direction of tatting - clockwise

Worked in Anchor size 40 (closer to 50), it measures 3½” point to point 

All the blue elements are tatted backside, so the majority pink elements can be frontside.
Using 2 colours shows clearly which shuttle is in use – SH1 has pink & SH2 has blue.

This attempt was discarded because I joined the 2nd repeat incorrectly - to the left of first (going counterclockwise!). Wouldn't have been a problem in traditional tatting, but in fs/bs, it shows ;-(

TIP : colour blip : On the return, when joining 2^nd chain to base of blue ring, here’s how I avoided the colour blip from showing above :

pull down a pink loop ;

pass blue shuttle through loop ;

snug and tension, but do not pull the loop up – keep it on the backside.

This is kind of like the slope and roll join. 

I intended to tat a bookmark by returning back along it’s length. But the first repeat was larger than expected.

How about a square instead ?! Pink chains were supposed to be joined at a picot along the chains, which I did not, thus allowing room to turn an angle.

Turned out it needed more repeats to lie flat. Yes, 6 !

The interconnecting chains were left to overlap for a layered effect. Remember to interlace the last chain correctly before joining and tying off.

A central ring was added later for stability, following the same stitchcount. This can be tatted as a thrown ring on the first blue chain for continuous working.

There are a lot of mistakes in this work, including the interlaced chains, which I am not proud of. And modern tatting techniques, along with 2 colours took their toll on the scroll! But I can't see myself tatting it again just coz. Live with it, sweep it under the carpet, or hide my head in the sand ;-P

TIP : Pattern Notation

Remember the Sunday puzzle which listed some ways of shorthand pattern notation?

This book threw up yet another notation, which had me crosschecking again and again and yet again to verify correct number of picots, even though the longish form is shown at beginning of each pattern.

The authors do not tell you the exact number of picots. Since the stitches between picots is the same, say 4 ds between each picot, here’s how they write the notation :

4 x 10

So how many picots is that ? No, not 10. It is 9 picots total, because 4 stitches are made 10 times, like so :

4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4

 

This pattern does not tell you when to reverse work or when to switch shuttles. This can be a bit of a bother for newbies.

Since the pattern or stitchcount hasn’t been changed, except for very minor tweaks, I will not share any diagram or pattern for this snowflake.

Which snowflake do like better – with or without the central ring ?

happy tatting always, with or without oopsies :-)