Wednesday 29 June 2016

Tatted Coasters

Most of the crochet cotton I have is not suitable for tatting. Yes you can tat with it but the rings are a bit tough to close and the soft twist wears as you tat so the finished product looks tired before it is finished. This past week I stopped into a local shop that carries shuttles and thread and the occasional tatting magazine. The bright colors of the Rico Essential Crochet cotton caught my eye and I bought a ball.  

I wound up a few shuttles and tatted the Square Coaster found in Robin Perfetti's  new pdf file "Tatted Coasters" available in her Etsy shop. The pattern pack contains seven patterns with variations. The patterns are clearly diagrammed and written along with color coding for shuttle 1 or shuttle 2 as applicable.
The Square Coaster shown right was done in two rounds, is 4 inches across using size 10 Rico Essentials Fuchsia.  It is the perfect size for a big coffee cup. 

I am currently halfway on Round 13 of the Jan Stawasz Huge Doily

Tuesday 14 June 2016

Jan Stawasz Moje Robotki 8/2007 Huge Doily tat-along Row 12

It has been 10 months, really 10 months for me to complete Row 12.  It is not a difficult row but I took a long break.  Using size 10 is quite tiring, additionally it is now gardening season and although I can wash my hands my tatting time is limited.

I climbed out of Row 12 using a split ring and now enjoying row 13.  Once around I will slightly block and measure, but it is big.

Any discoloration in the photo is due to lighting, the doily is being made in Aida 10 Ecru.

Sunday 12 June 2016

She's Back

For those of you who have been wondering, you can now register for the Fringe Element TAT DAYS  taking place in Cambridge Ontario on September 23rd and 24th . A quick link to the participants registration form and further information can be found on the website.

One returning teacher, Jennifer Williams taught her pattern of this shuttle shaped brooch last year. I used size 10 for the shuttle and a mix of size 30/40 for the leaves and petals.

Monday 6 June 2016

Mother's Hands

My mother could tat but she excelled at knitting. To the left is a doily she knit in white size 30, 24 inches across.  It has a stain and I want to clean it up to use in my home. For those of you who have read my earlier posts or know me, will know that my mother taught me to tat.  I completed one small hanky using rings only and it wasn't until 40+ years later that I learned to tat chains and began expanding on my tatting techniques.  My mother passed before I finished my first tatted doily, she did see it half way done.

So a very strange thing happened to me today.  I was searching the depths of my summer clothes looking for a pair of shorts to wear during the heat wave we are having and much to my surprise I happened upon this piece of tatting which must have been tatted by my mother.  I've pinned it out and it is tatted using ecru about a size 10.  I have some Christmas bells that mother also tatted but don't recall this doily but who else could have done it.   So after pinning it it looked familiar and as happen-chance this is the same pattern as the white doily I had been gifted from my sister, Vintage Doily Mystery, could it be that they were both tatted by my mother? Possible as they did know each other and exchanged gifts. The white one on the right has a few more rows but they are the same pattern. Wouldn't that be something but we will never know.
 
        

Update on the monsterpiece,  I am still on row 12 with one medallion left to go around before I start the next row.