Threes Snowfake

I have been supporting a family member who has been in hospital and we put these little ornaments on the tree at the nursing unit for all to enjoy. I also added tatted Angels and Stars.

A few beads and some Sanbest metallic thread and these beauties were created. Based on Jeanne Lugert design of "Threes Snowflake".  The pattern can be found here. It is easy because you only need to count to three.

 I was also inspired to incorporate some ice drops, but soon realized that I need some practice on the  patterns.  Even so they look great on a tree.  

Silver Bells

Sorry, no Christmas tunes here, just tatting.  These are two bells I have tatted before but with a Sanbest thread to make them sparkly and using up my chandelier crystals.  

The first bell is a pattern by Ewa, she shares the pattern on her blog.

The second bell is by  Renulek and the pattern was available on her Etsy site. I left off the last row. 

 

Needle Minder

Made some needle minders. used a craft bottlecap. some E6000 glue and magnets.   Yes, they work. 

Gold and Silver Flakes

 

Just a few gold and silver stars as ornaments.  This was a pattern I test tatted a few years ago. The original pattern is by Joelle Paulson and she called it Crystal Star. It remains one of my favorite patterns.

I used a Sanbest 6 strand thread, 4mm bicone beads,  each star measures 4 inches or 10 cm across.

First Snow

We had our first snowfall a few days ago.  I tossed this ornament in the snow and took a picture.  I have placed a clear chanedelier crystal in the center.  Below is another ornament with red chandelier crystals added.  

This pattern is by Marie McCurry, Icy Blue Snowflake. 12 rings and chains with 4 beads on picots and bead/chain intersection.

 

 

Inspiration Angel

She is called "Inspiration Angel" and the design is by Elaine Gan, who sells it on Etsy here.  I tatted in in a Sanbest thread and made a gold seed bead halo. 

The angel is very lightweight and measures 3 by 3 inches or  8 x 8 cm.  There is a red bead used for the head and a red drop bead inside the body. I used a bit of fishing line (8lb) to tie the beads and the hanger as one. 

String Art

Ever have a thread that you just can't tat with? This Altin Basak size 50 was gifted to me but because of the silver metallic thread wrapped around the cotton core it was impossible to shuttle tat with,  the metallic thread kept stretching or breaking. I have not tried it with a needle. I have been trying to create gifts from my stash so this bit of string art was created.  

This pattern is for nails in a board but I stitched it instead and I think it turned out ok.  The card is from  a create your own wedding invitations package.  Yes it was my wedding and a long time ago.  That metallic thread did not make it any easier to stitch on the card either.  

To cover the back of the stitching I used some pink cardstock, now the inside right of the card has room for a personalized note. 

The pattern was purchased from Etsy StringingAlongWithMe.  She also uses Facebook and Instagram.  

Little Bowl

This bowl is a design by Ineke Kuiperij.  Made in size 80 thread it measures about one inch high (22mm) and two inches (50mm) across. 

The pattern instructions were to tie and cut (T & C) between a few rounds but I was able to use split rings and chains to do in one pass.  As suggested I used a small condiment bowl from IKEA as my mold.  Diluted school glue was used to stiffen.  You need to dap off any excess between coats so there is no obvious residue on the tatting. I like the idea of having a small bowl by the sink for your rings when you give your hands a good scrub.

 

Icy Blue

Just me using up more chandelier crystals.  The designer is  Marie McCurry, Icy Blue Snowflake.  I used a Sanbest silver thread with blue seed beads and added a simple chandelier crystal to the center.

 
 

For Carollyn

 

The designer of these "Fairy Wings" is Carollyn Brown who passed away in September.  She was an excellent tatter among her many talents.  We had exchanged  emails as we had a few things in common but I never met her.  

Using up my stash of chandelier crystals I revisited one of my favorite wings.  These were done using 54 red seed beads all on shuttle two as they appear on the throw off rings and a silver sanbest thread.  I created a halo using one row of gold seed beads.  Carollyn also had a few videos up on YouTube and used the name Madtatter80, I provide links below.

Carollyn's Tatting Blog

Madtatter80

Half Bath Towels

 

I have this little half bath about the size of a closet which has a sink and toilet.  I am a creature of habit and I wash all the house towels together in one large load.  I've always found it easier to find the ones for the half bath as they have this little bit of crochet done by my mother years ago.  (Shown in lower picture)  The edgings didn't match but I only have one out at a time and I didn't have the heart to throw away a perfectly good towel.    

Time for some new towels so I used a size 10 crochet cotton and tatted up this simple edging.  I used a row of single crochet to attach the tatting to the towel.

Now my new towels can easily be found amongst the laundry. 

Fourteen Point Five

 

Yes, halfway through Row 15 is where I am on the Wiosna 2021 Renulek Spring Doily.  It is approximately 42 cm or 16 inches across. I am using a size 20 thread called Hakelgarn color 2006.

The pattern can be found on her  blog, or you can purchase the entire pattern from her Etsy  site.  

And its a wrap

This is a picture of Batty Tatter and I at Pioneer World. She dropped in for a visit while I was doing tatting demos and even stayed to get a lesson on the CWJ. Oh she knows how to do it, I just showed her how I do it and she thinks it may be easier then what she was doing. 

I had so much fun this past weekend, I met a needle tatter and another lady who said she had learned to tat some time ago.  I also met two lovely girls, cousins Emily and Silver.  They both were able to do about 4 or 5 double stitches and left with practice shuttles and thread.  Later in the day they came back and gave me a lovely bracelet they had purchased in the market.

These two pieces below were completed on Saturday and Sunday, of course I did another butterfly heart on Friday too. 

See you all next year at Pioneer Acres.

 

Pioneer Acres

This weekend August 6, 7 and 8th I will be at Pioneer Acres near Irricana, Alberta.  The Wildrose Lacemakers have been demonstrating lacemaking for many years at the annual show.  I will be going again this year showing off my tatting and giving free lessons.  

I have been meeting other tatters via zoom but this will be one the first meeting with the public this year.  

I entered two pieces into the Calgary Stampede but this year they did not have any judged entries.  I also have a piece at the Seaton Public Library which will be on display for another month or so. 

If you want to learn more about Pioneer Acres, take a visit to the Facebook page or the website.

I put together a display of some of my earrings by mounting them on some clear plastic and then putting that into a frame.  I am not selling earrings. These are the ones I wear. 

 

Unlucky Number 13

Round 13 demanded time because of changing shuttles and stich counts.  There were many times I was undoing what was done rather then moving forward.  But I didn't want the thread to win so I carried on.  

I am now moving on to round 14.

This is the Renulek Spring Wiosna 2021. The pattern can be found on her  blog, posted once a week or you can purchase the entire pattern from her Etsy  site.  

I am using a size 20 thread called Hakelgarn color 2006.

WIOSNA 2021 ROUND 12

 This is the Renulek Spring Wiosna 2021 round 12. The pattern can be found on her  blog, posted once a week or you can purchase the entire pattern from her Etsy  site.  

I normally climb round to round but the chains reverse on the next round and I think that it looks better not to do a split chain, so I used a magic loop to hide ends.  For the Wiosna 2021 I am using a size 20 thread called Hakelgarn color 2006.

It is a wonderful day outside where I took this picture in bright sunlight. Enjoy the day whatever your weather.

New Earrings - Covid Style

 

Like many other tatters I was scheduled for a jab and thought I would tat some "Covid Earrings" designed by Jane Eborall,  well I started those but didn't like how they were turning out so I cut them off the shuttles.  

Now with the Red and Black size 80 thread  still on my shuttles I thought perhaps I would add a black button to the center as Jane did in her Brooch version.  After a few minutes to hunt for a button I found some small plastic rings and came up with these.

The idea is a mashup between Jane's idea along with Jon Yusoff tatting on rings technique. 

The chain beads are added by putting 4 beads on a long picot and then passing the loop back through the bottom bead.  Put your shuttle through this loop.  Then pull the thread on the loop that puts the beads into the correct position next to the last chain stitches.  Now pull the loop closed using the second shuttle.  Be sure not to pull the core thread into the beads, you may need to hold the loop as you close it to prevent twisting.

Not really an original idea but fun to make anyways and I love that the color matches my new jacket.  Now that I have done them once  I can see where there could be some improvements. They were fun to wear. 

Another Egg

There was an egg still on the shuttles when Easter arrived.  I've completed it by attaching the ends with metallic thread.  

The plastic eggs are quite slippery I used tape to keep the tatting on as I strung the metallic thread then tweezers to remove it from the egg.  To make it look better  do front/backside tatting. Plus don't forget to give the whole thing a spray of water to block the tatting round the egg. 

I have mentioned to others that I don't glue these eggs together and add a note or saying inside before. completing. Who knows when someone will drop / squeeze or open the egg to see the messages.  Don't forget to add who tatted it and the date too. 

I still have a few more to complete before my basket is done. 

WIOSNA 2021 ROUND 11

 

This is the Renulek Spring Wiosna 2021 round 11, again climbing round to round using a split ring and split chain. The pattern can be found on her  blog, posted once a week or you can purchase the entire pattern from her Etsy  site.  

For the Wiosna 2021 I am using a size 20 thread called Hakelgarn color 2006.

Eggs

This is the only time you are allowed to put all your eggs in one basket. 

Happy Easter. 

 

International Tatting Day

Happy International Tatting Day!!

Today is International Tatting Day and tatters tat in public and eat chocolate.  I do plan to tat outside and if you happen by you will see me.  

I cropped the picture but there was a banana chocolate muffin sitting here which has since been devoured.  Yum. 

This "egg" is an adaptation of a collar pattern from the Pricilla Book No. 1 and is the oval shaped sections that make up the front portion of the collar.  I deliberately did it in the white and yolk colors. The white was done in one round, starting at the large clover and using split rings to climb to the outer chains and rings.   

I used a  thread about a size 30, no labels as this a found wound ball from another unfinished project.  Vintage thread, vintage pattern, vintage shuttle :) 

 

ROUND 10

This is the Renulek Spring Wiosna 2021 round 10, again climbing round to round using a split ring and split chain. The pattern can be found on her  blog, posted once a week or you can purchase the entire pattern from her Etsy  site.  

For the Wiosna 2021 I am using a size 20 thread called Hakelgarn color 2006.

Wiosna 2021 Round 9

I haven't been posting but I have been tatting. This is the Renulek Spring Wiosna 2021 round 9 completed with a split chain and split ring to the next round.  The pattern can be found on her blog, posted once a week or you can purchase the entire pattern from her Etsy  site.  

For the Wiosna 2021 I am using a size 20 thread called Hakelgarn color 2006.  The current size is 10 inches or 24 cm.

 

Green Cross Stitch

Happy St. Patricks Day.  I finished this little shamrock which has 16 different colors of green in it.  The pattern is by Emily at Cross Stitching 101. Completed on 14 count Aida it is in a 2.5 inch frame.

The pattern itself was easy but I learned how to finish the back of a piece and prepare it for framing. 

TIAS 2021 Done

Jane had another TIAS and this time it was a bookmark.  The last few days and the final bookmark for your perusal.

A Day Late

The original plan was to see how many hearts I could tat in a day but I choose some I had never tatted before so they took a while to do.  Each pattern was found online. Only one I had done before and even that one came with some backing up.  I have used a Manuela thread size 20 and loaded up two shuttles.  All hearts were finished in one pass.

To find out more about each heart I have provided a legend below. 

A   This heart is named Heart for Laura, designed by Jennifer Williams.  Detailed instructions are provided on the blog Cariad Tatting.  Under Misc there are at least six heart patterns.  This one uses the placement of a seed bead in a downward picot.  Her pattern called for three beads but the size of my thread didn't allow for that so I started over using only one bead in each ring.  I used the split chain method and added a small chain at the top to hide my ends. 

B  This is heart is called Happy Heart by J. Paulson and available on her blog Le Blog de Frivole.  I love the little smiling face in the middle.  Beware you will need to do lots of Catherine Wheel Joins (CWJ) to finish this heart neatly.

C  This heart is by Janice Blair named Valentine Heart Book Mark as she added a ribbon to the larger bottom picot.  I found this heart years ago and hope this link still works.  It is a a quick pattern but remember not to join to the bottom picot of the large ring as it is for decoration only and the pattern does not show this clearly so I cut my threads off the shuttles thinking I had an extra picot and  I started over. 

D   Called Heart shaped motif by Maimai Kaito she provides the pattern and tats it up for you in a video. English instructions are provided. I originally started following her on Instagram but now she has a You Tube channel you can subscribe to. She has a dozen video's up.  One video shows how to combine four hearts. She also shares tatting techniques like magic loop and split ring.

E  This heart is by Aleksandra Dajczak and found on the blog www.kuradomowa.com but you may need to check the archives files to find the pattern.  It is a very easy ring and chain pattern.  

I keep finding new hearts to tat so the thread my not be put away just yet.  

Happy tatting. 

 

Blue Bookmark

This pattern was adapted by Robin Perfetti and available for free on her blog.  The original pattern was published in the Priscilla Tatting Book No. 2 in 1915 and is now in the public domain.

I have tatted using different threads and repeats.  From Left to right I used an unknown thread. Feels and tats up like a DMC Cebelia size 20.

The center one is from my never ending Wonderfil Spagetti thread.   And finally on the right a Lizbeth size 40 Turquoise Twist.

To get an idea of the size the longest one is 15.5 cm or just over 6 inches.  Of course there is also a moonlit shuttle in the picture for size reference. 

 I also tatted this additional blue bookmark below using a pattern from DOTORI (YEUNJIN YANG) available on her Etsy site and  used the Wonderfil Spagetti thread.  This bookmark is 15cm or 6 inches long. 

 

Getting Colder

 

I am tatting the temperature using the mean of the weekly high and low. The data comes from temperatures published by Environment and Climate Change Canada. Each set (man) represents one week so I will have 52 of these when done. 

The joining of new thread is made in the ring for the head. You can see I have yet to cut the threads of the previous weeks.  I do not know what the next week temperatures will be until the week is finished so I must wait to add the new thread, thus one remains headless.

You can see a small snippet of the scale I am using in the upper portion of the picture, the degrees are in Celsius. Because we have had a warm January the colors are red but I can see us moving into a blue zone with cooler temperatures.

The pattern is called  Girotondo by Antonia (Ninetta) Caruso from Italy and she shares this free pattern on her blog.  I am using vintage threads in size 80.

Using a Hakelgarn

I have started the Renulek Spring Wiosna 2021 and this is rows one and two.  The pattern can be found on her blog, posted once a week or you can purchase the entire pattern from her Etsy  site.  

I recall my first Spring Wiosna was before my mother passed and I used her shuttles and thread.  I think I even have one year in my WIP drawer. 

For the Wiosna 2021 I am using a size 20 thread called Hakelgarn color 2006 This is a beautiful thread to work with and I don't believe it is being made anymore but I have two balls of this color and that should be enough to complete the Wiosna. 

I have also sent off  Day 11 of the TIAS and my progress is below.

We still don't know what this will be.  One more bead to go but there is still quite a bit of thread left on my shuttles. 

Tatting a Temperature Chart

They are not hard to find in the new year. Crafters creating a temperature chart.  It is done by using the temperature to create a corresponding pattern.  Here is how I made mine. 

Firstly I wanted something I could easily manage so only 52 tats would correspond to  a weekly temperature.  After reviewing historic temperatures I chose to use the Weekly Mean of Min/Max.  If history repeats itself there could be a  50 degree temperature range. With each color representing a 5 degree range I would need 10 colors plus perhaps using black and /or white for the extreme (which I am betting will not happen). 

OK are you with me so far, now to choose the color scale.  I have decided to do this in a size 80 thread and use solid colors for the scale.  That way each five degree temperature change would be a change in corresponding color. Searched my stash and came up with ten suitable colors.  I needed to organize the colors from cool to warm. 

Now to find a pattern that would work.  I could go the easy route and choose simple flower but then I needed a way to put them all together, a spiral may work.  Hmm what shall I do.

I chose a pattern called  Girotondo. The pattern is by Antonia (Ninetta) Caruso from Italy and she shares this free pattern on her blog.   I tatted a sample scale. Next post I will have a few weeks to show you of the actual chart. 

It is not too late to start your temperature chart.

Tat it and See updates for Day 6, 7 and 8

Day 5 TIAS 2021

 Many projects in tatting are small in compared to other crafts (IMHO) and is meant to be looked at in detail  That is why tatters spend so much time making sure we don't cross our threads and keep the picots neat and tidy.  WELL that didn't happen here.  

If you look closely which I hope you do, you will see and extra picot on ring #3.  Did you find that pink picot sticking our from the half white ring?  I didn't discover it until I was too far along to back up so I just carried on.  

In the whole scheme of things (so I've been told) this will not make a difference.  And I don't care.  I'm in it for the fun factor.

 
If you don't know already, Jane E is hosting another TIAS and you can join in at any time.  You will find instructions and sequenced pattern bits on the TIAS blog here. 

 You are encouraged to send in your tatting and gave a go at a guess to the final result.  You can even go back to prior years and do those too. 

On a more positive note you will see that I have successfully been able to complete frontside/ backside for this mystery tat.  I don't usually bother with that but this time I did. At least so far.