Renulek Spring Wiosna 2015 Completed

Competed in Sulky 12 wt cotton quilting thread, about 3/4 of one spool.  This Doily measures 14.5 inches or 37 cm in diameter.  I learned quite a bit on this one and used it to practice technique, how I hold the pinch, how not to make a mistake to avoid retrotatting, chain and picot control.

I would recommend anyone who likes fine threads to try Sulky, It comes in a variety of colors and weights.

I took these pictures in the early morning sun before I ran off to work.  I just used my phone camera, it takes a good picture and makes it easy to transfer the photos to the blog.

Unblocked almost done

Sometimes we refer to showing an unblocked piece of tatting as just off the shuttles but as you can see they are still attached although there are less than 100 elements left to tat.  It may seem like a lot to some but the end result will be a very nice piece of lace.  This unblocked doily currently measures 11 inches or 29 cm at the end of row 10. I have still not used a whole spool of the sulky thread and expect that I will be able to complete this with the one spool.  

The pattern is Renulek Wiosna 2015. The pattern was provided with one row a week or so. I am far behind.  I ran into a few problems on Row 9 and tried various methods, both Carollyn and Muskaan provided great hints. Then I found a wrong picot join and had to cut off 14 elements. Hated to do it but it felt so much better once it was done. One of the weakness of using Sulky is that if you retrotat it makes the thread fuzzy so best to be avoided. 

I always get so excited to be this close to finishing a piece, perhaps it is because I know there will soon be some empty shuttles waiting to be filled and another new adventure. 

I'm Back

Title says it all. I have been tatting along with all my other projects, wrapping up Mom's estate stuff, Tax season and keeping the genealogy records. Below is an update of the tatting that has been done.
I completed one of the arches for the Jan Stawasz Moje Robotki, halfway around another row on the Renulek Wiosna 2015, and started a new Jan Stawasz Doily VI.

Of course I have a few other WIP's but that's all for today.

Renulek Wiosna 2015 Row 7

Sulky  Blendables 12wt  is not a forgiving thread. Oh it tats up fine, its the retrotatting that I am getting frustrated with. 

I have been using this doily tatalong as practice, practice of some new techniques and how I am holding my thread.  I like to hold the pinch with my thumb and middle finger and the tension is regulated with the index finger but I find I can tat faster the traditional way but I drop the shuttle or don't flip so I have had to undo and redo stitches.  But it is nice to make something that I am not feeling the pressure on and perhaps I will have something at the end. 

The pattern can be found on Renulek's site, her spring doily of 2015. I believe a new row goes up every Friday.  You can tat along or save for future use. There are a few of us over at Craftree who are doing this.

Tatting over tails and SSSR

Only another tatter would know what the title means.  It is when we hide our thread ends by encapsulating them within the double stitches alongside the core thread.  It is a very useful technique to learn and practice.  This pattern calls for the five ringed flower to be placed between the two elements on the previous row.  Here is how I solved this problem.

Using only one shuttle, start a ring, after you complete the first ds, fold the tail thread back over to the core thread and tat over the tail for the next  five stitches, this is the shorter green thread. 

Then  I tatted the next three rings, joining to the previous round rings two and three. Tat the fourth ring.  Now complete the fifth ring using SSSR technique but when you are putting the thread over the ring also put it over the first ring tatted, the one with the hanging  thread and all the rings are now together.  Clip the thread and you are done. 

For a more detail on SSSR please visit Jane Eborall's pages shown below.

Single Shuttle Split Ring 

Single Shuttle with Join

Renulek Wiosna 2015 Row 4

 

I have now completed row four and had to hide the ends 

The pattern is Renulek Wiosna 2015  . She puts up a new row to the pattern every day or so. You can tat along or copy the pattern for future use.  There are a few of us over at Craftree who are doing this together. 

And Then there were Two

I have now completed row two climbing out with a split chain.  Using split rings and split chains were some of the best and useful techniques I learned while tatting. It seems that every time I find a pattern I want to try I need to learn a new technique. One of my WIP has daisy picots so I am on a learning curve with these.

The pattern is Renulek Wiosna 2015  . She puts up a new row to the pattern every day or so. You can tat along or copy the pattern for future use.  There are a few of us over at Craftree who are doing this together.  I have climbed out of row  two above with a split chain and on to row three.