Social tatting

April 26, 2011April 28, 2011 DW6 Comments

So… I don’t post anything for ages and all of a sudden, there’s two in one go. We had a long weekend here in the UK, and I went to visit my folks for the weekend. I’m between crochet projects at the moment, and so I tatted while I chatted with my mum in the garden.

It made quite a change actually. My usual tatting routine is: rush for the train, try and get a seat. If I get a seat, hope I also have room to move my elbows. If I have room to move my elbows then out comes the tatting – time for a few rings and chains before packing up again and on to the bus. I usually get a seat on the bus, but it depends how bumpy and how squashed I am as to whether or not I get the tatting out again (also a little bit on the look of the person sitting next to me). Looking back on it, it’s no wonder it takes SO LONG to finish anything.

As I was chatting I decided to go for a more repetitive pattern. I must admit I *love* this pattern. I’ve tatted it before, both successfully, and unsuccessfully! (The successful bit is my favourite piece of tatting ever). This is a Mary Konior pattern (again!) and nice to do – just don’t forget to pay attention to the last set of petals. (It’s also great as it’s shuttle only – no ball, no second shuttle, a marvel!)

These two are both size 80 thread – they’re about 4cm in diameter. The other one up there ^ is size 100 (about 3.5cm in diameter), and I tatted it a while ago. I shot it really to see what the difference in size was – and actually, the difference is a bit more noticeable in real life. The blue thread is from Yarnplayer.

Believe it or not, I’m midway through another one of these – I’m not sleeping at the moment (bad back) and so I ended up tatting to keep myself awake and sociable in the daytime! This last one will be finished on the train though.

I have plans for these, but it means I have to sew them on to something first, so don’t hold your breath just yet.

Oh! And one more thing. I ran out of thread on both of these and had to add more in. I usually try and avoid that at all costs, but I don’t think I did too badly, even if i do say so myself. Hooray!

Commuter tatting

April 25, 2011 DW3 Comments

I’ve been tatting a lot on the bus and train recently. I decided to work on something that had the possibility of becoming a larger piece, while still being portable and easy to memorise. I have a terrible habit otherwise of not having a pattern in mind to start, and then faffing about – taking forever to find one, and in the meantime sitting bored, on the train…

If you’re a tatter – and you’re familiar with Mary Konior, you’ll recognise this design as one of hers, from Tatting with Visual Patterns…

I really like this pattern – interesting enough, without becoming boring and… you do need to pay some attention too:

If you don’t, you might end up switching from the train to the bus, and find yourself impatient to start- only to find you’ve made a wrong join, and need to adapt it into something new… (It’s pretty hard to unpick a ring in size 80 thread on a bus on London’s bumpy streets, so if I go wrong, I consider it lost). And thus we have Mary Konior’s little known triangle design right there.

All of which makes it fun when you finish up the very last bit. It’s like Russian roulette – the thought of going wrong right at the last minute is occasionally too much to bare.

In the end, I decided to make the group of four twice. I didn’t love the first version – wasn’t as neat as it could’ve been. Second time was much neater – although after blocking maybe you can’t tell? I think you probably can though, and besides, it was nice to just tat a pattern with out a big decision as to what to make next.

(Sorry for the dodgy colours on these photos, by the way).

I do have a plan for these. Now i have a sewing machine (Singer, handcranked, reconditioned from the 1930’s – an inheritance from a kindly neighbour), I’m going to… well. Make a few odds and ends. They will only be things that need simple stitching in straight lines, as that’s all I can do, and all the machine can do, but it and I will have fun together. I hope.

In the meantime, what to tat on the train? Same again but bigger? We shall see.

Tiny crochet flowers

April 3, 2011 DW3 Comments

Hello – it’s been a wee while, but I am still here. I’ve managed to lose the charger for my camera, so have to wait until I can twist someone’s arm to take shots for me at the moment, and luckily, today was the day.

After making the charm I mentioned in my previous post, I got a bit addicted. I switched the pattern to one I found for crocheted coasters, and with a bit of adjustment, found they work really nicely as a little bracelet:

I tried it with more than two flowers – but it gets a bit too much. One or two flowers works best I think.

Only problem with that is that they are really addictive. If you’ve made one, before you know it you’ve made at least four. I was using DMC size 12 and size 80 thread – the blue variegated one is hand dyed thread, from Yarnplayers store. (I actually bought it for tatting but am in the middle of a project using an ecru thread, and was itching to try it!).

Aside from that, I’ve been wrestling with these baby moccasins. The pattern is great – but I’m having huge problems finding suitable wool, for some reason. I made one shoe with wool I thought would be ok, in the biggest size, on a bigger hook, and it was still a bit… flat. So ditched that, bought some new wool, which is lovely – but I still think it could do with being thicker. (The laces are also too long – ignore that for now).

I’m really in two minds about this. It’s ‘ok’ – but I hate the thought of giving people something ‘ok’ that they’re then forced to be enthusiastic over. Do you know what i mean? I’d rather not give people something that’s secretly a bit rubbish. We’ll see.

Aside from that, I’m making a bigger piece of tatting on my daily commute (a Mary Konior repeat pattern) and a crochet hook case, which I’m just about to block, before I attempt to sew the inside… It’s my first sewing machine project, and a chance to try out my reconditioned hand-cranked Singer, so wish me luck… (I’m scared of sewing machines). Oh! Also, I managed to get to April’s Ravelry meet, which was really nice. I really hope I can make a few more this year.

Hearts and clunys

January 16, 2011 DW3 Comments

I’ve got back into the swing of commuter-tatting this week, but the light here’s not been great, so no photos of that as yet.

You may or may not’ve noticed that there’s a link at the top of the page now to tatting patterns and tutorials. I usually use the bookmarking site delicious to save my bookmarks, but there’s been chatter recently about it closing down, so I thought I’d post them here too. They’re in no way comprehensive, just things that I’ve found as I’ve needed them really. Hopefully I’ll add to them over the coming months, maybe they’ll be handy for someone else too.

While I gathered the links together, I decided it was time to tackle clunys again… I did have a bit of a go last year, in size 20 Lizbeth thread. Just as I thought I’d got the hang of it, I switched back to my normal size 80 only to find they were a bit of a disaster. (Thread kept twisting in on itself making it impossible to close them).

This time I tried size 16 finca, which I’ve had knocking about for some time..

Now, it’s in no way perfect, but I’m still rather pleased with it. The joins are wrong in the middle (temporary mind-wandering), and the leaves are in no way tidy, but hey! I’m gettin’ there. (I think?)

I still quite like the softness of the finca thread incidentally. I know it can get a bit fluffy, but it’s actually lovely to tat with.

The pattern is here, if you’d like a go. You might need a translator, but its relatively straightforward. Only thing i couldn’t seem to spot is how many cluny passes. For the record, 20 is too few, 30 seemed about right.

Hearty crochet in different threads

December 30, 2010 DW1 Comment

Well, it turns out these hearts are quite addictive.
I’ve mentioned in the past I’m not 100% sure which thread I like to crochet with best, and so this has given me a little chance to try a few things out…

• At the bottom, there’s the Rowan Siena. I love the colours this comes in, they’re really vibrant and have a great sheen. I made a red heart with this too – several in fact. It’s nice thread to crochet with, big n’ chunky. A bit marshmallowy.

• Then there’s a DMC linen thread (No. 10) I bought to try out. It’s umm… really coarse I guess. Not sure what I was expecting, but not that. It’s a bit like crocheting with string. Kinda tough, and I would imagine a wee bit hard on your hands after a while.

• There’s a couple of DMC perle hearts in there too, one red and one purple. I had this thread knocking about – maybe for tatting, but at a size 8 it’s a bit thick to tat with. Actually, it crochets up really nicely – and could be my favourite of the lot

• Finally, there’s a heart in size 80 DMC – which I actually do use for tatting. This is the thinnest thread I’ve crocheted with so far, and I quite liked it. As the thread is so smooth, you can see every detail on every stitch, which could be good or bad. Less room for mistakes!

Now all I need to do is *stop* making them. I have one more gift to decorate, and then that’s it. Maybe…

Last minute Christmas crochet

December 24, 2010 DWLeave a comment

I managed to sneak in a quiet 5 minutes today while everyone off at the shops. I’ve done all my shopping (hooraaay!), and so I took the opportunity to make my wrapping a wee bit nicer…

Isn’t that cute? It’s a heart that lots of people have made into garlands (Ravelry link), but if you add a little crochet chain they can be hung individually. I’ve attached one each to gifts for a couple of different people. Hope they like them!

If you have a spare 5 minutes, the pattern is here.

Also, I keep meaning to say, after the hell that is sewing in/tidying up ends on tatting with size 80 thread, you really appreciate sewing in the ends on crochet. It’s SO EASY by comparison! I’ve almost got to the stage where I *enjoy* it 😀

Tatted snowflakes in action

December 23, 2010 DW2 Comments

What with the actual snow, I got a bit behind in sending out my tatted snowflakes. This is good and bad. Mainly good – it means I have a few for my own tree!

I must admit, I took a step back and was really very pleasantly surprised by how nice they look. I’m not claiming to be the world’s greatest tatter or anything – but they really are pretty. Tatting works so well for snowflakes. If you were going to invent a snowflakey art, you’d probably invent tatting.

I loved Jon’s book of patterns. Having said that, I got really fixated on this one design (above) as once I had it memorised it was the ideal commuter-flake! (I tat most on the train). Once the Christmas rush is over, I’ll try a few more. I love the fact lots of them use split rings etc – techniques I’d sort of learnt but had yet to use. There’s so much work that’s been put into the design and writing of the book, it’s really fantastic to be able to buy it and support/say thanks to someone who contributes so much to the community. If you’re in the mood for some new patterns I’d strongly recommend it.

A tatted flurry

November 28, 2010 DW4 Comments

So, I’m back from my travels, and very nice they were too. I took some tatting with me – for the journey, and incase I had the odd spare moment. Actually the days were so full I barely had a moment to think. In the end i just made three and a half snowflakes:

I bought Jon’s book of tatted snowflakes and took the whole book in my suitcase, but just one page for the flight. This is the reason for the snowflake at the bottom being slightly wrong! I read the pattern a bit wrong (instructions for reading it where in the case, of course) but manageed to work out a way to carry on, just with extra picots in the middle.

The one at the top centre I made half on the flight back, and finished on the train to work. I kept having to ‘retro tatt’ that one – found it really difficult getting back into the swing of tatting on a packed commuter train. (I’m sort of back on track now, I started the on the bottom right this week).

I love this design – really pretty but very snowflakey too. The plan was to put these in with Christmas cards, as decorations or whatever. At the moment I’m in two minds as to what to do about a hanging loop. I bought that ribbon yesterday, as they didn’t have any white but… I dunno. Feels a bit thick, even though it’s the thinnest they have. I’ve got half a mind to tatt a length of split rings as a chain-loop thing instead. What do you think? I’ll see how the time goes.

For now, I’ve almost finished the broomstick lace scarf and I must sew a monkey together, before his intended recipient grows up and gets old!

Split rings and cabone rings (a late revelation)

October 27, 2010 DW1 Comment

In my last post I mentioned I was about to order Jon’s Tatted Snowflake patterns. Well, I did – and to my delight the PDF arrived super-speedily. (Thank you Jon)

As I’ll have to make these patterns up with out the aid of the internet (*panic*) I thought I’d have a bit of a browse on Jon’s site to read her excellent tutorials. Actually, I can already make mock rings and split rings – I just haven’t used them much as yet, but I thought I’d have a go at split chains.

All day I’ve been thinking about this. I sat down to follow the photos, and about 5 mins in, I thought ‘Hang on! This is like tatting around a ring!’

Shocked at the sheer brilliance of my revelation I popped over to Intatters… to find that everyone there knew that already 🙂

Still. It must mean I’m getting better slowly. At least I spotted it!

No pics – I’m using size 80 practise thread for some insane reason, which is a bit tricky to photograph in this light with my camera. You’ll just have to take my word for it!

New home for a tatted primrose

October 25, 2010 DW3 Comments

You know how it is when you’re reading someone’s blog, and you find yourself with a spare 5 minutes, and then suddenly you’re off elsewhere peeking into someone else’s life? In the summer I was reading Attic24‘s colourful crochet blog, and had a wander through the links in the side bar. I came across the Little Pink Room – and actually, you know what made me love it? It was this post talking about the messy bits in houses that you never see through the window of the internet.

It made me smile, mainly as I’d just been wracked with jealousy over the sofa in this post. It’s sort of nice to know that other people’s houses aren’t as perfect as you might think, and that y’know… Your own house might not be brilliant, but there’s *some* bits of it that are ok, and sometimes that just has to be enough.

Anyway. To cut a long story short, I chatted on email to A, the owner of the room(s) and the blog in question. She’d never seen tatting in real life, and as a tatter that tats and has no idea what to do with it, I said I’d post her some.

I made the middle bit of a Mary Konior Primrose path doily – mainly thinking that it’s the sort of size you could so something with, rather than it being an end in itself. I thought it might be more useful.

Anyway – it’s found a lovely new home! How exceptionally nice! And, A, you are more than welcome.

In other news, I’ve been making toys for the children of my old flatmates. I met the children a few weeks ago and have been desperately trying to get these finished ever since…

I wanted to make something I could count on working, so yes, it’s another elephant – the fifth! Such a good pattern though, and fun to make – all except sewing the head on, which almost reduces me to tears every time. It’s *really* annoying and fiddley.

I’m also getting close to finishing a monkey – yes another one…

I quite like this little chap. That’s the second mouth – I’m really picky with mouths and eye placement – it makes a massive difference to the final character. The first was too serious. A bit grown up. This one feels a bit more friendly, and just a tiny bit cheeky – a bit like the little chap he’ll be living with.

And work continues on the broomstick lace scarf. How it’s taking so long i just don’t know. Every other comment I read from other people who’ve made it seems to make out like they practically finished it before they started. Still. It’ll be nice when it’s done – and oddly, I’m still enjoying making it.

And finally – for any UK tatters out there – I ordered a book of snowflakes from Roseground and they’ve sold out. They even went to a fair to try and buy more in person and their suppliers had sold out too. I asked it I could swap it for a different book of snowflakes and they have none of that left either! So it sounds like there’s a blizzard of tatted snowflakes on the way this winter.

In the meantime, I’ve ordered Jon’s Tatted Snowflake collection as I’m taking a wee break and I wanted some small but interesting little things to make on the journey. If I can remember how to work a SCMR, all will be well. I’ll let you know.

Occasional Crafter

Crafting, occasionally.

Category: tatting