Category: tatting

Busy busy (work not play)

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These last few weeks have been rather busy, despite a ‘week off’. The week off ended up with me trying to fit two full time jobs into one working week, rather than just one, but broadly speaking, I succeeded more or less. I haven’t done much in the way of tatting though.

I did pack up the Mary Konior bookmark I made up for my mum. It’s her birthday next week. (Don’t worry, she wont read this, I haven’t actually told anyone I have a blog as yet). I put it in with a card, and all the colours worked together rather nicely, if I do say so myself. I’d love to take the credit for that, but it was just luck, to be honest. I’m just not that organised!

I do have a few days off this week though, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve bought myself some new tatting threads and I’ve been trying *not* to do anything with them all weekend. (I should be working.) I got them from Buttercup Miniatures again, and again, the service was great. If you’re in the UK and like DMC tatting threads, they’re a great alternative to Roseground, who only stock a few colours in DMC. They send things out really quickly, and were very gracious about the fact I’d given them an address for home and a postcode for work, by accident. If you like dolls houses, miniatures, tiny delicate crochet and other such things, check them out. I’m not affiliated with them at all, I just like the fact they ship as soon as they get your order 🙂 The two smokey greys are actually Venus thread, which I’ve not tried before. It’s size 70, rather than 80. I also bought a variegated green, to use in small doses, but it looked weird in the photo, so I left it out!

That’s the last bit of unblocked tatting I’ve done. I started it on a train, and finished in a car park. It looks a wee bit wonky here, but I’m hoping blocking will fix it. Oddly, it’s the first time I’ve used Josephine Rings in anything. It’s another Mary Konior pattern, of course.

Incidentally, this was done in size 12 DMC. I don’t like the thread that much  – but after using size 80, it’s so quick, thick n’ fast! I actually loaded it on my shuttle to practise clunys, but ended up making this by accident. I did try clunys in size 80, and I can make them fine, I just can’t pull the thread through to finish it off, without it coiling back on itself and snarling everything up. (Has anyone out there made clunys in size 80? Is there a way to get it not to coil back on itself?)

I’ve not crocheted anything for a while. Too hot, I think, and I’m still undecided as to what I want to make next. I need to make another elephant (a request) and I’d still like to make the Sunshine Day blanket, but need to buy some thread.

And finally, I *was* going to take a photo of the flowers in my garden. They look blooming marvellous, but sadly, every time I open the backdoor and try and take a photo a small gathering of very nice, but very bored people next door come out to watch! So take it from me, they look lovely.

Clunys! (Tatted, not George’s)

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It’s a busy (and rather long) week. I flew to the USA from the UK last weekend for a conference, and it was a long flight. Eight hours or so to Chicago, with no in-flight entertainment. Luckily, I’d already thought to take my own:


This is actually my second go at this pattern, by Mary Konior. It’s oddly hard to get into the rhythm of it, but it’s really pretty. I only made one visible mistake this time around, but I’m letting myself off the hook, as it’s not that noticeable, really – and the reason I made the mistake was because a very sweet lady started talking to me.

She spotted me tatting in the departure lounge as we were waiting for a connecting flight. I could see her looking out of the corner of my eye, and I knew she wanted to talk. Eventually she came over and said ‘Is that tatting?! My husband’s grandmother used to do it and I haven’t seen anyone do it since.’ She was so thrilled, it was really cute.

She also congratulated me for keeping a dying art alive. I pointed out that it was far from dying, she just needs to spend some time on google! As she was a knitter, I suggested tatting might be good to try for in-flight craft, as I know knitters are number 1 terrorists these days, with their oh-so-pointy, devilish needles. Tatting shuttles are less fiendish, at least according to airport security.

Poor little Ele, I’ve been using her to hang my smaller bits of tatting on. She had this on her nose for a while, but recently she’s been wearing three different coloured ones on her head. I’m trying not to lose them (my desk is a real mess). She’s doing a very good job of looking after everything.  These were also experiments in tatting with two colours – and joining the thread into a different coloured ring. I’ve kind of got it – it sort of depends on the day, how I’m feeling and whether or not the tatting gods are smiling on me 🙂

cluny

I’m back in the UK now, and jet-laggy. I’ve been thinking about tacking clunys since I spotted them again recently on Fox’s site. She’s been making a few different things with clunys and linked to a video by the Mistress of them all, Elisadusud. So last night, at around 12.45am I thought it might be a good time to start learning. Believe it or not, it wasn’t bad.

Tatting videos are so good, mainly because you can watch them frame… by…. frame… until…. you get what on earth is going on. I’ve got some size 20 Lizbeth thread, which is what I’m learning on – and at the moment, I cannot imagine how you’d do it on anything thinner – but I guess I’ll get there eventually? It’s the thread that makes the above photo look so nice – I can’t take credit for the colours. Also, it’s photographed surprisingly well – not sure it looks quite that good in real life!

So I’ll keep on practising for a bit, and if I ever manage to make a cluny in size 80 – which is my favourite thread – I’ll let you know!

Tatting in two colours

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After getting my new thread haul the othe week, I’ve been itching to try tatting in two colours. Nothing dramatic, but I just thought slight tonal variations would be good. The downside of buying online is that you can never be *that* sure of the colours you’re buying, but I think the ones I got are working together ok…Blue and green options

The blues are very close to eachother – but in a nice way actually. When you see them in real life, they’re really delicate. The greens are a bit further apart, but they still seem ok – and as you can see, I’ve had yet *another* go at the Mary Konior pattern. I had a longer uninterrupted train journey this week, so it was a chance to try it out again. I’m back to onion rings again and I think it does look neater.

Onion ring

Also, I think the pic at the top shows the back, rather than the front. As it happens, this was just a test to see how it went, so I didn’t wind on much thread. I’ll start again on a real one soon. I keep thinking the second ring could use a few picots to keep itself in place actually. I’m really tempted to try again and add some in… or is that just getting ridiculous?

In the meantime, I’ve been trying out an afghan pattern. I’ve been looking for one to make for ages, and I must admit, there’s something really lovely about this pattern – or is it the colours? The colours are really lovely.

I tried out one square with colours I had knocking about – you’ll recognise the grey from the elephants, maybe.

Crochet & tatting

It’s so weird to work with such chunky wool after the size 80 thread. But the square is so cute in real life! I should think it makes one hell of a warm blanket – it’s really chunky, but so soft and puffy! It’s like a crochet marshmallow. I have a vague feeling I might be 90 by the time I start and finish it as an afghan, but I am tempted… Time to go yarn shopping? Maybe.

Oh! And talking of elephants, one of them has err… flown the nest (you know how well elephants fly!) and reached her destination…


Happy Elephant

(I mentioned to the recipients mum that I’m on hand for repairs when needed ;o)

A big fat, annoyed, tatted sigh.

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I’d really enjoyed working on  this. Took me four attempts to actually get it started, and although it was’t looking *amazing* it was at least getting finished.

Until the very last day.

All messed up.

No seat on the train, so standing up in the isle I thought, ‘well, there’s only a bit left, I might aswell finish it’. In the squeeze, in the rush, I joined two wrong rings and now it needs unpicking (unlikely to work, the thread is size 100, so I don’t fancy its chances) or a bit chopping out. It’s really not worth it. It’s not neatly done, and so I didn’t have great plans for it, I just really wanted to finish it.

Never mind. Better luck next time I guess.

I think actually onion rings did look neater, when I do remake this (I still think I will) I might switch back again. Has anyone else made this pattern, incidentally? It’s Mary Konior, Ring a Ring O’ Roses.

New thread!

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My little thread stash has arrived already from Buttercup Miniatures. I must admit, that’s pretty speedy, I ordered it on monday night and they’d posted it by Tuesday morning. This is the first time I’ve bought anything from them (found via google) and I already want to buy some more.

New thread

Here’s my little stash, modelled by an elephant duet. The elephant on the left is going to a new home next week, and she’s most excited. (I *love* making things for people. I’m already excited at the thought of packaging her up. I hope her new owner(s) like her).

Anyway. I was right. The thread I liked for tatting but lost the info for was size 80. I think size 100 is ok, but it’s a bit fiddly to close rings and keep them neat and tidy, so I think carrying on with 80 is good for now. I’m going to make a few little things to send to people, and then something bigger… Although I’m so close to finishing this now, I’m tempted to make another one in two colours… we’ll see. I’d like to prove to myself that I can make a nice neat version. I do know that one’s a bit messy.

Comfy craft

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I admit it. I am the *queen* of comfort clothing. Even though I don’t have to dress up for work, I still have to get changed the second I walk home through the door. Most of the time I grab a hoodie because they’re comfiest of all. It’s kind of funny that it happens to be covered in ram’s skulls. There’s 5 down each arm and one big one on the back. I’ve kind of adopted it really, t’wasn’t actually mine to begin with.

I thought it would be kind of funny to photograph it with the most recent thing I tatted, which is this heart, in size 20 Lizbeth thread. My parents recently went to the USA, and asked if there was anything I wanted. I said if they could find any, I’d love to try some Lizbeth thread, preferably in size 40 or smaller. Unfortunately, they could only get size 20, and in variegated thread, which is a bit thick for me I think – and the colours are a wee bit candy pop, but it was really sweet of them to hunt it down. It’s also great to be able to try it out and work out that yes, 20 IS thicker than 40, and perhaps too thick for me. It’s a nice thread though – feels really different to the DMC thread I’ve been using – it really does feel more like cord.

I’ve also made some slow progress on this:

Its the Mary Konior pattern I kept getting wrong. This is actually the 4th iteration – and you can see it’s still not really right – but actually, I don’t mind. I’ve really loved making it, and knowing that if I decided to make it again, (which I already think I might) I’ll make it much better. Actually, i think my first instinct of onion rings might’ve been right afterall – made the bottoms of the rings a bit neater. I’ve actually really messed up the ring I’m on, and I need to add some new thread in too, but rather than give up, I’m persevering.

I should also add that it’s taking so long because I’ve only been tatting it on the train. I take 4 different modes of transport to work – train is the easiest to tatt on. The journey is between 15-20 mins, but that includes getting on, finding a seat, getting stuff out, tatting, packing it all away again and fighting to get off. So really, it’s not a lot of time each session. This thread is also a thickness of 100 – which makes it very thin. Sometimes it feels like you take your life in your hands every time you close a ring, because it doubles back on itself so much. I did something quickly last night and snapped it by accident.

The thread I like best is, I think, size 80. I lost the paper bit they put in the centre, and there’s no real shop near me to go and check, but through process of elimination, I reckon that’s it. I’ve just ordered a few balls of size in different colours, so hopefully I’ll know for real any day now.

The inventiveness of tatting

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Today was a bit of a wash out  – I couldn’t face reading a pattern (aforementioned pain in shoulder) and so thought I’d just make some stuff up. I’ve wanted to try tatting around a ring for a while, found a tutorial on Jane Eborall’s site picked up some spare thread, and gave it a go. (The plastic rings are 16mm, and I got them from John Lewis).

doodle

I’m not a fan of this thread – It’s DMC PerlĂ©  and it tatts up really lumpy . I thought was just me and couldn’t quite work it why I seem to be so much better with thinner thread, but I recently read a post where someone else said they had the same problem. I feel a bit better about it now.

Because its a first go, I finished each row when the thread ran out on the shuttle. When I got to the end of the second row (top of the photo) I thought I’d be clever and tatt a split ring, so I could go straight on to mucking about with the third round. That was when I remembered I was only using one shuttle. I closed the ring and that was that. You can see how this pattern is going. It’s about to get really boring so I’ll stop it there I think. I always forget you can tatt upwards as well as downwards – imagine that last row flipped, it might be vaguely more interesting. Anyway. My inability to invent an interesting design aside, I came across this:

The Single Shuttle Split Ring; the SSSR. I’ve read about it before and kind of glossed over it. I like the idea of it though, so it’s not on my list of things to learn, along with the magic thread trick. It amazes me how many tatting stitches have been invented in recent years. Or that’s how it seems.

I’ve been to the V&A, and seen all the early tatted samples. They’re really different to tatting today. I’m sure knitting and crochet must be evolving too, but it feels like tatting is evolving literally as I type.

Third time lucky?

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We shall see.

While I was tatting the motif in the previous post, I decided I should really finish stuff off properly; block it and tidy up the ends. There’s two reasons really – 1) it would give me a proper sense of achievement when I’d finished and 2) I wouldn’t end up with a pile of tatting sitting on my desk with the threads all waiting to be dealt with:

Tatting pile

There’s all sorts in the pile. Mostly Mary Konior patterns, but also…

  • a nice, basic star, which was an experiment in floating rings
  • a triangle, which I’d seen others do, forgot to write the pattern down, but  successfully guessed while on the train
  • two spare middles for the stars I made at Christmas
  • A doodle I made up on the plane to Savannah, Georgia. (I’m based in the UK, it was a long flight).

Literally all-bar-one (a Mary Konior square design, which might be my favourite pattern of all time) need their ends weaving in. Ah – actually, there’s the one I posted the other day in there too – I take that back!

Anyway. I need to weave my ends in. And so the next challenge will be learning how to hide ends as I go. I’ve been putting it off for ages, but I should really learn. I might be an occasional crafter, but there’s occasional, and there’s just being a bit lazy!

In the mean time, I’m on my third attempt at this:

Third time lucky

Another Mary Konior pattern, I really only started it because I’d learnt onion rings and thought it would be a good place to use them.
It wasn’t really.

I think it’s better the way Mary suggested – a ring in the centre and chains and floating rings on the outside. The  green one I screwed up because I added an extra ring and couldn’t find a nice way to get rid of it. The  white one, you can just about see on the left I screwed up because I should’ve switched shuttles for the middle rings, and if you don’t it looks all pointy and weird. So now, well, third time lucky? We shall see.

I’m trying to ignore the fact the second ring is smaller than the first. The thread is size 100 (or so they say – it doesn’t actually feel that thin to me) and it has a habit of twisting back on itself. This means that to close the second ring I had to give it a bit of a tug, and it shrank a bit. Oh well. I wont tell anyone if you don’t and we’ll see if we can get away with it.

Pub and train tatting

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I was hoping to get home in daylight to photograph these, but no such luck! So a speedy shot for now of two versions of a Mary Konior pattern – one blocked of course, and the other not.

The blocked one was started in a pub and finished on a train. The unblocked one was train journeys all the way.
It has to be said this pattern is ideal for a commuter – one shuttle, no ball – it’s just rings on repeat. You can tatt this sitting on a train, or as I ended up doing for a while, standing on a platform waiting for a train. (You have to do a bit of magic with the hook, if you’re not a built-in hooker, so to speak.)
It’s also the ideal ‘end-of-shuttle buster’. I emptied three shuttles making just the first one!*
Amusingly, each motif has a mistake caused by its surroundings. The one tatted in a pub has one ring too small – a friend arrived and I lost count of my stitches. The one on the train has seven rings where there should be six. The train was dividing, and I wasn’t 100% sure I was in the right bit. (You know that feeling?) In the end I decided to make two sections with seven rings and pretend it’s a feature. (I work with web developers, there’s a nice little saying: ‘That’s not a bug, it’s a feature!’ Works for them, it can work for me).
They might not be perfect, but I’m rather pleased with them, really. They were so enjoyable to make.

blocked and unblocked

*why do I have three shuttles of the same thread? Well… it’s the only thread I have of this size, and I’ve decided it’s my favourite. But I’ve refused to buy any more nice thread until I get through some of what I have, and more to the point – finally decide on a bigger project. Also, I’m not sure what size it is… so I thought I should figure that out too. More of that soon.