My New Tatting Venture

I am goin on a trip soon and will be flying, so I can't take my Needles with me on the flight, so I am learning how to Shuttle Tat.  I tried to do this YEARS ago and just could NOT wrap my head (or my hands) around this!  Well, thanks to Needle Tatting and actually knowing what the knots are supposed to look like and thanks to the wonderful ladies over at InTatters, I have taken up Shuttle Tatting!

Well, this is my absolute Very First piece of Shuttle Tatting!

Got the Ring and Chain figured out, so now it is time to actually MAKE something, as I never could understand the practice of practicing without actually making something.  This is the Tatted Christmas Tree from BeStitched.  I chose this pattern because I got to practice several things.  I got to practice my Rings, Bare Threads and my Chains.  I also got to practice the Magic Thread Trick for hiding ends.  Very cool trick, let me tell you!

The only problem I am having with the Shuttle Tatting is that I am double jointed and my fingers lock up at the worst moments.  One of those "moments" being when I am trying to hold the thread snug when I make picots, so I decided to make myself a Tatting Chatelaine, also thanks to xstitchntat from InTatters for the wonderful idea in the first place!  I went to a second hand store and bought a crochet hook (the only one they had...a size 8) and had my brother cut the hook off just as it starts flaring into the handle.  I then took a very small lenght of thin dowel and drilled a small hole in it and put Super Glue in the hole, then the hook.  Let it dry an hour or so and Voila!  Mini Hook!  I drilled a hole in the end so I can hang in on my Chatelaine.  The picot guages I made from the plastic from an empty gum box.  You've all seen my Striver before. ;-)

I tatted a cord for my Chatelaine that is about 26" long and it works a DREAM!  I am working on a bookmark right now and not having any problems at all with my fingers locking and I'm lovin' it!

Hope This Helps Clarify any Problems with Adding Threads

Hey, I hope these pictures clarify any confusion there was with my last post about Adding New Threads.  Sorry if I caused anyone any confusion!  Thanks for letting me know.  I'm always more than happy to help out in any way I can!

Hope these larger pictures show better that I am still working off the ball and normally, I would have had enough Core Thread to work with, but it has happened that I have needed to add thread in both the Core and the Knot thread positions.  Hope this helps.

My Way of Adding a New Thread in Needle Tatting

Well, I finally got around to taking photographs of my technique for adding a new thread when needle tatting.  Nothing I hate worse than knots when you don't actually need them!  I hope this helps someone esle out there who hates extra knots and is struggling with how to add new thread.

I've used very large thread here so it photographs better, but I've used this method with thread as fine as sewing thread (size 120)

Let me know if this works for you and how you like it. ;-)

Another Snowflake from Jon's Challenge

I have finally finished tatting up Frakira's (from InTatters) version of Jon's Snowflake Challenge.  I SO love Celtic Tatting!  I tatted this one up with 3 different colors of size 30 thread.  White for the first row, Variegated Blues for the 1st 1/2 of the second row and Blue for the 2nd 1/2 of the second row. 

I really LOVE how many wonderful patterns are coming out of Jon's Snowflake Challenge! Keep your eyes out as I will be tatting Tatknot's version as soon as I get done with another of Yarnplayer's doilies that I am tatting.

Thread Experiment

I have over 60 spools of Machine embroidery floss from when I was doing Embroidery on Cards.  I don't do so much of that anymore, so am trying to find something else to use that thread for so it wasn't a wasted investment.  I have mostly thread from Thread Art but I have a few spools of Gutermann Sulky, Gutermann Metallic and Mettlar, so wanted to see how they all tatted up in comparison to the smallest tatting thread I have on hand, which is a size 70.  I'm not exactly sure what size the other threads work out to be, but I think the Thread Art thread is a 120, based on a 120D/2 on the spools.  Here are my results.

I think that the Mettlar and the Thread Art threads need a finer needle to use these without combining them with another thread.  The Double Stitches are a bit looser than I like them to be, but they both tat up very nicely, so I will be able to combine these threads with some of my plain tatting threads for LOTS of possibilities now.  The biggest surprise for me was how easy the Gutermann Metallic tatted up!  My surprise comes from the fact that the thread is not smooth.  I do have some Gutermann Metallic that IS smooth and that did NOT tat up very nicely at all!  Completely opposite to my expectations!

Now, I'm off to see if they make a finer needle than the #8 Extra Fine that Handy Hands has.  If not, then I am going to try tatting the Mettlar and the Thread Art thread using one of my Beading Needles.  Will just have to watch my fingers as they are Sharps!

Strivers (Stitch Place Holders)

Have you ever run into a pattern that calls for a Paperclip but when you get back around to the paperclip and join to the held stitch you find that your piece doesn't "look" quite right?  Paperclips are just TOO bulky!  One of the lady's over at InTatters showed us these Strivers and I just HAD to make my own!

All you need to make your very own Striver is an Earring Finding (I used a French Hook here, but other styles can be used too...I just added more "curl" to my hook), a small length of wire to hold a few beads on, some beads, a charm and a pair of Needle Nose or Jewelers Pliers.  How easy is that?  Much more elegant looking than a Paperclip as well!  I've used this Striver with thread all the way down to size 30 with great success and think it will even go down to smaller thread just fine.

Hope you all make some pretties for your tatting box now. ;-)

Life Has a Bad Habit

Life has a bad habit of getting in the way fo the Creative Process...or at least the sharing of that process with my friends here.  I'm very sorry it has been so long since my last post.  I've been fighting some major depression brought on by some things that are going on in my life right now.  Hopefully, soon these will be over and I can get back on an even keel and get back to posting regularly.
Now, our Tatting Design Course is over, and I have done all but the last 2 lessons....yup, I even fell behind in that as well, but I have a LOT to share with you today.  Gonna catch you all up with my tatting work since I last posted at least.  Tatting brings me peace, so I do it a LOT!  ;->
Lesson 6:  We drew out the Pattern for Lesson 5 and my version can be found here: http://www.4shared.com/document/WEn0zCxb/Lesson_6_Drawing.html


Lesson 7 and 8 were more working with the Graphic's Program that we were learning, so nothing to show for it, but Lesson 9 was (in my opinion) the MOST fun Lesson of all!  We got to take a clip art drawing of a Snowflake and, using the Graphic's Software, create a pattern for a Snowflake using Tatting.  Well, I really enjoyed doing this one!  Here is my pattern for Lesson 9:

There is nothing to show for the next Lesson and I haven't finished the last 2 Lessons.

However, I have done more tatting and another design project as well.  I took a Design Challenge by one of the members of InTatters and came up with this lovely Snowflake Pattern.

This one was a very fun one to work!  I showed the first row finished, because I think that would also make a great looking ornament on its own as well.

I've also done some Motifs for a Summer Challenge on InTatters.  Here they are:

And a Doily designed by Yarnplayer.  I simply LOVED working up this lovely!

Well, that is all of the completed work I have to share with you today.  I hope to start posting more regularly again very soon.  Thank you all for being patient with me and sorry for taking so long to catch you all up with me.  My "head" knows that a problem shared is a problem lightened, but when it actually came down to coming here and posting, I just couldn't find the "umph"  Hopefully, I have broken that cycle with this post! :->

I'm SO bad!

Sorry I keep falling behind!  See my post here for more expaination...

We have finally taken our Tatting Designs to the point where we have drawn the whole design out!  Here is mine!  Hope you all have fun with it!

Here is some more tatting that I have been doing.  These patterns come from Lyn Morton's book, Tatting Jewellery and are tatted with a single strand of Gold Metallic DMC embroidery floss and size 8/0 seed beads.

Lesson 5 and Another of My Crochet Patterns

Well, it has been some time...sorry.  We have actually done Lesson 5 and Lesson 6, but there is nothing yet to show for Lesson 6.  Life kind of got in the way and I got behind on a lot of things...blog posts seem to always fall to the bottom of the To-Do list for some reason...sorry.
Lesson 5 was a total Blast for me!  I hope you all enjoy the pattern that I have written!  I have included the full pattern for the medallion I made in the previous lesson Here.
I am also sharing another of my Crochet Designs with you.  This one is called Dee's Hospitality and is a wonderful doily that I designed in honor of a very loving Aunt who helped me out several years ago.  Here is a (not so good...sorry) picture of the doily.

If any of you make any of my patterns up, I would really love to see them!  Just send me a picture to the email in  my Profile and if you will allow it, I will post the picture of your work here on my Blog too!

Latest Tatted Jewelry

This pattern comes from the book Tatted Jewellery by Lyn Morton (not yet available her in the US, but available in the UK)
I used a single strand of DMC Metallic Gold Embroidery Floss to tat with and large seed beads.  I added a very tiny (2-2) ring at the base of the earrings to accomodate the erring wires.

The patterns in this book are stunning eyecandy and I can't wait to tat up some more!

Doily from 1946 Magazine

This doily (#9083) is tatted from a pattern from the 1946 edition of the J & P Coats Tatting Magazine #229.  I have tatted this up using some very old thread (don't know whether it quilifies as vintage itself) that I got from a lady after she died.  The ball still had the price tag on it of $.25 USD! :-O  It is Clark's Big Ball size 30, color #37.  The finished doily measures 10.5" across.

Whoot! My FIRST Design in Design Class!

Yeup, you read right!  We got to do some designing for our 4th Lesson!  SO cool!  Sharon gave us the first round, the medallion of Chains and Rings, done to specific stitch count.  OUR job was then to come up with the Second Round!  The one constraint we had was that we could ONLY join to the first round at the Picots on every other Chain.  Well, this is what I came up with.  What do you think?  A keeper?  Should I keep going and go for a 3rd Round?  ;-)  For those interested in what I did for my second round, I've included my directions.

The main idea of this lesson was to learn about Negative Space and the impact it has on your design and how to use it.

You ready for another of my Crochet Designs? (sorry for the quality of the large picture)

This one is David's Ring Mail and was designed for a very special friend who passed away many years ago. One of his favorite things to do was to make Chain Mail, so in honor of his memory, I made this Doily and sent it to his mother several years ago around the Anniversary of his death. I still keep in touch with her as he and his family still hold very special spots in my heart. I hope you will all enjoy the very challenging, but truely pretty pattern.

Lesson 3....Cloverleafs

Well, this lesson was all about Cloverleafs or as some call them Trefoils...depending on the size of the Rings I guess.  I call them all Cloverleafs, myself...lol  3 Rings all done, one right after another in a group, whatever you want to call them.  We tried making the Rings the same size and then making the 1st and 3rd Ring smaller than the 2nd Ring.  How does that affect the joining Chain?  Very interesting lesson!

Y'all ready for another one of my FREE Crochet Patterns?  lol  Well, this is a reall cutey and real fast and easy too.   Click Here for the Picture Frame Ornament (this one is a Word document) That is a picture of my Manda when she was about 9 years old...my how the years do go by!  lol

One More Pendant

I had so much fun making up Yarnplayer's Dream pendant that I made up another one.  This one is worked in Black DMC Light Effects Embroidery Thread (1 strand) and uses white pearl seed beads and opalescent Dagger Drop Beads, tatted on a #8 (Very Fine) Needle.

Working on the last row of another doily to show you all. Unfortunately, I think my "tatting time" may be curtailed for a bit very soon. I am haveing some work done on my house and the contracter is hoping to start next week...Oh, but it will be SO nice once it is done! I have a large deck on the front of my house and when he is done, most of it will have a roof over it! Yippee! I plan on getting a nice Deck Chair so I can enjoy being outside again! I have had to stop going outdoors except for little forays of no more than 15 minutes, even slathered with SPF 50 sunscreen as I have developed a sun sensativity...sigh. It will be nice to be able to get back outside, while still being protected from the sun!

Lesson 2...Joinings and another of my Crochet Patterns

I have finished with my 2nd Lesson.  Very interesting one too.  Had to tat 5 different lengths of Ring and Chain with a variety of Picots and Joinings.  I used the same number of stitches for all of my Rings and Chains so the effects would be more noticable.  These little bits will come in handy when it comes time to actually design my own work.  I will be able to refer back to them and actually SEE what more picots look like on a Ring or what a certain type of Join will do to a Ring and Chain set.

Are you all ready for another of my Crochet Designs?
Here is one of the Baby Layette sets that I designed.  This one is called Optical Illusion Baby Layette Set. (click on the link to download a copy of the pattern)

Another Tatted Pendant

I saw this pendant done up the other day in a stunning Red & Black combination for the Chinese New Year and just had to go find the pattern!  I've made it with the beads I have on hand at the moment...NOW I need to find some better ones...this Pendant reminds me SO much of Dreamcatchers!  The pattern is by Yarnplayer and can be found here.  I want to see if I can find some "feathers" to make a necklace set now.  Anyways...on to this one....I have tatted it with ONE Strand of DMC Light Effects Embroider Floss, color # E436 Golden Oak, using a #7 Needle.  The seed beads are some that I got in a recent Swap and the leaf beads are some that a friend gave me and that is all I have of that size, so I can't even make a set with this design.... :-<  Gotta get me some dangly beads! ;-p  The cord it is on is 2 strands of the same thread that has been twisted back on itself.

My Very First Original Design!

Well after seeing a Pendant tatted over a Cabone Ring, I was inspired to try my hand at tatting over a Cabone Ring.  I don't have any patterns for doing this, so just kind of "winged" it.  After I learn how to write the pattern out and draw the diagram, I will be happy to share my pattern with you. ;-)  I am calling this one Beaded Daisy Pendant.

This next one is a Doily I just finished last night.  The pattern is the Amusement Doily by "Creations by Celtess" and worked in size 30 Big Ball Mercerized Cotton.

I really love how this pattern worked out and will be doing it agian!

Frist Lesson...and First Homework

Well, we got our first Lesson today and here are the resulst of my homework.  I told you this would be slow going to start with, didn't I? ;-)  We have to learn the basics (crawl) before we can run.  No, she isn't teaching us to tat, but to design patterns.  All she told us in this lesson was to make a ring and chain to fit a specific set of  circumstances. 

In the meantime, I DO have something I WOULD like to share with you.  I did do some designing in Crochet that didn't get published (and therefore, I still hold the copyright to) and I would like to share them with you.  So, here is the one I would like to share with you today.  (I appolgize for the poor quality of the photograph, but this is the size needed for the publication I was attemping go for and my computer has crashed since then and I no longer have the original picture or the original doily to re-photograph, but I hope you can get the idea from these pictures how pretty this is!)  The finished Doily, worked in size 10 Thread, measures 32" accross.

If you would like this pattern (free) just click Here.

Pretty Threads to Play With!

Oooh!  I just HAD to share with you some Gorgeous threads I got the other day from Yarnplayer.  This is Hand Died Thread (HDT).  She Paints her own thread!  How cool is that! I bought them from her Etsy site.  I actually bought 2 of the size 40 threads, but I couldn't wait to roll it up, so I could start playing with it...lol  There are 50 yards of size 40 thread on each skein.  Be sure to check out her blog (in my list of blogs...just starting out....lol) and her Etsy site for some really gorgeous thread and patterns!

Well, tomorrow starts my new Design Class.  I am SO ready to learn something new! 

Rose's Round Robin Doily

What better way to start out my new Blog than with Rose Roger's Round Robin Doily?  This one is done in size 30 DMC Cébélia Thread and measures a very dainty 6.75" across! (the blocking goofs have now been fixed...oops)  I really enjoyed making this one as well as the Variation of the Rose's Round Robin Doily which can be found in my Photobucket for those who wish to see that one.
Well, next week I start a brand new venture for me.  I have done design work for years, but always by the seat of your pants kind of stuff.  You know, out of your head.  Well, this time, I'm actually going to take a Class!  I'm going to learn how to really design Tatted Doilies, so look out ladies!  I can't wait!  The course is supposed to take several months, so you will all get to watch what happens as I will be posting my "homework" right here for all to see!  I will be sharing my patterns that I design here as well.  I hope you are all as excited as I am!
Hugs
Carol