Tatting along

This is my edging, which grows but slowly, and I did want to have at least two corners done by next Wednesday, as I am teaching tatting in my friends shop, and she sells this thread. I hoped that if my edging looked pretty people might want to buy the thread to try at home... The thread is DMC 80 colour 820, and the pattern is from Tatted Handkerchiefs by Nikolajsen, from Akacia publishing. So here's hoping for a miracle this weekend!

And, this is Jon's Tat-Along pattern, which I do when the edging is making me sleepy! It is so pretty, and I am doing it in Oliver Twists, which is really quite fine thread. My previous doily/motif in the turquoise thread is waiting for it's third row, however my very naughty puppy climbed up and grabbed my tatting bag off the printer while I was out and chewed the turquoise thread, I now have a pile of short lengths but will I be able to find some longer bits for the final round?

Naughty puppy

Chewed up thread.

My "Go to" pattern

 Sharon asked us what we would choose as our most frequent or favourite pattern that we always return to, and what it is that makes it our choice.

This pattern from the Blomqvist and Persson book Tatting Patterns is the one I would choose. It shows off variegated threads like a dream. This is a machine embroidery thread from Gütermann, very fine. It is a quick pattern, and yet I feel it has a light lacy look that is very satisfying. I often use it to try new threads, as I have lots of old samples to compare them to, like a tension sample in knitting.

 This is Yarnplayer's Tourmaline, size 80.

These were made using Valdani 50

The green is Gütermann Sulky, the navy is Caen lace thrad.

Tatskool's beautiful daffodils, in size 80.

Some tatting

I read a post somewhere about photographing tatting, in an attempt to get better quality in the colours and so on, so these two pieces have photographed rather than scanned. The first piece is from Suzanne Schwenke's book, and isn't a snowflake but appears in the Christmas section. There is an optional third row...I haven't made my mind up on that one for the moment. The thread is Oliver Twists, from the Mediterranean collection...size approx = slightly smaller than DMC 80 

This is a dragon from Anne Bruvold's much loved Minor Norwegian Dragon pattern. The thread is Lizbeth size 20 colour Springtime. I am afraid the photo hasn't come close to the real colour, so disappointing. I am now working on an edging, in DMC 80, but there isn't enough to show yet. I did finish the Beatrice doily, but gave it to a friend before I thought to take a picture...hey ho, one doily looks much like another!

Elderly canine + new technique = ? Youthful canine + shuttle = disaster.

 I haven't been doing much tatting,( my day to day life  has continued on my other blog) but I do occasionally add a motif to my "Yes-u-can" doily. No ends have been sewn in though for a while!

 This is an experiment from my latest book on tatting, where you flip one row and don't the next...I think it looks interesting but I ran out of thread.

 I began a square from Iris's book, but haven't finished it yet. :( Much unfinished work at the moment isn't there?

 This was an experiment to try my new way of tatting, you see I learnt from a book in 1973, and never saw anyone tat until recently. Thanks to the internet I realised that my method was slow and clumsy compared to what other tatters did...thank you Diane, Tattyhead, and Yarnplayer for enabling me to see how I could improve. (Amongst others, who I didn't note down.)
So slowly I picked up that graceful movement and sped up. This motif was done after looking at the pansy motif, it's on the same page of the Saunders Tatting book. The thread was a free sample from Roseground, Elizabeth 40, and I don't like the colour at all, however the thread itself tats beautifully and I will be buying some next order I put in...but not this colour!

 The reason I had put in an order was because a friend asked me to teach tatting in her shop. She was able to find Clover shuttles but not the Elizabeth threads. I thought it might be hard to learn on thread that is too fine so I ordered a couple of colours to help potential students get started. This was one, Springtime, I think it's really pretty.

Then I had sudden urge to try an Iris doily with the hideous thread, so I wound my shuttle and started. I left it on the table overnight, and my naughty puppy, and my naughty kittens played with the contents of my bag. :(

My beautiful dragon shuttle from Shuttle Shop was broken, and I had to rewind another.

Ulla's square

 This was a difficult pattern, indeed! My first attempt came to a rapid end when I realised I had gone backwards and could go no further.

This second attempt I did manage to go all the way round, but the centre is a right mess! I definately need to try again, with a clearer thought about how to do the middle. I am grateful to Fox and Tatting Fool, who had already gone before, because it reassured me to see that I wasn't the only tatter to get into difficulty with this pattern. The scanner is the one at work, and I have a few problems with that, too.

Motif in pink and blue

I am very disappointed with this scan, the threads are Tatskool's Raspberry sorbet and the blue is from the Mediterranean selection of threads from Oliver Twists. The colours really go well, but you can't see how bright they are on this scan. :(
I finished the second square but somehow while chasing around France I lost the first one, so I couldn't join them together. I am not sure about them now...maybe I need to find a square motif that works well in two colours, because I have lots of beautiful HDT which would work well together. I will look at my Iris Niebach book of square motifs.

Things are happening

Life is as hectic as ever, here, and I wouldn't wish the nightmare of a 15 year old son on anyone! He has a motorbike now, so not only does he drive me mad when he is at home, but he scares me to death when he's out.
On top of that I have agreed to do some tatting lessons in a friends shop...in both English and French. I need to put together some kits, as she doesn't actually sell shuttles, so I have bought some bits and pieces from Roseground,( thank you Pat for the speedy and efficient service. :))
I chose Clover shuttles as they are my favourites, but I have gone with Lizbeth size 20 threads as they are so popular with tatters in general. They look good, I have five different colours, three solids and two variegated. I intend giving two contrasting colours in each kit...and am open to suggestions from anyone who has already taught tatting as to how to begin. I was thinking a chain, first, to get the flip...then picots, and then a ring?

I have also bought a new tatting book, La Frivolité aux Navettes. It has only just been published, so I expect that I am the first to review it?
This is a glossy work with lots of photos, it has a good section on the history of tatting from it's roots in knotting right through to modern advances.

It goes on to work through all the variations, of no flip tatting, right side and wrong side, and all sorts of possibilities. I find it quite hard to follow, despite all the good quality photos, however I think it is a book which will help me to improve my technique. It suggests it is aimed at beginners...me, I think you would be somewhat at a loss if this were your first book, as a would-be tatter. On the whole I would give four out of five stars.
It has encouraged me to try a different technique, a spiral with Josephine knots, which I tried here.

Not a brilliant photo, but nonetheless it could be a pretty bracelet in thicker thread.
I am working away on the three ring square in Raspberry sorbet, and I promise to show you at least two joined together next post...

Squares

 I have been making squares with Tatskool's threads. This is Sharon's rose square, that I have admired for a long time. I have to decide now whether this will be a bookmark or a larger square. I am thinking probably a larger square. The scan doesn't do any justice to the colours which glow in real light. Berry burst, for the centre and nightmare thread from Venus, which makes "bigoudis" every time you try to close a ring, but happens to be the right shade of green.

 This one is three ring square, also from Sharon's Marvellous Motifs, done in Raspberry sorbet. The split rings are a bit naff, but I am assuming that I will improve with practise. I think this will look a lot more exciting when it is made up with repeats.

I am showing a snowflake from last time, this time with the ends sewn in. This is Rainbow Light thread and I can't find Jon's book to give you the name of the pattern, sorry!

Some snowflakes

Here are some snowflakes that I made from Tatskool's beautiful threads, and mostly they are Jon's patterns. I kept making mistakes so often...and I wanted to cry, wasting such lovely thread, however I decided to share what I had made, because I am not sure that it shows all that much.

Black, white, colour

 This is a tatted edging for a scarf for my daughter. It should have been ready for Christmas...it wasn't! I mostly tatted this on Thursdays at work, when we sit and listen to the patients telling their story, "Jeudi=je dis" hmm, anyway it happens just after lunch, and I suffer from the terrible desire to fall asleep, so I take my shuttle in my pocket, and discretely get on with this. It has to be simple as I can't look down too often, so dear old Curds and Whey from Mary Konior has been just right.

This blackwork kit is totally not my style, I found it in a charity shop when I was in the UK in November, and felt sorry for it. Someone had begun it with two repeats, and then given up, and repackaged it without the original thread, and leaving the needle rusting in the fabric. As you can tell, my blackwork is not reversible! It is quite soothing to stitch, especially on Aïda fabric.

Here we have some bayeux embroidery, a kit purchased last summer when I went to see the original Tapisserie. It is the figurehead of a Norman ship. I enjoyed this wool on linen embroidery...I might have a go at another one some time, especially as the International Lace Conference will be at Caen this year, and I am really keen to go.

Passive-aggressive lace

 At the beginning of December I had a lace lesson, I knew I did, but when I had driven all the way over to the teacher's house, (1hr's drive) she said I was mistaken, and that I was supposed to ring her to say whether it was this day or the following week. I knew that I wouldn't have said that, because I have fixed off-duty, but I didn't really say what I felt, I just drove away, feeling all upset. When I got home I ripped off the lace angel we had been working on, I hate sodding angels anyway, I never chose to make an angel, and also removed the heart that I finished tant bien que mal, and started this motif.

I am using the book by Pamela Nottingham, and doing as well as I can, all the time being aware that being passive-aggressive is probably not the way forward if I want to improve my technique. Oh well, give me time, and I will probably get over it! I have yet to finish it properly, but I am quite pleased none-the-less.

Nothing happening here.

All I have available to show is this heart. I can't work out quite how to do the final bit, I need to join three pinholes, and throw out some pairs...it needs a bit of concentration.
At lace class yesterday they mentioned that IKEA sells tables that are ideal for lacemaking at 19.90 €, what a good idea!
I will try to update when I get back from visiting my mother in the UK. The outer row of the clover doily was chewed by my puppy, and had to be cut off. Luckily the centre wasn't damaged.
Yes-U-can doily, I have done 2 motifs on the next row... a bit bored with that now, I will try to get on with it at a later date.

Losing the thread

 I am always so mean when I wind a shuttle that this kind of thing happens all the time. I need to wind a new shuttle just one repeat from the end.... I will, I will, but not right now.

 Here is a long bit of beaded tatting which I started, but then found I didn't quite have enough beads... I may work out a solution, or I may just give up.

 Then a couple of weeks ago Fox shared some thread, Finca 16 in bright colours, which inspired me to start something new.

 I have made a square...

and also started the Yes-U-Can doily challenge on in-tatters.

Corinne's doily, second round

I know I said I didn't want to continue with these threads, but on the way back from Perpignan, puppy was quiet in her corner, and so I pulled out my tatting bag, and found I only had these threads, also no pattern. I was able to download round two with my phone...which seems to me to be amazing. I am afraid I did have a bit of difficulty interpreting it on my phone screen, and so the stitch count may be a bit off, also am I the only person who finds Sulky thread almost impossible to un-tat? It starts to fray very quickly, and I am scared it will snap, so I just carry on even when I have made a mistake, repeating it, if necessary to prevent it from being too obvious.

Here is the puppy, watching me in the car. She is amazingly good, no messing in the house, and no crying at night. She and Bess get on fairly well, although Bess can a tad bouncy for such a tiny pup.
The other photo shows the two of them together.

Brief update, with Corinne's motif

 I recently received a' nudge' from a friend, (*waves*) and so I am just posting briefly to let you know that I am still alive.
I haven't done much tatting. and really nothing of interest at all. I can't remember where I was with this doily last time I posted, but I guess that I am a bit further on. The thread is not nice to use, and it is pretty grubby, but there seems no point in washing it till it is finished, and because I don't like the thread I am not so motivated to keep on going. Hey ho.
I have otherwise just done scraps of edgings or else old motifs that I know by heart, to keep my hands busy when I am listening. I have finished the mental health course, but I am about to take the final exams for a French course that I am doing. It helps to tat when I am listening to lectures.

This motif first came to my notice on Fox's page, it  was designed by Corinne. She has invited tatters to give it a try, and so I finally came out of retirement to have a go. These threads are Güttermann Sulky, and they were not what I would have chosen, they just happened to be on my shuttles. I should have re-scanned because the colours are brighter than this, but it's late and I don't want to disturb the man. I see on her blog that now there is more to add, but I think I will start again in a better choice of threads...these don't do justice to the form.
Tomorrow we are going to Perpignan to fetch a puppy.

Hello there...

I haven't been blogging anywhere, and I had pretty much decided to give it up, especially as I had bought a new computer and it didn't seem to want to link with my old scanner printer. However I needed to print something and so was obliged to spend a bit more time and thought on the problem, and voilà, I now have it working perfectly.
First piece, this is from Adelheid Dangela's book "Occhi Patchwork". The book is in German, but the patterns are diagrammed, and easy to follow. The idea is that each pattern is named after a German town, and you can join together all patterns that begin with same letter. Here I have done Duisburg and Dresden. The thread is a size 100 lace thread in a very dark blue. It isn't really ideal for tatting...however I do like the look of it. I rather fear that my tension is a bit off, because Dresden is a bit bigger than Duisburg, and in a bigger piece it would be difficult to continue. I might try again with a more biddable thread, because I like the general aesthetics of the patchwork design.
Now although I haven't been posting, and I very rarely comment on other people's blogs, I do check out many tatting blogs every day. I love seeing the work and hearing little insights in their lives. One of my favourites is Tat-ology, and it was reading Fox's blog that was the final nudge to get me to post again. She is so energetic, and updates nearly every day.

Now this strip is an old piece of tatting but I am including it because I was struck by the way Fox had chosen to do the same pattern from Julia Saunders book! This is in Valdani size 50.

 Then I saw that Fox had also chosen to do this pattern from Mary Konior's book Tatting Patterns which I received for Christmas. It was an odd little motif, and I was surprised at myself for choosing it, so it was extra weird when she chose to do it too. This is made in lovely DMC dentelles, which are really my absolute comfort zone thread.

And just to finish off, here is another motif from the same book, this time in Gütermann Sulky thread.
I wonder if anyone else notices that someone else has chosen the same pattern as them.