I’ve kept working on the green doily from several weeks ago. I am particularly delighted with this doily. I think I’m done but I may yet do another round. Right now, it is six inches across. I am, slowly, working on the pattern for this. I’ve named it “Shae”, meaning good, favorable. An Irish name, as I made it in March, and one I can pronounce!
Shae doily
I’ve been thinking about how to use tatting in different ways. In October, I put a tatted sunflower on a bottle by hanging it on a thread around the bottleneck. Not bad, but more could be done. I took this idea a bit further, putting a few more decorations with the tatting.
Sunflower bottle
This was something of a fortuitous accident, as I had added the leaves to the sunflower and held it up to the bottle for placement – and I got it too close. At that point, the sunflower was where it was going to be. Good thing I like it there. I also added lights to the bottle.
Sunflower bottle with lights
The pictures don’t do the bottle justice. I took it as a prize to a bingo game on St. Patrick’s day. It was very well received. I see more decorated bottles in my future, probably with more tatting on them.
Now I need to work a bit on Easter tatting, or maybe things for spring.
“A book is simply the container of an idea like a bottle; what is inside the book is what matters.”Angela Carter
There have been sad news for tatters several times this year already.
First, Rebecca Jones, the author of The Complete Book of Tatting, has died. This book was one of my first tatting books. It has so many wonderful ideas for tatting though it doesn’t really have a lot of patterns in it. I referred to it frequently for many years and still do on occasion. I recommend it to new tatters. Rebecca had wonderful insights into tatting and shared them in an engaging way. It was very disheartening to hear of her passing.
Then I learned that @torontofox passed away in February. I followed Fox on her tatting blog for a long time. When she tried Zentangle, I followed that, too. More recently she was sharing her cross-stitching on Instagram. I don’t do cross-stitch, but I followed her on that, as well. Over the years, she would leave me wonderful comments here on my blog, full of encouragement and humor. She will be greatly missed.
Recently, I have been looking around for ideas of where to use tatting. A lot of people don’t use or like doilies, they read on electronic devices so don’t use bookmarks, and some don’t have much use for snowflakes or other such things, so not ideal people to gift tatting to. I’ve found there are a lot of videos on Youtube for junk journals, showing ways that use small laces and papers to decorate journals. I have always loved paper things as they use for these journals, and think this would be a fun way to use up some of my bits and pieces, ones that are finished and those that might have a mistake or two.
Flea market find for a junk journal
While watching one the other day, the video creator was showing items that she found that are inexpensive that can be used in these journals. I was a bit dismayed by her flea market find of a small tatted doily. It saddened me to think she would cut it up to use in a journal. She did say that she probably wouldn’t cut this one up but possibly use it whole on the outside of a journal, which cheered me up a little. I have a lot of things I’ve tatted laying around or hidden in drawers, some finished, some not. I tat because I love to tat, not because I necessarily have a plan for each piece. It is a depressing thought that one day some of them could be in a flea market somewhere, waiting to be picked up for a few cents. Which is probably better than being thrown away… Or maybe a small piece picked up by someone who has never seen it before and will be inspired to try it, a happier thought. But I will continue tatting, finding joy in the making. Tatting is my happy place.
My something green from the previous post has grown. It is still not a bookmark but a small doily.
Something green has grown
I do not like the button in the middle for a doily, so I have started it again without one. That does change the look, but I am tickled by the look of it. I’m liking where it is going.
Now, I’m going back to my happy place. Where’s yours?
It’s hard to believe that we are in 2023. 2022 had its ups and downs, with the end coming almost as a surprise. For me, it ended on a high note. My husband had the entire week off between Christmas and New Year’s day. It was great to spend time together without him having to go to work. We were also able to spend time with family, which was wonderful.
Since fall, between making Christmas ornaments and edgings, I’ve been playing with an idea based on a snowflake from last fall, the October snowflake.
October snowflake
I used the same stitch counts as this snowflake but added a couple more arms and did it all in white. I was not very impressed with how it came out.
October snowflake doily
It has a nice enough look, but the arms are not defined well. I decided to make it again, but in two colors, so the pattern is discernable.
October snowflake doily in two colors
I had Lizbeth Cranberry already on a shuttle when I started the center. I should have stuck with one of the other two colors. Both colors are in Cranberry, but the variegated center distracts from the overall look of the doily. This is made in size 20, whereas the white one is made in size 10.
White October snowflake doily in size 10
Both doilies are on the small side, as you can see by the Clover shuttle. I suppose I could do another round to increase the size. When/if I do make another, it will probably be in different colors. There are several minor changes I’d make as well.
I haven’t yet started anything new in the new year. In the midst of making all of the Christmas projects, I thought of other things I’d like to be doing. Did I write those down? No. Do I remember all of them? No. But I know I made plans! I’m not good at New Year’s resolutions, but maybe I should resolve to write my ideas down! It would also be good to remember where I write them down, LOL! One thing I do remember I plan on doing – Jane Eborall’s 2023 TIAS! The fun starts on January 11!
What are you working on? Have you started something new in the New Year?
“My New Year’s Resolution List usually starts with the desire to lose between ten and three thousand pounds.” Nia Vardalos
I’m still working on my daughter’s runner but I don’t have anything to show today. I’ve got the idea, and the material, and gotten started on the additional tatting, but not enough to share. I’m pretty excited about how I think it will turn out. Maybe next week I’ll have a better update on it.
While I was picking up things in the living room this week I started collecting several of my tatted pieces to either move or put away when I noticed something. Two of the pieces looked pretty cool together.
Arches and points
I had left the 12-point medallion out from when I took pictures of it but decided to put it away. When I moved it I had laid it on top of the Arches Over Arches doily that was on the buffett. Then I noticed it would sort of fit in the center of the doily and played with the arrangement a bit. And look what happened!
I might have to try putting these two patterns together intentionally. What do you think?
“The more I draw and write, the more I realise that accidents are a necessary part of any creative act, much more so than logic or wisdom. Sometimes a mistake is the only way of arriving at an original concept, and the history of successful inventions is full of mishaps, serendipity and unintended results.“
My mother is going through a lot of things with the thought of selling her house and my sister and I are helping. We have come across so many things that bring back many memories. We are also taking items to second hand stores, keeping some things we can use or want to save, or disposing of them in other manners, as dictated by their use or sentimental value. But some things are a surprise.
Box of miscellaneous laces
Somewhere, probably some garage sale, my mother found this box of miscellaneous laces. I took it first to see if there was anything I might want and them I’ll give it to my sister. She does a lot of sewing and can probably use most of them. I like lace but have no need for nearly this much. But I found some interesting things while looking through the box.
Crocheted lace found
I don’t crochet myself, but I’m pretty sure that’s handmade crochet mixed in with the machine-made lace.
19 crocheted lace 2
It looks like the lace is attached to the blue ribbon, but it’s not. I haven’t unwrapped any of them so I don’t know how much is there. But a lot of work and time are wrapped around these pieces of cardboard.
There was also some tatting in the box.
Tatting found in the box of laceCloseup of the tatting from the box of lace
There are 54 inches of the red, single-shuttle tatting, maybe made for an insert? The doily is 7 1/2 inches across with a material center of 3 inches across. The picture makes it look very stained, but it is still damp from a quick blocking done so I could see what it looks like. The doily center seems a bit too big for the tatting, but if properly blocked it might be better.
I don’t know if my mom knew about the tatting or not, but I doubt it. She would have mentioned it to me I’m sure. A nice surprise to find it.
I also found the earring wires that Marie sent me! They were on different earrings than I thought they were, and if they had been a snake I would have been bitten several times while looking for them.
Angel wing earrings on
These are my Angle Wing pattern made in Lizbeth Metallic #HN20325 Gem Stone. These are bigger earrings than I usually wear and the color does not show up well with my hair color. But they were fun to do, so why not? And the earring wires make it easy to change out with other things.
It’s fun finding things you weren’t looking for. And in those you are.
Can you believe it? After three weeks (?) I finally have the pattern finished. Yay!
I have never had this much trouble diagramming a pattern before. And then I realized, I’ve never diagrammed a doily before. I’ve done snowflakes, bookmarks, edgings, earrings, even an airplane, but never a doily. May I just say, it is a lot more complicated than all the others!
Arches Over Arches – diagramming is hard!
I started working on this, thinking it’s not that hard a pattern to tat, it shouldn’t take too long to diagram it. Was I wrong! I’ve made doilies before, just never written them out with a diagram. Not like this, anyway. Wow! I was ready to quit several times. I would think I had it, then things wouldn’t line up and I’d have to try again. It still isn’t that pretty, but I think it can be followed.
No-one except me has tried to follow this pattern, so there may be mistakes hiding in it. But I need to get on to Christmas tatting! I did say I would get this out, so here it is. If anyone would like to have it, please email me. And if you find mistakes, let me know so I can fix it! I’d love to hear from anyone who does make it.
Arches Over Arches Doily, love the Christmas colors!
“All things are difficult before they are easy.” Thomas Fuller
I collect shuttles when I can. Sometimes my husband surprises me with one – or two – and has even made me several. The most recent shuttle I purchased is from Shuttle By Design.
Helping Hands shuttle by Shuttles by Design
Rita Richmond does such spectacular work, doesn’t she? This shuttle was designed as a fundraiser for Lisa Adams and her husband Chuck, who recently underwent bypass surgery. Lisa is the owner of Tatting Corner in Chesterfield, Indiana, and Rita has designed and made this shuttle and donated some of the proceeds to help them out.
This is a Moonlit shuttle, decorated with a beautiful design by Rita. I purchased one to both help Lisa and be able to tat with such a lovely shuttle. I just got it in the mail yesterday and am looking forward to tatting with it.
I have not finished writing out the pattern for the Arches Over Arches doily. I am having difficulty diagramming it. I am still working on it and think I am going in the right direction now, so hopefully it will go faster. Maybe, maybe.
“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.”Milton Glaser
Back in 2009, I made a doily that I called ‘Arches Over Arches‘. I had originally thought to call it ‘Arches’, but Yarnplayer had recently made a doily of that name, so I had to come up with something else. I am not good at coming up with names for the items I design and make, so I just modified the name a bit. I made the same doily later that year but in different colors and called it a sunflower. Other people liked the doily and requested the pattern, but I never got to it. I was recently contacted by another person who requested the pattern, and I thought it was about time to put it together.
The problem is I didn’t write down dimensions or specifics for diagramming the pattern. So, I needed to make the doily again.
Arches Over Arches doily first round
This time I’m using Lizbeth #181 Cranberry Bush in size 20. It was in a thread collection of Christmas threads and I hadn’t tried it yet. As I’m thinking about Christmas gifts now, it easily suggested itself to this doily. I like how this came out.
Once I got started this doily goes pretty quickly. The hardest part, for me, is the long chains. If I’m not careful, I lose count and have to recount to make sure all of the chains are the same length. Then of course, there is the tension on chains. Careful, careful!
Arches Over Arches doily Christmas
I noticed after I uploaded the picture that the center doesn’t look quite round. I didn’t do a good job of blocking it, did I? The chains look pretty good. They have to be blocked or they are all over the place.
The center is right at two inches across, with a total diameter of just short of nine inches. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to add a center as I did with the sunflower version. I think I’m going to write out the pattern this way first, maybe add the center later. I am working on the pattern now, looking for it to be done in a day or so. If you are interested in it, let me know.
As soon as the pattern is done, it’s on to Christmas tatting in a big way. I didn’t leave much time for that, did I?
I took some vacation days recently, not because we were taking a trip or anything but just to have some days off. I had all kinds of plans on what I was going to do, work on and get done. Yes, I had plans.
What’s that line – “the best laid plans of mice and men”? Like usual, most of my plans didn’t work out, though some did in a modified way.
The first day I had off I worked on a few miscellaneous things. I worked on the blog, fixing things that didn’t import correctly. There are a lot of posts to go through, many still to go. I went through a few boxes of items that need to find homes in my new kitchen. Laundry was washed and folded. Not a total loss of the day but less done than hoped.
In the evening I was ready to sit down, watch TV, and tat. Unfortunately, I was not in the middle of any projects that I could do and watch TV at the same time. I needed a new project but of course I couldn’t remember any of the several I’d been thinking of. To give myself some ideas I went through my craft room, picking out random items to ignite my imagination – or at least some enthusiasm. I spread them across the table to analyze for tatting inspiration.
Hmm, a round doily center. I’d purchased this quite some time ago but never was moved to make an edging for it. That day I was inspired by it. A review of several thread colors led to using Lizbeth size 20 in #159 Easter Eggs. I gave a little bit of thought to what I was going to tat and started, attaching to the doily as I went. I did not count the holes to determine the outcome at the finish, I just started.
Sometimes you just get lucky. I didn’t have to adjust where I attached to the doily by one hole.
“Harper” tatted edging in Lizbeth size 20 in Easter Eggs #159
I’ve made a lot of edgings for runners but rarely for anything else. I had never attached to a doily or runner in this manner, joining to it as I went. Normally I make the edging, make the runner to the same width, and attach to it as the last step. I can’t believe it worked so well!
Though I didn’t plan it as a challenge that is absolutely what it was. I’m calling this #13 in my current 25 Motif Challenge. Even if it’s not actually a motif.
I’m delighted how this edging came out and overjoyed at the finished doily. Sometimes you just get lucky.
“Give luck a chance to happen.” Tom Kite ww.brainyquote.com
In July I started a Round Robin Doily through Craftree. I tatted several of the centers for my doily trying to come up with one I was happy with. The last sample that I made before I did one ‘for real’ is almost the same as the final except it has several places where I changed stitch counts which I didn’t go back and change. It was a trial. But it still looked pretty good.
So I thought I’d use it for another sample. I thought this center would look good as the bottom of a tatted bag. At least as the bottom of a trial tatted bag.
Round Robin Doily center as the bottom of the bag.
The first few rounds went very close to my vision except for a few changes in stitch count. As this is a trial and the stitch count change very minimal I didn’t go back and change them, just left it as tatted.
Tatted bag sides
For whatever reason I made the split ring round a bit too big. I had even started with smaller rings and changed my mind – I’m not sure what I was thinking. I like the idea, but definitely need to change the counts there.
The bare thread sections at the top are a little too long, Well, they might not be when I finally get a material lining made. That is material around a larger ball of thread inside the bag, filling it out so I can see what works and what doesn’t. If it was the actual lining I suppose the tatting would be stitched to it and it would work/look better.
I had a lot of fun making this. I’m not sure when I’ll get back to it to finish all the details and make a lining for it as there are a lot of other things waiting to be done. But when I do I will already know a few places I need to change. It should go faster and easier then.
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.”
