Diamonds

The next design I explored in Tatting Techniques by Elgiva Nicholls is "Diamonds." It's a pretty simple design, but I was surprised by a couple of things. 

First, the author states, "The fourth ring joins to the first picot of the first ring. This join is a difficult one as it is an awkward position. It occurs in many medallions." That's it. Period. She gives no suggestions on how to make that last join! I can see where that would stop many beginning tatters from going any further.

The next thing that surprised me was the join between motifs. See how there are 5 picots on the outer edge of the ring? The directions call for joining the 2nd and 4th picots in that cluster. It made no sense to me. The center picot was just left dangling, and if anything, it looked like I had forgotten to join it. So I backed up and joined all three of those picots. It makes a nice firm join, which I imagine would be helpful if it's being used as an insertion.

Still not satisfied with the join, I decided to leave out the center picot, as you can see on the right hand ring.

I thought it might look a little different, and it might have if my picots were longer. I don't think there's a significant difference in the look. However, there is a difference in the feel. If I decide to make more of the insertion, I think I'll stick with joining the 3 picots because of the nice solid feel.

On another note, the cream color is size 20 Lizbeth. The blue is size 50 Oren Bayen. I think there's a significant size difference, so I'll make sure I don't combine these two threads in a single piece.

Hmmm... seeing these together makes me wonder how this motif would look as a coaster or table mat. That's an idea for another day!

Daisy Chains

I decided to keep reading and take another lesson from Elgiva Nicholls. This time, the lesson was Daisy Chains. Now Daisy Chains look fairly simple, but this little pattern did present a few challenges for me. First, I decided to eyeball the size of the picots... pretty uneven. I used a picot gauge on the last daisy, and I was much happier with it. So, I think I'll stick to using picot gauges. I knew there was a reason I started using them!

Do you see the mistake between the first and second daisy? Apparently I'm still having trouble following directions. I joined the second daisy to the wrong picot. Oops!

I decided to take my Daisy Chain lesson  a little further. The bottom row is the Daisy Chain from the first picture. The top row shows my continued lesson. I used my picot gauge for all of these daisies, but I also decided to use the width of my shuttle as a measure for the thread length of the "chains" between daisies... much more even. I used a smaller picot gauge for the first four daisies. They seemed too mushed together (notice my used of advanced tatting vocabulary). I then switched to the larger picot gauge pictured. I think the daisies look much better, but I think I could have gone with an even larger picot.

Do you see how the daisies look a bit wonky (another technical term) at the beginning of the row? I started out dropping the shuttle through the ring before closing. I've been told that this makes it easier to open the ring, if necessary, and that the ring lies flatter. I must be doing something wrong, because my rings look terrible! The last three daisies were made without dropping the shuttle through the ring. I guess I'll stick with the method that works for me. Do you have success with dropping the shuttle through the ring?

I also experimented with my joins. On the pink Daisy Chain I used all up joins, the method I originally learned. On the cream colored Daisy Chain I used all down joins. I had read somewhere that a down join gave a smoother look to the ring. After experimenting with the two joins again, I've decided that the down join is for me. Which join do you prefer?

A new challenge

After reading Cindy's posts regarding chains, I decided it was time I learned a little about them myself. I am a voracious reader, but if I want to remember details, I need to go back and read over and over again. Even then, details don't always sink in!

I've read, or maybe I should say I've skimmed, Tatting Techniques by Elgiva Nicholls several times. There are some fascinating pieces in this book, and my favorite is a shuttle shaped design on page 97. I also adore the corner piece on the cover! However, reading/skimming and practicing the techniques presented are two different things, and this morning I decided that maybe I should do a little practicing.

As Glinda the Good Witch states in The Wizard of Oz, "It's always best to start at the beginning." And so I did...

I've never understood why anyone would start their tatting with a chain. However, right there on page 15, I found instructions for starting a chain on a continuous thread. I read; I tried; I conquered! (My apologies to Caesar and Michelle.)

This is very exciting for me! I now understand why there's a need to use a paper clip or striver (so you don't lose your picot at the beginning of the chain, if you want a picot). I also am beginning to see how I can accomplish tatting the beautiful piece on page 97!

I love when I start to understand something!

Lovin' my Tatsy

There was just enough thread left on my Tatsy shuttle to create about 12" of Daisy Chain from Elgiva Nicholls' Tatting Techniques. This was the shuttle Mom used to learn how to tat, so I'll have to find a special way to use this edging! I really think my tatting is showing improvement since I started using the larger thread and the Tatsy. Of course, It could be that my arm and hand are getting better!

International Tatting Day

Yes, I've had my chocolate, and during SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) with the 2nd graders this morning, I read from Tatting Techniques by Elgiva Nicholls... I love this book! Tonight I'll try to tat a little.

As you can see, I'm still practicing with size 3 thread. The two little pieces are just doodles. The insertion piece is for my new spring purse, which I hope to make this weekend. I almost have enough tatted for what I need! I'll post a picture of the purse when it's finished.

I've gained a new appreciation for my Tatsy shuttle. I'm getting used to the size, and it sure makes it easier to finish a piece with larger thread. I don't think it will ever replace the smaller shuttles that I love, but it definitely has a place in my tatting ventures!