I've been playing with yarn

 For my tatting, I prefer to work with 6 ply cotton thread. Like Lizbeth and Olympus. While at Shuttlebirds Tat Days, I was introduced to Takashima style tatting using a hook. I thought it fun and saw great possibilities. I’ve had a pink cotton sport weight yarn for years. Since I fail so badly at knitting and crochet, I just couldn’t figure out how to use it. I also just couldn’t give it up!

Remember the square I tatted from the Piecework magazine article? It’s based on a tatted bedspread. That gave me an idea. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far. The pattern can be found in Enjoy Takashima Tatting  by Taeko Takashima. It is available in the States. I ordered the whole set and with Google Translate have been exploring these lovely patterns.  There’s one more round in the pattern. I think it will work!!!

Sewing finished

Here’s how things stand. Now to get it put into the frame and delivered to the wonderful volunteers that hang the art.

A niggling idea

 I know I should be working on framing. I know I should be learning that accompaniment. I know I should be doing housework. But this idea won’t go away……

I’m thinking of a way to represent chords and harmony in my work. Combining Treble Tatting Stitch and Captured Picots (just the terms Ninetta and Muskaan use) makes a lot of sense to me. I like it better than block tatting. More versatile and definitely more fun to tat.

I’ll get back to the “must do” tasks this afternoon.

I have a ruffle

I guessed wrong on the size of picots of this doily. The edge row ruffles. Not badly. I’ll be blocking it to see if it lays flat. I wanted to get a picture posted to this blog so that we could discuss it in classes in the future. I’ll be making notes in my copy of the book.

There’s another issue I have with this pattern. The math didn’t work out for me. There’s one extra picot for this final round. My solution is to span the space for a loop of thread to use as a hanger. Anyone else have ideas?

In case you’re wondering, yes, I still recommend the book. Learn to Tat is organized well, and the patterns are generally clear with good pictures and diagrams. Just this one doily was published with incomplete comment by the author. I wonder if this was a case of ignorant editor.

Sewing away

 I’m sewing my latest creation onto the backing fabric. Such fiddly, mind-numbing work! But it will be worth it. I have a project I’m itching to get to, so motivation won’t be lacking!

Will it lay flat???

 

This is the doily we’re looking at.

It is from Learn to Tat by Jeanette Baker. The first printing of the book had some errors in it. Nothing that couldn’t be solved, but the stitch count for this doily was a bit confusing. The new printing has most of the errors corrected. I like using the book because of how the directions and photos are displayed and the pacing of explaining the skills. Thank you for the material.

Like many doilies, the tatted piece can end up a bowl or otherwise misshapen. It’s all about picot size and snugging up the chains. So, I usually tat the doily along with the students. It’s an easy pattern to learn. And I usually end up with ruffling in this last round. Blocking usually corrects this. If not, it’s a good sample to show students. They are more inclined to keep trying if the teacher can make mistakes!

We’ll see if it will lay flat next week.

It's coming together

 No pictures to show. My piece for the Carmel Bach Festival fundraiser is coming together. I’m using lighter color fabric to mount the tatting this time. I’ll see what others think next month!

Still taken by this idea

 Don’t really know how to execute it. But creating a 3-D piece of tatting still intrigues me. I enjoyed reading through Muskaan’s post using this idea here. I’ve had my try at a tatted “biscornu” hanging in my studycreating space. Yesterday I decided to finish the blackwork piece I started using Bradley’s Balloons colorway from Threadworx.

I have ideas. Do you?