romper suits for ball

What to do with a lot of gold metallic thread, just a month before Christmas?

I bought some little plastic balls last year, circumference is 9cm. They can be covered, but covering balls is not such a plain job, not at all.
Actually, looking in internet, there's a lot of beautiful images of covered Christmas balls, the most of these are made using edgings' patterns and flowers up and down, connected with bare thread. Very pretty! Then, they are 3 tatted parts, one of these is the right length edging that fits the circumference. Simple? So-so.

As I'm lazy, I prefer choosing a little motif, like a snowflake or a square and changing it to make it cup. I like the fact that in the end the tatting literally dresses the ball, as though it was a romper suit. One of my favourite patterns is by Jane (http://janemactats.blogspot.it/) : "Easy Christmas Bauble" in her pattern links list.

I came to 2 different easy patterns that fit my little balls.

The first pattern (left ball in my hand) it is like the "magic square", but I made a cupped triangle, instead.

Thread in next picture it is the metallic gold Finca and a size 80 green cotton, wound together, they are like a size 50 thread. Those white in the picture, they are tatted with the gold metallic Finca and a size 70 white thread, that resulted in a wee bit thicker thread, but there was no need to change the stitches' count.

Starting from the outer side of the motif, it helps the closure at the end.
Rings are all 8-8, except the 3 ones that will be in the centre of the motif (bottom of the ball), these are 4-4. "SS" means switch shuttles.

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Pattern for the "magic triangle":
*[ R1: 8-8
Ch1:8-8
R2: 8+8 (join to R1); SS
R3: 8-8
Ch2:8-8
R4: 8+8 (join to R3); SS
R5: 4-4; SS
Ch3:8-8
R6: 8+8 (join to R3); SS
R7: 8-8
Ch4:8+8 (join to Ch1)
R8:  8+8 (join to R7);
Ch5: 6-2-2-6 ] **
Repeat 2 times from * to **,
- joining next Ch2 to previous Ch3,
- joining next Ch4 to previous Ch1,
- and R5 joined to previous R5.
In the third repetition, R7 and R8 are joined to the very first R1. Cut and tie after the third Ch5.

Ciao,
Ninetta

a thread about

One of my latest purchases it is a gold metallic thread that friends suggested as a good quality and feasible for tatting.

It is Finca light gold (Hilo Metalizado, 1000mts, Presencia Hilaturas), double strand, 35% Polyester and 65% Viscose, about the same composition of a dmc gold metallic 282 that it is a 3 strands twisted together - on my spool it's reported 65% Rayon, 35% Polyester. As far as I understood, rayon and viscose are both synthetic fibres, quite the same fibre then, the difference it is in the processing technique.

Of course the size is different: while dmc 282 is like a size 70, this Finca is like a size 80 or even less. Moreover, it looks "less gold" than the dmc and it breaks easily.

So I screened out the possibility of tatting with one strand only.

I started some tests:
(1) one strand and the cotton Special Dentelles yellow colour n.744 size 80 (that together are like a single size 50),
(2) one strand and a 100% Polyester white sewing thread,
(3) two strands,
(4) two strands and a 100% Rayon gold thread Miyuki used for beading

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Pattern for the bracelet:
··: = three beads 'up' (on the picot) one bead 'down' (on the shuttle thread)
Start with a ring of 8 ds, I use this ring to attach the lobster clasp hook.
SR (string 4 beads in the loop): 6 ··: 6 / 6 ··: 6 close
Make as many split rings as required for your wrist.
Finish with a normal ring, 12 ds, in which I usually hide both ends, as I learned this method by Miranda: http://tattingfool.blogspot.it/2011/07/finishing-with-sssr.html

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Only my opinion, but I like how the (1) turned out, the cotton adds strength and the metallic broke only once in the bracelet length. In a second bracelet, it never broke that means that also the tatter needed exercise!

Conclusion: pretty good for tatting to add a sparkle, far cheaper than dmc, not as gold though... but I've bought 1000 meters, I better use it!

Ciao,
Ninetta

half way

That's the connection round I was looking for, now I have 48 picots, good enough for a nice hexagonal shape.

Not at the first attempt, though...

Truth be told, I don't know what to do next, because I thought I would have added around sort of trees and stars, no more so convinced now. I'm considering another round with red and green with the gripped chain or a round of stars similar to the center.

But in the meantime I had a lot of distractions: the fringe by Corina, the old motif embellished with small curled rings, a tiny tree design (a flop, that absolutely needs a revision), a chubby angel (he knows how it's difficult to go on a diet just a month before Christmas) and a new -for me - gold metallic thread to be tested.

Ciao
Ninetta

old and curled

(curled - not curved!)
That is not an original design, but a modified vintage pattern, motif n.66 in the issue n.1 of "Il lavoro chiacchierino" by Mani di Fata.

That is the photocopied page of the magazine, no more available, as far as I know.

I inserted a small curled ring in each ring of the original pattern, I'm glad of the result. I like those colours too, one thread is Lizbeth col. 154, the second is a dmc blue col. 798. Both are size 80.

The link below - if you like - points to a review by Georgia Seitz about the Italian magazine. Unfortunately I haven't an original copy of the number one, but only photocopies. If anyone has a chance to find it at their home, it would be very nice to have it scanned and donated to the Antique Patterns Library site.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art23928.asp

Ciao,
Ninetta

Update:
I thought it was by Mani di Fata, but I was wrong, lately I found that it is "Il Chiacchierino, Vol 1", by "Ancora(Anchor) CCC Filati da Ricamo", 1973 (I'm not sure about the date, though). Same pattern is in "Il lavoro chiacchierino n.7" by Mani di Fata, page 46.

tempting fringe

That is the fringe that tempted me:
http://cmhandmade.blogspot.it/2015/11/fringe-sort-of.html
Thank you Corina!

The tiny tree pattern is just a support for the fringe and for those nice "O beads" that I bought last Sunday at the fair. It's very little and its place is right on a greeting card. Already sent out. Too early?

I used to be prepared in time, buying commemorative postage stamps, but not now, no more. It's been some years that it's not happening, I started sending sms, e-mails, fb messages and forgot greeting's cards.

Ciao,
Ninetta

8 times 3

... equals 6 times 4. I'm not going crazy, I just think that I'd reach 24 "tra-la-la" before starting a hexagonal shape. 24 rings? picots? trefoil? How can I do it?

In the meantime I calculate, I'm browsing my new book, received this week from FrivoLenka (http://frivolenka.blogspot.it/), she sent also those beautiful tatted motifs - her tatting is beautiful indeed! Thank you very much Lenka!

The book is "Frivolitky" by Milena Tomkova.

Ciao,
Ninetta

trallallero trallallà

OK, you've just noted the Italian title but the oxford dictionary online translates it tra-la-la, perfectly clear that a no-sense word has a no-sense translation.
It's used in rhymes/songs to sing parts that you've never learnt by heart.

I wish I had some trallallero trallallà for the next round of that doily, as I have an idea (vague indeed) for the rest but I need a sort of connection-round to switch from 8 points to 6 (that is from an octagonal to hexagonal shape)

But trallallero is also a way to express happiness, that was my feeling yesterday while visiting "Abilmente Roma", a so well known trade fair here, but also a big exposition of lace of different types and whatever else that could be called handmade.

Of course I did shopping.
I said it: trallallero trallallà!

Ciao,
Ninetta

the day after

Always the same: a project has been finished and just a day after you're wondering what to do (blatantly ignoring all UFOs in the bag).

By chance, there's already something red&green started and a gold thread loaded on a shuttle. Christmas is coming soon, isn't it?

Ciao,
Ninetta

not without a hitch

The adventure with the large doily finished, I enjoyed tatting it even if I had hitches in the process: bits of thread not twisted, oversights, ...

... and what a bitter pill to swallow that the last two rings of the very last wheel needed some more thread than that on the shuttle!

The adventure started in middle January: http://ninettacaruso.blogspot.it/2015/01/tatting-with-anne.html

Then, when I reached the wheels' round, I found that I had wrongly read the pattern, but I went on, considering that would not a big fault, anyway: http://ninettacaruso.blogspot.it/2015/02/even-larger.html

After a month later I suspended it because I run out the multicoloured thread. I had to wait till October, when Fox rescued me with a new fresh ball (http://ninettacaruso.blogspot.it/2015/10/bond-over-thread.html) and I still have some left over for another little project.

Diameter is 30.5 cm.

It already found a new home, my mum loves it!

Ciao,
Ninetta