pendants

It all started because I messed up the blog (ahem!) and the picture that links to the Facebook Badge stopped working.

I solved resetting some modification here and was easy, but before that, I tried to update the profile picture, in fact I supposed - wrongly - that I had to refresh that. So it was at that time that I uploaded a new picture of the black pendant. I'm very grateful for all the nice comments I had, and I commented putting the link to the pattern. But... that is in Italian and someone realized it!
And well, here it is the English version.

I used a metallic rings to keep his rounded shape, that kind that are used to make coil bracelets, I cut the metal only after I had the right size, after the last crocheted round. Yes, ops, I crocheted!

Materials:
·         I used cotton thread size 80
·         2 shuttles or one shuttle and the ball
·         1 metallic ring, that kind that are used to make coil bracelets
·         (optional) beads 9/o (total 26 in ball thread - second shuttle)
·         1 doodad with 2 holes, mine was diameter 15mm
·         a crochet hook, a needle to hide ends

Two rounds. You can choose to climb with a SR, but it seems that the SR deforms in the stretching and I didn't like it.

First round: ( Ring 10-5-10; Chain 2-2 (optional a bead in picot) ) repeat 14 times, join the doodad in two opposite chains (in place of the picot), cut and tie.

Second round: ( Ring 3-3-3-3; (optional: slide a bead) Chain 5+3+5, join to consecutive rings in previous row ) repeat 14 times, do not cut thread

Pass the metallic wire in each top picots of rings in 2nd round and with one of the tails make a single crochet over the other tail and all around the wire. Cut and tie.

***************************************

The pendant was one in the set I made in 2010, most of them were given away as xmas' presents. (link: pendants: a set by ninettacaruso on Flickr)

Created with flickr slideshow.

Ciao,
Ninetta

flatten the dough!

A rolling pin for tatting would be very well welcomed by more than one designer.
Why doesn't it lay flat? Rather a bewitched square than a magic one. I don't like blocking, so I should find a solution. It looks like it's squared in that pic, but it isn't.

There's a proof that shows that something won't lay flat, that is if you fold it in half the folded edge is curved. I've used that trick in my own designs.

 For example, I used it when I designed the square "quad_5" that lately has been tatted by Sue (http://hiskid66.blogspot.com/2016/02/2015-25-motif-challenge-17-quad-5.html)

Well, I'm wondering if I should tat the magic square again, adjusting my tension, OR if I should reduce the lenght of chains in corners (changing the traditional pattern, then).

What do you think? I need the square for a "Springy" tattingram, then my next challenge is: how can I tat a parallelogram in one piece using the magic square progression?

Ciao,
Ninetta

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heartfelt design

Late Valentine's design, but evidence that I didn't forget that day! Happy late Valentine's Day!

Thanks to the online tatting designers' class, I've resurrected my Pinterest account creating a board with visual bookmarks to sites about the design process. I've read, re-read, read again. I've found many useful schematic, I'll try to use them. In all that impersonal analysis you get the basic, the core, of the matter. Then you must put your heart in. That's where all that reading took me to.

I started looking at others' hearts, then doodled all over my notebook's page, then went to the CAT. Just to let you know, CAT is my Computer Aided Tatting, I don't come back always to the same tool, I've a set and use them all. So, I had a beautiful symmetrical heart, then I started tatting prototypes. It took a little before I got a good shaped heart, but I had almost what I wanted.
I needed a break then.

That's the break: the most heartfelt design of a heart that you can ever find. My favourite tatted heart. Susan Fuller's design, there's her whole heart inside it, isn't it, the visual pattern is by Frivole here.

Thread is Lizbeth size 80, col. 154 "Wildflower Garden".

I came back to my design and tried to add "the heart", the emotional appeal, by adding picots, a little curled ring (it looks like another heart!), giving to chains the movement they didn't have in the CAT drawing. I feel it is more "mine" now, I don't know if you like it but I know that I put my heart in designing it.

There's a big dimpled ring though (60ds)! But for the faint of heart there's a tutorial here, I hope that it can help!

Ciao,
Ninetta

P.S. For many of you that are using Picasa, Google has "decided to retire Picasa over the coming months in order to focus entirely on a single photo service in Google Photos". Read more here: http://googlephotos.blogspot.com/2016/02/moving-on-from-picasa.html
 

prototypes

From abundant to tight-fitting, there aren't prototypes that go to waste.

The orange doily: I call it finished, official reason is that I run out the thread, actually I think that the centre and the edging are not quite well harmonised, if I tat it again I'd try to repeat the squared motif in corners, or to change single rings in the edging with couples of rings.

The shrug is finished, too. The pattern was given to me by the woman in the market stall where I bought the wool. It's a small size for me, as I like wearing a "XC" (that is how I call my extra comfortable clothes' size).  Next time I urge to knit for me something different than a scarf, I should remember that I'm curvy... I finished the wool, so it will stay as it is. My mum is thinner than me, it'd be perfect for her. I've already given her the squared doily. Have you ever seen a smiling-flying mum?

Truth be told, I don't need another shrug/scarf or doily!! Mmmm, well, except tatted doilies...

Ciao,Ninetta

desire to knit

Thank you very much for your nice comments in last post about the beaded bracelet. I think it'd be nice tatting a second one and giving that as a gift, if only I had more mini beads! I've bought a 10gr. packet and they are almost gone, not sufficient for another bracelet. Then I've been getting sick of the tatter's block! In the last couple of days I've had an insane desire to knit, hoping that would have grown my wrist's muscle -- as per your suggestion ;-P --, but it didn't work ...

That is a super-easy knitting pattern, sorry I'm not familiar with knitting terms in English, so asked google for help and I've found this link: http://www.vogueknitting.com/pattern_help/how-to/international_knitting_terms
I'm making one knit stitch and one purl stitch, alternated, one meter and half scarf, then I will knit in the same way a rectangular piece, sew it to the scarf in the back and under arms to obtain a sort of shrug. My wrist is in a pain, I'm warming up radiators instead of having a new shrug and coming back to tatting soon! In that picture there's the last (maybe) round of the orange doily.

That's the pattern for the miniduo bracelet:

Tools: a gauge of 1cm wide (or 0.4 inch), used horizontally;
a thin wire, folded, to be used as a needle.
The 2 strands wound together are dmc E703 and dmc special dentelles colour num. 94. They are very similar to a single size 50 thread. Miniduo beads are 2x4mm, normal glass beads are Gutermann rocailles 11/o.
Load CTM 2 shuttles, putting in SH1 - for each split ring - 4 normal rounded glass beads and 2 miniduo beads, then in SH2 - for each split ring - 2 miniduo beads.

From now on, MD will stand for "miniduo bead", and NB for "normal rounded bead".

The lenght is up to you. Start with a normal ring of 12 ds, close. With SH1 start a split ring, putting 2 MD plus 2 NB inside the loop around the hand. Tat 4ds, then slip 2 MD in place of a picot, 2 NB from the shuttle and tat 4ds. Tat the second part of the split ring: 4ds, let 2 MD in the picot's place and slide the 2 NB in place under those MDs, then tat another 4ds and close the split ring.
I finished the line of split rings with a normal ring of 10ds.

The second part around the line of split rings starts fastening the thread at the base of the first normal ring. You'd have two shuttles loaded CTM, where you put in SH1 the MDs (2 for each split ring you have) and in SH2 the NBs (2 for each split ring you have).

(*) Start a chain 2ds, then a little ring 2ds-long picot-2ds. Use always the picot's gauge of 1cm, horizontally. Then a chain 8ds, slip a MD from SH1 and tat 4ds.
(**) Start a ring with SH1: 2ds; using a thin wire as an helper, fold it and grab the long picot through the MD holes, the 2 from the line of split rings and the new one inserted in last chain, join and continue the ring with 2ds-long picot-2ds.
Put a NB from SH2, chain 4ds, slip a MD from SH1 and tat 4ds. repeat from (**).

Turning to the opposite side: after slipping the last MD tat 8ds, a ring 2ds, join the last long picot through the MD beads, 2ds. Repeat from (*).

Ciao,
Ninetta

abundant

I faulted in the size, I've been generous with split rings and that's the result. Time (and split rings) flies when you're having fun!

That's supposed to be for me, but it's a bit loose fitting.

Ciao,
Ninetta

mini loveliness

Do you remember those miniduo beads I've got? I found many beautiful beading projects and bookmarked some sites either, then started a new bracelet with a dmc polyester thread doubled with dmc size 80. Beads have been all strung. My little shuttles are not very appropriate but I managed to have 44 minibeads (and some rocailles) strung in each shuttle.

It's still unfinished, here is a glimpse:

I found two videos that help to get the differences between this kind of beads with two holes:

Superduo vs Twin beads: https://youtu.be/LVxyS_Q2mOU

Superduo vs Miniduo beads: https://youtu.be/odiXbYLmzEE
 

It's less than half bracelet... but already I love it!

Ciao,
Ninetta