peeling the onion without crying

This post is part of a series.

• the onion dilemma – Part I
• variations on the onion recipe – Part II
• peeling the onion without crying – Part III   (this post)
• onion rings - not fried yet  - Part IV 
• mock and split but still genuine – Part V
• the onion takes dimension - Part VI
• whichever way you choose - Part VII

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My feeling is that the “all true rings” method is tricky for beginners, especially for finding the right tension in the two rings. My tatting is always very tight, and the outermost rings seems always stuck to the previous. But, I think, even expert tatters tend to tension more rings than chains, so, if you’re looking for a denser effect, then the true rings is just the method you need.

There's no need to struggle with a method,  when we have many ways to tat the same pattern. (Remember the "square medallion" design by Anne Orr? Aurora Lozada found  another way to tat the centre: https://tathelper.blogspot.com/2020/04/an-onion-ring-challenge-i-havent-tatted.html)

There are always many ways to peel the onions, without crying.

I think that the simplest method is tatting the inner ring with a true ring and all subsequent rings like mock rings, that is chains. But the final effect is a little different.

2. Tatting onion rings with inner true ring and outermost mock ring(s)

Mainly we have 3 choices:

1. Inner true ring with first shuttle (core thread), mock ring with second shuttle (or ball thread)
2. Inner true ring with second shuttle, mock ring with first shuttle
3. Both Inner true ring and mock ring with second shuttle, that is both with the same thread (colour).

I usually tat the inner ring from the backside, and the chain (the mock ring) from the front side.

2.1 Inner true ring with core thread (first shuttle), mock ring with ball thread (or second shuttle)

Reference: 

• This method is showed in the book by Tina Frauberger “Schiffchenspitze” (1919). Here is the link, thanks to Georgia Seitz: https://www.georgiaseitz.com/public/tinafrauberger/fraubergerschiffchenspitze1919final.pdf . In that book you can find pictures for tatting a true ring surrounded by one or more mock rings, tatted alternatively with the two threads (colours).

I tatted the inner ring (pic 16) with my first shuttle (currently the red - core thread’s shuttle). I tatted reversed stitches because that is the backside for me (but this is optional).

In pic 17, I reversed work to tat the outer chain. The ball (yellow) thread has been moved on the back, that is to comply with the direction of the thread that is coming from last second half stitch (but, if my last chain had the first half stitch visible on the front side, then I would had moved the thread on the front)

Notice that when I'm going to start the mock ring, I pull the first shuttle thread, and the inner ring tips over.

In pic 18 I’m joining rings. Of course, the “onion ring join” and the JSS (“Join to smooth side”) can be used, but here I chose to use a lock join, because actually the "mock ring" is a chain and it is not mandatory that the core thread has to slide, unlike in a true ring. Remember to snug well the chain before the lock join, otherwise the two sides will look different. The lock join is very useful when the pattern doesn’t require a regular picot in that point, in fact there will be always a “structural” very tiny picot that can be used afterward as a close joint.

There are many possible alternatives for the join, for example the “Catherine Wheel join - CWJ”, that it is done with the second shuttle thread (it’s a variation of the “Dora Young knot” used to join a chain to a picot below with the first shuttle thread).

The CWJ join makes a smoother chain than the lock join (similar to what you get with the onion ring join or with the JSS). You can also follow a tip by Robin Perfetti, she uses two CWJ to obtain a balanced outer ring, in this post: “Using CWJ for outer chain of Onion Ring” http://tattingbythebay.blogspot.in/2015/06/frauberger-edging-pattern-notes.html

As you can see in my picture, I counted the CWJ as one ds, then I tatted 5ds, joined to previous element, 4ds, then the CWJ, picot, another CWJ, then 4 ds. picot, 5ds.

You can find a video with three possible alternatives for the join (“lock join”, “S&R join” e “CWJ”) by Karen Cabrera:

• “Frivolite-Tatting Lesson 25 - Anillos concentricos- concentric rings” https://youtu.be/x6o3RT4bb9Q

Any type of join you choose, I fully agree with Muskaan (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2016/03/demystifying-joins.html):

“Principle : Any, & I stress, entire project can be completed with just TWO joins – the picot join & the lock join, preferably working with two shuttles for a free-sliding core thread throughout. All other joins are a modification of these basic joins for the purpose of beauty and perfection; smoothly curved chains; even-looking and complete stitches; avoiding colour blips in 2-coloured tatting; ease of switching colours; etc."

⇒⇒⇒ Closing the mock ring (and colours choices):⇐⇐⇐
 
If I don’t want to switch shuttles (colours) (that is: mock ring and next chain  the same colour), like in pic 20 & 21, I make the “onion ring join” (that is like the “S&RJ – slope & roll join”), a normal join taking a loop from the ball thread and passing the core shuttle into it, without tensioning the ball thread: in this way the core thread still slides and both thread are already in the right position to start the next chain (in yellow in pic 21).

If I want to switch shuttles (colours) (that is: mock ring and next chain will be different colour), I have many options:

• (like in pic 22 & 23) a “lock join” with first shuttle (core shuttle).

• Pull a loop of ball thread as if making a normal join, and passing the core shuttle into it, but tensioning the ball thread, to let the loop of core thread to pop back, this tends to switch shuttles (colours) automatically. That isn’t a new type of lock join, I’ve used it many times and I think it is some sort of vintage lock join, but I don’t have a “name” for it, I've had a suggestion to call it "block join". You can see it in the lower part of my drawing in Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/bvs5GV

• a “reverse join”, as it is showed by Muskaan here: https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/03/revisiting-options.html ( Elaine P. Gan “reverse join” is described here:  https://www.craftree.com/forum/threadfs/35396 )

With these types of lock joins, both thread are already in the right position to start the next chain with switched shuttles (chain in red in pic 24).

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The technique with one inner true ring and outer chains (mock rings) also permits to tat different patterns, not only onion rings, for example some vintage patterns like this one that I glued on a bookmark:

I tatted that short sample some time ago, pattern is called “tulipani” (tulips) and I found it in an Italian booklet, "Selezione Tricot - Il Chiacchierino", 1990.

The "outermost mock rings" method described here, has two more variants, that one with shuttles (colours) switched and another with ring and mock ring the same colour.

If you liked my posts till now, I'd like having your opinion and if you are aware of more methods, please tell me.

... To be continued!

Ciao,
Ninetta

variations on the onion recipe

This post is part of a series.

• the onion dilemma – Part I
• variations on the onion recipe – Part II   (this post)
• peeling the onion without crying  - Part III
• onion rings - not fried yet  - Part IV 
• mock and split but still genuine – Part V
• the onion takes dimension - Part VI
• whichever way you choose - Part VII 

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Continue from: 1. Onion rings with true rings

1.1 Variation: how to join the inner ring

To join outer to inner ring, we use the so called “onion ring join”, that let the core thread sliding.
Another join with the same characteristic is the “Join to smooth side” (JSS) also known as the “Anne Dyer's join” (because it is in the only one book by Anne Dyer). I like very much this join and I often use it in my tatting.
For the JSS, there is a video by Karen Cabrera: https://youtu.be/rN-wsHQQ6Dc

In pic 11 there are two onion rings, on the left there is the one with the onion ring join, on the right the other with the JSS.

1.2 Variation: tatting the outer ring

For the outer ring, Aurora Lozada shares her “perfect method” here: https://tathelper.blogspot.com/2014/05/my-perfect-onion-ring.html#more
She suggests tatting the first ds of the outer ring and then moving the inner ring down, so that it will be trapped into the outer ring's loop.
Her tutorial has been shared as a pdf, too, in Georgia Seitz’s site: http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2014/auroralozadamethodonionring.pdf
(Aurora, in the same tutorial, also explains her method to tat “Split Onion Rings”)

In my case, I chose to add that first ds to the total stitches’ count (that is I tatted 1ds, then moved the inner ring, then continued with 5ds, and so on).

Kathleen Minniti shared a slight variation, that is she captures the inner ring in the first half stitch (within the loop after flipping the stitch) and proceeds with the 2nd half stitch. (I like this variation and I think I will use it. If I remember to!)
I didn’t take pictures for this variant, but you find the reference and pictures by Muskaan here: https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/12/concentricity-pattern.html
=> UPDATE: This is the step-by-step tutorial by Muskaan for the Captured Onion Ring, Kathleen Minniti's method:
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/05/captured-onion-rings.html

=> a second UPDATE: Muskaan wrote another post, comparing Aurora's, Kathleen's and a third method suggested by Judith Connors: https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/07/never-say-die.html

1.3 Variation: tatting the outer ring first

The outer ring can be tatted first. That is explained by Anastasija P. Yelisejeva in her site.
She shares a tutorial ( in pdf format) that shows us how to proceed and the two methods (A and B in my picture here below) that she uses to join the inner ring (tatted after that the outer ring is closed).

I've added the extra picot in the middle (that it isn't in her tutorial), but that depends on my pattern.

You can find her tutorial here: http://frivolitatting.com/?page_id=813&lang=en (in that page, look for the “onion ring and mock onion ring”.) (direct link:  http://frivolitatting.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/OR_ENG_2.11.12.pdf)

UPDATE: Muskaan shared a new picot: the "Intruding Picot" and used it in a  ‘lollipop onion ring’  ring where the outer ring is tatted first: https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/07/picot-is-posted.html

1.4 Variation: tatting the onion ring from the back side

You may have noted that I’ve tatted all variations working from the front side.

But Marilee Rockley shared her method to tat the whole onion ring from the backside. As she writes (and I agree), it can happen to find a pattern that you’d like tatting frontside/backside, and that tutorial will be useful then.

I haven’t tatted this variant, then no pictures.
You can find her photo-tutorial here: https://yarnplayertats.blogspot.com/2016/03/tatting-onion-ring-from-back-side.html

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The "true rings" method is just one way to tat onion rings. If you liked my posts till now, I'd like having your opinion and if you are aware of more methods (with true rings).

But then, you can tat one inner true ring and the outer like mock ring; or tat all mock rings... but for these you'd wait for my next post.

... To be continued!

Ciao,
Ninetta

the onion dilemma

Every time I run into a pattern with onion rings, I feel as I'd start from my beginnings, with a dilemma, wondering which method I should use to tat it: concentric rings? mock rings? in which order? I need - every time - a little brush-up.

What happens then, it is that now I have a lot of notes that I'll try to share here, in a series of posts. I hope that you'll appreciate my effort and you won't be too strict if my English or my tatting have some flaws. Please leave me any comment, I will love it. 

 

Onion Rings - Part I

I will use a simple pattern, and with those arrows I'm trying to indicate the front side  of the work, that doesn't always mean that it is the working direction.

The dotted arrows indicate the joining point between the two rings and one picot that you will see in my pics but it is not mandatory for tatting onion rings.

I tatted with two coloured threads, to better show the steps and to make it clear when I switched shuttle.

All methods can be worked with one colour only, with 2 shuttles CTM. Everything remains valid, except - of course - that if you switched shuttles, it won't be evident in the finished piece. But, knowing more than one method, it can be handy in case you need to plan thread's length, so you can, for example, choose to switch shuttles or change method when in shortage of thread.

When I worked from the back side (for example those chains that are between onion rings), I worked stitches in reverse order (that is first the second half and then the first half), but this is just my personal choice and you can ignore it.

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Many thanks to Muskaan for everything she shares in her blog  (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com). 

In fact, I found many of the online resources and tips that are listed here, thanks to her previous posts.

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In the next:
First shuttle = core shuttle (warning: when I switch shuttles, core thread will be a different color!)
Second shuttle = "ball" shuttle.

For the sake of simplicity, I started with one ring (5ds,picot,5ds) and one chain (3ds, 3 picots separated by 3ds, 3ds).

At this point, the core shuttle is that one with the red thread.

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Introduction:

Onion rings are concentric rings, two or more, that can be tatted with:

1. all true rings
2. one inner true ring and outer (one or more) mock rings
3. all mock rings

These rings may be joined with one picot (like in the pattern here, but it is not mandatory), this join can be:

• a join that let the core thread sliding
• a lock join (but not for true rings)

The way these rings are closed at their base depends on:

• the type of rings (true ring or mock ring)
• the thread (color) that we want tatting with next.

Whatever is the method, a SLT (Shoe Lace Trick) can be done at any moment, to change the position of shuttles and then the threads (colors).

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1. Onion rings with true rings

You can find this method explained in:

• a drawing by Jane Eborall: in her site http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com (direct link: http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com/MakingOnionRing.pdf )
• a page by Georgia Seitz: http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2002/onion/onionhow2.html
• a drawing by Jennifer Williams, “Onion ring joins” in her site https://www.cariad-tatting.com/techniques  (direct link: https://2e0d4c9c-322d-402e-a524-b0e9c70fea88.filesusr.com/ugd/c32622_01bd357d7b034aca9db8148c2e293fdc.pdf )

The join used to join outer to inner ring is called “onion ring join”, it is similar to the S&RJ – slope & roll join -, but there can be different names for similar techniques, depending on where they're used. The original link for a drawing by Debbie Arnold that explains the S&RJ is here: https://www.ds9designs.com/patterns_free/Joins.pdf

This method is showed in pictures from 1 to 5.

With the first shuttle, make the loop around the hand and work the inner ring from the front side.

Then:
(fig. 1 e 2) For the second ring (tatted from the front side too), take the loop around the hand, passing the thread in front of the inner ring, around the hand and then again in front of the inner ring. Take care that the inner ring should not be reversed.

(fig.3) The "onion ring join" is quite a normal join except that the picot to be joined is under the current core thread (that is: take a loop of the thread around the hand and pass it through the picot, then pass the core shuttle through that loop). Then, be careful, you must not pull the thread around the hand, in this way the core thread is still free to slide.

(fig.4) Leave the space for one picot and continue with the pattern. This picot is optional, it depends on the pattern.
In (fig.5) there's the onion ring finished.

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The "true rings" method can vary slightly, depending how you tat the outer ring, which join you choose to attach rings together, or if you tat the inner ring after the outer ring, or if you need to tat the onion ring from the back side. But these are for the next post in the series.

... To be continued!

Ciao,
Ninetta

Update:
This post is part of a series.

• the onion dilemma – Part I  (this post)
• variations on the onion recipe – Part II 
• peeling the onion without crying  - Part III
• onion rings - not fried yet  - Part IV
• mock and split but still genuine – Part V
• the onion takes dimension - Part VI
• whichever way you choose - Part VII 

file update

This post is especially for my readers that receive and read my posts only via email.

The detailed photo-tutorial in pdf shared in previous post has been updated. The right one is dated April 6, 2020 in the header.

In the pdf there are more pictures and drawings included than in the blog post:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YvDb7nxqqvSPPLOwAlcy7fSP9hpLnNuw
Sorry for any inconvenience.
Ciao,
Ninetta.

girotondo - a rainbow hug to all tatters

The detailed photo-tutorial in pdf format is here (there are more pictures and drawings included): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YvDb7nxqqvSPPLOwAlcy7fSP9hpLnNuw (file updated)
All pictures are numbered the same as in the pdf file, so you won’t find here a sequence of numbers.

For the rainbow motif you will need cotton of any size, in 2 colours or more. This pattern can be tatted in just one colour, with 2 shuttles wounded CTM. For this tutorial, I’ve used DMC Cebelia n.10. For the bib (photo in Flickr) and for the rainbow motif (first photo up here), I’ve used DMC Special Dentelles size 80 thread.

Previous post with the pattern is here: https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2015/08/upside-down.html
Note that in the old drawing the pattern starts without the first “arm”. At that time I used the pattern to tat the edging for a bib. I still suggest to don't tat the very first arm in a long edging, unlike the few rainbow "kids" of this tutorial.
The instructions are for the shuttle, for the coloured motif in the picture here, wind about 1 meter and half in each shuttle.

↪Starting with a chain:
There are many tutorial online for how to start with a chain, for example:

• by Muskaan: Starting with a chain (& starter picot) in 2-colour tatting. https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/06/another-colour-dilemma.html

• Videos by Frivolé:
• Starting with a chain using paperclip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd6jW2om1CM
•  without paperclip http://leblogdefrivole.blogspot.com/2012/04/starting-on-chain-no-paperclip.html

• unflipped 2nd half st or lock stitch by Sue Hanson in this pattern: http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2008/shansonblockheart2.html

You can use your favourite method, here I started with a safety pin as a holder.

↪How I changed colour:
You can find online many solutions to change the colour between elements, I found mine but you know well that having many options is the best, you can choose what works better for you.

In the pattern, the “body” is a mock ring. Again, you can close it in any way you like. In this pattern, I need also to tie the core thread because we are going to cut it. Then I used this method to close the mock ring:

In this way, pulling the core thread, the mock ring is closed and the core thread is blocked.

After this point, I cut the old colour (core thread, fig.5) and added the new one. As you see in fig.6, lay the new thread along the old one, take the loop around your hand for the “head” and hide both ends (old cut thread and new one) under the first stitches of the ring of the "head".

Then, I turned work left to right and reversed. But if you start and close the ring in a way that the threads emerge from the correct side, then reverse work and continue without turning.

↪Finishing one "kid":
Now, pass one shuttle over and the other under the ring of the “head”. It is like the “Under-Over” join (aka Alligator join).  But in this case it is not a proper join, the aim here is to hide the colour blip from the unwanted thread (however, it is just a little blip). Hence that thread is moved across the back of work, and the current element's colour thread is moved across the front. Also, it stabilises the head ring.
After the “head”, I used the new thread as the core shuttle. Don’t pull too much otherwise it can slip off the ring.

↪Starting the next "kid":
In order to start the next element, I switched colour with a shoelace trick (one first half ds not flipped): leave the space for 1 picot, and start with the next chain. In fig.13 there’s the starting of the new “arm”.

↪For different colours’ choices:

• if you want each element a different colour, cut the old colour and add the new one in the same way as in fig.5,6,7,8.
• If you do not want to change colour each element, but still want to do the edging in two colours, then it is sufficient to add the second colour only in the first "kid", then continue with the pattern switching first and second colours as in fig.12.

↪Finishing:
After the blue "kid", I’ve tatted a ring of 12ds and cut threads.
(I’ve used this method to hide ends: Miranda's method - finish with SSSR: http://tattingfool.blogspot.it/2011/07/finishing-with-sssr.html ).

The SSSR/final ring can be used to attach findings.

And we all have already heard Muskaan saying “This Way or Tat?”...
For great tips about tatting the motif in a different way, starting without the starting chain and how to change colours, without any turn work and Under-Over join, please read this post by Muskaan: https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-social-distancing.html
 
Ciao,
Ninetta