testing with grace

I've been test tatting another pattern for the "Endrucks 1920 Project".

That is a community project, we welcome you to join in! Please let us known where we can find your renditions and derivative tatting! We all enjoy sharing and the project is waiting every one of you! 

All infos and links are in the Endrucks 1920 Project Document, here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17LEVftXweztBIOWh4sL4BB7bX65ssoOsOn4oXIgCepY/view?usp=sharing

I tried the pattern number 43, that has been already tatted by Maria Grazia, a friend from the Italian tatting group in Facebook, you can see her tatting in the Endrucks 1920 Project Document. "Grazia" is "grace" so I'd the idea to title this post like that! Also grace means elegance, that is what I think looking at this lovely pattern.

I started from the original diagram and stitch count. But I changed the starting point, in fact in the original, the edging starts with a chain in the point indicated by the white arrows. In this way, also the direction of the two chains under the big rings changes (they will face opposite direction and not the same direction as in block tatting).

 That in next picture it is the original diagram from the 1920 book:

It was my intention to draw it again and put it in Flickr, in time for this post, but lately I had little time. I hope to do it in a week, then I will put the link here too.

UPDATE: link to the drawing in Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/2kuTya8

UPDATE: Link to the pdf with the pattern (original and modified): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JRu7OggaSna0eXDRA2P18dRu6uE4-1J7/view?usp=drive_link

The pattern asks to tat the inner part of the scallop with the block tatting with rings, then two "back and forward" chains follow  that trim the rings. That remembered me some old crochet patterns, a very clever escamotage to have an high border in only one pass.

At my first try, I followed the original instruction, joining a normal picot on the starting chain, but when you join in that way, you are forced to bend the picot, to put it on the same side of the double line of chains. I bent it on the back.

Maybe, that is a point where a face inward picot could be useful. Then, in the next repetition I wanted to try my idea. I like it better, but it's just a matter of personal preferences. I think that sometimes I'm too meticulous!

In the original, all chains face in the same direction, as in block tatting. But those chains are detached two by two, then they can be tatted facing opposite direction, as we normally do in a simple rings and chains pattern (that is how Maria Grazia tatted it in her sample). I tried both versions.

 

Another point to put on evidence is related to tatting tension. In the original, all surrounding chains are 6ds, then the big rings between scallops are all 8ds between joins or picots, look at the picture on the left:

I tat very tight, in spite of that I had to reduce the stitch count for the big ring in the section that has to be joined to the scallop. I like it better, and I noticed that the big rings are a wee bit out of shape also in the original picture. IMHO that was a designing solution to simplify the pattern, maybe they thought all the same stitch count between picots is simpler to memorise and in general, tension on rings is tighter than on chains.

Then, A and B in the next picture, are the points that I would change in respect to the original, if I'll tat this pattern again.

There's still space for another tip from my side, if you like. The two points where the scallop joins the big ring, they are the same points where at the same time you need to lock join the chain of previous round (that is like in block tatting).

I found easier to first do the lock join and after that, do the normal join to the ring.

I hope that you like this project like me, because I want to try more patterns from this old book. 

If you wish to participate at any stage, you can leave a comment here, or in Muskaan's blog (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/01/back-to-endrucks.html) or contact us on Facebook (https://m.facebook.com/muskaan.mooskaan and https://www.facebook.com/ninetta.caruso)

Ciao,

Ninetta