Lark's head joins, restarting a doily

well, no pic for this post.

I had started a doily with the Sue Hanson HDT color way in the post below, but because my supply is finite added another thread in the same green for the rings. Flora size 20 color #228.

I was doing the Glass Matt from Mary Konior's Tatting with Visual Patterns. it is on page 74 & 76.

I have wanted to do this for some time, but never had the right thread. However, after 1 full pattern repeat, it was just too much green and not enough purple. so I took it apart. Yes, I took it apart. I didn't want to waste any of the HDT. I did cut the Flora rings though. I have now had to put the Sue Hanson project on hold until further inspiration hits.

I do like the purple and green so am going to do the Glass Matt in the Flora Green and Manuala size 20 purple color #40. and I will do 2 of them. one with green rings and purple chains and one with purple rings and green chains.

I tat front side/backside so rings and chains that are 2 different colors can cause a color spot so one thing that I am learning to do with this project is to join with no color spot showing. I think that I have figured out how to do it. Someone (Bina?), somewhere has given instructions on bringing the loop through the picot and making the loop large enough to fold back on itself. you then put the shuttle through the loops you made and work the thread tight. I did it the first time and it made the ring look lopsided.

Normally you make a picot between ds and when you join to it the join is between the ds. In this technique, when making the folded loop join to prevent the color spot, you are joining directly to a ds. this then makes the ring look lopsided. if you increase the ds to compensate, you are then changing the structure of our pattern.

so I think that you need to make the first half of the ds, then make the folded loop join to the back of the work, then make a second half ds.

or maybe I still have to work on it. I wish I could find the correct instructions. Oh, Well, I will work on it and see what I can come up with.

yeah! I just found the link on Bina's site http://www.paradisetreasures.com/ the join is called a Lark's head Picot Join and the link to the instructions is http://www.loopylacer.com/free_stuff/tips/LHPJ/ I knew it was somewhere. It may be on Jane Eborall's site too.

It's now about 45 minutes later, among other things, I have done 2 LHPJ. since at the moment, I am tatting backside rings where you start with the 2nd half ds first. the rings are 4+4+4-4 so I did 4+3 then 2nd half ds then LHPJ then 1st half ds then 3-4 the ring looks good from the front.
Unfortunately, I started with the purple rings/green chains matt first, it would be easier to learn this join if I had started with the green rings/purple chains first, but it seems to be going well, the second join I did was easier then the first. I will let you know how it all turns out.

Well it is now 11 at night. several hours after what I posted above.

After I finished that pattern repeat I took a good look at the rings and discovered that I was decreasing the stitch count in the ring by 1. but, if I put that ds back, the join ended up off center.

I ended up giving up on using the LHPJ. I am not happy with the distortion of the ring, either you had to decrease stitches, or increase stitches to make the ring even and that just didn't match the pattern. If I had know that to begin with, I might have changed the # of ds at the beginning to compensate for how the join needs to be done.

Since I tat frontside/backside, the join I do depends on what side I am on, I do the join to put the best look to the front - on the front, I pull the loop down, and on the back I pull the loop up.If you pull the loop up on the front, you leave 2 threads on the front between the ds. this isn't much and most everyone will not notice. This creates a slightly larger ring.I was trying to figure out a way to join that would not decrease or increase the size nor change the look of the ring and yet avoid the color dot.I have decided to do the joins the opposite of my normal way so that the color dot is on the back of the work. and just accept that if you look closely you will notice the join. The purple is so dark you it is almost as if you are tatting with black so you will not notice the 2 extra threads, but the green is light and bright enough that it is likely to be noticeable. at least to me.

Well despite the setbacks, and extra time it took learning the new join, which will be handy at certain times, and retro tatting both a chain and a ring when I discovered that I had missed 4 ds and a picot, I have gotten half done with the matt.

I realize now that what Mary Konior called a glass matt is actually what I would call a coaster. I may make a full set instead of just 2.

I also "went shopping" last night. I bought supplies from firemountain.gems and save-on-crafts.com for making christmas ornaments and another project that I have in mind.

I hope that all of you have a pleasant Labor Day weekend, and that the gulf coast doesn't get hit too hard by the hurricane.

Happy Tatting

Ladytats