vacation

Just a quick note,
I will be leaving for vacation tomorrow morning.
I will be back online sometime after the 19th
See you then
Happy Tatting everyone

Round Medallion

I decided to do the Round Medallion from the booklet in the previous post.

The thread that was called for in the pattern is Clark's O.N.T. or J.&P. Coats Mercerized Crochet, size 20 or 30; or for daintier medallions use J.&P. Coats tatting Cotton, size 70.

So I checked my grandmother Eulalia's stash of thread and found a ball of Clark's Big Ball Mercerized Boilfast in size 20 color Ecru.

As I mentioned in the post below, I tatted it using a more modern method. The original directions called for cutting and tying after the center ring, and the first round. Instead, I used a split ring to climb out of the center ring and a split chain and split ring to climb out of the first round. If you look closely, you can see that I messed up the split chain. I didn't snug the thread up short enough when I joined, so the split chain - which always grows - ended up too long and didn't match the corresponding chain.

While working on this, it looks to me like a good doily center, so instead of taking some of the WIP that I have with me on my trip at the end of the week, I will wind my shuttles and work a doily based on this medallion for a center.

The other patterns in the booklet are a simple 1 shuttle edging I would call flower and bud, ( it is shown on the cover), a simple ring and chain edging, (you can see a small peek on the cover) and the classic Hen and Chicks. The other medallion is a square which also might make a good doily center.

Some medallions only look good standing alone, others lend themselves to larger works.

I can find no information on the booklet that would lead me to a contact to find out if this is still under copyright or not, so hesitate to post a scan of the page with patterns. If anyone has any information, I would appreciate knowing it.

The blizzard is hanging around longer then was hoped, but I should be able to get to work by noonish. I hope.

Happy tatting

The Learn How Book

I found this booklet in my mother-in-laws stuff. Her name "Catherine L" is written very tiny and faint on pg. 3.

I could find no way to date the book but she used the initial of her married name, so it had to be after 1945 that she acquired it.

It was published by the Educational Bureau of the Spool Cotton Company

Here is what it says about Tatting on the inside of the front cover.

Tatting is believed by some to have originated from the Indian word, tattie - a mat it resembles. An old Icelandic word taeta, meaning to knot, may have been the inspiration - or it may be from the old provincial English word tat, meaning to entangle or weave. A small shuttle wound with thread and dexterous fingers fashion this knotted-type of lace. Edgings or medallions which may be joined together for larger articles constitute the chief designs made.

on the next page it tells you what materials you will need.

Tatting Shuttles may be of bone, celluloid or metal. the thread is wound around the bobbin between the two outer edges of the shuttle. In some of the more modern shuttles the bobbin is removable so that it may be more easily wound and then inserted. Some shuttles have a tiny hook on one end to pick up the loops in forming the designs, though some persons prefer a plain shuttle and a crochet hook for this part of the work.

There are 2 pages of instructions and 1 page of patterns for 3 edgings and 2 medallions.

I am planning on tatting this afternoon during the blizzard and I will do one of the medallions. I will however do it in modern tatting to avoid the constant cut and hide ends between rounds.

I will show you what I have done later this evening.

blizzard tomorrow

We are set for a blizzard tonight and tomorrow.
between 8-12" of snow and maybe 50 miles/hr winds.

all the schools in the area are already closed tonight.

the morning will be interesting.

Award and Tag Free

You may have noticed along the right side, a new button, labeling my blog award and tag free. I really do appreciate your awards, they make me fee good, but I don't always have time to fulfill the requirements of passing it on and then I feel guilty.
So to avoid the guilty feeling, I have decided that I will accept any and all accolades, but will not participate in passing it on.
I post comments on blogs as I read them, and will post a link to something special that I come across.
If you wish to visit the talented lady that made my button please stop by Dame Penniwig's blog.
or click on the button and it will take you there.

It is time change sunday. I can't imagine why the politicians feel that this is a good thing. I didn't like it when we were milking cows - they can't tell human time and only want to be milked on their time clock which goes according to the sun. So, I woke up with a headache that I still have this afternoon. I did too much last night getting ready for my trip and didn't get as much sleep as I should have turning the clock ahead. I couldn't sleep in as with the time change, Mass times change in our parish so I needed to get to 8:30 am Mass. I took a nap this afternoon and that has helped.
Not much tatted lately, but I am working on the rose design challenge of Sharon Brigg's. I may not finish it until I get back from my trip.
Happy Tatting

just a thought

I was checking out some other blogs tonight, one of them belongs to Shay of the Little Grey Bungalow . she has some interesting posts with vintage clothing patterns and recipes. one of her posts is a quote.

Grandchildren are God's gift for not killing your teenagers. Anonymous

It hit me, now I know why I practiced patience during those years. I am enjoying all my grandkids - 8 and growing. I love all those wonderful little people. They have so much potential. and what wonderful things they say.

I am posting a simple angel that I tatted in 2 hours on Sunday night. Robert Kent included the pattern with his Thread Exchange threads. The pattern is adapted from the July 1989 Better Homes and Gardens. It looks lopsided, and my rewrite of the pattern will then be an adaption of

his adaption.

I am waiting for the rest of the threads to arrive from the thread exchange and then I will post a pic of all of my new threads.

Happy tatting

ornament and hat

I received a question about the pattern that I used for the ornament in yesterday's post.

The pattern that I used is based on the snowflake The Sixteenth Day of December from the book 24 Snowflakes in tatting by Lene Bjorn.

The pattern originally calls for rings and chains, but for ease in loading beads, I revised the pattern so all rings are SCMR. that way I could load all beads on the ball thread and only needed to wind 2yds on the shuttle.

After each SCMR I did an unflipped first half DS to lock the SCMR, otherwise if the entire work was a chain with no anchors, it seemed to me it would get rather loose and shift around.

I had to increase the DS in the center SCMR to accommodate the top of the ornament, otherwise the number of DS in the pattern are unchanged

I am posting another pic of the hat. I haven't decided if it is finished or not, but for the time being, it is. I might do some leaves, but then sometimes less is more.

This next pic is of a bookmark that I did for our Priest for Christmas. I based it on the Madonna and Child motif that Mark Meyers has posted on his website. I did a few slight changes. If I had had more time, I would have added to the length sort of like a skirt, but it was given as is. Here is the link to Mark's blog, you might be able to access his motif patterns at his temporary site http://tatmantats.wordpress.com/

The following pictures are of some crochet projects that I have finished.

The first is a child's size 8 shirt.

It is going to a charity. The pattern is the "T" top sweater from the Guideposts magazine website.

The second pic of an afghan that I made for my DH. I had started and thought that I had finished it several years ago. It is about 8' long so that it will cover him from his feet to his neck when laying down and tuck under his feet to keep them warm. but it was a bit narrow, so his elbows got cold. So I added to the width and it is now almost 4' wide.

The cream strips are crochet, but they look more like knitting as you make your next row in the back loop of the stitch below. Also I did all the double crochet using the Elmore method, where you do a chain stitch at the beginning of each stitch to add height. it goes like this for a regular double crochet - yarn over your hook, go through the stitch below, yarn over, pull through - you have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops twice. and you have 1 loop left on your hook. for the Elmore method. you start the same. Yarn over your hook, go through the stitch below, yarn over and pull through - you now have 3 loops on your hook. here is where the difference come in. Yarn over and pull through only 1 loop, you still have 3 loops on your hook. now yarn over and pull through 2 loops twice and you have 1 loop left on your hook.

I really need to finish this and get it posted, it is long past time to get to bed.

Happy Tatting