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

Motif #13

The motif above is #13 of the 25 Motif challenge. I worked on this while babysitting this past weekend. It was easier to put down and pickup then a cluny motif for the Tat-Olympics which is why I had to drop out of the Tally-Ho Cluny competition.

The pattern was recently offered on a blog http://2.bp.blogspot.com. it is titled Tatted Daisy by Mrs. W.M. Odum.

I tatted it in Cebelia size 30 color light blue #747. next time I make this, I will try to get the overlaying chains even so the "petals" have better looking curves.

My son in law asked if I could make it larger. I presume you could as all the curves are just 2 ds larger then the row below. I would not want to make the overlaying chains any longer then they are, so may have to make a 2nd set of petals set further out. hmmm a double daisy or maybe a dahlia?

I have picked out my next motif to use the Sue Hanson thread posted below.

I have also found an inexpensive yarn swift to use in unwinding skeins of HDT threads.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Duct-Tape-Yarn-Swift/

Happy Tatting

Ladytats

more Thread

The scan above is 2 skeins of HDT in size 20 Hakelgarn thread by Ladyshuttlemaker. A brand that I have not tried before.

The yellow is called Pear Glacé and the gorgeous purple and green is named for Sue Hanson; Here-Be-Tatters list grandmom.

my mouth waters when looking at the Sue Hanson, I am waiting for inspiration as to just what I should do with it. I have so many ideas percolating for the many HDT threads that I have picked up lately. not to say that the commercial threads don't inspire me, because they do, I have many projects in my head, just not enough time to get them done.

as for UFO's, I promised our children, my husband, and myself crocheted afghans - I have 5.5 of the 9 done. and the youngest graduated from high school 5 years ago. I really need to finish those, but I have trouble crocheting with yarn during warm weather as my hands start to sweat and the tension gets out of whack. Tatting, however, is a year round craft

I hope God grants me many more years so that I can accomplish all I would like. However, His will not mine is the one I'll go by.

Happy Tatting

ladytats

Newest Granddaughter

Here is my newest granddaughter,

here name is Izabell Rose,

She is as lovely as her name.

I am at her home taking care of here big brother Ivan.

in this picture she is about 8 hours old.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow that everything turned out good.

I will be here for a few days longer.

I have not done much tatting while here, so will not be posting anything until I get back home.

I wish a successfull Tat-Olympics to all participants.

Happy Tatting

Ladytats

Tally-Ho Cluny Entry

This is my first official entry in the Here-Be-Tatters Tat-Olympics in the Tally-Ho Cluny event.

It is also motif # 12 for the 25 Motif Challenge.

This is tatted from size 20 Silk HDT called Rainbow Sherbet from LadyShuttleMaker. I liked working with this thread, other then I must have twisted it when taking it out of the skein and winding it on an old thread spool.

(by the way, does anyone know where I can get empty thread spools? I like to use them for leftovers and for thread that comes in a skein. )

I did change a few of the stitch counts on purpose to lay better for me, but did also make a mistake on the second side. The reason for the stitch count changes came about because I tatted the butterfly first in a larger throw away thread to make sure that I understood the directions. After blocking, I decided that I needed to make a couple of changes to make it lay better. I am happy with the changes that I made, just not the mistake. If any one needs the changes, let me know and I can tell you what they are.

I am on pins and needles tonight. I got a call from DD#6, she is in the hospital at least for observation if not actual labor for the birth of her daughter. This little girl will be our 7th grandchild. she is 3 weeks early but has already threatened 3 times before with popping out early. At this point the doctor's will allow nature to take it's course and not stop contractions. I am praying that all goes well despite Isabelle being early. we have been very blessed as a family. this will be the 4th grandchild born early. Isabelle's older brother Ivan who is now 6 was 7.5 weeks early, Morgan who is 7 was 6 weeks early and her younger sister, Eden was 5 weeks early. While they all ended up in NICU, all were near or above 5lbs. had no major breathing troubles, and were released to go home in less then 2 weeks. All are doing very well, some possible hyperactivity, but nothing major.

grandbaby #8 is due in November.

I missed one extra curricular activity in the post below. I am on the finance committee for the Tri-State Emergency Response Team that is just getting started. We have no funds in the kitty yet so we will have to do our best to bring in the funds. The first meeting for the committee is tomorrow night, there are only 3 of us on the committee, so hopefully we will be able to work together very well. The Emergency Response Team is a group of people affiliated with either an ambulance or other ems squad or a fire department. we are trying to get together a list of people and equipment that will be able to respond to disasters in our Tri-state area.

I tried something new tonight. I went into all the set up area's in layout and settings last night and found out that I can email my blog entry to the blog. That will save time and frustration, as I can spend time writing it and editing it without having to be online to do so. The only thing that doesn't work right is a picture, I then have to come into my blog and add the picture, not that big a problem and not all that time comsuming either. I had set the click box so that the posting will go directly into my blog, but I think that I will go back in and set it so it goes into drafts, that way I can add a photo and make any last minute changes before posting it.

Happy Tatting


Ladytats

extra curricular activities

I didn't get any tatting done tonight as I attended my first fire department meeting.
for the past 5 years, I have been a member of the local ambulance squad. Local being a relative term, as I live out in the country 15 miles from the ambulance garage. I am located in the NE corner of the district which covers 300 square miles. The ambulance couldn't wait for me to get there, so I would have to "chase" it to the scene, leaving my car there, or being lucky enough that there was someone there who could drive my car into town. DH was getting a bit fussy over my having to be on call or being gone so long on calls. The nearest hospital is an hour away from either end of the district, so a normal call would take about 4 hours from the time I left home until I got back. With the cost of gas so high I just decided to make my life easier and this past June I retired from the squad.
But, I couldn't stay away from helping others, so there is a small village, of less then 90 people only 3 miles from me. They have a fire department but now response unit. They have approved my application to be attached to the fire department, not as a firefighter, but as a First Responder. I will also be working on stirring up interest in getting a few more people trained as First Responders, so maybe we can get a Quick Response unit up and running.
My other extra curricular activities are representative for our Parish to the area Deanery Pastoral Council where I am the secretary for the 3rd year. I have also had the previlage of being appointed by the Bishop to represent the Deanery Council to the Diocesan level Pastoral Council.
The fire department means a monthly meeting and training, and fire calls are not too frequent. The church councils are quarterly, so not too much time is involved outside of home.
Happy tatting
Ladytats

2nd attempt at Tally -Ho clunies

Hi all,

here is my 2nd attempt at a motif with clunies. Also #11 for the 25 motif challenge.

it looks similar to the other one I did, but with some changes. due to a mistake that I made on the first motif, and a comment by BJ that the mistake looked like a bunny hopping, I changed the stitch arrangement in the small rings to create ears and left out the picots on the tail ring and the large body ring. I will do this one more time, and change the stitch count on the tail ring so that it is not as large as the head, and I will make the ear picots larger.

Stay tuned to see how it turns out.

I think first, I will just make a chain of Clunies to practice getting them even, they are not as easy as they look.

The second pic is of the last batch of HDT thread that I had ordered. These came from Ladyshuttlemaker, Thanks Sherry. I bought them on Etsy.com

the first one is a size 80 DMC in a color way called Tuscany, the 2nd is 100% pure silk size 20 in Rainbow Sherbert colorway, 3rd is also 100% pure silk size 20 in Raspberry Mousse, and 4th is Picasso size 10 called Peach Pandora.

the silk feels really nice, I will need to come up with a special project for the silks.

I had to mend Father's vestment tonight, so I didn't get to start tatting until about 9:00 pm I finished just before 11:00pm as I was occasionally distracted watching the sporting Olympics. And it is now after midnight.

I still need more practice, or maybe a good critique of my clunies, as I know that there must be some way to make them more even. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Happy Tatting

Ladytats