Unending Doilies

i emptied several bobbins completing these little doilies. I used rings of 5 picots separated by one double stitch. The one with yellow in it was worked in a spiral while I worked the smaller one in successive rounds. I like the latter’s shape best so I will do that again.

The one that matches the latest Concentric Rectangles doily will be going to the dollhouse, too.

I’m headed back to my UFO bin. I have a mistake to correct on the Renulek doily before I can move forward again with that one.  My most recent successes have inspired me to tackle that before I put my shuttles away.

Happy tatting!

Concentric Rectangle complete

This UFO is now complete. It is destined to be a rug in my granddaughter’s dollhouse. I replaced the final round with all chains for a better fit in its new home.

Now I shall get back to work on my Unending Doily so I can free up a few shuttle bobbins. 

Happy tatting!

Elemental documents updated

Hello, fellow tatters. The links to Element-al Approach to Tatting and its companion Techniques document have been updated to show the latest versions. Lenka's spiral rings and Ninetta's treble tatting are among the changes. I created these documents to help me when designing. Both are provided in Word or pdf formats.

Elemental Approach offers ideas for increasing the complexity of simple elements. For example, you will find lists of possible substitutions for the usual rings, chains, and picots. You can use these lists to increase the complexity of the pattern, or use it to find an element you know to replace an element you don't know.

The Techniques companion document is a listing of various techniques with links to tutorials and practice patterns.

I invite you to email me or leave comments here in my blog if you have any suggestions to be added to either of these documents. All links worked at the time they were added. Please let me know if you find any that are no longer working.

Happy tatting!

Another round on Renulek WIOSNA2016

I realize that what stalled me on this project back in 2016 was my constant rethinking of which color to use next and in future rounds. I’m trying to limit stressing about how to end it and concentrate on the current round.

Happy tatting!

Knotting Progress

Y19 UFO Project is continuing to move along.

Round 13 of 17 completed

Renulek 2016 WIOSNA 

Round 2 of 5 completed and round 3 just inches from being done.

Chiacchierino Concentric Doily

Unending Doily in progress

circumference about 4 inches 

Lastly, a picture of the Renulek 2016 WIOSNA I made for my daughter for Christmas. Note I omitted the last round. 

Renulek 2016 WIOSNA (round 17 omitted)

in Lizbeth size 20 

UFO progress and Unending Doily

I’m happy to report further progress on my unfinished projects. 

Rounds 11 and 12 (of 17) are complete. 

Renulek WIOSNA 2016

DMC size 80

My sandwich bag of shuttles and bobbins with leftover threads from finished projects needed clearing. Inspired by Madhur Dadlani’s Unending Doily, I’ve kept the thread sizes sorted into separate bags hoping to start an “unending” doily of my own. Here is my start. 

,

Rings of 2-1-1-1-1-2

I chose to use rings with lots of picots because I felt it would be more forgiving in allowing me numerous places to join and filling any gaps that might develop. Rings are joined to adjacent rings at the first and last picots but joining to the previous round is more free-form. 

Resolutions old and new

I think any resolution worth making is worth renewing as needed. If I find myself sidetracked as so often happens, my desire is to pick up where I left off and keep on going. I don't have to wait until the beginning of the next new year to get back on track, but New Year's Day is a good time to reassess, to review how I've done and what I yet want to do. I may decide that some goals just aren't as important to me as I thought they would be, while I may need to renew my commitment to others. The goal is progress rather than perfection. The only one of these goals that is relevant to this blog is my Y18 UFO Project.

See pages 36-37 of Tatting With Visual Patterns by Mary Konior

Size 20 Lizbeth threads

Completed during 2018

I’ve decided to abandon the filet tatting project for now. I thank Mandatory for showing me the possibilities of this technique though. At some point I would like to collect her notes from Craftree for later exploration. I’m also abandoning the Starflakes with blending filament. I really don’t like the yellow thread I was using for this project. 

Here is what remains in the UFO bin:

• Dillman cluny motif
• Hollander Christmas camels
• Needle tatted bookmark (one of my old designs)
• Ankle bracelet (my design)
• Baby booties (design in progress)
• Tatted bags needing linings (I’m a major procrastinator when I have to pull out a sewing needle.)
• Chiacchierino Concentric Doily
• Renulek WIOSNA 2016 in multiple colors of size 80 thread
• Several Valeire Square projects (centers tatted)

Having just finished a Renulek WIOSNA doily in size 20 for one of my daughters, I have felt inspired to work on my size 80 version again. I finished round 10 and I’m halfway around with round 11. Perhaps I will have some photos for my next post.

So the Y18 UFO Project has been modified and updated to become my Y19 UFO Project. And it feels so good to be tatting and blogging again.

Happy tatting,

Happy New Year

I hope all of my tatting friends are continuing to find joy in making their knots. I got some work done on my UFOs in the last few months of the year. I need to do some blocking before they are ready to be seen.

I tatted Wanda Salman's Morgan Mouse for my Christmas tree thinking the children would enjoy looking for it each time they came over during the holidays. The 3-year old thought of it every time she came.

size 20, Manuela thread from my stash

Jingle Bell Snowflake (from Tatted Snowflakes by Vida Sunderman, published by Dover) was my ornament gift to others this year. I use size 20 thread to tat more than a dozen of them. My oldest daughter also received a large doily, tatted in Lizbeth size 20. I used Renulek's Wiosna 2016, omitting round 17. The pattern is available through Renulek's blog or her Etsy shop. It's finished diameter is 22 inches. I've discovered it's very important to check to see if you actually have a picture when using my new iPhone XR. If I move from the photographed object too quickly, I don't get a photo. Of course, I didn't realize what had happened until I started looking for the image for this post and all of the tatting has moved on to new homes. I apologize for the lack of pictures.

I finished the year by working on some new Grandmommy/Granddaughter aprons.  It's time for the 3-year old to move from our toddler bibs to an apron when we are cooking together. This is the first of them. I chose to do only one in her size until she could try it on. It will work, but I'll modify the design for a larger fit at the neckline before cutting out the next two.

Happy tatting, everyone, and may your new year be full of blessings.