Inspired by Mary Konior

"Briar fragment" from "Tatting with Visual Patterns" by Mary Konior.

Actually, my attempt has more picots in some of the petals. I inadvertently added an extra picot in the first of the larger petals, so I just decided to be consistent!

This motif is something I'm going to use on a note card.

All the rage!

It gets even more intense!

Warm/cool

Talk about intense!

Hey, if you'd like to vote on what you think of my pattern website, it can be done here:
http://www.topiccraze.com/topic?topic=etatters
click on "yarnplayer" and let them know what you think!

"Carnival" earrings

Supplies for one pair of earrings:

Size 20 crochet cotton

52 seed beads size 10 or 11

2 round beads 6mm

2 teardrop beads

1 tatting shuttle

A fine crochet hook

Earring findings

String the beads onto the thread before winding the shuttle. 10 seed beads, 1 drop bead, 16 seed beads. Then wind the shuttle, placing the beads a few turns back so they'll be out of your way till needed. All of the beads are on the shuttle thread, except for the 6mm bead.

Slide up 3 sb, and r 5, bp, 5, bp, 5, bp, 5, vsp, 10, cl r.

Slide up 3 sb, next r 10, j, 5, bp with 3 sb, 5, vsp, 10, cl r.

Slide up the next 9 beads and r 10, j, 5, large bp with the 9 beads, 5, vsp, 10, cl r.

Slide up 3 sb, r 10, j, 5, bp with 3 sb, 5, vsp, 10, cl r.

Slide up 3 sb, r 10, j, 5, bp, 5, bp, 5, bp, 5, cl r. Turn work.

Join the 6mm round bead by inserting the crochet hook through it, catching the ball thread and pulling it through the bead. Keep pulling the thread through to get a large enough loop to put the shuttle through. Complete this join by pulling back on the ball thread until the join is hidden inside the bead. You'll have to pull and wiggle both threads to get the bead in place.

Then, keeping a firm hold on the bead, make a lock stitch centered at the top of it. (One half of a ds unflipped, the next half flipped as usual.)

You can continue with either a spiral chain (same half of a ds repeatedly)

or else use a lock stitch chain (first half unflipped, next half flipped). Either type of chain will work. Do your choice of chain for 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Then turn work.

The top ring contains the 6 remaining beads, and the ends are worked into this last ring.

R 2, bp, 2, bp, 2, bp, 2, join to earring finding, 2, bp, 2, bp, 2, bp, 2, cl r.

Abbreviations:

bp bead picot

cl r close ring

ds double stitch

j join

mm millimeter

p picot

r ring

sb seed bead

vsp very small picot

Doodling with new threads

The black doodle is "Candlelight" metallic yarn. Its size is comparable to a size 20 in crochet cotton. What I like is the sparkle; what I don't really care for is how the strands separate in the picots, but that's just my personal reaction.


Then for the earring, I tried a pink quilting thread used together with a fine sparkly metallic blending filament. I like the stiffness of the quilting thread, and I like the sparkle of the metallic filament used with it. I found the rings a bit difficult to close, however, and of course working with 2 threads used as one is tricky!


I started with a mock ring, leaving a big loop at the start. Then halfway around, I slipped a glass pearl over the loop, put the shuttle through, and tightened around the bead.

Then I finished the mock ring and joined to the beginning.

The other beads were added over picots, with the exception of the drop bead -- that one was

strung on the ball thread.

The resulting earring has a good stiffness.

I just hope there is enough of those threads left for the other earring!

Yarnplayer meets Lace Lovin' Librarian!

What a super-nice lady!!!
A great thrill to meet her in person!

We had excellent weather for the art fair. A bit on the warm side, but I'm glad the air was calm enough that I didn't have to put weights on all my things. Many people, including young children, were fascinated with "that pretty stuff" and I got to have several interested enough to take a closer look at what I was demonstrating.

Only one person made the remark we tatters hate hearing:
"Tatting? Oh, that's a lost art. Nobody does that anymore...."
Grin ;-)

Choker with "rock"

It is about 16 inches around, with 2 end loops for a slight adjustment. Only the main design area is tatted. The neck cord is just some of the matching thread twisted into a cord. I did this by doubling the thread, slipping one end over a small knob, twisting in the same direction as the twist of the thread, then taking the end off the knob and folding the whole thing in half. It jumps like crazy while it twists on itself! But it smooths out after the kinks are tugged and let go again.

The side with the pearls is what I consider the front.

The back is just some lockstitch chains. These are made by doing the 1st half of a double stitch unflipped, then flipping the 2nd half. (Or vice-versa.) Of course, some people may like that side best! The necklace could be worn either way.

I connected the inner motif to the outer ones with twisted chains of 4/4. (4 first halves, followed by 4 second halves.) I was concerned about where I was going to join these since I hadn't left any open picots! But it wasn't a problem to join beside the beads of the beaded picots.

The finished design isn't exactly symmetrical, but I figure, "Hey! It's handmade! It's original! It's unique!






By the way, I'll be selling my work at the Lake Country Harvest Art Fair on Saturday, Sept. 8. I will be in the "Wisconsin Handweaver's" booth.

New shuttle, new piece

The larger shuttle at the top of both photos is from LadyShuttleMaker.
It's beautiful, and makes a lovely ringing sound while working.

The piece I'm working on is another necklace idea, incorporating a polymer clay "rock'. I just need to figure out how to enclose the rock, and then figure out how to attach the whole thing together. Ideas come to me while I'm working; I can't think it up first and then do it. I just have to live it.