New pattern listed: "Loopy"

Got it done! "Loopy" pattern is now listed in my Etsy shop.

Techniques used include chain, bead placed over a picot, lock join, shoelace trick, ring, using a Celtic shuttle to weave through a tatted motif.

Here's some pictures of color combos I've used this design for:

"Loopy" pattern writing is underway

 

A funny thing happened on my way to tatting a pointed collar. 

Some folks made it known that what they really, really wanted was the pattern written up for my "Loopy" set, which is difficult to explain and tricky to tat, requiring a narrow Celtic shuttle. (Needle tatters could probably easily work it but I can only write it up from the shuttle tatting perspective.)

So, I'll be finishing the pattern up maybe this week. The plan is to list it as a PDF in my Etsy shop.

Starting this collar with pearl tatting

Pearl tatting, aka double sided chain

The plan is to tat the top portion only of my fanciest necklace, and write up the pattern just for that much. Only the pointy collar top! Only that much!

Original design combining tatting and beading

Only the collar part (in dark purple in this photo) at the top, not the fancy beaded stone in the center or the rest of it. Although, the flower shapes on either side are a pattern that is already published in Marilee's Beaded Tatting Finery book as "Celtic Hexad".

So far, I've learned that when working with multiple threads, a convenient place to hide the tails is needed, and that place doesn't exist when there are core beads in the final ring!

Attempting to hide the tails ☺

So, although I love the elegant look of the beaded ring, I'll plan to go with a plain ring in the final version. If it gets that far!

Me, wearing my fanciest tatted necklace!

Rose Heart and "Roses" hand dyed thread

"Antique Rose Heart" pattern from Tat's Amore' by Martha Ess

My rose heart is missing one round of Martha Ess's pattern, but I'm happy with how it turned out. The heart measures 3 and 1/2 inches (8.9 cm) across in size 20 Lizbeth thread. I used color numbers 615, 616, 696, 630, and 608 for the center, then hand dyed green ("Celery" and "Leafy") and finished with 676 for the outside edge.

The plan is to sew it onto my white jacket, which I started decorating in 2020.

Also this week I dyed a new batch of "Roses" hand dyed thread, now listed in my Etsy shop.

Feeling better

 

The quarantine period of 10 days will soon be done, so I'm planning to re-open my Etsy shop on May 23. I'm feeling good! Definitely will be going to get the 2nd booster as soon as possible. Enough of virus.

I began tatting the "Antique Rose Heart" from the book Tat's Amore' by Martha Ess. My color choices reflect my obsession with the Peace rose. Actually I just planted a Peace rose bush in my garden 2 days ago, so we'll see if it grows. The one I had last year didn't survive the winter. I'm not the person with a green thumb... my mother had that gift of making a garden grow - but I do have a love for nature, anyway.

As I began tatting the row with the green, I realized that I had skipped a row. Well, I'm just going to continue and call it a "sport" of Martha's Antique Rose Heart, as the plant people call a spontaneous mutation of a cultivar. ☺

Here's some math for beading that I worked out through experimentation. To make a bezel around an 8mm rivoli I need 22 size 11/0 Delica beads. 24 came out too big and the rivoli fell out. 20 is too small. 

But, the problem with 22 is that results in a edge of 11 points, or divisions. That doesn't allow for an alternating pattern to come out right. Sigh!!!

Well, I will finish this set anyway. I do like the colors!

Under the weather

 

My Etsy shop is on vacation until I recover from Covid. I'm fully vaccinated, so it shouldn't be too bad for me. I felt well enough today to enjoy my tulips blooming in my yard. The photo is of my tallest tulip, which came in a bulb mix from Breck's called "Towering Perennial".