Celtic Triangle

 This project is essentially the same as the Celtic Triangle that I teach in my Next Steps In Shuttle Tatting class on Craftsy. In this one I replaced some of the double stitches with beads on the core thread. The green is my own hand dyed "Leafy" and the brown is Lizbeth Fudge Dark, both size 10.

The pendant looks different on either side, so you can choose whichever side you're in the mood for to show. I finished the pendant with a wire bail that I formed myself, and a lovely silk ribbon from Quintess on Etsy.

Still burnin' the Midnight Oil while enjoying a fresh Nectarine

This week I finished 2 smaller batches of "Nectarine" and "Midnight Oil" in sizes 10 and 20 only. They're now listed in my Etsy shop.

Also this week I was given the opportunity to see the progress on my next book of tatted jewelry patterns that will be published sometime this fall by Annie's Publishing. They're doing a beautiful job of making my designs look good! I'm getting excited to see it finished, and hoping I could do a "book signing" somewhere when the book comes out.

I'm happy to announce that I've added a new Instant Download PDF pattern on Etsy as well as my Craftsy pattern store, the Amoeba Triangle set! This asymmetrical pattern has literally been years in the making, and the pendant gives plenty of practice in Catherine Wheel joins. The earrings and bracelet don't use that type of join, but all of the items in the set do use 2 shuttles and floating rings. It's one of the designs that I taught at the IOLI Convention 2016, and I hope lots of tatters will have fun with it.

Experimenting in the "Twilight Zone"

While I was painting this batch the colors looked so dark, that I was afraid that the whole thing would just turn out black. Instead, the purple and blue areas are bright! Whatever - you just can't predict what will happen in the "Twilight Zone".

I tatted a rough idea for a butterfly viewed from the side, attempting to continue my current fascination with streamlining shapes. It needs work, but at least I did manage to tat it all in one pass with no ends to hide, and it shows how the new dye batch looks worked up.

I also tatted the center from my "Amoeba Triangle" design into earrings. For these I used Lizbeth bright aqua. The color is so bright my camera just couldn't capture the exact shade.

In June I will be teaching a tatting class, and it is already full to my maximum of 6 beginners. So, I don't know why I'm posting about it - except to let it be known that interest in tatting is alive and well!

Tweaking the "Amoeba Triangle" design

 The newer "Amoeba Triangle" is the pink, on the right. I've attempted to improve the design by adjusting the center to accommodate a larger bead, and by replacing the picots in the outer edge with small tatted rings.  The new angle at which the pendant hangs came as a surprise - and I like it.


The earrings in the photos on the left are some other things I've been tatting as time allows. The brown pair is from the "One Shuttle Glamour" design in my Boutique Tatting book. The pink pair is a newer design, which for now I'll entitle "Giddy" unless a better name comes along.

A different triangle design

In this triangle, I was attempting to get more "swing" into the shape, instead of symmetry. The result has sort of an organic look, I think, so I called it "Amoeba Triangle".

The center is tatted in my own hand dyed thread, "Celery". By the way, I also just finished adding a fresh batch of "Celery" to my Etsy shop.

New triangle design in progress

The "amoeba boomerang" design in the mid century modern glass (shown in the photo) is the inspiration. I've spent many hours trying to puzzle out how to tat it! Completely nutty idea, I know - tatting doesn't like streamlined shapes, but I'm imposing my will on it :-)

I do think it's starting to shape up into something interesting. Just needs a little tweaking to add stability. I used Catherine Wheel joins to get the smooth curves in the chain. Yes, I know that I need to make a tutorial on how I"m doing those joins, and I do plan to...in the future.

Student work

By the way, the first tatting class series that I taught at Discovery World is completed. Here's a photo of some of the things the students tatted. The bunny is from a free pattern at Be-stitched.com.
They learned to shuttle tat rings, chains, joins, lock joins, floating rings using 2nd shuttle, and in the 4th session they even learned split rings! I am so proud of them! More classes will be scheduled in the future, so if you happen to live in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area call the gift shop at 414-765-8770 to let them know you'd like to put your name on the waiting list for tatting classes. You'll then be notified when a class is scheduled.