Trying to get my "Celeste" design to be easier

1st side with Alligator Join

1st side with modified Alligator Join

Currently I am in the process of tweaking my "Celeste" necklace design. My first attempts are shown on this post from last October. Originally, I tatted the center motif in 2 halves, which meant more ends to hide. When I got the design out again after several months, it occurred to me that the center motif should be easy enough to tat in one piece. Well, maybe not easy - but possible!

But, then I ran into issues with the joins. On one side, considering the direction the threads were going, it seemed logical to do an "Alligator Join", which resulted in a smooth curve around the central beaded ring. But, when I reached the other side, my only option there was a Lock Join, which breaks the curve. The 2 sides don't match - that's unacceptable!

I experimented some more, and discovered that a regular Lock Join at the 1st side just looks messy. So then I tried doing the 1st half of an Alligator Join, followed by the 2nd half of a double stitch unflipped, to lock the curve. The 2nd photo shows how this makes the 1st join look more like a regular Lock Join, while keeping the tatting going in the direction that I want for the design.

Well, I've now re-read this post and it all sounds very tedious! Maybe I'll go back to tatting it in 2 halves, after all.

Tatted "Compass"

No, it doesn't really point North - but I think it's sort of cool, anyway.

It took me quite some time to work out this design, and now I'm working on writing it out, along with some of my other designs which I never did get around to writing down. Writing out patterns is work!

Other things I'm doing include preparing for teaching my tatting class which will be June 13, and I plan on attending the L.A.C.E. day at Downer's Grove, Illinois on June 18 along with some tatting friends.

"Lava" hand dyed thread, and a new choker

The "Lava" name and the color was inspired by the "Lava Rock" used in the garden. My dear husband's comment on seeing the thread was, "It looks burned." :) But that effect is only from the color - sort of rusty brick red shading into brown and black.

Over the last few days, I tatted a choker using the "Twilight Zone" hand dyed in size 20 with purple Czech glass druk 6mm beads. I got the idea for putting the beads inside split rings from Jane Eborall's super wonderful technique pages. The actual pattern I just made up as I went. I tend to not like working repetitious designs, but couldn't think of anything to change it, so I just kept going. Of course, I ran out of thread a few times and had to tat over the ends.

The matching earring design is the same as the ends of the choker. I do like the earring design, although I might tweak it a bit. I'll let it rest awhile. Then later, a new idea usually jumps right out.

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!

Video - bead in center of tatted ring

I made this video while working on a design that uses beads in the center of rings. Enough of a challenge in itself, but I wanted to use size 10 Lizbeth thread, and many beads don't want to fit on a thread that thick. So, this shows one way to handle the situation, that worked for me.

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.