Motif #17 in Progress

I started this pattern about 6 months ago. I don't remember from where I took it. Probablyt from one of the antique tatting patterns on Public Domain. I have modifies it slightly. But as usually it is not what I wanted. The pattern sems to have ruffled. So I have to redo it.

Wind yarn in two shuttles using CTM.

The Central Ring
SR 1: 5-5-5-5-5/-5 (I think it will look better if I change the 5 to 7)

The next rnd:

{SR 2: 5-5-5/5 r.w.
Chain: 5-5 r.w.
*R1:5+5(join to the first picot of SR2)
Ch: 5-5
R1:5+5(join to the next picot of SR2)
ch:5-7 (using the core thread, lock join to the next picot pof SR2)r.w
Ch of 5 ds. r.w} 1st cluster.
R: 5 + (join to the next p of the 2nd p of the central ring) 5 - 5 -5.
Ch:7+5
Chain of 5ds, join to the free picot of the last chain in the prev cluster. Rep from *

Motif #16

Motif 16 was supposed to be a earring. Somewhere along the line it evolved into a flower and finally a book mark.


I made it a point this time to write down instructions as I went along.

I worked this motif with 2 shuttles using CTM.

50 beads (36 for the pattern + how many ever for the tail) in SHUTTLE 1.
36 beads (22 for the pattern + how many ever for the tail) in SHUTTLE 2.

RING 1: With SHUTTLE 1 form a ring sliding 3 beads in the ring thread (5ds, slide in a bead and make a picot) 3 times, 5ds close ring. Slide a bead close to the base of the ring just formed.

RING 2: With SHUTTLE 1 form a ring sliding 2 beads in the ring thread 5ds, join to the 3rd picot of the prev. ring, (5ds, 1 picot with a bead in it) 2 times, 5ds close ring. Slide a bead close to the base of the ring just formed.

RINGS 3-5: SAME AS RING 2

RING 6: is a split ring and also the 1st split ring in this design.

SR1 - With SHUTTLE 1, 5ds join to the 3rd picot of Ring 5. 5ds/ SHUTTLE 2 - slide 1 bead close to the base of Ring 1, 5ds, join to the 1st picot of Ring 1, 5ds, close ring.

SR2: With SHUTTLE 1, Slide 6 beads close to the base of SR1. Form a ring sliding 1 bead in the ring thread, 5ds, picot with a bead in it, 5ds / With SHUTTLE 2 Slide 6 beads close to the base of SR1, 5ds picot with a bead in it 5ds, close ring.

SR 3-9: Same as SR2 - slide just 1 bead close to the base of the prev SR instead of 6.

Slide all the remaining beads close to the last SR cut and tie.

NOTE: For each extra SR with beads you need 2 extra beads on each Shuttle. While you should have a bead in the ring thread for the first half of the SR, the bead remains in the shuttle thread itsel for the second half.

Motif # 14

Tatted Bookmark

Click on picture to enlarge.

Here is a bookmark I designed. Most of my projects start out as one thing and end up as something else. I started this as a heart in Teri Dusenbury's book Tatting Hearts. I made a mistake and thought I could convert it into an edging. It finally became a bookmark with split rings and beads. 

The beading has not turned out as well as I would have liked. I should have added fewer beads for the diamonds and a few more for the hearts. I do hope the hearts look like hearts. The picots to which the beads are attached should have been smaller.

BTW, Teri Dusenbury had a blog Lover's knots with some wonderfull beaded tatting. Does anybody know whether she has moved it or totally removed it from the web?

Motif #13

Here is motif 13. This mat looked plain. So I have embellished it with a feather stitch border and beads. The motif is from a needlework magazine "Needle And Thread" published by Coats India. This is the only Needlework magazine in India.

Motif #12

This motif is from the book "Forty Original Designs in Tatting By Nelli Hall Youngbery" downloaded from the Antique pattern library. This is pattern no:26 in the book.

It is obvious that I have to work on joining the various chains neatly to the base of the ring.

The chains in my motif look pretty twisted. Now that I have figured out the instructions, I'll try working the same pattern in a single colour.

Motif # 11- Hanky Edging

This edging is my motif #11.

Here are the instructions:

Using ball & shutle thread,
Insert a steel crochet hook through the edge of the hanky, pull the ball thread through the fabric. 
* Pass the shuttle thread through the loop and tighten the loop. Now work a ch of 4 ds, 3 p sep by 2 ds, 4 ds.

Insert the hook through the edge of the fabric at a distance of about 3/4 cm in such a way the chain forms a small acrh and pull the ball thread throughthe fabric using a crochet hook as before. Rep from * and work around the hanky.

Motif # 10

I have been trying to make a corner for the edging in Motif 7. I have come up with 2 possibilities.

Here is the first-





And here is the second.



I like the second one. I would like some input on this.

Motif # 9

I found an interesting tatting pattern with a needlewoven center here. 

I don't remmber which book. I completed this motif during the first week of August but I somehow never got around to posting it until now.

Motif #8

The flower and the leaf are my motif #8. They are actually pieces I discarded because of mistakes. I was going through all my tadded motif, the good pieces and the mistakes I just could not through away. I felt these two would look good tofether and here they are.

Motif # 7

This pattern is from the book called "Old and New designs in Tatting - Book 11", Page 5, Pattern 1122.

I downloaded the book free from http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/completelist.htm

The pattern looked like an interesting candidate for split ring tatting.

I am working a hanky edging using this pattern.

I have made a small mistake.

Wondering how to turn when I reach a corner. I'll figure it out by the time I actually reach a corner.

Here is the edging worked in shaded pink in thread size 40.

Motif # 6

So, here is motif # 6.

I wanted to do something simple and challenging. With so much going on about Celtic tatting, I decided to give the basic ring and chain a Celtic twist. This bookmark is the result.
I worked this pattern using 2 balls and 2 shuttles. Putting the balls threads into separate little bags and sealing the ends, leaving just enough space for the thread to pass through, saves time. ( No need to waste time constantly untangling threads.)

I thought placing it on red velvet will look very good. But it looks gaudy.

I am back to good old scanning. The scanned image is on the right.

Motif # 5

This particular pattern seemed to be jinxed. I tried it at least 5 times and kept making mistakes. I finally gave up and dedicated myself to some housework that was long overdue. I tried it again today and decided to include some beads.

The motif is a modified version from the book Tatted hearts.

I have to try the same motif adding a couple of more sts to the larger ring in the 2nd round and see what happens.

Motif # 4

This is a yahoo Celtic tatting group. I tried it out and the result is motif # 4. I have also added beads here. 
I start out wanting to do one thing, get side-tracked and end up doing something else.

Tatting has reduced my reading time.
I want to try out some Irish crochet motifs. And all those pictures of Sharon B's class in progess has me itching to work some embroidery samples. Looks like I have to organise myself if I don't want to be overwhelmed.

Motif # 3

I will use chains in motif #4. I realise that the extra chain will open out the groups at the base. I hope it will form a triangle so I can use it as a corner insertion for a hand towel.

This motif is a slightly modified version of a DMC pattern. I don't know the name of the book as I have only a couple of pages. The heading one of the pages says Motifs for applique. The page also has the DMC symbol.

I reduced the number of ds in the rings and the number of picots in the chain. As per the original instructions, the pattern is worked in 2 rounds. I used split rings to work this pattern.

Better write dOWN all the instructions before I forget.

The chain between rings 11 and 16 is another change I made. The original pattern has no chain.

I don't like the way the motif looks after I weaved in the ends. I is obvious I need lots more practice. I usually use the ends to sew the motif to fabric.

I want to try out the same motif increasing the number of picots in the rings. maybe that will be Number 4.

I was wondering how to use beads instead of chains in the drawing above.

Then I saw Sharon's comment. It never occurred to me that I could work the chain last. That meant I did not have to think too much. Just use the beads instead of chains and I could not resist trying it out immediately. So motif #3 turned out differently than intended.

Motif # 2

This is my first Celtic Motif. 

Here is my first attempt all wrong mainly because I did not take the time to read the instructions properly - as a result I did not cross over the long chain before joining the 2nd clover. I thought I could somehow adjust it and make it look right. But I could not.


I got it right the second time. 

Motif #1

I found the pattern for this motif here.
I have made the pattern with 8 arms instead of the 6 in the pattern. So I can't call this motif a snowflake - all snowflake patterns seem to have only 6 arms.

Split chain is a technique I have never used before. I struggled with it for about ten minutes. It is definitely worth the time.

I have used the same silk thread shown in my previous post. I discovered that apart from the thread being prone to getting cut and the twist unravelling more frequently, the picots have a mind of their own. The shape cannot be manipulated unless of course starched. I will be better off not using this thread for big projects.

On the whole working this motif was fun.

The 25 Motif Challenge

I have joined The 25 motif Challenge 
The challenge is to tat 25 motifs within the next year. 
A good opportunity for me to compile lessons for my Advanced Tatting Course.

I usually use Anchor Pearl Cotton for tatting. This time however, I wanted to experiment with a different type of thread. I used what is popularly known here as cone thread. 



This, I think is silk thread with a glossy finish. It requires a lot more care and practice to work with this thread as you can see in the picture below. The twist in the thread has unravelled in some of the picots. I tried to close the ring not realising the ring thread was twisted. The ring wouldn't close and I pulled the thread too taught and cut the thread - a pity - a few more rings and I would have completed my first motif for the 25 motif challenge. I wanted to work this motif climbing out of one round and into the next without any cutting and tying - and the thread gets cut right in the middle of a round! Now I'll have to start all over again. But then, this is only a small motif.



I think I'll also work on some Irish Crochet motifs side by side