A new snowflake (but please, no more snow!)

It seems I cannot stay away from tatting for very long! I know it's getting warmer, and I don't want to think about snow for awhile, but I designed another snowflake over the weekend.

You see, the nurse practitioner at the doctor's office saw me tatting a few years back, and I promised her a snowflake. Every time I go back, she's not there! (At my last visit, I ended up giving a snowflake ornament to the doctor instead.) Well, I want to be prepared with a new design for whenever I do get to see her, so that's how this snowflake came about :)

I designed a large snowflake so that it could be tatted in small thread. It came out a bit smaller than expected (3.5 inches from top to bottom in DMC size 80), but is still a pretty good size.

Below is the original concept, sketched in Kaleidoscope Drawing Pad. It contains a series of 12 rings in the center, which I found to be a little unstable.

I often alter designs as I go along, and this time was no different. Each time I change a design, I edit my drawing so that I can have a guide to compare my progress to. Here is the edited version:

And one last photo (fully dried after blocking with a damp paper towel):

Errata: Priscilla Square

Last night, Amanda (aka Mandatory) let me know of an error she had found in the Priscilla Square diagram. Two chains have a 6 where there should be an 8, and another two chains have an 8 where there should be a 6 (this occurs on the left side and upper left side of the diagram).

I have fixed the error and uploaded the revision to Google Drive. The nice thing about Google Drive is that I can upload revisions over top of the old file, and the original link will stay the same. So, if there are any more errors to be found, don't hesitate to let me know. After looking at the diagram for so long, sometimes it's hard for me to see an error that may be obvious to a fresh set of eyes!

The square diagram looks to be the only one affected, so if you have previously printed the file, you will only need to reprint Page 3.

Free Pattern: Priscilla Cross and Square

I got the chance to get the pattern for the Priscilla Cross and Square diagrammed over the weekend. You can access it through my Free Patterns page or go directly to it by Clicking Here.

Normally, I would test tat another version of the pattern after the diagram is completed, just to make sure everything is in its proper place. However, with this pattern taking so long to tat, I chose to proofread my diagrams instead of proofreading AND tatting. Let me know if you encounter any mistakes!

I also did not get the chance to put four squares together, though I'm fairly certain they can be used as a repeatable motif. I've made arrows on the diagram showing which picots to use to connect the squares together.

This pattern follows the same flow as the Priscilla Bookmark, which can also be found on my Free Patterns page. The only new stitch counts are in the central chains and floating rings.

An Update

I haven't been doing any tatting these past couple of weeks. Mom fell and broke her hip in three places, requiring surgery and a short stay at a rehab center. She's back home with dad now, who has been taking care of her, and seems to be feeling much better.

Before that happened, I did manage to tat a square based on the Priscilla Cross design from my previous post.

It's done in Lizbeth size 40 white and gold (colors chosen before that whole white and gold dress thing happened). It measures 3.75 inches across and 5 inches diagonally. Here it is alongside the cross. It's in the binder where I keep all of my designs and diagrams:

These two still need diagrams, which will be made as soon as I am able to concentrate on them.

In the meantime, I've been learning how to knit again. I find that knitting requires a lot less brainpower than tatting and can be done even when I'm half asleep. I've just been practicing my knits and purls with a simple knit 4 purl 4 scarf:

This little guy likes to join me on the couch, though I have to be careful...he likes to chew the paper wrapper as well as the yarn!

With the weather finally getting nicer, I decided to pick up a happier color of yarn at the store yesterday. I think my next project will be leg warmers with a simple cable design.

And, as soon as I am mentally rejuvenated, I will of course get back to tatting :)