Wrapping up

I finished the Frauberger bookmark, and am nearly done with this snowflake (the last item on my "to do" list). It's been hectic trying to get everything ready for Christmas.

These are both tatted in size 80 thread, which I've grown quite fond of. I often find myself designing for smaller thread sizes because I like the dainty look it creates.

Almost all of the presents have been wrapped and put under the tree.

I removed the fencing from around the tree, but you might still notice the random carpeting and bits of cardboard. This is all in an effort to protect the apartment from this little monster:

Despite being nearly 9 years old (about 70 if he were a human) Billy always finds ways to get into trouble. Sometimes, I swear he does it for the attention. He will rip out a piece of carpet and then twitch his head and dance away when he is caught! One time, I followed that up with a game of chase which he really seemed to enjoy. Maybe he's been trying to play games with me all along?

He also loves to sit on the couch while I am tatting, which isn't so good for my pattern notes:

Anyhow, Happy Holidays to everyone who celebrates! I hope we have a mild winter without too much snow. I probably won't be updating the blog until after the New Year...see you then!

11b) Drawing "Automatic" Pattern Repeats (Part 2)

In the previous post, I talked about how to move an object's center of rotation to create "automatic" pattern repeats. I used very basic examples (a ring and a trefoil) and did not build up the diagram any further. In order to build up the diagram, we need to use a feature in Inkscape called guides. If you are unfamiliar with guides, click here to read more. 

The reason we will be using guides is so that we can match up the center of rotation of the rings, chains, and picots in our diagram. We will be using the intersection of a horizontal and a vertical guide as a "snapping point" for all of our rotation centers. This will ensure that each element rotates around the same central axis.

Before I begin, be sure to familiarize yourself with the hotkeys on the right side of the screen (these will appear after you have dragged at least one guide onto the screen). The topmost button is responsible for turning guide snapping on and off:

A bit further down is a button to "snap other points":

Just below "snap other points" is another button with crosshairs, which enables an object's center of rotation to be snapped to guides:

For the purpose of this tutorial, you will need to enable the above features (the buttons will be a darker shade of gray when selected). As you work on building your diagram, keep in mind that it is also okay to turn guide snapping off when you don't need it. It can sometimes get in the way when trying to place parts of a drawing. I regularly toggle between turning snapping on and off by pressing the first button mentioned above.

11a) Drawing "Automatic" Pattern Repeats (Part 1)

It's been a while since I've written a tutorial about Inkscape, and I think it's time to talk about my favorite trick with the software. This is a method I use to automatically place pattern repeats in a diagram. It can be used for any diagram that has symmetry: from a butterfly all the way up to a doily. Even if you already know how to use Inkscape, I encourage you to read on to see if this is something that would be useful to you.

Here is an example of a finished diagram (the Frauberger Doily) using this method. All rings, chains, and picots have been duplicated and rotated around a central axis. Only the first pattern repeat is placed by hand. All others are generated by the computer:

It's a little difficult to explain the entire process in one post, so I am breaking this tutorial into two posts. For the first post, I will talk about how to move the center of rotation and how to calculate the degree of rotation.

Lost and Found

I have not been in the mood to tat any more snowflakes, so I decided to make another Frauberger doily. Over a month ago, I had completed Round 1 in size 40 White and Green Coral Sea. In the midst of cleaning, I threw it somewhere, but where?

After a while of looking around I found it among a bunch of tatting scrap (the kind of tatting that is meant for the trash bin)! I have a tendency to either throw things away, or to hide them so well that I lose them for years. All in an effort to make a space look more clean and organized.

While I was looking for the doily, I also remembered that I had been working on a bookmark over the summer. I found it in one of my bags, and it's a little more than halfway done:

The bookmark is made in size 80 Lizbeth, White and Niagara Falls. I'm hoping to finish it in time for Christmas.

As I tat things, I'm beginning to take detailed measurements of the length of thread used. I'm wondering if there is any correlation between size 20, 40, and 80. Would I be able to predict thread usage for size 80 if I know how much is used in size 20?

So far, I have confusing results that don't really have correlations. I need to add my hand scribbled notes to spreadsheets so that I can keep track of the data over time, and see if any patterns emerge.

In addition to tatting, I'm also working on a set of new Inkscape posts about how to place "automatic" pattern repeats. This will be at least two posts long, and will probably be ready next week.

Tatting with Beads

While perusing my blog list, I saw some lovely Holiday patterns using beads. I'm not too familiar with beads in tatting (not a big jewelry fan) so I brushed up on techniques by watching Karen Cabrera's tutorials. Here are a few pieces that I tatted:

The snowflake is Frivole's "Bentley" which can be found in her Etsy shop. I saw this on her blog a few weeks ago and thought it was very pretty, especially with the beads in the center. I suggested that we do a pattern swap (her latest snowflake for my latest snowflake) and luckily she obliged!

I've already hung it up on the tree. The Swarovski crystals are perfect for a snowflake. I can't help but wonder all of the possibilities for these crystals in snowflake design.

The next piece is Renulek's Advent Wreath. You can find the pattern notes on her blog post here.

There are a lot of beads in this one, and I think the ones I chose are too large and heavy for the thread. They cause the wreath to distort when held in an upright manner. Maybe I can tack the pattern down and display it on the top of a box or in a picture frame.

"Winter Frost" tatting pattern

Thank you to everyone who test tatted my latest snowflake. I have received feedback from all of the testers and have just added the pattern to my Etsy shop. You can find the pattern by clicking here, or by using the Etsy widget on the right side bar of my blog.

There were no major changes to the pattern, only some small clarifications to the text. I am always amazed at how quickly people test tat a pattern. I think it's because it takes me several weeks to design and tinker with everything, and I like to let ideas "marinate" for a while before I'm done.

I have received some great feedback from testers, which has allowed me to see things from new perspectives and to continually improve upon my pattern writing. Thank you to all of the people who so readily volunteer, it is truly appreciated :)

Trying Frivole's Method

Joëlle from Le Blog de Frivole has been having such success with creating tatted snowflakes from photographs of real snowflakes, I thought I would give it a try. Well, let me tell you, it is NOT easy! I found it really difficult to make my tatting conform to the straight lines and sharp features of an actual snowflake. In the end, I sort of "fudged" it and let the tatting curve as it naturally does.

I'm pleased with the way the tatting turned out, though it does not resemble the real snowflakes I was looking at. Perhaps I just need more tricks in my bag to simulate the sharp geometrical features of an actual snowflake. Overall, it was fun to do, and I'll probably try this method again in the future.

With the Holidays coming up, I know people will be pretty busy, but would anyone be willing to test out this pattern (I'm thinking a soft deadline around December 7)? I can take up to 4 testers if there is interest. Aside from basic techniques there is one mock picot, some lock joins, floating rings, and simple directional changes. If you'd like to test it out let me know either in the comments below or by using the contact form on the right side bar of my blog. (If you leave a comment check back on this blog post to make sure I've got your email).

Update: Thanks everyone who volunteered to test the pattern for me. I'm going to cut off the list at Fox's comment, so that I don't have too many emails to keep track of. 

Test tatters can claim a few single patterns from my shop (or one pattern bundle), OR store credit for future patterns. Etsy doesn't technically have a way of setting up store credit so I will have to keep a record of that myself.

I ended up using iBooks Author to put this pattern together and I am very impressed with the program. It is much more streamlined than using Inkscape alone. Inkscape is still essential for creating the diagrams, which can then be imported into iBooks Author as image files. I will talk more about my experience with the program in a future post.

Snowflakes

I have been tatting other people's snowflakes for a change. I forgot how much easier it is to follow a written pattern than it is to come up with one from scratch!

The larger of the two is Frivole's latest creation, "Snowdrop" which can be found in her Etsy shop. The snowflake looks complicated, but the pattern is actually very easy. All you have to know are rings, chains, floating rings, and lock joins. I wondered what the snowflake would look like with onion rings in the center, but I'm afraid I made a mess of the pattern when I tried to change it, so I'm just leaving well enough alone :)

The small snowflake is Mandatory's first PDF tatting pattern. You can find a link to the pattern on her blog. This pattern is very easy and quick. It's great if you are looking to make miniature snowflakes. Included with the pattern are a few suggestions for alternative picot placements and beads. I put a few extra picots into the top cluster, which was not explicitly suggested, but I think it came out okay.

In addition to tatting snowflakes, I've also been taking a closer look at iBooks Author. As I said in my previous post, iBooks Author is a free App for the Mac (not available on the iPad or iPhone). I have been planning to use this program to give my tatting patterns a more polished look.

Further research reveals some limitations with the program. iBooks Author is meant for making ebooks that are readable on the iPad. The page dimensions are specifically sized for an iPad screen and are unchangeable.

What does this mean? iBooks Author will NOT work for making a physical book (i.e. one that you send off to a professional printer). However, iBooks Author will still work for creating digital PDF patterns, and these do print out okay on a home computer (but with blank margins along the edges).

Here is a photo of what I am talking about. I printed out a template in Portrait mode and another in Landscape mode. Can you see the blank edges? Landscape is worse than Portrait:

Personally, I am a bit bothered by the margins, so back to the Internet I went, to look for a solution. I think I found one in the form of a PDF cropping program (aptly named "Briss"). I have not downloaded or tested it yet, but the reviews look very good. Apparently the pages can all be digitally stacked on top of one another, and you can draw a bounding box around your PDF file to trim the edges.

Overall there are a lot of new things to learn and I'm sure it will keep me busy for a while.

Doily is Done

The doily is done, and has been for some time, though I only got around to sewing the ends in today. Here it is in Lizbeth size 20, Ecru and Autumn Spice. It measures 5.5 inches across:

On my previous post, Frivole asked if I was going to share the pattern, either on my blog or in my Etsy shop. Before her comment, I had been thinking about what to do with the pattern for several weeks. You see, I really want to make some changes to my pattern writing style by including things like materials used and written instructions to go along with the diagram.

I also recently found iBooks Author, a free App for Mac computers (unfortunately not available on the iPad). There are some nice looking templates with places to put photos, materials, a written pattern section, etc. I should still be able to use my Inkscape diagrams by loading them into iBooks Author as photo files.

I'd like to take my time playing around with these new ideas, without the pressure of adding the pattern to my shop. (Besides I don't know how much of this pattern I can actually call my own, as the third and most intricate round, though heavily modified, is essentially Frauberger's design).

As a result, I've decided to share my pattern notes here, so that those who are interested in trying out the doily can do so, and I can take all the time I want to play around with my pattern writing ideas. When I do get around to making polished written patterns, both this and the Frauberger bookmark will be available on my Free Patterns page.

For now, I've uploaded photos of my pattern notes. These are the actual notes that I use when I am formulating a design, so there are some erasure marks throughout. Please scroll down for a zoomed in photo as well:

There is a very slight issue with cupping of the thrown rings in Round 1, which is easily blocked with a dab of water. Another way to help with this issue is to make the picots joining the trefoils together just a bit bigger (instead of making them "very small picots" just make them "normal" picots, if that makes sense). All other joins will be very small picots.

Right clicking and opening these images in a new tab will make the numbers large enough to see. If anything is unclear, don't hesitate to ask!

For those who have already made the Frauberger bookmark posted to my blog in June, this doily will be no problem. Otherwise, please take a look at this post (click here) for more information about how the Frauberger edging is made. (Also note that the stitch counts in the bookmark are slightly different than those in Round 3 of the doily).

Lastly, for those who are interested in how many yards are used, I have made calculations with Lizbeth size 20 thread.

Unlike my typical diagrams, my rough notes are not color coded. For the yard calculations just remember that Shuttle 1 forms the rings while Shuttle 2 forms the chains/thrown rings. In Round 3 the shuttle work looks like this:

Round 3 can be done in other ways as well, just remember that the yards calculated are specifically for the above method.

And so I leave you with another long winded post (try as I might to make these things concise, I just cannot escape my detail oriented ways). I'm off to enjoy the Fall weather and then to continue tatting Frivole's latest snowflake. Until next time...

Measuring Yards

A couple of weeks ago, I managed to figure out a good stitch count for the small doily from my previous post, so that it lays flat without blocking. I'm tatting it again, in Ecru and Autumn Spice (color idea borrowed from Elena K)

It's hard to tell from the photo, but it's a nice color combination for Fall.

I tend to get bored unless I have something new to figure out, so this time I decided to try to calculate the number of yards that are used in each round of the pattern. Grace T gave me the idea when she was proofreading one of my snowflake patterns in June, and I thought it would be useful information to incorporate into future patterns.

I don't have a yard stick (never had use for one until now) so I used a tape measure (the kind used in sewing) and stuck it down to the couch with some packaging tape :)

The packaging tape actually came in handy later on when I was trying to measure out 20 yards to put onto the shuttle. I had to take the thread off the ball in 5 yard increments, and then place a piece of tape at the spot where I left off. I wound the shuttle up to the tape marking, and then measured out another 5 yards at a time. There's probably a better way to do this, but I couldn't think of one!

To measure the yards used in each round, I subtracted what was left over on the shuttle from what I had originally loaded onto that shuttle. So, if I loaded 4 yards, and was left with 1 yard on the shuttle after completing the round, then I knew the round took 3 yards of thread to make.

A few thoughts arise from this process:
1) Could I have tatted one repeat only, and then calculated the amount of thread based on this?
2) Is there a formula for calculating yards used in size 40 or 80, when compared to size 20? (i.e. multiply the size 20 yardage by 75% to get the size 40 yardage for the same pattern?)
3) Will slight differences in thread (different brands or varying thicknesses from the dyeing process) affect the amount of yards used in a pattern? Also, will different tatting tensions affect the amount of yards used? If so how much leeway would I need to provide in yard estimates?

These are the kinds of questions that distract me while I am tatting, which is probably why I so easily lose focus when tackling larger projects!

Small Doily

It has been far too long since I have updated my blog (or followed along with other people's blogs, for that matter)! I was pretty busy this summer and went over a month without tatting. I really started to miss my creative outlet.

To remedy that, I looked through some of my antique tatting books last Friday to see if I could find anything to tat. Not seeing anything I really liked, I decided to revisit the Frauberger edging I have been blogging about in my previous posts. This time I incorporated it into a small doily:

It's tatted in Lizbeth size 20 White and Fruit Fizz. The doily measures just under 6 inches across. I had to block it because it wasn't laying perfectly flat, but I have some ideas to improve it. Here it is from a bird's eye view:

In typical fashion, I used my iPad to make a sketch before tackling the design:

The symmetrical drawing App has been an invaluable tool in drafting patterns. Without it, I'm not sure that I would be able to come up with so many ideas!

Polished

No matter how hard I try, I just cannot seem to leave well enough alone! A few weeks ago, after finishing the Frauberger bookmark, I couldn't help but be displeased with it. The chains in the onion rings were a little too long and the bookmark itself had a tendency to curve. So, I tinkered with it here and there, and polished up the pattern to the point that it now works out straight (for me at least).

This time I used two colors (Lizbeth size 80 White and Wildflower Garden). I really like the way it turned out and plan on trying another two color version. Here it is next to the original, and you can see how the first version curves:

Last but not least, for those who would like to try with the new stitch counts, please see the diagram below.

I only changed one thing, decreasing the onion ring chains by 1 stitch on each side. However, if you pull your chains tightly you may want to just stick with the original counts posted to my blog at the end of June. There is also a long connecting picot on the bookmark turns, which I briefly mentioned in a previous post. The extra note on the bottom left is for me, as I plan to try another version with the inner chains reduced to 9-9.

Still tinkering

I haven't tatted much these past couple of weeks, but I did manage to finish the Frauberger bookmark. I have yet to sew in the ends:

I was displeased with my chain tension in certain areas, and also wanted to see what would happen if I connected the corner floating rings together. So I started again, this time in Lizbeth Niagara Falls, size 80:

I found that the floating rings on the corners CAN be connected together, but one must make sure to keep the joining picots longer than usual. I didn't make my joining picots long enough to keep the turn perfectly straight, but I'm sure I can fix that with blocking.

I really should have finalized this in size 40 or larger before moving onto size 80. For me, it's harder to gauge chain tension in the smaller thread and to create stitch counts that will accurately reflect the pattern. I usually draft everything in size 20 and create a finalized working model before moving onto the tiny threads. This time I got a little impatient :)

Frauberger Edging: Pattern Notes

There was a lot of interest in the Frauberger edging that I posted to my blog a few days ago. It will take a couple of weeks to finish the bookmark and to get a proper diagram made, but for those who would like to tat along now, here are my pattern notes:

(Right click and open in a new tab for a larger photo)

Update: Click Here for a more recent post with improved stitch counts

There are many ways to accomplish the order of rings and chains in this pattern. I tried at least three methods myself, and settled on one that I think works best. This method uses no shoelace tricks or overlapping of threads. I have color coded Shuttle 1 and Shuttle 2 work, as well as provided numbers to symbolize the order of operations below:

Step 11 and Step 23 finish with a lock join to the base of the ring. 

The only "odd" instruction is that you will be using Shuttle 1 to create both the inner ring and the bottom chain. Going from Step 12 to Step 13 (pictured above) requires that you do NOT reverse your work, and instead continue with the inner ring using the shuttle that just formed your chain stitches (Shuttle 1). If this is confusing at all, don't hesitate to ask questions in the comments below.

One more important thing to note: Using a Catherine Wheel join will create a smooth, uninterrupted curve of the outer chains. Each Catherine Wheel join counts as one stitch (remember to include this factor when following the stitch counts in the pattern).

To center the floating trefoil over the join, you will need to make TWO Catherine Wheel joins (one immediately before the trefoil, and one immediately after). Make both of your joins to the top picot of the ring below.

I hope this is clear, let me know if you have any questions!

Frauberger edging

I decided to try my hand at converting a Tina Frauberger edging into a bookmark. This is Figure 28 from the 1919 publication of Schiffchenspitze, which can be accessed for free on Georgia Seitz's website for the Archive of Tatting Books in the Public Domain.

Here is my progress so far:

I'm tatting this in Lizbeth size 80 Scottish Thistle. It's coming out to be about the same size as the Priscilla bookmark in size 80. Size 40 would work too, but size 20 is a little too big for a bookmark.

I had the same experience as Frivole when tatting a Frauberger pattern. This one had to be significantly reduced in size from the original (I reworked the numbers from the ground up to make it easier to tat). The only counts that remain true to the original are the trefoils along the periphery of the bookmark. I will share my version of the pattern in a week or two (still thinking about making a minor edit to what I'm using above).

Thank you testers!

Thank you to all who volunteered to test tat or proofread for me. I received some really great feedback and prompt responses. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people actually chose test tatting over proofreading, and at how quickly everyone got back to me!

I have emailed out the final pattern packs to everyone on my list. If you test tatted or proofread for me and do NOT see the email in your inbox, please contact me.

After I diagram each pattern, I like to give it one final test tat to make sure I put all my numbers in the right place. By the time I sent out my files to testers I only had one pattern left to check myself. This one is called Crystalline:

The one on the left is tatted in Lizbeth size 80, White and Scottish Thistle. On the right is Lizbeth size 40, White and Green Coral Sea.

The pattern pack is now available in my Etsy shop, which you can find on the right sidebar of my blog, or by clicking on the image below:

I think I need to take a break from designing for a bit. Maybe I should get back to my Stawasz doily, it has been far too long since I last made progress on it.

Pattern Proofreaders

Thank you to those who have volunteered to proofread or test tat my latest snowflake patterns. My list is all full so I cannot take any new volunteers, but I can offer to put people on a waiting list for future projects if you are interested.

Carollyn, Margaret, Diane, Grace, Patty, and Neska: I've sent patterns to your emails so if you don't see anything in your inbox or spam/junk folder let me know.

Update:

Marie, Jenn, Elizabeth, Mary Beth, and Barbara your files have been sent as well.


Here is a scan of the patterns involved in this bundle:

All patterns have been accounted for, but I am still able to accept 2  more volunteers if anyone else is interested. My list is now full, thanks everyone! Volunteers are asked to either proofread or test tat a single pattern, and as compensation will receive the entire bundle of patterns (pictured above) for free. After that, the pattern bundle will be listed in my Etsy shop.

If you don't get in this time, don't worry. I hope to offer future proofreading opportunities, as long as there is continued interest. Volunteers can claim free patterns from my shop (or future credit), which will vary based on the project going on at the time. I don't have many patterns in there at the moment but hopefully this will become more relevant over time!

Not everyone has email addresses associated with their Blogger accounts, so the easiest way to make sure I have your contact info is to send me a message through the Contact Form on the sidebar of my blog.

Happy Tatting!

Nearly finished

I'm getting close to finishing up this small bundle of snowflakes. There were lots of ideas and variations, but in the end I chose to move forward with this group:

The two in the middle (darker blue and green) are the same pattern but with a different center, so they have been diagrammed separately. They are tatted in color so they can be scanned on a white background, though I do prefer tatting snowflakes in white so they can stand out on a Christmas tree.

It looks like I got a little carried away in my snowflake adventure. I didn't realize how many versions I had tatted until I took them all out of my binder and tried to place them on the folding chair:

As you can see I'm not very "efficient" when it comes to designing. I get distracted by far too many possibilities, and cannot stop myself from trying them all out. In a way, I have to force myself to finalize the patterns so that I can move on to other things!

The bundle of 4 patterns + 1 variation will be listed in my Etsy shop in a few weeks. I would like to extend the opportunity to acquire this bundle for free, for those who don't mind doing some light proofreading. I will post more details about that in a few days, so come back to my blog around Wednesday if you are interested. All proofreading positions are now taken, thanks everyone!

Summer begins the season of festivals, which I like to go to as long as the weather isn't too hot (it can reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit some days). I usually don't take photos, but there was a really neat looking Volkswagen Beetle on display at the Herndon Festival, made of wrought iron:

One more...

My little collection needed another snowflake that could be tatted in one round. This one came together surprisingly quickly. It took a little over an hour to get the final stitch count, and three more hours to tat the snowflake. If only they all worked like that!

Holding the tatting up to the iPad helps a lot in determining if the pattern will work.

The closer I can get to the original drawing, the better my chances will be.

More of the same

Not much new to post these past few weeks. I've just been working on diagramming a few snowflake patterns and tatting final versions of them in white. (The big one is Lizbeth silver size 40, the white version of this still needs to be tatted).

The teal colored one in the background is in progress, to be used as a pattern photo for a very minor design alteration. I've realized that there is some benefit to tatting the snowflakes in color: one can save on ink when printing out the pattern. (White snowflakes need to be scanned on a colored background).

Here's my pile of diagrams and my tatting binder, which houses all of the designs after I finish them.

I add a sample of tatting to each binder insert, which is great for knowing what the pattern will look like when tatted...not so great for the thickness of the pages. This one will only fit 5 to 10 more pages, so I'll have to start a new binder soon.

Adaptations

Attempts at creating a new cross design have resulted in quite a few pieces for the scrap pile:

They won't go there yet, however. Not until I can come up with a finished version of the pattern that I like. I think I have enough of an idea to create a square, but the cross still eludes me. I'm trying to come up with a way to connect the bottom portion to the top while maintaining the flow of the pattern. For now, the scraps have been set aside, in a bag that recently held chocolate coins.

After getting caught in a loop of designing and redesigning, I decided to take a break from the cross to clear my mind. I meant to do more carefree tatting with a snowflake pattern I had drafted a few weeks ago.

As usual, I found my mind wandering, thinking of all the alterations I could make to the snowflake. This caused me to incorrectly join a ring, and as I tried to open the ring with a pair of tweezers, the thread broke! Apparently tweezers are a hazard to thread!

Of course I could not alter just one snowflake. The lavender snowflake was also adjusted, from two rounds to one. (On the left side are the originals, and on the right side are the alterations).

My mind is still spinning with ideas of other options and designs.

On another note, I spotted a butterfly drinking nectar while hiking around Prince William Forest Park. The photo came out surprisingly well for being taken with my phone:

Tatting Scraps

Over the past three years, I have accumulated a lot of tatting scraps. What are tatting scraps? Most are pieces of discarded tatting from design trials. Some are the result of learning new techniques. Each time I create a new scrap, I tuck it into a plastic bag for future reference.

As I was working on a fifth trial of a new design, I became curious to find out how big my scrap pile has become. After digging through my craft bins I came out with this:

Perhaps it's not that impressive, but I wonder what it will look like in another three years. I sorted through the tatting and separated it into sections, trying my best to remember where each one originated.

The largest pile is a group of design trials that ended up as completed patterns. It's not unusual for me to go through 4 or more versions of the same design to achieve the look that I want and to get the pattern to lay flat. I'm not sure if this encompasses all of my designs, as there could be more that I don't remember throwing away.

A much smaller pile is design ideas that never took bloom. These were abandoned rather quickly, when I decided that it just wasn't going to work out. For some reason, I have a particular problem with creating butterflies, and have yet to make a successful one.

Another small pile involves learning new techniques. These include woven picots, self closing mock rings, split rings, folded joins, and interlocking elements. I find that leftover thread on the shuttles comes in handy when trying out something new. There are a few that I can spot in this pile that might be worth looking into for future designs.

The last pile contains experimentations with book patterns, and a few of the Stawasz rosettes that I had to cut from my Monster Doily. Those rosettes took so long, I suppose I didn't want to part with them!

So that's it for my scrap pile. What do you do when you have bits of tatting or other crafts that don't quite make it as completed items? I'm going to keep adding to my scrap pile to see how big it gets in another few years.