Sunflower

After seeing Joëlle tatting Blomqvist and Persson's Ice Crystal, I just had to revisit my copy of the book and join in. I've tatted a few of the smaller snowflakes from this book before, but this time I decided to try one of the doilies. This one is called Sunflower:

It's tatted in Lizbeth size 40, Spring Garden and White. It definitely needed blocking after Round 2 because the doily was ruffling quite a bit. Luckily, Round 3 was a lot easier and didn't pose any problems. Here is the finished doily on a black background:

As I was tatting the doily, I kept wondering if Lizbeth thread was too stiff for the project. This seems to happen mostly with white thread, and I don't notice it too much with the colors. Next time I tat something from this book I might try using DMC Cordonnet Special to see if it makes a difference.

Triangles (Part 2)

This is a continuation of my previous post in which I was exploring different patterns that could be made with triangles. I was able to put together a cross based on the bookmark pattern:

Like the Priscilla Cross, this is a large piece of tatting and takes a while to complete. In size 40 thread it measures 6.75 inches long and 4.75 inches wide. You can get a better idea of how big it is in this photo:

I also wanted to mention that if you send me a message through my Blogger Contact Form, please check your spam/junk folder for a reply as well as your inbox. I try to respond within 24 hours, but sometimes my responses get sent to the spam folder (especially for those using Yahoo accounts). Always feel free to send me another message if you haven't heard back within a few days. It probably means that something went amiss with the email filters!

Triangles

After all of the pattern writing and proofreading, I really wanted to take a break and just tat. While brainstorming a few snowflake ideas, I stumbled onto a triangle. It looked like it would make a good building block for a variety of patterns:

I like to use building blocks as a basis for creating patterns. I think in terms of shapes (trefoil, rosette, multi-ringed flowers, triangles, squares, pretzels, "the scream") and I use these concepts to form larger patterns.

With the triangle pictured above, I have created a repeatable square, a small snowflake, and a bookmark:

I have already begun adjusting the bookmark to make a large cross. If the large cross is successful, I can use the inner portion to make another repeatable square. I also might be able to tweak the triangle itself and use split rings to make a bracelet or small bookmark.

Hopefully I'll make some progress in the next couple of weeks and will have more pictures to share!