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!