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!

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.

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).