Starting another 25 Motif Challenge with three more Gems

I finished my first 25 Motif Challenge, and am going to do it again because it was fun.  So, here are three more from Jon's Elegant Tatted Gems. (Incidentally, I only have one more to finish to have completed all of them in the book.  Woop!)

#1 - Kencana 

Lizbeth No. 20, Color 688, Seagreen Dark.  Finished 8/2/13.

#2 - Mustika

Flora No. 20, Color 60.  (This thread is discontinued and I couldn't find the name of this color anywhere. It could also use some more blocking--kinda looks like a star fish!) Finished 9/1/13.

#3 - Delima  

Lizbeth No. 20, Color 628, Salmon Medium.  Finished 10/21/13.

Lucky Clover

I'm making the Lucky Clover doily from Tatting Pattern's and Designs, by Blomqvist and Persson, using Cebelia No. 20, color 745, "Banana Yellow". (I have this book and several others on my Nook, which I adore!)

I love the way this pattern looks.  I like that there are no picots, other than those used for joining.  In this pattern, it's perfect.

I modified it a bit, and am now having an issue (of course). It calls for 8 repeats in the first round, but when I finished 8 it wasn't large enough to join to the beginning, so I did 10 repeats instead.  I guess I must have tatted too tightly.  Anyway, I don't have a picture right now but I've finished the second round and had too many repeats of that so now it's curly.  I haven't blocked it yet because it made me mad so I set it aside, and maybe blocking will help this problem. That's what I get for not following the pattern as written.  Grr.

Am also including more pictures of the pretty shuttle I'm using for Lucky.  I bought it on Ebay I believe, included in a lot of shuttles someone else found at auction.  They're all handmade wooden shuttles, and there's one I'm going to use to try tatting with yarn.  This one holds a lot of thread, and although one end has a large opening, the other holds the thread in place if I have to dangle it to get rid of twist.   It's large, but I got used to it fairly quickly.

Not sure about the wood.  Oak?

Motif Number 25! (and a problem with a join in Firus...)

I made it! This is motif 25 in the 25 Motif Challenge! It's Mary Konior's Spinning Wheel Glass Mat from Tatting With Visual Patterns. This is the third time I've made this pattern.  It's fun.

Thread is Lizbeth No. 20, Color 112, "Carousel".

I do intend to continue with the challenge and make another 25, and will have more to post soon.

And now on to my problem.  I'm making Firus, the last motif I need to finish in Jon's Elegant Tatting Gems. Grrrr!!! I have had no major troubles with the others, but have come to what has turned out to be, for me, a tricky join.  I've had to restart this motif three times now but as it's the last one I have to do, and since I'm a stubborn girl, I WILL NOT GIVE IN!

There is a five ring flower in the pattern with chains on either side that, on the right side, are behind the flower.  To accomplish this, the first three rings are made and then you reverse the work, change shuttles, and make the next two rings in reverse order (making the second half of the double stitch first, then the first half) so that it looks correct on the right side.  Anyway, that's not my problem.  It's joining the last ring to the first that is stumping me. Not because I don't know how to do this, because I've done it lots of times (folding over the ring, twisting the picot, etc.), but in this case the threads from both of the shuttles need to end up in front, facing you, after closing the ring.  The instructions say "When making this join, make sure that both shuttle threads are on the upper side of the flower motif, i.e. the side that is facing you."

Sounds easy, right? Well I'm stumped.  I can get the two rings joined properly but not with the last ring's shuttle thread ending up in front and the ring looking as it should.  Here's a picture of the motif where I've stopped right before I need to make this last join.

I already have the second shuttle's thread in front, but when I go to join at this point to the last picot in the ring on the right, the thread of my shuttle in use ends up in the back.  I should say the reason it needs to be in front after this ring is made is because the next step is to reverse the work and make another chain that needs to be behind this motif, and when I reverse work, if the thread is not where it needs to be, I have to pull it through to the back, and there's no way to make it look good by doing this, in my opinion.  (I hope this makes sense...)

I haven't done any internet searches to see if there's a way to do this as of yet, but maybe someone will read this and help me out?  Maybe Jon will give me a tip? (Hint hint.)  I'm going to put it aside for a bit to see if I get any responses.  

Oh and I must show off my favorite tatting shuttles while I'm at it, since I'm using them to make this.  They're Jane's Pop-a-Bobbin shuttles, which can be purchased (when they're available and while they last, which isn't long!) on her Etsy page.  I LOVE these shuttles.  Not only are they beautiful and feel good in your hand, but the hook is fantastic and they're the perfect size for me.  She also has some really cute tatting bags that I'm coveting, and finished items that she's made.  I subscribe to her blog and really enjoy reading it, so thanks Jane!

More Gems

Haven't posted in a long time, but I have been tatting some.  I'm on a mission to do all of the motifs from Jon Yusoff's Elegant Tatted Gems, and I only have one three to block and one more to make! (Had to edit this post because I realized I actually had two more waiting for some type of blocking in my basket. Woops.)

Here are three that are ready now.  I didn't block them in a traditional way, other than to put them in a photo album with a heavy book on top to flatten them somewhat.  I think they'd look a little better with more attention to blocking, but will maybe do that later.  All are made with Lizbeth, No. 20.


Lazuardi. Color 684, Leaf Green Medium.  Finished 7/31/13.
#22 in 25 Motif Challenge

This next one is not a favorite, but it's done, so here it is.  Sahmura, also in color 684, Leaf Green Medium.  Finished 7/24/13. #23 in challenge.

And Kencana, in color 688, Seagreen dark.  Finished 8/2/13. #24 in challenge.

Delima is finished except for securing the ends (after several fruitless attempts last night after midnight to thread the needle, I gave up and went to bed!), and I intend to start Firus for the SECOND time again today or tomorrow.  I started this one before, and there's a tricksy spot where two chains go behind a little motif, and I didn't like the way it looked.  Kept the mistake I did with a note so I know what NOT to do when I remake it.

Speaking of notes, I am a copious note-taker when it comes to my crafts.  Some of my friends would screech in horror if they saw my books because I write all over them when I'm making something: what yarn/thread I used, needle size (I mostly knit), and anything I did to modify a pattern. I even write whether I liked it or not and why, in case I want to make it again later.  My copy of Tatted Gems definitely shows it's use, and I love it even more for that because it's mine.  My feeling about writing in books is that they are my books, I don't intend to get rid of them because I love them, so if I want to write in them, I will.  Maybe some day, if I'm lucky, someone who cares about me will inherit my books and it will make them smile to see my little notes.

#21: Faith

There are several small motifs like this in Mary's book.  Some are done with all chains, or all rings.  Very interesting construction.

#21 Faith

DMC Cebelia No. 30, Color 699, Christmas Green.

Messed up a bit on one spot between rings. Really shows up in the picture more than real life. 

Have 3 motifs and an edging waiting to be photographed and posted. That'll get me to 25! Should I start over again after that?  Maybe so!

Glass Mats

One of my favorite Mary Konior patterns (and I know I'm not alone here), from Tatting with Visual Patterns.  I think it looks pretty in both solid and variegated thread.

#19 Glass Mat 1

Lizbeth No. 20, Color 670, Victorian Red.

#20 Glass Mat 2

Lizbeth No. 20, Color 115, Springtime.

Reflections

More Mary Konior designs.  I love how these mirror each other.

#17 Reflections 1

Lizbeth No. 20, Color 620, Azalea Medium.

 #18 Reflections 2

DMC Cebelia No. 30, Color 210, Lavender.

Fragments

And now some tatting from Mary Konior's book, Tatting with Visual Patterns.  The first one is more like the "Reflections" that will be in my next post, in that it mirrors itself.  The others are closer to doodles, but they're so pretty!

#13 Briar Fragment 1

Lizbeth No. 20, Color 670, Victorian Red.

#14 Bud Fragment 1

Lizbeth No. 20, Color 621, Dusty Rose Light.

#15 Bud Fragment 2

Lizbeth No. 20, Color 670, Victorian Red.

 #16 Flower Fragment 1

Lizbeth No. 20, Color 640, Antique Violet Med.

And yet more pretty motifs!

Two more I've finished as of today.  I also have one to block and one almost done.

#11 Zamrud

Lizbeth No. 20, color 621, Dusty Rose Light.  Finished: 7/17/13.
(This one is smaller than some of the others.  It was a blast to make!)

#12 Almas

Lizbeth No. 20, color 644, Boysenberry Dark.  Finished: 7/23/13.

Tat on!

Three pretty motifs

Here are three more motifs from Jon's lovely book.

#8 Nilakandi

Lizbeth No. 20, color 100, Falling Leaves.  Finished: 7/8/13.

(This is the only one I've made in variegated thread, and I like the solid colors better.)

#9 Cintamani

Lizbeth No. 20, color 694, Harvest Orange Medium. Finished: 7/15/13.

#10 Ratnasari

Lizbeth No. 20, color 644, Boysenberry Dark.  Finished: 7/16/13.

(This one turned out larger than all the other ones.  Not sure why. It also wasn't my favorite of all the ones I've made.)

Motifs 5, 6, and 7!

FINALLY took pictures of the tatting I've finished.  I have several ready but am going to space them out. Here are motifs 5-7 for the 25 Motif Challenge!! All are from Jon Yusoff's Elegant Tatting Gems.

#5 Baiduri

Lizbeth No. 20, color 689, Mint Light. Finished on 5/15/13.

#6 Galuh

Lizbeth No. 20, color 689, Mint Light.  Finished on 5/16/13.

#7 Nilam

Lizbeth No. 20, color 640, Antique Violet Med. Finished on 6/5/13.

I have 6 more of these finished, and one in progress.  I really am enjoying making these and only have 5 more to go before I've made every one in the book.  I love how most of these are done in one round.  Jon is a genius!

Also have several Mary Konior motifs and doodles to post as well, and a few by Anne Orr.  Also working on some doilies that I go back to occasionally.

Right now I'm digging my new Pop-a-Bobbin shuttle I got from Jane's Etsy shop. This will make #4 for me I think.  Really love these shuttles and watch her shop regularly for more to "pop" up. (Hee hee) I love handmade wooden crafty things, and these feel great in my hand.  I also have one of her Hooks with a Hat, which is perfect to use for those shuttles that don't have hooks on them.  I have some wooden post shuttles without picks and also like to use the clover plastic post shuttles sometimes but the "pick" on the end doesn't do me much good, so I usually end up using Jane's hook instead.

Back to tatting!

Lots of Tatting, Less Blocking

I have been tatting a lot, just haven't blocked anything in a while because I wasn't feeling well and then I just put it off. I don't know why I do that. It's not like it's very hard to do these little bits of tatting.  I just steam iron them and it only takes a few minutes to do each one.  And I actually enjoy the outcome.  I'm just a procrastinator sometimes. It's on my to do list for the next few days and then hope to have pictures up soon! Lots of pretty things finished including motifs from Jon's Elegant Tatting Gems, some small motifs from Mary Konior's Tatting with Visual Patterns, and a few other doilies that are quite nice.

I want to use some of the smaller motifs for cards so may make a trip to the craft store for some supplies.  I used to do some stamping but we moved to a new house in November and I have no idea where my stamping box is. Well, I do know where it is--it's in the garage somewhere and I have no desire whatsoever to go hunting around in there right now, even though it's fairly organized.

I want to make some jewelry for Christmas gifts for a special relative.  Maybe an earring, necklace, bracelet set in black.  She can totally pull this off and would love it. Then some ornaments for a few other appreciative recipients.  I may do the bulb ornaments I've got several pretty patterns for.  (Put those on the list for the craft store!) I also knit, crochet, and used to do a lot of detailed cross stitch work.  My usual Christmas ornaments were cross stitch but I haven't done them in the past few years so this year I may change it up. My great grandmother was the tatter in our family and my mom is thrilled that I've started tatting again so she'll love it.  She's already put in a request for a wedding handkerchief for my 13 year old niece.  Getting a little bit ahead of yourself there ma. I guess this gives me plenty of time to find the perfect antique handkerchief to attach the lace to, since that's what I'd prefer to do if I can't buy a new one that fits the image in my mind of what it should be.  When I got married, I carried one of my great grandmother's tatted handkerchiefs and it was really special to me.  I'm lucky to live in a family that appreciates the time and love that goes into hand made things.

Ok off to put "BLOCK YOUR TATTING" on my calendar for tomorrow.  Accountability is the key.

Elegant Motifs

Some motifs from Jon Yusoff's Elegant Tatting Gems.  All tatted with Lizbeth No 20. Motifs 3-5 for the 25 Motif Challenge.

Adan.

Adiratna.  Not too thrilled with the center of this one. Going to make it again I think.

Ratnawilis. This one was really fun!

Doiles in progress

I've started a few larger projects, and decided to do this one in some green thread I bought for Christmas tatting because it's the only large ball of size 30 I had on me.  It's the Distinctive Luncheon Set from Tatting Doilies and Edgings (Rita Weiss), made with Cebelia No 30, color 699.

(Notice my lovely GR-8 shuttle in Purpleheart. I'm finallly learning how to adjust the tension faster.)

And the other doily in progress at the moment is Large Centerpiece, from Tatting With Anne Orr, made with Cebelia No 20, color 712. I'm not entirely thrilled with how it's turning out because the second round is a bit crowded, but I kept on anyways to see how it would turn out.  Maybe I can fix this when I do my final blocking. I'm working on making spaces even between rings, and on consistent picot sizes.  

Using split rings between the motifs on the current round.  I join to the last row with the second ring, then switch shuttles and do ring three on the bottom.  Ring four is a split ring, as is ring one of the next motif.  So far so good!

(Love my Pop-a-Bobbin shuttle and have 2 more on the way soon!)

Also have three motifs finished from Jon Yusoff's Elegant Tatting Gems that I will photograph hopefully tomorrow and post as motifs 3-5 for the Challenge.

Happy Tatting!

Photography practice needed!

One of my goals today was to take some pictures of all the medallions and edgings I've been working on in the past few months. Unfortunately, my camera apparently didn't think that was a good plan because after taking a few pictures the battery died, so it's now resting on the charger.  The pictures I took turned out awful anyways because I wasn't in good lighting (i.e., I was being lazy and trying to take them from our couch), so that's probably a good thing.  I'll try again in the next few days.

I need to find something to use for a background too.  Lighter color is good for some but maybe not others.  I want to show my tatting off as best as I can (of course!) so I will do some experimenting.  How do you all take your pictures? Where do you do it, and what do you use for backgrounds? Natural light is best for the other pictures I like to take but I'm wondering if it will wash out some of the colors in my tatting.  I think I'll enjoy figuring this out.  I've got a nice camera that I can either set manually or use an option that adjusts everything automatically depending on light, etc. That's what I normallly use, but I'd really like to understand more about  how to make these adjustments on my own.

This picture was the best of the lot, so I'm going to go ahead and post it to feel like I accomplished something today.  It's entry #2 for the 25 Motif Challenge, a medallion from Anne Orr's Classic Tatting Patterns in Lizbeth size 20. I can't remember the exact color but I've seen lots of people use it because it's so pretty!

Obviously my "couch photography" was NOT a good idea, including the wooden-topped lap board I chose for a background. Next pictures will be better!

P.S. Thanks, Jane, for following me! I really admire (read: LOVE) your work, so I feel like a tatting world celebrity is following this little blog I've started. You made me smile.

Tatting Again!!

I taught myself to tatt several years ago, but picked it up again in February of this year after my father passed away and I needed a distraction.  It worked.  An avid knitter, I've put my knitting on hold for a while and am now obsessed with perfecting my tatting.  I found several blogs online that I love, most of which I've included in my "links" section.  When I found the 25 Motif Challenge blog, I decided a challenge was just what I need right now.  So, today I am going to sign up for it and start posting the tatting I've been working on since February.  I've completed so many already this year that it's not going to take me long to get to 25 and don't intend to stop there!

Need to take pictures of everything so I can start posting, but here's one that I do have a picture of.  While I was tatting it I thought about my dad, so it's appropriate that this be my first picture.  It's Large Round Medallion with Cross from Anne Orr's Classic Tatting Patterns, made with Lizbeth No. 20.

This picture was taken before blocking, placed on my project case (thus the other stuff you can see in the background).  Going to work on making my other pictures much prettier.

Just like with my knitting, I have several projects "on the shuttles" right now.  I'm working a few from Anne Orr including her Rectangular Luncheon Set and Large Centerpiece doily.  I've also done several medallions from her books to get me into the swing of things.  I love books and (amongst several others) recentlly bought Mary Konior's Tatting With Visual Patterns and Jon Yusoff's Elegant Tatting Gems. Wonderful books! Jon's medallions are fun to make and are so pretty.  And Mary's book...wow.  I'd been coveting it for a while and found a new copy at Zig-Zag Corner Tatting for $59.95.  I'd love to have her other tatting books if I can ever get my hands on them for a reasonable price.

Right now I'm practicing split rings and want to learn how to succesfully do split chains and SCMRs. I have saved all the how-to materials I can find; just need to practice. 

I've been really enjoying reading everyone's blogs about tatting and hope to make some new online tatting friends!  Comments/feedback/suggestions are always welcome.