Sally's Angel - Eureka!!!

I think it's finished. Well, apart from more testing and tweaking. I've only shown a few of the trials I've done of this but it's been a nightmare. Finally I started in another place to get this one!!! Sally suggested that the wings coming out by the neck were probably half the problem!! SO right. This meant a whole re-write. Thank goodness for copy and paste in word processing and a long cold day here in the UK!!!

I've only roughly tied her into the bangle but I'm so much happier with her. Not sure whether to do the wings differently. Again Sally and I discussed whether to make them rings and chains. I may try that as an 'alternative' idea although I do love the effect of these lock stitch chains in two colours.
Oh, I also left off the fingers too on this one!!
I've scanned her twice so that if you look at her carefully you'll be able to see all the little faults that may need correcting. I'm not sure about the halo either. Should it be bigger/smaller, come from another place or what?

Sally's Angel - part 3

Well this relatively simple angel has caused a lot of problems! I wasn't at all happy about the neck/head/body region so thought I'd start from a different place!!

Originally I'd started with the body ring which was attached to the bead and then worked the arms, first wing, skirt, second wing finishing with the head.
Next I tried starting with the head, following with the same order as before. Nope, tat didn't work either.
This time I started with the arms then the body ring (joining to the bead as before) followed by the head, first wing, skirt, second wing finishing back at the neck. I think this gives a much better look to the whole design. I now am happy with the head and the skirt (apart from a little more tweaking) and the arms (still wondering whether to 'do' fingers or not). The only thing I'm not entirely happy with is the wings. I like the lock stitch chain but I'm not totally happy with it yet .............
Ah, the surprise is that it will fit snuggly into a 3" bangle. Sorry, Sally, is that too big for you? I will try for another smaller angel when I've got this one sorted out!!!
All suggestions will be welcome!!!
Now I'm happy to go back to my big project for a while!!!

Sally's Angel - part 2

Life has been hectic the past few days. I've got the last few Aero shuttles listed on ebay and have a stinking cold too.

The angel is progressing in forward and backward leaps! I am also working on another large project too - no, sorry, not another TIAS yet but that is rapidly approaching on my list.

Back to the angel. This is the latest version. The head of the last one was too small but I've a feeling this one is too big. The halo is OK, I think!!! I've made the body above the bead smaller and also added two more SR's to the arms so that they have more 'definition'. Not sure that the hands really need fingers either. The lower wings have gone and that's made the whole thing better by a long way.

The skirt is slightly wider with an interesting further addition of anther ring and beads. I shall add beads to the bottom corner SR's too and maybe make them (the SR's) a little larger!!

The wings are dreadful. I mean - truly dreadful so I may have to resort to another long think about them. Not sure they need to be small SR's but maybe just a zig zag chain as opposed to a lock stitch chain. Maybe even an 'ordinary' chain with a picoted ZZ one in the middle. Goodness knows. I may take another shot at this tonight. I think the size will be fine for the bangle which I threw onto the platten with this sample. Whatever - it will be a quick and easy one when it's finished and I hope to be able to suggest other types of beads to use too (like teardrop ones)!!!

Sally's Angel

My poor sister has been 'nagging' me for a year or more for an angel to fit in a ring!! I've tried 'adjusting' several other designs but couldn't quite get them right!! The only thing to do was to start from scratch myself!!! I've already got a good supply of these little heart beads so that seemed a good place to start!!!

Below is the first 'real' finished angel (scanned on both a white background and a black one). Not sure that I really like it yet. The lower wings are (I think) a bit 'too much' and will probably be left out in the next version or adjusted to come lower. The arms and hands which go round the bead are also not 'quite right' so probably they need adjusting too - maybe it's just the colours are the wrong way round. I like the head and the skirt. It's a reasonable start and I will get back to it so that we've both got a Christmas giveaway in plenty of time this year!!!

More on the split SCMR

This is an attempt (and a very good one too) that Gina Oschmann who is one of Riet's guild sent in. Riet said the following.

Gina Oschmann , one of the members of the guild tatted chalenge number three she mailed it to me on saterday afternoon, but there was a problem with the picture, this morning she mailed the picture for the third time and now I could open the picture and could see what she did.
She started with a splitring, in the first part of the splitring an inwards picot (2 firsthalf ds - 2 second half ds) in the second half throw of rings and a join with bead the join is made with the shuttle thread by tatting first 2 second half ds make the join and 2 first half ds.
To write down the pattern is difficult, but I will try
Sp1 is dark blue,

Sp2 is light blue.
Sp1 SR: 3ds, 2(firsthalf ds), - 2(second half ds), 3 ds / 4ds, [R1: 4-4], 3ds, 2(second halfds) +b 2(first half ds), [R2: 6-6], 4 ds [R3: 4-4], 4ds cl RW
Ch1: 7ds RW
SR: 7 / 7 cl. RW.
Ch 7 go on with second eye in mirorlook of first eye and the hair are chains with long picots.

I'm not sure if this is the way that I did it as there doesn't appear to be a split self closing mock ring here but it certainly gives the same result.

Split SCMR

Katie Verna had a look at Sharren's bookmark and decided to 'have a go' from just the picture. Well done, Katie. This is what she said and her picture too.

"I tried the Sharren's flower that you posted yesterday on your blog. When I read about it, I didn't think I could do it, but in trying I understood. Thanks to you and to Sharren for exploring this crazy, lovely little technique. I always have trouble figuring out how much thread to leave for the
split chain, but this one worked out. I think the secret is that you can always stretch the thread a little, but you can't shrink it."

The answer - part 2

Sharren Morgan (one of the Palmetto Tatters) mentioned the other day that she'd played with this idea. She sent in one of her pieces this morning for me to see. It's SO neat it makes me hang my head in shame. Anyway, I couldn't work out how she'd done hers so the following is her explanation. Do hope she writes this pattern down and uses it as it would make a really good lesson.

"I started opposite the tail with a small split ring. I did the red side as an SCMR, throwing off rings that I joined together, then did the split part in white and mirrored the throwing off rings and joining them together. I finished with another small split ring, then did the tail. I had one that's been long since given away that I did in a single color. "

The answer

It's a split SCMR? At least I think that's what I'd call it.
I found myself in the situation the other day when I needed a split SCMR!! Now we all go through phases, I'm sure, when we really, really, really need a split SCMR!! I wondered if this was feasible and it certainly is.
This is how it would work. You make the SCMR as you would normally but when you come to close it you pull the loop up as usual BUT leave a gap at the base. You need to be sure to hide the loop back near the base of the left hand side but this is really easy.
Next you work back over the space you've left using a split chain. Is this a new idea or am I re-inventing the wheel once more!!!
Below are two drawings that I've done to show what I'm talking about!!!!
I know this isn't 'rocket science' but I think it may come in useful - one day!!

Another suggestion!!

This is from 'Dani the geek'.

It looks like the eyes on the face and the top bead on the middle motif were done the same way. I'm suggesting that first you made a split ring with a bead on the core thread. then you took your core thread and (taking it off the shuttle, if, indeed, you had a shuttle to begin with) pulled it through the bead again in order to make a second split ring. I tried to make it look like a more complicated technique, but this brute-force ways seems the most fitting. (bigger pictures would help!) Thanks for the brain food, I need all I can get about now!

Tomorrow I will 'tell all'.

Babette's way of working the doodle

The following is how Babette worked the little doodle on the left. It's not the way I did it but it's another way. Thanks for taking up the challenge Babette. Anybody else got any ideas?

Using your colour scheme: Started first green chain using a safetypin to leave vsp made chain of 3ds p 3ds, then turned and made white chain with picots and the centre thrown ring. Joined white chain to starting vsp of green chain. The rest was straightforward chains, split rings and normal rings, making sure the lower two rings were joined to the same picot. Perhaps you could put these notes into a more comprehensible set of instructions.

Once I had enlarged the picture of your doodle enough to see exactly where the picots joined the rest was quite simple, only the actual stitch count eluded me as the picture was not clear enough for an accurate count.

Another message from Babette on the third one (the face). She says -

Bearing in mind it’s 35deg C outside, England v NZ 20/20 is on television and we are almost through the 2^nd bottle of wine (a woman after my own heart!) and supper has not even begun yet.

I roughly made motif in two parts. The first with two colours, the split ring, four small rings and 5 downward picots, the 5^th also the join/finish. Second part with two shuttles wound with pink thread, joined at finish of first part, then chains and joins up to the first two small rings. Then split chain with split ring joining next split ring and split chain before finishing second side to match first, joining beads where shown. Very rough and ready description of method and probably more complicated than your original but it worked. The motif is not worth scanning in primarily because I was not particularly accurate on stitch count, picot size, tension and finishing off the threads.

Some ideas about how I did tat!

This is what Babette Garman sent me.


I'm waiting to hear from her again to find out how she did hers as it looks so very close. It must be remembered that there are always many ways to 'skin a rabbit' and that sometimes the same results can be achieved by other methods.

There have been lots of suggestions about how I did it and the only one to get it right so far has been Sharren Morgan. She's already played with this idea before and I'm hoping she'll send me copies of what she's done.

How did I do tat?

Three examples of something I've been playing with.
Challenge - how did I do tat?!?

Riet's comments on red and italics

The following is from Riet but there are also two comments on yesterday's post which I'll copy and paste into today's blog too.

Hi Jane, Just something we had a discussion about , not only the frontside backside, but what had to be in a pattern and in the diagram.

Well I think when you write a pattern just like you did it is the best way, everything you had to know is in the notation, when you wouldn't use the frontside/backside no problem just ignore the red colour or the italics. The same if you don't want to tat SR or SCh just ignore it and cut and tie.

A pattern is a good pattern when it gave you everything there is. Honestly I wrote in my workshops until now: For those who want to tat frontside/backside they know where to change the ds. I will from now on use the italics and red tekst even while I know that some of the members off our guild say I dont need all this horns and bells (a Dutch saying for all the extra's in not such a nice way), ok ignore them, others want them and you are not alone in the tatting world.

When you gave a workshio you have the responsibility that every tatter can do your pattern. So Jane thanks for the Italics and the red text my 2 cents

Riet the B-engel

This is the comment from wickedtats.

When I first learnt to tat, my teacher taught me the difference between F and B tatting. It does make a difference especially with the larger patterns like doilies. However most patterns don't differentiate and it gets quite confusing and extremely saddening when there's only 1 row that done wrongly- I thank Ms Eborall for her extra effort in differentiating!

Lastly the one from Tattycats

Jane, I am glad that you posted this. It reminded me that I did not tell you how much your notations helped me with the back-side front-side instructions. It was great! I think this is a perfect way to highlight it and yes, we do need it. In fact, I need to do more of my tatting this way. It looks so nice. Thanks for all that you do.

Barbara wrote during the TIAS.

I really LOVE the notational convention you have invented to distinguish back-side instructions from front-side instructions!! I am one of those older traditional tatters who completely quit tatting for 25+ years and "awoke" suddenly in 2006 to find the tatting world a new and wonderful place replete with split rings, split chains, front-side/back-side tatting and such. I find myself going through patterns and writing "F" or "B" in front of every line because I am now trying to achieve the consistent-front-side look. Your notation allows the pattern-writer to provide this very helpful information without adding to the length of the patterns. Ingenious!!!

I am wondering if anybody has any further suggestions on this type of notation. Are there better or alternative ways to do it? Do we need it, even? All comments gratefully received either in the comments on this blog or as an email to my regular email address.

Further thoughts about notating the SR and SS!

This is a message I had from Riet. As English is not her first language I think she's VERY brave and very articulate in explaining her thoughts below. Thank you, Riet. Also thanks to SueH for her comments in the comments below too.


Jane,
it is the first time, I hear of this problem, but who am I and how much do I hear.
I always saw the shuttle, you use for the second half of the split ring, was just a thing that comes in and goes out, before you close with the working shuttle. There is also not a SS before starting the second half of a split ring. I think you you should try to learn the new ones to look at the working shuttle, woooow what is this difficult to explane in english.
OK try it again the shuttle that is in your right hand is the working shuttle, so ring closed, you go on with that shuttle normally it doesn't need a SS because you just go on, It only needs an SS when something differents than normal happens

Look at the first SS in day 2 , to compleet the flower and close the flower in the way you want, you have to do ss you have to go on with the other shuttle I think this SS can't be difficult than the second after R 17 is again making a new R take the orher shuttle and make a SR. I think this is also clear. Than the next day. After SR 20 it is more difficult, but still normal, when you look with the technique in your head, When you should go on as normal, you should RW and tat the Chain, the chain will go the wrong way , so to go in the other way, you need a SS and that includs that you don't need the RW.

I can inmagin that for starters this is difficult, but when you learn your starters that the shuttel that makes the ring, in other words that closes the R is the working shuttle, the shuttle in your right hand. When they learn and understand this it will no longer be difficult. I , but again who am I, would prefer it to go on in the way we are doing, think about it you also don't say ss in a pattern after the first part off the SR. Again try to let your starters understand what they are doing, it makes them much more understand the way a pattern is written
My, I hope , understandeble 2 cents
greetings
Riet the B-engel

Thoughts about notating the SR and SS!

This message came from Barbara Hevener and has given me food for thought.

I got involved in trying to help someone else with this project (TIAS) at the Palmetto Tatters Guild meeting last Saturday. That person (an experienced tatter) had gotten confused about what shuttle should be in her right hand after completing "SR20: 4 / 4 - 2 - 6 Cl SS". Because of the shuttle-switching that occurs whenever one makes a SR, it occurred to me that it IS somewhat confusing whenever "SS" immediately follows a split ring.

This morning, I looked up several purported definitions of "SS" (including the old first edition of Judith Connors' "Illustrated Dictionary of Tatting"--I don't have the second edition yet), and found that nobody ever really seems to say how "SS" should be interpreted in conjunction with a SR. I'm betting that tatters (and perhaps even pattern writers) might interpret it in different ways. For example, if I started making the SR with Sh1, do I "SS to Sh1" (because Sh2 made the final stitches of the SR)--or do I "SS to Sh2" (because I just pulled the SR closed with Sh1)? So it might be helpful if pattern writers were to specify "SS to Sh __" in such a situation. Another alternative would be to provide a more complete explanation for "SS" within the pattern instructions.

This is a good point and I would appreciate other people's comments. In the past I used to stipulate which shuttle the worker should be using at each stage but have recently dropped this in favour of SS. Having read Barbara's points and being a tatter who assumed that everybody who finished a SR would pull it up with the original working (core) thread this didn't occur to me to be a problem until now!!!

Please email me with your comments and I will add them to this post - if you wish.

Excellent Comments on the TIAS

These comments were sent in by Kate Sharp and I thought they would be useful not only to me but to others too.
Day 1
I haven't encountered joins on the second half of a split ring and although I managed to keep the ring sliding, the picot is twisted so I probably need some extra tuition on how to resolve this.
2nd Part I've done it and it works! I don't think I've done split ring in and out of a flower to travel along in a line, so it was a good experiment! Turning ove the work and reversing the stitch order is also new but I reprogrammed my brain and achieved it. Didn't quite pull the two upside down rings (10 and 11) fully closed. Last two stitches in each ring seem to ping the other way a little, probably because the stitches and ring are a little loose. Good intro to the technique though! Very clear notation and good corresponding diagram.
Day 3 Still struggling with twisted last two stitches of opposite way round ring, and joining to second half of split ring, but I've done it. How much is 1/8 inch?! No guesses as to what it will become!
Day 4 and 5 Forgot to do the 'front side back side' tatting technique for the tiny ring 21 in part 4 but as its so small it doesn't show too much. Tied on a new shuttle as ran out the two yards I'd put on working shuttled to start with. It seems to be a nicely spaced pattern without straining to join up. Got fractionally confused as to which shuttle I was on but found that it all made sense if I just went with it! Still no idea what the motif is!
Days 6 and 7 Still going well and the notation is clear to follow. I find it much easier having instructions and a diagram for reference rather than a diagram bespeckled with numbers. My joins on the second half of a split ring are neater and becoming easier to work, although they still don't always look quite right. The front side/back side tatting is clever and impressive! I am pleased at how stable the piece is. I think I might be tatting a little pig! Its tail went a bit short though. I wondered if the circles bouncing along its back might make it a woolly sheep, but I think its legs look more pig-like. I hope it will be cute! I have found it most intruiging to witness the construction of the design and where uneven split rings end up!
Day 8 Got a bit confused about which shuttle to start with, so had to unpick a giraffe neck I'd made! Forgot front-side-back-side tatting for the second chain of block tatting, but never mind! The block tatting is fine though, not something I'd done before but the instructions were nice and clear. Wound another two yards onto the second shuttle as I'd run out the two yards that were already on there. I reckon it's going to be a hippo now.
Days 9 and 10 I have tatted a hippo! The lock stitch seemed to go fine - so many reversals and different stitch combinations that I haven't tried before! The eye bead went on very well - before when I've tried this it's twisted and not worked very well, so I was pleased about that!
I had expected him to have an open mouth with two little rows of teeth - maybe this could be an adaptation! I also think he looks a bit rhino-shaped so maybe another version could have a horn! I was pleased to see he looked like the picture!

In my experience, the 'main' working shuttle needs about 3 1/2 - 4 yards and the secondary one about 2 1/2 - 3 yards - if I'd put this much thread on at the start I'd have had less ends to finish when I'd completed it so I think a thread estimate would be a useful addition to any similar future project. The process has been fun and I've looked forward to the instalments, which were in very achievable sized chunks. I have learnt a lot about the construction of a tatted animal and I think his feet are really cute! Thanks Jane!

New necklace

The first picture here is of a necklace/bracelet which I bought while in America last year. It has magnetic beads so that you can wear it as you like. When I saw it I instantly thought 'tatting' but when I got it home I decided to wear it as it is. Now this was fine for about ten minutes when I realised that the non magnetic beads were sharp little beasties and jabbed into my neck or wrist. You can probably see that in the picture below.

Well I found some more of these in a local hardware store in town. Hmmmm, why that sort of store I don't know. They were in their sale so I bought two more.

Having thought about the unpleasant feelings of being stabbed constantly in the neck by the beadsvvI decided to go back to my original plan and replace the ordinary beads with tatting.
Here's one done and dusted. SO comfortable to wear. I will spray it with Scotch Guard to stop it getting mucky and will try to remember to wash my old turkey neck more than once a year!!!! Oh, the neck really is mine and not a turkey's. I daredn't show the face - too frightening!!!!

Neglecting this blog!

I'm afraid that this blog has been a bit neglected over the past week. I've been ebaying more of the little hearts and realised that last week the prices were probably a bit high. This week I've reduced them. I do hope that some wedding planners will see them as they'd be ideal for place cards, invitations etc.
The 'tat it and see' has taken over my life. That's good news to me as I do hate these winter months where there's nothing but rain, darkness and cold and this has really cheered up my days.
What has really surprised me most has been the way this idea has been so popular. I did think about a dozen people might take it up but ......... The really good thing is the relative new tatters who are also having a 'go'. As they didn't see the completed piece before starting there was nothing for them to look at and think 'that's too advanced for me'!!! I have had a few people ask for extra help which has also been good as I've learnt a lot about how to write/draw things too.
On Sunday after day 7 went out, my mail box just kept filling up with guesses. I've (hopefully) managed to keep up with them and have got a 'summing up' post to release at the 'close of play'. I'm hoping too to be inundated with finished pieces but even one or two would be good.
Finally the only really negative thing that's happened is that progress on a new pattern has staggered to a halt!! I am not really blaming the TIAS but my brain!!!

Tshirt edging finished AND sewn on!

Now it's one thing for me to finish a piece but it's another when it comes to sewing it onto fabric! I made this edging for the neckline and sleeves of a tshirt. I've devised a way of coping with myself in these situations. I will NOT allow myself to start something new until the whole project is complete - and that includes the sewing on!!
This is the edging which I've got almost ready to upload onto my pattern pages. Mary Jarvis has very kindly tested the pattern out for me and given me feedback on it. I will check this out in a day or two as I really would like to use it again to make a handky edging.

I'm very pleased with this edging as it really seems to 'flow' well from the lower to the upper part. I may well tackle something more difficult in the future.