tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77970400040909947522024-03-08T13:33:51.476+02:00Dandelion Lace<p align="right">Lace created by hand using a shuttle... or two. Or even a crochet hook!</p>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-78309433569148681152023-11-10T00:26:00.000+02:002023-11-10T00:26:16.079+02:00Tatting commission delivered<p>If you remember, I mentioned in an earlier post that a colleague had asked me to make her two tatted wings and two flower clusters in tatting. <a href="https://dandelionlace.blogspot.com/2023/10/a-little-wing-and-flower-commission.html" target="_blank">Here</a> is that post. It has indeed been so long, that I've forgotten what I'd written.</p><p>Well, after several weeks, I showed her my prototypes. She liked them and off I went to make them for her. Here they are, in pearl cotton (mostly):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjDkFxLJsvhrRdk8vPENHhAKGWgSGR-5c4U-e-ape70t8z4vT7zzGINMk5FXy9h1gUkHLAmO2o0aRHSHB69PYXmm3VXO2IQjyTdKjaqCtgwxVMadX504SjdX2TDncRbGTy2-PTtbKP6heHGrS7EssWbGnYKmXG0jg-IG9Ew8ng5RxnoGgu_0rU1f7bQ/s4032/20231016_083610.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjDkFxLJsvhrRdk8vPENHhAKGWgSGR-5c4U-e-ape70t8z4vT7zzGINMk5FXy9h1gUkHLAmO2o0aRHSHB69PYXmm3VXO2IQjyTdKjaqCtgwxVMadX504SjdX2TDncRbGTy2-PTtbKP6heHGrS7EssWbGnYKmXG0jg-IG9Ew8ng5RxnoGgu_0rU1f7bQ/w640-h480/20231016_083610.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p> </p><p>They are pair of wings from <a href="https://www.wandasknottythoughts.com/my-patterns/" target="_blank">Wanda's knotty thoughts</a> and two blossoms by <a href="https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Muskaan</a>).</p><p>I have to say that Frivole's snowflake test tatting has taught me how to make an unflipped chain and this was very useful for the wings. I made each of them with a shuttle and ball.</p><p>The blossoms were a real delight to tat. I really liked the simple patterns and the colours were so cheery!</p><p>I did them all in one weekend (overall 8 hours), hoping to catch up with my colleague the next week, but sadly we only saw each other a few weeks later, on this Wednesday. l gave her the lace and I'm glad to say she really liked them. She even asked me for two more blossoms in slightly different colours.</p><p>My wrist has been a bit bad the past few days with tendonitis (I blame crocheting hehe), so I will get to it when I'm sure I've recovered enough. </p><p>I'll come back with more pictures when I'm done.<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-42384444098860915672023-10-15T19:54:00.000+03:002023-10-15T19:54:55.717+03:00Test tatting Holly Snowflake<p>I know I have been talking about crocheting, but this week I've been tatting.</p><p>One of the projects that have kept me busy was test tatting Frivole's new <a href="https://leblogdefrivole.blogspot.com/2023/10/holly-snowflake.html" target="_blank">Holly Snowflake</a> pattern. Since she has posted my photo too, I will show it as well. Of course, the ends are now all hidden away.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoWX0TCENVaUaqwmz6Y3w0li9rVykYUY9fyu3IZN9U1MMYyM_9RmmU85WDRxsFRhBWr8BTq8X2bfG3JkcQXPppXK3IvlgDotDLkFiRn5vod0VXeABQC36DQAWk1km5J8IM-aFtS8XElgdqJeAPSkmVr44cJ6sNT7GDPe6zV0RAdDuV2ZUFii5L2lL9A/s4032/20231012_150959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoWX0TCENVaUaqwmz6Y3w0li9rVykYUY9fyu3IZN9U1MMYyM_9RmmU85WDRxsFRhBWr8BTq8X2bfG3JkcQXPppXK3IvlgDotDLkFiRn5vod0VXeABQC36DQAWk1km5J8IM-aFtS8XElgdqJeAPSkmVr44cJ6sNT7GDPe6zV0RAdDuV2ZUFii5L2lL9A/w480-h640/20231012_150959.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's looking frosty in blue<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>It was my first time test tatting. I must say it was interesting following written instructions to the letter and working in a regular way. Maybe you don't know, but I usually go by the diagrams and I have my own version of some of the joins. But this was no time to go rogue.</p><p>I really enjoyed making the snowflake. I learned a few things that I wasn't too familiar with. Coincidentally, one of the techniques helped me in my next tatting project. And I hope my observations were useful to Frivole in turn.<br /></p><p>What I like is that the inspiration was a real snowflake and the tatted one really did end up looking quite similar to it. I'd say definitely check it out.<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-17910146613162570382023-10-07T14:50:00.004+03:002023-10-07T14:50:56.705+03:00Planning a crocheted skirt<p>I've been watching a very interesting series of videos on Youtube, called <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_eFEhPUJsusWVGbfA7248w2ivA3Ojxz3&si=n-V78cvqBXCXt2Vg" target="_blank">Vintage mystery crochet</a>. A lady has some "anonymised" crochet patterns from vintage books, works them based only on the written instructions, then guesses what they could be. It's loads of fun and reminds me of the <a href="https://tatitandsee.blogspot.com" target="_blank">TIAS</a> that Jane Eborall was hosting (which I always missed, to my shame) and got my fingers itching for a crochet hook.</p><p>I have a few crochet works in progress from some years ago that I got stumped on and would like to either finish or frog and start over.</p><p>One of these is a skirt in fine yarn. Which is all fine and dandy, but I gave myself the extra challenge of using variegated yarn, so not any pattern or stitch will look good. After searching high and low for patterns and stitches, I've decided to try and design it myself. It's funny, since with tatting I prefer following a pattern, but with crochet I've been mostly making most of it up as I went along. I guess I made a lot of wearables, so I personalised them a lot. And the easy "undo" feature of crochet lends itself to easy designing.</p><p>Here is my idea for the skirt so far:</p><p>The top around the waist will be unjoined rows with light invisible increase (random increase points) until the hip widest point. I would later on add a button hole tab and buttons by working on the edge of the slit.</p><p>Then I would work in the round, with regular increases, depending on the initial row length. The increases would create a whirl, which could be accented with a special stitch. Or I could go for an invisible increase.</p><p>Lacier bits can be incorporated when the skirt is long enough: open gaps or special stitches next to the increases or within the rows.</p><p>I was also thinking of adding some tatting somewhere on the edge, if I find an edging idea that fits.</p><p>I'd say that's a good plan for a start.</p><p>Now, years ago, I made a few rows, but I'm not happy with the increases, so I will frog most of it.</p><p>According to my notes, I was working one of my favourite stitches at that time, one loop single crochet. I went with single crochet because I wanted a tight stitch, so maybe I could wear this without s slip. We'll see. And the one loop only (in this case front) would create an interesting pattern in the fabric. In fact, I really like the way the yarn changes show up on it. You can see it in the main block in the pictures below.</p><p>I thought however to experiment with other stitches too, maybe I'd like others more.</p><p>I tried the moss/linen stitch. It looked interesting from the online pictures, but it's not as nice as my original idea. Plus my tension was a bit wonky, sorry about that. Dishwasher detergent makes my hands slippery. Well, one must wash dishes though! Crocheting and tatting won't exempt me from it.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxp1iIeZfCWCS5w-u1mJQgBJ1hXG2N0MBAGl6KU_SPBK2XnZdN-h5buO6kQN4YBYf0eT4WG26MuVBCv_1NXsiKYop__jAJxihE5hqBCXElSyEFxLQf8gBMDn-UUseQELbwS5zvjlyJDg7mSl3om06xvHTuQkI3LsxMzef22wZCbp9I6LRIDeWsK4RxQ/s3693/20231007_134439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2770" data-original-width="3693" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxp1iIeZfCWCS5w-u1mJQgBJ1hXG2N0MBAGl6KU_SPBK2XnZdN-h5buO6kQN4YBYf0eT4WG26MuVBCv_1NXsiKYop__jAJxihE5hqBCXElSyEFxLQf8gBMDn-UUseQELbwS5zvjlyJDg7mSl3om06xvHTuQkI3LsxMzef22wZCbp9I6LRIDeWsK4RxQ/w640-h480/20231007_134439.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moss/linen stitch at the top 3 rows<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>The other idea was regular single crochet. But, as you can see, one side is a bit bland, while the other barely shows the colour in some rows.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucHEAXn-yhTF09MbCdX7G27hPTvIBxWFDm6XOqS3LgbZUwdPPbkUaYjAy7odDCo6cX6nwGE2oscZHgtA_jBKH5O8Lvmj2ZkiYyduDIVzZ69ez-eGQbagrdDBX1s6v0bMImVIYa_7_VRWqTRZWMCB3f4aB_qfE3utPlMXFbyRC997lvfMkymjOYqiBYQ/s4032/20231007_140533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucHEAXn-yhTF09MbCdX7G27hPTvIBxWFDm6XOqS3LgbZUwdPPbkUaYjAy7odDCo6cX6nwGE2oscZHgtA_jBKH5O8Lvmj2ZkiYyduDIVzZ69ez-eGQbagrdDBX1s6v0bMImVIYa_7_VRWqTRZWMCB3f4aB_qfE3utPlMXFbyRC997lvfMkymjOYqiBYQ/w640-h480/20231007_140533.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regular single crochet side one: kind of meh<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGr1PEl00h9CgRzJDa2tWzWfycTexn3j_TFw2Tqr5UM4keYurLUM1R8SLhx90oWdsDq0ZIaT9fC_rcx08-iWGZwHmDyf1Ky2jLybV3e3G6yGBxjSnupWUBA8DiKuHw08rufo2gBvGNdsdP131OmNH3tM_6vjveXs7tIC4Zhp5AWXiTr1dKop_9VJaVQ/s4032/20231007_140549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGr1PEl00h9CgRzJDa2tWzWfycTexn3j_TFw2Tqr5UM4keYurLUM1R8SLhx90oWdsDq0ZIaT9fC_rcx08-iWGZwHmDyf1Ky2jLybV3e3G6yGBxjSnupWUBA8DiKuHw08rufo2gBvGNdsdP131OmNH3tM_6vjveXs7tIC4Zhp5AWXiTr1dKop_9VJaVQ/w640-h480/20231007_140549.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regular single crochet side 2: where did the colours go?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>So I guess my first idea is my favourite one. What do you know! Now it's time to frog and measure and crochet and measure and... I foresee lots of frogging in my future! Heh. </p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-39038552868678801862023-10-06T22:09:00.002+03:002023-10-06T22:09:43.203+03:00Luggage tag, but not quite<p>I'm always glad when I can marry off any of my little bits and ends of lace. Even better when they get a good purpose.</p><p>Three such pieces ended up on mom's luggage today. She wanted a sure way of identifying her trolley and asked me for some of my tatted lace. She chose two almost identical coaster centres that never made it into coasters because of a wrong stitch count. She also had a brooch I had given her a couple of years back that was bright and visible.</p><p>I attached the brooch by its needle, but it wasn't secure enough apart from that, so she asked me to sew in the edges too. I did, but the brooch back was standing off too much, so, after a bit of wiggling, I convinced it to come off through a gap in the lace, without having to undo my fresh stitches.<br /></p><p>My tool of choice today was the curved needle, since a straight one would have been too difficult to get in and out of the tough bag facing from just one side. It worked like a charm. And with the help of my trusted pliers, the work was quick and painless. It's great to have good tools!<br /></p><p>Here is my little handywork. I think it looks quite jolly. Mom sure likes it. My lace is once more going places, hehe!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivslZBq9cxsyEx3tF0ssQ6vbjQCYF0pOQivQjzo_kAt9d_dtcFEnvF7nxO90lF0w5_8PTjwFlo11sYH8e0o7R8CSCSJ3NwadUKCqz8mISWz0DX00ZbTI4w0f5mVFn_mpaUv6bN2GJFc8f_zj7BD5NpJEBa5uI6A8OJ-jRKPnkCKfoUlkSUdBRcgbuNHA/s4032/20231006_210436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivslZBq9cxsyEx3tF0ssQ6vbjQCYF0pOQivQjzo_kAt9d_dtcFEnvF7nxO90lF0w5_8PTjwFlo11sYH8e0o7R8CSCSJ3NwadUKCqz8mISWz0DX00ZbTI4w0f5mVFn_mpaUv6bN2GJFc8f_zj7BD5NpJEBa5uI6A8OJ-jRKPnkCKfoUlkSUdBRcgbuNHA/w640-h480/20231006_210436.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-12743600229209992422023-10-03T23:40:00.002+03:002023-10-03T23:40:51.569+03:00A little wing and flower commission<p>I have a commission, yay! Why all the excitement? Well, few people in my circle of friends and family care about the fact that I tat and crochet and as such they don't rush in with requests. I'm glad when I can help with the odd garment repair (of course I sew too), but I'd like to make more interesting things as well.</p><p>And I'm sure a lot of crafty people have noticed that a surprise hand-made gift will not always be appreciated or used much. So I am always happy when someone requests something. I also suck at deciding on gifts.</p><p>One of my colleagues caught wind of my tatting skills and has asked if I could make her a few small pieces to sew onto a jacket. She chose a few cute patterns (a pair of wings from <a href="https://www.wandasknottythoughts.com/my-patterns/" target="_blank">Wanda's knotty thoughts</a> and two blossoms by <a href="https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Muskaan</a>). She also chose some pearl cotton threads, which are very fine, but which I had in lots of pretty colours.</p><p>I set about to tat a couple of mock-ups in pearl cotton to let her get a feel for the actual size. I was tired when I made the wing, so I made one inner ring too few, but it's still going to be ok for a mock-up. I actually hid the ends and blocked the white blossom, since I might use it for something anyway. It certainly came out alright.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigClHwYeZsaQ56ncXlWxqFs0InsaqUPae1Lk60uXxvpoTjsuSD1qGRhwkEJQRks-Tn62Akqri4wWLTlWX7oRBHfq9kN3pgEHN8x41mbRPRXv5M8X9nYJJvQLI2qIOaeSpIRimn8HGZUMsKUDFPBUmOGrC74cYacoBPcW6oNsDOvkXaCAEfC7MF0Y7uAA/s3480/20231003_233959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2664" data-original-width="3480" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigClHwYeZsaQ56ncXlWxqFs0InsaqUPae1Lk60uXxvpoTjsuSD1qGRhwkEJQRks-Tn62Akqri4wWLTlWX7oRBHfq9kN3pgEHN8x41mbRPRXv5M8X9nYJJvQLI2qIOaeSpIRimn8HGZUMsKUDFPBUmOGrC74cYacoBPcW6oNsDOvkXaCAEfC7MF0Y7uAA/w640-h490/20231003_233959.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Now, to take these to work with me to show her and hopefully it will be a good start on my little commission project.<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-58929025732266217302023-09-14T21:30:00.004+03:002023-09-14T21:30:35.335+03:00Crochet twisted cable scarf (pattern too)<p>The last time we saw my scarf, it had been frogged a couple of times.</p><p>Well, I can happily say there have been several more froggings since then, some of them starting from the beginning. No, I have no regrets.</p><p>And at last, my super bulky crocheted scarf is now completed! Yay!</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickpU0JKt8zN3gsguqifwWzUG1k1qHwmgrhjeWUIexDpdRFuKdBQqZSO7A9b_4opaiiHASGxFy8A4f6WvpR-69586cC3hzKQsG5M0ZRhdvc70tOGu2EIlaha4rLIk88dUr0OJSnSNY7w0wPYShL-7SlS6St3bUc8R7YP6_BPlP2hTr7ZnEezWR1dx4Zg/s3715/20230914_210406.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3715" data-original-width="1618" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickpU0JKt8zN3gsguqifwWzUG1k1qHwmgrhjeWUIexDpdRFuKdBQqZSO7A9b_4opaiiHASGxFy8A4f6WvpR-69586cC3hzKQsG5M0ZRhdvc70tOGu2EIlaha4rLIk88dUr0OJSnSNY7w0wPYShL-7SlS6St3bUc8R7YP6_BPlP2hTr7ZnEezWR1dx4Zg/w174-h400/20230914_210406.jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's folded a couple of times here to show one of the twisty ends.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>It's now just wide enough to wrap comfortably around my neck, but it's pretty long, to make it drape a bit due to its weight.</p><p>The twisted motif is only at the two edges. Due to the way this is worked, the scarf is not reversible. Well, it is, if I just want a plain scarf.</p><p>I'm going to give you the pattern, if you're inclined to give it a go. <br /></p><p>Like I said, I made this to work with my bulky yarn, so please consider it a fair warning. The length is whatever you want it to be, so I didn't give instructions for how many rows of hdc should be made.</p><p>Of course, feel free to let me know any opinion you might have on this, good or bad.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Crochet twisted cable scarf</b></p><p>Yarn super bulky<br />
Hook US M-13 / 9mm<br />
</p><p>Hdc: US half double crochet</p><p>Bpdc: US back post double crochet <br /></p><p>For super bulky yarn foundation stitches 11<br />
R0 11 foundation hdcs<br />
R1 11 hdc<br />
R2 5 hdc bpdc 5 hdc<br />
R3 hdc bpdc 3hdc bpdc 3hdc bpdc hdc<br />
R4 11hdc<br />
R5 2hdc bpdc 2hdc bpdc 2hdc bpdc 2hdc (the posts of the dcs from R3)<br />
R6 11 hdc<br />
R7 3hdc bpdc hdc bpdc hdc bpdc 3hdc<br />
R8 11 hdc<br />
R9 4hdc 3bpdc 4hdc<br />
R10 11 hdc<br />
R11 4hdc 3bpdc (in the reverse order posts) 4hdc<br />
R11 11 hdc<br />
R12 3hdc bpdc hdc bpdc hdc bpdc 3hdc (continuing same posts)<br />
Then go in reverse<br />
Make only hdc until almost the end, then repeat the above, making sure you're working on the front side of the scarf<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-48456356998758014732023-08-13T23:11:00.004+03:002023-08-13T23:11:56.042+03:00Have you been frogging again?<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>Who, me? Ehehe. Maybe.</p><p>Ok, I definitely did unravel the scarf after about 25 rows. No, I have no regrets.</p><p>I
went through my notes again and noticed I was doing something wrong. I
was using only 1 ch to turn to the next row in hdc, instead of 2 ch.
Also, my edges, especially in the beginning, were a bit wonky. Plus, the
turning chain made the right side of the twist look wider. Just a tad.</p><p>Argh!</p><p>I toyed with the idea that maybe people wouldn't notice. Or that they would think that's normal for crochet.</p><p>Nah.</p><p>It had to go.</p><p>So
I unravelled everything and looked up tutorials for smooth edges. While
I was at it, I also looked up the foundation stitches. There were too
many chains and I was feeling shackled by them.</p><p>I then practised
until I got the elements right and went for foundation hdcs, but with a
beginning of 3 ch instead of 2. I wanted to count that as a hdc and I
needed the little caps to work into. Then I used the stacked sc instead
of turning chains on subsequent rows and always counted that as a
stitch, since it was bulky enough anyway.</p><p>Evenness achieved!</p><p>Well, evenness enough for my standards.</p><p>Now,
will I decide it's too wide and uncomfortable and frog it again? Only
time will tell. I will decide when I have enough length to wrap it
around my neck. Until then, here's a photo of the beginning twist:</p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpUyxI7b_rFjfssXRVrHkmoRro3p4IXiAbaJ6QwGG_4O9FngxXHbrebAD_O094FElIQCkS1VX7oQ8xF0JdohG6dJaBK1Fzndr2e7ymAbjmk1PSSSS_qovBaHIiZFTjuzvvTGYHsXUsqkvIX9qsEzbOjT0JvWjUgez6OC8ZWbiYvy7IXQMPNE7HHLOZA/s4032/20230813_215058.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpUyxI7b_rFjfssXRVrHkmoRro3p4IXiAbaJ6QwGG_4O9FngxXHbrebAD_O094FElIQCkS1VX7oQ8xF0JdohG6dJaBK1Fzndr2e7ymAbjmk1PSSSS_qovBaHIiZFTjuzvvTGYHsXUsqkvIX9qsEzbOjT0JvWjUgez6OC8ZWbiYvy7IXQMPNE7HHLOZA/w480-h640/20230813_215058.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Tis navy blue, I tell you! You just have to take my word for it.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-54906921276286664032023-08-12T23:18:00.000+03:002023-08-12T23:18:00.999+03:00The twisted cable scarf is emerging from the big yarn head<p>The big yarn head has been turning into a scarf. I've finally begun the creation of the Frankenstein monster scarf from the remains of the old vest. But don't worry, the scarf isn't scary.</p><p>I've been reacquainting myself with crocheting lately and decided to just dive into making this scarf already. I found a lot of very lovely patterns and stitches on Youtube and after drooling over them for some time, decided for a cable stitch pattern: <a href="https://www.throughtheloopyc.com/fairbrook-scarf-free-pattern/" target="_blank">https://www.throughtheloopyc.com/fairbrook-scarf-free-pattern/</a> I know I said I would make something lacy, but it turns out I'm not... Maybe next time.<br /></p><p>However, mine being a super bulky yarn, I had to make fewer repeats, which meant just 3 cables. And, not wanting to make anything too bland, I decided to make it look like the cables were twisted together at the middle. I know there must be a pattern for that out there somewhere, but I figured that trick out all by myself and I'm awfully proud of it, I must say! Heh.</p><p>Here it is, well, the first twisty part anyway: <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KVYWioS4C96r7s6zHM45YXck2LkrARjJQKgxdYnlIPQffS5GaiEJTT_iKvaK4R0fdwSxAG9APP_GkKUv0Kb7sVtIrmpDt3SbXSYCPZ86yKSdmVs61HJb4u361SCNjkyGRmewsiTr_DtZ5TaIPQw9iQ5LxerBvZTG_ITxG_UAceDw3_iKdlriFjAjog/s4032/20230812_221708.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KVYWioS4C96r7s6zHM45YXck2LkrARjJQKgxdYnlIPQffS5GaiEJTT_iKvaK4R0fdwSxAG9APP_GkKUv0Kb7sVtIrmpDt3SbXSYCPZ86yKSdmVs61HJb4u361SCNjkyGRmewsiTr_DtZ5TaIPQw9iQ5LxerBvZTG_ITxG_UAceDw3_iKdlriFjAjog/w480-h640/20230812_221708.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My phone never manages to get the colour right. This is navy blue.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I have been pondering if I should make 3-4 of these twisties one after the other until I reached the optimum scarf length, or if I should only do one at the beginning and one at the end. I eventually decided on the latter. It shouldn't be too busy or bulk up too much around the neck. The two ends that usually just drape down are enough to show off the accents.</p><p>Of course, feel free to give me any kind of feedback about it.</p><p>As a side note, I was trying to follow the video tutorial for this first, but it threw me off that they kept using back loop only, even if in the end that would have been too much ribbing. I had a few false starts because of that. The rest were me remembering how to crochet properly or experimenting with the design.</p><p>I have a set of notes I always keep handy when crocheting, since I'm still more or less a beginner. I have decided to put them up on my page here: <a href="https://dandelionlace.blogspot.com/p/patterns.html">My crochet notes and tips</a>. Maybe someone will find them useful. I definitely do!<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-43099149674785175062023-08-08T23:51:00.002+03:002023-08-08T23:51:14.335+03:00Ideas, wishes and maybe-laters<p>Not much to show for today, except for my huge ball of super bulky yarn that used to be a vest. It's as big as my head. It even has ears. Those were not intentional though.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlLnONHKgx1m1px09c2x9wB8WC5gbXy1cAEwNJNLtPlnlq-u3EXmGds6dCnydHEZu49x2H7XNgh3yDZDZ_kO5l_hKq5WS8zYQdjRURhYg_HTGEyxA1kWac-YpM1xv5Vqw0pFYhBQrBFbVHfZ7GkmzQ1MlkGZyR7NMyEgK0_rRciczS1fhoT0KSUz-Pw/s4032/20230710_005708.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlLnONHKgx1m1px09c2x9wB8WC5gbXy1cAEwNJNLtPlnlq-u3EXmGds6dCnydHEZu49x2H7XNgh3yDZDZ_kO5l_hKq5WS8zYQdjRURhYg_HTGEyxA1kWac-YpM1xv5Vqw0pFYhBQrBFbVHfZ7GkmzQ1MlkGZyR7NMyEgK0_rRciczS1fhoT0KSUz-Pw/w480-h640/20230710_005708.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could not get the colour balance right on the photo...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It looks a bit scary. It will be a scarf, hopefully loose and airy. I have been practising crocheting after a break that lasted several years and I am so happy I took very detailed notes for myself. I knew I would have to relearn things at some point and there's no need to reinvent the wheel too, as they say.</p><p> I'm still undecided concerning the pattern, I might just use one fancy lacy stitch... Or create my own weirdness. Time will tell, after I practise more.</p><p>I have a few ideas for other things I would like to make...</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A phone sack/strap/thing to carry my phone around the house on days where I wear no pockets. How can one be without pockets? And for a while, all the pockets on any jeans I found in stores were just too small. It's a conspiracy. Women have the right to pockets too! Ok, I'll cool down.</li><li>Cross stitched pixel art on t-shirts. Instead of printed t-shirts, I could have stitched ones. I'm a big gamer, so I will definitely find very pixelated stuff I could stitch. I got the inspiration from another gamer who likes to cross stitch. Btw... I've never cross stitched except for on cardboard as a child. How hard can it be? I already have the hoop and a pen that writes on fabric with fading ink.<br /></li><li>A choker necklace in tatting that is less flowery and more metal. Because I'm a bit of a metal head. I might design it myself.</li><li>I have a tatted dragon I still want to stitch to something. Jeans or a t-shirt.</li><li>A proper cuff bracelet for my entire forearm. Maybe in tatting. Maybe in crochet. Maybe with a dragon attached to it. Hmm...</li></ul><p>And I didn't even mention the works in progress that I still need to finish. Now, all I need is the mental energy for it. <br /></p>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-19685833944914832152023-07-09T18:49:00.002+03:002023-07-09T18:49:45.609+03:00Those who are about to be unravelled salute you!<p>I don't know if you recall, but a few years ago I started to learn how to crochet.</p><p>A friend of mine from work gave me a couple of very thick acrylic yarn as a gift: Bravo Big by Schachenmayr. It is a super bulky yarn in a pretty dark blue colour.</p><p>I thought for a while what I could make with it and decided on a sort of vest. A super bulky vest. Erm...</p><p>Yes, super bulky it was. I had to buy a third ball of yarn to finish it too.</p><p>The pattern is my own idea, the body is two sides half double crochet, with an off the shoulder yoke at the top in a sort of wave stitch. Please bear with me, I haven't crocheted in a long time, so my terminology is rusty.</p><p>The vest was cute alright, but it was too tight to move in it easily, plus it was very thick.</p><p>So in the end, after not wearing it for more than a few times, I think it is time to unravel it and use the yarn to make something more wearable. Like a scarf.</p><p>But first, one last photo:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQv_8t_OmyTgIwKz-gCDGpvRbICH_HmZnPZ9_NIOGuKqtC20ljaBD-I_q5NWQdaHUVjRvjXVDbMXpKR5CRwC8J7D2Jtwhn7PuBrncIuAgzn5r_31CCtjrdF0Pber-KxMy6-mprA2pDMCTZztFar1Aqlx1UFb7BuE8b7X_IPE8ObUjbQn0V9hjt2kgQw/s4032/20230709_181506.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQv_8t_OmyTgIwKz-gCDGpvRbICH_HmZnPZ9_NIOGuKqtC20ljaBD-I_q5NWQdaHUVjRvjXVDbMXpKR5CRwC8J7D2Jtwhn7PuBrncIuAgzn5r_31CCtjrdF0Pber-KxMy6-mprA2pDMCTZztFar1Aqlx1UFb7BuE8b7X_IPE8ObUjbQn0V9hjt2kgQw/w480-h640/20230709_181506.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>It was a fun crochet and I learned a lot from this experience. If I were to redo the same thing, I would also make the base of the yoke a starting single crochet, instead of a chain. If anyone wants the pattern of a beginner, I can share it. I keep notes with everything I make.<br /></p><p>Now, time to frog it! If only I could find the last end...<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-51768270498689375522023-06-27T15:54:00.002+03:002023-06-27T20:24:02.080+03:00Adventures in foreign places<p>I haven't been here in a while. I haven't tatted in a while. Life has been tossing me around and I myself have thrown myself in a few storms.</p><p>I have been on a small adventure recently. I went to a place far from home, a place I'd never been to before. And it welcomed me like I belonged there. Few people know where that is. It is my little dreamland.</p><p>I went there with a small companion, a very unlikely companion indeed. A little tatted flying pig (the pattern is by Jane Eborall). You might have seen it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorx9Tel5r3obL3-rw4BU2WQRflICAXRCroXz-ddG73uaCnZzhs5vMraE-iGBK_v4ZQBU83Wpnc5-PxlLpG7AJGpn_adYEPY_RVxVTM7jgXtZ8XuSs8b_4bgmBZ42INEqjer2cCGI8IgUclXPlxRD87iaQ3jcs49AevcqjLlBHnPiOQM8XgMED_RbWKg/s1600/IMG-20180610-WA0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorx9Tel5r3obL3-rw4BU2WQRflICAXRCroXz-ddG73uaCnZzhs5vMraE-iGBK_v4ZQBU83Wpnc5-PxlLpG7AJGpn_adYEPY_RVxVTM7jgXtZ8XuSs8b_4bgmBZ42INEqjer2cCGI8IgUclXPlxRD87iaQ3jcs49AevcqjLlBHnPiOQM8XgMED_RbWKg/w640-h480/IMG-20180610-WA0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The little oinker come with me on its little keychain ring, attached to my shoulder bag. He was my little companion, but luckily, I wasn't feeling quite that lonely there. Sadly, he got a bit crumpled on the trip, so a little stiffening would do him good.</p><p>I also went to a yarn shop there. I had a nice chat with the shop keepers and showed them my piggie. I also bought myself some tatting thread, seweing thread to repair the inside of my bag and needles to sew with.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbTXi86Yb6wbckAgsySIv4oYYemTjaYYspDqwqoc1jGBeDst4v2UhXcu4daMrcSwyB1LgF2kV_vodD7QlG8gTfcPmiK0syZ7FgJn_JRZ7pQ7zqvjHKKV-NHmllFFMhgfzrfYHfLH9MztiMQvX_TR9yC9SMom_odMywRWEYQ3zkL3okRe4rVZVuqMYWQ/s4032/20230503_203122.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbTXi86Yb6wbckAgsySIv4oYYemTjaYYspDqwqoc1jGBeDst4v2UhXcu4daMrcSwyB1LgF2kV_vodD7QlG8gTfcPmiK0syZ7FgJn_JRZ7pQ7zqvjHKKV-NHmllFFMhgfzrfYHfLH9MztiMQvX_TR9yC9SMom_odMywRWEYQ3zkL3okRe4rVZVuqMYWQ/w480-h640/20230503_203122.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>The brown thread came in handy too, as one of the buttons on my brown shirt fell off soon after this purchase.</p><p>I know this little post isn't saying much. I guess I haven't written prose in so long, it came out a bit jumbled.</p><p>But one thing I know for certain. I will go back to that beautiful tranquil place and sit a while in the grass and tat. </p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-20615006970911287062021-10-23T00:42:00.001+03:002021-10-23T00:42:59.627+03:00What if...<p>What if... I could untat a ring without opening it? It sounds like a "hack" video title on "yee olde tube".</p><p>Before I start complaining about the ridiculous use of the word hack nowadays, let me give you some context.</p><p>I have been making small fish and sea animals to sew onto a tiny curtain. Working on a small item, I didn't load much thread on my shuttles.</p><p>I closed a ring and noticed a mistake right afterwards. Just like looking before crossing a street, we should also look before closing a ring, but I forgot.</p><p>So I pondered for a moment. What if? And indeed, I did it. Noticing I had only a little thread left on my shuttle, I unwound it and untatted it from the last stitch up to my mistake. I then wound my shuttle again, ready to get back to work.</p><p>Such a simple solution! I of course felt so proud, I stopped to take pictures of it. As if I was supposed to prove to someone that I had done it. Here they are (in case you did not believe me):</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdUpzzioUmnGPfYnXRVXl1Yw05BNp5wsqfDWl3W9_gjk-x8JoqiE8OdoKmQA-LWnnr4M21FGw9q7nFq5czHsg3dUpNocSPTv6DF2yqjJs30R3sEh9yqobG0ESGmVh3cceCpQ3hinCUYM/s2048/20211016_232450.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdUpzzioUmnGPfYnXRVXl1Yw05BNp5wsqfDWl3W9_gjk-x8JoqiE8OdoKmQA-LWnnr4M21FGw9q7nFq5czHsg3dUpNocSPTv6DF2yqjJs30R3sEh9yqobG0ESGmVh3cceCpQ3hinCUYM/w480-h640/20211016_232450.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few stitches have already been untatted</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNf7dPKCCCINkKI1-xLbbV6bJW-KRVnIQnFQQ2hE-VcwinOdTPoKFjLItg51Cbu5uGX9dRol9UjByuRBPNOrI1PFdOWZwq7ZG8HAKQik7H1ezHXpkbANdHy3KjNtIeYduDr1W9OQRG3Ng/w480-h640/20211016_233137.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done untatting and ready to retat!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><p>You might recognise Jane Eborall's starfish. She has lots of cute animal patterns.</p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>I was quite beyond myself with joy at discovering this fancy new trick. And you might say "But this is not a new trick. I have been doing it for years." Well, it's new for me, so I was happy for discovering it.</p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>So happy in fact, that after getting photographic evidence and boasting to my husband (who just said "that's nice, dear"), I happily retat the rest of my ring.</p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>... Only to notice after closing it (forgot to look before closing again) that I had made another mistake in the same ring. Good thing I had just discovered that neat trick, huh?</p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>And just to prove to myself that practice makes perfect, I managed to make another mistake on a ring shortly after that!</p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>I guess I learned how to untat a ring without opening it, but what about learning to look before closing a ring?</p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><br /></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>PS. As a bonus, chains can also benefit from a short thread on the shuttle. I find the spot from where I want to untat, unwind the shuttle, then pick at the core thread and pull it out of the stitches.</p></div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-46938394736768093912021-04-10T01:39:00.001+03:002021-04-10T01:39:15.087+03:00Look at the size of those shuttles!<p>The women that came before me were and are quite skilled and crafty. Some of them knitted, croched, sew, did Romanian point lace, spun yarn and wove rugs and towels.</p><p>My mother claims she isn't too crafty, but she has done some tailoring and taught me how to sew by hand. I owe to her a good number of handy stitches, which saved my clothes on many occasions!</p><p>The only other one in my family I was able to see at work was my grandmother from my father's side. She did so many things: she spun wool, knit, sew and wove. I still remember her spindles, plain wood with two stripes, one green and one pink. She let me play with them. She also had a big weaving loom that took up an entire room! And she definitely had a few wooden shuttles, of course much larger than mine. Most of these are lost now sadly, after her death.</p><p>But let me get to the story about the big shuttles!</p><p>Last year we went on a small holiday to the mountains and visited an interesting place, the fortified church in Harman, here in Romania. It is a very well kept church, withe a dizyingly high tower and surrounded by a large wall that also held rooms inside. It is now open to the public as a museum.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuGEud_VJEZHRlgnPKmVd_7z_3dOiACRM4_iGWX4-7DecV2fa9hFPDAgUkdbgWSVMeNLsE9C10yFTxkdibZDUK0KFKRghCKT0xeUSb35F83Pb0-3DCW_MokGK4QsGyzUlFyGMR2gnlzg/s2048/20200912_154223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuGEud_VJEZHRlgnPKmVd_7z_3dOiACRM4_iGWX4-7DecV2fa9hFPDAgUkdbgWSVMeNLsE9C10yFTxkdibZDUK0KFKRghCKT0xeUSb35F83Pb0-3DCW_MokGK4QsGyzUlFyGMR2gnlzg/w480-h640/20200912_154223.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Inside the rooms in the outer walls, they arranged the items still remaining from those times. The furniture, tools and daily items, some whose purpose I pondered over.</p><p>In the garden, they had a display of tools for working yarn. There was a spinning wheel in the back and in the crate there were some very interesting wooden items.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuImd_B3RBX2BaAgEtwnXygfmEpwxRIJDBixOrsdoob3EXcKsjY4alqPouiO3cX7gBYLg5p-0XRpZrv-E7J0xWXipSdVOXq8WjMLROqM-ahvrHy1_GNa45LK8pVAS6ClU_nB6yVlyyhM/s2048/20200912_154121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuImd_B3RBX2BaAgEtwnXygfmEpwxRIJDBixOrsdoob3EXcKsjY4alqPouiO3cX7gBYLg5p-0XRpZrv-E7J0xWXipSdVOXq8WjMLROqM-ahvrHy1_GNa45LK8pVAS6ClU_nB6yVlyyhM/w640-h480/20200912_154121.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>My imagination ran wild with me for a moment, thinking I was looking at spindles and various yarn tools, but the rounded pieces are just spinning wheel legs. The guitar shaped thing in the back made me think of a rug punching tool, but it is not split in two halves...</p><p>And last but not least, look at the size of those shuttles! Or is it still just my wishful thinking that the tapered items are shuttles? If anyone can recognise these things and set things straight, I would be quite grateful.<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-35425820903818520672021-04-08T22:05:00.002+03:002021-04-08T22:05:44.905+03:00Back to the old ways<p>Oof, it seems that lately I have been re-doing rather than doing and very few things are actually turning out well.</p><p>I have been making piles of botched and cut off tatting every evening, not really happy with the results, afraid of having too many ends to hide and just throwing away good thread... I need to snap out of it!</p><p>I guess after a longer pause, things don't come as easily and good old tricks are forgotten.</p><p>For example, I did remember that the best way of working an even ring would be to always clasp the knots tightly before pulling on the thread to enlarge it, so they don't bunch up against each other. The tension shouldn't be too tight or too lose, but consistent. Although I have been making tighter knots for the coasters (I don't like flabby coasters). And I had completely forgotten a good trick to closing a ring: bringing the two ends close together and holding the knots between my fingers as tightly as possible, so none of them shift away from the rest.</p><p>Another idea I was trying to forget (but was forced to remember) is that my preferred method of hiding ends is to sew them into the knot caps. There is less bulk for the chain or ring and it seems to come undone less easily. I was never afraid of hiding ends before and I'm slowly getting back to that "bravery". I have things I made that I put through the washing machine or even scrubbed with a brush to clean and no ends came out. One thing to avoid here... hiding two ends under the same section.</p><p>I'm also unhappy with the split chain, no matter how much I brag about learning it. I can't seem to be able to control the tension on the no knot part. Either that, or I don't get the length of the chain right. So I'll put my tail between my legs and grab that needle and whip stitch those thread ends, as I used to.</p><p>Here is another coaster I made that I am finally happy with. The pattern is part of the <a href="https://tat-marmelo.blogspot.com/2018/05/free-pattern-b-veronica.html">Veronica doily, by Tatting lace, Marmelo</a>.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCy5O-zWwYDKAlzoEkuSPQ6_UlafA3rqpShHDl8lYJoHYGFNEnF3Z4vBSF4V34tFteQIwxLqo9H90bkcoFk9bw6W5ZxUmTsZlu7bZrjO-ThtzTKa-267cZ0z123oMlCxBqSPRG4A5HUY/s2048/20210406_235923.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCy5O-zWwYDKAlzoEkuSPQ6_UlafA3rqpShHDl8lYJoHYGFNEnF3Z4vBSF4V34tFteQIwxLqo9H90bkcoFk9bw6W5ZxUmTsZlu7bZrjO-ThtzTKa-267cZ0z123oMlCxBqSPRG4A5HUY/w400-h300/20210406_235923.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are about 7 or 8 ends hiding in there!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>Take care everyone and don't forget your tried and true methods!<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-16813958431500184972021-03-27T13:33:00.007+02:002021-03-27T18:16:49.939+02:00Adventures in Coaster Land. The split chain that was not split<p>Previously on Dandelion Lace...</p><p>"So, rather than hiding the ends, I go about learning how to make split
chains and relearning (yes, shame on me, I know) how to make split rings
with 2 shuttles."</p><p>And now, the conclusion:</p><p>I was making another coaster and ran out of thread... again (I tell you, this thread is so thick, I can barely fit 2 meters on a shuttle). But I ended up with just one shuttle and I had one more chain to make.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ga4EYQQLHVPN6BXYLO8lc4xKf1BHo-xc14XVgay5ri9TsN5-Al7_5fKua09prTB1WRvGaSnzNrtwrCAyRdc0I6VLqhtjZOkSQvyxq69juKAd4nVnR0fci8muN1pF_83rN7LNidzaEn0/s2048/20210323_235809.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ga4EYQQLHVPN6BXYLO8lc4xKf1BHo-xc14XVgay5ri9TsN5-Al7_5fKua09prTB1WRvGaSnzNrtwrCAyRdc0I6VLqhtjZOkSQvyxq69juKAd4nVnR0fci8muN1pF_83rN7LNidzaEn0/w400-h300/20210323_235809.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Not too thrilled about hiding 3 ends in one section, I started wishing that there could be a way to make a chain with just one shuttle... a single shuttle chain... And then it hit me.</p><p>I could just make a split chain, but only the second part, with just one shuttle. So I do my best to measure the core thread and made the split (but not split) chain.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m_wanhuJRK_NeTXzS6wL9ki0fGCjDRw3WnrdPouaNKqWK42looJIa2JFJulJkQ5XiN2K8MnoHZk2UL4yX_sWrKHpT7KaFEMbJY-FgBCHAvw83ahDrLVpOZ2FU3Ml2mDzCuhsVh_yrjo/s2048/20210325_233715.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m_wanhuJRK_NeTXzS6wL9ki0fGCjDRw3WnrdPouaNKqWK42looJIa2JFJulJkQ5XiN2K8MnoHZk2UL4yX_sWrKHpT7KaFEMbJY-FgBCHAvw83ahDrLVpOZ2FU3Ml2mDzCuhsVh_yrjo/w400-h300/20210325_233715.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It looks almost ok. Not as tight as my usual chains with this thread (I'm not big on flabby coasters) and 1 mm or 2 longer than the other chains, but I feel quite happy with it. Not bad for a split chain newbie :)</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkN4IVOfhUEN2xad7G-wjxS9AyZvPd9lxk-RKV_0A2vfpvxDXvWuCL3caaNN418RouGxjGf0iIdUYJjJ7R1BVAN6-ru-LQhpJw6Xj4yb4hbgeSL8So1KErU98_0LYS49-xYNXLNC0Nu-U/s2048/20210327_132027.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="2048" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkN4IVOfhUEN2xad7G-wjxS9AyZvPd9lxk-RKV_0A2vfpvxDXvWuCL3caaNN418RouGxjGf0iIdUYJjJ7R1BVAN6-ru-LQhpJw6Xj4yb4hbgeSL8So1KErU98_0LYS49-xYNXLNC0Nu-U/w400-h285/20210327_132027.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>And, as a bonus, the thread was nice enough to allow me to open up two closed rings. Not all threads have been this helpful!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wBthgkMizheQFjPdc2dj7LL5GYjrMgKR-1tsoGm_ZpR7K9hLhAS7ekog4E6h5fjvPunNeSfiYEUdxHg0YdZo9Dx-DEVh4Zgh1nwyjM3et8vAzqrXNhZSl1Xw_oQo4w0S0gQh_Rfdza0/s2048/20210327_132050.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wBthgkMizheQFjPdc2dj7LL5GYjrMgKR-1tsoGm_ZpR7K9hLhAS7ekog4E6h5fjvPunNeSfiYEUdxHg0YdZo9Dx-DEVh4Zgh1nwyjM3et8vAzqrXNhZSl1Xw_oQo4w0S0gQh_Rfdza0/w400-h266/20210327_132050.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Now on to more coasters and the tatting adventures they bring!<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-766474851370811072021-03-24T20:42:00.000+02:002021-03-24T20:42:05.596+02:00Let's not split chains!<p>The shuttles are back! Winter was a time of crochet, but along came February and the little voice in my head said "time to make trinkets!"</p><p>If I'm confusing you, on the 1st of March we Romanians give trinkets (brooches, pendants or bracelets) to the important women in our life. And I have been giving mine tatted trinkets for several years now, with varying degrees of success. Meaning I sometimes missed my deadline...</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3g8SlYlywpKAO-JRWDmTvp-Q-QPBKJ9nGjGLfZOyp1lKmI5q2JHU7tSFvfEpx_Izglb3H6Jdd4REtgBb5ns3VpEfyx09PT1rIHG2IJiXfFIOsgSrx-r6YzRhBxOmAmPuEBCxSVdgI6s/s2048/20210324_005159.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1873" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3g8SlYlywpKAO-JRWDmTvp-Q-QPBKJ9nGjGLfZOyp1lKmI5q2JHU7tSFvfEpx_Izglb3H6Jdd4REtgBb5ns3VpEfyx09PT1rIHG2IJiXfFIOsgSrx-r6YzRhBxOmAmPuEBCxSVdgI6s/w366-h400/20210324_005159.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trinkets: some new, some old...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>So this year I started early and I'm still not done, even if it is almost the end of March. I have trinkets enough for next year too! I'm also remaking a necklace I had given to my godmother and I also have an order for tatted coasters.</p><p>The coaster pattern is nice and pretty straightforward, but it is in rounds and my thread (actually a fingering yarn called Begonia) is 6-something-ply and will split if I even start reaching for the crochet hook. It can sense what I am trying to do and has decided to protest against being tatted with.</p><p>Who does the thread think it is?! I am its master, I tat it and untat itin any way I see fit! Heh! But, joke aside, this thread and I have been through a lot. It is in fact the thread with which I learned how to needle tat, long ago.<br /></p><p>There is one thing I'm not too comfortable doing with it and that is sewing in ends. With how much it splits and untwists, just threading it would be a nightmare. So I covered the ends in tight, finger-aching tatting.</p><p>And what to do at the end of a row, you ask? There is a saying here in Romania, that the lazy man has even more work to do. So, rather than hiding the ends, I go about learning how to make split chains and relearning (yes, shame on me, I know) how to make split rings with 2 shuttles.</p><p>I had never made split chains before and chose this<a href="https://youtu.be/iYnD58__8-g"> video</a> where Frivole didn't have spoken instructions and the annotations got lost when Youtube decided that annotations were no longer cool. But she was saying the method (created by Marie Smith) was the best and easiest way for her to make split chains.</p><p>It took me a while to pay proper attention and see where the shuttle was supposed to go the second time, but I learned and now I can climb out of a row like the best of them!</p><p>I made two split chains in the coaster below, because I was planning for a third row, but decided to stop at 2, because it was becoming too flowery. And I am making these coasters for one of our guy friends, who specifically asked for any colour other than the pink I had used for my own coaster. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-N4plmC5D_l1SAL8ilymP0Io743nc-LPvAqflecHZVJDYdnpXfWphTSJ77c0IRDpEi_KX8uqUOHtAa7oXWP_9rHAGvQllhwuOEqO_D5KUaB6J8BdcC3J0PUW6-eechLt-h70u1hF9BY/s2048/20210324_203604.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-N4plmC5D_l1SAL8ilymP0Io743nc-LPvAqflecHZVJDYdnpXfWphTSJ77c0IRDpEi_KX8uqUOHtAa7oXWP_9rHAGvQllhwuOEqO_D5KUaB6J8BdcC3J0PUW6-eechLt-h70u1hF9BY/w300-h400/20210324_203604.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor coaster went through a lot, but still came out looking ok.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Now, after split chains, who knows what I will learn next! <br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-82636337140962211672020-11-27T00:47:00.000+02:002020-11-27T00:47:24.586+02:00Dandelion Crazy Lady's Yarn Afflictions<div style="text-align: justify;">Has it really been this long since my last post? I'm sure that one post a year does not an entertaining blog make, heh. But let's catch up, shall we?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">But first, a small announcement: Dandelion Lace now also includes crochet. No, I don't think I will rename it to Dandelion Lace and Cosy Crochet. A more fitting name would be Dandelion Crazy Lady's Yarn Afflictions, but that is rather long, isn't it?</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But how did it all happen? Well, among my ambitions, I would have wanted to make my own garments, but tatting large pieces takes quite a long time and also tatted stuff traditionally has many holes, which limits my options a lot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I turned to the traditional options, crocheting or knitting. I was of course clueless about either craft, knowing only what tools each uses. I knew that one of my grandmothers knitted and the other (or the great-grandmother) crocheted, so I would be continuing a family craft either way.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemvjmbBbFJb-JwI_T4eKYqUnPLIhm2nK-ybqLDycpVQ1p06JWMBbogRlU95U6Z7RsuHl-_jEiMWoHFDbU3gLgSiiWlrzOZ4cSlqu6v5FbwXnQxHOE4iw0NLoZHLRfdvmtXV1dXDtwJaQ/s2048/20191123_145320.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemvjmbBbFJb-JwI_T4eKYqUnPLIhm2nK-ybqLDycpVQ1p06JWMBbogRlU95U6Z7RsuHl-_jEiMWoHFDbU3gLgSiiWlrzOZ4cSlqu6v5FbwXnQxHOE4iw0NLoZHLRfdvmtXV1dXDtwJaQ/w300-h400/20191123_145320.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A crocheted square made by my grandmother or great-grandmother, that would have been part of my heirloom blanket</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I researched the differences between the two methods. What eventually won me over were the fact that crochet can't (easily) be done by machine, it is done by hand so it looks different than all the things you can buy in stores, and the fact that... I already had 4 crochet hooks of different sizes (my husband had bought two bigger ones to make his gillie suit). So off I went to the internet to learn how to crochet!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just like with tatting, I learned from Youtube videos and practised a lot with the thickest yarn I had (fingering weight) until I got the single crochet good enough. Here are some of my attempts:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaPRe7cAqCih3GNkDX1BlDZwRxpSYdxflNf495sp7sGOPqi8TpVdWYO61JG6UEJQZehyphenhyphenYCqnYELBQRhMqA79wkGCu_iLLlLFyIQn_hDqDYKktsZNHx5Hd1QTBO-8JrUMMQgcNFhO8mEg/s2048/20191124_125059.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaPRe7cAqCih3GNkDX1BlDZwRxpSYdxflNf495sp7sGOPqi8TpVdWYO61JG6UEJQZehyphenhyphenYCqnYELBQRhMqA79wkGCu_iLLlLFyIQn_hDqDYKktsZNHx5Hd1QTBO-8JrUMMQgcNFhO8mEg/w400-h300/20191124_125059.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chains, single crochets, squigglies, oh my! I just kept going here...</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyM8KDSuZOiXfHSlq9UG6bBNl_Ve1sVupqpv1-bNfVXUtfbLhaD7PXUzGqbFMlRlfLrGk4SLXL7s_CXQIPNLXQlZVi7Wa1n9nuKpBja8eLA9GSTPt5LgTlRM38PVrsQDZ95xEQdHzxnA/s2048/20191124_200519.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyM8KDSuZOiXfHSlq9UG6bBNl_Ve1sVupqpv1-bNfVXUtfbLhaD7PXUzGqbFMlRlfLrGk4SLXL7s_CXQIPNLXQlZVi7Wa1n9nuKpBja8eLA9GSTPt5LgTlRM38PVrsQDZ95xEQdHzxnA/w300-h400/20191124_200519.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere, over the rainbow...</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8qGQTVsVsOIYrTO9Pu_dI2qD6I_EqB3QGfYWjtsK9Dd6W6UADVyOtrnDv5eDsTghx_AqMZ9ruFQfW1iLT7XAnk-x8P5-CE2FzExVNjMrpV5K9BP-_P3KtU6TDCH23Wu1bSecq2zA_TQ/s2048/20191124_224151.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8qGQTVsVsOIYrTO9Pu_dI2qD6I_EqB3QGfYWjtsK9Dd6W6UADVyOtrnDv5eDsTghx_AqMZ9ruFQfW1iLT7XAnk-x8P5-CE2FzExVNjMrpV5K9BP-_P3KtU6TDCH23Wu1bSecq2zA_TQ/w300-h400/20191124_224151.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some pebbles are crooked in my yell- green brick road.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNmzBUO21p4ZLyJOFk-mJ7OeQq7IMDKxQcHnXWE-zzLRb9sbBon33GBd1vQpepxleBC-reGsrw4mzxTSaIgNXFoVuwF7WiSME1rmBnEa4Ihyphenhyphen90oQdbX7X8k6QfpNfBpRf8EWMdv-HIC4/s2048/20191126_001302.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNmzBUO21p4ZLyJOFk-mJ7OeQq7IMDKxQcHnXWE-zzLRb9sbBon33GBd1vQpepxleBC-reGsrw4mzxTSaIgNXFoVuwF7WiSME1rmBnEa4Ihyphenhyphen90oQdbX7X8k6QfpNfBpRf8EWMdv-HIC4/w400-h300/20191126_001302.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, some decent rows! We're off to see the wizard!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, there were several attempts in between these, spread over several days. But I finally got the hang of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My first item was a headband, made with wool yarn I frogged from a headband I had bought. Don't feel bad for the one I destroyed, it was kind of hideous. Not saying that what I made was a thing of beauty...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA2jIW4KsJWkLH6JW_zj6qXB61_3btgbTbFqY6fVvP_y9pxu8BQs25f_iDnYzQmDh0oinPF7xJ2s2lwNFpt1_2o4mkvtuKkBrPQTaWnlNlxoWExsjRMKhI3_znT8eo1i6oEhWs_6vynw/s2048/20191128_144555.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA2jIW4KsJWkLH6JW_zj6qXB61_3btgbTbFqY6fVvP_y9pxu8BQs25f_iDnYzQmDh0oinPF7xJ2s2lwNFpt1_2o4mkvtuKkBrPQTaWnlNlxoWExsjRMKhI3_znT8eo1i6oEhWs_6vynw/w300-h400/20191128_144555.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev0NVFBsjIw3ifArPk3kBUsYxXpH62QtcHs_-wDeTW4RnHQEuAQILgUDPxAamHqDDVMJy-txZ_zZbJNvsd2RurPXLNcSyIe-o_TjBKDHNxqVbRaVUxmukPGwlumuYrgOSiadPRpEGkjM/s2048/20191201_183201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev0NVFBsjIw3ifArPk3kBUsYxXpH62QtcHs_-wDeTW4RnHQEuAQILgUDPxAamHqDDVMJy-txZ_zZbJNvsd2RurPXLNcSyIe-o_TjBKDHNxqVbRaVUxmukPGwlumuYrgOSiadPRpEGkjM/w300-h400/20191201_183201.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As you might be able to tell if you crochet yourself, I was doing back loop only single crochet. I honestly thought that was how it should be done, at first...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I still wear the headband I made, when I work out in the garden. It is great for spring-autumn, where there is only a light breeze.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since then, I have made several items and started a couple of others, running out of yarn being to blame for my several WIPs. But I will tell you all about it later. Hopefully not next year, hehe.</div>Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-72015156934497730252019-07-02T23:58:00.002+03:002019-07-03T00:00:19.379+03:00A great afflictionI'm afraid I have the bug again. The symptoms include frantic googling platforms, calculating fees and imagining angry customers. I am suffering from wanting to sell my tatting online... again.<br />
<br />
This illness seems to be chronic for me. It starts out with me tatting a few things "for myself" (this is my usual excuse, but they sometimes end up as gifts). I'm a compulsive tatter however and don't just stop at one pair of earrings. So I end up wondering what to do with the extra stuff I make (to also give me an excuse to make more). My family and friends are probably sick of my tatted gifts and I haven't seen them wearing them anyway. So how about selling them?<br />
<br />
Of course, I have a full time job, so don't expect to put a lot of time and effort into it or have a large inventory or many sales. Which is exactly what I should be doing to sell anything. But I look them up anyway.<br />
<br />
I look for the platforms first. I don't really want to bother selling on anything else than Etsy, since I don't suspect a lot of people check out the other sites, but lo and behold, Etsy have higher fees now. And I am cheap. Eeeeh...<br />
<br />
So then I check out gadgets for my blog. I actually find a very promising one. However the payment options for my country are very few and I have just heard a lot of horror stories about Paypal withholding payments for some people, even for months.<br />
<br />
Ok, let's say I get over my doubts about these mammoths and choose one or the other of the options. I imagine myself getting an order. Then I imagine it going terribly wrong, with the buyer yelling at me in all caps that the shipping is slow or that the quality is not what they expected. So I accept defeat and give up. Again.<br />
<br />
Kind of like those 5 stages of grief. I seem to go through them every now and then. I'm sure there might be some sort of support groups out there for people with my affliction. Hmm...<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
As a side note, I have finally designed something to work with the huge lampwork beads I bought years ago when I was just starting out. The thread is ecru and the seed beads are yellow.<br />
<br />
My husband says they look ok, but please do tell me if you think they are really ugly. I really prefer constructive criticism and my husband is usually very honest and has good taste, but for some reason I wonder if this time he is just being nice.<br />
<br />
Oh, and if you want the pattern (maybe you find similar size beads) let me know and I will add it in another post.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ohy8ZeJ1-xrZR3dKVV3ssrHazgZ4Ko0iqa1fYL9kVlpaBC18yxgHesy7clDPIO8uJWclfpx6oaRhzMY70olA6tfj3g8Mul0dBHAsC3xVqLAiGHWertbpbBaSA7lIKj1ih736iqvxJfQ/s1600/20190630_220736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ohy8ZeJ1-xrZR3dKVV3ssrHazgZ4Ko0iqa1fYL9kVlpaBC18yxgHesy7clDPIO8uJWclfpx6oaRhzMY70olA6tfj3g8Mul0dBHAsC3xVqLAiGHWertbpbBaSA7lIKj1ih736iqvxJfQ/s320/20190630_220736.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-82233381876114671902019-03-01T22:58:00.000+02:002019-03-01T22:58:17.178+02:00Trinkets, made by hand with lov- sleepinessIt's that time of the year again... Today is the 1st of March, the day when people in Romania celebrate the start of spring. It is customary on this day for girls and women to receive flowers and small trinkets that symbolize spring or luck.<br />
<br />
It is also a day when I finally rest after toiling for a week, much like God after creating the world. I have been making trinkets for the important ladies in our lives: our moms, our wedding godmother and this year my husband's godmother, who lives in Belgium.<br />
<br />
I have lost quite a bit of sleep this week, working well into the night several times. My colleagues at work asked me why I don't just buy the trinkets, like everyone else. It would be easier, less stressful and would keep my IQ above sea level (I get quite stupid when I am severely sleep deprived or very hungry). I am however stubborn and I also have a reputation to uphold.<br />
<br />
Almost every year now ever since I learned tatting, I have made trinkets by hand to give to our family and friends. I only missed one year, when for some reason I had been on a longer break from tatting. Our mothers and godmother already know that I will make them trinkets every year, each time of a different design (so they can't say "oh, but I already have one of those"). Even if usually the men give out these trinkets, in our family this is my job (self-employed).<br />
<br />
I usually start to look for ideas during the winter, trying to find the perfect one. Most of the time I am still looking for ideas well into February and run out of time, scrambling to have them ready on time. Because you usually only wear your trinket on the 1st day of March. Getting it on the 2nd or 3rd is just unacceptable.<br />
<br />
I finally settled on a very pretty pattern that I used to make with a needle: <a href="http://leblogdefrivole.blogspot.com/2014/03/needle-shuttle-motif.html">Rose and Crown by Frivole</a>. It has overlapping rings, so I learned how to make them with a shuttle and the first 3 trinkets were done. I sent them away by post and courier to their destinations and started on the 4th one. Unfortunately, my thread broke just when closing the final ring and, upset to no end, I just threw it away and started anew with another pattern. This one was a <a href="https://www.be-stitched.com/free-tatting-patterns/tatted-flower-medallion/">flower medallion by Nancy Tracy</a>.<br />
<br />
It was late last night and I was starting on the 3rd row when I realized that, even with my thin thread, it would still be quite big. It took me all my willpower not to set it aside and look for something else. I eventually finished it at around 3 am. It did turn out bigger than all my other trinkets (about 4-5cm in diameter), but mom would just have to pretend it is a statement piece. I met up with her this morning and she oohed and aahed at it as usual. I hope she actually liked it... it is so hard to tell with loved ones, they always say it is pretty. At least I can count on my husband to be honest in his opinions about my tatting. He doesn't actually have to wear it.<br />
<br />
I remembered to take a photo of the last trinket this morning before leaving, something I had forgotten to do with the other three. I usually do that, unfortunately. I give them away and then remember I would have liked to have kept the picture. For bragging on my blog heh.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6uAI6hRWeN0ih7zEqSNH3IhMJ_fw1GLjF8XIqGpakPLFiWNOGa5ZIe8nAgXovMP4Qlqsmt4tWn07KdOqzIO62IiGbjDcLNMpEWYHJ0GwFWyP1wIVLLa-c6Tny1gcnS9WKfmmJn63-H0/s1600/20190301_083755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1588" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6uAI6hRWeN0ih7zEqSNH3IhMJ_fw1GLjF8XIqGpakPLFiWNOGa5ZIe8nAgXovMP4Qlqsmt4tWn07KdOqzIO62IiGbjDcLNMpEWYHJ0GwFWyP1wIVLLa-c6Tny1gcnS9WKfmmJn63-H0/s400/20190301_083755.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, it is a bit out of focus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I could ask my mother-in-law to take a photo for me and send it over. Hmm, now that I think about it, I don't know if she has actually received hers from the courier. I actually should have called her to check... I should have also called her to tell her good wishes. Oopsie... those are also not welcome the second day if you forget to call on the 1st. See, I told you I get stupid when I lose sleep. I should go to bed now. Good night!<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-56143574301184675502018-06-28T01:21:00.000+03:002019-03-01T21:36:58.308+02:00What are you doing?"What are you doing?" I get asked that a lot when I am out tatting in public.<br />
<br />
Lace making is quite rare in Romania these days and tatting is even more rare.<br />
<br />
Very few people still work thread and yarn by hand, compared to a couple of generations back. My grandmother from my father's side used to knit (her wool booties were the warmest) and weave (she made kitchen towels and I think some wall carpets too). My other grandmother died before I was born but my mom told me she used to crochet. She or my great-grandmother (I forgot who exactly) made a gorgeous bed spread that was used on my bed. I will definitely take a picture when I find it again. In fact, I will take the whole thing with me, why leave it in some old wardrobe? The house is also strewn with doilies of all sizes, which to my amateur eye look like Romanian point lace. I will need to rescue those too, even if just for storing and not displaying.<br />
<br />
At some point during the last few decades, doilies were extremely popular in homes in my country. They eventually became a kitsch symbol, along with the porcelain statuettes that were usually placed on them. None of the modern households display doilies anymore, even if mothers and grandmothers worked on them with care and talent.<br />
<br />
Apart from this phenomenon, the most popular arts were knitting, crochet and cross stitch (framed cross stitch works are also considered kitsch here now). A lot of people didn't really know much about other forms of lace making. They knew about embroidery, because of our beautiful traditional blouse (called "ie" in Romanian) that was embroidered by hand with geometric motifs. Of course, if you take your time to look up the various techniques for making lace and clothing (and more!) using thread and yarn, you will realise there are a lot more than these three.<br />
<br />
There are of course artisans in Romania who work using these less known techniques and some of them (yes, still only a few) also tat. I'm sure a lot of these people get asked "what are you doing?" a lot. Sometimes, they also hear the generic "ah, you are crocheting again", even if they are not in fact crocheting, but doing something else entirely. I have a friend who crochets who was asked by someone "what are you knitting there?"<br />
<br />
It is normal for the majority of the people to not know off hand what you are doing and to just assume you are crocheting or knitting and you can of course try to educate them. I do that as well, every time I get asked what I am doing. There is unfortunately a big problem for me, because I haven't been able to find a Romanian term for tatting, no matter how hard I looked. So I just use the English or French term and I explain that I am "making lace" or "knotting" or simply "making a <a href="https://dandelionlace.blogspot.com/2018/06/introducing-flying-pig.html">flying piggie</a>". Some leave it at that and shrug, others insist that I am crocheting.<br />
<br />
A friend (who insists he studied linguistics in school) tried to tell me that it is normal for people not in the know to just use the general term in the language. We eventually agreed that this would be "making lace" (he was also convinced I crochet) but he is right in one thing. Unfortunately, this is the natural mentality of the person who simply doesn't really care to understand what you do... but asks nonetheless.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-87921689201899731272018-06-11T00:19:00.001+03:002023-08-15T22:44:06.592+03:00Introducing the flying pig!Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it is the tatted flying pig!<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have had Jane Eborall's <a href="http://janeeborall.freeservers.com/PigNOonion.pdf">flying pig</a> on my wish list ever since I found out it existed. Which was shortly after learning how to needle tat, a few years ago. It was such a whimsical thing to make!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I kept putting it off though, wanting to learn and get more experience first. Some of the techniques were almost daunting. Split ring? Lock join? Reverse work? Oh wait, that one I knew. There is also a <a href="http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com/PigOnion.pdf">version with onion rings</a>. I didn't even open that one, the title alone stopped me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After getting a bit more comfortable with shuttle tatting and some of the intermediate techniques, I decided to give it a go. I didn't like onion rings much, so I chose the alternative pattern.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me make a little aside here. I am truly amazed by Jane's patterns and I'm sure I will make more in the future. So far I have made the turtle (as a pair of earrings).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also tweaked the piggie a little to my own taste. I only used Catherine wheel joins (because I seem to have a lock join phobia), made the ear as a thrown ring (with a turned side, like the turtle flippers), used self-closing mock rings for the legs instead of split rings and added or removed a double stitch here and there. And I tried to make a dead-end chain for the tail without proper instructions (my phone was running out of battery, no time for research). I also completely remade the wings...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZVxs4eMoreYFyK9A5HXtbh7kfs7j-n0puz7uBCaomH4YqTFsOCUNFpRBZymr4mU4HJDDVjZtWjPVhIMiqpKMea1Ib1TgZ5DQ3pofeSpg32vWfGtS8d4HB5ooqMU_Nq0ov_EL1PFjH-s/s1600/20180610_123619.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZVxs4eMoreYFyK9A5HXtbh7kfs7j-n0puz7uBCaomH4YqTFsOCUNFpRBZymr4mU4HJDDVjZtWjPVhIMiqpKMea1Ib1TgZ5DQ3pofeSpg32vWfGtS8d4HB5ooqMU_Nq0ov_EL1PFjH-s/s400/20180610_123619.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The leg as self-closing mock ring with a thrown ring off it. The loop is formed by the core shuttle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HVFNooZcUVFab3JOLhKm0KX-GfitkSw9y-yVxbcV-7ZgyRyIJ-JFjbUb1Q7itKjM3oEjlPiKJwraS-rsVx4qTSdt1qEstZ6UFaRuMksYmAZR2XmcCvNtuBJJtUs-Abm90hQNLth434Y/s1600/20180610_165914.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HVFNooZcUVFab3JOLhKm0KX-GfitkSw9y-yVxbcV-7ZgyRyIJ-JFjbUb1Q7itKjM3oEjlPiKJwraS-rsVx4qTSdt1qEstZ6UFaRuMksYmAZR2XmcCvNtuBJJtUs-Abm90hQNLth434Y/s400/20180610_165914.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks a bit naked... Let's give it some wings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. I even had the perfect shade of baby pink. I asked my friends what they thought it was and they guessed it was a pig, so pig accomplished!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I then designed the wings. They are very simple. I will put the instructions at the end of the post if anyone cares to try them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After it was all done, of course we had to take photos. And since it was supposed to be a flying piggie, we tried to make it look like it was flying. We ended up filming it... while it was flying downwards. Here it is in slow motion, with extra sound effects (sadly, the pig is not in focus):</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw32uVshe-g34X3rRHEZq_ApcoDstv-om3SV-UR4kDTc1ICOl6OXSpIGvCzTV5YJmtYBzUw9Uw7cylMwNYmFw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We really had a blast taking photos of the piggie and tossing it around. It was a flying pig, after all!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDi9Zq_OZqY7y5pKyRWO5bBZHCPYY87zqB7Yi4_eAnPpqwc7J1wnmgSZJM4pJngVfvEcxcOiRKOW16x8qFKKlETAsFQkHX8TTxDYquU5p7mvjabm4y-4fz1alUZ292EfZXLNz8pm7yGM/s1600/IMG-20180610-WA0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDi9Zq_OZqY7y5pKyRWO5bBZHCPYY87zqB7Yi4_eAnPpqwc7J1wnmgSZJM4pJngVfvEcxcOiRKOW16x8qFKKlETAsFQkHX8TTxDYquU5p7mvjabm4y-4fz1alUZ292EfZXLNz8pm7yGM/s400/IMG-20180610-WA0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The piggie in the grass photographed by my husband.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
In the end, I gave the piggie away to one of my friends. They said they would make another video starring the little flying oinker. I will make another one for myself. I definitely need one somewhere on my desk at work.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
PS. Here are the notes for one wing. This is for the right wing. For making the left wing, work everything backwards.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Two shuttles wound continuously.</div>
<div>
Start SCMR</div>
<div>
SCMR 3</div>
<div>
R1 3-2-1</div>
<div>
SCMR 2</div>
<div>
R2 1+(join to p2 of R1)3-3-3</div>
<div>
SCMR 2</div>
<div>
R3 1+(join to p3 of R2)5-6</div>
<div>
SCMR 6</div>
<div>
End SCMR</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I connected the wings together by passing the two threads through picots in the pig's body instead of cutting and hiding the ends. I had enough thread left to make the second wing.</div>
Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-996004449782840282018-05-27T21:23:00.000+03:002018-05-27T21:23:43.865+03:00Tools of the tradeI was going to show you a little pictorial of how I make the adjustable closure for the wheat bracelet, but then I realised that most of my photos were fuzzy and not even worth trying to sharpen. Hmm, another reason for my husband and friends to try and convince me to change my phone. A 360 view of the bracelet, now that's an idea!<br />
<br />
I will instead talk a bit about the various tools that are basic for me and also some that I really can't work with.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Shuttles</b><br />
<br />
I love my bobbin shuttles. I have four of them (I don't feel I need any more) and each came with two bobbins. I cut off the crochet hook because it was too big for my usual thread and decorated them with tissue paper.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0NvQWztAgJ5Rk9n5CZ8F_TIhqkK7_SUUrL7e0yMlwHObhTt3NVWEKzZJG9rh8hSqQ8GlzoRcnFaD7u01CTuCNCBfubHWmZyfauhDcdWseI1-V0W_zTQytxHHsCzrCdHTk3UcVtkq3NM/s1600/20180421_191053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0NvQWztAgJ5Rk9n5CZ8F_TIhqkK7_SUUrL7e0yMlwHObhTt3NVWEKzZJG9rh8hSqQ8GlzoRcnFaD7u01CTuCNCBfubHWmZyfauhDcdWseI1-V0W_zTQytxHHsCzrCdHTk3UcVtkq3NM/s400/20180421_191053.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one on the left has a traditional Romanian motif on it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have recently bought a pair of post shuttles but I simply can't work with them. The tips needed to be coerced to stay together (that is actually a design flaw) and the point is too thick to poke through my VSPs (very small picots heh). I am also not used to not being able to adjust the thread position and length quickly. Even if I do find better quality post shuttles, I'm pretty sure I won't get any... they're not for me. Maybe a flat shuttle at most.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgJRfRSqYGVmLGn9YV8Mpj31LDTOGhpSV1FDTLHg0Mb5MEYNNn_Wdm21o-zbVq92WYhnl53JstFpqQmPCp1wdvGDUCXLkR9eqQHiLw2YygaR9urlME7RtC5LxzJqdBnBpqKI0juZpRIU/s1600/20180322_232120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgJRfRSqYGVmLGn9YV8Mpj31LDTOGhpSV1FDTLHg0Mb5MEYNNn_Wdm21o-zbVq92WYhnl53JstFpqQmPCp1wdvGDUCXLkR9eqQHiLw2YygaR9urlME7RtC5LxzJqdBnBpqKI0juZpRIU/s400/20180322_232120.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to join that picot... Where is the crochet hook?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Crochet hooks</b><br />
<br />
Since I neutered my shuttles, the only way to join would be using a crochet hook. My first one is actually a lot older than me and was used by my grandmother. It looks like the wooden handle was once broken, then attached to an empty pen case with a heat shrink tube. Pretty ingenious, and it also has a cap that way! I feel honoured to use a tool that has produced a lot of lovely items.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzKDnKDvjLrie_aPS8uGeuNqFfCh72kdydyBzjiCsRFCSo4jjtYro81XGdYatcmTXDx0QP7-o1qmg-oziRM58TB3tvbGnZ8UIuZ6SOz2-mroLrlyUNHS47BgOrAyOJ16DrD-NQIk3moY/s1600/20170209_185707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzKDnKDvjLrie_aPS8uGeuNqFfCh72kdydyBzjiCsRFCSo4jjtYro81XGdYatcmTXDx0QP7-o1qmg-oziRM58TB3tvbGnZ8UIuZ6SOz2-mroLrlyUNHS47BgOrAyOJ16DrD-NQIk3moY/s400/20170209_185707.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old crochet hook is being put to good use again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have since bought myself another crochet hook in a larger size, to work with thicker yarn.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Good even needles</b><br />
<br />
Back when I was needle tatting, I accumulated a real collection of even needles with narrow eyes. I don't use them all anymore, but I keep two sets of short darners in my working "basket" (it is actually a bag) for hiding ends. Having good needles really helps not distort the tatting too much. Here in Romania, Milward is the best brand I could find.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Pliers</b><br />
<br />
You might wonder what I need pliers for while tatting. I got into the habit of using them ever since my needle tatting days. Sometimes, my knots would be so tight on the needle, that they wouldn't slide past the eye anymore, so I would hold onto the needle with the pliers to get a good grip on it while sliding the knots. Before that, I was the bride with the most worn fingers, but that is a story for another time.<br />
<br />
Now I use the pliers when hiding ends (I use the whip stitch method). My tatting is quite tight, so I grab the needle with the pliers to pull it through the little knot caps when it gets stuck.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VQDTPg7JCd32QeH9-7UCJ1qPL0liWJa4bOivTNv5-2RkjjCHuWjMs5zSRXoH1pr9P0SregDcOOPz-Idr5GXcAQZ9vh0nLrmgvBUonBZ12-nkJkCT_8gvDad0ZXRSWpmycmactNpRWn0/s1600/20180414_181958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VQDTPg7JCd32QeH9-7UCJ1qPL0liWJa4bOivTNv5-2RkjjCHuWjMs5zSRXoH1pr9P0SregDcOOPz-Idr5GXcAQZ9vh0nLrmgvBUonBZ12-nkJkCT_8gvDad0ZXRSWpmycmactNpRWn0/s400/20180414_181958.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A real finger saver.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>The big eye needle</b><br />
<br />
I use a lot of seed beads for making tatted jewellery and the big eye needle is invaluable for stringing beads. You open it, secure the thread end to one tip and rummage in the bead bag with the other end, letting beads catch on the pointy end. The principle is the same as for a needle threader.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfRozXI9GDwP3sKHFc11KRumYn4s-ozWVx-r5MBx-RtiitUusX_J9SjdNgyOkvVExeehhhBpH-IpaIy8E_X1cgk9S7KpuTXZ76AEq_XTtmLgM1TnjNAzVEttHu7SrYFFSU1dtVAnpB9U/s1600/IMG-20180519-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1136" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfRozXI9GDwP3sKHFc11KRumYn4s-ozWVx-r5MBx-RtiitUusX_J9SjdNgyOkvVExeehhhBpH-IpaIy8E_X1cgk9S7KpuTXZ76AEq_XTtmLgM1TnjNAzVEttHu7SrYFFSU1dtVAnpB9U/s400/IMG-20180519-WA0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is 10cm long. Lots of beads can fit on that.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I won't even mention the pair of scissors (actually nail scissors, with very narrow and sharp tips), measuring tape and other doodads that are really quite common. If I haven't bored you already, next time I hope to share my limited experience with a few types of thread.<br />
<br />
PS. I do a lot of my tatting at home on top of my laptop keyboard, so that is why you see so much of it. It is useful for keeping the tatting dog hair free but it's no fun when seed beads fall between the keys!<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-49447987902651691462018-05-08T21:18:00.000+03:002018-05-08T21:18:17.217+03:00Broken butterfly wingA few days ago, Muskaan (who is an awesome tatter whom I have learned a lot from) created a <a href="https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.ro/2018/04/make-me-pretty-please.html">little butterfly pattern</a> and asked us to decorate it however we wanted to.<br />
<br />
I tried a couple of ideas, including Victorian sets and adjusting the stitch counts, but I had a lot of bad starts and eventually gave up.<br />
<br />
I promised her I would try again and on my latest outing to the forest, I decided to use up a shuttle full of silk thread. I added some blue seed beads and only a couple of extra stitches in the chains to balance out the beads in the rings.<br />
<br />
It was going very well and I was at the last ring when I realised the wings were not symmetric. I checked the pattern again and, sure enough, I had taken a wrong turn after the first ring, so instead of the top rings facing away from each other, they both faced the same way. I didn't take any pictures but I think you can imagine it.<br />
<br />
I blame it all on my lack of skill with applied spacial perception (I also get lost easily in places I have been before, but coming from a different road). I was following the diagram but the upside down image played tricks on my eyes.<br />
<br />
I was ready to cut it up, recover my beads and make another try. I laughed about my lapse in concentration with my husband and a friend and showed them the crooked butterfly. When I told them I was going to perform major surgery and recover the pieces of my Frankenstein monster, our friend said he would like to try to fix it. He would just need needle, thread and a pair of scissors. I told him it would come apart if he tried to cut the join, but he insisted that I would have nothing to lose so I gave him the tools.<br />
<br />
He cut the join, then split the thread in 6 and connected the two rings in the correct place with a 6th of the thread. I guess my tatting was tight enough to withstand the cut and maybe the beads helped too, but it stayed together.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhGovMFAvgBe_SRdCJc5uwOIVrQseFLQ-7AdZu0wNQGMFvlY7-SI9yIqwlUkcaV_niFyDjvM2qsE2YZu-gW1GkY1I6Xy6t5ZXCP9ZvFNMFRLmvJY-oksoWP419gggwOX_1859LYc6to8/s1600/20180506_165752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhGovMFAvgBe_SRdCJc5uwOIVrQseFLQ-7AdZu0wNQGMFvlY7-SI9yIqwlUkcaV_niFyDjvM2qsE2YZu-gW1GkY1I6Xy6t5ZXCP9ZvFNMFRLmvJY-oksoWP419gggwOX_1859LYc6to8/s400/20180506_165752.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the broken thread in the top left ring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I will keep it and try to hold it together with glue and will probably use it as a decoration. I will most definitely make another butterfly, but will learn from my mistakes and do it properly this time. I also encourage you to try the pattern out and bring your own artistic touch to the butterfly.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-30869936872852572702018-05-06T20:43:00.001+03:002023-08-15T22:45:14.598+03:00Tatting picnic. The wheat circle earringsMy husband and his friends play airsoft and we all go to the forest games every Sunday. I don't play (it's really not my thing), but I am the driver.<br />
<br />
If it is cold, I stay in the car, but as soon as the weather warms up enough, I throw a blanket on the ground or over a fallen tree trunk and have a tatting picnic. It is really lovely, with fresh air and birds chirping and the occasional car or shooting noise. I made almost all my snowflakes for the winter coat like this, last year.<br />
<br />
The atmosphere is very inspiring and I often try out new ideas or techniques, sometimes by accident. I don't even mind if I have to retat anything, merely tatting outside in the forest is enjoyable enough.<br />
<br />
Today I accidentally made a new pair of earrings. I was going to make another <a href="https://dandelionlace.blogspot.ro/2018/04/i-havent-blogged-so-much-but-i-have.html">wheat bracelet</a> to see if pearl cotton would be strong enough, but I forgot to start the first opposing ring and continued in a row.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJcfVw1_SxQBW1HM5OlwzAEoiw8s85OjwXiiRWQPfzeHgJDj7HmDtgo5wKtKIeogbDHybSoJlKlAeWjgbFlY1Ow885PGN1ac715D-EsZDkRLOdM_4x0_4ie5RqG4Fbh6zE9me3KYrkwM/s1600/20180506_101905a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="961" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJcfVw1_SxQBW1HM5OlwzAEoiw8s85OjwXiiRWQPfzeHgJDj7HmDtgo5wKtKIeogbDHybSoJlKlAeWjgbFlY1Ow885PGN1ac715D-EsZDkRLOdM_4x0_4ie5RqG4Fbh6zE9me3KYrkwM/s400/20180506_101905a.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half a bracelet? Nah, earrings!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Since it curved inwards, I went around in a circle and there it is, the wheat circle earring:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmCj-kYS1kFRsQCiEny2qxn1OtuS5IpcM6vq3PTvpsHqBXrkHsiSCLALKsXySjk7wLbS2R5VLI0RD0dUjjoWQW7RaD157ZvBRNEeEGtnTjIu06Dx4jFwRAJNfbqPV67Ow0Xpz2FWm-VY/s1600/20180506_125917.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmCj-kYS1kFRsQCiEny2qxn1OtuS5IpcM6vq3PTvpsHqBXrkHsiSCLALKsXySjk7wLbS2R5VLI0RD0dUjjoWQW7RaD157ZvBRNEeEGtnTjIu06Dx4jFwRAJNfbqPV67Ow0Xpz2FWm-VY/s400/20180506_125917.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also took the opportunity to take some pretty pictures with a natural background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p> </p><p>I will however have to buy crochet cotton for the bracelet (and choker and earrings set, if the lady who wanted it still wants to wait for me), because the pearl cotton is too soft and pliant and I want the bracelet to withstand the adjustable closure and the earrings to keep their shape without much wood glue.<br />
<br />
If you would like to make a pair and are ready to try a barely-tested pattern, here it is:<br />
<br />
1 shuttle<br />
Use 72 beads for 12 petals (rings)<br />
A * is a bead<br />
<br />
r1 2-7***2-7<br />
***<br />
r2 2+(j to p2 of r1)7***2-7<br />
***<br />
Repeat r2 and *** until 12 rings; join the 12th ring to the p1 of r1, then add *** and connect to the base of r1.<br />
<br />
I used size 8 pearl cotton thread called Puppets from Coats and 2mm seed beads. I don't own any specialised tatting thread, so I can't estimate the size equivalent, but I assume it will work with size 15 (or 20) crochet cotton. Feel free to adjust the number of "petals" if needed.<br />
</p><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797040004090994752.post-90758019546864953862018-04-21T12:53:00.000+03:002018-04-21T12:55:03.364+03:00The wheat braceletI haven't blogged so much, but I have been tatting quite a bit. Most of it is still waiting to be blocked though, so pictures will come later.<br />
<br />
I have been making a lot (three, so a lot for me!) of "wheat" bracelets. The <a href="http://aboutneedlework.com/how-to-tat-3-tatting-instructions-for-simple-lace.html">pattern </a>is pretty simple, all rings with bare thread between them. I just made all rings the same size, so the bracelet would be straight, instead of curving in on itself.<br />
<br />
I had long since avoided making anything with bare thread, afraid that it would look strange or uneven. But small seed beads can help with the measurement, so I didn't have to worry about the length of the bare threads, since they weren't exactly bare anymore.<br />
<br />
I used yellow glassy seed beads and bright yellow thread (Coats Aida size 15, now rebranded as Anchor Aida), which made me think of wheat in summer. Thus, the name. <br />
<br />
I first made a pair of earrings for a friend, with two rings on each side and one on top to hold them together, but I didn't manage to snap a picture of them.<br />
<br />
Then came a bracelet, which I gave to my mom.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ya2O46FijWNkdZXm6TzEmKk-Kl_l2VFskcQDDZymgcu1koTld9uLY5JUJN-kDqkTW-UDwWMoo-5VszhMGv1Gum0dCfG0cxLFtU22x9jLC0q53e6II3oIoKE1ZOGeJF4HdAcD3kgMMI8/s1600/20180112_133215a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ya2O46FijWNkdZXm6TzEmKk-Kl_l2VFskcQDDZymgcu1koTld9uLY5JUJN-kDqkTW-UDwWMoo-5VszhMGv1Gum0dCfG0cxLFtU22x9jLC0q53e6II3oIoKE1ZOGeJF4HdAcD3kgMMI8/s400/20180112_133215a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did my best to colour balance it. It is a very bright and happy yellow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I am very happy with the adjustable closure. Until then, I had tried lobster clasps with chain end (too fiddly to put on by yourself) or S closures (could come undone easily and not adjustable). But this works very nicely to put on and adjust to the wrist thickness. I followed a very nice <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQYdwiVV7QE">tutorial on square knots</a> on Youtube.<br />
<br />
Mom loved it and so far, I have made two more, one in grey silk, the other in yellow again. I still need to block them and add the closures and I'm sure I am keeping one for myself. Maybe make the matching earrings again too.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Laviniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08077833136741791230noreply@blogger.com9