Virtual Showroom of Revista Promocionarte

She's keeping us buzy! Carmen from Revista promocionarte found a way to gather crafters from all Spain for 2 intense days of promotion. Not only she is hosting a lot of us in the blog, she's also keeping us moving. In these virtual showrooms like this one we meet, have a peak in the other one's closet, way to say it.

And sometimes I find stunning pieces like this bag from Belum Complementos:

The more I look at it, the more I want to make a tatted bag, clutch, something. Thing is I never did something like this, I know how to attach the mechanism... But knowing and doing are too far away a part.

What you have to do is to post a picture of your work, the links (ok, of course be fun of the page) and then share, share, share. Not only your post, but the other ones too. This is actually the trick wich puts us toghether.

Fun fact: I always wonder, every time I see a nice, neat piece, how much time, work, hope and energy is invested in it.
Funnier fact: There is no tatting to see in there.
Sad fact: that there is no right price for such a work. At least not in Spain. But I know I am not the only one complaining about it.

This time I had this as promotional picture. My last pieces could not miss.

I tell you, I still have one an half days of fun: sharing, sharing, sharing. 

Thank you again, Carmen. 

Simple pattern for the bracelet white and silver

This is what I like with tatting: thre is always something to discover, to test, to try. It is not only the calming effect. How many times did I curse when I did a mistake I could not undo??
The word would be challenging. And rewarding. You know, that moment when you make the last double stich and your eyes are searching for the scissors? And then the little pice of some centimeters square (your worked for it some good 40 mins if not longer) lays in your hand and you say to your self: "Yup! I made it!"

So back to the bracelet I posted yesterday in Facebook... I played this time with a very basic edging, (what else?). Experimenting, tweaking, testing threads... It gave this: the white one were the first attemps, the black one has no picots for the exterior rings... It looks nicer, in my eyes. Both done in poliester thread Brildor 15.

Then I thought, what would it be if I make it in 2 colors? I had, after all, a rest of some silver thread already on my bobbin (strand of 3) so I used as second color a thread from Brildor, the 40, strand of 3.

Since the threads have different consistency, they behave differently and the effect surprised me: the lace has the stiffness I need and the white waves give a nice line.

The result :

  

I worked it with 2 shuttles. 

The pattern is easy to follow: 

All rings are 6-5-6, done with the silver metallic thread. 

All chains: 14, except the ends, white thread. 

Ring : 6-5-6, close, turn work 

Chain 14, turn work 

Ring 6 + 5 - 6, close, do not turn work

Ring: 11 - 6, close, turn work

Chain: 14, turn work... 

The only thing you have to take care of is to thake the right color for each element you will do. And, of course, not to rush, in order the make a neat colour transition. In my piece, I tried to carefully place the silver thread on the right side or on the wrong side of the lace when I started the next element. 

When you reached the needed lenght, then you use the following pattern: 

Chain 14 - 3 turn work

Ring 6 + 6 (join to the join picot from the braid). 

Ring: 3 + 14 - 3, do not turn work

Chain 3 +14. 

Of course, you may consider starting from the small 6-6 ring. Like this you can finish the lace with  the 3+ 14 + 3 ring and hide the thread you will not need anymore.

This would be it. Easy pattern for a newby... 

Just enjoy if you decide to work it and please let me know if there is something to improve. 

Pattern for the green necklace "Spring"

Long pause here... I did not have too much time to put my ideas on paper (sort of). And I could not have the time to make the pattern with pictures, as I promised it in FB...
But I tried to make the pattern for the lateral sides of this green necklace:

This necklace has 3 tatted parts: the lateral ones, they are the same, the central one (it will come in a next post), the pearls strand and the clasps. 

It is a 2 shuttle pattern. I used a 120 tiny thread, strand of 3, this allowed me to use the pearls I had available around (white facetted oval Bohemian cristals, 4 mm green acryl pearls, the 11 size seed beads). Also the ring on ring knowledge is required and you should be able to work it from both sides (right and wrong side). 

I would suggest to use a fine thread or, at least, to make a test before you start the real thing. Like this you will have an idea about the finished size of the chain and the beads you will need. 

Fill the shuttles with a decent amount of thread. The ring on ring requires it.  String on each shuttle as much seed beads as the amount of bigger elements you will have for your chain. Actually you need half of it on each shuttle, but better save than sorry. 

Start ring: 18 - 6 close, turn work. 

Chain: 16 ds, turn work

Start ring: 16 + 16 - 16, close, do not turn work. 

Start ring: 16 + 16 close, do not turn work. Make sure that this ring lays below the bigger ring you worked before. 

Start ring: 16 + 16 - 16, close, turn work. Make sure this ring is in top of your smaller ring, the same level as the previous bigger ring. 

Bring one seed bead from the second shuttle. This makes a nicer transition and hides the thread. 

Start chain: 16 ds. 

Split ring: 6 + 6 /6 - 6, close, do not turn work. 

Chain 16 ds, turn work. 

Now you will have to work the next bigger element. This time, you must make sure that the smaller rings (the 16 - 16 from the middle) are at the same side as for the previous element. For this, you will have to make the joins from below. Place the thread on the left side of the work, pass the crochet hook from bottom  through the picots, take the thread and pass the shuttle in the loop from the upper side. I think I have somewhere a picture about it in a  previous post. 

This part should look like this: 

When the desired lenght is reached, comes the assembly and the sewing the pearls part. 

This was what I used, the small lines indicate how I sewed the pearls. To prevent that the sharp edges of the beads cut the thread, you can always use seed beads near the lace. 

About the beads... You have 2 possiblities: you have them already, then you must make some thread tests before. Or you just tat the lace and then buy the beads. 

You have a lot of freedom. This is nice part of Ankars. One takes a pattern and, depending of your beads choice, this same pattern mutates every single time. 

Please let me know if there is something you cannot follow and tell me if there is something to correct. I am always here to help, if I can. 

10 minutes tat

I had to finish the thread on a shuttle, so I played.

Pattern for a simple pair of earrings

1 shuttle pattern.

Fun fact: you can stop after various phases and you will still have something interesting.

Not difficult at all, fast to be done and if you have a young pupil, it is perfect to give it to her during the class... She will not feel that she made the folded join or the lock join, promise! 

I choose to make these instructions like this, with pictures, I know it helped me a lot when I found something in this form. Honestly, I spent more time by taking the pictures and to process them than for the actual tatting. 

	This is all you need. The bead has a large hole, large enough to let the chain pass through.
	Secure the begining of the chain with a paper clip.
	Start to tat the chain. 60 ds. Of course you can change the amount of ds as you like, this part will hang anyway behind your bext element.
	What you need now is to place the bead. Mine has 1,5mm hole, enough to be strung on the chain.
	Remove the paper clip and string the pearl.
	Make join lock to close the chain and to form it as a ring.
	Now start the flower. 7-7-7-7 in my case. I have a very fine thread, so my flower vill have max. 2 cm diameter.
	Without the picots for the upper ring now you have a small ring, or pendant, right?
	I continued. Still you can stop at this point, you will still have something to make a finished object.
	But I continued. Now this could be a pendant… Or with a pearl still an earring.
	But I finished my flower. I wanted it a six petal one.
	Why? You can fold it, see?
	And if yo add a pearl in a ring, it is happy enough.

Small, simple things may bring a lot a satisfaction. Remember when you made the first flower? This is the feeling you will never loose. I don't know you, but after I finish the simpliest flower, I take a break to feel it in my hands. Dumm enough.

Back to the pattern topic. I wanted to start to make some. Mined field, I know. I have already submitted 2 of them in my Etsy shop. They are very simple.

One of them is a beaded rosette. The pattern is simple but in the instructions I put clear explanations (diagrammed ones) of the beads placement on the shuttle (for 1 and for 2 colors) and the possible variations. It can be a pendant or, with some variations, a nice beaded snowflake.

The second one, is a flower, an orchid. This time it has the visual pattern and the pictures of the different prases.

Have fun! And if you decide to give a try to this 10 minutes pattern, please let me know. I am curious to see all your ideas, you are all sooo creative!

All rings pattern for 1 shuttle

I needed to make a test of a new thread a got and from one shuttle some more thread remained. I gave it some good use: testing the thread, tatting with beads and inserting pearls in another way I found in one of the books of Irina's Astratenko.

This is the result:

You cannot see in the image, but the thread is a 40 variegated Brildor... strand of 3. 

It is only rings, so you will use 1 shuttle. 

String 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 yellow (this will be used at the last ring) and then 6 times this sequence of seed beads: 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 white.

Remember: you have to keep in mind that you have to string the beads in reverse order, so you will use first the last bead you strung. Hope it makes sense. This is important only when you have more than 1 color or different sizes. 

So... You start the ring with the first white seed bead in the llop: 4 - 8 - bp 4 - 8. Do not turn work.

Take the next 3 seed beads, hold them firmily between your thumb and index. Take the next white seed bead, make the loop and start the next ring: 4 + 8 bp  4 - 8. 

And so on, until you will have all six rings. 

The rings will tend to curve. If you use only 2 seed beads between the rings, it will curve more, if you use 4 you will have a a nice beaded curved chain inside the bow. Just an idea... I intend to make a complete round but in green with red and white seed beads, it might give a nice wreath.  

Now you turn the work and attack the big ring. 

There is now a trick! You might need a very fine crochet hook or dental floss folded in 2. 

Bring the last 3 seed beads and make the loop for the last ring. 

Work the first half of the ring. Take the dental floss, take the loop thread like if you want to string a bead. Get this floss from underneath of the work between the first ring and the first seed bead, bring enough thread on the upper side of the lace. Now you can string the bigger pearls (mine are 3 mm each) and secure them with a paperclip. And then finish the ring 15ds  bp (with the last 3 seed beads) 15 ds. Close the ring. And then bring the paperclip at the base of the ring and make lock join. 

This diagramm could help a bit: 

Finally, you have to get something like this: 

If you will work with a thicker thread as mine, you should adjust the amound of ds... My piece is really tiny: 2 cm long and 1,5 cm wide... 

Should not be that complicated. 

The last lock join... Make sure you close the last ring completelly  and evenly... Being a big ring, you could consider closing it little by little, sliding gently the first double stiches to the starting point, holding them in place between the lest thumb and indes and pulling the shuttle thread as often as you need. Like this, the ds are more even, at least this method does the job for me. It takes a while to close a ring, but the result pays off. 

Have fun!

Old pattern, new choker

I wanted to try a new polyester thread to a bigger project. It is a fine thread, I work anyway only with this kind of thread. It has a nice texture, a nice shine, easy to work with. For the small pieces it went well. So I used as base the pattern from the Rosette bracelet with the intention to have a second bracelet. But I added one more ring ans chain to the elements. As always, I got distracted, so I made a necklace out of it.

Where the pearls is inserted, I did it by securing the pearl with a paper clip and then I tatted a chain (9-9) and made a lock join.
Elaine sugested that I could have done a split ring with the pearl. I gave it a thought. I am not smart enough to get both my threads where they need to be for the next step and I should have had  the 4mm pearls on the shuttle. So I got stuck to my solution. If someone sees a way to make the split ring, feel free to share it with us.

The first round has the pattern as for the bracelet, except the middle part. Easy to see: more rings than the rest of it.

For the second round, I put on the second shuttle some Toho beads (size 15) and it goes like this:
R: 17 + 12 - 2 close, do not turn
R: 2 + 12 + 17 close, turn work
Bring 1 seed bead from the second shuttle at the base and start chain 30 ds. Turn work.
R: 8 +8.

Last chain before the middle part has 34 ds then lock join above the pearl, 30 ds turn work.
The rest is mirrored.
This is my prototype:

I will wear it. For the next ones to come, I would try to reduce the amount of the ds from the second round and change a bit the rings above the pearls (ruduce them maybe?) just to see how it looks like. And I would like to work it in coton thread or silk. I suppose with a Lizbeth 20 one should adapt the ds.

How I put my beads with some sort of dental floss

I shared some time ago a pattern of an tatted element having a bead strung on a chain.

I saw from a looong thread in FB that, apparently, there are some struggling to work this element, but do not understand really how I placed it. Not that difficult and I did not discovered America again.

First of all, the bead must have a hole big enough to let pass the chain. So you should first search for that bead fitting to what you want to go. Me, personally, I work only with very thin thread, so part of my problem is solved. But if you try to work the pattern with a Lizbeth 20 or even 40, you might should reconsider.

This for a start.

Because I wanted it like this, I started, instead of a ring (the bigger ring in the middle of the element), with a chain, placing a paper clip to make sure that I can close it when I'm done. When I finished the chain, I used my special tool. Not a dental floss but a better one. My son plays guitar and I am always demanding him to bring me the broken strings. The tiniest one is perfect for me: it is thin, even thinner than my thread, made out of steel, so it is resistent. Just perfect. (by the way, if I do not pay attention, it gets easily lost...)

This is what I use to place the beads between the picots, because it lets me a tiny part of the picot available and the join is really clean. Working with a thin tread, so I need it, instead of a paper clip.

This seems to be the problem:

So, the sequence was the following: start chain (paper clip, of course, like this you will have a picot when you remove it), work your chain. And then you have 2 choices.
1. Remove the paper clip, use the "tool" to secure the picot, place the pearl with the large hole ON the chain, make the join and close the ring.
2. Place the bead on a fine crochet hook, remove the paper clip, use the crochet to place the bead...

I made really quickly some pictures to show how I use this tool I have, there is no tatting in there, just the instructions.

Of course, you must be a bit familiar with tatting with beads but this is not that difficult.
I hope this helps the tatting friends from Italy. Better to explain it in my blog, that to write novels as comments in threads.
Titine did a gread job with this pattern: She tricked it nicelly. Her picture is here.

Game of beads

I make all kind of tests, I play with a lot of ideas... Sometimes I end up by spoling thread and time, the beads I can always re-use. I should, once, take a snapshot of my table (it is the coffee table in front of the TV)... It is full of cut ends, tests, loose seed beads. A mess, I have to admit.
I learned my lesson the hard way: I play, learn, test with bad thread. When I am happy with the result, I will make the same pattern with a better thread.
The last two pieces are a bracelet and a necklace. They wait for the clasps and I will make them in other colours too.

For the bracelet you can recognize the starting pattern idea. I am pretty happy with the small flower, it enhances a bit the effect. 

The necklace started a a test and the idea got somehow body. Guess I am now in playing with beads mood. Still thinking about a pearl for the pendant...
Both of the patterns I will make them in white and in black for sure.

Pattern for a small element

I am still in the search of patterns... all day long. But the ones I want, the Ankars ones, are nicelly hidden, for a good reason. I found some, like all of the ones interested in it, but just copying is not that funny.
The patterns wich really helped me understand were the one I call "for dummies"... the picture ones. I guess they have a name, did not find it yet.

So I played with my tatting and my phone camera. I put the result toghether in a pdf file. It is just an element of a bigger piece, the tricky part of it. It involves the ROR, both of them. It is not that difficult, but there are some parts where full attention and a lot of patience are needed.

Pattern and instructions for a small tatted element. I used it as a lower part of a earring pair.

The thread used for the pattern is not the ideal one, a polyester thread  brings a better effect. 

Here you have the link, since I have no idea how I can upload a PDF file in the blog. 

Please let me know if there is something to correct.