Trying Another Tatting Pin - Butterfly

I had so much fun with my last pattern off of Pinterest - that I decided to do another.  This pattern comes from an Italian blog - so I have no idea what the blog post says.  Luckily for me, the tatting pattern was a diagram.  It is the forth image down on this blog post: http://puntoypunto.myblog.it/archive/2012/04/25/schemi-a-chiacchierino.html

 

I was curious as to how long a tatted piece of this size (it's roughly two inches wide by an inch and a half tall) would takes me.  This pattern was new to me and it took about 2.5 hours (this included having the thread break halfway through round one which meant starting over, having to pull out a hand full of stitches when I missed a join, and tucking tails).  Probably not fast by an experienced tatter's standards, but I felt like I had a pretty good pace.  The butterfly turned out cute.  I think I may consider tatting the antennae around wires next time to prevent the drooping caused by the beads.  This is a pattern I will do again.

Accidental Hearts

 

      I was attempting the pattern for “Priscilla Yoke Ear Rings” provided by Elain Gan on her blog: http://tattingpatterns.blogspot.com (which I was linked to via a pin on Pinterest) when I was distracted by conversation and accidentally connected a ring into the wrong location.  Since I didn’t realize my mistake until I was ready to connect the next ring, I decided to keep it and mirror it on the other side.  The result was a heart shape I like quite a bit.  The pattern for the original medallion can be found in Priscilla Yoke Book by Georgette Batt (for a pdf copy visit: http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org ) on pages 32 and 33.

Ring 1: 7 – 3 – 4
Ring 2: 4 + 6 – 6 – 4
Ring 3: 4 + 3 – 7

Chain: 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 (5 picots)
Ring: 6 + (to 1st picot of Ring 1) 6
Chain: 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 (5 picots)
Ring: 6 + (to 1st picot of Ring 1 - same as the last join) 6
Chain: 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 (5 picots)
Ring: 6 + (to joined picot of Ring 1 & 2) 6
Chain: 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 (5 picots)
Ring: 6 + (to middle picot of Ring 2) 6
Chain: 3 – 2 – 3

Shoelace trick
Ring: 3 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 3 (5 picots)
Shoelace trick

Chain 3 – 2 – 3
Ring 6 + (to middle picot of Ring 2) 6
Chain 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 (5 picots)
Ring 6 + (to joined picot of Ring 2 & 3) 6
Chain 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 (5 picots)
Ring 6 + (to 2nd picot of Ring 3 ) 6
Chain 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 (5 picots)
Ring 6 + (to 2nd picot of Ring 3 - same as the last join) 6
Chain 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 (5 picots)

My Adventures in Tatting

Tatting is my newest hobby.  I first took up a shuttle in late August of 2012.  Since then, I have had a blast making all sorts of things.  Some of them I have followed patterns to complete (like the heart from Patti Duff's Minitats 69 Petite Motifs and Anne Bruvold's Minor Norwegian Dragon), some of them I have looked at images and done my best to imitate (like yarnplayer's "Belle" pendant), some of them have resulted from improperly following patterns (Mistakes can be pretty!), and some of them have just resulted from me playing around with thread and shuttles.

Making jewelry is my latest enjoyment with tatting.  It is fun to see family member's eyes light up when I give them a new necklace or a new pair of earrings.  I love telling people that I made something I'm wearing.

Tatting is great because it is a highly portable craft.  There is rarely a time when my purse doesn't have a work-in-progess in it.  I have taken my tatting on planes, in cars, to church, to waiting rooms, and much more.  I've enjoyed tatting during ladies thread art nights.  I am so glad that my mom's neighbor taught me how to do this.  I have also begun teaching five others how to tat as well.  Between my tatting mentor and youtube videos, I have progressed rather quickly in the tatting art, though I would not delude myself into thinking that I am done learning.  There are so many more skills that I want to learn.  I hope to end 2013 being able to say that I have learned even more tatting skills to increase my ability.  I also hope to show off the items completed by the people I am teaching.

I plan on showing off some of these pieces in further detail in later blog posts and I plan on trying my hand at some new projects.

2013 To Do List

This list is long and I know I won't be able to complete everything on it and I am okay with that.  I did a list last year and I did accomplish a lot of things on it.  Making a list of the goals I want to accomplish does help me get more done.  So this is the list for this year.  I'm sure I will add somethings to the list and take somethings off the list, but here is my starting point for this year's goals.
        

         January:

Tat at least 2 new items

Finish at least 3 more rows on Bevan’s Roxas blanket

Paint the second coat in the office

Start on the Tetris bookshelves for the office

Make five things to sell on the website

Get the website up and running again

Complete one Amigurumi

Learn 2 new songs on one of my instruments

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Finish carving the Tauntaun horns and skull
Pack up Christmas decorations [Done]

Unpack Trail of Painted Horses [Done]

February:

Finish up the Tetris bookshelves

Finish at least 3 more rows on Bevan’s Roxas blanket

Complete one Amigurumi

Make 5 things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Finish Tauntaun frame

Tat at least 2 things

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

March:

Start sewing Tauntaun musculature

Finish at least 3 more rows on Bevan’s Roxas blanket

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least 2 things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

April:

Finish sewing Tauntaun musculature

Finish at least 3 more rows on Bevan’s Roxas blanket

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least two things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Start t-shirt quilt

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Start working on my garden

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

May:

Start adding fur to the Tauntaun

Finish at least 3 more rows on Bevan’s Roxas blanket

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least two things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Continue working on t-shirt quilt

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

June:

Finish adding fur to the Tauntaun

Finish at least 3 more rows on Bevan’s Roxas blanket

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least two things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Continue working on t-shirt quilt

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Fix garage roof

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

July:

Put the finishing touches on the Tauntaun

Finish Bevan’s Roxas blanket

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least two things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Continue working on t-shirt quilt

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

August:

Debut the Tauntaun

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least two things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Finish t-shirt quilt

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

September:

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least two things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

October:

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least two things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Complete half-marathon number 4

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

November:

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least two things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write 50,000 words in a novel (aka NaNoWriMo) - going for win # 4

Help siblings with NaNoWriMo

Decorate for Christmas after Thanksgiving

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”

December:

Complete one Amigurumi

Tat at least two things

Make five things to list on Crafty Cranes

Learn a new song on one of my instruments

Dance workout three times a week every week

Strength training workout three times a week every week

Write at least 5,000 words in Jakzi’s story

Attend NaNoWriMo TGIO Party

Host a “Try a New Recipe Potluck”