Third Time Lucky?

Christmas holiday has flown by, hasn't it?  I hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends.  Just a few more days and children are back at school.  I managed to finish one project which I will show you in the next post but am still struggling with this one…  I first crocheted half of it and then didn't like the stitch and the way I kept having to fight with the hook getting caught in between the strands making it all frustrating and slow work.  Then I decided to start again and knit it instead.  I found this unusual stitch which I liked but with quite fine 2.5mm needles, it's still slow and after a while, I wasn't sure I liked it enough and perhaps I fancied a reversible stitch and perhaps I should try crochet again?

So here I am, at the third attempt!  I'm now using a much larger hook because I want it to be loose and soft to make the most of this lovely handspun yarn.  I am not making the main piece too wide because I want to have enough wool to get the length I'm after and then I will crochet a scalloped edging (which you can see some of in the picture).  After finding it so difficult with the first crocheted version, I have realised it was not the wool that was the problem but the hook!  Although larger, the hook I'm using now goes through fine every time and doesn't split the yarn like the last one did.  So all hooks are not alike!

The knitted version (below):

a type of crossed-over trellis stitch

which is kinda cool as a pattern...

The latest crocheted attempt

with a large hook,

and a simple "blanket stitch"

This does have a very nice, soft texture…

Mmmmmm….

Is this it???

I have already spent MANY hours on this (doing AND undoing!) and it can be frustrating when things don't work out as you plan…

Ah but then I guess it would be too easy if everything worked out perfectly at the first attempt, right?

Best wishes,

Frivole

p.s. as you can imagine, all this means that the first tatting of 2014 has not yet happened!  But I'm sure it won't be long...

Merry Christmas!

It's been a bit hectic here in the last week.  I was so late with my Christmas preparations that I've had to rush around quite a bit!  So after the snowflakes had all been posted in their Christmas cards, there was not much time for any more tatting.

I did start on a little project I plan to work on during the holidays - not tatting for a change!  Someone will recognise this beautiful hand-spun yarn.  I hope my project works out as I intend and I will show you more in the New Year if it does.

It's the evening before Christmas Eve.  I don't think I will be posting again until January so I would like to wish you a wonderful, peaceful, joyful Christmas with your families and friends.  I want to thank you for your supportive comments on my blog throughout the year.  I hope 2014 will be for you all another great year full of discoveries, creativity and happiness.

Best wishes,

Joëlle

Snowflake Earrings

I like snowflake earrings.  I spent some time trying to come up with my own design but eventually, on such a small scale (limited in the elements you want to have if you want the snowflake to stay small enough for earrings), it's hard to move away from the designs that are already available.  I was ending up looking too similar to other small snowflakes so I purchased Elizabeth Zipay's and Decoromana's snowflake patterns, both of which appealed to me.

And this is my version of Decoromana's. They are tatted in Lizbeth silver in size 20 and I added pearls "under the arches".  I made a little hanging "thingy" so that I could wear them with some stud earrings I have.

I love snowflakes!

Real ones and lace ones.

I've also decided, after trying it, that it's better to slightly stiffen tatted jewellery.  Earrings and necklaces can lose their shape pretty quickly and start curling in places you don't want them to if you wear them in their softer, natural form.  Just a bit of diluted white glue painted on and left to dry and the earrings keep their shape very well.

Best wishes,

Frivole

Twinkle Twinkle

Here is the pattern for this simple little star if you'd like to make it.  It's quick to tat, perfect for last minute presents or to decorate a card.  It does involve self-closing mock rings though!  I like to use SCMRs because they produce a sharper angle between two chains (so better for stars).  If I had used a thrown ring at the tip of the chains instead, the shape below would be more rounded and look more like a flower than a star.

And here is the second motif with six sides.  I'm pleased with it.  Yes, it is reminiscent of Flocon d'Or from last year, as Margaret pointed out, but it's also different enough to be a separate pattern of its own.

Best wishes,

Frivole

Star Evolution

I've had this little star design in my pattern book for some time (last year I think).  I got it back out thinking this was the time for stars.  In fact, it had six sides when I started but I thought it would make a better star so I modified it to have five points instead.

Then I started playing with the design and I ended up with this:

Not at all like what I started with, is it?

Interesting sometimes, how designs evolve...

Now I'm thinking this second design would be better as a snowflake so I'd like it to have six sides!  Done in one pass (of course) and I made it so that the threads end up at one of the points when you're finished so you can use the ends as a hanging loop and no need to hide them.  Perfect.  But, if you were wanting it as a six-sided motif, then would it look better if the threads finished between two "arms" or at the tip of one again?

Best wishes,

Frivole

Wanda's Wheel

Here is Wanda Salman's Crowned Wheel.  I just saw it on her blog and thought how pretty it looked so I got the pattern and tatted it straight away… for a little change from the many Céleste I have been tatting recently.

I tatted this in Anchor Artiste Mercer Crochet (size 20), a thread which I hadn't liked when I first tried it but it's growing on me now I've tried it again.

I am slowly building up a collection of Céleste

for my Christmas cards…

Many more to go!

How is everyone's Christmas tatting coming along?

Best wishes,

Frivole

Little Tree in the Snow - Take Two

The little tree begged to be tatted again with some beads for baubles… and of course, it needed a star for the top.

I strung a mix of beads (you can mostly see the red ones) and sprinkled them randomly as I tatted, slipping one up between stitches at various intervals.

I think the pattern designer meant for the threads to just be carried to go from one round to the other… but that wouldn't do - would it?  So I finally figured out that this can indeed all be tatted in one pass, if using split rings (which are in the pattern) and split chains (which are not).  And now that I find split chains easy (with Marie's method), this little tree is no trouble and tatted all in one go, just as I like it!

Now, I must get tatting snowflakes!  It's soon time to start writing Christmas cards and I like to put a snowflake in mine…

Best wishes,

Frivole