Learning Something New

Yesterday I was given the task of learning Tunisian crochet and then teaching the other members of the craft group at next month's meeting. I have done Tunisian crochet before, but using only the most basic stitch. I had no idea there were so many possibilities! Tunisian crochet uses a long hook to pick up stitches right along the row, and then work them all off, to be left with one stitch on the right again. The variations come in the way the stitches are picked up. It's interesting how the different stitches give a different density to the fabric. There are some interesting stitches patterns that use two colours. I shall tackle those this evening.

A Dragon for Annika

My youngest granddaughter, Annika, was born in the year of the dragon, so I'm sending her a dragon, 'Ringtrim, a microdragon', designed by Anne Bruvold. Here's a link to the pattern. OK, so it's a bit strange to send her a cross and a dragon in one parcel, rather mixing cultures, but both come with love from Ouma.

Evolution

 I love the way a pattern can evolve. In May 1984, the Anna Burda magazine had a tatting article with a series of braids that they made with a single shuttle:

In 2009 I updated the bottom braid by tatting it with two shuttles and split rings, and turned it into a bookmark.

 I didn't have a blog then, but Jane Eborall wrote about it on her blog and kindly put the pattern on her Guest Designer page.  It proved to be hugely popular!
I joined In Tatters recently and put my patterns up on that site. Grace Tan saw the bookmark pattern there and adapted it to make the cross you can see in the top picture. Very clever, and evolution at its best! You can find a link to Grace's pattern on the right of this page.
I made this cross for Annika, my youngest granddaughter, who is to be christened soon.

Leaf Braid

 The pattern for this little braid appeared in the Anna Burda magazine in May 1984. The original method was to use one shuttle and leave a little bit of bare thread between rings. A better way is to tat it using two shuttles and split rings.
SR 1: 2-6/4
SR 2: 4/2-6
The thread I've used is Cebelia 20 which I dyed myself. I used green to make the braid look like little leaves, but of course any colour could be used.

Recreated

 I've copied the motif that was on the tray cloth returned to me. I don't know where I found it originally, but it's an easy tat. I thought at first that I would need to use a split ring to get to the second round, but that wasn't necessary.
Big Ring: 6-6-6-6
Ch: 8-8
Small ring 6+6
Small ring 6-6
Ch: 8-8
Big ring: 6+6+6-6 Repeat until there are 3 big rings and 3 sets of small rings.
2nd round(no need to cut and join, just carry on)
Ch8-8+(previous round)  Make 4 chains thus, then small ring 6+6, joined to base of other 2 small rings.

Orsi has a give away on her blog. Take a look.

Talking Tatting

I wrote here about the tatting section of a craft competition of a South African women's organisation. Yesterday an information day was held to help people who want to enter items into the various sections of the competition. I was asked to give a talk about the tatting requirements. I hadn't been sure that I would be back from holiday in time to do it, so I prepared a detailed presentation in case someone else had to deliver it. Carien, in the foreground of the picture above, breathed a sigh of relief that I was here to give it myself! There were about 40 people there - the picture shows one leg of a U-shaped table.

 I can't say that the response to my tatting talk was terribly enthusiastic. One lady told me she paid a lot for a morning's tatting lesson some years ago, but came away none the wiser. I did offer to help her try again, but she shook her head and said no, no. Someone else said she had done tatting long ago, but  wasn't keen to refresh her memory of how to tat. I think there may be one or two who will come forward. Let's hope so. At  the very least more people have heard about tatting and seen some examples.

Returned

It must be at least 25 years since I gave these tea tray cloths and food net with tatted edgings to my aunt and uncle. My cousins found them when they were clearing out their parents' cottage in Harare and gave them back to me. I'm glad to see one cloth is covered in tea stains - it shows that it was used! The motif on the food cover comes from the Anna Burda magazine. I don't know where the triangular one comes from. I like it, I may have a go at copying it. Here's a closer view: