A Bauble/Bobble or Two

A few months ago I invested in another tatting book (shocking, I know), and while I'm not yet ready to review it, I am ready to post my first efforts:

My first bauble (or is it bobble, I don't really know!)

And here is my second:

Cute, right?

Of course, the book is "Tatting GR-8 Baubles, Bugs, and Blossoms" by the Shuttle Brothers, and the pattern is the first bauble pattern in the book.

These are tatted in Size 10 Lizbeth, not my favorite size to tat with, but a good way to empty shuttles after starting the Apprenticeship phase of "Tatters Across Time"! I can't show any of that here, but hopefully in a few months I will have my Apprentice pin to show you! :)

Book Review #5: "Tatting: Patterns and Designs"

I have for you today another book review. Hope you're not too tired of these yet...I'll try to space them more evenly with other "just tatting" posts... :) Try being the operative word there! :)

Title: "Tatting: Patterns and Designs)

This is another Dover publication, and a "slightly abridged republication" of a Swedish book called Frivoliteter, so if you happen to read Swedish and have that book, you don't need this one, too...unless you want it, of course!! :)

Authors: Gun Blomqvist and Elwy Persson 
Year of Publication: 1988 
ISBN: 0-486-25813-0
Number of pages: 95
Number of patterns: 85 

"Chrysanthemum" Shuttle Tatted, Lizbeth 40

Type of pattern notation: Short notation with some abbreviations (ie: R 5-5-5-5. C7. R 5-5-5+5. Reverse work.) The patterns do give some written instruction when necessary, ie: "Repeat until the lace is the length required"

Types of patterns: This book has five sections of patterns, including Edgings and Insertions, Stars, Simple Patterns, Advanced Patterns, and Crowns. In the first section there are 8 edgings, 3 insertions, and 2 patterns that can be used for either purpose. One of the edging patterns is also labeled as a possible collar. The Stars section includes 45 patterns, only maybe two of which I would actually consider to be a "star," and the rest either snowflakes, flowers, or other small motifs. These patterns are organized in groups of 5 and are shown tied together to make a mobile, for which some basic directions are also given.

"Stars Mobile" Needle Tatted, Perle 8

The Simple Patterns section has 15 patterns, including a candlestick frill, mats (including one that is suggested to be a window screen, a collar and cross bookmarks. 

The 9 Advanced Patterns are all doilies

"The Miracle" Needle Tat

There are three patterns in the Crowns section, and all are 3D.

"Charity" Needle tatted, Perle 8 (The model is my beautiful mom!)

Illustrations: All patterns are illustrated with clear black and white photos of finished products
Notions: Each pattern suggests a yarn size, usually DMC 20 or 30. Beyond the materials needed for the mobile, no other notions are suggested. However, I did just add beads to the collar pattern and I think it added a little bit of something, if I do say so myself. :)

"Tendril" Shuttle Tatted, Cebelia 30 with 11/0 Czech Beads

Shuttle or needle? The book gives the ubiquitous shuttle tatting description in the front, but I have made many of the patterns (including all those in the mobile above) with a needle, so this book is appropriate for either method. I did find some of the patterns to be more challenging with the needle than the shuttle, however, especially those that need two shuttles to complete.

"Star No. 4" (pg 35) Needle Tatted, Perle 8

Other inclusions: The book begins with an Introduction which is actually a nice 5-page illustrated (with portraits of famous people with shuttles) short history of tatting. It then has a one-page suggestion for Tools and Materials needed, including a plug for DMC thread and authors experiences working with other materials and the shuttle. The 6-page Techniques section is well-illustrated with black and white line drawings of hands and shuttles, and includes information on Joining Rings, Joining Threads, Second Thread from Ball and [tatting with] Two Shuttles, as well as a section of Definition of Terms and Nature as a Model, which encourages the tatter to see nature as a design inspiration. There are photos of seeds and leaves scattered throughout the book to continue this theme.

"The Big Cross" Needle Tatted, Perle 8

Skill level: Beginner-Intermediate Some of the patterns in the book are quite, quite simple, but others are more tricky, including the 3 crowns at the end. However, every pattern can be achieved through simple rings and chains (no split anythings here) so this book is appropriate for someone new to tatting.

Skills needed: As far as I can see, the most "tricky" skills needed here are the Josephine knot, two shuttle tatting and, for needle tatters especially, leaving bare thread between rings (shuttle only tatters, I'm not sure you understand how much needle tatters tend to loathe "shuttle only" patterns...they are such a pain!!) 

"Star No 2" (pg 49) Needle Tatted, Perle 8

Availability: Although this is an older book, it is still available in the US from the publisher, Dover, as well as Amazon and Be-Stitched (although not through Handy Hands). The UK's Amazon and Tatting and Design also have the book. It is available in ebook, paperback and hardcover formats, depending on where you buy it.
Price range: $6-18 (USD), depending on the format and whether you buy new or used.
Personal Notes: This is definitely a book I would recommend to a newer tatter, as it is one of those books you can "grow with"...patterns that seem impossible early on become a happy challenge later in the game, and something to strive for as you improve your tatting skills. The patterns are clearly marked with Name, Purpose, Yarn (thread suggestion), Size (when tatted with suggested thread), Abbreviations and number of Shuttles, all very helpful in my mind!

"Star No 2" (pg 35) Needle Tatted, Perle 8

I especially love that it is available as an e-book for those who like that format, because it makes it accessible for all (even those of us who move all over the place al the time!) The physical book's size is also smaller than many tatting books (9" tall x 6" wide) so it is portable, even if you don't have it electronically. 

"Star No. 3" (pg 43) Needle Tatted, Perle 8

I just finished this collar over the weekend and I really like it!! I added a jump ring and a lobster clasp to make it a necklace.

So there you have it.

Anybody have a book they are considering procuring/would like to read a review on? If I have it, I will be happy to write something to give you more information before you buy! :)

Book Review #4: "Tatted Snowflakes"

Title: "Tatted Snowflakes"

Author: Vida Sunderman
Year of Publication: 1995
ISBN: 978-0-486-28303-6 / 0-486-28303-8
Number of pages: 32
Number of patterns: 40 

"Little Ring Snowflake"

Type of pattern notation: Long notation with abbreviations (ie: R of 5 ds, p, 5 ds, lg p, 5 ds, p, 5 ds, cl r; rw). The patterns are very detailed, including giving information of how much thread to wind on the shuttle, where strung beads will be (shuttle or ball thread) and some picot spacings. There are also four diagrams spread throughout the book, but they are only labeled for where to make joins.
Types of patterns: The book is called "Tatted Snowflakes" for a reason--all 40 patterns are snowflakes. All but one are 2D (you can see the one 3D snowflake in the middle of the cover above).

"Whirlaway Snowflake"

Illustrations: All patterns are illustrated with a black and white photo, which is helpful. For the most part, the photos are clear, but sometimes the colorless beads are hard to see in the photos. There are five color photos on the front and two on the back, as well.
Notions: Each pattern is helpfully listed with suggested Materials, which in different combinations include thread sizes 10, 20 and 30 and ribbon floss, beads, crystals, a bell, ribbon and/or glitter and glue.

"Beaded Snowflake"

Shuttle or needle? The patterns are written for the shuttle (one or two shuttles are called for in the  materials section of each pattern) but I have done a few with the needle and found them challenging but workable. If you are ok with working with two needles or leaving spaces with the needle you should be fine with these patterns.

"Star-Shaped Snowflake" (Needle Tatted)

Other inclusions: The book starts out with an Introduction with 3 illustrated (black and white drawings) pages of "How to Tat," including sections on shuttles, thread, how to tat, picots, reverse work and joining. There are also two further pages with details on fold-over joins, the square knot, using two shuttles, the continuous thread, correcting mistakes, finishing ends, laundering snowflakes, blocking snowflakes and working with beads. None of these last are illustrated (with the exception of the square knot) and although the text is very detailed, for a true beginner I think it would require a bit of imagination to fully comprehend/utilize. The final page of the introduction includes ideas for Decorating with Snowflakes, Abbreviations used in the book and helpful, reproducible Blocking Diagrams for five and six-sided snowflakes.

Some patterns need a lot of blocking...like this "Unique Snowflake"

Skill level: Beginner-Intermediate None of the patterns are specifically "rated," and some are quite simple, but others include multiple cut/tie/hides or other more advanced skills, which are not always fully explained in the patterns.

"Pinwheel Snowflake"

For example, to make the chains all face the same way in the Pinwheel pattern above, those chains without the join needed to be tatted somewhat "backwards" (unflipped stitches made 2nd half first, 1st half second), something the pattern completely left out. 

Skills needed: Tatting with beads, using a picot gauge, two-shuttle tatting, SLT, Josephine chains, ability to adapt pattens "on the fly"

"Small Loop-Stitch Snowflake"

"Large Loop-Stitch Snowflake"

Availability: Although the books is a bit older, it is still readily available both in paperback and digitally!! In the US you can buy it directly from the publisher, Dover Publications, or from Amazon.com, and in paperback only from Be-Stitched and Handy Hands. Amazon.co.uk also carries both formats.
Price range: Digitally $4-8, Paperback $6-10 (US Dollars)
Personal Notes: Although this book isn't maybe as visually grabbing (being full of black and white photos and using the long notation) as other snowflake books, the patterns included are more than worth the small price you will pay to own them. This is a book you can grow with--not all of the patterns are "doable" for very beginning tatters, but some are, and the more you learn, the further in this book you can progress. To me, if you're going to own just one snowflake book, this is the one to get.

"Ruffled-Star Snowflake"

Post 100, Book Review #1: "Tatting Patterns"

Hooray! My 100th post!

Yes, I know there are some of you amazing people who post 100 times over the course of weeks, rather than years, but, I will take my small victories when I can get them. :)

I really wanted to come up with something "spectacular" for my 100th post, which is why I haven't posted in the past 4 weeks--I just couldn't think of anything spectacular to talk about!

So, in lieu of something spectacular, I've decided to substitute something practical...a book review!

There are so many amazing tatting books floating around out there (and so many of them represented on my bookshelves!), but so few 1) easily found and 2) substantial book reviews about them (especially for the older books) available online.** 

In honor of my 100th post (and in an attempt to post more often) I have decided, in my own small way, to try to remedy that situation with a series of in-depth and hopefully helpful book reviews. :)

I'm going to start the series with the very first tatting book I ever owned, Lyn Morton's "Tatting Patterns"

I was given my copy of this book by my parents for my birthday in the early or mid-2000s. I was initially attracted by the beautiful colors and variety of patterns, but quickly found it was beyond my abilities at that point in time...but I'm getting ahead of myself. :)

One of two covers available (image via Amazon.com)

Title: "Tatting Patterns"
Author: Lyn Morton
ISBN: 978-1-86108-261-9
Number of pages: 106
Number of patterns: 44
Type of pattern notation: Long notation with abbreviations (ie: Ring of 5DS, P, 5DS close. RW chain of 6 DS.) and labeled diagrams
Types of patterns: The book is broken into three sections:
     1) Patterns/Motifs: flower edging, motifs (mostly flowers, crosses and a butterfly)
     2) Jewelry and Accessories: earrings, necklaces, collar, 3D flower corsage, wedding ring bearer pillow
     3) Greeting cards: a variety of 2 and 3-round motifs are displayed mounted on greeting cards
Illustrations: Full color photographs and black and white diagrams.
Notions: The patterns are shown tatted in both beautifully-colored Turkish cotton and shiny metallic threads. Some patterns call for beads, or are shown with beads added. At least one pattern makes use of a center doodad, a few others are displayed as ornaments within a metal ring, and of course the greeting card section includes other practical applications for the motifs
Other inclusions: The book starts with a one-page history of tatting and short list of abbreviations used in the book. There are no "How to Tat" directions given in this book.
Shuttle or needle? The patterns are written for the shuttle (most patterns start with a suggestion of how much thread to wind or how many turns of the shuttle to make) and were quite trying for me when I tried to tat them with the needle...but with perseverance (and more practice than I'd had when I started working with this book) most of the patterns can be executed with either needle or shuttle

Pattern "Peggy" needle tatted in Perle 8

Skill level: Intermediate As a beginning needle tatter I struggled with this book. The author points out several patterns she considers to be easier than the others, but it took me a while before I could execute some of the trickier joins. As a progressing shuttle tatter, I find the motifs slightly easier to make, and using split rings and chains to climb from row to row will greatly limit the cutting, tying and hiding that originally turned me off to this book.
Skills needed: Addition of beads, split rings, lock joins
Availability: This is one of the more available tatting books. I have seen it in craft stores (my mom bought this for me at a big-box store in Des Moines, Iowa!) and is readily online at Handy Hands, Amazon, Be-Stitched, Tatting and Design (UK), etc. I even have a copy of this book in Russian!

I wonder in Lyn Morton knows this book has been published in Russian?

Price range: This book is available used from around $7-$14 new, depending on where you get it. It is also a compilation of her first four books (conveniently called "Tatting Patterns Book 1, 2, 3 or 4"
Personal Notes: Full disclosure, I have a large amount of nostalgia for this book due to it's status as my "First Tatting Book," but it took me a while to actually like it, mostly due to many early failures to execute even those patterns suggested to be "easy" buy the author. After a few years of practice, I have it another chance, and this book is now my go-to motif book. I would recommend this book for an intermediate or above tatter interested in playing with small motifs, especially if you are looking for a chance to practice "climbing out" from round to round, or repeating motifs to make larger doilies, mats or other items. These patterns are quick and cute, and the book does a great job of promoting practical uses for tatting, something which I know I struggle with!

Pattern: "Five-Point Snowflake Motif" shuttle tatted in DMC size 80

So there you go, my first book review. :)

Was this helpful? Did I leave something important out? Is there something I should add on my next review?

**Note: Here are some notable exceptions to the lack of substantive (and easily-found) online reviews:

•Georgia Seitz's page of reviews, including lists of non-English books, artist spotlights and one-off book reviews

•Davina-Marie from Shuttlebird's review of Jon Yusoff's "Elegant Tatting Gems"

•Fiona (OneMadTatter) T's review of "New Tatting"

•Heather from Tatted Treasures' reviews of Lyn Morton's "Tatted Tatting and Design", Nancy Tracy's "Tat's Where I Stopped", and Jan Stawasz' "Tatting Theory and Patterns"

•Krystledawne's review of Teiko Fujito's works "Tatted Fashion" and "The Tatted Artistry of Teiko Fujito"

•Hugs are Fun's review of "New Tatting"

The Traveling Tatter is at Rest (for now)

And, breathe.

After circumnavigating the world in 46 days (and making many side trips during stopovers in both the US and UK) I am back in Vlad and ready to be still, for a little while at least. :)

You can, of course, read about the travel part on the travel blog (www.teguciwhat.com), but here is the tatting part:

When you last heard from me, I was tatting on the train somewhere between London and Edinburgh.

That was, of course, not the first tatting I did while on vacation (see here, here and here)

Here is the finished pillowcase with the Annie Orr edging:

I entered this pillowcase in our local fair and got a blue ribbon, so I am happy with that...we'll see how the State Fair goes next month!

 Also for the fair, my mom and I mounted the sunburst doily on a piece of white foam board, with a note explaining that it was mounted for display purposes only...

Another blue ribbon...actually I ended up with 6 blues at the fair, so that is exciting. :)

 Last summer I taught my sister-in-law how to tat, and when I visited her and my brother in TN this summer I whipped out this little motif to remind her how easy tatting is!

Speaking of showing people how to tat, while I was working on the edging my two-year-old niece climbed into my lap and asked me what I was doing, then sat there and watched me work for quite a while...I promised I'd teach her when she gets just a little older, but she has such fine motor skills already that I think she will be able to pick it up very soon!

So, then I took off to the UK and tatting on trains. Besides the Arches doily I didn't really complete a whole lot besides this funny little flower:

 It actually started out as a small Annie Orr motif that cupped after the first two rounds and became this flower after I apparently skipped a whole bunch of rings in the final round. Whoops!

I made this doily-turned-flower for a nice Chinese lady we met on the train back from Edinburgh. She was visiting her son on her first trip out of China, and within 30 seconds of our sitting across the table form them on the train had already moved her baggage to make room for ours, and within 15 minutes of pulling out of the station was sharing her blueberries and raspberries with us, as well as some snacks she had brought from China. (Also, she had never had raspberries before...can you imagine that?!)

She showed interest in tatting when I started working on the Arches doily, so of course I made her something...it ended up 3d instead of flat, but she still really seemed to like it:

 The day after we arrived back in London we were back on the train again, this time for Stratford-Upon-Avon to see the birthplace of the Bard (kind of) and to meet Jane Eborall (the real reason).

Awesome! Jane gave us tea in her garden, an excellent and historical walking tour of the city, directed us to a great place to eat lunch (and two wonderful ice cream places--yes Jane, I did have ice cream at both places, so good!) and she showed me how to do a couple of tatting things I have been wondering about for a long time...it was great!!

Thanks again, Jane! We really enjoyed ourselves! :)