A New Book on Tatting

A New Book on Tatting, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

Two books on tatting lace have been published last month. And this is the one of them.
FUJISHIGE Sumi's _Kurashi no Naka no Tatting Lace (Tatting Lace in Everyday Life)_.

All the patterns were already published previously but the books are out of print now. So, if you have FUJISHIGE's old books around 1990s, you may not need this one.

There are 9 doilies including small ones in this book as well as edgings, accessories (2 collars and some necklaces), motifs, and collages.

I've made a small doily from this. In the book, this doily is used as a decoration on a small pouch.
All the works are made with Olympus threads but I don't have white one so I used DMC Cordonnet Specail #40 in Blanc.
I usually use bobbin shuttles; I used a clover shuttle this time. My first tatting lace book was written by FUJISHIGE and at that time, only shuttle I could buy was clover's. It's a sense of nostalgia.
And you know, clovers shuttles are very good, too.

Same Motifs Joining Differently

Same Motios Joining Differently, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

This kind of motif is my favourite and I just wanted to tat something out of it.

First, I made the pale violet doily. It was very hot when I began to tat it, so I just joined motifs with one ring. I think this doily came out well. It looks cool because it has a lot of space. It even feel so light. Lighter than the pale blue one.

Then, I made the pale blue one. It got hotter and I hesitated a bit, but joined two rings each. Since the colour looks cool, it doesn't look so thick.

I'm lack of ability to create something original; now I know a little thing make things different.

Hexagon Motif

Hexagon Motif, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

This is the motif I tatted while ago and once decided to forget about. I tried to forget this because it was oh so awful. Too long joining picots were the reason.
After blocking, it doesn't seem as bad as before.
This motif requires SCMR. You can also use split rings to climb up rows.
Pale blue and light beige would look cool, I thought, but not so much.

I would like to make this motif again.



Via Flickr:
Designed by Randy Houtz
Lisbeth #40

Bead Tatted Necklace

Bead Tatted Necklace, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

Sorry for the blurred photo.
This is an old FO and in a way, I like it a lot.
If the colour of the beads were richer, I loved it more.



Via Flickr:
From a book _Tatting Lace No Necklace_ by FUJITO Teiko
Thread: Koma-jirushi Silk Button Hole Thread in Black
Beads: TOHO small seed beads No. 204
Started on 3 July 2009
Finished on 5 July 2009

#25 Motif from Broadway China

Motif from Broadway China, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I made a motif from this book by MORIMOTO Kazuko. It's been just published about a week ago.
It shows three steps of tatting: a shuttle with a ball, two shuttles, and two shuttles with split ring technique. There are 27 works in it, small motif to something large like a doily, a shawl made with silk thread (very dainty and nice!), and a table center. The table center displayed on the face of the book is made with DMC 80. Some works are made with Lisbeth threads.

The two books prior to this one are mostly about small motifs and accessaries. This book is more comprehensive than the former two and I like that.

This motif is used in two doilies in the book. I like the way joining the motifs. I'd like to tat them.

This is the 25th motif. I sometimes thought I couldn't make it, but, I did. Yay.



Via Flickr:
Source: すてきなタティングレース by MORIMOTO Kazuko
Thread: Lisbeth#40 Col.641

Tatted Doily

Tatted Doily, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I made a doily out of thetatting book published last month.

There are 40 works in the book, motifs, edgings, doilies, and some accessaries. Some works use split rings, some use Cluny tatting technique, and some with beads.

You can see inside of the book if you follow the link above, but the information is not very useful. Because all you can see there is a front of the book and some photos show how to tat. You can only see few works. Why do they do that? Don't the want us to buy their books?
Well, at least they offered some samples. That's much better than the former book I blogged about.



Via Flickr:
Source: タティングレースの素敵なこもの by sumie
No.24 Doily
Thread: Lisbeth #40 Col.635

#24 Pentagon Motif

A Tatted Motif, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

This winter, we have three tatting lace books published, two are already on sale and one to come next week.
I've made a motif from one of the new book, _Crochet and Tatting Lace_ by YOKOYAMA Kayomi.
As you can see from the title, there are accessaries made with crochet and tatting lace in this book: 11 accessaries and 40 motifs of crochet and 19 accessaries and 40 motifs of tatting lace. All the patterns have diagrams.

I made a motif out of the book.
I've been looking for a motif for joining each other and tat something large.
I expected that this motif would be the one, but I don't think so right now.
I must wait for the book coming soon.



Via Flickr:
Source: クロシェとタティングレースのアクセサリー
Designed by YOKOHAMA Kayomi
Thread: Lisbeth #40 Col.693

Bulky Mittens

ざっくりミトン, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

This pair of mittens is my first finished object this year.

It was a quici-knit. I started knitting the left hand mitten on 1 Jan., and almost done. I went to see kabuki plays on 2 Jan., and didn't knit that day. On 3 Jan., I finished the thumb of the left hand mitten, and casted on the right one and done.

Fair-isle knitting is what I adore a lot, but I'm not good at it at all. I've tried it several times, though.
What I needed was knit with thick yarn, such as this one. This pair looks still awkward, but it's better than other fair-isle knitting stuffs I made.

In the book, these mittens are in gray and red, and natural and dark blue. Mine look too bold, but they look bright and warm in chilly weather.


Via Flickr:
Designed by MIKUNI Mariko
Yarn: Puppy Mini-sport 711 (purple) & 685 (green)
Needle Size 4 (3.3mm) & 6 (3.9mm) DPN
Started on 1 Jan. 2012
Finished on 3 Jan. 2012

Seed Stitch Hat

Seed Stitch Hat, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

On 31 Dec., I went to buy some yarn. It was the last stash enhancement of the year. We tend to refer to "the first" and "the last" thing to do of the year. For example, Hatsuyume, the first dream of the year, is said to judge our fortune for the following year. 28 or 29 Dec. is called Shigoto-osame, the last business day of the year, and so on.

This hat is my last knitting of the year 2011 and my first finished object of the year 2012.

Designed by MIKUNI Mariko, its gauge is rather tight. I knit rather loosely, so I tried to knit tightly as possible. The width went fine, but the height. It's a bit large in height.
I know tightly knit thing looks neat. I used to knit really tight. I found out that it's more fun to knit as you like. Not too tight, not too loose.

Seed stitch is one of my favourite stitches. When I first learned to knit seed stitch, I got addicted too much. And it's still the same. I finished knitting on the very day I started to knit. How addictive!


Via Flickr:
Designed by MIKUNI Mariko
Source: 「編みものこもの」
Yarn: Dia E-no straight col.508
Needle Size 7 (4.2mm)

Crochet Cardigan

Crochet Cardigan, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

What I did most last year was crochet. I've made several scarves and this cardigan. It's been a while to make something this large. I'd rather prefer to knit, tat, and crochet small stuffs, such as socks, scarves, doily, usw.
When I looked through michiyo's knitting and crochet pattern book, I was intrigued with this two way cardigan. At first, I had no confidence to finish it. But a pattern used in this cardigan is one of my favourite. It's a kind of shell pattern. So I thought I wouldn't get bored.
I was right.
There's no seam in this cardigan. After you finish with the back of it, you crochet both fronts and collar continuously. When you finish crocheting, it's time to wear it.
This cardigan is so warm and I put it on almost everyday. I really love it.
I'm thinking of knitting haori, a kind of short jacket wear over kimono for my next large thing project.



Via Flickr:
Designed by michiyo
Yarn: Princess Anny col. 523

Motif #16: 2 Shuttles? Or, SMCR?

Square Motifs, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I've picked up my shuttles all right, but have done nothing. Some were not neat enough; some were not fun to tat. That is, I've been overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with my work, overwhelmed with my house works, overwhelmed with myself.

No work has done, but still, I have my shuttle in my hand sometimes. That makes me so comfortable. I just love to tat. Completing something dainty makes me weary.

This weekend, I happened to find some lovely balls of Lisbeth #40 in Linen Md, and suddenly felt like tatting something.
So here are the results. Nina Libin's Square Motifs. You can find the pattern in her book _Tatted Lace with Beads._ Originally, this pattern is made with 2 shuttles, but first I've tried with a shuttle and a ball with SCMR. And I had the right motif. It became a bit awkward, so I made the left motif with 2 shuttles. Well, comparatively speaking, the left one is a bit better.

It would be nice to tat something large with this thread, such as a scarf or a shawl. At first I was thinking of joining a lot of motifs, but now I'm thinking of joining some doilies.


Via Flickr:
Designed by Nina Libin
Thread: Lisbeth #40 Linen
Left: w/ 2 shuttles
Right: a shuttle & a ball, SMCR

Motif #15: Pentagon Motif

Pentagon Motif, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

Another motif from Chicchierino 16.
I've been having some trouble with DMC Cordonett Special #40 and this motif also shows how badly I tatted. Stitches aren't even at all.
I love this motif, though. It would fit in a soccer ball.




Via Flickr:
Thread: DMC Cordonett Special #40
From Chicchierino 16

Motif #14: Flower Motif

Flower Motif, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I've got some cool-looking colour threads from Handy Hand and this is made of them: Lisbeth #40 Denim Blue Light. It was a delight to work with this thread in humid and hot afternoon.
This motif is from Il Lavoro's Chicchierino 16. In the magazine, this motif is connected one after another and form an insertion.



Via Flickr:
Thread: Lisbeth #40 Denim Blue Lt.
From Chicchierino 16

Motif #13: Patchwork

Patchwork, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

Haven't been using white thread for tatting, I suddenly want to tat with it. Maybe because I saw some wonderful photos of white tatting lace motifs in a beadwork book at our local bookstore. At first, I thought it was a book of tatting lace. It wasn't. Sad.
I was about to use a ball of thread up, but I didn't. I had some problems with constant size of rings, chains, and stitches.
Practice, practice, practice...



Via Flickr:
Designe by Mary Konior
Thread: DMC cordonnet 40

Motif #12: Spinning Wheel

Spinning Wheel, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

This colour makes me positively active. It's called Lime Green; to me, it's vitamin green.
I added a bead on each corner. They are silver and look so cool. It's 33 to 35 degrees Celsius (about 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) these days. And humid.



Via Flickr:
Designed by Mary Konior
Thread: Lisbeth #40 Lime Green
Beads: TOHO No.21

Motif #10: Too Large for a Book

Large Cross, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

On Saturday, I've received the POP-A-BOBBIN Tatting Shuttle. It's made from Purpleheart.
Right after opened the envelope, I started to tat this, a Large Cross designed by Mary Konior. The pattern is in her book, _Tatting with Visual Patterns._
I've made this bookmark once with Olympus #40 and it became too large for a size of books I usually read.
This time, I've made it with Lisbeth #40, finer than Olympus #40.
As you can see, it's still a bit large for a book under that.
Maybe I should try for a Small Cross.

The shuttle is beautiful and I had really wonderful time tatting with it. So, the awkward chains are on me. I've tried to tat every chain evenly as possible. But, well, I'll try that later.



Via Flickr:
Designed by Mary Konior, from the book "Tatting with Visual Patterns"
Thread: Lisbeth #40 col.681

Motif #9: Tatted Motifs

Tatted Motifs, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

Three years ago, I made the motif on the left. I believe this is Genevieve by Kersti Anear. I tatted with Olympus #40. The pattern calls for #80 thread and at that time, I was thinking of tatting with finer thread than #40.

Time has passed. I've found the left one and tried tatting another motif with DMC Special dentelles. It took me for a while to get to used to handling the fine thread. I haven't tatted with dainty thread for a long time.
It is so much fun to see the stitches got formed. It feels good to know I can tat with this delicate thread. Not very well, though.

Below is a photo taken three years ago.

Motif #8 Birthday Card with Edging

Birthday Card with Edging, a photo by Garyou on Flickr.

I made this card for one of my friends born in June. This is my first time using a tatted edging for a card.
I tatted with Daruma's Murasakino Lace thread. It is called for in the book Tatting Lace for Beginners. I'd rather prefer crochet with it.
I should have written words more neatly. I used an Italic writing pen, though.




Via Flickr:
Designed by sumie
From a book (ISBN978-4-8347-3215-3)
Thread: Daruma Murasakino

Motif #7 & New Product: Silk Lace Thread by Daikoku Shigyou

Bead-Tatted Motif
Originally uploaded by Garyou.

I bought the new Silk Lace Thread by Daikoku Shigyou at Japan Hobby Show. Daikoku Shigyou provides threads, mainly for sewing.
I usually use silk thread for button holes when I tat with beads and Daikoku Shigyou's thread is my favourite. This new thread is much better than that for tatting. It's kind of slippery as compared to cotton thread; it's so smooth when you pull it to make rings. Stitches seem neat, too.
I believe I've seen this motif in a book by FUJITO Teiko but not quite sure.
I'm thinking of putting this motif at the end of a bookmark I'll tat.

Via Flickr:
Thread: Silk Lace Thread, Daikoku Limited
Beads: TOHO CR508

Motif #3: Diamond Motif

Diamond Motif
Originally uploaded by Garyou.

SCMR, Self Closing Mock Ring, has been an issue to me.
I just can't tat it neatly. It easily becomes a mess.
I've been practicing, and, well, it looks better than before. At least I think so.

I've tried this motif of Jane once. The motif turned out as something completely different from the original.

This motif is one of my favourite. So, this would be a nice opportunity to try again since I started my 25 motifs challenge.

The result is much better than before, yet there is still large room for improving.

I used Olympus #40 in 731 and 455. I should have used darker colour for inside.

Pattern: Diamond Motif by Jane Ebrall.