Free Pattern: Onion Ring Bookmark

I made a few small adjustments to the onion ring edging and came up with an onion ring bookmark. I've created a basic printable pattern which you can find on my free patterns page or go to directly by clicking HERE. If you notice any errors in the pattern, please let me know.

I tatted the bookmark in DMC size 40 white, because I had some left over from my onion ring magic square. Then, I made another version in DMC size 80 variegated violet:

The violet version measures 1 inch across and the white version measures 1.4 inches across. The bookmarks can be made to any length you want.

Metallic Tatting

Over the past month I've tatted a few things using the new Liz Metallic thread. The sparkle is so hard to capture in photos. I think it comes through a little bit when taking close ups of the tatting:

The snowflake is something I made earlier, when I was rewriting one of my Etsy patterns. It's made in Liz Metallic Silver. After that, I tatted the heart in Raspberry Pink, and the bookmark in Sand Dollar:

The Raspberry Pink color is pretty intense, though I don't think that shows up well in the photos. Here's a size comparison of three hearts. The top heart is tatted in Lizbeth 40, the middle heart is tatted in Lizbeth 20, and the bottom heart is tatted in Liz Metallic:

Here's the metallic bookmark photographed next to another bookmark made in Lizbeth 20 Pink Parade:

The tassel threads in the metallic tend to separate, but so far the tassel knot is holding up fine:

I do like the stiffness of the metallic thread, especially for snowflakes. I'm thinking of using it to make snowflakes for holiday cards this year. I will have to limit my tatting time with the metallics though, as they are much rougher to work with than cotton.

Bookmark patterns are in the shop

After many months of designing, writing, and testing, the bookmark patterns are finally available in my Etsy shop! You can click HERE to go directly to the listing.

There are more photos within the listing that show all of the designs. Thanks again to everyone who helped with the test tatting. If you test tatted these and did NOT receive the final version of the ebook, please let me know.

A few days ago, Etsy was having some issues that caused a delay in receiving instant downloads. It looks like it has cleared up now, but if you encounter any issues don't hesitate to contact me. I can send files for any patterns in my shop.

Nearly there

I've finally finished up my bookmark patterns and they have been sent off to test tatters. Here's a photo of all of the bookmarks on the table:

It should only be a few more weeks before these patterns will be available in my Etsy shop.

Bookmark project update

I wanted to post an update on my bookmark project since I haven't written about it for a while. The diagrams are complete and there are two more patterns that need written instructions. I've also begun test tatting some of the patterns:

There's still several pictorials to make (some for tassels and some for techniques such as onion rings). I'll be working on this project through the month of August and will hopefully have patterns ready to send to testers in the beginning of September.

The Final Two

Here are the final two bookmarks for my bookmark project:

They are both tatted in Lizbeth size 40 thread, the one on the left is done in Ocean Turquoise Light and the one on the right is done in Black. The design for the blue bookmark comes from my table runner, which is still a work in progress that I hope to get back to soon. The black bookmark is inspired by one of the Round Robin doilies on Craftree. I really liked the five petaled element that Martha Ess used in the doily center, and wanted to incorporate it into a bookmark.

In total there are 12 bookmark patterns for this project. I still have a few minor changes that I'm making to some of the patterns, and then I will be able to start diagramming them on the computer.

Two more to go

I made a couple more bookmarks this past week. Now I just have two more that I want to make before I start writing up and testing the patterns. The first one is tatted in Lizbeth size 40, Seagreen Dark:

The second bookmark is tatted in Lizbeth size 20, Caribbean:

I've been using the Amaziograph app to brainstorm some of the bookmarks. Here's my drawing for the first bookmark:

And my drawing for the second bookmark:

They don't always come out exactly like the drawings, but I find the drawings to be a helpful reference.

Flowery bookmarks and Etsy sale

Here's a couple of flowery bookmarks, made in one pass using split rings:

The yellow one is done in Lizbeth size 20 Pineapple Parfait, and the one next to it is done in Lizbeth size 80 Easter Eggs. I have about four more bookmarks that I'd like to create before I get started on compiling and testing the patterns.

I'm having an Etsy sale during the end of May (starting today, May 23rd and going until Thursday, May 31st). Everything in the shop is 20% off and the discount is automatically applied. If you miss this sale, don't worry, I'll be having another one at the end of November. But, if you want to save a few bucks and start on some summer tatting, head on over and take a look.

More Bookmarks

Here's a few more bookmarks I've made over the past couple of weeks:

I still have ideas for several others, and these patterns will be available as a bundle later in the year. Check back next week though, because I'll be having a sale on all of the other patterns in my Etsy shop. I'll probably start that around Wednesday, May 23rd and it will run until the 31st of May.

Inspired by Mary

These two bookmarks are inspired by Mary Konior's "Corn and Chaff," from her book Tatting in Lace.

Ever since tatting Corn and Chaff, I wondered how Mary was able to make these braid patterns. I finally figured out a way to do it, but find it easier to work with larger ring sets of three and four. It's basically a matter of balancing the curvature of the large ring, with the arch created at the base of a ring set. There's some trial and error in getting things to fit snugly.

Some interesting shapes can be made with these one shuttle patterns. Here's a version with pairs of rings:

Ready for Spring

I'm ready for the temperatures to stabilize so I can plant a vegetable garden in the back yard. The poor plants have been sitting inside under grow lights for months, as I wait for the freeze warnings to dissipate. In the meantime, I've tatted a flowery bookmark in bright spring colors:

This bookmark is made in Lizbeth size 40 thread, Coral Splash and Leaf Green Medium. The design is something I came up with earlier this week. As I was tatting this, I couldn't help but think that it is reminiscent of the Priscilla bookmark. The placement of elements is similar, however this pattern uses self closing mock rings while the Priscilla bookmark has regular rings. 

I have some other bookmark designs that I am working on as well. Between bookmarks and the table runner, I will be plenty busy with tatting for the rest of the year.

From bookmark to table runner?

I thought some of you might be interested to see me turn a bookmark pattern into a table runner. I'm at the beginning stages now and will be working with this design:

A little backstory: Ever since I made a magic square, I wondered what other shapes could be tatted infinitely, in one pass. I thought about making a magic rectangle, and drew some possible paths for it. Since a bookmark is rectangular in shape, it seemed like a perfect building block for a magic rectangle.

To get started, I took a birds eye photo of the bookmark pictured above, and digitally spliced it together using an app called Photo Grid. I then drew missing elements using another app called You Doodle:

I soon realized that the magic square path would be too complicated for a rectangular project, and that it was much easier to zig-zag back and forth. Here is a sample of a zig-zag path, also drawn with You Doodle:

If you look closely, you will notice that the zig-zag path is not completable on the tatting pictured above. I have to redesign the midsection to create a continuous path which will allow me to travel from one "bookmark" to the next.

I often work with a lot of digitally altered images, which I keep stored in my iPad's photo album. It gives me a visual roadmap of where to take my tatting, and an idea of how the larger project will look. Next time, I'll show some of the redesigns involved in getting the zig-zag path to work.

Speaking of bookmarks, I've been talking to Dorothy Cochran over on Etsy (link to her shop), and she has sent me written instructions for the Priscilla Bookmark. I've updated the pattern to include these instructions, and you can find it on my free patterns page or directly by clicking here. Thanks Dorothy!

Box and Bookmark

I finished the first stage of the tatted box from last week, and it will definitely need to be stiffened. Thank you for all of the suggestions on stiffening in the comments of my previous post. I'm going to look through them in more detail and see what products I can find at the store.

The box is difficult to photograph, so I put a few shuttles in it to help see the dimensions. These are old German Silver tatting shuttles that I bought on eBay a while ago:

Here's another view from the side. Although the walls stay upright, they are wavy. If the box is picked up by one of the sides, it will collapse because it has no rigidity.

The next step will be blocking and then stiffening the box. I want to try using card stock to create a box form, to block and stiffen the tatting on. I'm hoping that wrapping the card stock in plastic wrap will prevent it from getting wet. If that doesn't work I'll have to find a small Tupperware or something at The Container Store that I can use as a mold for the tatting. If that goes smoothly, then maybe I can design a lid for the box as well.

I also had the chance to test out criss-crossed picots in the bookmark from a few posts back. I ended up scrapping the idea because the crossed picots don't add anything of value to the bookmark design. I think they would work better in a pattern with larger open spaces.

Anyhow, the pattern for the bookmark and variation has been added to my Etsy shop. Here's a photo of the two bookmarks together and a link for the listing.

Two Bookmarks pattern Click Here

Pattern for Dillmont inspired bookmark

I received a comment on a previous blog post, asking if I had a pattern for this bookmark.

Coincidentally, I've been working on writing a pattern for this, but haven't gotten around to proofreading or testing it yet. However, I do have some diagrams ready.

It's a simple concept, but does rely on the use of split rings to travel from one triangle to the next. The pattern is based on Figure 23 (Triangular motifs) from Therese de Dillmont's DMC Library: Tatting, which was published in 1880. I think it was Kathy Niklewicz who directed me to her and Sue's experiments with this pattern.

I changed the stitch counts to be able to more easily go from one triangle to another. It starts as a simple "braid" which works well in size 20 thread:

Here is the accompanying diagram for the braid. Red indicates rings made with Shuttle 1 while blue indicates rings made with Shuttle 2. Rings with a line down the middle are split rings. All triangles have the same stitch count:

If you turn the corner and go down the other side, you can make it into a bookmark. This works better in smaller threads. The bookmark I made is done in size 80 but it would probably also work in size 40 thread. In size 80 it measures 1.6 inches wide and can be made however long you want:

Here is the accompanying diagram for the bookmark:

Following the same concept as the bookmark, you can zigzag back and forth to make a mat. I wanted to make my mat symmetrical on the left and right side, so I had to follow a more creative path to do so in one pass. Here is a photo of the mat:

And a diagram showing the order of operations for a symmetrical mat (please refer to the bookmark or braid diagrams above for stitch counts).

If you understand the flow of this somewhat complicated diagram, you can extend the mat to any length or width that you want. You can also just zig zag back and forth if you don't mind a mat that is asymmetrical.

Organizing the triangles in a different way will make a hexagon, which can be used as a coaster:

Here is the accompanying diagram for the hexagon. Like the diagram for the mat, it shows the path of completion, but does not have any stitch counts. Please refer to the diagram for the bookmark or braid for stitch counts, as they are the same in all triangles.

If the numbers aren't big enough in any of the diagrams, you can right click on the images and open them in a new tab.

I'm still working on a PDF file with all of these patterns and will post a link here when it is done.

Bookmark variation

I had some spare black thread left on my shuttles, and decided to use it to tat a few small squares. As I was tatting, I started to wonder what it would look like if I joined the triangular ring clusters a little bit differently...staggered and in a straight line for a bookmark. So, after a bit of sketching and measuring, this is what I came up with (pictured alongside the little black squares I was tatting):

In the end, it's just a slight variation of an earlier bookmark I was working on, which has the ring clusters side by side. The new version is tatted in Lizbeth size 80 Easter Eggs. The earlier version is done in Lizbeth size 20, light pink (I can't remember the exact color name).

Two Bookmarks pattern Click Here

For the variation, I didn't get the picots on the central chains placed correctly, so it looks a little sloppy to me. I'm eliminating them and just leaving a clean center for the next one, but I think it might also look nice with criss cross picots. I don't know if I will actually get around to trying the criss cross picots though, as I always seem to be battling with finding enough time to put all of these ideas into use.

I'm currently working on writing patterns for these bookmarks and am aiming to have them ready in a couple of weeks. That's assuming I don't get distracted by anything else.

Bookmark

I decided to make a bookmark using the same triangles from my previous posts, this time in Lizbeth size 80 Rainbow Taffy.

Here's another photo of it in The Complete DMC Encyclopedia of Needlework, which I found for a few dollars at a local used book store:

I'm making a few more patterns (repeatable squares), and after that I will be finished with my triangle experiments. I'll make a post showing all of the triangle patterns together when I'm done.

Triangles

After all of the pattern writing and proofreading, I really wanted to take a break and just tat. While brainstorming a few snowflake ideas, I stumbled onto a triangle. It looked like it would make a good building block for a variety of patterns:

I like to use building blocks as a basis for creating patterns. I think in terms of shapes (trefoil, rosette, multi-ringed flowers, triangles, squares, pretzels, "the scream") and I use these concepts to form larger patterns.

With the triangle pictured above, I have created a repeatable square, a small snowflake, and a bookmark:

I have already begun adjusting the bookmark to make a large cross. If the large cross is successful, I can use the inner portion to make another repeatable square. I also might be able to tweak the triangle itself and use split rings to make a bracelet or small bookmark.

Hopefully I'll make some progress in the next couple of weeks and will have more pictures to share!

Lost and Found

I have not been in the mood to tat any more snowflakes, so I decided to make another Frauberger doily. Over a month ago, I had completed Round 1 in size 40 White and Green Coral Sea. In the midst of cleaning, I threw it somewhere, but where?

After a while of looking around I found it among a bunch of tatting scrap (the kind of tatting that is meant for the trash bin)! I have a tendency to either throw things away, or to hide them so well that I lose them for years. All in an effort to make a space look more clean and organized.

While I was looking for the doily, I also remembered that I had been working on a bookmark over the summer. I found it in one of my bags, and it's a little more than halfway done:

The bookmark is made in size 80 Lizbeth, White and Niagara Falls. I'm hoping to finish it in time for Christmas.

As I tat things, I'm beginning to take detailed measurements of the length of thread used. I'm wondering if there is any correlation between size 20, 40, and 80. Would I be able to predict thread usage for size 80 if I know how much is used in size 20?

So far, I have confusing results that don't really have correlations. I need to add my hand scribbled notes to spreadsheets so that I can keep track of the data over time, and see if any patterns emerge.

In addition to tatting, I'm also working on a set of new Inkscape posts about how to place "automatic" pattern repeats. This will be at least two posts long, and will probably be ready next week.

Polished

No matter how hard I try, I just cannot seem to leave well enough alone! A few weeks ago, after finishing the Frauberger bookmark, I couldn't help but be displeased with it. The chains in the onion rings were a little too long and the bookmark itself had a tendency to curve. So, I tinkered with it here and there, and polished up the pattern to the point that it now works out straight (for me at least).

This time I used two colors (Lizbeth size 80 White and Wildflower Garden). I really like the way it turned out and plan on trying another two color version. Here it is next to the original, and you can see how the first version curves:

Last but not least, for those who would like to try with the new stitch counts, please see the diagram below.

I only changed one thing, decreasing the onion ring chains by 1 stitch on each side. However, if you pull your chains tightly you may want to just stick with the original counts posted to my blog at the end of June. There is also a long connecting picot on the bookmark turns, which I briefly mentioned in a previous post. The extra note on the bottom left is for me, as I plan to try another version with the inner chains reduced to 9-9.

Still tinkering

I haven't tatted much these past couple of weeks, but I did manage to finish the Frauberger bookmark. I have yet to sew in the ends:

I was displeased with my chain tension in certain areas, and also wanted to see what would happen if I connected the corner floating rings together. So I started again, this time in Lizbeth Niagara Falls, size 80:

I found that the floating rings on the corners CAN be connected together, but one must make sure to keep the joining picots longer than usual. I didn't make my joining picots long enough to keep the turn perfectly straight, but I'm sure I can fix that with blocking.

I really should have finalized this in size 40 or larger before moving onto size 80. For me, it's harder to gauge chain tension in the smaller thread and to create stitch counts that will accurately reflect the pattern. I usually draft everything in size 20 and create a finalized working model before moving onto the tiny threads. This time I got a little impatient :)