Tatting, and an update

I haven't posted lately, in part because I couldn't find my camera. I looked everywhere, but no dice. Finally, today, after much searching, I found it hanging on my closet door knob. Hmmmm. I guess you always find things in the last place you look. And now you get to see that my photography skills have not improved, even a little bit.


Lately I've been alternating between cross stitching on my Marquoir and tatting. Tatting is very portable, which is useful, with the way my life is right now. Above is the center of a motif of my current tatting project, "The Grid," found in the book Tatting Patterns and Designs by Gun Blomqvist and Elwy Persson. It will eventually be a piano scarf, if I bought enough thread. Or a table center. The thread I'm using is a size 20 tatting thread, in hunter green. The little ring above is about the size of my pinky tip.

Next, I finished round 2:

Tomorrow, assuming all goes as I planned, I will do round three, which includes attaching it to the larger part of the project.

Here are the tools I'm using for this:
Hey, that picture didn't turn out too bad! OK, clockwise from the scissors, which I hope you recognize. They are Ginghers, and I have several pair, and I always keep the tips covered, because they are sharp! And I don't want them blunted. Next is a magnet, with a needle and threader on it. Then, a yellow piece of paper. Yes, that is a tool, and it really saved me. When I first started this project, in order to save thread, I calculated how much thread I needed to wind onto the shuttle for each round. Then, as is my MO, I didn't work on the project for several months and when I returned to it, I had forgotten all about that. But since I had it written down, I was able to start up where I had left off with little trouble. I'm a big fan of the stitching journal for that very reason. Not to mention you can tell people just how long it took you to make "that little thing." However, I haven't kept track of my time on this one. Each inner ring is just a couple of minutes; the second round took me just about an hour today; round three will take longer. I have made 17 motifs so far.

OK, to continue, next is the crochet hook. I use this to make joins. It's my understanding that you can do this without a hook--if anyone can direct me to instructions for this technique, I'd appreciate it. I love my crochet hook because it's the tiniest I've ever seen. I can't remember the brand, just that it's German. Unfortunately there are no markings on it as to size or origin.

Next, a yellow paper clip. Yellow, because I don't care much for that color, and I was using all my other colors to mark hymns in my hymnal at that time for piano practice. I wasn't using yellow for that purpose. I use the paper clip to mark the thread at the point where I should stop winding the shuttle. Ever since I learned about the ball-and-shuttle technique, where you don't cut the thread, my life has been so much easier. Tatting-wise, that is. So many fewer threads to knot and weave in. Speaking of which, I've heard of a knotless joining technique, and I'm also wondering if I'm finishing my threads correctly--to me it looks so sloppy to make a square knot and weave in the ends. If anyone knows where I can find this information or technique, I'd really appreciate it.

Below the paper clip is my shuttle. You can't tell from the picture, but the shuttle is attached to that ball of thread. I like these Clover plastic shuttles best. I tried some metal shuttles with removable bobbins and I was so afraid that I'd cut my fingers when I tried to get the bobbins back in place. So I just wind my plastic shuttle and annoy everyone with the clicking.

And just a note: I've added an update to my Fudgenellies post. Further experimentation led to more necessary information.