Endrucks

With multiple encouragements I joined the efforts in the Endrucks 1920 project being run by Muskaan and Ninetta Caruso. A lot of different tatters joined the effort early on and it has grown significantly. There is a facebook group for participants. 

I dipped my toes in with a motif pulled from pattern #17. Which I really liked in Lizbeth metallic. I printed Muskaan's Lace Day earrings/Pendant and left the internet behind. :)  After completing the motif I thought it would make a nice snowflake. But I was late to the party on this idea as others before me had already tatted  it up and had variations of work as well. And that pattern is offered as a gift to those who participate in the project. In my distracted skimming and then separation from the facebook group I missed this. 

I sketched out my imaginings and went to work. It ends up being different from the one already dreamed up. My scheme works in one single pass (round) and connects complete motifs around. I'm delighted by this because if I can avoid cut and tie in multiple rounds I am all for it. It cups a bit so it can easily be used for other 3D projects but when blocked the center chains wiggle a little looking like a flower. 

Then I wondered what it would be like to flip the motif and do it inverse. I pictured it out on the computer first and omitted redundant rings and then walked through the pattern working order in my head and then with thread. This one didn't work quite as well the first pass. I need to adjust the side rings connecting the motifs. The cupping on this one was not as useful. It reminds me of a turtle. 

It does make my mind wander on the possibilities of upending other snowflake patterns. 

I ended up cutting open a few split rings,   settling the motifs more naturally and then laid individually tatted split rings into the design to see which filled the gap best. This produced the count I have now. The PDF can be accessed through this link. Many thanks to Muskaan for proofing the Pdf and giving me helpful feedback. 

If you give it a try please don’t hesitate to give feedback. 

 

 

A Valentine for you

A while back I was looking for a rose pattern to tat. A friend had requested rose bookmarks for her two emergent readers. I went hunting for a pattern assuming there would already be one,  I found Vicki Clarke's rose and liked the premise but needed a bit different angle for what I had in mind. You can find Vicki's rose here. Since her original pattern was free I figured my adaptations would be too. It has been a long time in the making getting it ready to share though. I had my pattern notes and good intentions to diagram it and lay it out in PDF and had reminders as people kept asking for it. however, I rarely sit down to the computer these days and some things I just have to do at the computer. Add in a myriad of other things in life, sickness, and technology and here we are over a year later. That's embarrassing.

 

So it came up again and I decided it was time to get moving on it. I started to lay it out but found days going by without more work on it. Enter Muskaan who has delighted me with her "how else can it be accomplished" and "look what else you can do with this" etc. Seriously take a look at her blog. She contacted me and offered to help me on it. At first I was like, "naw, I'm a graphic designer, I can do this." Then I remembered that can and doing and done are different things. Besides it's always good to have a test tatter and another set of eyes looking at and proofing. And I couldn't have had a better set of eyes on it. Muskaan asked the right questions and we reorganized the method of tatting the pattern. It can be done with shuttle and ball as I originally did it based off of Vicki's pattern or it can be done quite simply with two shuttles CTM. I decided to use the latter for the pattern instructions. 

Over the course of all this I have tatted the rose part a number of times and then added options like a stem with a bud and a version for earrings. These are also on the pdf. There are so many more options, a bigger leaf, thicker stem etc. etc. So put your own touch on it, and then come back and share it with me. I'd love to see it! So get to the good part right? See the PDF below. If you tat this item please make sure you give credit where it is due, and for the love if you pin it, make sure it links back to the source! Happy Valentine's Day! Share the love. 

Chokers

Chokers are making their come back, which I love. You can get oodles of cheap plastic chokers or you can get something special. 

Here are a few of the designs I’ve tatted up in the last while. They are available and more in my Etsy store. If you see something you love but want it in a different color let me know! I’d be happy to make something custom for you. All custom orders require a $20 deposit.

Right now I’m working on one adapted from a pattern from 1921. If you’d like to see more up to date works I post on Instagram @corettadeesign much more frequently than I blog these days.