Super Nova Star and a Fundraiser

This is a pic of the project I am teaching this spring at the Fingerlakes Tatting Seminar.  It is a 3-d star  that uses a cabone ring as the center.  This project can be done by both needle and shuttle tatters.  You will learn how to tat around a cabone ring in class so don't worry if you haven't don it yet.  

In other news Wally Sosa is doing a fundraiser for Puerto Rico until the end of January.  If you purchase anything from her store all proceeds will go to a fund to purchase tents for people who have lot their homes.  Wally is from Puerto Rico and has family affected by the earthquakes.  There is more information on her timeline on Facebook (and my facebook timeline Victats Clarke).  If you don't know Wally Sosa then I invite you to check her out at her Etsy store called Needles-n-Shuttles.  Wally is a long time tatter with many books and patterns available, check her out there is sure to be something that will interest you!

Never Ending Christmas Tree

This pattern came to me a 2 years ago.  I didn't share it because I was trying to be too precise.  This is a loosey goosey style of pattern because once you finish the first row it can be different each time you make it.  I have shared pictures of 2 of the trees I've made.  I'm pretty sure you can make the tree as big as you want.  

Warning: this can be fiddly.

Never Ending Christmas Tree Vicki Clarke 2017

Materials

 Beads

Crochet hook with small tip

Green Thread (I used size 20 Lizbeth #687 in sample)

Shuttle or needle

Terms:

 FR- folded ring

SR- small ring

LR- large ring

lj-  lock join

bp- add bead to picot 

a- first half of the ds

b- 2^nd half of the ds

vsp- very small picot

String lots of beads on thread and then fill shuttle.  Cut from ball.

The bulk of this pattern is based of the basic Ankars motif of: 

*SR     5 – 5

LR         5+ (prev ring) 5 – 5 – 5*       

Note: I added 2 beads to the 2^nd picot of the large ring then joined the next rows between the beads.  I don’t think these show up so did not include this as part of the pattern.

Start with the tip of the tree:

FR 1    1 vsp  2a  4 2b p 8

*SR     5 – 5

LR       5+ (prev ring) 5 – 5 – 5*

Make * to * 4 times for wide tree

Make * to * 2 times for narrow tree

R         5 – 5

FR       8 +(p of 1^st FR) 1 2a 4 2b

Pull up as many beads needed to reach the 2^nd picot on the 1^st large ring, join to the 1^st large ring (this bridges you to the next row)

 *SR     5 – 5

LR         5+ (prev ring) 5 – 5 – 5

Join to the picot of the next large ring in the previous row*

So you will repeat the combo of [SR, LR join] until you have joined to all the 2^nd picots of the large ring on the row. 

Finish with a small ring then pull up as many beads on the thread that you need to reach the 2^nd picot of the first Large ring of the next row.

I have included pics of the back side of the wide and narrow trees so you can get an idea of how many repeats I did.

I did not always join between sets of SR, LR and the wider the tree gets the more likely you will have a few repeats before joining to the previous row.

This is a loosey goosey pattern that can go on forever….

Front of trees.  

Back of trees so you can see how many big rings I used for each row.  

Gnome For Christmas

I am in love with the Crochet and Knitted Gnomes I've seen around.  So I decided we need one for tatting too.  Your job is to let me know if there are any mistakes.  

Gnome For Christmas
Vicki Clarke 2019

Materials:

Hat Red or Blue thread

Beard thread

Nose thread

Needle or shuttle

Crochet hook

Terms:

vsp very small picot

R- ring

C- chain

SCMR- self closing mock ring

lj- lock join

Hat 

Center

R1        6 vsp 6 vsp 6 vsp 6

Round 1

C1        4 vsp 4 lj (1^st vsp of R1)

C2       4 vsp 4 vsp 4 lj (2^nd vsp of R1)

C3       4 vsp 4 lj (3^rd vsp of R1)

C4       4 vsp 4 lj (beginning of round)

Round 2

C5       4 lj (vsp of C1) 4 p 4 lj (vsp of C1) 4 (lj of C1)

C6       4 lj (1^st vsp of C2) 4

SMCR 1          4 p 4

C7       4 lj (2^nd vsp of C2) 4 lj (lj C2)

C8       4 lj (vsp of C3) 4 p 4 lj (vsp of C3) 4 join to lj of C3, cut and hide ends

Beard

Choose a beard color, you will also need the nose thread for this part

Wind on 1 yard of beard thread onto shuttle CTM with ball

R         4 + (last lock join of Hat) 4

C9       4 vsp 4 vsp 4

For the nose: change to a shuttle with nose colored thread. 

R         6 +(vsp on C4) 6 vsp 6

Before closing the ring pass the beard shuttle through the ring, this helps to hold the ring in place and you can hide the ends of the nose in the next chain.

Cut the nose thread so you can hide the ends, you no longer need the nose thread

Using the beard shuttle:

C10     4 vsp 4 vsp 4 lj(vsp on nose)

C11     4 vsp 4 vsp 4

R         4 + (1st lock join of Hat) 4 tw slt

C12     8 lj (vsp C11) 4

SCMR                        4

C13     4 lj (next vsp C11) 6

SCMR                        4

C14     6 lj (vsp C10) 8

SCMR                        4

C15     8 lj (next vsp C10) 6

SCMR                        4

C16     6 lj (vsp C9) 4

SCMR                        4

C17     4 lj (next vsp C9) 8

join to beginning of beard, hide ends

Holly Jolly Christmas Tree

I realised that I have lost the Holly Jolly Christmas Tree pattern from this blog.  I suspect it didn't get changed over when I made a separate page for my patterns.  So given that its the time of year that everyone is thinking of Christmas Trees, I have added it back to the page.  The link is also below:

Holly Jolly Christmas Tree

Tall Christmas Tree Pattern

Christmas is fast approaching and if you are giving tatted gifts you are probably already frantically tatting.  This Christmas Tree pattern came to me the other day and made me think of cartoon style Christmas Trees.  The Pattern is diagrammed below.  The dark circles are 3mm crystal beads, you add them to the tatting by pulling a loop through the bead and then holding with a paperclip.  Then you tat 6 ds and make a lock join to the space held by the paperclip.  Think of this as a beaded mock ring- the bead takes up half the ring.  I put a double stitch between each of the beaded mock rings.  Most the the outside rings are mock rings too with the exception of the first ring.  On the large tree I used a split chain on the one side so I didn't have to cut and tie.  You can do it either way.   

Don't forget this pattern because a quick change in color and in the trunk can make these trees into umbrella's for spring!

Boo-yah ghost

I thought I was so smart figuring out tatting a circle around the cluny but then I saw it on Instagram lol.  Not as smart as I thought I was...

Boo-yah Ghost

All clunies are 12 passes.

Clunny (1)
Chain 14, lock join to beginning of cluny
Chain 14, lock join to end of cluny
Cluny (2)
Chain 14, alligator join between clunies
Chain 14, lock join to end of clunny 2
(Note that if you want a smooth ring do a Catherine Wheel join instead of lock, I found it didn't make a difference)
Chain 24
Clunny (3)
Chain 4
SCMR 4
Chain 4
Clunny (4)
Chain 24, lock join above outside lock join on eye
Chain 8
SCMR 2 p 1 p 1 p 1 p 1 p 2
Chain 8, lock join same as previous lock join
Chain 20
SCMR 2 p 2
Chain 20, lock join to eye
Chain 8
SCMR 2 p 1 p 1 p 1 p 1 p 2
Chain 8, join to beginning
and hide ends

Pumpkin Purse Charm!

So my hands are sore ftom tatting with Lizbeth metallic.  (Love it....we just need black...)  So to give them a rest I decided to make clunnies lol.  At least it gave my hand a chance to cramp in a different position!   The result are a couple Halloweenish motifs.  The first is the pumpkin purse charm...


Pumpkin Purse Charm

Note all clunnies are 12 passes.

Start with a cluny (1)
Chain 10
Cluny (2), lock join to start of 1st cluny
Chain 4
Clunny (3), lock join to start of 2nd cluny
Chain 10
Cluny (4), lock join to start of 3rd cluny
Chain 4
Cluny (5), lock join to start of 4th cluny
Chain 10
Cluny (6), lock join to start of 5th cluny
Chain 6, lock join to above space where the 3rd and 4th cluny join
Chain 6, lock join to start of cluny 1
Switch colors to green, turn work
Chain 10, lock join above middle clunies
Chain 10, lock join to end of cluny 6,
Slt, turn work
Chain 12, lock join above 3rd and 4th cluny,
Chain 12, lock join same place
Chain 12, join and tie off at cluny 1