Honey Napkin round 9

Round 9

Round 9 is lovely!

I'm trying to think of other ways to use it now.

This photo was taken over a week ago and nothing has changed since then.

My headache is coming up to 5 weeks old now and I took a weeks holiday from the tatting in the hopes that it would help settle my aching head - no such luck.

Knowing that it is going to take longer and longer to go around each row of this beautiful project, I decided a few days ago that I needed to do something small that I could finish.

from Priscilla book 2

Introducing: the Pansy pattern from Priscilla Book 2.

 
I have almost finished two pansys (pansies?).

The first one I followed the instructions, as you do, did the centre ring and then made the petals off the ring.

I nearly screamed many times - the petals insisted on twisting around so that I couldn't tell how they were joined and which direction I was going.

The second one I made each petal separately then joined them together with the centre ring.

OK, so I haven't actually joined them at the time of writing this, but I am hoping that when I get home from Saturday brunch (where I am at the moment) that I will do the joining ring.

the latest delivery - YAY

OOPS! I accidently hit the publish button. Sorry.

My most recent delivery from OS: A metal shuttle with spare bobbins; Coil-less safety pins in gold and silver; and patterns for crocheted cobweb shawls.

This was my last purchase before the $AU went below parity with $US - just means I have to pay more now to buy in $US.

The crochet instructions say to use mohair weight thread. I don't get on well with most woolen threads so I will be using a soft 4ply cotton that I have (a lot of) at home for my first attempt.

Going now to put the second pansy together.

Oh, I nearly forgot, there is another row to go on the outside of the petals - a light cream if I can find one.

These will count as #2 and #3 in my 25 motif challenge.

Honey Napkin rounds 7 and 8

Round 7

I know that I usually pull my chains too tight, so in round 4 I left them a bit looser. It's looking like I did it too loose now.

Rounds 1-4 sat flat.

Rounds 5-8 would sit flat if they weren't connected to the centre 4 rounds.

Round 8

I'm hoping that when I learn how to block it comes out flat.

At Round 8 it is approximately 28cm diameter.

7 and 8 are 'similar' in the mathematical sense that one is an enlargement of the other and mirrored. These two rounds are also the first that needed two shuttles.

It took few repeats before I could stop looking at the pattern for round 7.

Doing round 8 it took longer to stop looking as the order of components was the same but the number of stitches was different.

It has taken longer to do these rounds than the previous - they were harder, and it is getting further around - but not as long as you might think from the gap since my last post.

My tablet computer which I use to take the photos keeps not wanting to upload to the net.

My first HDT order

Some of the blogs that I'm reading use the most amazing thread colours in their tatting and some of them dye their own threads.

They kept talking about HDT and I didn't know what it was. Obviously I have found out now.

HDT - Hand Dyed Thread.

I got my first order of HDT from Jess at Tat-ilicious and I love it.

The light colour (1 skein and 1 bobbin) is Whoopsie #40.

The dark colour (1 skein and 1 bobbin) is Grackle Mess #40 and is a lot more interesting looking in real life - it has blues and purples kind of like abalone shell colouring.

The large bobbin at the bottom is Dark Rainbow #20. It was the last of that colourway which is why I only bought the one.

I am getting soooooooooooo many ideas for things that I would like to do from all the blogs and pins that I am connected to.

I have put in another overseas order for bobbins and other accessories but the AUS$ is falling in value so instead of paying less than US$ I'm starting to pay more. Oh well, it was good while it lasted!

Unfortunately my headache has now gone on for more than two weeks and I have had to cancel over $600 worth of maths tutoring students - which means no more internet spending for a while.

Honey Napkin 5 and 6

round five

Looking at rounds 5 and 6 I thought that I might try using a split chain to climb out of 5 and a split ring to start 6.

I joined the InTatter's forum a short time ago so that I could look up patterns and get help with things like 'I've heard of a split chain, now, how do I make a one'.

close-up of split chain

I went to the Questions section and found that someone had recently asked about split chains so looked through the answers she was given and was directed to a YouTube video which gave a good run through of both the split chain to climb out of the current round and the split ring to start the next round.

There was also a pdf file with diagrammes of another method of doing the split chain. 

round six

I went with the pdf version of the chain (I've tried the split chain once previous to this that went sooo wrong...) and this one went perfectly.

I then used the split ring technique from the video and it also went well especially since I was using one shuttle and a ball thread.

I have done a lot of split rings recently in THE peacock's tail but they were done with two shuttles and I worked them out as I went.

Honey Napkin round 4

So round 4 was finished Tuesday night and round 5 is now halfway done.

 I have just joined up with a 25 motive challenge - not the best timing when I am only up to round 4 of 18 in this project. 

Just before I started on the Honey Napkin I made Jon's Quantiesque Snowflake in Lizbeth #40 Falling Leaves.  

I'm going to count this as motif#1 of my 25.  When I finish the Honey Napkin I'll count it as one as well.

Honey Napkin round three

round three finished

Did I finish this round on Friday or Saturday? I don't remember now. I've had a debilitating headache most of today (Sunday) so I haven't done any tatting. I am nearly finished round 4 though. When I finish each round I go back to Renulek's blog and copy down the instructions for the next round.

As I am doing my blogging from my Tablet the linking doesn't work. When I next do an update from my main computer I will update the links back to Renulek's blog so that other people can find it in the same way that I found it.

Updating now (9May2013)

Honey Napkin round one and two

I've been told that I will need a lot of thread to get through this one - there are 18 rounds.

The designer is Renulek, in Poland. The instructions are in Polish which I am translating with a lot of help from Google translate. The pattern name translates to 'Honey Napkin'. 

The centre of the project (these two rounds) are from the "Priscilla Tatting Workbook 2". 

Unfortunately there are at least two versions of this book in print and the one that I own doesn't have this pattern in it. 

It is available online. 

You need to make sure the publication is from Maine (the picture for it is 'figure 92' on page 26, but the instructions are on page 32).

rounds one and two

One of the bloggers that I follow was in the middle of this project when I started following her and has also worked another of Renulek's large projects. 

Many thanks for introducing me to Renulek's blog - although I may be cursing in 10 rounds time.

I am using DMC Cebelia #20 in Ecru.