Tatting With Rings - bound book

Updated:  I have move the detail on how to purchase the book to my other blog which will totally focused on items that I am putting up for sale.  Click on the picture in the sidebar to go to the blog.

 

 

The printed and bound copies of the book, Tatting With Rings is now available.  However, I had to up the price a bit since the material required to put the books together have increased in price slightly since the last time.
The price of the printed copy is now US$17.90 + postage.
 The price shown in the listing is inclusive of postage by region.  Please click on the drop-menu to select the price for your region.

I have created another button for it in the sidebar.  The price listed is inclusive of postage and is for one copy.  Please e-mail me separately if you wish to have more than one copy because I need to give a different postage cost.

I have received a number of e-mails earlier, requesting for the bound copy.  If you have sent me one, please could you now proceed with the purchase by using the 'Buy Now' button. I prefer to do it that way to streamline the process.  Thank you for your co-operation.

Next, the update on the Tatted Snowflakes Collection.  I almost done with the revision.  I may put up the pdf version first, like I did for the Rings book, while I make the printed copies.  It should be all done before the end of the month.

Tatting With Rings - book revised

My book, Tatting with Rings is now available again. but for the moment, only in pdf format.

I have made a small revision of the book to include the instructions for covering the plastic ring (cabone ring) with double stitches using needles.  However, written instructions remains as written, i.e. with shuttles.

The price of the pdf copy of the book is US$16.90.  I have include a 'Buy Now' button linked to Paypal, with the book listing in the sidebar on the right.  Please allow me a few days to respond to any orders as I may not always be online.

And here are some tatting to round off this post, a couple more snowflakes to show.

That makes it 18 done and I have 42 more to do.

Amendments to Instructions for 'Melati'

I have discovered that a slight correction is required in the written instructions for the pattern 'Melati" from my book Tatting with Rings.  The chart is not affected.

On page 11,

The 6th line down, the instruction should read
R(5+[to the last picot of the previous ring]3[1b]3

The 9th line should read
WS+(1), going through the picot of the last ring of the centre motif

The 11th line down should read
WS+(1), going through the same picot of the centre motif joined earlier.
 
These amendments may not be obvious after you have made the first few repeats, but I felt that I should still mention it for completeness sake.

I do apologise to those who have purchased the book if you may have been confused when making this motif.

Wrap-stitch Round a Plastic Ring With Needle

I wonder ... has anyone done it this way before? Or, have I stumbled across something new!

I received an e-mail from Alan asking if the patterns in my book, Tatting With Rings can be needle-tatted. Well, the patterns in my book were developed with shuttles. My only experience with needle tatting is limited to the basic rings and chains, but the thought of using a needle with the plastic rings gives an interesting challenge. I gave it some thought and started working on this idea that I have. I think I may have got it.

I am going to share the steps here. I would appreciate very much if they could be tested out by some of the needle-tatters among us to see if it can actually work.

Step 1 - making the first half of the double stitch
With the needle threaded, pull a loop of the needle thread up from under the ring and slide the needle through, pulling it all the way. You will get the thread looped round the ring as in the diagram above.

Step 2 - the second half of the double stitch
Bring a loop of the needle thread down under the plastic ring and slide the needle through, pulling it all the way.

You have made the first double stitch over the plastic ring.

It you continue making the double stitches this way, you'll find that the ball thread will be on one side of the double stitches and the needle thread on the other end. From the little that I know about needle tatting, both the ball thread and the needle thread must be at the same position to make the ring or chain. In this case then, the ball thread should move along with the double stitches.

Step 3 - moving the ball thread along
It is so simple! I can't think why it did not occur to me before. I think my brain cell has taken to running off, like Jane's, :)

To make the next double stitch, lay the ball thread along the outer edge of the plastic ring. Then, repeat Steps 1 and 2. This, in effect, means that you are making the double stitch over both the plastic ring and the ball thread. Make sure that the ball thread lies on the edge of the ring when you tighten the thread to neaten the double stitch.

The different colours used in the diagram are for illustration purposes only.

Now you have two double stitches over the ring looking like this.

To make the outward tatted ring, tie a knot with the ball and needle thread and make a ring as you would normally do with a needle, bringing the double stitch as close to the plastic ring as possible.

After making the outward ring, make a knot again to switch the position of the two threads. Repeat the steps for the next set of double stitches over the plastic ring.

I would love to hear what needle-tatters think of this.

The weather is not good for tatting

Besides working on completing the tiny hearts, have not been able to tat much otherwise. The weather is not very kind to me.

It has been rather hot the past week. Not blistering hot but very humid and sweaty. I feel like taking a shower every few hours. I can't tat in this high humidity weather. My hands are always damp with sweat and that is bad for the thread. They don't slide easily when wet or damp.

But you can't stop a tatter from tatting, ;-) In between the showers and frequent washing of hands to get rid of the sweaty palms, I managed to finish these.

I think I'll call them 'phone-dangles' because I often see things like this, not done in tatting though, hanging from mobile/cell phones. But they can also be put on zipper pulls on purses or bags, or anywhere for that matter. Anywhere that can catch the eye.

Hopefully, whoever notice it will be curious enough to ask about it and I can start telling them about tatting. :-)