These are included in the pattern for the Endless Hearts Braid with Corner. I just didn't want them to slip by unnoticed. 😉
Grace Tats
Mainly for my tatting
Sunday, 30 August 2020
Endless Hearts finger rings
Saturday, 29 August 2020
Endless Hearts - endless variations!
This post is actually a tribute to my test tatters. I had nine test tatters, and they came up with many different ways to do the various elements in the pattern!
I incorporated some of their suggestions, but not others. However, now that I realise what a wide variety there is in tatting styles, I want to share their ideas with all of you – because you may also have the same style.
I will probably update this post as and when I come across more suggestions or links...
All the variations suggested below make reference to the pattern for the Endless Hearts Braid with Corner
Abbreviations:
Different ways to do the EPJ (Encapsulating Picot Join)
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As given in the pattern (last page):
Make a vsp on Chain (2). Don't join Chain (2) to Ring (1) yet. Tat Chain (3) until the point of the EPJ. As with a normal picot join, pull a loop of thread up through the picot of Ring (1), but then pull it down through the vsp on Chain (2). Put the shuttle through the loop and snug up, but not too tightly. Later, join Ring (4) into a loop of the EPJ.
By substituting the elements in the join:
A. Make an FIP instead of a vsp on Chain (2). Then pull up the loop through both the FIP and the picot of Ring (1), put the shuttle through the loop, and snug up.
B. Make an IP instead of a vsp on Chain (2). Then pull up the loop through both the IP and the picot of Ring (1), put the shuttle through the loop, and snug up.
C. Make a long picot on Ring (1). Make a vsp on Chain (2), do not join to Ring (1). When tatting Chain (3), make a picot join into the long picot of Ring (1) and the vsp of Chain (2) (the vsp is layered over the long picot), put the shuttle through the loop and snug up. Later, when tatting Ring (4), make a picot join into the long picot of Ring (1). (This works best if doing the pattern front-side/back-side.) (More details here.)
By doing sequential joins:
A. Make a lock join from Chain (2) into the picot of Ring (1). Then, later, do a picot join from Chain (3) into the lock join on Chain (2). Then, later, join Ring (4) into the core thread of Chain (3).
B. On Chain (2), make a CWJ into the Ring (1) picot; also make a vsp between the half-stitches of the CWJ. Then, later, do a picot join from Chain (3) into the vsp on the CWJ on Chain (2), and immediately make an FIP on Chain (3). Then, later, join Ring (4) into the FIP. (Two of my test tatters independently came up with this solution.)
C. If you don't mind strivers (safety pins / paper clips): On Ring (1), make a tiny picot. On Chain (2), make a CWJ into Ring (1), and put a striver between the legs of the CWJ. On Chain (3), make a picot join where the striver is, then immediately put the striver on the core thread. Then join Ring (4) with a picot join into Chain (3) where the striver is.
Blipless joins:
Turning the chain to make the S-curve:
In the pattern, the turn is accomplished with two first-half stitches. Other ways are:
A. Simply RW the pattern around the chain being tatted. (This was my original suggestion; it did not work too well during test tatting.)
B. Do a SLT, then RW.
C. Use a Reverse Join where joining to the previous clover (video tutorial here) (However, this will lock the core thread.)
Substitutions for the Catherine Wheel Join:
A. the Anne Dyer Join to the Smooth Side (or JSS) (video tutorial here)
B. the Slope & Roll Join (this can break the line of caps for the chain)
C. the lock join (this will put a dimple in the chain)
Substitutions for the FIP:
A. The Intruding Picot (as mentioned above)
B. The down picot (tutorial here)
Other variations:
B. Making the 14 ds stretches of chain a bit longer - 16 or 18 ds.
C. Omitting free picots from the rings.
Endless Hearts Braid with Corner
This is a pattern I was working on quite intensely, in early 2013. In response to a request, I even created an SCMR corner for it.
But then I stalled, because it was so onerous to tat! I needed two paper clips as strivers for every repeat of the pattern – they went on, then off, then on, then off, over and over again.
When it came to describing how to tat it – well, that was even more hideous! I took pictures for a tutorial, then realised that I still needed to write long and convoluted sentences about joining to the undersides of chains…
So, I just gave up – though I did go on to write up and publish other patterns using the little hearts (see under "My patterns").
But, in July, Muskaan shared about the Intruding Picot. I saw at once that maybe this picot could replace those pesky paper clips. So I dusted off my Endless Hearts samples and scribbles and started experimenting with it again. I eventually stumbled on a join that was new to me – I call it the Encapsulating Picot Join. That solved most of my problems, and I was able to tat the Endless Hearts without strivers or tears, and then to write it up and draw diagrams for it.
And now, after extensive test-tatting and rewrites, here it is at last!
My test tatters made many suggestions, reflecting a great array of tatting styles! I wasn't able to use them all, but I have compiled them in the next blog post, so that you can try them out, if you wish.
Saturday, 18 March 2017
3D Christmas Tree Earrings - updated barely in time for St. Patrick's Day! ;-)
Here are a couple more pictures of the earrings. The one in off-white is actually a prototype, and the one with the square beads at the base I tatted for myself — managed to finish them just in time for a party on Christmas Day!
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3D Christmas Tree Earrings: Prototype with blue base bead |
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3D Christmas Tree Earrings for myself |
Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone who celebrates it! If you feel like tatting today, you can check out my Trefoil Hearts Shamrock in the Patterns section.
Tuesday, 20 December 2016
3D Christmas Tree Earrings – barely in time for Christmas…
[Update March 2017: I have now improved the pattern and changed the links to go to the updated version.]
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3D Christmas Tree Earrings - November 2016 |
Thursday, 18 February 2016
Better late than never — the pattern for the Dagmar Cross
I cogitated for a while. I felt I ought to design something Danish. The first thing that occurred to me was a Viking longship. But I felt it ought to be 3-D, and I didn't feel up to tatting that. Then I thought about Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales. Swan? No, that had been done. Mermaid? That had been done, too. Tin soldier? Yeah, he was steadfast, but he didn't seem compelling. Then I thought that, just as there was a Celtic cross, there might well be a Danish cross. I Googled "Danish cross", and found the Dagmar Cross (have a look at it here — scroll down to see a picture of the original two-sided Dagmar Cross and read its story).
So I designed a tatted version of the side with the five medallions. And here is how my design looks:


I submitted this pattern to the Danish Tatting Association in July 2013, in good time for them to include it in the December 2013 20th anniversary edition of their magazine, Orkis Bladet.
After that, with their permission, I started getting the pattern ready for publication on this website. I did the instructions and the diagrams and got them test-tatted. And then... well, I didn't like the tatted models I had. One (the green and pink) was in Milford Mercer thread, which is rather sticky. When I retatted it in better Lizbeth thread (Herbal Garden and Autumn Spice) the ring sizes came out a bit different. But then, I didn't use flat colours for the Lizbeth model, so the construction of the cross wasn't so clear. I thought I ought to tat another model. But — I will confess to you — this pattern was no fun to tat! And none of the flat colours I had seemed right, anyway. So I kept putting this task off, since there were lots of other things that were more fun to do.
But, tonight, I finally looked at my pattern again. It's really all right! The instructions are test-tatted; they are clear enough, and mistakes have been fixed. My two models do show quite well how the cross should look. So why am I making such a fuss? It's not perfect, but it will do. So, all I did tonight was to add the watermarks to the pictures and diagrams, and at long last, HERE IT IS. :-)
Thursday, 26 November 2015
Celtic shuttles from a laundry jug
How to make the Celtic shuttles
I started with a laundry detergent jug. Initially I tried cutting narrow flat shuttles from its sides, but these turned out to be much too soft. Then I noticed that there were ribs on the bottom of the jug:![]() |
Ribs on the bottom of a 5-L / 1 gallon laundry jug |
Ribbed bottom of a gallon jug |
Cut along the sides of the ribs |
Step 3. Trim the strips so that they're no wider than the ribs, and cut the ends so that they taper a bit. For these particular jugs, I found that a sharp pair of scissors worked better than a knife or box cutter.
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Notice that the tips point upwards from the table top |
Step 4. Use an awl to drill two or three holes along the middle of the ribs. Nest the ribs so that they lie close against each other, then drill a hole about one inch from each end, and another halfway along the length. Drill through both pieces.
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Rib strips with awl |
Nested strips after the holes have been drilled |
Convex sides of the ribs now facing - tips come together |
Step 6. Sew the two strips together with sewing thread. For longer shuttles, use a figure-8 method of sewing. Sew through the holes several times and tie off securely.
Step 7. Trim the sides and ends to make the shuttle as smooth and slim as possible. But don't cut the ends shorter, or the tips won't meet. The shuttle is now finished! :-D
The finished size is about 4 in / 10 cm long. It has a square cross-section, about 0.4 in / 1 cm wide across the diagonal. The exact length and width will depend on the jug you use, and which part of the bottom you cut the strips from.
Completed shuttle |
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Completed shuttle - tips come together |
The shuttles in use
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Japanese Twisted Clover Doily with homemade Celtic shuttles |
My homemade Celtic shuttle passing through the chain space in the clover round |
So, these shuttles were just right for this project. Narrower than regular celtic shuttles, but wider than the super-slim acrylic Celtic shuttles. For me, it was important that their tips came together so that the thread didn't unwind every time I dropped or laid down the shuttle.
I hope my instructions have been clear; please let me know if you need any further clarification. If you try making similar shuttles, I would love to see some pictures! ;-)