Celtic Tatting

2008-04-08T09:47:00.002-05:00

Home from Hector Tat Days!

Sarah and I greatly enjoyed our visit to Hector, and especially seeing our friends, old and new, there! We've come away with a bit of new thread (duh, what else would you expect with so many beautiful colors right in front of our eyes?), and happy memories to file away, and patterns to try.

I was most intrigued by Karey's Dragon pattern with beaded scales. Although I do not relish stringing seed beads on thread, this pattern may warrant a bit of stringing.

A real treat was seeing the antique lace, and Mary Koinor's beautiful lace including lots of awesome tatting and a Bedfordshire bobbin lace edging on a handkerchief. Sue Hanson brought these with her for everyone to enjoy seeing in real life.

Good NEWS for everyone who wanted to go and couldn't - There will be a DVD available of clips from the event. I'll post more information about that when I have it. Shelia Boniface took photos and movie snips to make this project.

Sadly, I have acquired another obsession, or two... Naalbinding and Sprang. I taught a few people to make Snake Knot, and learned just a bit about the Viking methods of making clothing.

So much lace, so little time. And now this too.

Hugs all, more later.

2008-03-25T23:28:00.001-05:00

Celtic Angel Copyright 2008 Ruth Perry

This angel design is a variation of a machine lace piece that someone showed me last year.

2008-03-25T06:56:00.002-05:00

Earring using Balanced Double Stitch and long woven picots
Copyright 2008 Ruth Perry

This could be tatted with any size large bead in the center, just adjust the number of stitches and picots to fit around the ring. This ring has 39 BDS and makes a nice circle. Notice how well it holds the shape without bunching, ruffeling, or twisting! Also notice how I have woven the long picots over and under each other. I used the little case that floss threaders come in as a picot gauge, and Altin Basak thread in peachy pink. The teal blue seed beads and purple E beads contrast nicely with the thread.

Ring (3BDS VLP 3BDS VLP 3BDS VLP 3BDS + 3BDS + 3BDS + 3BDS VLP 3BDS VLP 3BDS VLP 3BDS + 3BDS + 3BDS + 3BDS)

Beads:
Tie a square knot in the two thread ends and put them both through a size E bead, then both of through a seed bead, one from each side, then string 12 seed beads on one thread, and pull the other thread through them from the opposite side, then both threads back down through the E bead. Pull both threads snug so the beads form a circle, and tie them in a square knot.

One thread will go over one side of the ring and the other thread under the ring. Next, string enough beads to go through the middle of the ring on both threads. Next take one thread over and the other thread under the ring again on the opposite side from before, then both through another E bead. And then, one thread through 3 seed beads from one side and the other thread through from the other side, then both back through the E bead, and back through the beads in the center of the ring.

Tie a square knot in both threads at the beginning of the ring, and hide them in the tatting, then cut the thread ends off close to the ring. Put this on an earring finding, or on a chain for a pendant.

Oh, what to do with left over thread? This "Southern Belle" starts with the ring in the center of the skirt. Now, how did I do the rest of this piece? Later. I need to leave to go teach my tatting class now.

The Belle of the ball! Copyright 2008 Ruth Perry

2008-03-19T22:57:00.000-05:00

2008-03-18T19:14:00.000-05:00

Click Here! to view the Easter Patterns from the tat-calendar.

2008-03-18T19:01:00.002-05:00

Ruth's 2008 Celtic Cross - copyright 2008 Ruth Perry
Click the link above to go to the instructions on the tat-calendar site.

2008-03-17T20:45:00.003-05:00

These patterns will be in Sarah's book, The King and the Dragon

2008-03-17T06:28:00.000-05:00

2008-03-10T20:48:00.001-05:00

Shamrocks: http://tinyurl.com/3cnr9d

Hugs,
Ruth

2008-03-07T16:43:00.002-06:00

Easter Egg with Block Tatted Ric Rac Copyright 2008 Ruth Perry

I just love the variegated thread I bought at Zig Zag corner on Wednesday!!!!
It is Anchor size 20 in Spring colors.

2008-03-03T01:01:00.001-06:00

Block Tatted Ric Rac
Copyright 2008 Ruth Perry
One tatting shuttle and ball CTM, any color of thread
This is patterned after a “Ripple” crocheted afgan, which has the mountains and valleys seen in ric rac.
Row 1
Begin with a 10 ds Zig Zag Chain alternate 10 normal stitches, then 10 direct tatted (rds), 10 ds, 10 direct tatted (rds) to desired length.
Chain 10 ds , 10 rds , 10 ds , 10 rds, repeat to desired length . There should be picots at each turn as usually done with Zig Zag chain.
Row 2
Depending upon if you decide to end on an “UP” section or a “DOWN” section you will tat the next row of either all ds or all direct tatted reverse ds. In this sample I ended on an “UP” section that is tatted with direct stitches. Make a picot, then continue tatting direct stitches.
D Chain ( - 9 – 1 + 1 + 9 + 1 – 1 + )
That is, the picot to turn for the second row, 9 direct stitches, a picot, one stitch (necessary to make the picot), join to the picot of the first row.
I used a dental tool to open up a picot to join into when the picot there wasn’t big enough to get to.
Next I tatted one direct stitch, then joined into the previous picot of this row, then 9 stitches. Next join into the picot at the top of the “mountain”, 1 stitch, necessary to make the join, and then a picot and the stitch necessary to make the picot. Next join back into the picot at the top of the mountain, then 9 stitches.
Repeat this pattern of going up and down the mountains. With two joins at the top, and two joins at the bottom to make the turns. It takes practice to make the turns look graceful.
Row 3
In this sample I began and ended on an “UP” section. To turn and tat the next row, just make a normal ds, picot, then continue this row:
chain (9 ds – 1 + 1 + 9 + 1 – 1 + 9)
Do the joining at the valleys and mountains as in the second row. Repeat to desired length, and as many rows as you wish, just alternate normal tatting on one row, and direct stitches on the next.

2008-02-28T14:04:00.002-06:00

Celtic Knot Bat Copuright 2008 Ruth Perry

While Dan and I have been sick with a cold, bronchitis, then the flu, I haven't been totally lazy.
Sarah Kelly, my great niece, and I have been working on a new tatting book which will be available at Hector Tat Days. Sarah is teaching there this year, and I'm going to just be a tatting bum and not teach this year. Hooray!

More details on the book later, but the patterns will include this bat, Sarah's Cross of Faith (the pattern she is teaching at Hector), a Slaver's bracelet with a Celtic Star Rose, Dragon Tears Necklace, Dragon's Eye Pendant, 3D Celtic Rose, a Dragon, and possibly Mr. Clank, and the Celtic Phoenix depending upon if there is room for them.

See Y'all at Zig Zag Corner in March, and at Hector in April. Lily Morales will be at Zig Zag Corner! Several of us from the Cincinnati area are planning to go.

I'm not teaching anywhere in 2008 except local venues, and the Fringe Element Tat Days in September in Canada.

My Beginning Tatting class on Tuesdays at 10 at the Middletown Senior Center in March begin next week. Sarah's next tatting class at the St. Mary's Ohio library begin this week.

Hugs to all, and hope you are keeping warm and busy! Spring can't be far away, but it's been a long cold winter.
Ruth

2008-02-21T10:59:00.002-06:00

2008-02-09T22:52:00.000-06:00

Fall Leaves for Fringe Element Tat Day in Canada in September.
Copyright 2008 Ruth Perry

2008-02-03T10:26:00.001-06:00

Due to server and network upgrades I will have limited online access today.

More tatting photos comming soon!
Ruth

2008-01-22T15:54:00.000-06:00

Tatting "outside the box" Copyright 2008 Ruth Perry

This Celtic Rosebud, Heart, and vines is just a doodle for now. The rosebud is an older design, but one that I still really like.

3D figures in tatting copyright 2008 Ruth Perry

I've been down sick with a bad cold since New Years. I finally got smart and went to see the Dr. and got some antibiotics. I've done a little tatting, working on books, and not much else other than resting and drinking plenty of fluids.

The thread is DMC Pearle cotton. The stitch for the cube and triangle is something I'm going to call a "BDS or Balanced Double Stitch". This happened one day in Orland FL in December. Lily, Dan, Nancy (my sister) and I were discussing knots. Dan showed us a sliding square knot used in rapelling, and I saw instantly that it is like a tatting ds, but the number of threads above and below the core are the same, so it is more stable. It will bend EQUALLY in either direction or make a straight line that is stable.

More later...
Hugs,
Ruth Perry

2007-12-24T20:42:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all - and to all a GOOD NIGHT!!!

We wish you a merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year!

2007-12-09T22:02:00.000-06:00

Vacation!!!
We just got home from a wonderful vacation in Florida, with my sister, Nancy, and brother in law, Ed. Dan and I met Nancy, and Lily Morales at a wonderful resort in Orlando. Poor Dan had to work while Lily, Nancy, and I went to see Epcot. It was all decked out in Christmas around the world, but I think my favorite was the greenhouse with lots of things growing in unique ways. They had a huge pumpkin growing on an overhead trellis, with a net under the pumpkin.

Lily, Nancy, Dan, and I sat around enjoying some oragami that Nancy did, and playing with some interesting knots. Do you know how to do a "sliding square knot"? It is used in climbing I think. Lily taught me the snake knot, and a button knot in a different way than I had ever done before.

Believe it or not, we did not do any tatting AT ALL... whew! Glad I got that out. Confession is good for the soul.

Our grandson, Ben, sang a solo in their church Christmas program and we are so proud of him. He did a great job, and sings like an angel. Granddaughter, Katie, and daughter, Carol, were both in the choir. It's not a big group, but they sound incredibly good.

I'll post some more tomorrow. It's late and that was a LONG drive. Hugs to all, Ruth

2007-11-22T21:23:00.000-06:00

T. Gobbler Swoop the Tatted Turkey - Copyright 2006 Ruth Perry

Tom Turkey has retired to the Spears family farm in South Central IL to live out his days in the peaceful surroundings of friends and family.
Hugs,
Ruth

2007-11-22T12:51:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Hugs,
Ruth Perry

2007-11-21T21:31:00.000-06:00

Snowflake Diagram - Copyright 2007 Ruth Perry

The black squares mark the position of the beads. The easiest place to begin is with one of the smaller outside edge rings.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

If you don't observe the American thanksgiving holiday... well perhaps being thankful is not confined to a holiday celebration and eating turkey with all the trimmings. Give thanks for all the good things in life, family, friends, health, happiness, and interesting things to do!

Hugs,
Ruth

2007-11-21T09:55:00.000-06:00

Eight Sided Snowflake - Copyright 2007 Ruth Perry

I want to design the right snowflake to go inside the Christmas ornament variation of my Sweet Christmas edging. This one is pretty, but alas, just a little bit too big. Back to the drawing board.

2007-11-19T16:41:00.000-06:00

Another Snowflake Copyright Ruth Perry 2006

This one needs to be blocked. It was packed away in a box.

2007-11-18T12:51:00.000-06:00

Twisted Snowflake Copyright 2004 Ruth Perry

This is an old one, but one of my favorites. It's just rings, but not your normal mignonette tatting because the bare threads cross over and under each other in a Celtic laticework pattern.

2007-11-17T21:44:00.000-06:00

Sweet Christmas Wreath Ornament Copyright 2007 Ruth Perry

This is the Sweet Christmas edging folded over a bangle bracelet, and joined together by a row around the inside of chain ( 2 - 2 ) join to both green picots, repeat.
It needs something in the center. Hmmmm, I'll have to think about that for a bit!

I got a WONDERFUL surprise in the mail today! A booklet of Riet's daisy picot patterns!!!!

Hooray! I can't wait to do some more of this beautiful technique. Maybe a daisy picot star should go in the center of the wreath?

Hugs,
Ruth