Today I made this flower to continue with the 25 Motif Challenge.  I'm trying to catch up in this one.  The flower is easy to make.  There's only 1 ring and it's in the center, the rest is made with chains.  I called Aquamarine because the petals looks like little seashells.    The pattern for this one will come later also and will be on my web site.

I used Coats Dual Duty (T3) in White.  I never worked with this thread before.  Naida got it for me like 2 weeks ago, in white and royal blue.  The thread is a polyester/cotton mix and it's not so bad to work with.  The only thing that is a little annoying is that the thread's twist is altered (too tight or too loose) when doing big rings or long chains and I have to "drop" the shuttle or the work to get the correct twist back.  I "walk" the shuttles when filling them, so I'm not adding twist to the thread and also I "walk" the ball when working, but the twist problem continues.  Anyway, the final result is a crisp motif and I like it.  The thread is cheap and comes in several colors.  I think I'll get more colors and play with it, may be using another thread as a core.  It tat's like a #50.

Mom wanted a hat and I finished one today.  The hat pattern is from Patterns by Dot.  I used Red Heart yarn in white.  The flowers and butterfly are my original patterns.  I used El Beida cotton perle #8 in different shades of pinks and reds.  The patterns will be on my web site soon.  I made a smaller version of the hat in "Watercolors" for my sister Letty's niece.  Tomorrow I'll take photos of that one.  I made it with a smaller hook and placed one butterfly on it.

You can find the rest of the photos in this photo album.

This one is basically the same as motif 14.  It has an extra round.  The scanner flats it, but the flower stand very pretty in 3-D.  Tonight I will finish the hat and will sew the flowers and post the photos.

The threads used are El Beida in red and light pink.  It's  a super quick pattern.  I'll write it and share it later as with the Patty flower.

I have been busy this week tatting some flowers for a crochet hat that mom wanted me to do.  This is one of the flowers I'm making.  It's an original pattern.  I called it Patty because I made it Monday (St. Patty's Day).  The pattern is pretty simple and I'll share it later on the weekend.

The threads are El-Beida cotton perle #8 in light pink and bright pink.  Measures like 2 inches.

I haven't been online a lot in the last couple of days.  Feeling very crappy plus there was problem on Egypt with the net access.  But I have been tatting while awake.  Hubby got me a cough medicine that in 30 minutes knocks me up!  And if you know me I don't easily sleep!

Anyway.  Today I wrote the pattern for this one.  It's attached here as a PDF and later I'll translate in Spanish and publish in the web sites.  BTW...  I have been working on my web site, after more than 2 years of abandonment...  I have to write all the patterns again and will do it slowly.  Also will publish a couple of Galleries with my work photos and the shop will reopen.   Also needs a Guestbook.  I think I'll add a Shoutbox instead...  The address is http://needles-n-shuttles.com  if you want to visit. 

Last night was a sleepless one so I tried to tat some.  This semester on the online class the theme will be the Block Technique.  So I played a little with my digital tatting and came with several designs.  I really like this one.  The only thing it's a little annoying is that each "block" has to be tatted independently.    But I found it fun to work with.  I wrote the instructions on my notebook.  When me head clears a little I'll write it and share it with everyone.  I'm thinking in adding some beads but my hands were to shaking and I couldn't place the beads on the threads.

I think I'll call this one "The Princess' Peas".  I don't know, but I see the analogy with the fairytale of "The Princess and the Pea".  It's one of my favorite stories!  May be with the beads (as peas and diamonds for the crown) will be easier to see the analogy.

There were some minor corrections on the Pattern.  If you printed it fom the blog or Esnip please do it again.

Sorry for the mistakes.  This flu clouds my mind and though I wrote the pattern over and over, tatted it like 4 times and Stephanie corrected it I still got the mistakes. 

Thanks for the nice comments!

The Esnips links are:

http://www.esnips.com/doc/18edcf39-51f3-4f10-a83c-dc6332f9089c/TainaFlowerSnowflake  (Pattern in English)

http://www.esnips.com/doc/d91387f6-55b0-43b5-b30e-6df6cb9c9d8b/TainaFlorCopo  (Patron es Espanol)

For the last 5 years I have been posting a pattern on my BD.  This is like a thanks you to all my tatting friends who put with my frantic design boosts and strange ideas and challenges.    This year pattern is the Taina Flower and Snowflake.  Hope you all enjoy it!  It's also attached as a PDF for easier printing.

   





















Taina Flower & Snowflake
©2008 Wally Sosa


Materials:
1 Shuttle (Round 1-2)
2 Shuttles (Round 3)

Instructions:


Round 1: (1 Shuttle)
R: 6 ± 3 - 3 - 6.

Repeat until 6 petals are made.  Remember to join petal 6 to the first one.

Cut.














Round 2: (1 Shuttle)
Join to middle picot on ring.
R: 5 ± 3 - 5.  Join to the same picot and to the picot between the rings.
R: 6 + 6 (- 6) x 5.  Join to the same picot and to the next picot.

Repeat from beginning around, until 6 big rings and 6 small rings are made.  Remember to join the last big ring to the first small ring.

Cut.






Round 3: (2 Shuttles)
R:  6 - 3 ± 3 - 3 - 3 - 6.
*  Ch: 5.
R: 6 + (to the last picot of previous ring) 3 - 3 - 3 - 6.
R: 6 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 6.
Ch: 5.
SCMR: 6 + (to the last picot of previous ring) 3 - 3 [R: 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3] 3 + (to the last picot of ring) 3 - 6.
CH: 6 + (to 3rd free picot of big ring) 8.
TOR: 3 + (to last picot of same ring) 6 + (to 1st picot of next big ring) 3.
CH: 8 + (to next picot on big ring) 6.
R: 6 - 3 + (to 1st free picot in small ring on SCMR) 3 + (to same ring) 3 - 3 - 6.

Repeat from * around.

Cut.

I feel like Lilo from Lilo and Stitch.  Looking for names for the experiments!  lol  This is another motif that I just made.  It's call temporarily Snowflake 967d d.  The threads are El Beida in Pink and Miquita in Cream.  It measures a tad over 2 1/2 inches.  It's made in 2 rounds.  The 1st round has the small center rings with chains and the big SCMR.  The 2nd round is more of a decorative chain to put like a frame around.

There are just a few decorative picots and I'm thinking that I'll change them into beaded picots and add a few more.

So, will you help me to name this one too?  The other one I need to name is the flower I made for the 25 Motifs Challenge.

This is a cute little flower I came up from one of my digital tatting designs.  The color thread is Valdani and the cream is Miquita.

I don't have a name for over 2 dozen of the new designs so if you would like to help me naming them I'll appreciate.   

I'll post the pattern for this one later.

I was playing with colors and I think the snowflake looks good also done in 2 colors.  The colors give a different appearance.  I really like the design.  I need to contact one of my proof-tatters to see if the pattern is correct and then publish it.  I think this will be my BD motif this year.

This is a classic 1-shuttle flower.  This motif is used a lot in different patterns and in different ways.  I used Miquita in the light ecru I have been using lately.  It measures around 1 inch.  Here is the pattern:

Center Ring:  2 (- 2) x 7.  Mock Picot.
R:  5 - 5 - 5 - 5.  Join to the next picot.
*  R:  5 + (to previous ring) 5 - 5 - 5.  Join to the next picot.
Repeat * until 7 rings are made in total.
Last Ring:  5 + (to previous ring) 5 - 5 + (to the 1st ring) 5.  Join to the Mock Picot and cut.

Well, it's almost done. I haven't gone to bed yet working on this.  But I managed to make the center without mistake and the 3rd round is almost perfect.  I had to cut the picots that joined the rings on the ends because the motif was cupping.  Why I didn't followed the original digital tatted motif?  Just stubborn Wally!

In case you're wondering what I call "digital tatting", this is it.  It's a motif that I make using Paint Shop Pro.  I take a scan of a motif and using the Kaleidoscope Effect I can transform it into another motif.  It helps me to design new patterns.  Not always I get "tattable" results but they look pretty good and I can make variations from them.

This is the original motif I used to make the digital tatted motif.  You may remember this one.  I did it a few nights ago.

This is the final result.  This is not the only one I made.  I have other 6 variations from the square motif. 

As you can see from this one, there is a ring between the rings that makes the "end".  Why I didn't follow the original designs beats me!  But now I know what I need to do.  Will fill the shuttles again and will finish the last round.  Then write the pattern and publish.

Later I'll try a beaded version because the little yellow dots inside the big blue ring screams "BEADS!"  lol

It's been a long time since my last motif for the 25 Motifs Challenge.  Tonight I was playing with some "digital tatting" and came with a design that I really like it.  I was thinking it was going to be easy, but geesh!  I'm out of form!  I had to make it 3 times and even this one have a mistake.  I made 2 of the big rings with 5 free- picots instead of 4.  So I couldn't make the last round.

Anyway I think it's pretty and looks like a symbol used by the Tainos (Puerto Ricans native, who are now extinct).  It's not exactly like the symbol but I associate this with it, so there's why the name Taina.

The thread used is Miquita, a Peruvian thread similar to a size #20, a little thinner, in light ecru or cream.


I will writing the pattern and will post it here.  It will take a couple of days may be.  I need to come back to designing.  Soon is my BD and I need to make my BD pattern.

The original pattern is made of several motifs tatted apart and the joined together.  Using 2 shuttles is possible to make it in 2 rounds.

Abbreviations:
R: Ring
Ch: Chain
- : Picot
LP: Long Picot
+ : Join to...
TOCL: Thrown-off Clover

Materials:
2 Shuttles

Instructions:

Round 1:
R: 12 (LP) 4 (LP) 12.
CH: 12.
R: 10 - 10 - 10 - 10.
CH:   6 (- 6) x 12.   Join to the base of the ring.
CH: 12.
TOCL:
    R: 8 + (to the last picot on long chain) 8 - 8 - 8.
    R: 8 + 8 - 8 - 8.
    R: 8 + 8 - 8 - 8.
CH: 12.
R: 10 - 10 - 10 - 10.
CH: 6 + (to the last picot of the TOCL) 6 (- 6) x 11.  Join to the base of the ring.
CH: 12.  Join to the base of the 1st ring. 

Cut.

Round 2:
Join between the 2nd and 3rd ring of TOCL.
CH: 4 - 2 - 2 - 4.
R:  6 - 6.
CH: 4 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 4.
R: 6 + 6.
CH: 4 - 2 - 2 - 4.
R: 8 + (to shared picot of the 6's ring) 8 + (to middle picot of last ring on TOCL) 8.  Join to last free picot on long chain.
CH: 4 - 2 - 2 - 4.  Skip one picot and join to the next. } x 2.
CH: 4 - 2 - 2 - 4.
R: 6 + (skip one picot, join next) 6.
CH: 4 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 4.
R: 6 + (to the same picot as last ring) 6.
CH: 4 - 2 - 2 - 4.  Skip one picot, join next.
CH: 4 - 2- 2 - 4.  Join to the neck with an alligator join.

Mirror the other side of the butterfly.


Note: This version I notice that the body has a big space, so I tried to fill it with another ring.  After making the chain after the TOCL, make a ring of 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 + (to the base of the big ring) 3 - 3 - 3 - 3.  Then continue making the other big ring and keep working the pattern in the same way.






















A copy of the pattern in PDF is attached as well as the original pattern.

I won't comment on this one until you see it.    Just that it looks awsome!

A saga started a year ago and now it's complete! For more information about this challenge visit http://25motifchallenge.blogspot.com/
or
http://360.yahoo.com/needledreams

For information about the patterns contact me at needledreams@yahoo.com