Saturday 27 May 2017

journey of a single shuttle

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single shuttle medallion prototypes with pattern and dot picots on a ring !
How far can a single shuttle take you ?! Come journey with me ....

update June 6: star pattern edited

single  shuttle  medallions
Usha told me about a challenge her whatsapp group, Happy Tatters, is doing – tatting a single shuttle medallion or motif daily for a week. While I am not on any SM, InTatters members will certainly remember the gorgeous doilies tatted by Madhurwho is also a member.
What better way to get one’s creative juices flowing ?!
I let my shuttle loose. A couple of mangled attempts were thrown away (I keep forgetting to include picots). The ones that have survived so far are these … still in the process of completion. But if I waited to show till each was complete, it’d take forever.
I find myself using different techniques to overcome the ‘handicap’ of a single shuttle. To my pleasant surprise, there is hardly anything one cannot do with a single shuttle !!!!
I am really enjoying this challenge and drawing on all the techniques I’ve learned so far to tackle each piece differently.

1. Star of Halves
A 2-round one pass single shuttle medallion in size 20 thread
Techniques : half or half-closed rings (HR), lock join (LJ), onion ring join (ORJ), very small picot (vsp)

Round 1 : comprises of twin rings separated by tiny half rings.
*** R1 : 5 vsp 3 p 5. DNRW
R2 : 5 + 3 vsp 5. RW
HR : 3. RW ***
Repeat 5 times total, ending with a join to base of first ring. Do not cut thread.
Round 2 : This round is made up entirely of large half rings, joined to previous round using onion ring join for a slight texture.
Make a LJ through bare thread of last HR in Round 1.
*** HR : 6 ORJ (vsp of R1) 8 p 8 ORJ (vsp of R2) 6. LJ through next HR ***
Repeat 6 times total, joining back to start. T & C. Hide end or use as dangler.

One can use Anne Dyer’s Join to smooth side (JSS) instead of onion ring join, but I wanted a subtle dip. Pull loop of the other thread through picot, pass shuttle through, tension; make 2nd half stitch.    


2. Rambling

I wanted more rings in the center, but that wasn’t going to work. Hence left it as a diamond, to ramble along the next round.

Made in one pass with 4-ring rosette in center, and half-closed folded rings (setb then seta) and Josephine rings , lock joined (twice – on either side of JR) to the picots in Rnd 1 rings.

It does seem to have a diamond in center and an elongated hexagon along outer edge.
This one will probably be discarded; still, grist for the design mill.


3. Tiny Wildflower
This was actually just the first round. But I kinda like the look of it as a tiny flower.

Techniques : picot join to the right, Josephine Knot (JK) on twisted picot (TwP) 
Note : for picot join to the right, one can use a folded join, rosette join (twisted picot join) or avoid a folded join, since these are outward facing rings.

Ring 1 : 1 vsp 7 p 7 vsp 1
***Leave about ½” bare thread. Tat 1 JK (7hs). Twist bare threads to make a picot with JK at tip.
Rings 2 : 1 + 7 p 7 vsp 1 ***
Repeat till end, joining last ring to the first using a picot join to the right, and another twisted picot with JK.
Tie & Cut, hide end.

Exciting news : Usha (link to her channel) has graciously demo-ed 2 videos on the twisted picots Twisted Picot (with and without bead) and Twisted Picot with knotted bead In the latter, one can substitute a Josephine Knot for the bead. Thanks so much ((( hugs )))


Dot Picots on a Ring !
This started out as a medallion too, but I got into experimentation mode.
I started with SCMR using a length of tail (smallest ring). easy to make dot picots here since it is basically a chain.
Middle ring is a true ring with dot picots, but they tend to unravel (middle one is fully unraveled, while the right one is beginning to) .
Large ring was another idea to secure the dot picots – and it worked ! A wee bit fussy initially, but very much doable.
Those bare threads visible on the left of the 3 dot picots was left on purpose – I wanted offset picots. The BTS needs some tweaking to get my visualized effect.
I'll leave you to figure it out for now ...


I started another medallion last night, using other techniques. But no pics yet, and is still unfinished. 

Anybody game for a similar challenge ?
happy tatting always :-))) 

More of my Single Shuttle motifs /medallion patterns : Jewellery Medallion , Ring in the Bouquet , Inchies.
Latest in this challenge series - Have a Heart (June) 

7 comments:

  1. Wonderful job Muskaan. You are so creative. Wish you could join us on Happy Tatters

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  2. Amazing unique patterns on single shuttle Muskaan!!!! Looks like Sky is the limit. My Happy Tatters members too displayed wonderful single shuttle patterns. I was trying for dot picots on a ring. My dot picot didn't unravel. They perfectly fitted on ring thread. I think you should try making ring with dot picots again. Thanks for sharing your half closed rings, Star of halves. It's just beautiful!! Tiny wildflower too so cute! Looking fwd to many more single shuttle patterns till the next theme takes over.....

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  3. Forgot to mention....try dimpled yorkie with the single shuttle. We are leaving the advanced tricks for a later date

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  4. Interesting experiments. I like the tiny wildflower best so far, but I can see you're on a roll, so I look forward to further examples!

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  5. My favorite is the second one 🌹❤️🌹

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  6. Sounds interesting, I like the wild flower one the best.

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  7. Thank you so very much everybody :-) Apologies for the late response.

    Madhur, I would love to join the group if only it were an open platform. I am not on any SMS and hope to keep it that way. My loss.
    I'll try your suggestion of dimples yorkie. Besides the fact that no beads are allowed, I am simply working on my own, with no idea what all others are doing :-)

    Usha, great that my explanation for dot picots on ring worked for you. I'll try again. It might just be a difference in tatting tension. However, I am also happy with that 2nd tweak. We'll see....

    Jane & Margaret, the wildflower is kind of cute - a quick scrap buster too !

    Carollyn, it's so interesting to see different reactions and favorites!

    Have a great week ahead everybody :-)

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