Hybrid Tatting

2019 Is the year that I ventured into teaching Tatting. It took a push from my knotty friend Maryanna Robinson. She urged me to apply to teach at the Shuttlebirds tatting event in Post Falls Idaho back in May. I was accepted and the rest is history.

I taught a Hybrid Bracelet at ShuttleBirds and at Tatting Corner Tat Days (Chesterfield Indiana). I taught two classes at each event. My students learned the technique and seemed to enjoy the class. I have posted a few pictures on Facebook and been asked about the technique. Now that I'm finished teaching for the year, it's time to share. 

This technique was developed by a Puerto Rican Tatter named Rosario Ruiz Moreno. Wally Sosa taught the technique at Palmetto Tat Days 2017. I was able to take the class. I went home and played with the technique and realized it would be easy to put a bead between the split rings.  

Shuttle tatted split rings require 2 shuttles. For this bracelet you have a shuttle on one end and a needle on the other of your continuous thread.  Beads that your tatting needle will go through are on your shuttle.  For class we used size 10 thread and size 5 needle. I made kits with flower beads   from Fire Mountain. My friend Di used 6/0 beads from her stash.  

After making a regular ring in the middle of the two tools, begin making hybrid split rings. 

The first half of the slit ring is cast onto the needle using the needle thread (as though one were making true rings)  

The second half of the hybrid split ring is made using the shuttle to form the stitches on the needle, wrap the needle as if you were doing the second half of a split ring (no flipping involved)

My sample shows the needle thread in gold and the shuttle thread in light purple just before closing my ring. Note the needle thread forms a loop below my tatting.

After all the stitches are on the needle, carefully slide all stitches off the eye of the needle. Ring will close itself -- just like a needle tatted true ring. 

Slide first bead from shuttle, put the needle through the bead and place bead against your completed rings. Place the needle on the bead and begin your next Hybrid split ring.  Make as many rings as needed for your bracelet with a plain ring at the end for your findings (toggle, clasp). 

I remembered to take a picture at the end of the class at ShuttleBirds. My students did well. I had students who did not needle tat, one who did not shuttle tat but all were successful in learning the technique. This was a terrific learning experience for me. For easier handling of these large, odd shaped beads, I found it best to use a larger shuttle like a Starlit. 

I'm still here

Oh my! I just realized it has been 4 months since my last post. Once again my blog has been neglected. I will try and do better. I check other blogs daily and enjoy seeing what other tatters are making. It is only fair that I share also. I guess I need deadlines or something.
   

This past weekend was Tatting Corner's Tat Days in Indiana. These are my purchases.  The white shuttles were from Patricia Greninger - these were made on her 3-D printer.

I didn't buy much this time. ( I have a nice thread stash already) I got:
3 balls of size 10 Lizbeth
1 ball size 3 Lizbeth
Pack of Havels tatting needles (The size 6 is my favorite!)
Size 9 Tatting needle (It might never come out of the package as I prefer to use size 20
Little scissors (actually bought 2 of them, but one immediately went in my tatting bag)
Needle threader (always keep a spare)
Wally's new book.
2 skeins of Karey Solomon's hand painted thread in size 20.

Moving along

Round 6 is completed. And so is round 7 

 

Progress

Round 5 of the Jon Yusoff tat-a-long is finished.

Round 4

Progress continues on Jon Yusoff's Tat-a-Long doily. This round has lots of lock joins (as do some of the following rounds. I am bothered by blips of color in my joins. I use Jane Eborall's  blipless join to avoid this. For lock joins, I usually pull up a loop for the join. I discovered that if I pull the loop Down, the blip of color in the lock join is less obvious. Who knew??

Tat-A-Long

Jon Yusoff is hosting a Tat-a-long doily on Facebook. I have joined in the fun. Here are my first 3 rounds. I am using a ball of Manuela size 20 in a lovely shaded blue color. I only have one ball so I hope the doily does not get too large or I will have to use another color for the outer rounds. I love this thread - it's a nice Cordonnet but not as twisty as Lizbeth. 

Valentines

I've been making little hearts. Lots of little hearts. This pattern is from Gloria Nelson. I've shuttle tatted it, and needle tatted it. The smallest is size 40. The larger hearts are needle tatted in size 10. It's a great pattern for practicing needle tatting and for  emptying off shuttles too.