testing new cheap shuttles

Do you have an idea why shuttles disappear? I thought I had a lot, but it was not so, then I bought some more. When I asked for my usual little cheap (€ 1,00) plastic shuttles, they gave me those instead:

The producer is the same, but they changed everything: the smoothness is different, the plastic - material - is another type, the metallic central pivot disappeared. I had to refine it, "knock the rough edges off", I used a nail file, that never happened with previous model. The shuttle slips and drops often. Do I just need to get used to them?

That shuttle challenged me, so I must use it... guess what I'm tatting with it! An easy guess this time! I'll give you the pattern in next post/posts (I don't know how many), hope you would like tatting it with me, with your shuttles!

And here it is a glance to what happened to some shuttles... After tatting few coloured bracelets I have leftovers, but what I can do to empty them? Suggestions needed!

um abraço
( http://www.learn-portuguese-with-rafa.com/Learn_Portuguese_with_Rafa_Newsletter-just-and-goodbye-in-portuguese.html )
Ninetta

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double frivolousness

That post is for you, Frivole!
In 2012 Yumatatter shared in a group her way to make a double tatting shuttle at home, I loved that idea so much that I tried to make one on my own, with what I had at home. So that's what I came to:

It was a fun, and it works too!!

Both photos were taken in 2012.

Ciao,
Ninetta

repetita iuvant - at least, to myself!

Sorry for the Latin, that's only to introduce something that I've already posted somewhere else around...
(Post modified to add this translation: "repetita iuvant" means that there's a benefit from doing or saying something again)

**** My Personal gauge for tatting ****

Sometimes in a pattern a thread is recommended, different from what we have (and we have a lot! But not that! Urgh!). Instead, there's that very old ball, without a label, that seems likely to be perfect for the project... We'd be very happy to know the size of our thread. In these cases it's useful to have already prepared our "gauge for tatting "!

I tested my tatting to know how many ds there are in a chain that is 1 cm long. I repeated the process for each size of thread I had, and I obtained a table. That it is what I did:

I took a card and cut a rectangle of 10cm x 1cm. (I wrapped it with adhesive tape to reinforce it.) The size of 1 cm is my choice, but you can use 1 inch, or whatever it is your standard base to measure.
I tatted like for a normal ring, but before closing, I entered the card into the ring and tatted enough ds to reach the length of the gauge. Then I closed the half ring (the second half in the back had no ds).
I marked the thread number and how many ds in it.
Eventually I had my own table:

To double check (and because I use the table to design, too) with the help of a drawing tool, I’ve supposed that if 1cm has 7 ds, then 2cm should have had 14 ds. Tested it and discovered that’s not true with me, because I tend to be tighter as more as the length increase. But, in general my patterns hardly have long chains, more than 30 ds. So, the mathematical ratio works well for most of the time.

About rings, that's only a bit different, because I’m usually tighter. That means that the circumference of a ring made with 14 ds and thread n. 80, will be a little smaller than 1cm. I’ve obtained 0,90 cm (instead of 1cm).  But in order to design, and in order to have only an idea of the number of ds a pattern could require (it’s an empirical fact), I’ve always supposed the same size and ds numbers both for chains and rings. Anyway, designing is a matter of trials and errors!

Do you like a cupcake now? But you'd need a magnifier for this!

Ciao,
Ninetta

what a Friday!

Yesterday in the morning I received a package with Carollyn's handmade bunny shuttle, the cutest shuttle in the world! She's really sweet and so kind to send a lot more than the shuttle, as you can see in the photo! It's all wonderful! I've never tatted with Lizbeth thread before, and it's soft and sliding, easy to tat with. Look at the photo: isn't the mouse lovely? And those little safety pins are very useful with my tiny thread. Her blog is full of wonderful tatting, and there you can find more about her handmade wooden shuttles: Carollyn's Tatting Blog.

I've always tatted with my little plastic shuttles, and tatting with the little bunny is a pleasure!
Thank you!

Thank you, Carollyn!

But guess what? In the very same day, in the evening, I received another gift from Maria, a dear friend and a tatter, too, who's seldom here. What is it? A ball of Lizbeth thread, of course!

Wonderful friends!

Ciao,
Ninetta

Ping, my little pink pig

Ping is my little pink pig, I hope you like him!
I've used two metallic rings to keep his rounded shape and, after some trials, I changed thread,because I've realized that I needed something less soft than cotton. So, I've used two strands of 100% polyester by DMC, wound with one strand of silk Faro. I hope that Marta (who suggested the pig some days ago) can forgive me if I still have not drawn the pattern, but I hope I can do it soon.

Metallic thread is Mouliné Metalisé (5288), silk is by Cucirini Cantoni Coats, n.3, color 258 (I think it's discontinued now). The size of those threads wound together is very close to a size 10, that's what I measure with my personal "gauge".

Ciao,
Ninetta
UPDATE: 
Pattern: (png format https://flic.kr/p/nAno3s) (jpg format https://flic.kr/p/2hN9Yxh)
(OTC pdf link https://www.georgiaseitz.com/2015/ninettecarusopinkpig2.pdf)
 

my card is a shuttle

Last july, I needed at hand cards to introduce me, but also something to fast demonstrating how to tat. I thought to combine both in that card shuttle, in fact I used it folded and wound with shoelaces. I gave away one of such "shuttle" and a shoelace to everyone who have tried tatting with me!

Il mio bigliettino da visita "è" una navetta! Lo scorso luglio avevo bisogno sia di un bigliettino di presentazione, sia di qualcosa per mostrare come si lavora a chiacchierino. Così ho pensato di unire le due cose ed è venuto fuori questo: un cartoncino con un laccio di scarpe arrotolato, da regalare a chiunque volesse provare il chiacchierino con me!