Sunday, March 13, 2016

Workbasket Magazine's Two Tone Coaster

This is the "Two Tone Coaster" from Workbasket Magazine's book "Tatting Patterns: The Classic Collection" (part of their Aunt Ellen's Treasury series).  I used a smaller thread and did it in all white, and I think it makes a lovely snowflake.  I suspect that with some careful pinning, I can coax the large loops into diamonds when starching.  I love the nested shapes (flower-hexagon-flower-honeycomb) and contrast between the dense and open areas.
Workbasket Magazine_Tatting Patterns_two color coaster

Sadly, this is yet another out-of-print book and the Amazon used price has gotten crazy.

12 comments:

  1. This is so pretty and unusual. Like you, I'm enchanted by the contrast of dense versus open.

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  2. This is a very pretty design. I, too think the nested shapes and contrast in texture between the dense and lacier areas is lovely.

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  3. I have had good luck using
    bookfinder.com
    especially when out of print prices seem so high. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. I'm finally getting back into tatting after a few years hiatus and found your link on Pinterest. LOVE this snowflake!! Starching techniques have changed a lot since I started tatting 30 years ago. Do you mind telling me what you use? TIA!

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    1. Thank you! And welcome back to the enjoyment of tatting. :)

      I have not yet starched any of the snowflakes I'm posting here - I'm just blocking them (get them wet, gently pull into shape & open picots, place between paper towels and under a book so they dry flat and in position). When I starch, I cook a cornstarch and water mixture (about 2 tbsp. cornstarch to a cup water) until it turns translucent. Keep stirring while it cooks or you'll have a burned lump at the bottom of the pot. Then I let the snowflakes soak up the starch, blot off the excess, gently shape the snowflake and open picots, then pin them out on a blocking board. Pinning allows the tatting to be stretched a bit more and will allow sharper angles. I always pin inside the curve of a chain or ring, not into picots, so the picots don't get stretched out of shape. My blocking board is just a piece of foam core covered in plastic wrap so the snowflakes don't stick to the paper.

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  5. Can anyone share pattern for this? I am getting a little confused. You start with small dense part and chains and in second round attach all chain rounds to picot of these chain? Pl guide.

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    1. It's still under copyright so can't be shared, but it looks like the book is affordable again. It's a center ring, then rings and chains to make the central flower with petals, then a third round with the large loops and clusters of rings around the outside.

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    2. Commenting hoping you have notifications turned on. The book is back in print and cheap again! Check out the link above.

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  6. I love this and just bought the pattern book off of Amazon so I can make it too. A suggestion on making a point at the top of the larger loops - use a mock ring technique - tat the first half of the loop two stitches short, make sure it's the length you want, start another mock ring with your shuttle thread, tat the next 2 stitches, leave a small picot of thread (needed so the stitches don't have to be right next to each other at the tip), tat the next 2 stitches, close the small mock ring, finish the stitches in the loop, and close the big mock ring. Hope this makes sense and works! (I'm going to try this to see if it works as soon at the pattern book arrives.)

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    Replies
    1. I’m so glad the book is adorable again! Enjoy!

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