Blue Varigated Snowflake by MaryM

Blue Varigated Snowflake by MaryM Link (scroll down): http://www.reocities.com/mountainhome1999/bluevarigatedsnowflake.htm

Let me start by saying that the first round with inward facing rings and chains around the outside was very simple to get right. However, the next round where I had to join chains, created a 'backward' feeling, which I was able to solve eventually.

So, I made the first one, the blue one, from Thread Art Perle Cotton 8, color 519, with a 1mm Prym cro-tat hook. The thread is 2 ply and flimsy. I would be easy to pull apart, but with cro-tatting, you have to keep a little looser so you can pull the hook thru the stitches. The thread makes a limp project, as the thread has no body. I notice that my chains are al twisted at the connections.

So, I made another one, to see if I could find a way to join without twisted chains. My next attempt was DMC Petra size 3. color Blanc. I used the Annie’s Attic cro-tat hook (about a 6) This size helped me to scrutinize the chains better, and I worked out the problem. But on finishing, discovered that I had managed to twist the beginning chains, and that resulted in every ring going on the wrong side, with the picot bands on the opposite side as the ring’s picot bands in the center round. If you look at the bottom ring, at 6:00, you can see the chain going up on the left is twisted - the culprit, the first ring and so all are on backward. So.. I made a 3rd attempt to resolve the rings on the backside, and make sure why they are on the backside.

 I tried to use Aunt Lydia, but I just hate to try to cro-tat with thread that is not slippery, I really need to have slippery thread that lets the hook slide thru, so….

 For my 3rd attempt I chose Hobby Lobby’s Artiste size 10, 102 Porcelain. Used the Prym 1mm cro-tat hook with it. It is the smaller white one, at the bottom of picture. I managed to get all the rings face up, and the connections made with no twist! WOOT!

Cro-tat Christmas Ornaments

Oh dear!   I bought a Cro-tat Christmas Ornament package from Enfy's Rainbow Valley Crochet and started making them, leaving my little mat (doily 6) unfinished!   I feel very naughty about that, and hope I do the right thing and get it done, as the devil is keeping track of all my UFOs :(    But these are so fun to make, I wanted to do them so much!   Sure they are not as delicate as straight tatting, but there is something to be said for ease and I like how the change between needle tatting and crocheting is easy on sore hands & thumbs. Also, it doesn't take a week to make each one! Well, I'm not giving up tatting, but I'm going to have fun with these cro-tatted ornaments.

Unless other hook is stated, I used the Annie's Attic cro-hook.
Oct 19, 2017 I made the "Stocking" using:
DMC pearl Cotton size 5, blanc & DMC Petra size 5, color 5666 (red)

Oct 22 Angel: DMC Petra size 3, B5200

Oct 23 Star: DMC Petra size 3, B5200   I sprayed it with Stiffen Quik and I don't know if it's user error, like I was too close maybe, but it made my stitches not be as visible and it left little fuzzys everywhere.   I also sprinkled with opalescent glitter which is beautiful, but camera barely picks up their sparkles.   I had a little hole where I didn't close the last part right and so I got another little piece of thread to close it, and was very surprised how white the new thread was when compared to the star, which the Stiffen Quik had apparently caused to lose its snow white color.  Still very happy with it. :)

Fall Leaf Earrings

October 18, 2017  Unexpectedly got some free time today (hurt foot!), so... Finished my La Feuille Frivole, design by J. Paulson and found in the free patterns here: http://leblogdefrivole.blogspot.co.uk/p/patterns.html I used size 40 Lizbeth#136 Autumn Spice thread & shuttle. Beads put on picots with tiniest crochet hook. 2 full knots after stem bead, with a touch of Elmer's glue after cutting off ends and smoothing down. They are not perfect, but the little inner leaves are so small, no irregularities are even visible to the eye - might be more so with a solid color

Started Doily No. 6 from Dainty & Delicate Mini Doilies, and just need to make a flower and do the edging on it.   This one will need ironing and spray starch (from the back only) to get the chains to not crumple up.   I'm a little miffed at myself, because I'm using #5 DMC Perle Cotton in #842 Lt Beige Brown, and #5 thread is PERFECT for the Annies hook I have, but I forgot what I was doing and picked up the 1mm Prym I have.   Well, it makes a nice tight ring, which I like, but is just a tiny bit too small and I have to watch that it doesn't miss a bit of the thread, creating a fuzzy spot.   Here's my progress:

CRO-TAT Delicate & Dainty Mini Doily No. 1

Hobby Lobby's Artiste $10 Thread:
110 Country Rose
119 Aspen
202 water lily is a red, pink, white, green variegated

1.00mm Prym cro-tat hook

This small simple looking cro-tat doily took me over a week to make. There is definitely a learning curve to cro-tatting... and here I thought because I could crochet and tat, it would be easy.... So excuse my delirium when I enthusiasticly post 3 pics of my "I can't believe I finally did it" project. Doily no. 1 from Delicate & Dainty Mini Doilies (cro-tat). It's best to use a slinky thread when cro-tatting, and this is Hobby Lobby's ARTISTE, with Prym 1mm cro-hook.

I made this as the first from this book because I thought I’d have it done in an hour or so. Big mistake! If you have this book, save this one till you’ve made some of the others, because getting the chains that go to the rings (green) all the same size is a bear!