The yellow stuff stood me in good stead as a test working. This is "Anemone Blanda," the little oval doily from Iris Niebach's Tatting Fantasia 2. It is made by joining two of the triangles from the beginning of the book and surrounding them with two additional rows of tatting.
Although this piece measures just 6 by 3.25 inches (15 x 8.5 cm), based on its intended use as a resting place for one of my sisters collection of dragons, this is, indeed, a doily. I suppose to some folks it would be a coaster, but I'm not letting my sister put a clammy glass on it -- just a dragon.
This is my first piece done with hand dyed thread ("HDT"). After hoarding my HDT stash for so long I started to wonder what I was hoarding it for? What use is beautiful thread if it never gets used? This one is Yarnplayer's size 80 "Forest" with so many subtle shades of restful green. There wasn't enough to do any more on the little doily, but not wanting to waste any of it, I also made this "Primula" motif from Iris's book. It's an interesting little triangle made in one continuous round, with the aid of a split ring.
It measures 2.25 inches (6 cm) on a side. It would make an interesting doily if joined together. I didn't have enough thread to do that. Still, there was more thread and I couldn't imagine just leaving it sit or (heaven forbid) throwing it out. I used the last of it to make this little next piece. (Of course, because Blogger is more technologically advanced than I am -- it looks larger than the triangle). This is actually the "Hiding Thread ends"
exercise at the end of Tatting Fantasia 2. (Only Iris could make an exercise in "magic threads" this beautiful!) I just did it twice and joined them together. My sister thought it would make an interesting brooch, if I could figure out how to hide the fittings. I think it would need some beads, too. Maybe lots of beads would hide the fittings. It's something to think about.
