Inspired

While nothing interesting happened to me yesterday, I couldn't let yet another lazy day commence. So after schooling and copious amounts of laundry, I started in on tatting for the day. The first attempt was something that ended up immediately in the trash. I was trying to mimic a piece of commercial lace in tatting. I failed.

Next I started searching though the tatting books and patterns folder on my computer. I was just flipping through the images looking for something that might inspire. At first I was just  going to settle for turning yet another edging into a bracelet, but then I flipped past a pattern by Marliee Rockley. The pattern was for her Ripple Necklace and it was just the thing to get me designing again. Even though she allows one to make and sell her patterns as is, I immediately has other ideas. The first go here was just the addition of the long picots and made as a much smaller section.

It wasn't quite me yet, so I kept mucking with it. Usually I avoid even looking too hard at recently designed pieces because I don't like to copy people, but it was too perfect for an adaption and she is so kind to allow me to do so. Anyway, for the final version I worked it all in one round with some split rings and twisted the picots when joining. I adore twisted picots, they have such an usual feel to them. I also added the center drop to give it more of a pendant feel and did a few more stitch count changes. It curves a little more with the twisted picots and bottom drop as well, which I like.

The question remains, do I hang the piece from a metal chain, or do I make a tatted Josephine chain for the the piece? I think either will work and though hanging from a chain would be a bit easier, I think I might prefer necklace with the tatted chain. I made up a couple more of these, one in a sage green and another in black. I'll probably play some more on the train today as well, but these won't see the shop until at least Friday because I'll be out much of the day. So thanks once again to Marliee for the inspiring pattern, hopefully the result is acceptable.