Motif #4 in 25 Motif Challenge

I went back to the beginning of the DMC Library - Tatting which can be found in the Antique Pattern Library HERE. Plate I has 6 samples and this post is about figure #1. The instructions call this a "galoon" which is a surface trim, not on the edge of the fabric or inserted between two edges. The directions start out: "With one shuttle: 4 stitches, 1 picot, * 4 stitches, 1 picot, 4 stitches, close the ring = 4 stitches, close the scallop....."

Wait! What is a scallop? Were they snacking while tatting? Ooooh...how messy!

Well, since that didn't seem plausible, I looked further. Plate I directions are after the "how to tat" directions which happens to include information about scallops.

This is a scallop. It's made by not completely closing the ring, leaving bare thread. These are plain detached scallops. They are made with 10 ds and "the semi-circles must touch each other at the base." This sample is done in DMC size 20.

This is a sample of connected scallops, ornamented with picots. The directions say: do 3 stitches, 1 picot, *then 4 times: 2 stitches and 1 picot and again 3 stitches, draw up the scallop; quite close to it begin a second scallop, do 3 stitches, join to the 5th picot of the first scallop and continue from *.

We would say: 3-2-2-2-2-3, partial close, *3 + last p on prev r, (2-)4X, 3, partial close, repeat from * for length desired.

I used two kinds of short form in this example. When you have a series of the same stitch pattern, you can enclose it in parentheses and indicate the number of times repeated. We would probably come up with a symbol or abbreviation for "partial close" or simply indicate at the beginning of the pattern that the rings are not to be completely closed. I think Mark Myers calls them "open rings".

If you're not familiar with (Tat-man) Mark's work, he has designed a number of patterns using this technique. You can find some here and here. He uses it a lot to mimic the bobbin lace look in tatting. You can see it creates a very open lacy effect.

So now we get to figure #1. This sample is tatted in Presencia (Fincrochet) size 30. It's a single shuttle pattern, known as a galoon. It's a combination of closed and open rings (scallops). Four ds is the magic number here.

R 4-4-4,clr, turn work. This is probably the same order of work you did in your very first bookmark. It's about the simplest form but we're going to use the scallops as a little twist.
R 4 (scallop), turn work
R 4-4-4, clr, turn
R 4 (scallop) turn (you are now back to where the 1st ring was made)
R 4 + last p of 1st r, 4-4, clr, turn
Continue in this sequence of closed ring, open ring, closed ring, open ring and join the closed rings at picots. I remember feeling confused about turning at the end of some rings. I wanted all my scallops to line up nicely and it seemed that the open part wasn't always where I thought it should be. Eventually I got into a rhythm and it all worked out.

Here's a small sample tatted in DMC Special Cordonnet size 20. I stopped here because I was out of time and just didn't get back to it, but it's a square at this point, and for those with designing minds, it could be a leaping off place for your imagination.

I found a small rock at Purdue one day just outside my building as I returned from an appointment. It was a kind of gold-ish looking stone and since Purdue's colors are gold and black, I thought it was a potential base for another rock cozy. So I brought it home and cleaned it up. I'd just finished the first galoon sample and wondered how it would look in black on this gold rock so I tatted the galoon in black and added beads. I crocheted around the galoon then to cover the rock. It's now with a friend whose last day is Monday after taking advantage of the early retirement incentive. I thought he could use it as a paperweight.

The remainder of the pieces in Plate I are increasingly more elaborate. The next few weeks are going to be busy so I will probably wait until I can focus clearly and then tackle them. I really love a few of them and can't wait to try them out.