Yesterday, I posted a  pattern that I made from a vintage handmade inkle weaving shuttle.

Today, I thought… I should use that pattern to make a shuttle!

Then I remembered that I had a piece of an old ruler from my husband’s Dad in the studio.

I don’t know what he used the other half for, but I am pleased as can be to have this half!

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I traced the pattern onto the ruler.

Because I promised my friend, William, that I wouldn’t use power tools until my eye is completely healed, I used simple hand tools.

My eye is really not there yet, so power tools are definitely off limits for me still.

But, I can’t stay out of the workshop, because it is such a pleasure, even when I feel wonky/wobbly.

Luckily, we have hand tools.

I have a fret saw that I just love- it’s great for fine cuts like the ones needed for this shuttle.

• I bought mine at Lee Valley tools. Fret saws are surprisingly cheap, and do a fab job. Great value for money!

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I clamped the ruler to the bench to make sawing easier.  So, add a spring clamp or two to your ‘must have’ list of tools.

And, I drilled a couple of holes so I could put the blade into the area that I needed to cut out.  A small hand drill is also a ‘must have’.

AND…. A set of small files in a selection of shapes, are essential!  I use them all the time for shaping in my woodworking.

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

After the shaping is done with files, I need to polish with sandpaper. Sandpaper is good, but I like sanding sponges more.

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

As I was working on this weaving shuttle, I thought… Duh! Why didn’t I do this ages ago?

I was struck by how similar the netting style weaving shuttle is to the tatting shuttles that I make (even though the inspiration for the tatting shuttles came from a totally different direction- amazing how things converge, isn’t it?)

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I just love this shuttle!

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I load the shuttle so that there is thread on both sides of the shuttle.  (By the way, the rainbow band behind the shuttle is an inkle band that I wove years ago. )

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Mmmm… it weaves like a dream.

I asked my daughter-in-law and daughter if they would like me to make them one each (they are both weavers), and they both said, YES!

Luckily, I have exactly enough of Dad’s ruler left to make them each a shuttle…. how perfect is that?

Of course, I couldn’t stop at just one bracelet…

so I made a second one:

Because I had a plan…. bangle bracelets look better when there are more than one….

(BTW, the flash does nasty things to the bracelets…. in real life, they look smooth and kind of irridescent. The flash seems to expose their undies. How rude!)

AND, because I love Furoshiki.

What’s  Furoshiki?

It’s an ancient and elegant Japanese solution to carrying things in the greenest possible way.

Here’s a link: FUROSHIKI

I’ve impressed the heck out of all kinds of people by whipping a headscarf out of my purse and tying a couple of knots in it to make a market bag.

I have also been using bracelets  as handles for my version of furoshiki.

Here’s how:

Tie 2 adjacent corners to one bracelet, and the other 2 corners to the second bracelet….

and VOILA!

You have an instant, earth friendly, eco happy market bag, GREEN tote bag, carry sack, re-usable, upcycled, recycled tote!

HURRAH!

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

My husband started it all. He bought me a bag of mystery synthetic cheap and cheerful thread at our favourite second hand store, and then magically made it appear in my studio.  (He’s such a romantic! He knows that I am addicted to thread in all it’s manifestations - even cheap and cheerful mystery thread! LOL)

Part 1- upcycling a bag of funky mystery thread

So, I got out some of the tatting shuttles that I love to carve and filled them up with multiple strands of the threads:

Part 2 - Choosing colors and loading tatting shuttles

Now, some folks might say that this is NOT really tatting… but it is!

Really!

Part 3- The Josephine Knot worked over the bracelet

Changing colors might seem tricky, but it’s not….

Part 4 - Color changes

And, one bracelet was good, so 2 were even better! Besides, now, I can multitask with them!

Wear them as bracelets, then whip them off and make a magic market bag- INSTANTLY!

Part 5- How to turn bangle bracelets into an oh so Green, eco friendly market bag

No animals were harmed in the making of these bracelets.

She did, however, supervise the whole process VERY closely.

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

In Part 3, the tatting finally began!

This is a rather unique approach to tatting…. there are no lacy bits, no loops, picots, chains, just plain Josephine Knots over a simple flat wooden bracelet with upcycled funky thread.

(Feel free to do this with gorgeous thread! It will be - well….. gorgeous!)

Now…..

What if you want to change colors?

Easy peasy….

1 choice is to cut the first color, leaving a few inches to spare.

Just pick up the next color, and hold the thread end from it together with the last  thread end, and carry on as if you were in your right mind.

When you make the first pass with the second color, make an ‘e’ with the thread to encourage the thread to tighten up.

Squish the threads really close together.

Sometimes, let the threads at the inside of the bracelet lay on top of the previous one to make them fan out a little and get maximum coverage.

Continue to add more colors, working with just one tatting shuttle at a time

OR

With all your shuttles all at once.  Don’t cut the threads, just carry them along the outside edge, and tat over the non - working threads.

As you decide that you’ve done with one color, snip it and work over the ends to hide them. When the bracelet is done,  snip the last colors, thread the ends into a sewing needle and take the ends inside all the wraps.

Voila! an upcycled thread tatted bracelet!

Ahem. I know I shouldn’t…. but I just couldn’t resist:

Always, Mum, you take the silly pictures of me…..

this will cost you in tuna.

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

Once I had all the tatting shuttles full of the mystery thread, I started working on the bracelet:

I didn’t tie the thread to the bracelet (by the way, this would work on any bangle bracelet).

I just took the thread through, and pinched it to the bracelet with my left thumb.

Then, I started making Josephine knots over the bracelet. What’s a Josephine knot?

Basically, it’s the blanket stitch.

∞The tatting shuttle goes through the bracelet, from the front to the back, and a loop of thread goes over your left index finger.

The shuttle comes up through the loop and then is pulled tight. ∞

The thread ends are carried along for awhile and eventually snipped off.

Repeat from ∞ to ∞

until you want to change colors……

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

My lovely husband, Jim, brought me home a goodie bag of mystery thread from the Sally Ann.

Not primo for sewing… so what to do, what to do….

Hmmmm…. good for spinning… yes! Will set some aside to use when spinning ‘designer yarn’.

Wait a minute…. this is T H R E A D, right?

T H R E A D !

Thread = tatting……yessssssssssssssssssssss………..

And, then I HAD it!

I decided I would  finally get around to finishing some wooden bracelets that I made last summer.

My plan was, cut out plain wooden circle bracelets and crochet yarn around them.

Good plan…. but - I have a BETTER one!

I will use the mystery thread and tat it around the bracelets! Yes!

I picked out a group of colors that I thought would work together….

Then,  I grabbed one of the bracelets, and a spool knitter,  and some bamboo skewers. (Every studio should have chopsticks and bamboo skewers!)

I slid a bamboo skewer through each of the spools of thread and put them on top of the spool knitter to separate them. You could stick the ends through a shoe box to achieve the same result, but this was easier for me.

And, then, I started winding thread onto tatting shuttles

To wind thread onto a shuttle that is closed at the top like these Great Mother ones, or a traditional netting style shuttle, you loop the thread over your index finger and slip it over the head. Flip the shuttle and repeat.

I had to put the shuttle down to take the picture, but you don’t do that when you are filling the shuttle.

I decided to leave the pink out, so just filled 4 tatting shuttles with thread: Royal blue, tan, silver/pale blue, and dark brown.

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

The other day, this treasure magically appeared in the studio.  Woohoo! Obviously my Hunnybunny had paid a visit to our fave 2nd hand store. Mmmmmmmm yum! a bag full of fun…… now what to do with it….Obviously, it’s super cheap and cheerful mystery synthetic thread - and I don’t trust it to hold together anything vital. Visions of dissolving garment or accessory being lifted out of washing machine in pieces after cheap and cheerful thread goes ‘boink’.

(You weren’t supposed to WASH me, human! I no hold together when wet!)

Loved the colors, tho’, so had a little think about it……

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

 Bloggy giveaway carnival time is over…..

The other day, I posted about the Hedgehog Tatting Shuttles that I have just designed and am now making.

Well……

I  offered one of my  Hedgehog Tatting Shuttles (one of a kind, handmade by me) as a prize in the bloggy giveaway carnival!

ANd the winner is #60, Nicole - congratulations! Hope you will enjoy it!

and make sure you leave a valid email address. 

The Contest  is now closed.

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright
Please note: I am no longer writing hankering for yarn. You can catch up with me at www.tottietalkscrafts.com

I have always found hedgehogs to be charming.

But, we have a greyhound, so we could never have a pet hedgehog. (’Mmmm, tasty’, I can imagine him saying….)

So, recently, when one of my readers asked me if I would make a teardrop shaped tatting shuttle, I did some sketches, and played with it, and came up with:

I am VERY pleased with it!

It tats like a dream, not at all spikey like it’s real life inspiration.

I love it when fun things evolve out of conversations with my hankering for yarn buddies!

Image  Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Tatting Chic won the Lady Hoare tatting shuttle that I gave away recently on my blog.

She wrote about it: Tatting Chic and the new Lady Hoare shuttle

She was disappointed to find it slow and difficult to work with.

The Lady Hoare tatting shuttles are slower to work with, but you can move along with them at a fair clip, once you get used to them.

AND, there is a secret to working with them comfortably.

Pinch lightly on one of the openings, and have the rest of the tatting shuttle ‘float’ out in front of your fingers.   A closed shuttle will sit mostly inside your hand, so adjusting to the ‘floating hold’ does make the Lady Hoare easier to use.  It’ll seem odd at first, but it will click for you, and it’ll work beautifully.

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay  copyright