The colorway is "Holly Jolly Christmas" by LadyShuttleMaker. I love how she's added just a hint of blue to the Christmas mix. The pattern is by Julie Patterson.
The design is called "Christmas Snowflake". I can barely bring myself to type that. My frequent readers will know that one of my biggest pet peeves is calling something a snowflake that clearly isn't. It is a fact of nature that snowflakes always have six points. That is simply the way that water molecules crystallize. Google it if you don't believe me. You wouldn't call a triangular motif a butterfly, because it's not shaped like one; likewise, a motif with any number of repeats other than six is not a snowflake because it's not shaped like one. I am therefore choosing to call this a "Christmas Star" instead. There, I feel better.
The tiny little bell I tatted a few days ago and this pretty little star have inspired me to do a series of mini-ornaments for table-top trees. I probably won't do a huge number of them, but enough to have a good selection at next year's sale.
Miranda, I love your Christmas STAR!
ReplyDeleteHow did you get it too look so much more...starish... than my poor lumpy little stabs at this motif? I found this a really difficult tat.
Fox : )
I have a hard time calling anything a flake that doesn't have 6 or 12 points. I do love stars, so I think your Christmas star is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteFox-- remember what thread you used on it?
ReplyDeleteI am glad to know that I am not alone in the aspect of snowflake terminology. If you are looking for more mini-star pattern, I have the StarChic pattern in my blog,
ReplyDeletehttp://tatsaway-patterns.blogspot.com/2011/05/starchic.html
Thanks, Jon, I love your patterns!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Christmas motif! :)
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, where did you find that huge quarter? :-) Beautiful flake, and certainly not pointless. It just amazes me what you can do with such small thread. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLovely! And how wise of you to tat now for the next Christmas season. I'm certainly still in the mood for Christmas tatting. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteAmusing story: 20 years ago when I learned to tat, I proudly put a 4 x 6 photo of my first tatted 'snowflake' on the front of my 60 Christmas cards, and it had eight points (size 50 thread)! I must say it made a lovely photo on a blue background!
ReplyDeleteIt was SUPPOSED to have six points but for some reason it wouldn't lie flat (never investigated why!), so I had to put eight points on it! I worked too hard up to that point to stop, as it was my first try with two shuttles! It looked wonderful to me and I was SO proud of it! I had NO idea (but should have) that snowflakes can have only six points! (I learned that fact years later!)
I'm always amused now when I now look at my 'mutant' snowflake, and hope that my 'knowledgeable' card recipients allowed me artistic license!
However, 'star' shapes are often represented as five points, and this motif is a wonderful design, beautifully tatted by you, as usual - and SO TINY AND DELICATE! Thanks to you and Fox for guiding me to Julie's pattern!