I finally have started on the baby booties for my grandsons. The plan is to baptize them at the same time and the girls and I thought it would be nice for me to make them booties.
I’m using the pattern out of Aunt Ellen’s Tatting Patterns by Workbasket. I’ve made this pattern before, about 16 -17 years ago. It’s kind of funny. The book marks each pattern by how hard it is, easy, intermediate and challenging and this pattern is challenging. No big deal, I’ve made them before. Uh-huh. I’ve learned a lot and done a lot since then.
So the pattern says shuttle and ball. Okay, I wind one shuttle and leave it attached to the ball and start the bottom, do about the first five rings and chains. And then I’m looking for the other shuttle – the one I didn’t wind 
because you only need one. But the way the pattern flows a second shuttle is needed, at least it is if you know how.
because you only need one. But the way the pattern flows a second shuttle is needed, at least it is if you know how. So, I wound thread around the outside of the shuttle until I thought I had enough, cut off from the ball and wound a second shuttle (I didn’t measure but an experienced eye had the shuttle loaded almost perfectly) and went on with the bottom.
The rest of it is pretty straight forward and is for just shuttle and ball. I have two more rounds on the first of bootie left to go. I’ll try it on the youngest grandson to see how it fits then make the next pair out of larger thread for the older. He’s two months older and had really long feet when he was born so I’ll have to experiment with different thread sizes to get them to fit. This one is in DMC white size 30 so I have size 20 and size 10 for a couple of easy ways to increase the size without changing the pattern.
We’re planning on mid-February for the event – weather permitting – so as long as I don’t dawdle too much I should get them done in plenty of time. That is, of course, if I don’t have trouble with the next pair!
I was planning on posting the Entwined Hearts, pattern by Jon, here and the booties when at least one pair was made, but I oopsed. I was actually taking a picture of it and noticed that I made a join wrong! So I decided to make it again before posting it. Stay tuned…
They are looking Lovely! I envey you the ambition to do these…They scare the bejeezus out of me 😉
Thank you. This pattern isn’t too bad, but without diagrams or close pictures it’s a little harder than some of the newer patterns with both. And it’s written out the long way instead of the shorthand I’ve gotten used to lately. But they do look good when they’re done.
What you have done so far is lovely! 🙂
Beautiful work. Sometimes I avoid the need for a second shuttle by tying an over-and-under knot. Not sure if it would help you out in this case, however.
Thank you, TattingChic. Now I just need to get the other three done!
Thanks, JulenaJo. I’m sure I used that method last time. But I so rarely seem to tat anything without the second shuttle that I felt a little lost without it.