"It's a String Thing" #164 Tiles

This week's challenge proved to be a breath of fresh air.  We concentrated on one tangle - Maria Thomas' W2 -  and even let the tangle dictate the string.  Sound intriguing?  Let's take a look ~

(Note: I use the word 'slats' interchangeably with warps and wefts to describe W2.)

The first tile arrived from Sandra (Gernany) and here on her blog ~

I am a big fan of the pattern W2 but I didn't use is for a while... So I decided to tangle two tiles for your challenge - the first one is a monotangle on a black tile and the second one is a combination with Henna Drum on a red tile.
I really liked to do that :-)
Thank you for that wonderful challenge :-)

 Tangled Tidbits -
*white grid squares and highlights

 *softly lined, overlapping Henna Drum



From Annie Taylor (Spain) ~

Hi Adele! Your post made me laugh...i knew there was something missing!
I started a very detailed and complex W2 monotangle for this week's String Thing but I wasn't liking it. Then I knew I wanted to do the simplest version I could. My W2 with a border of Akoya. Apologies to the perfectionists that it's not quite in the middle ....but hope transmits enough Zen to overcome this little defect.

 Tangled Tidbits -
...all perfectionist tendencies dissapear when tangling :)
*white W2 grid squares
*border and white space highlight W2


From Amy Barnickel (Florida) ~

Hi Adele! Here is my monotangle for this week... a little easier to make time for monos!

Tangled Tidbits -
Agreed, Amy!
*angled grid with crisscrossing thick and thin slats
*simple and fun border



From Lin H (Florida) ~

Thanks for your latest challenge, Adele. I'm on the road this week but had a few Zentangle supplies with me and was able to complete your challenge, yay! Along with W2 I've included a variation of Springkle (Zentangle original pattern).

Tangled Tidbits -
*four by four squared grid creates wide slats
*shaded leaves of Springkle



From Siri (California) ~

After last week's challenge, this week's string was so refreshing. I used W2, Cruffle, a bit of Flux and Crescent Moon tangle patterns. Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall. :-)

Tangled Tidbits -
*light and dark contrasts
*straight W2 tower finished with curved edges


From Susan (United Kingdom) ~

W2 and its cousin Huggins are two of my favourite tangles. This week I have two photos. I started by doing a border, which I liked but I really couldn’t decide what to put in it. So I’ve left it blank and I’m going keep it as a frame and copy it and try filling it in, in different ways. In my second attempt I adapted the frame design into a string to give two areas to fill in. One of the designs was planned to be on a much bigger scale, but when I’d finished it was just the same size as the others! I added some single Huggins to W2, and like how they look like Laced.

Tangled Tidbits -
*beautiful use of W2 for a border
*multiple directions for W2 grids along with detailed embellishments


From Joan Delony (Florida) ~

I opted for a simple W2 with Flora and CO2. I am looking forward to viewing all the creativity this week.

Tangled Tidbits -
*lined accents of W2
*sunflower-like Flora


From Lori Byerly (Washington State)  and here on her blog ~

What an interesting challenge. Monotangles are such fun, and actually more challenging I think than a mix of patterns.

Tangled Tidbits -
*two corner lines of W2 left wider
*straight lines softened with the curve and jagged lines of the embellishment - notice how that repeats in the dark spaces



From Cheryl Stocks (Arizona) and here on her blog ~

Dear Adele, Thanks for the challenge. I kind of put two together.

Tangled Tidbits -
*W2 flanked by floating grid squares
*beautiful border of Andante


From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~

Last week I found your challenge very challenging. I found the same with this week's Diva challenge - but observed on my blog that sometimes that is a good thing.
But your String Thing challenge was the opposite this week. It was an warm invitation to sit awhile, with a blank tile (I chose one I'd coloured using tissue paper) and a simple and elegant tangle. To slowly and evenly place small squares and then join them, and then embellish the space they make (with something resembling Echoism and Antidots). And then shaded with graphite and coloured pencil - leaving that little window in the middle to allow an even greater sense of calm.Thank you for the challenge and the string and the choice of tangle and the great sense of peace that this gave me.

Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you for that elegant description of your tangling experience - it echoed in mine and many others as well.
*four open middle grid spaces
*neat and even alternating horizontal and vertical tangles



From Juul (France) ~

I;m not really happy with my tile but i'm happy to finish this time. I start every week but do not finish them in time.....My hand do[es] tremble less every time!

Tangled Tidbits -
*W2 morphs into Huggins
*bold details - great compliments between the shapes


From Renee (Tennessee) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
* a vine ready for Halloween :)
*details of W2 give it a more woven look



From Anita A Westin (Dalarna, Sweden) and here on her blog ~

Hi Adele!
This time you get two tiles from me. The reason is, when I had made the first one,
I was unsure of what I had done! Both Huggins and W2 are tangles that I learned very early in my tangle-adventure! And I have used them a lot now and then. I know them by heart, but also have mixed them up and they come out as both pattern at the same time! Today I made one more and checked the stepout Before I started so the second one really is W2! More comments here: link...

The first tile also have Laced (Elisabeth Martin), Beadline (Margaret Bremner) and Waves (Suzanne McNeill) in it. The second one can not be called a monotangle though. Garlic Cloves (Jacqueline Breednoort) wanted to say Goodbye for now! And then there is Hibred as a frame, Dorsal (mine), Beadlines (Margaret Bremner) and Waves (Suzanne McNeill) as embellishment)
Thank’s for a great challenge Adele!
With warm autumn greetings...

 Tangled Tidbits -
*angled grid
*touch of tangles and shading add depth

*lovely mix of tangles added to W2



From Julie (North Carolina) ~

Here are 2 tiles for this weeks challenge.
I had fun with this one, and think I finally have gotten the W2 tangle down!
I practiced alot and it was fun!Thanks again for theses challenges, I look forward to them every week and love learning new tangles, even if I can not master all of them, it is relaxing!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*4 x 5 grid
*alternating embellishments - pleasing compliments

*detail lines accent the narrow warps and wider wefts

From Ilse Lukken (The Netherlands) and here on her blog ~

With a little help from my sweet cat Izzy (he made me draw the little line on the right bottom side of my tile :-)) ) I drew Oke on W2.

Tangled Tidbits - 

You have an artistic cat :)

*shaded Oke layered over W2

*unifirm rows of W2

From Traci Frogley (Missouri) ~

Good Day!
When you see my challenge piece, I'm sure you'll wonder if I am monotangle challenged. I assure you I am not. I was totally in that Zen Zone and completely forgot this was a monotangle!!!!! Printemps snuck in before I realized my error. So very sorry!! I feel foolish but wanted you to see my work even though it doesn't fit the challenge you gave us for the week. Thanks for all you do!

Tangled Tidbits - 

It does fit - you were welcome to add additional tangles, just as you did.

*middle large grid of W2 flows outward - lovely aura

*smaller grid features large squares and narrow lines

From Lily Moon (Hungary) and here on her blog ~

Dear Adele, here is my response for your weekly challenge.
Filler tangles are : Chordin, Printemps and Arc Flower parts.ZenHug

Tangled Tidbits - 

*layers of lovely embellishments

*each slat of W2 is unique in width, color, and detail

From Karen, The Creative Miss L (Canberra, Australia) and here on her blog ~

Once again I’ve done two tiles. The first is a monotangle of W2. I think I got 4 levels of W2 in there. The second tile uses W2 with Fleavy and Dicso.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*marvelous monotangle - multiple layers and sizes of W2

*white highlights add dimension to W2 and contrast to the deep black background

From Jennifer (Sweden) ~

I used the following tangles to decorate Huggins: Andante, Cubine, Msst, Crescent Moon, Nipa, Hollibaugh, Trazee, Lilypads. Can you tell me what the tangle in the top left corner is called? I couldn't find its name!

Tangled Tidbits - 

The tangle is called Snaylz Trayl by Andrea "Cookie" Shuman

*Large Huggins gives ample room to fill with tangles.

*Crescent Moon center adds depth

From Patricia Moor (Switzerland) ~

Thank you for the new challenge. I liked the freedom of no string for a change.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*corer of Huggins blooms into organic tangles

*soft shading

From Susie (St. Louis, Missouri) ~

Tangles W2, Tripoli and I can't remember the other tangle, sorry.

Tangled Tidbits - 

It may be Maria Thomas' Twing...

*thick W2, dark shading, and triangular tangles to embellish

*delicate border to frame the bold W2

From Val Steele (Johannesburg, South Africa) ~

Hi AdeleThanks for a "simple" one this week. I started off with W2 as just a border, but it took over and just left a little centre for some Hollibaugh.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*detail lines turn into Hollibaugh - or visa versa :)

*deeply shaded W2

From Joan Omans (Michigan) ~

I loved this week's challenge. W2 was one of the very first tangles I learned when I discovered Zentangle in the Fall of 2014. I've only recently started playing with the placement of the squares / dots thus creating different sized warps and wefts. Inspiration struck in many ways, but the tile I am submitting is really the one that stood out for me. And, thank you for sharing your tangled pumpkin pictures. It turned out beautifully!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*single lines of W2 rise from the page at different angles

*lightly penciled aura and border

From Trudi (Woodview, Ontario, Canada) ~

Greetings Adele, I decided to follow KISS, keep it simple sweetie. W2 in a Celtic Knot. Mind you it took me 3 attempts to get my Knot right!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*angled W2 morphs into a clever Celtic knot 

*weighted lines and shading add dimension

From sra (India) ~

Here are my tiles. I'm not sure if the curved lines are another tangle altogether.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*tightly woven W2
*weighted lines and soft shading

*alternating light and shaded sections

From Gesine (Germany) ~

here’s my contribution for this week – a W2 monotangle...

Tangled Tidbits -
*shading, highlights, curved grids add fabulous folds
*deeply shaded crevasses


From Christie (Kansas) ~

It’s starting to feel like fall in Kansas and I’m loving it!
W2 was the perfect backdrop for use with some of my current favorite tangles: jay-six, relly-telly, laflor, and binda. Thanks again for the excellent work you do in hosting these weekly challenges.

Tangled Tidbits -
*tangles fill and flow from W2
*sparkled tangles and soft shading



From Jane Glotzer (Boulder, Colorado) ~

Well...I am sure there will be amazing, beautiful, intricate versions of this IAST, using all kinds of incredible patterns, and I am looking forward to seeing each and every one (and I have already seen a few online) BUT I chose to go extremely simple with my version, and it was a very very zen experience for me...an overly large scale, wonky grid for a basic, shaded W2...done!...and I love it--:)

Tangled Tidbits -
*basic and zen - can't ask for more :)
*grid squares are slightly off square and add to the 'wonky' look
*shaded border


From Gabriela Garcia (Alberta, Canada) ~

Hi everyone!, here is my almost late entry for this challenge. It was an extremely busy week and for a moment I thought I would have to miss this week's challenge but managedto find a little bit of time on Saturday to draw. I decided to add "pendrills" for a fall touch.

Tangled Tidbits -
*ribbon like slats of W2 curved just a bit for added depth
*beautiful colors and patterns create a lovely ZIA


From Michele Wynne (California) ~

Thanks for this gift of a challenge. I love W2 and had a very Zen time with this, especially after last week's tough one (I completed it and then forgot to send it).Thanks for all you do

Tangled Tidbits -
*alternating, detailed tangles and colors fill W2
*highlights and deep shading add to the woven look


From Sue Agnew (Tucson, Arizona) ~

What fun to revisit one of my favorite early tangles!
I had lots of ideas for experimentation, like I was going to array the squares diagonally, and I was going to try using perspective ... but then after I'd started playing with wider and narrower strips I figured that was complex enough.My plan for embellishing was to put dashed lines on all the horizontal strips, but then I got mixed up so it ended up being all the narrow strips. The embellishment I used in the wide places is a Zentangle original tangle called Gneiss (sorta).

Tangled Tidbits -
*vertical slats (warps) run thin to thick to thin again - notice the slit wider ones
*symmetrical balance


From Vicki Mitchell, CZT ( Moscow, Idaho) ~

Here are my tiles for this week's challenge. The first one is fairly obvious: W2 on a square grid. Extra tangles are Fife, OoF, Avreal, Cadent, Shattuck, and Crescent Moon.
The second tile is on a grid that is warped on both axes. The extra tangles are Andante, Andromeda, Ys and Orbs, Drogon, Ovy, Ando, Interlude, Spupa (times 3), Roel (times 3), 4Mom, Funsin, Squiggles, Eez, Lollywimple, and Sunsin.
Doing something with W2 was an interesting challenge because it is such a simple tangle, but it has so many possibilities. I still have other ideas of things to do with it, but I need to think about them for a while.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*a new tangle fills each slat
*lighter striped wefts compliment the more detailed warps

*curvy, detailed W2


From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~

...Thank you for this nice challenge. As you see I used also in this tile Ponio by Damy Teng CZT , and Gourgeous by Maria Thomas CZT from Zentangle headquarters. I drew Ponio on the left side, but after finishing and turned the tile with Ponio on the upperside it felt also right. So maybe you choose what looks best? 

Tangled Tidbits -
I like the way you oriented it :)
*line work in both tangles work well together and compliment W2
*shading and highlights make the tangles pop


From Karin (Germany) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*randomly spaced grid squares (I had fun with that too)
*overlapping accented with shading


From Montse (Madrid, Spain) ~

Hi all...
Here's my tile from IAST 164: zia in 9'5 cm x 6'5 cm (I'm sorry: I don't know the measures in the English system). I like the colors and straight lines in tangle W2. I can't do IAST every weeks, but I see all the wonderful tiles: thank you for your works.

Tangled Tidbits -
*colorful ZIA in pinks and purples
*curves and dashes, shades and highlights



From Susan Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*curved wefts, random sized slats
*thoughtful Paradox placement


From Jenny Hopkins (Australia) ~

As soon as I hear the word "monotangle" my brain does a little flip because it doesn't really know what to do with only one tangle. But I tried it and my W2 turned into something that reminds me of the lovely fan that Lily Moon uses each week when photographing her Zentangles. It was fun this week to push myself to try to produce a monotangle that doesn't just look like a practise page! Thank you for stretching my brain a little further.

Tangled Tidbits -
*elegant take on W2, scalloped wefts and thin warps work outward from one corner
*detail lines sparkle on the overlap



From Marla Mendenhall (California) ~

I love W2, always have, even before there was Zentangle for me and I knew what it was called, and had a step-out that made it SO much easier. My Celtic roots, donchaknow. And so the first tile is a nod to my heritage, with a version of Zenith as a side border.

When I drew the circular Tile 2, Hubby said it reminded him of the lattice dough on the top of an Apple pie, so I threw in some Americana designs in the corners.

My last project for Weaving 101 was going to include a stick, yarn, an aluminum tube from an old windchime, a length of bamboo, a feather, a ribbon ... Hum. Why not just ribbons? So I used "ribbons" from some of our more recent challenges: Hibred (#161), Shattuck (#160), Z-trik (#160), Andante (#163), MA-XIII lace (#141), and Flukes, also from #163 and as unruly as usual.

FUNFUNFUNFUNFUN!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*W2 Celtic knot and that makes two this week :) - notice the shading and how it changes around each side
*beautiful border tangles

*exquisite W2 circle - warps wrap over the edges, center black perf sparkled just so
*lovely corner tangles

*woven ribbons of beautiful tangles

*a real tribute to W2 and to Marla's talent

And here are a few of mine ~

I set out to draw a very simple, somewhat uniform grid for the tangle and ended up going just a bit wonky on one side.  I embellished two of the slats and shaded to finish.  

This left me wondering what an intentionally off kilter grid would do for the pattern and began with a grid of odd sized squares.  

I found W2 relaxing to tangle and I recaptured some of the zen that escaped me last week.  

From Jonesy (Missouri) ~

 Tangled Tidbits -
*W2 background - penciled, shaded, highlighted
*circular overlapping darker lined tangles


From Felicity Strohfeldt (South Africa) ~

...When I got home from work today, I decided to buckle down and attempt the this rather challenging challenge. So here is the result; a surprise as always. Dubious at first, but then W2 and Huggins by Maria Thomas took over and the tangled happened.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*framed center of W2
*corners of W2 morph into a Huggins party


From Aloyna Pakhomova (Toronto, Canada) ~

I fount it more complicated to tangle without a string. No limits for
fantasy, but it looks like I need some. :) So I found a string I liked
and set to work. That tile went all wrong (I know there is no wrong in
zentangle, it just wasn't what I expected to get), so I turn the tile
other side up and started sketching in order to show my son how to draw
this tangle using the same string. And my son told me: "That's a
bottle!". Now I saw the bottle as well. I took a new tile and made a
good copy - not string this time, just a bottle as I saw with the help of my son. It was a great help, and I like that sketch.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*middle Huggins defines the 'bottle' along with wonderful shading

*large dark squares for W2 grid

*alternating Huggins and W2 string sections
*shaded string lines



From Simone, CZT (Germany) ~

 Many Greetings from a little cottage at the North Sea where I spend some holidays.
 Today I spend some time with tangling and started with the IAST challenge
 A monotangle of W2 , a classic official tangle by Maria Thomas, - what a challenge !
 And no string was given in this week`s IAST challenge..
 I started with a really uneven grid and drew W2. I used it as the string to add some other tangles within.
And I added a very first small try of "PiB" which was created and published by Hanny Waldburger CZT last week. I like it very much and I am going to draw and practise it soon

 Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful dimension achieved with curves, tangles, and shading
*a touch of the new tangle, Pib  (which we will use in IAST #165)



And now...

the tile for honors this week...

was sent in by...

Sharyn Penna of Massachusetts ~

Last week's prompt was a test of blending opposing shapes. I didn't think about it till now, but I feel like that mindset primed me for this week's prompt. We build upon our yesterdays.
It was such a thrill to find curves for such a straight tangle as W2. I made three tiles but am sending two. Not included is the first, a circular W2. Curiosity took hold so I drew semi circles in each corner of a new tile and W2 made the connection in the center. Then I wondered if a Printemps-like string could be applied to W2 ... hot diggity ... it does! I looks like a knotty rose.I can't wait to see all the tiles and interpretations! Cheers to cheap thrills in a small town!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*captivating take on W2 - curved corners that flow upward to the center and interlock
*shaded warps and wefts with a bit of highlight

*spiraled grid of W2 has each layer interlocking toward the center



Congratulations, Sharyn!
I have a little something coming in the mail for you.

A huge thank you to all of the contributors to this week's challenge.
Please know that I appreciate and treasure your kindnesses and encouragements. 

Many thanks to Maria Thomas, Zentangle® co-founder for the lovely W2.

Check back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #165!