Clunies Redeemed!

 The newly improved version: this

time, following the pattern!

You compare:

 Well, what do you think?  It's not Elisadusud, but it is a step forward, I think.  Deviating from the pattern at my stage of the learning curve? Not a good idea! I am not counting adding the BEADS, course.  I mean, there are only 6 of them, for goodness sake...

(Blue thread is called Snowflake and is either LadyShuttleMaker's or Yarnplayer's.  I am sorry, I lost the tag.  If someone can help me out, please leave a comment!)

Clunies are difficult to press.  This is my method of choice.  I do not think my criminal law professors would be at all amused... 

Anon,

Thank You, Sharon ♥ from the Cluny Klutz!

I am SO excited with this new pattern by Sharon Briggs, and this new- to-me  HDT by Snappish on Etsy. (are you reading this Liyarra?)   I couldn't  wait to post this!

This is one of Sharon's new ones that she very graciously has let me try.  I must admit I fiddled with the pattern because I wanted the clunies bigger ( as I am THE  Cluny Klutz) and then of course the whole thing had to be changed to get the chains the right length. Not only that, I added beads.  Couldn't NOT add beads.  Hmmm.... I think it might be Maebh's influence again...

I am going to tat another one, this time following the correct instructions, but I wanted to post this right away!

Must get the cluny thing handled.  I go to Elisadusd's blog  ALL the time to see her superb clunies.  Her work is so exact and consistent; Elisa says that she does at least 20 passes....  So, I tried that on Sharon's pattern; that is why everything is so squished.

When will someone have a Cluny Class?

(This was an attempt to understand the order of chains and rings in tatting clunies - which aren't tatted, but ...what is the word? They created with a shuttle - woven?)

The Thread

Liyarra told me months ago about it - Bre-Aly Threads from Snappish on Etsy. Loved using it. It is rather flat, as opposed to shiny, but has a lovely feel and is consistent both in the way the colours change and in the thickness.  Very nice thread, Brenda!

I have two dye-lots, both is #30.  Maybe I'll do the next one in the other colourway.  Maybe not!

Anon,

The Giveaway Is Supposed To Be Fun!

Yikes; I feel so wicked reading your nervous responses to my last post! 

The goal was to communicate to non-readers that the giveaway is open to ALL who read and commented - even once - on tat-ology.  Also, of course, I recognize the names that respond, as do we all who blog, for we all love comments - or there would be no allocated space for them! Memories are long , I believe, when it comes to the responses we receive. That is my opinion.

I lied.

I could not do  the 'warts and all' philosophy!  Even the words - warts and all - are not how I would express myself. Not my particular style, but I thought I'd try it out. 

 

 I took a page from Taskool's book.  I think they are improving.

#25 Motif Challenge Completed!

UPDATE

The book has arrived at Jane's.  Catch the post about it today on her blog.  I am thrilled at its journey so far, and so pleased that it has travelled through four countries so far. 

If you are participating, you can add the banner to your blog.  Click on banner; right click to save picture 'as'. Put image on your sidebar with a link to this one.

Presents from Afar!

I had mentioned to my friend, Suneeti, that I want to do Anne's Dragon,( Kinesisk drage) and asked her advice on thread and colour.  She said that the metallics would be great for a dragon. Look what came in the mail yesterday!  Lucky me! That fabulous HDT is Yarnplayer's Garden Afternoon.  Thank you so much, Suneeti!

Anon,

Maebh Has Spoken

More details:

This is the shuttle, an  English Aero,  that 
I won on eBay last year.  

It is in perfect condition; only 
one owner, before me, in England.

There are a few extra goodies about which The Cat quarrelled with Maebh. 

She won. 

1) This is a special way for me  to say 'Thank You' to all who have visited and supported me and tat-ology over the past year. In light of this, I will not accept a name that I have never seen before, submitted  just because this is a giveaway.  The shuttle is to be won by someone to whom I am actually grateful! (Thanks, Bev;  you inspired this brainwave!)

2) Let me know if you want to play be responding to this entry.  This is the only place I will look for your name.

3) I will use the Random Generator on Thursday June 10th and announce the winner by noon that day.

Anon,

The Bookmark and A Certain Bravery

I know you are awaiting news of  The Giveaway, but Maebh CANNOT be rushed. She and The Cat have been holed up in a cupboard for simply ages, and I am hearing a lot of  animated  mewing and whispers from that quarter.  I expect they shall emerge shortly.

In the meantime, I want to show you the bookmark for my sister's birthday - finished just in time, as she arrives on Thursday. Close.

I am thrilled with it. It looks much richer in real life; it has an old world feel to it, like Victorian front parlours and cut crystal vases.  Krystle was so right; the colours are unexpectedly fetching together.

One thing I am wondering about - and I have emailed Krystle, as it is to hers that I am comparing this - it is not as stiff as hers, though mine is actually a mite smaller, so I don't think it is tatted too loosely.  I pressed it under weight, as I always do, but I might have actually  wet it, rather than just dampened it.  Maybe this caused the softening?
 

Why bravery? 

Well, the small blue heart, added to the photo only because it looked off balance and wrong without something added, did not call for beads. When I tatted the pink one - shown a few days ago, I added one bead at the bottom.

This time, I decided midway through that I wanted three beads, but had not added them at the start. I figured out how to get the beads onto the thread using a dental thingy, and was very puffed up for about five seconds with this little show of bravery and brilliance, when I realized the bead at the top of the cluster was off-centre..

More bravery?  I am getting to it.

The blue heart was intended to be included in the package that Maebh and The Cat are devising. It is far from perfect.  But, I am sending it along because I want to become accustomed to giving  away my tatting, warts-and-all.  I am hard at work overcoming the 'it must perfect' stumbling block. I just want to do my best, and have that be just fine. So, whoever gets the blue heart, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

One last thing:

After all my griping and moaning last year about Cèbèlia, and how I wanted to get rid of it, I panicked, yessiree,  panicked, when I realized I was almost out of white #20!

That white baby bonnet had used up almost an entire ball.  On Sunday, I rushed to the craft shop, realizing I was almost out, as I tatted the edging for Mini-Boss' hat.

That white thread has become my security blanket, especially since I have gone off most of the variegated Lizbeth that I have.  HDT - another matter entirely. With regard to the store bought stuff, I MUST have white Cèbèlia on hand! How neurotic is that!

Anon,

Lusting for Limelight

50,000!

 I got quite a shock yesterday, when I realized I have surpassed this astoundingly large number of hits.  

This does call for some kind of celebration, as I think I must admit to not only the desire to blog, but also to having  tatters feel that my ramblings were worth following.  There.  I said it.  I was going for the applause.

Well, you have certainly granted me my secret wish. I thank you so much for the privilege.

It has been inspiring, invigorating and often entertaining to read all the comments and suggestions and to have the marvellous support of Tat-land.  You have been there in happy times  -  the arrival of Mini-Boss -  and  when things were not not going so well in the 'other world'.

This blog has been a lifesaver and I am grateful to each and every one of you who stopped by and had a peek at my progress and left a message.  This blog has survived because of YOU!

Maebh has decreed that I host a give-away to commemorate this milestone.  She is, right now as I write, pondering the logistics and the contents of the package...

Anon,

For Marking Her Place - Almost Done

Progress has been swift, maybe because I have been busy with other things; you know how that works.
So, Here is a picture from a few days ago.  Actually I am very near completion.  The silk has been wonderful to work with and I love the results.  Next post, the finished bookmark.

 Also working on a crocheted hat with tatted edge for Mini-Boss:

You can't see the top very well here, but I have encircled a pretty button with some tatted rings to hide the top beginning round of crochet.  In real life, it is very unobtrusive and is what I envisioned when I got the idea.

The tatted edge is a great colour.  Don't know what YOU see, but it is a pale lilac colour that co-ordinated with the yarn very well.  The yarn is sugar-cane viscose and is very soft.  Her mom will approve!

Dare I tread on the topic of the last post:  BEADS? Well, I will presume upon your patience and post just one more itty-bitty thing:  

my stash of  
BEADS!

Now, I'm done.

Anon,

There Will Be Beads

#22 Motif Challenge

This was such a fun tat.  Same Karey Solomon thread as the last post, and the Pattern is 'Small Heart', by Jennifer Williams.  I rather like the tiny, lime beads.

Ummm... it's a little thing about the beads.  I cannot seem NOT to use them.  I love beads. All colours and shapes .  But only little beads. Soon, very soon,  I may have to break out - go big and bold and even brassy!  Maybe adding - gulp - buttons!

This is something that has sort of overtaken me by stealth.  Before, I had an impression that folks who used a lot of beads were a bit... well ... over the top.  I suppose I have to eat - dare I say it -  crow!

Beads are NOT tacky or gaudy, nor are they reserved for those lacking good taste.  Beads are for the pure of heart, the artistic, the brave, the adventuresome. Beads are all about joie de vivre and la dolce vita. The world needs many more shiny, colourful, beautiful beads; they could right a bunch of wrongs out there beyond the borders of Tat-land!

Listen-up world leaders; you need beads and lots of them.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Remember this? 

Krystle and I did a bookmark exchange and she sent me this wonderful piece and some green silk thread.  Well, I told her I wanted to tat the same thing for my sister's BD, and she sent me some burgundy silk to go with the green!  How generous and kind is that?

I only hope I can do it justice.  It is different, though not difficult to work with.  It feels great.  Thank you, Krystle!  I am going to enjoy working with silk very much!

The silk is not the difficulty, however, the pattern, though it looks easy being only rings and chains, is quite surprisingly demanding in its simplicity.  This is a good challenge.

Also, I trust that sis will not read this, as she does not enjoy computers very much, and is not a huge fan of tatting (but she does read a lot) so I think I am safely incognito here, as far as she is concerned!

So far:

Now, there has been some talk about beads in bookmarks - how they make the thing too thick between the pages.  These are small beads and I do not think they will be a bother.  The pages will get used to them.  There will be beads.  Period.

Anon,

Tintinnabulation!

The sound of a bell ringing ~ I can just just hear it.  Well, that is what I hear when I look at this lovely! (Jon's)
 
At long last, I have been able to do one of these carbone rings properly! (Karey's HDT) I read yesterday on one of the blogs about how one can try and try and not get it right, and put the problem away for a while, and ... ta-da:  no more angst.  Well, voilà!

 #18. Motif Challenge

Still messing about with the little motifs.  Getting some help from the Lep quarter, which reminds me; does Lep Headquarters notice the change to Maebh's wardrobe?
 

 #19, 20 and 21 Motif Challenge

Anon,

Vive La Différence!

 #17 Motif Challenge#2 

 Much better!  Perhaps the first one suffered precisely because it was the first one; I never seem to get it right initially.  This one is so much more defined.  The little coloured spots are where the lock join happens;  I cannot seem to get rid of them. Not tight enough, but I can now move on.  Step away, Fox...

Had I done a regular join, I could have used the appropriate colour, but the join would not have been firm.  What's a girl to do?

Anon,

Bare Threads - Who Cares!

It's my new philosophy - okay, so I'm lying. In fact, I am quite miffed that the piece I was so looking forward to tatting is so, well, klutzy-looking. That's what happens if I do not tat constantly. That will teach me to move!

I was going to post only the second photo, as I thought it hid the alarming bare spots, but this must be an honest learning experience, or what's the point? So I gritted my teeth and displayed the worst one first. 

The second is a more slightly veiled version - like a photo taken with a bit of Vaseline smeared on the lens while photographing an aging movie star...

Here is the movie star version:

#16 Motif Challenge

Ah well.

This book has intimidated me till now.  I finally had the nerve to do this pattern, because I loved it so much on Gina's blog, and it was not difficult - even thought the result was not good.  It is a wonderful book, with lots of patterns inside.

I am going to tat this again and see if I can do the motif sans baldness.

Oh, the wonderful thread is Heather's Wine and Roses.  I reminds me of custard and jam. I ♥ love♥ this thread.

Anon,

The Patience of Maebh

 

She is patiently waiting for me to stop with the moving activity and pay some attention to the shuttle from across the pond. It came with the beautiful tatted cross and a description of the oak shuttle it was tatted with.  

I have a Pop-A-Bobbin made of the same old oak and was so pleased to receive the card with the explanation from Tat's Heaven.

Maebh is right.  Time to relax and get the shuttles loaded as I finally found the pattern for the motif I want to tat after a whole lot of confusion and a very frantic email to Diane!  The pattern I wanted was not on her blog as I had thought it was, but rather on Gina's.  Moving brain.  What can I say!

Next post? One tatted motif coming up!

Anon,