Re-Made

By chance, yesterday, I wandered into a yard sale in an area I seldom frequent - never do I go to yard sales - and I spotted a heap of  jewellery; on a table in a plastic bag was a pearl necklace.  It was a very good reproduction - I had to bite it to see if it was real!

So - you can guess the rest.  I cut off the old pink thread and started over. This is the result.

Happy Sale!

I am so pleased the the Victorian pendant sold so fast, that I am designing one more!

I used to have several links of that old bracelet, but have mailed them off to tatting friends, never dreaming I would design a pendant and actually sell it. Funny  -  life happens when you're busy doing something else! (Thanks,  John Lennon!) But, happily I have one more - so stay tuned. I have an idea...

LATER 

I can take this apart and tat another green one, or I can leave this as is. I wanted to create a different design so as not to just copy the first and so this is that!.  Hmmm.

I used my mum's very vintage, white beads, a pink Swarovski crystal and Karey's hand-dyed silk thread. I have been looking at it for so long, I don't know whether to give it a pass or not.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Also, I thought I would clear out the older things in the Etsy shop - there are only a few, but if you want a bargain, I have almost 1/2 priced what is there. (You all know how I like to keep thinks pretty sparse!  I suppose this a applies to the shop as well!) Bargain!

This is what is currently in the shop:

Anything appeal?

New Designs & Old Obstacles

Yesterday, after walking into a kitchen stool, while in a great hurry, 

my day came to a painful, sudden fullstop. 

I broke my toe! 

So I HAD to stay put - oh - the pain - and tat 

most of the day. This is what happened:

This is my design.  My very own.

Last year, I found an old bracelet - broken and in pieces, in a funny, little shop in the West Village, Manhattan, and picked it up, thinking I would eventually do something with one of the pieces. What do you think?

I have put a peach ribbon on it and think I will hang it in my Etsy shop!  After all - Christmas is coming! (Did I really say that?)

Now - The obstacle I have been dealing with.

You know how I talk about trying to find the right position for my hand while tatting and how I have difficulty getting even stitches?  Well, in a conversation with Frivole a few days ago, I realized with surprise that I have been holding my hook backwards - again. I do not know how or when this occurred.

Anybody out there with a dyslexia-right-left-confusion? Anybody?

Well, I know this interferes a lot with my tatting, but did not clue in that it affects my way of holding the shuttle as well. Once that got sorted in a flurry of emails, I also noticed that I wind my thread over the fourth finger, not the pinky:

I am not sure if this affects my stitch consistency or not, but I am trying to get the old slip/slide happening with the thread wrapped around the entire hand.  Which way do you hold the thread?

I am trying to train my hand to wrap the thread around the pinkie, as it sets up the thread in a better position for the shuttle to slide over...

Next:

I am wanting to do another hankie border and was inspired yet again by umintsuru's work here.  I will NOT do a whole border in this as it would take till the next century to finish! But, I did review the skills needed for tatting the maltese ring.  : 0

Then, a new pattern by Victats.  I love this little heart.  Saw it on Frivole's site - the prettiest I have seen of this pattern: here.

The Duchess - Ready To Go

I hope somebody out there in Tat-Land is interested in tatting 

The Duchess, 

as I think it is a pretty pattern.
Says me!

It is also fairly straightforward and easy to tat.

I have listed it in my Etsy Shop.

It has been test-tatted by four wonderful tatting buddies:

Ladytats 
Margaret

Marty

umintsuru

Thank you very much for test-tatting this for me.

Ladytats said she thought it would be pretty as a snowflake with only six repeats. That is a great idea!  Especially in white, with beads. Beads!  Beads! Beads!

Also, you can see it has been tatted without the doodad by Margaret and Ladytats, tatting a ring and picots instead.  Options are good.

Seven Inch Success!

The Lace Mat

Pattern by Norma Benporath

Chart drawn by Jon Yusoff

Happy Me!

How often do you hear that from me, when I am in the middle of tatting something for the first second third time?  But today I am pleased to report that I am truly enjoying the process for this particular pattern.  Jon, you certainly picked a winner, here!

This will definitely require blocking, but now that I have added blocking to my tatting repertoire, (read repertorium for Michelle!) I have no doubt that once the pins work their magic this piece will be a beauty.

It is obvious that I am not myself today. Or maybe, just maybe, I am a  slightly different me.

Brutally Best Blades

I gave the scissors their first real test. This is definitely not a statement that a tatter wants to hear!

Had to cut off that fourth round when tatted in the variegated thread as it was just too much, so I continued with the blue/grey and it is much better.

This row is slow-going; with the beads and the repeats and the clover, it is going to take a while.

See? You cannot see the pattern as well.

A lot of you called the colour in this grey, but it is actually my favourite shade of blue - kind of a 'French blue':

Anything in these colours could convince me to say whatever I had to, to not change a single shade, colour or tone.  I think Diane will agree with me. These colours make me absolutely swoon!

His favourite colour - blue.

 His appreciation of tatting - nil.  

His love of thread - monumental.

Forward Now For The Fourth...

I love the shape when I squint and look at this.

Can you see the beads?  

I forget who sent me these, as I know I did not purchase them myself. Tatters have sent me all kinds of lovely beads, butI transfer them to small vials and then forget which came from where.  

I apologize and thank the generous soul who sent these - a perfect olive green to go with Jess's Olive Warbler HDT.

A gift to me from me - finally! I have lusted for these scissors ever since I first picked up the shuttles, so when I dropped my scissors once too often and could not fix the bend in the blade; could not stand the lack of efficiency, I buckled. Online shopping to the rescue. Ah, satisfaction is mine!

Delicious Dovo 31/2" embroidery scissors, 

with stainless steel blades.  

Sublime.

Tat-Along Transition

well, I am now at the third round of Jon's Tat-Along and after reading Val's blog, decided I would change colours at this point. AND add a few... beads. I can thank Maureen for the inspiration! Ohhh, it is going to be so pretty!  Thanks, Jon!

It is clear to see that my creativity is definitely informed by careful considerations of Tat-land comments and also the scrutiny of all the tatting blogs I read. Of course, I listen to the wind and my cat... : ))

LATER: Too much introspection!  The round in grey is all WRONG!  Maybe I should not be tatting in the wee hours?    : 0

Tat-Along Temptation

Jess's #40 Olive Warbler

I had to hurry up and finish that hankie in order to begin the Tat-Along.  I seem to be incapable of concentrating on more than two projects at a time; I find it stressful to have too many enjoyable things on the go.

If I do, the fun flees; I take myself far too seriously.  So, I completed the hankie, before beginning this,
though I had the shuttles loaded with Jess's HDT, ready to go!

I was surprised to see how heavy #30 Cèbèlia feels, since I have been tatting with mainly Lizbeth #40. Also, I sewed the border on with #50, and that was a bit bulky, but I do not have #80 in white. I really like #40 thread.  It is not too heavy, yet not as light and lacey-looking as #60 or smaller.

Still, for a $1.00 purchase and a way of using 

up my old thread, it was a success.

Hankie Pattern by Bessie Attenborough

I did not iron.  

I ...  blocked!
Me!

A bit of progress with Linda Davies's Small Coronet Doily.

I See Abundant Tatting....

in future weeks.  Now, my wonderful 97 year old aunt is in the hospital and I am the only involved relative in town...  What a time it has been...

BUT, 

behold a new beginning!

This is with Lizbeth #40, which is tatting up very nicely.

Linda Davies's small Coronet Doily, 

which you can download from her blog here.

Just feast your eyes on those split chains! Oh yahhh!

I am also trying to get the pattern for The Duchess written up.

Gotta love tatting.

*******

Rescued from the garbage:

... an old floor tile that my son had in the basement for the kids to play on - one of those rubber interlocking squares that come in primary colours:

I got very excited when I saw that there were a few not yet thrown away.  I grabbed the most useable one and cut it down to the size that you see under the hankie.  

I will not have need for one larger than that, and it is just perfect in depth to accommodate pins!  My son did NOT seem to appreciate what a treasure I had found.  Perhaps Tat-land will!

The Developing Duchess

 #40 Lizbeth         #69/100

I tried something different here. Instead of a Catherine Wheel join only at the join at the top I employed them at the sides of the chain as well, and as a consequence,  I am not pleased with the way the chain fits.

Oh dear!  I shall have to try again - the outer chain will have to be longer on the sides perhaps.

Other than that tightness, I do like the pattern and the overall feel of the shape.

Anybody want to try the pattern out for me?  I need two tatters to test my scribblings which I have yet to commit to paper in a finished pattern.  I shall get to it over the weekend.

Out of Nowhere!

With thanks to Diane for the doodad, I have created this!  

What do you think?

The Duchess

The doodad is about 1/2" across.  

Thread is #40 Lizbeth

68/100

Lillian Pattern Debut!

The pattern has been written and test-tatted by intrepid tatters,

Miranda and Wendy - Thank you both so much!

It is now available in my Etsy shop.

Miranda tatted this version in Krystle's Thunderheart HDT

Wendy tatted this one.

It is a versatile motif as it changes its look which with each thread and finding or doodad or...
...we need a new word, says Frivole.... how's about ornatat? (ornament/tat) or tatament?

False Starts & Post #801!

Can you believe it?  

I get all geared up to begin anew and this is what happens.

The Lizbeth #40 is wonderful after the previous experiences. In spite of the close attention and taking my time, I missed that picot!

I notice my tatting has reached another level in my ever-persistent quest for mastery. Suddenly, it is looking better to me.  The split chains are tighter and the all-over tension definitely so.

When I packaged up the giveaway packets, I enclosed some tatting and had a twinge of egotistical idiocy when I wondered if I should send the motifs, as they were from my 'bad tatting days' of only a couple of months ago! Ah silly, foolish pride! Of course, I sent them.

Because I tat so much though I do see that I have reached a new plateau.  I wonder how long this one will last.  It seems that I never feel the progress until I have passed some invisible barrier and then look back and notice that I have covered some ground. I suppose that happens with learning and improving new skills in all kinds of endeavours.

I see big improvement in split chains:

NOW
Supplies for the new hankie edging:

The Cèbèlia is wonderful to tat with after the Valdani, and I am finding my tension is very good in spite of the soft 3-ply!

The border feels dense and stiff in the #20, an occurrence that has never happened before with this thread and my shuttles.

The pretty border pattern is one of Bessie Attenborough's (with special thanks to my enabler, Diane!)

The dollar-store hankie is going to be very sweet!

(Thanks to Miranda, I have the perfect Delicas for this border.)

Vanquished by Valdani

 I QUIT.

This is where I draw the

________________________.

The

s here.

I'm really done with this thread.  

It is back in Val's winning envelope!  

I hope she enjoys it more than I did.

I am not even giving this motif a number for the 

25(100) Motif Challenge, as it is so full of errors. 

Anyway, it is unfinished.

☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙

I did however have some success with 

Karey's Chinoiserie the second time around.

Chinoiserie 
from 
Making Many Merrily

 by Karey Solomon

#40 Lizbeth      #67/100

Also, Just in case I forgot how I did it, 

I tatted another:

                                                                            Good.                              #68

Drumroll...

Thank you to all who entered the draw and congrats to Val and Gemini!

I need your mailing addresses right away and I will mail the packages promptly.

A note to Val - I think I need the red Valdani sample in order to finish Linda's Coronet Doily!  I made so many errors I had to cur out a chunk and was worried I would not have enough - oh, the horror! 

So I raided the packet that was ready for the draw and replaced that thread with lilac Lizbeth #40, with my apologies for any visual confusion!

I believe at the last give-away I had, either the first one or the last entry was chosen, and this was a surprise, as I and others had the thought that those entries never get drawn.  

Here is the same scenario; Gemini is the last name, entered at the last moment! 

I suppose the message in all this is 'never say never!'

Calamitous Coronet

Linda Davies has designed a beautiful doily and then created a smaller version in the small Coronet Doily, which you can download from her blog here.

This is not small to me as this piece already measures over five and a half inches across.

I have got this far and that last round is driving me crazy!  Another of the directional issues, I'm afraid.

Also, I am using the Valdani thread and now I realize why this is a very bad idea!  I love the plush feel of the finished tatting, but I do not enjoy using the thread one bit.  It is soft, breakable and splits often.

Because of the myriad choice of wondrous colour available, I forget why I should not buy this thread; I succumbed yet again to the temptation, lured by the palette.

Lillian 

Design by Fox

Tatted by umintsuru

I hope umintsuru is all right with my posting this photo of her test-tat of my Lillian pattern, which is still awaiting one other test-tat before I release it to Tat-land.  I like what she has done here very much.  

Thank you umintsuru!