Happy Me!

A Prettier Preference

J'adore Sulky Blendables I have only four spools of it so far, and am certain I shall add to the small collection now that I have found it to be consistently wonderful to work with.

For a long while I believed this thread was similar to a #80, but in fact it is much closer to a #40.

Here is the Linda  Davies Oval pattern, begun using Sulky, after banishing the #40 Lizbeth and Karey Solomon piece:

Compared to each other:

In my opinion, the new one is by far more elegant tat. By far. Really, pretty obvious!

The hanky edging goes well, but the thread...ah, you know how o go on about Lizbeth! In all honesty, this time the #40 is working fine send no twisting, knots or slubs have interrupted my progress! Quelle surprise!

Behold this delightful hanky, sent to me by umintsuru last year or perhaps a few years ago - time goes quickly by if one wields a tattong shuttle!

Her work is exceptional,  consistent throughout and the attachment to the cotton hankie neat beyond belief. I am humbled and see I have much work to do on my skill-building.

Tatting by umintsuru

Lazy Luck

From yesterday:

Brabant by Adelheid Dangala

Compared to the last one:

Look at the long chains in the centre.

See?

I ditched the doily. 

Yes. I have become proficient in the past weeks at stopping that which I do not like! This is good, as my aim is to improve my tatting, not to tat as fast as I can.  'Switch of focus’ is my new challenge.

Also I could not stand to waste any more of Karey’s limited and wonderful HDT on a piece that I was beginning to loathe! The colours of the threads were so ugly to me that I had to stop.

So, this time, as I repeated Brabant, which is not as easy as it looks. For me it is necesary to really pay attention to keeping all the elements the same size and shape. Compare this aspect as well with the two motifs and you can see what I am referring to.

Stephanie had alerted me to the dds, which I wanted to use on the chains but I was too lazy to check and see how to tat them and so I just plowed ahead with what I thought was the right method. It wasn’t!

I tatted 2 first-half ds, followed by two second-half ds instead, and shortened the stitch count. I really like what happened!

The lovely pattern Oval Pattern by Linda Davies will be tatted in another thread - a finer one. It will look much prettier. 

Thanks so much, Stephanie! Your thoughts are so helpful!

You Saw What?

I saw THIS!

Of course, it is obviously an advertisement foriPhone, but at first glance, I almost walked into the person ahead of me on the sidewalk! I was so happy that tatting had become so ubiquitous! 

After I realized my misinterpretation, I felt a slight tinge of embarrassment. Just a soupçon. : ))

It is fortunate that I am trying not to run out of Karey's thread, because it would look so much better solely in her HDT. Because it is a straightforward pattern and the thread is #40, I am finding this a relaxing tat.

The pattern is The Oval Doily in Ecru by Linda Davies, and can be found here. It is free. Thank you, Linda!

It seems that the Stawasz piece I am so wanting to tat is available only in an old Polish magazine. Grrrr. I had thought it was in the two Jan Stawasz books that I own. So, I might just have to pick another pattern from one of the books. I'll keep you posted!

Upswing

This is Hoop-la, by Mary Konior. I had a dreadful time getting started, which I did at least six times before I realized I cannot tat this in #80 thread. No way. I just can't do it.

When I realized that I also remembered I have very little of any thread that is not teeny. Luckily, I had this Lizbeth #40 blue, which will be fine.

I love this edging and have wanted to tat it for ages.

Once I switched sizes, I couldn't figure out why it had been difficult. This is one of the only times I have had to switch a thread because it was just the wrong thickness for the pattern, even though the material of the hanky is quite fine, and seemed to call out for a #80 edging.

I bought this hankie in NYC, in my last journey there, in a huge Chinese shop in Soho. It was only a few dollars and had a straight edge, so I grabbed two. 

Unfortunately, though the label says it is 100% cotton, it feels loaded with starch or a stiffening agent, even after a good washing. But I like it anyway. : )

I am also working on this with Karey Solomon's wonderful HDT. Again I needed some # 40 to match with her #40. I had a good complimentary colour, but not much of it. I hope to have enough to finish!

 I also finished this little piece:

It is a Jan Stawasz pattern tatted in #80 Yarnplayer HDT.

Love the colour.

Oh yah, one more:

Brabant

 by

Adelheid Dangela

“Occhi Patchwork"

Berlin

Berlin

from

Occhi Patchwork

This was fun, after umintsuru suggested the correction to the diagram! 

Thanks, umintsuru.

Tatted in Karey Solomon’s HDT, #30,  the motif measures

about three inches.

I Quit!

Now, you know me - I do not give up, but this time I am done.

This design is just too much for my patience and Mr. G, cannot take the language for one more ear-shattering moment! 

Besides, as I told umintsuru, I cannot bear to waste any more of Karey’s beautiful HDT. As it is I barely have enough left to complete a small motif I am now working on.

Sorry umintsuru! You shall have to struggle on alone!

In order to use up the wound, white thread,  (Lizbeth #40) I tatted Driberg again but added beads in a way I thought would work. I like the way this turned out.

Design by

Adelheid Dangela

“Occhi Patchwork"

Tatting Tribulations

This was yesterday’s progress:

I was discouraged, though today, with another round,  

it is looking a bit brighter:

Because I was feeling that I couldn't tat worth beans 

I had to switch gears. I had to tat something I liked.

So, out came the little Japanese book, Tatting Lace.

 I managed one of my favourites:

Needing still more reinforcement for my tatters' soul, 

I started the motif in another thread - #70 Venus - from Liyarra, 

and, of course, the join separated in the centre! 

I really hate that!

And I was so enjoying the thread ...

Then, I managed a small motif in the Venus from a

Russian book from Kristen

*****************

Whatever he’s thinking, I must agree...

Regurgitating Repeats

It's a nightmare - Return of the Blades! The scissors keep flashing as I had to keep cutting away row after row...grrrrrrr...language... Five rows GONE!

Finally, I realize Cebelia is not my friend. This thread is not only too big, but also is a three ply and, well, never again. It is banished from my tatting box. Enough said.

Look at all that ruffling! And this is after MUCH blocking and a hot iron to boot!

Poor HDT in the centre!

Now, I am using Anchor Mercer #40. (Thank You, Suneeti!) It should have been the obvious choice right at the beginning. Here we go again.

***********

Remember the crocheted baby blanket? I had leftover yarn and in desperation to do something pleasing I ditched the shuttles and made a little hat. The shuttle is for scale. Cute, or what! 

The colour part can be rolled lower as the baby grows, as the hat can stretch out a bit. S/he is due to arrive sometime in August I think, so this should work for cooler autumn.

Serwetka Letnia 2014 - Thanks to Renulek!

Finished! Just under 10 inches, tatted in #80 thread. The last row is a lovely caramel DMC from Tatty Tally that I settled on at the last moment and I think it is the right colour for the outer edge. Thanks, Tally.

Many thanks again to Renata for designing such a beautiful piece. Her patterns are delightful to work with and I have enjoyed every one that I have tatted. They are clever,  precise and versatile, looking very different in whatever colour way is chosen.

Duplicating Driburg

I could not let it go...The white version of this in the Rosario thread was not working for me at all, so I tatted it in #40 Lizbeth. I was not aware that anything else was different; not my tension, my mood, nor the shuttles.

So, how do I account for the way more appealing blue one above, except to say it was done in a better thread for tatting? 

The Rosarios #20 thread is not good for tatting. I suppose that is why the label says “crochet thread!

"Driburg"

DRIBURG

from "Occhi-Patchwork"

by

Adelheid Dangela 

Tatted in Rosarios #20. 

I have lots of this thread now that I have decided not to use it in the Russian challenge piece. Even the Cebelia #30 that I have replaced it with seems thick after all the #80 I have become accustomed to. 

So I thought I’d pick a few motifs from the new book; this is the first one I attempted.Thanks Wendy! Good book. : )

Brutal Buckling

I hope that the buckling will resolve itself in the next row... I have had to change the count again in this row and have no idea what will happen as I go along.

Later:

Too much futzing around trying to block this, so out came the blades...

It should lie flat, without so much manipulation, or in my mind it really is not working.

This pattern is a real challenge.

Kurbatskaya Challenge

Umintsuru and I have begun a BIG challenge! 

You can see her beginning  here.

I am using some #40 Kary Solomon HDT and for the white, I am tatting with the Portuguese thread I found in a local Crochet thread shop.

I have added a row and a half: this 

This Kurbatskaya pattern is difficult to follow and the photograph in the book does not show fine detail very well so I found myself starting the second white row three times.

On the fourth row I changed the count of the split rings and it seems to work now, but I am wondering what is going to happen later on! I have a feeling I will be doing a lot of revisions to the original.

It will be interesting to see how we each approach this Russian pattern. I am so glad to have a partner-in-tatting for this lengthy piece. Thanks Umintsuru!

Delays: Dental Drama

I will not bore you with the gore. Neither will I wax on about the pain, nor the swelling. I shall not bend your ear with my feeling-sorry-for-Fox, Sarah Heartburn carryings on. No, I am a stronger person than that. I AM A TATTER. (* sniff sniff*)

I have managed to begin Renukek's row 9.

I spent ages trying to figure out what colour to use for this round before realizing it had to be yellow! So obvious. 

There is another piece I have been working away on, trying to refine what I believe is a flawed pattern, but more about that later.

I need a pill... : (

Smashing Success

The Little Brother was shyly excited that I had finally made something especially for him. I believe he was equally pleased that I had not brought The Boss anything that day!

The little blue flower in the corner was the first thing he
commented upon, and you know what? I had not noticed it!

This border is designed by Robin Perfetti.

Little Brother was happy with the red smoke. 

He said he might put some Star Wars pieces 

on the hankie. Perfect, said I.

Georgia’s Grace

This is Georgia Setiz’s pattern from 

"Tatting on the Edge...and Beyond.”

I tatted this over the weekend because I was inspired by Frivole’s rendition, which you can see here. It is such a beautiful pattern and a lovely tat, which I carried out using #30 Cèbèlia. I liked the ecru that Frivole used and this was the only ecru I have in my stash. 

It is hard to believe it is the same pattern as this:

Not only have I recently developed a liking for ecru and white thread, but also am no longer overly fond of two colour tatting as in the above piece.

************

Can anyone tell me where the pattern is for a design that uses these beads to make a little tatted name piece? I cannot remember where I saw it and I got these beads today for The Boss and Her Brother. Now I can’t find the pattern!

The needles are the self-threading kind that I also needed as I seem to have lost mine. Frivole reminded me how easy they are to use. Thanks, Frivole!

p.s. One more thing! Small picots rock! 

I made a conscious effort in this piece to keep the picots as small as I could. Took some effort, as I seem to automatically tat larger ones. 

I like the itty bitty picots a lot better. : )