Thursday, December 31, 2015

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Done!

Alenalea Thread from Etsy, #50. Lovely to work with. I had just enough - 50 meters - to finish the border.




Saturday, December 26, 2015

Beauty and The You Know What


Yes, I have managed to manoeuvre the puzzle of a Land of Laces piece into a couple of repeats, after about fifteen miserablely failed beginnings. Must be a holiday gift from my beneficent tatting Muse, to whom I offer sincere thanks. Isn't it soooo pretty?

The thread is Lea's #50. Superb.

If I'm fortunate, I shall be able to complete the six more needed repeats of the hankie border. Maybe I'll have enough of Lea's wonderful thread to finish. That's a big maybe, as there isn't much left in the bobbin.

Also 50 meters of #50 thread.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Dear Readers

Thank you so much for your comments, humour, suggestions and friendship. They mean so very much to me and are the reasons I carry on with tat-ology. Thanks for reading it.
Fox : )

Monday, December 21, 2015

The Usual Suspect

Jan Stawasz, I believe.

Tatted with Karey's #40HDT and DMC #60.



Friday, December 18, 2015

On Track

Seems I am on track with the “going with my gut,” decisions

So far I have completed about half the border for the hankie, in just a few days, as opposed to months  that the hedgehog was taking to tat.


Being very pleased with the thread, I have contacted Lea to buy 2 more skeins - both in #50 - that I used for the previous hankie and enjoyed immensely. Perhaps I will tat with slightly thicker thread for the next few projects.

On a Russian site, or maybe it was on Pinterest, about six months ago or more, I downloaded a pattern which looks suspiciously like a Jan Stawasz design sporting all those familiar fuzzy, incomplete ds numbers throughout!

However, I like the design and have filled in the numbers according to my understanding and after a few false starts I think I can proceed:


It is only two rows, not very big, but I suspected I run short of Karey’s #40 HDT.  I have no #40 white, but I do have DMC #60.

Its a bit tricky because there is a difference, obviously, in the size of the stitches, but I think it is going to be fine. I do like the white with this colourway.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Happiness is a Resurrected Handkerchief

And here it is.



I have tatted even more and am still pleased with it. The thread is terrific.

Now, while cleaning up a box of tatting gifts, cards and correspondence I found these tiny - one inch - pretties tatted by Ninetta a while back. I’ve put them on my table so that when I tat I am reminded of perfection!


And speaking of things perfect, while going through the box of saved treasures, I found these marvellous Venetian glass buttons, also sent to me by Ninetta. They appear with brand new ones, wonderful Eiffel Tower buttons, hailing from a town in Normandy. I just received them from my dear friend, Suneeti.

I'll have to find just the right projects to showcase all these beauties!



Saturday, December 12, 2015

Only What Pleases

A New Years resolution will be to tat only what brings me satisfaction AND is pleasurable while in progress. If a thread feels bad I will not use it. If a pattern is not fun, off with its head!

As a practice run up to my new attitude, I jettisoned hedgehogs, which I was tatting around the hankie. I do not like the colour of the green thread, the pattern was very boring, and I was avoiding the chore of finishing; it was taking ages. So, last night...GONE!

The new border is now underway in Lea's lovely #70 thread using an unidentified Russian pattern from who-knows-where. I was wary of the variegated colours with the hankie, but I love it AND I am finally enjoying a tatting project once again.

Lesson learned.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

In Spite of the Standstill

The muse is en vacance, but I have finished the Jan Stawasz doily regardless and like it a lot. That last row took a long time.

His patterns always amaze me in their complexity; they look so straightforward till you are lulled into complete complacency and then: wham! Out come the scissors!

This is tatted in Lizbeth- no problems this time - #80, and measures 8" across. It would be a good size tatted on a thicker thread.


Saturday, December 5, 2015

My Muse is Mute

Not feeling it for the tatting these days...we all go through this occasionally, n'est pas?

In spite of any lack of enthusiasm, I have managed to almost complete this piece. Most of it was tatted in the USA.