Hidden Treasure

Aha! Found the last of my Karey Solomon #40 HDT! Opened up the Mary Komior book; picked a pattern et voilà!

Tight Not Tipsy

It's about time! Years ago - can it really be years - I was enchanted with the texture of the lace that certain tatters were able to achieve.

I had samples of motifs from; Jan Stawasz, Frivole, my friend Suneeti, Umintsuru and perhaps someone else, but these are the tatters who immediately come to mind.

It was a mystery how these artists got their lace so firm and stable, while mine just flopped about like a soggy noodle.

Well, it has taken seven years of pretty continual shuttle-wielding, a whole lot if thread and way too much off-colour language, but I seemed to have finally crossed some invisible tatting milestone and arrived as a qualified tight-tatter! Yay!

I had first noticed the firmer stitches as I tatted the next to last hankie border. That hankie had been more sturdy than usual, but I attributed that to the HDT I was using. I didn't even suspect it was because of my tension that my tatting  felt denser and firmer than in the past. Same thing with the last hankie, but I was beginning to wonder if my tension had changed.

Then this:

Design by Pascale Provost 

This little motif feels terrific! And I now know it is because of my tatting and not the thread. 

I have begun a small Mary Konior piece, using Karey Solomon's thread - the newer stuff, which I believe is Lizbeth -  and the tension is again nice and tight. Happy dance.

Finished

Pattern is Mary Konior's "Babylace."

Well, this is the most successful handkerchief edging that I have ever tatted! That seems odd, in light of the fact that I used two differently sized threads!

However, the length was absolutely dead on; I didn’t even have to pin the thing onto the hankie; I just sewed it straight on! Never been able to do that before. Usually there is some ‘coaching” the length of tatting to fit properly. This was a real pleasure... and a real surprise!

I am glad this one is just pour moi! : ))

Patience is a New Blue

I'm still waiting for thread and I have lots of Lea's thread left from the hankie, so I started a small pattern in the #50 HDT. I can never remember whose design this is! I've tatted it several times. I think it is from a French publication...

In this motif, you can better see the beautiful dye work that Lea has done. It is pale, but not what I’d call pastel, babyish or Eastery, all of which are not faves of mine.

I remembered!

Pattern by Pascale Provost

No Mail. But a Heart

Susan K. Fuller had made this heart 
beloved in Tat-Land all around the world. 

This is the first time of many, many  sessions, after 7 years with this pattern that I did not use coloured markers or a sticky to tell me where I am. I only had to retat one ring. I am chuffed!

Waiting for Lea's thread, I used the last bit on this heart. It is #50. The heart is probably about a bit less than 2".

I am stymied as to why I have been so enchanted for so long with teeny tiny threads; this was so lovely to work with. 

And now I am stashless with nothing thicker than #80 except some balls of white and a skein or two of HDT! Woe is me! 

Of course I've known for a while I am going to need to buy more, but I'm still not certain as to what to pick. I hope Lea's arrives from Australia very soon!

As The Thread Travels

Seems like forever! I am still waiting for the thread to arrive from Down Under, but luck would have it that I still seem to have quite a bit left.  It was obviously a good decision to relegate the HDT to the chain stitches.

Since this photo was take , I have completed one side and since moved on to the next 25 repeats. 

These colours please me snd I love this hankie. Mine. Ha!