Removing the Self - Imposed Restraints!

Well, the second hat for Mini-Boss is complete. I finished the edging tonight - phew!  Now all that is left is the *** hanky edging.   I haven't touched it in days.  It is soooo, well, .....beige.

I have to admit that I try very hard to appreciate ecru;  I  purchased a few lovely balls of it in different sizes, trying for some reason that now eludes me to enjoy it,  but I gotta tell you: I really dislike it - A LOT!

You really do learn the oddest things when you hang around shuttles....

Anyway,  creative freedom is tantalizingly just around the next corner - quite literally! After the border is done, I will be free to work away on the TAT programme and do little fun projects between the  exercises.

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

Anon.

Bordering on boredom....

The  second hankie is driving me crazy and I have figured out something important!  I think when I am finished with the hats, the hankies and the baby socks, I am going to do tatting a  bit differently.  I am going to tat for myself.  Ah, so selfish! I can't wait!

I have learned because of the T.A.T. process, the more I am challenged with either the pattern or a design challenge, the happier and more satisfied I am.

It has taken over a year to be able to zero in on what it is I want to learn or perfect. It has taken time and a lot of  perusing the books I have managed to acquire. I never would have thought that I would have become so curious about the design aspect of tatting, for no other reason than to better understand the different stages of a process and then to execute it - just for me!

This is not to say I am never going to tat baby socks or decorate a blanket, but I do want to tackle a few projects for no other reason than just because I want to do them.  I tend to get bogged down making things for other reasons.  That scenario repeated itself when I was a knitter and a crocheter, and, eventually, I got to dislike and resent both of those activities. I still do.

So, now that I have become so enlightened, I took advantage of the moment, pulled out Patti Duff's Mini Tats and happily tatted this, pondering negative space! Ain't life grand!

 P.S. This Mini Tat brings my 25 Motif Challenge complement to 5!  I counted the motifs and was surprised that I have this many already!
P.P.S.  How could I have forgotten!  That gorgeous HDT is Yarnplayer's Roses, #30 - one of my all time favourite threads!
Anon,

Needle in a Haystack

 ...or crochet hooks in the garbage!  Yup.  In the garbage.  That's where I found this little baby at 2:00 a.m. last night!

My poor cat had to hide from the trucker-talk spewing forth from his demented owner, as she tore the place apart looking for the hook.

I had stayed up trying - in vain - to finish exercise # 3 of T.A.T. Not successful, I was grumpy to begin with, and then the hook was nowhere to be seen.

No kids to blame, I had to just tough it out, re-do my steps and hunt.

In the end, I gave up and had the ironic thought that I must have thrown it in the trash.  Bingo!

Better than my paycheck; I have been know to do that too.

Absentmindedness is such a joy.
Anon,

Dr. Threadmore Rocks!

This looks yummy! And it is even better in real life! Terrific colour, Krystle.  I am going to enjoy this! Eventually.

Too bad I am STUCK on the third exercise of T.A.T.  I had to trash the first attempt after I realized I had read the instructions wrongly,  giving them my own peculiar twist!  No wonder the thing looked - well - not to attractive!

I did take a break to play with an insert from Priscilla.....

That beautiful, variegated green HDT is Sherry's TreeBark,#20.

Back to the books!
Anon,