Maltese Ring = Maltese Falcon. Both in Hiding!

Thank you for your help. The suggestions were all good and valid, but, I have a peculiar learning style, and I am afraid I have not yet stumbled on the right instructions.

However,

I will keep looking; perhaps at the

The Fringe Element Tatters Guild
Tat Days 2009

I might find another tatter to demonstrate the technique.
In Person!

Yes!
I am going to a tatting event!!
ME, the , crowd-hating, antisocial,
claustrophobic curmudgeon - going to a Tatting Weekend!
Whooppeeee!

I got very excited thinking about the event, and blundered my way through this heart, unaware of bulbous developments, happily stitching away. Fumbles and all, here it is.

After this, EGO and PRIDE disrupted the weekend.

Here's why.

I sent in a membership application to The Fringe Tatters Guild. A small, tatted heart is requested every year, as an example of tatting, at events and so forth. No big deal, right?

Very wrong. I sent in the form and a heart I had been pleased with a few months back, but as I thought about that little piece being representative of my tatting now, my eyes narrowed into little slits, my mouth tightened, turning low at the corners, and I became obsessed with the idea that PEOPLE would JUDGE that little heart -BADLY .

WOW! Get a life, Fox!

The result of this self-absorbed idiocy: I tatted a new heart, using Birgit Phelps's pattern, (from the last post) not changing it, but adding beads and a pink Swarovski crystal.

The crystal? A timely brain wave; I remembered a pair of earrings, never worn, purchased just for the beads. I dismantled them, swiped the crystals, and Bob's your uncle!

I tatted the heart in a few hours and sent it off to the guild with an explanatory note! Heaven knows what I said! I was just so anxious to get it in the mail ASAP!

Lucky I find myself so downright ridiculous, or I would be insufferably overbearing!

Here is the heart. It is a demonstration to no one but me about not much of anything! But, I must admit, I like it!


Anon,

What are Maltese Rings or I Am in Trouble Again!

Yup. I just realized I do not have a clue about this. I was reading Suzanne's blog and saw something that looked difficult enough to catch my eye!

Hmmm. I have been looking around for instructions that jive with my dyslexic learning style and have not yet seen anything that works. Any suggestions, out there in Tat-land?

Now, recent endeavors. I haven't even got the hang of this yet:



However. I must say, it is looking a lot better than the first attempt - which isn't saying much!

All of this, I think, is to avoid having to get on with this:




There is such a long way to go and MC #80 is very, very thin and makes the going very veeeerrrrrryyyyy slow!

One little bright spot:




- a small thing, but I am happy with it. This is "Sweetheart", by Birgit Phelps. I am sorry Birgit, but for a few days I was calling it "Sweatheart" !

The reason? I was not pleased with the curve at the top, so I modified the pattern and added the pink border using two additional chains at the top. The heart-shape is now not really a heart, but I find the shape agreeable.

I just realized, it seems to have an oddly gynecologic shape to it. Could be the tatted logo for a new reproductive product... or maybe not...

I suppose that step is my first into the murky realm of ..... design! Oh boy....

Anon,

My First Year Present ...To Me!

From The Shuttle Shop , to celebrate my first year in Tat-land, I gave myself a lovely gift! There it is, under the blog name, all wooden, carved, engraved and special!

I could think of no better way to commemorate the year mark of the beginning of the wonderful new aspect of my life, than to celebrate it with the addition of this hand crafted shuttle. It is not only lovely to look at and to hold; but it is also a grand shuttle to tat with.

To the wonderful woman- whoever and wherever you are - who gave a total stranger a peach-coloured, Clover shuttle, and told her to go and learn how to tat, I say a big thank you.

It has been a great year for tatting, for making new on-line friends, for sharing information, reading books and patterns, learning many new skills, and, of course, reveling in the fabulous HDT from Ladyshuttlemaker, Tatskool and Yarnplayer. You are THE BEST!

I am sending this to all of you who helped me so much; I can say it best this way:

For You


With Thanks

The pattern is from Tatting Adventures with beads, shuttle & needle by Judith Connors. The yarn is Yarnplayer's Scarlet, #40.
Anon,

My New Very Best Friend....

Very sharp and to the point. Dependable. Strong. Trustworthy. Wouldn't want to get stuck doing an #80 thread project without it.

The hankie border is a real challenge. I suppose it is the boredom that sets in; if I find I have made yet another error about four rings back....... Out comes THE PIN - another dollar store, can't tat-without tool.

It came in handy for this:



I have been intrigued by this pattern for a while. Because I am concentrating on the border, I did not want to do a large piece, so, the solution, of course: use Impossibly Small Thread!

Sulky thread . From Bev. Dollar store blue beads. Lots of intervention from my new, very best friend.

Tired eyes and grumpy disposition complete!

Anon,