Little Bits Rushed

I see I have been more product-oriented in the past two days, as these are not to my liking as far as the quality of my tatting is concerned. Phooey.

I have been working on the Honey Napkin and feel a tad stressed, as I suspect there is another round to appear very soon for the Snowflake Doily from Renulek, and I want to get as much done as possible on the Honey doily before this occurs. How on earth and why, oh why did I manage to take on two of these gargantuan projects?

But, I do like the shapes!

8/100 MC

The first one, tatted in Ladytats’s Grandmother’s thread is the 5-pointed motif as written by Jennifer Williams.

9/100 MC

The second one is also from the same Jennifer Williams collection and looks very different from the one tatted by Frivole the other day, here!

Jennifer Williams Rocks

7/100 MC

The thread here is some of the vintage sample that Ladytats sent to me. 

It is wonderful to work with and feels like silk.

Seems that I have tatted the same Jennifer Williams design that Frivole also tatted today! Here is mine. I really like this pattern because of the Josephine Knots to which I am very partial and the double picots.

******

Speaking of double - a little anecdote...

Remember these?

These photos depict the dollar store hankies that I tatted edgings for, using a Karey Solomon and a Bessie Attenborough pattern, respectively.

Seems the two people I gave them to are not at all enamoured with tatted hankies! I watched their faces when I gave them the hankies; the hankies were small surprise gifts for these two friends of the family. The women looked mystified and then - it appeared to me - slightly horrified! 

Goes to show you - you have to be very careful to whom you gift these things! I had thought they would be delighted, as they travel to hot countries and they could have popped these little cotton numbers in their handbags, just to have like a kleenex... oh well! 

Live and learn. I was so uncomfortable with their reaction - gave them at the same time, so the effect was double! It was one of those situations where you mentally scramble to find a new topic immedietely, to take the emphasis of the situation immedietely. Ohhhhh..... : (

Afterthought: You must understand; these are wonderful women! I love them - and I am certain they would be appalled at my emotional outburst here! 

I imagine that this form of artistic expression just leaves them cold. Nothing wrong with that. My reaction was reasonable, but I was foolish to subject myself to tatting-rejection in the first instance. Perhaps I should have asked before I gave them the packages if they liked tatting and would enjoy receiving it. Then there would have been choice.

Tat-Land Magic

Jennifer Williams has some very lovely patterns. 

I saw this one on Frivole’s blog and she thoughtfully
published the link to Jennifer’s patterns. 

6/100 MC

I downloaded a bunch of patterns and chose randomly, to break from the Honey Napkin.

Having just checked Fivole’s blog, I realized this is the same pattern! Out of the 17 patterns in a folder on my desktop, I pulled out this one. Well, not surprising  -  Tat-Land Magic!

Ladytats sent me the thread and is one of the prettiest Lizbeth variegates I have used: Vineland Harvest, I believe it is called.

This thread is #20, which was surprisingly nice to work with after all the #40 I have been using exclusively - except for the #8 of the Honey Napkin.

The Finca #8 is becoming very tedious to tat.

Forgive the analogy, but while tatting with it the thought of toilet paper springs to mind.It really is a s-o-f-f-f-t twist. Separates and fluffs if I just breath on it. But, it is sure looking pretty.

I tried adding too much red in the next round and decided to forgo it. However, I do know where I shall be adding it later, for I can finally see the next available spot ahead in the pattern. It has just revealed itself to me. : ))

The Update The Surprise The Thanks and The Challenge

The Update

The Honey Napkin

Design by Renulek

The Surprise

The Thanks

I love everything here - the fabulous thread, the needle holders, beads, buttons, findings and GR-8 shuttle!.

When I opened the package, which I saved till the end of the day, having been entranced by the sheer size of it, I was speechless.

WOW!

Thank you so much, Denise!

I am certainly one very lucky tatter...

I used the GR- 8 shuttles all last night on the Honey Napkin, and though I have used them before, I have never had a wooden one, only resin. It is lovely to work with.

The Challenge

You remember that I threw down the gauntlet for Jess? 

Well, she is a marvel:

See this on Jess’s Blog 

*****Afterthought******

This is the other part of my recent  

travelling gear I mentioned earlier: