Here's a rocking horse from Kate's Kritters tatted in Valdani size 12. The other motif is tatted by Chantel, same as the one I posted in the last entry, and hers is done in a Valdani thread too, but a smaller one. You can see the different kinds here as well as order.

I didn't get my niece's book done, but I had several of the critters sewn down and took it to the shower anyway. I brought it home and finished sewing the others down and decided, since I still have it, to make a few more pages! So here is another animal from Tatted Animals. I tatted him in red and he reminds me of Cliff, the Big Red Dog.

I finished up a lot of things last night. These footprints are new, but they didn't take long at all. I'll put them on the front of the baby storybook. Instructions are here. Instructions are for needle tatting but it's the same exact thing for shuttle and ball.



Many thanks to Gail for reminding that since I'm sewing these critters into a fabric book, I can just pull the tied off threads to the back and fasten them off there. Sure is saving me a lot of finishing. Most tatting does not have the number of threads to hide that this parrot does.



Here's the motif from Lyn Morton's book tatted in Oliver Twist. I should have scanned it with a quarter so you can see how small it is, but I was in a hurry this morning. I'll show Chantel's version tomorrow with the Valdani thread. I'll also have the rocking horse that I'm using for the book. I think I have it in a past blog entry too.

Tomorrow is Tatting Guild in Greenfield, Indiana. We're working on a Lisa Trumble motif that involves split rings. I may have to leave early to make it to the baby shower in Lafayette on time. I still haven't finished the tulip from our last meeting, 2 months ago. Last month was Lace Day in Mooresville. The days escape me on a regular basis.

I was remembering last night that I have to have the storybook done by Saturday. That means I need to finish the parrot and one more animal.....hmmmmmmmm.....I have a rocking horse that I tatted some time back from Kate's Kritters. I could just use that if need be. In fact, I think I will. Maybe I will make additional pages in the book to add to later.

I worked more on the parrot last night, finished the long tail feathers which are all split rings. Now, I have 6 more ends to hide, along with the original 6 that were still out, plus the ones coming with the beak and twig and feet. This doesn't count the half dozen or so that I've already hidden. This thread is a little finer, size 40, and it's more tedious to hide it. Now, you wouldn't think anything of it if it were an heirloom bonnet, but did you ever hear of an heirloom story book? This is only one freakin' bird. LOL! I have to say, anyone who has tatted this bird/bookmark and given it away has just gone up 150% in my admiration of them! The segments are not hard at all, but all that finishing off..........well, it's for the birds. And I don't normally mind hiding ends. I prefer to hide them than to glue the ends. I'm not a gluer.

A long day............a friend flew into Indy for some training so I went to meet her tonight and have dinner. Very tired now.

Tomorrow's another day.

This is as far as I got on the parrot. I hope to do the tailfeathers and other details tonight. I'm not fond of all the cut & ties in this pattern but haven't figured out how to avoid it. I managed one fix on the throat, but that's it so far. I messed up on the wing tip. There is a section of chains that are meant to be straight, so I did the lockstitch chain because it comes out nice and straight, but it's also longer. I stopped before the required number of stitches, but it still seems a bit long and curves. Blocking will fix it, but..........pooh! I think it would have been better to stick with th original pattern. I've already hidden at least 5-6 threads and I've still got these to hide, plus those from what I tat next.

I started the same motif Chantel did from Lyn Morton's book in Oliver Twist. That thread must be size 80. It's going to be a very small and delicate tatting when done, probably no more than 1 1/2" wide.


I really like this kind of tatting shuttle. I have one - and I remember there was something I didn't like about winding the thread on it, but otherwise, it felt great in the hand and the hook is perfect. I'd like to get one of the striped ones someday..........soon!

Here you can learn how to wind a shuttle, but it leaves a little to be desired. After much tying of knots, I learned you can make a slipknot and just slip it over the shuttle post and tighten it, hold the end and start winding. Never wind past the edges of the shuttle. I see them on Ebay all the time with the thread hanging over the edges like an overfed cat. It damages the shuttle. Another plus about using the slipknot is when you get to the end of the thread, a little tug pulls it right off the shuttle. You don't have to dig out the scissors and cut it off. I really don't mind winding a shuttle. It would be as much trouble to take a bobbin out and set the sewing machine up and wind it that way. You have no idea how much trouble I have just winding a sewing machine bobbin for sewing. What I really dislike is unwinding the shuttle. The clovers aren't too bad because you can put those on the shuttle winders available from the UK and just pull the thread, turning the shuttle in reverse!

Some people feel you need to "walk" the thread on a shuttle. I think you've got a less than satisfactory thread if you need to do that. I've had a few that wanted to kink and twist, but most go on without any problems and tat up nicely. I use my metal thread winder quite a bit too. Especially if I'm not filling the shuttle!

Smiley Central has some new smilies! Thought Joy from Australia might like this one and it also related to the alligator I just finished...........even tho this is a crocidile!

Strivers
Mark received his strivers from me so I can post them now. These are nice little thingies to mark your place on a lace piece - say someplace that you are going to join to later, or to mark a certain row number.

I haven't gotten far on the parrot - just not enough tatting time! My grass is not quite tall enough to mow, but I could be doing a lot of other stuff outside instead. Much to do inside too though. I'll be gone tomorrow so I'll do the inside stuff. My son will be here tomorrow to do his laundry so he might mow for me. What I really need to do is to trim a hedge.

One of the list group members tatted a motif from Lyn Morton's Tatting Patterns, the Hearts and Flowers motif on page100-101. I've done this one too - although I can't remember what I did with it or if I even finished it. That's a first! I'll bet I didn't finish it for some reason. The motif is also featured on the front of the book. It's the 5th item on the right in the link. Chantel tatted it with a Valdani variegated thread in turquoise and lavendar....it's gorgeous!

For Gail & Nell,



May you enjoy chocolate and tatting ALL DAY!!!!!

Aaacccckkk! Where'd my search box go?

Well now we have an alligator to add to the mix! I've made this fellow before. He comes from Kate's Kritters which is no longer in print. The only place I've seen it is from I.O.L.I.'s lending library. I'm starting the parrot now, doing the wings in HH Flora variegated - a purple-blue- reddish mix. Exactly one ring so far. I am exceptionally tired tonight. I've been busy ever since I got home.

Last night I started a painting class with a coworker. I love painting as much as tatting. They are truly my favorite passions. (well, men, but that's different). Right now we're doing watercolor.





Okay, 2 rings on the wing now. I'm tatting and writing too.

No scrapbooking with my sis tonight. Her hubby is an accountant and tonight they celebrate the end of the tax season deadline. Of course, he has deadlines throughout the year, but this is the busiest and hardest on them. We'll probably start back up next week.

That's it for tonight.

Isn't the monkey cute? I used both colors in the end. It really went pretty fast but the diagrams are a little tricky to follow. There are letters to tell you where to start each segment, but it does take some studying to follow. I wouldn't recommend it for the beginning tatter.

I now have 3 critters for the storybook. I need at least 3 more. I'm thinking of doing Mary Parrott's Parrot for the next animal. The email address that came up with the Tatchat page for patterns is not good however, so I'll have to find out dimensions somewhere else. Any other tatters out there who have made this parrot? What size thread and how big did it come out? I need something in the 6" range or less. hmmmm....I just found another addy to use.

I'll also do the croc if I ever find him and that leaves one more...........I'd like a really funny duck, but I don't remember any duck patterns. Just geese and swans and chickens.

The cybergroup associated with this blog Tatting Goddess Updates is doing a little striver exchange right now. A few members posted photos of "strivers" for tatting, a little beaded thing with a clasp on the end that you use to mark your place on your work. Every so often, I mark a place with a different colored thread or a paper clip or safety pin, so this is a pretty alternative. They must be mailed out by April 24th, but they are so easy to make - I finished mine last night and will mail it out today. (Watch for it, Mark!)

It was funny because I had all these beads and findings strung out all over just to make one teensy little striver! Well, I ended up with 2 and would have made more but I wanted to finish the monkey too. Pics will be posted on the list, but I'll show some here too once everyone has theirs. It's kind of fun to exchange a tatting tool instead of tatting, for a change.

I have a Sunday night online meditation group that I missed for a few weeks and almost missed this Sunday, but got into late and still had fun. I keep forgetting the online tatting class too! Last week was a darling bunny edging! This week, Riet had a beaded dimple cross that looks intriguing. Go here if you are interested in participating. No money, no committment, just a desire to have fun learning is required.

See these lovely pencil drawings of a laughing smiling Christ with the children. A far more joyful scene than what we are usually exposed to. Go to "prints" and then "As I Have Loved You". It makes you feel good to look at them.

I dunno - this elephant looks strange to me. I'm pretty sure I did everything right. I think I'll make the monkey now! Should I use a gold color or a regular brown or a combination?





These are the motifs from the dyed thread. It didn't come off on my fingers but when I sprayed the starch, the round motif bled. I didn't do anything with the butterfly. I'm not sure what to do with it now, but I'm going to experiment with different heat and vinegar setting methods, even tho vinegar supposedly doesn't set 100% cotton, there's the possibility that it is a blend.

I bought a copy of Beadwork today (well, actually it was Saturday when I started this and I got sidetracked) which has Tatted Leaves Bracelets in it. They are needle-tatted and the author is Esther Trusler. Kinda hard to see the tatting at first.

Thread dyed with Easter Egg Dye. I tried to heat-set it with the microwave but haven't tested it yet. I'm making a small motif from the pinkish thread. Yeah, I should test it before going to the trouble of tatting it, but that's ok......I can re-dye if it washes out. I want to see how it looks tatted too.

Worked tonight on the little elephant for my niece. I think I'm going to make a soft cover story book with them.

Here's the hat tatted in Venus size 40. The thread has a tendency to kink when winding on the shuttle and in retro-tatting it, I found that it split more often than not. Still, the hat tatted up very nicely. The bunny was given to me this afternoon by a friend that I spent a few very pleasant hours with. The hat pattern is from Tatsy book Tatting. I updated the first few rounds, using a split ring and split chain to bridge out of the first few rounds. After that, I still had to cut and tie. The hat is actually from the basket pattern in that book. You can use it for both. I believe Administrative Professional's Day is next week......wonder if I have time to tat a few baskets as gifts?

Nah..............I need to be working on animals. I still haven't found my alligator pattern.

The giraffe is done. I'll add the bead eye later when I sew it to something. I see one 2 ds mistake in the neck. sigh............always something.

I fixed up a small hank of thread to dye this evening but haven't made it that far yet. I've been in town twice today and I'm tired. This morning I went to a scrapbooking party and made 3 cards. One I really like and will give to a special friend.

I really want to play more with the new threads but I need to tat a few more animals. Just now trying to find my alligator pattern and so far, no luck. I'm too tired to do a major search. I thought I would do the smaller elephant from Tatted Elephants, but I don't have any gray thread. I could use embroidery floss, but I don't feel like separating it. LOL! OH WAIT!!! I just found a ball of gray cebelia. Now, that's getting scary. Why on earth did I ever buy that?

I'm going to finish the hat before I start the elephant.

I'm not making a lot of progress, it seems, but slowly and surely, I'm working on it. The giraffe is from Tatted Animals. I got the thread (Oren Bayan) specifically to make Jane Eborall's giraffe, but I still haven't done that one.

The peach thing is the top of that hat I started with Venus thread. I was out much of tonite - altho tatting at my sister's so I got a fair bit done on the giraffe. Out Friday night................maybe I'll finish them both at the weekend sometime!