My non-tatting friend Erin sent me some of her hand-crafted earrings. She's expecting her first baby in March and has left the world of geology science to pursue jewelry making. You can look at her stuff at Arabelle Jewelry Design.








Today's free pattern of the day at Annie's Attic by Ferosa Harold is a bookmark with crocheted bullion stitches, so I asked on several tatting lists if anyone knew of a similar looking stitch in tatting or a technique that would give a similar appearance. Someone mentioned roll tatting, which is reminiscent of the bullion stitch without the texture, but guess who came up with it? Go see Ruth Perry's blog. Now...if we can just get her to let us in on the secret!

Inspiration for your next tatting design! Photo from Art Attack Galleries

Here's a snowflake that I used for some students to demonstrate a split chain and split ring as ways to climb from one row to another. This is from a Japanese book that I don't have with me but there are only diagrams and chinese characters. They've been learning all the different ways people write patterns too. The sample I used in class was in 2 colors so you could see where the split chain and split ring were.




Before I started the snowflake last night, I tried to empty some shuttles. I decided to empty them with Karey Solomon's "simple leaf" from her book, Turning Leaves. You can contact Karey at Finger Lakes Tatting Group, P.O. Box 9, Hector, NY 14841 if you would like to order the book or find out about Hector Tat Day which is April 14-15, same day as my guild's Lace Day, so I'll have to skip this year. The dragonfly is from Tatting Collage, Linday Rogers.








The heart exchange is over and these are the hearts I sent to my partner, Julie, in the land of Oz. One was the requirement but it's hard to stop at one!









And here's my 2nd workbasket leaf which clearly needs some corrective work done! I was distracted and totally messed up the end, leaving a ring out. I've got to cut and fix so I keep putting it off. Here's the thread and beads I used for it!

The famous Workbasket (February 1975) maple leaf! This leaf has appealed to so many over the years. I made a bookmark out of it once, attaching 3 leaves vertically and using a variegated thread, which I then sent to a friend in S. Africa. I made this one with the 2 sulky threads and gold beads. I have an idea for a mask...we'll see where it goes.

There is lots going on the tatting world that I've barely kept up with. Check out the Tat-Calendar! Something new to tat every day! The 25 Motif Challenge is still going strong too. Lots of budding designers there.

I wish the pictures were bigger or had a link to a bigger version at this Japanese site by Chapu. If you go to her main page and run your cursor over the page, click on what highlights and you'll find bobbinlace, crochet, teneriffe, and netting. She's very talented! Actually, this link may take you to the home page...you'll have to guess your way from there!

Here's the bag done with a bigger hook. I changed from 7 at the base to a size 0 hook. It made it lighter, fluffier and bigger...but it's not the same stitch. There's is some sort of twist in the magazine photo. I changed the base too...I've done lots of circles with increases and the instructions in the magazine seemed to be missing a round. It ruffled when I followed them but when I used the increases I've known to work in the past, it laid flat very nicely.




Here are the 2 close ups. I give up! I looked in a book of pattern stitches that I have and there were some "cluster" stitches that looked more like the magazine photo.






I tatted up a sample using these 2 threads together before I started the leaf. There are beads in the leaf....but I didn't load enough and now I have to unwind the shuttle and add more beads! It was too late at night when I started that one! I want to make a variety of leaves so I'm looking in all my books. I have Karey Solomon's book of leave...will try one of those next!

I used Dorcas Newkirk's heart to show split rings to my students and several of them are also bobbinlacers or learning bobbinlace so after the class, I sent them the link that showed the bobbinlace heart that Eva Baumgartner had designed which was the inpsiration for the tatted heart that Dorcas designed. Eva left a nice comment after my slide show. There is a pdf file for the bobbinlace heart at the link so if you're a bobbinlacer, make one to add to your heart collection! I'm such a beginner with bobbinlace that I'm not sure I can do it, but I had it saved to try one of these days.

While I was snowed in, I started going through some of my craft magazines, partly because I have not in such a long time, and partly to look for a few specific things. I was suprised to keep finding tatting! You'll recognize many of the designers.


Hobby Lobby had some sulky thread on clearance today at $2.00/spool! I know....I don't need more thread but I was thinking of using something gold for one of my masks.

I started crocheting this little bag when I was off with the snowstorm. I found the pattern in an April 1994 issue of Crafts. I wanted to use up some crochet cotton I have and this seemed like a good opportunity. This is the front with the buttom trim.




And this is the back. The pattern looks almost knitted, but it's crocheted. After a few rounds of double crochet, the pattern stitch was (half double crochet, single crochet) in same stitch, skip 1 double crochet, repeat around.


Now here is the photo for the bag. Doesn't look the same, does it? I can't figure out what the deal is. I used the same size thread and same size hook. This does NOT look like the same pattern stitch. The beads are to be sewn in later which I decided not to do and I added a scallop edging along the top.





Here's a close up of the pattern stitch, which is clearly looser and more open. I'll put the bag in our Lace Day raffle - maybe with a bar of soap in it or something.

Hearts I have made over the years!

I finally took the time to put the storage cube in my craft room. Nope, no pics....still too messy in here. It fits perfectly though and is on wheels so I will go get another for the other side of the table. I ended up putting my knitting stuff in this one. All my needles and supplies are in the top and the yarn is in the 2 bottom drawers. Once I have everything rounded up elsewhere in the house, it may be overflowing, but for now, it's just right.

I have one more big project, the mask for lace day, and then I can play. I have mending and a quilt to be sewing on.......those are things that can be finished and out of the way. I suspect I might get rid of some stuff if I took the time to go through it.

This is just a short post. I had pages and things I wanted to cite but don't feel like looking them all up right now. I paid the last of the month's bills and sent out a reunion newsletter, the part I have to send by mail, so I'm ready to just sit now. I take my car in tomorrow early...so I have to get ready for the tatting class now. I started my sample a few weeks ago but got sidetracked with other projects. Time to get back to it. They're going to tackle split chains. It will be fun!

The booties are done except for the ribbons. I put a narrow pink ribbon in this one but I'm going to get a wider white one. I feel it needs something on the front motif too. I even considered tatting an extra rosette to add but I'm almost out of time. I'd like to take them over tomorrow so they'll have them before we leave for the baptism on Saturday. I need to find some socks that will look nice in them too...maybe on my lunch hour today.



I added an extra sequence of the 4-ring motif at the bottom and an extra row around to make the bootie bigger. This is from Lenore English's online pattern. It's my favorite. I'm seriously thinking about changing the flower motif though.



You can see here that I have 6 repeats instead of 5 indicated in the pattern. I tried the 5 repeat on Michelle and she barely fit into it but she is 6 months old. I will make the second one of that pair and give them to one of my sons who doesn't have children yet. I also have a bonnet to give with the booties...and will tat a second set for the other son. None of my grandchildren were born after I started tatting, except my great-grandson. They do have bookmarks from me, but that's about it.

A friend sent me a link to the Lego Knitting machine. Here is the link to the creator's website: http://homepage.mac.com/aklego/PhotoAlbum22.html

The 25 Motif Challenge continues to be a challenge to tatters and keeps popping up new inspirations. In addition, check out the Tatting Pattern Calendar. Talk about creativity! Can you imagine 365 tatting patterns all in one place? And while I'm at it, be sure to check out the online tatting classes at Georgia Seitz's place. There is also an ongoing beginners class there which I recommend highly.

I soaked the lace I spoke about in the last entry overnight in Oxiclean. It certainly took the color out but when I was blocking it, there were several places that had black smudges on them that disappeared when it dried. The thread felt stiff and difficult to manipulate when it was wet and it didn't block as nicely as I hoped. This tatter has a LOT of cut and tied ends. It's possible they may have been hidden and worked their way out but since they show in every motif, I suspect they weren't.





Here's a close up of the rosette done in bullion stitch. I think they looked better before I soaked the piece.








The other pieces I soaked turned out nicely. The linen center was stained on one and it came out clean and the crochet work is intact and beautiful. The other edging appeared similar to crochet but it's machine made. I haven't blocked either one yet. For these two, I will simply steam press them. The linen center will probably go on my dining table. It's 16" in diameter not counting the 4" points of lace.

In the meantime, I'm tatting baby booties and have to figure out which heart to send to my exchange partner. No...I have not shown then all. LOL!

Yesterday I downloaded the new Internet Explorer 7 and have been cussing it ever since. The icons or lack of icons confuses me. So far, my scanner no longer works from the shortcut. I uninstalled and reinstalled but it still doesn't read a crucial file. However, it DOES work from the button I push on the scanner itself. I never had to use it before. So I'm a little irritated for now. It doesn't load my email properly. I haven't tried to print yet. We'll save that aggravation for another day.

I took the one bootie I tatted to try on Michelle today. It barely fits without socks so the next one will be bigger. I've been using the pattern by Lenore English which I adore. I'll just make an extra repeat at the bottom between the clovers and possibly and extra row on the upside. She is 6 months old tomorrow so I kind of wondered if these would fit. They will after some adjustment.

I went to tatting guild in Greenfield last Saturday for the first time in months. Kaye was mugged during the Christmas season and suffered a broken arm. She's still mending but that didn't stop her from tatting! We did a fun round robin sort of exercise, each person tatting a length of chain, cutting it off and handing the shuttle with the current tatting to the person on the right. We tatted each segment for 3 minutes before passing it on. It's interesting to see how other shuttles feel. The idea was to end up with a bookmark of everyone's tatting.

I also bought some thread - this spool of Jean Stitch is a spun polyester thread and feels like size 20. It tats terribly! Rough and almost sticky, it's very difficult to close rings. I think I'll have to use it for something else.

There was quite a bit of Omega thread and I liked the variegated so bought these two in size 30. They also had the same thing in size 50 but I think it will take me forever to use these!


I haven't really done much tatting this week. I'm currently soaking some lace I bought in Rensselaer, IN at an antique store a few weeks ago. Two pieces are crocheted and one tatted. Hopefully, I can show the tatted one tomorrow. It's an edging and tatted around motif that appears to be a crocheted circle of the stitch...can't think of it but like Brazilian embroidery. Oh, here it is. A rolled or bullion crochet circle..and the tatting is around it. I found it intriguing.