While it annoys me when people refer to some other kind of lace as tatting, it really honks me off when people blatantly claim something is tatting when it is not - AND - I can't even find a place to contact them and let them know. All links seem to lead to more misrepresentation OR an ad to buy a CD of vintage tatting patterns ( that you can get free at the Antique Pattern Library). They couldn't even spell FREE right. (yes, this is a continuation of my soapbox rant about people scamming and taking advantage of others)

Last night I tatted another motif from Vida Sunderman's book, Tatting for Tomorrow, from page 44. This one is a triangular motif and I improvised on the tail again to turn it into a bookmark. I used split rings of increasing size and a lockstitch chain between the sets of split rings. I don't particularly care for the clover at the end and if I were to do it over, I would simply make a single ring or an onion ring, probably with picots. The clover is okay, but it seems a bit out of place as far as the character of the rest of the tail. But who knows? Maybe if I'd done the single ring, I wouldn't have absolutely loved it either.

I went to the Greenfield Tatting Guild today - the first time since last October, I think. As I mentioned in my Mother's Day post, their Tat Day is June 27th-28th.

Kaye went to an embroidery conference last month and brought back lots of funky threads to play with, as you can see sampled here. These are all bigger threads, largely for cross-stitch and embroidery, but when you're playing, that doesn't matter.

We used the same pattern to try each of these threads out but there were a few that we only tatted chains with so I used thread I commonly use for the rings and reduced the number of stitches for the chains since that thread was so much bigger. One at the bottom is a furry type of thread, a yarn almost like angora. Felt divine but I'm not sure what you could tat with it. I did try a ring with it and it got bound up even though I tatted loosely.

The second sample in the first column is a "velvet" thread that also felt somewhat like suede. It made a very nice neat chain but using it in a ring didn't work. It snapped the outer layer off, leaving the nylon core. It would make some beautiful embroidery though. I liked one of the really sparkly threads to look at the colors, but not to tat with. I probably wouldn't tat with any of them but it was a fun break!

Kaye has another book in draft form almost ready for the printer so watch for it.

I ended up buying some new thread - I don't think I have these colors, at least not in size 30. They are Omega threads, plus the deep purple is Handy Hands size 50 and the variegated is Olympus size 40.

There was this garage sale I passed on the way to tatting guild and I just had to stop on my way home. I wasn't there long but it didn't take me long to spot this box of goodies for $5.00. It has tons of acrylic paint and spools of ribbon besides the other odds and ends. That just sort of made my day complete...almost.

THIS is what made my day complete! I won't tell you what happened, but it's like all the others - action, humor, romance...