I took a class today with the wonderful watercolorist Rena Brouwer! Unfortunately, I didn't do it justice. She gave lots of great tips and advice - I just couldn't get into it that much today. I don't like my building at all but I'll try again.

Last night I finally worked on this week's TAST. I particularly like the Herringbone stitch done with two threads or more. It creates a nice texture and pattern of interest. It took me awhile to get the hang of it. Now I want to use it somewhere!

Kim Millar's Lover's Knot pattern from the Wayback Machine!

I've been meaning to tat this heart since I printed it out in July of 2002. It could use some tweaking. The single crochet braid is like mini-ricrac. Kim came up with several patterns using crocheted braids. The pattern on the wayback machine no longer has the photos, which includes a diagram of the heart so feel free to add this image if you print it out, although it's not the best example. I have 14 patterns by Kim and most use crochet braid. I also tried finding her Geocities site (http://www.geocities.com/kimtats/index.htm) with the wayback machine as that was where I originally saved my copies from, but no luck. Kim is Canadian but I haven't seen or heard anything from her in years. I'd love to share her patterns but need her permission to do so. So the best I can do at the moment is give you the wayback machine link.

I used Manuela size 20 for the bright pink and Cebelia size 20 for the pale pink. Some Cebelia's are fairly crisp threads but this one was soft and wanted to separate. I didn't really like tatting with it. I didn't do a good job joining the braid at the top. I had a little trouble understanding exactly what she meant but I'll try it again in a slightly different way.

I can't believe it's 57 degrees at nearly 6:00 p.m. on January 30th! I get chills a lot so I'm not at all unhappy!

Anonymous comments

Ever since I changed the way my comment window shows up, I've gotten tons of anonymous spam comments. They're really annoying. One was a friend so I hate not to allow anonymous comments but I think I'm going to have to go there. I'll be glad when Blogger fixes their glitches as I didn't have that problem with the embedded comment format. I still reject them before they appear but it's a pain to get up everyday and find half a dozen or more spam comments.

Anyone else notice this?

Pansy shuttle!

No tatting. I got discouraged with the calf and have not decided what I want to do next. I've been working on other stitching and laces and just haven't felt inspired to tat.

I do have to say I broke down and ordered this Pansy Shuttle from La Cossette after lusting for it for a few years. I got a Lily of the Valley one through my lace guild last year but this is the one I really wanted. It just wasn't offered as one of the commemorative shuttles. This is the front.

And this is the back. I don't like tatting with these type of shuttles so it will be forever innocent and pristine. I know.....that seems almost sinful but I long ago gave up trying to tat with every shuttle I own. Some are enough pleasure to look at and hold from time to time.

Another Gingko Leaf

This one is for a leaf project with my lace guild - but now that I've scanned it, I plan to make a better one for the project. I knew the last chain seemed long for some reason and my corner didn't look too good either. This is really not that hard of a pattern and quick to tat but it looks like I'm going to have to tat it more than once or twice to get it to look good!

It's been super cold the past few days. This is why I don't like winter. I've never been that fond of winter, even as a child. I like a white snow - once a year. I don't like mind-numbing cold. That's why I've been looking forward to moving some place warmer though it looks like I'll have to wait until I retire to manage it.

I worked last night and this morning on a Romanian Point Lace Lobster Cord tutorial in pdf for my lace guild too. We'll see if it's helpful in the morning when I meet with some guild members.

I stitched my TAST for the week and posted it, plus I've worked in bits and pieces on my Embroider, Embellish and Create piece. I really want to clean out my craft/computer room but I guess it will wait until next week. And I need to prepare a bobbin lace project! Hmmmm...maybe I've got too much going on?

Hope everyone has a great weekend planned!

Oops! One of my half-moon rings turned back during blocking!

This is a pattern by Yarnplayer. I've been meaning to make it for some time. It reminds me of a butterfly shape and I've considered leaving off the top rings and stem next time. I'll also rewrite it so I won't have to keep shuffling between papers. That slowed me down considerably! I think she captured the gingko leaf shape superbly however! This was tatted in an unlabeled Lizbeth thread, size 20.

I've been doing more stitching than tatting but it's a good change of pace as long as I don't let myself get overwhelmed with it.

Humor

Doily Done!

It worked out to 11 inches square in size 20 thread. The directions claimed 7 1/2 inches square but they must have used a smaller thread.

There aren't a lot of tatted pineapple patterns available but I did find a few. Here is one by Doretha Albee, Pineapple Heaven, at Bellaonline.com.

There are six patterns HERE by Teri Dusenbury. They include a bag, some butterflies, and a doily.

There is a small project, an earring, by Sheron Goldin which can be found HERE. That's a good way to try out the technique if you haven't before.

Last night I started tatting the calf in Christel Weidmann's Farm Animals. The directions used RW (reverse work) in some spots so I assumed that unless RW was there, I shouldn't reverse work. I haven't gotten very far and apparently that assumption is wrong. I need to start over. There is a diagram too, and lots of color coding so I'm not sure why I'm confused. I've had this book for a long time and thought I should tat something from it! I love the calf and will probably also tat the cow and the bull if I can figure it out, but I especially like the rooster and have wanted to tat him for a long time. Wish me luck!

I've really appreciated all your wonderfully supportive comments and thoughtful prayers. Life is good!

I've been really busy this week but most of it will go on my lace blog. I'm almost done with the pineapple square doily - one more round which I hope to do today, block and then show tomorrow. Please don't ask me to share the pattern. I cited the source in the post.

I met with my lace friend Sally on Tuesday night and used up some thread on my bobbins with this bookmark. It's going into the "dye pile" to play with when the weather gets better. We do our dyeing outside so have to wait for good weather.

I'm also working on this week's TAST which is the blanket stitch. I'll post the page on my lace blog when I'm finished with it. We also started Karen's Embroider, Embellish and Create class but so far, all I've done is gather potential fabric and think about it. I'll focus on it more when I'm done with the doily and this TAST page. I may look for some snippets of white tatting to include on the piece.

Snow is in the forecast - only the 2nd snow so far this season. I'm really not missing it although it's beautiful when it first falls. I don't miss layers and layers of outer and inner clothes, cleaning off the car, warming it up and then wading through several inches of snow and avoiding falls wherever I go. I do miss sunshine. I hope it comes back out soon.

I can't believe it is Thursday already!

The Best News!

Photo by Jim Sorbie

I saw my doctor today. I haven't posted anything about it but last fall it was discovered I had early stage small cell cancer in my left lung. After some pretty aggressive treatment during September - December, I'm officially in remission! That was the expectation, but still, I didn't want to constantly field questions while undergoing treatment.

I go back to work in February. It will be nice to see everyone again. In the meantime, I'm still regaining strength and stamina. It will be awhile before I have hair again too. The photo on my blog is with my wig. It's good to have, but I'll be glad to no longer have to wear it.

Celebrate your good health!

A few years ago, someone emailed and asked me to try to tat a pineapple from a very old vintage pattern. The instructions were somehow wrong and no matter how I tried, I could not get it to come out.

A few years before that, I'd been fortunate enough to view in person the pineapple tatting by Camelia Crapo. She has made it an art form.

You might remember I've mentioned I don't like to tat doilys. I don't use them and it's very time consuming to tat them so I'd rather use my tatting time for other projects. Still...the pineapple spoke to me. (whaaaa? talking pineapples?)

So I'm tatting the Pineapple Square by Camelia. The pattern is in a back issue of KNOTS!, a now defunct publication by Mary McCarthy. (Volume 2, Issue 4) I don't believe she has any back issues left since I bought mine some time ago but you can always try to contact her and find out.

I'm not quite halfway done. I've tatted this much in barely two days but the bigger it gets, the longer it takes. The thread is Aida size 20 in a sort of pale mauve. I bought it in Australia during my visit in 2005. The color pairs up nicely with a soft green I use quite a bit in my living room so it may become yet another piece of tatting to frame.

BTW, I don't really make resolutions but I have a goal to get the pieces I mentioned in earlier posts framed: the hanky from Umi N Tsuru along with the amusement doily I tatted, and the 4 seasonal butterflies I tatted from various HDT by Marilee Rockley. They are actually on my table just waiting for me to decide on a framer.

So, to avoid this doily becoming an UFO, I'll be tatting on it steadily. THEN back to the purse which is already a bonafide UFO. Maybe if I start out the year finishing up old big projects, I'll get them done and out of the way.

TAST started this week and I finished my first stitch page. You can read about the details on my lace blog.

Yeah....I just wanted a picture in this post!

I've been tatting but it's for T.A.T. and I can't show it. Which I think is dumb. I understand about not passing the patterns on but I do think it would help their cause if they allowed participants to show what they are doing.

I still haven't started back on the purse I mentioned in an earlier post but I plan to start it again soon. It's just having to figure out what I was doing to begin with that has held me back. I think I know, but need to do a test ring first.

I hope lots of people are enjoying Jane's new TIAS 2012! I think you'll like the end result.

Warning:Cell phone rant following ~
I wish cell phone usage was banned in restaurants. Just step outside!

I had lunch today at Applebee's. Once again, I was annoyed by someone talking on their cell phone. This time the person very unwisely gave their cell phone number to the caller. Now if they were speaking quietly, it might not matter, but I've noticed so many people talk extra loud. I think it's because they can't hear well because of the noise around them so they talk louder, like that will make them hear better.

One time I had a lady two tables away go on and on about all kinds of personal matters while I was eating my meal. Much of it was not conducive to my appetite and there was no where to move to away from her. Don't people know you can hear them?

Rant over.

Otherwise - my new year is going great! How about you?