I know! I know! I can hardly believe it myself. Not a thing posted since Monday.................nor have I tatted. I started something from the German book but didn't get far. It's been a busy, busy week.


I skipped scrapbooking at my sister's last night to make these werewolf cupcakes. The recipe is from Woman's World, the 10/21/03 issue. I took them into work and had enough left over to give to the grandkids as their treat!



I did manage to walk the treadmill every night but last night and tonight though. I needed to get my son-in-law's birthday gift tonight and dropped the goodies at my grandkids, took photos, etc. Got home, fixed a salad, and here I am. I do intend to tat the rest of the evening. The motif I'm making is a snowflake.

OH! I was in Hobby Lobby earlier this evening and in the tatting section, one of the few tatting books they have is Mark Myers' Gathering of Angels! Now if they would just increase their inventory of tatting thread! I think they have even less than they used to. Not so much Cebelia these days but more cotton crochet thread. They have DMC size 8, but no size 12. Not that I need any more thread!!!

I would love to stay home and play for a few weeks........................I'm really wanting to paint, more than ever now.

My David Reed Smith shuttle arrived today!! This is the Pewter one. I got a quite large one so that I can use it for bigger projects that require a LOT of thread. I expect he'll be doing fancy metal work the next thing you know! I just noticed David's initials are drs...........drs shuttle ................just what the doctor ordered!

I thought I was going to finish up my role of film yesterday and I forgot to take pix! Only about 5 more left on the role.

I'm reviewing a book over the next week or so. It's in German but the diagrams look quite clear so I'm going to give it a go and see what pretties I come up with. Then I will finish up my reindeer pattern and start Xmas tatting.

My First Stampings!

It's been a long day. I went to a Stamp party hosted by a co-worker. We made 2 cards and a notebook. It was fun! Got to do embossing and used some puff stuff, and embellished with wire and ribbon. I only bought a few things because I really don't want to get into this hobby - it gets way too expensive! My sister bought quite a bit more, but she already has a ton of stuff. I figure I can use her stuff if I really want to do a project. The green card has a bag of candy inside. I saw all kinds of ideas. Perhaps another time.

Later I went to the funeral home in another town for an uncle's showing. Stood 1 1/2 hours in line....................so I'm tired, once again. Still have laundry to finish - which may have to wait until tomorrow and dishes.

I have nothing set up to tat ..............so maybe I can play some! After dishes. Of course.

I began and ended my day running errands. I needed softener salt and the place is only open until noon, so that was my first stop. A donation to Goodwill was the second one. Then I went to a few second hand stores in search of a coverlet for the spare bed. Found one for $2.90 - perfect for the time being!

I spent most of the day cleaning and sorting, putting stuff in my new craft room - although I don't want to put too much in there as there is still work to be done. I'm just really tired of it being in the living room. I also altered my son's Halloween costume, adding inserts into the sides so it didn't squeeze him. How a 22 year old six footer can fit into a child's 4-6 is beyond me to begin with. LOL! He just happened to come out and do his laundry so I had him bring the softener salt in. He fixed himself dinner while here too - and watched tv and took a nap. And he might borrow my car to pick up a friend in Indy from the airport on Monday, if his car isn't running right. Ah well, he's still my baby.

I finished this Santa up last night, adding the white ball on top this morning. It will go to my Santa exchange partner in a coaster. This is Mark (aka Tat-man) Myers' pattern, available here. I wanted a little bit bigger hat so I sort of free-handed the red.......... this little guy doesn't take long at all to make. I tried to eliminate one cut & tie by making a split ring at the corner after a chain of a few stitiches to anchor it to the last part, and then continuing on across - adding an extra ring sequence in the process (purposely, I might add). It occurs to me now, after it's done, that I could have used one of those split ring Xmas tree patterns for the hat too. Not the whole tree! Just the upper rows.



Wow, I'm feeling exhausted. Time to tuck in.

Oh yeah - DRS emailed yesterday and said he put my shuttle in the mail. Whoo- Hoo!! I thought it would be another week.

I found this book on www.abe.com but I saw it mentioned somewhere else. Someone's website had something they had tatted from something in this book. I'd never heard of it before, but it has a nice variety of patterns. Apparently this is not the only booklet she has published as the intro says "once again".



It will be awhile before I can try anything from it. I'm backed up already!

I decided to make another motif. I wanted something that shows up better in the coaster so it needed to be a solid or darker color. From the same book. And I will add a few flutters in a size 80 variegated.


I decided to participate in a Santa exchange on my Christmas All Year list. The santa is to be sent out by the 29th. My partner, Tammy Goff, sent me hers and I got it today. A doorknob hanger!!! Isn't it cute?? I love it & wish Christmas was just a bit closer so I could hang it - but I may anyway. shhhhhhhh.................




I added a few new links to the sidebar. One is in Japanese so if you don't read Japanese, you won't know what it says (I don't) but there are photos and I think there are some who read this who do understand Japanese................so eye candy at least!

THIS is so cool! Hummingbird from nest to flight in 24 days.

I met tonight with 2 co-workers to work on our Spanish. I forgot to bring Realce with me! I have the translation for some Spanish tatting terms but I wanted to get her input on certain phrases. Next Week!

I took photos on Saturday but I still have a few on the roll to take. I forgot to mention Tat-man's legendary tatting speed! He gave a little demonstration as requested and it just happened that he was standing at my left shoulder so I got a bird's eye view as his hands shuttled at lightning speed. If I'd taken a photo, all you would see is bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrr. I drop the shuttle too much to ever get up any speed.



I tatted this little motif with the shuttle I got from Jan. It's from the Japanese book Tatting by Yusai Shokoin. I've made a few of the motifs in there - very delicate and pretty ones. I put this one in a coaster and will give it to Jan in appreciation for giving me her grandmother's shuttle. Unless I change my mind and decide to make another motif instead!

Alrighty! I absolutely could not find an allowance in this template for links in the sidebar. I finally found it in another blog and borrowed it for here, but I still had to play around to get it readable! I also want to change the hover and visited colors, but haven't quite figured that out either. I have lots of html resources - it's just a matter of sitting down and reading through them. I'd rather tat. But I have to clean first. LOL!

YESTERDAY.......................

I was up by 5:30 a.m. and getting ready to go to Ft. Wayne. I found out they were in the same time zone so that saved me an hour but I was still there almost an hour early so I drove around a little, found a one lane iron bridge with a lovely stream and took several photos there. I still arrived about 20 minutes early but there were lots of early arrivals so I didn't feel out of place. The Ft. Wayne group is a nice sized group of tatters. I only knew two people, besides Mark & Kim, and that was Mary Harris, who publicized the event, and Laura who had attended a tatting day in Pendleton year before this.

We spent the morning learning to do the Daisy Picot which I've linked to Gale's site so you can see for yourself how to do. Mark also had several variations on the original for us to play with. Two of them were featured in the necklace and earrings he designed for us to make. Then after a scrumptious lunch, we started on the project. I made one earring that I'm not entirely happy with. Instead, I believe I will do the necklace motif, including beads as Mark did, and use the spiral stitch for the neck chain. Might be awhile before I get to it though. Jewelry isn't a big priority with me and I need to start on Christmas gifts.



The red and white are my practice pieces and the pink is the earring. I joined my picots on the earring center ring which weren't joined in the pattern, and I added a few stitches in the chains. So I'd like to do it over without joining the picots, without the extra stitches, and with beads, and maybe 2 colors that would provide more contrast. I used a solid pink and a pink variegated which didn't show that much difference.

One woman brought a huge bag of tatting thread, ranging from size 60 to 80, for everyone to help themselves to. I got some lovely colors I've not had - including the red/green I was really looking for originally for the hummer. I didn't catch her name, but I am so grateful for her generosity. J & P tatting thread is not available here, only DMC.

Tomorrow is Tatting Day in Ft. Wayne, at the Morning Glory Inn Bed and Breakfast. The link didn't show up when I went there but hopefully it will soon. Mark Myers will be teaching the daisy picot and other fun stuff!

I learned the lockstitch chain during the last Tatting Day I went to in Greenfield, IN. Someone asked me if I would explain it, so here you are! It's really very simple. You use the same stitches, 1st ds and 2nd ds, for the chain, but you leave one of them unflipped. It doesn't matter which one as long as you are consistent. I like to leave my first ds unflipped and then flip the second one but you can do it with the first stitch flipped and the second one not flipped and get the same results as long as you make every set of ds in the same order.

In my example here, the white thread is my ball thread and the pink thread is my shuttle thread. You can see in the first photo, that when I do the first half of the ds, I've left the stitch unflipped, so it is the pink (shuttle) thread that forms the loop. In the second photo, I flip the stitch, which is the white ball thread, and you can see the loop of the white thread is heading down. It's a bit ironic, after you've spent hours and hours practicing, getting that flip to come naturally, that you have to learn not to flip it. I do go slower when I make this kind of chain so that I focus on NOT flipping!

Click on the photos for even larger shots of the detail.

Unflipped ds In this case, leave lefty tight and righty loosey.
Flipped ds Remember Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty here. I couldn't hold the shuttle thread tight and scan at the same time so it appears loose, but when I actually slid the stitch down, I had it held taut.
Here are my samples. The larger one is size 10 thread and the smaller one is size 20.

This makes a nice flat chain that doesn't curve. You do need to make sure each stitch is snug up against the last one before making the next stitch because they won't slide later. That's why it's called Lockstitch!

I almost forgot! I ordered a book, Gloria's Tatting, off of abe.com. I'm also looking for a copy of Heritage Patterns, printed in Australia. I would also like my own copy of Phyllis Klosterman's book of Original Designs, 12 Butterflies. Email me if you know a source!

Did you see the Witch's hat pattern at Bellaonline? In fact, here are a bunch of Halloween patterns you still have time to tat for the spooky day!

Saturday I went to the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County. We went to Mansfield, one of several locations specific to the Festival, and probably the very largest. There are hundreds HUNDREDS of craft and food vendors. I got some Xmas gifts and lots of ideas for things to make, and a few goodies for myself. Did you know they make soy candles? They burn soot-free. A container slightly smaller than a quart jar will burn for 72 hours. When it burns and is melted, it will not burn your fingers. I bravely stuck my finger in there (or foolishly!) and then used the oil as a hand lotion. Some very nice scents. They have a website, although I can't find it on the jars! Here is an article on the Purdue students who created soy candles. And The Fuzzy Bean Candle Company does have an email: mailus@exoticinnature.com plus a phone number: 309-734-5807. Here is the site of another online company if you want to have a look-see. I've emailed The Fuzzy Bean to get their website url.


Upon entering Mansfield, there was a woodcutter going at it with the chainsaw. You can see the bear in the background that was sculpted by a chainsaw. There were two eagles on a bench in the foreground, but I didn't get them in this photo.


I had to take this photo of the Charmin Grand Central Porta-Pot Station. (my name, not theirs) We figured no one would believe it! You can see the attendents there with gloved hands to go in & clean up. You can almost tell with the door that is open that it is wallpapered! Very very inviting. Some of them had diaper changing stations too. They really flushed and had water to wash the hands with also. And they didn't charge! LOL! Of course, you had to listen to non-stop Charmin commercials, but it was worth it.

I did find one shuttle in one vendor's spot, but it was one I already have several of. No thread anywhere. Too bad there weren't vendors with yarn and threads.

While waiting for the carpet guy to show up, I've been cleaning a bit, in my tatting spot. The living room is totally packed with furniture from the 3 bedrooms, so I'm pretty limited in what I can do. I found a UFO that has been sitting on the table top for ............oh, a couple months maybe. ((gg)) It was a spiral bookmark I started a long time ago and ran out of thread in one shuttle and couldn't find where I put the spool. So it was set aside.............probably almost 2 years now. Several months ago, I found the thread spool - it's a huge gigantic cone - couldn't figure out how I would misplace something like that in the first place, but I did. So to pass the time, now that the guy is here, I decided to finish it - and it's done!! So I started another motif in that thread I was using for the doily. We'll see how this one goes.

Egads! I must be the tatting poster child for boo-boos this week!



It's not something that jumps out at you but I got one of the upper wings upside down. I started the second upper wing while we were backed up in traffic yesterday on the way to the Festival. In fact, I knew I had attached it wrong once and discarded it, starting over. Then did it again! So it was going to be a twisted picot. Except as did the edging tonight, I neglected to twist it, so the longer row on the upper wing is at the bottom on the left side instead of at the top like the right wing. sigh.................

The yellow one is the one I did for Maus. Looking at it, I believe I finished the lower body and then adapted the chain edging to attach to it. The instructions have you finishing the lower body all in the same pass as doing the outer edging, so that part got a little tricky, if I remember right. I'll have to think on that for the next one.

I think I like the edging done in a darker contrasting color better. I want to make another one too, where the rings are one color and the outer chains are another. Then yet another color for the edging.

Ah well. That's an "educational piece".

I'm getting new carpet in all of the bedrooms tomorrow so I've been emptying the rooms today. Right now I'm waiting on my youngest son to come by and help me move 2 beds, a chest of drawers, and a table. I get to sleep on the sofa tonight.

I hope no one is waiting to see what I do with the doily. I found that mistake so frustrating that I've set it aside for awhile. Actually, it's here by my keyboard, right in front of me, so I won't forget it, but I'm not going to fix it just yet. Instead, I've started a butterfly. This is one I tatted for Maus in a round robin. It's a book by Phyllis Klosterman and this is my favorite in the bunch, so I figured I needed one just for me! It's in pink and white - not my favorite colors, but it just felt right to put them together for this. Not that I've had any time to tat!

Tonight I went to my sister's for the scrapbooking session. It was a howling laughter session in the end, but I did get one scrapbook page done finally. A very simple one at that. We were entertained by her husband's laughter at first. He was watching an episode of Friends and laughing so hard I thought he would pass out. Laughter like that is contagious so we couldn't help but laugh too and one thing led to another until I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes and my belly hurt! It sure do feel good to laugh like that!

So I'm home late ...............and I'll try to do a bit on the butterfly.

Hey-Hey!!! Didja know that David Reed Smith makes a wood/pewter shuttle?

When I first started tatting, the only shuttles available around here were the Boye metal ones, which I absolutely detest. Those shuttles probably discouraged more would-be tatters than we can imagine. My early ventures onto the internet which coincided with learning to tat, turned up David's site. I loved it! My very first shuttle from him was a little 2" one. I thought perhaps a smaller shuttle would fit into my small hands more easily and I would be less clumsy.


Truth is, it just took practice, but I still find the smaller shuttles easier to use. I have several of David's shuttles. I've learned I don't like the brass spike but I only have one like that, fortunately. I have a triplet that I ordered unfinished with great expectations of painting on it.

Needless to say, that's another UFO. It's been interesting watching David's work evolve and become more sophisticated.

Yep, I want a pewter shuttle. Just gotta decide what size!

OH!! My sister keeps saying I need something to display my shuttles in. Today I was in a little second hand store - which is going out of business (and it should, IMO) and there was the perfect wooden .........whatever you call it.........with the perfect size compartments for my shuttles! Got it for $2.50. I would like a glass cover for it, but that's an easy fix - and I'll need to stain it to suit my tastes. I'm just tickled pink over it.

Wow, I can even order and pay online now. I got a 2 3/4" wooden spike pewter in Pommele Bubinga wood. Personalized with "Gina 2003" Oops .....shoulda had him put "Tatting Goddess" on it! Maybe I should get one from The Shuttle Shop with that on it too. With a MOP inlay of ...............something........goddess related. LOL!

I mentioned Tim Tenclay with the male tatters but wasn't sure I had a website - I did, but it was in my favorites at work.
Here is Tim's page. BTW, I have one of his mom's hand carved shuttles. And here is Connie's site! I just saw she has a new site from what I remember before.

Clearly I have a boo-boo here! I think I started to finish it right but it looked wrong, so I snipped it out and finished it like this. Now I can see that it is still wrong! So I'll fix it tomorrow or another time. Too late this evening. There is an additional edging that goes around this part. I really don't like this book. I realized after the 2nd join to the center that the chain around the bottom rings needed to be joined together, but it does not mention that anywhere in the pattern. The whole thing is very confusing.

But I shall prevail!!!

Early stage of Sunflower Doily

I got back to the little doily I was working on last night. Didn't get a lot done as I was also working on a little cross-stitch needle roll. Cross-stitch is not one of my strong points and I had to unpick several stitches that I'd put in the wrong place.

In my recent cleaning frenzy, I became aware of a tub of kits I've picked up here and there, on clearance and at garage sales. It is my INTENTION to get some of these made in time for Christmas.........hence the side trip into cross-stitch.

It's easier to see mistakes when it is scanned and enlarged. LOL! I was counting picots on the doily and it looks like at the very beginning, I have too few, but they might just be folded under. I can definitely see where I hid my ends on the center motif, although I'll fix that in the blocking. I'll also even out my picots then. This thread is finer than size 12 - close to the size 80, but slick. And if I have to unpick a stitch, I have to be careful not to separate the threads. Colorwise, I'm anxious to see how it will look when it's complete. I like the way it's taking shape so far. I think this thread would be very striking with the Maple Leaf that was originally in the February 1975 issue of Workbasket. This is Tammy's rendition of it. I've printed it out to try when I'm done with the doily. I tatted the leaf before from the Workbasket pattern and made it into a bookmark for a friend of mine. I think I will do the same for another friend, using this pattern, and see if it works up a bit easier. I think for the bookmark, I just eliminated the stem for all but the bottom motif - hmmmm, I think I put a tassel there. I'll have to go look at my photos. I remember I made a mistake on the last leaf, missing a ring! And it was a thread sample Nell sent me so I couldn't go back and make another one because I didn't have enough thread. LOL! So my friend definitely has a one-of-a-kind.

Well, think I'll fix a late breakfast and motivate myself to do something not computer related.

Speaking of male tatters, look at the work of this prolific tatter in Poland. Look in the gallery (galeria) for eye candy. I particularly liked the hats and vests. I tried one of the online translator sites, but Polish wasn't listed. Oh, I liked the baskets with flowers too.

I'm hoping to get in a little tatting in this evening. I need to start switching over to winter clothing too. All the sandals are put away but I need to haul out the sweaters and sweatshirts.

I'm not sure now where I put some of my tatting when going through that cleaning blitz.

Once I get the carpeting scheduled, I can put things back in order. Hopefully it will be soon!

There are some fantastic male tatters - almost all are designers too, I've noticed. Browsing around on the web tonight, I find this site by Tatt-ED . And he's designed this lovely doily, Sarah's Claddagh Doily , and has posted the directions on his site too. This is a nice one to frame or attach to a little pillow. He's designed a dragonfly too, if you are collecting dragonfly patterns - I've seen several now.

Of course, everyone knows about the Houtz brothers, Gary and Randy. Everytime I see them at a lace event, I have to look at their shuttles and watch them tat with the innovation that they do. I have one of their shuttles, and shame on me, for not making myself sit down and learn how to use it.


There's Ben Fikkert, a Dutch tatter with his own books and designs too.

Look at this gorgeous fan by male/female team Edwige Renaudin & Sylvain Le Guen.

The Tatmeister! Let's not forget the great historian of tatting - consultant to the Lace Museum. He has some patterns as well as photos of his own intricate work. Fascinating story of how he came to be a tatter too.

And then there is Mark, our very own Tatman. I'll be seeing Mark on Oct. 18th when I attend the Ft. Wayne Tatting Day! I met Mark and his lovely wife, Kim, a few years ago at the Indy I.O.L.I. And wow! He's got a blogger himself!

Well, I didn't intend to focus on male tatters this evening, but it just kept on rollin'! And I've missed a few. I remember a David from Australia, and another Tatman, Roger? who does needle tatting. You'll find him on the MSN Tatting Needle Two group. And there was another fellow who's name escapes me now, but I remember he went to Ireland the year after I did and managed to hook up with a tatter I didn't know about.

Oops! Almost forgot Tim Tenclay. Not sure I have a link for him.

Maybe by the weekend I can show you my little doily in the sulky thread.