Another 30 Day Program

I start another 30 day program September 1 - this one is based on a favorite motivational speaker. There are over 60 of us participating and part of the draw on this is the communal energy. I know group energy works tremendously well. I have another list on an entirely different subject from tatting. We've been meeting on Friday nights for the last 3 months to do online meditations. In that group, we are focused on developing our inner senses. Developing the inner senses helps me become more aware of my creative potential, among other things. The process I'm starting tomorrow will help me follow through with those creative ideas.

TAT update - I started the first edging but made my picots too large. Most are joined, but not all. It's hard to keep track of which are the joining picots and the directions do not mention a preferred size or even that there are decorative and joining picots both - it's not the object of that project, so I've decided to make them all on the small side. The second attempt is looking better.

I taught another tatter! Yay! Yesterday I met up with a woman who works in my son-in-law's department. He had let me know she was interested in tatting. She said she had needled tatted some and she also does micro-macrame. I saw her work yesterday - lovely! We met for lunch and after eating, I pulled out my red and blue cords and we did a little finger tatting with them. BINGO! The only thing she had not been able to understand from the books was the flip, like most of us, and once she saw that - she was ready to take off on her own. She's planning on joining my lace guild too so I was glad I had taken the time to get in touch with her and then meet.

I was at my daughter's until after 9 last night so I didn't get any tatting done. I've been digging here and there to get stuff for display at Global Fest on Saturday. Today I discovered my butterfly necklace in another container....I've really got to get more organized here. I have shuttles all over the place.

I printed out the pattern from Annie's Attic today - I already have yarn that will go perfectly in my living room (if I can find it) and my new sofa needs an afghan in the worst way. ....oh....errr......after I get T.A.T. done, of course...and my son's quilt.

Whelp...there's my button sampler, version 2. I had something upside down the first time but it worked out easily the second time. Now I'm getting into edgings and attaching them to fabric.



I visited an antique store over the weekend and found this casket box. It's about 15" long, 9" high and 7" across. Wooden handles on each side and fabric hinges.


Here you see it closed....and it was only $6.00!!! I haven't decided what I will keep in it yet. Maybe I'll just fill it up with linens for a pretty show.


On top of that, there was a cigar box in the back room where I got this but it had no price on it. When I took it to the counter, she said she'd take $1 for it. Yeehaw! Mine now!

I still haven't started tatting for the fairy baby. I walked the treadmill tonight - trying to get back into that habit. Then I scrubbed the tub and loaded the dishwasher and cleaned out the kitchen sink. There are not enough hours in the day. I had to wait until late afternoon yesterday to mow because the grass was so wet. I still have some trim work to do but I guess it will wait. I've got too many irons in the fire!

My Phoenix shuttle arrived yesterday! It's so highly polished that it reflected the light from the scanner back at the tips. I tried using a different background but it didn't make any difference. I have a particular fondness for phoenix birds. One of the earliest books I read by myself was David and the Phoenix. I finally tracked down a copy a few years ago after my childhood copy turned up missing. Now I see it's being reprinted!

Last night I was frustrated with the button sampler from T.A.T. Apparently I'm dyslexic. I got the 1st button attached nicely in spite of the awkward placement and I moved on to the next part, the chain curving nicely, the blossoms forming perfectly and I secured the second button......took a look at the picture in the instructions and realized it was upside down. When it said DNRW, I did not reverse work! What happened? ....sigh.....anyway, I cut it off and decided to tat the thread off the shuttle. I grabbed Elivia Nicholls book and sort of opened it at random, finding an edging for a hanky. Now...I don't do hankies, but the edging looked sweet in the drawing and I do tat towel edgings so I decided to test it.
I have to admit I do not like it. It's not nearly as impressive tatted up. I wondered if a smaller thread would look better? I was using size 20. It will probably be a nice touch for someone's crazy quilt so it won't go to waste.

We're having an interesting discussion on the list groups. Someone asked the question, "How do you count joins?" It seems most people, or the ones who responded anyway, count the join as the 1st half of the ds and then follow the join with the 2nd half of the ds and it is also the 1st stitch of the next sequence of ds's. I do not count a join as anything. To me, it corresponds with the picot it joins to. Riet suggested a pattern for me to test it with: R 12-2-2-2-2, clr. Ch 10, R 2+2+2+2+12, clr. Try it with and without counting the join as the 1st half stitch.

So this is my sample. The one on the left is without counting the join and the one on the right counts the join as a half stitch and is followed by the 2nd half. For me, I see no difference. If anything, the 2nd ring on the 2nd sample is slightly smaller BUT.....that could be explained by tension. I tat the 2nd and all subsequent rings larger than the first, almost without fail and much to my dismay. I'm sure it's because I relax once I get that 1st ring out of the way. So I took special pains to make sure I snugged all of these up equally.....Truly, I can't see any significant difference. I can tell where one picot was a bit too large in comparison to the others but the ring itself doesn't impress me as being different.

When I folded the rings over each other, the second sample seemed definitely smaller in the 2nd ring to me...but again...not enough to matter. I could ease the ring to fit the first easily.

So...as far as I'm concerned, however you tat it is A-OKAY with me! I'll continue to count in the way that works for me and remain blissfully ignorant. LOL!

When I teach, I do try to remember to tell students about alternative methods and encourage them to try them for themselves, depending on how far along they are and how they're getting along. Sometimes an alternative method works for them better.

I'm making up for lost tatting time! The shuttle bag is a variation of Judi Banashek's mignonette shuttle bag. The original is in Advanced Tatting Patterns by Judi but you'll have to take the T.A.T. proficiency course to get the variation. I tatted the bag while in Australia - yes, I had one or two afternoons or evenings to play. I used the AIDA thread I purchased from Crochet Australia. One is a soft sage green and the other is a muted dusty rose. I really love the way that thread works up - I wish it came in size 30 or 40!

I realized yesterday that I still hadn't sent my heart in to The Fringe Element Tatters, a Canadian based tatting group. When you check out the link, you'll see another link to their Tat Day, Fall Into Tatting! I wanted to make a pretty but simple heart and pulled out this Coates Upholstery thread that I bought on clearance sometime in the distant past and this Kreinik Metallic braid, also a former clearance item. I was quite pleased with the result. Scans don't show the sparkle but this looks like spun sugar. The braid is rather thick so it tatted up larger - almost like size 10. I used the upholstery thread to give it stability though I probably did not need to. The pattern is from Gloria's Tatting, her hearts and flowers edging. The booklet has long been out of print but you can sometimes find it in a clearance rack or on ebay or ...a garage sale. I just might have to make another one for myself!

My next project in T.A.T. is a button sampler. I'm really not fond of tatting with buttons so this will probably be another TWO sample session.

I had to start moderating new members on my list several months ago. Spammers manage to jump in when you least expect it. The other morning I woke up to a notice that a new member had joined and posted and I had to approve the post. The new member was bikerboy6390 and he was looking for a ride partner - and inviting us to check out his bike. ROTFL! I resisted the temptation but this one sure gave me a laugh.

OH! Just found this wonderful blog while following a link from someone else! ART TEA LIFE . I didn't see tatting but there is chocolate, tea, lace, literature, art, embroidery....need I say more? Exceptionally well written too, btw.

Yay! I finished the retat of my T.A.T. picot project! Now I can get on with the fun stuff!


Here's my first version of Jane's celtic motif. I was patting myself on the back, feeling I had done well with the color joins and even did front side tatting when I didn't have to....but the thread size required was size 20. The orange was Coates size 20 and the other two were Altin Basak size 50 which tats up between 20 and 30. When I got to looking at the motif, I decided the 20 really did look larger than the Altin Basak...so then on to attempt #2!





I didn't have as much color choice in size 20. I have a lot of variegated, which isn't permitted for these projects, or white or ecru or dark colors. So pastel it became! It went a little faster since I'd already done it once. Here is Jane's Celtic Motif. You get lots of practice with SCMR - self closing mock rings.




Here's the motif I made last weekend and lost. It's the first motif in Wally's Tat Along You can also access the same material en Español aquí. I found it on the living room carpet - it must have traveled on a paper or something that I carried in there.

Well! Moving along on T.A.T......my next project is a mignonette shuttle bag which I actually tatted while I was in Australia last October. I had a problem with the trim and got that information straightened out with my mentor - but I've only taken the trim off - haven't put it back on yet! I made another shuttle bag even before I tackled that one and I can't say I'm enthused about making another yet. I'll probably wait until the weekend to focus on it. Seems I have to do everything twice!

There's a 25 Motif Challenge going on. Check the guidelines here! One fun thing about the challenge is that participants must create a blog to show their work on so watch for even more tatting blogs to show up. I love it! Just in time too, because I'm going to be overly busy for a few weeks now and won't have much time to tat, let alone post in here.

I'm challenged to return to the T.A.T. project myself so I'm not taking on anything new for now. Then I am finishing my son's quilt. Plus working on several things in relation to my lace guild. Our Lace Day is April 14, 2007. Theme: Lacers Unmasked

Bette and I have been having way too much fun finding lace masks and just plain masks on the web. I don't think I'll be able to just make ONE!

I finished knitting the froggie socks and cap. I believe I'll give these to my great-grandson, although the cap looks really small. I still have to put the eyes and mouth on.

The fairy baby arrived! She is a girl so now I get to tat something frilly for her! Doesn't she have the most beautiful head of hair?

oooohhhhhhh....the list of tatting blogs grows....I just added 2 more - Gail Owens and Pam Myers have new blogs!

I tatted Wally's tat-along motif, but can't find it now. And oh! Gotta add Wally's tat-along blog too.

Later...I have to get ready for work right now.

Some days are just too weird! Blogger wouldn't let me load the scans in the small size but it would allow the medium.

I wanted to cry when I turned my knitting over. How, oh HOW, did I do this? I had to skip a whole needle. Why would it lay so smooth that I didn't even know it? Do I really have to take everything out and redo it? YUP! Well. at least back to the ribbing so it's only 4 rows but that's a lotta rows when they're divvied up like this. sigh....the shower is next Friday so I have time. The froggie socks are done.


Now, would you look at this? I thought I bought yet another pretty spool of quilting thread....but when I scanned it to put here, it looked suspiciously familiar. I can't find the other spool though I suspect it is in the box of everything I took off the end tables when I moved things around my new sofa and chair but I did find the shuttle that still had some thread in it that I was test tatting with. Sure looks the same to me. I might have to give this new one away now. What kind of challenge can I terrorize everyone with? hehehehehehehehe..........


And here are some teensy buttons that will work perfectly for the teensy thread bear that is waiting on me to return to.....along with half a dozen other projects!

Including TAT 2!

I got the picot project done in TAT. I can't show you the instructions but you can see the finished work. Now I'm ready to do Jane's celtic motif. I can see a challenge there....not the celtic part though. It's the part where you make a join and don't show or minimize the color change.

Tonight I'm knitting again, working on the froggie cap and socks. Same designer but different techniques so I'm challenged again! I'm learning lots about purling this time.




When I was shopping the other night, I found lots more clearance bargains - this time in Hobby Lobby. BTW, HL had those Linea kits on clearance for $4-$6 and they only had a few left. They are completely gone at Michael's. Back to new bargains....I got 2 of the knifty knitter looms, except it was a different company (Attic), a package of 2, for $4.24 instead of the listed $25. Even the 3 pack by KK is almost $12. I also got this fun fur on clearance. I've been looking at those miniature crocheted bears. I found a pattern online by Edith Molina, which I'm currently crocheting in size 10 Cebelia. Gotta find some way to use up that "rope" from the TAT program! Once I've made it, if I'm happy with it, I'll try using this fun fur. I also have a bunny pattern from somewhere....not sure it's on the printout and I don't have it with me at the moment.

So....what's that? Three projects? And 2 potentials? .....and there's that gold RPL angel in process of being couched down............sigh.......