Fun Stuff!

I followed a link on Tea Rose Home and found this intriguing project at Little Treasures.

Bra necklace from Little Treasures

I hate the wires in bras but haven't been proactive enough to take them out. Now I will and see what I can use them for. Tatted motifs would look very pretty here, don't you think? Go see what else she has made from bras! There's another necklace but also hair ornaments and lots of other fun stuff!

I can't believe I haven't removed those stupid wires. It's not like they're the tags you find on furnishings that warn you DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW! Geesh! Did I really think they were supporting something? If you've seen me, you know that has never ever been an issue. You know, I'll bet you could even make a headband out of some of them. (okay, this could get risque so I will stop)

Do you remember that Lace-lovin' Librarian Diane had a giveaway recently of her latest fabric embellished shuttle? And I won!

It was in the mail when I got home tonight! She also sent 3 balls of thread and all in a very Mardi Gras-like bag. I love the glitter on this shuttle. It's in the coating and makes the mittens look like they're in fresh snow. You can't even tell it's fabric. I have got to try this technique!

I was trying to show everything at once but the bag didn't show up all that well so I took another picture after I put it all back in the bag. Thank you Diane!!!

Some days I am easily amused. I was in Walmart the other night and happened to be in the personal grooming section, the sample section to be precise. I found a cute little "toothbrush" that doesn't require water or toothpaste. It's basically for instances like a business lunch or a date, something where you can't readily brush your teeth but really do need to freshen up a bit. Don't have a pic of that, but here's what really intrigued me. I don't have a use for it, honestly, as my hair is so short, fine and thin that a brush is useless on my head but for 97¢, I couldn't pass it up!

It's a portable compact brush. It comes in a lot of colors but I picked this one. See this black spot? It's magic, you'll see.

Here it is open. There's a mirror that you can catch a glimpse of at the bottom. I had to be careful not to snap a photo directly at the glass but it does show up.

Now ~ here's the magic part! I'm pushing that black spot from the other side. Can you see what is happening???

TA-DA! It's a brush!
For some reason, that so tickled my funny bone!

Okay...next post will include tatting. I have a lot of the next challenge piece done but wanted to finish up something else tonight. Did I mention I had my first yoga class tonight? I can't believe how energized I am for a Monday night. Musta been that yoga!

More blinged shuttles from Umi & Tsuru! Aren't these lovely? I think the one with the roses is especially appealing. My other Clovers are feeling rejected lately because I use these blinged beauties so much!

Here's is one of the 3 Kings from Peel's book. This is size 30 Cebelia and it is much smaller than I expected. I probably had enough thread on the shuttles to make the entire set of 3 but I want them in different colors. Rosemarie shows them on a card and said that is how they look in size 80. Even so, I expected this one to be bigger! It's very easy to tat although it took me awhile to figure out what an 8mm picot was and was that the height or the length? I figured out it was the height. That picot looked like a toothpick or something in the photograph and I didn't realize it was a picot until I read the instructions. It's a very good diagram except there are no numbers or starting point marked so I traced the diagram and filled all that in from the text. It was first published in 1992 and notation has changed considerably over the past 18 years!

I tend to tat the fun symbols of Christmas more than the religious ones. After years of study, I can't say I subscribe to any one belief, seeing the connection in all and more or less developing a concept I'm comfortable with but I appreciate all the different interpretations. There is a cowboy analogy popular in the Western part of the nation that is surfacing and Ruth Ann Adams tatted a wonderful representation of it. I'm trying to find time to put her pattern in writing and diagram form and as soon as I do, I'll post it here with her permission.

As I was writing this post, the furnace repairman showed up, made his diagnosis and gave me the bad news.....bad inducer motor. He just left to try to track one down. Might have to order one and it probably won't show up until Monday if that is the case. Sigh...I think it's going to be a lean holiday season.

Steampunk & Shuttle Bling

Steampunk according to Wikipedia:

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.[1] Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne or real technologies like the computer but developed earlier in an alternate history.

So now you know. Right? I was reading on Pin Tangle about Sharon's daughter's performance in Clockwork Butterfly and she linked to some google images of Steampunk Fashion which still didn't define it for me. Now that I know steam power is a relevant aspect of it.....I sorta get it. LOL!

Shuttle Bling isn't new. We just have better ways to bling. It wasn't all that many years ago that I was having fun painting shuttles. These are what I have left.

The first three were not quite up to par, in my eyes and the last two were amongst my favorites. The last one is hand painted and I kept it for ME. I have to admit I decorated them (what we called it 5 years ago) just for the fun of it. I didn't consider them terribly useful for tatting, but they weren't Clovers and I am partial to Clovers for my working shuttles. I've also received some as gifts, here and here and here, and they were Clovers. (Sherry Townsend, Gail Owens, Sue Hanson) Here are some painted by Sherry Townsend back then. I think she sold them on Ebay.

We used a lot of nail polish then. I eventually started using acrylics and painted much of the detail myself. I really do like these nail decals to add just a little touch of personalization now. I'd like to try a little decoupage too but it will have to wait until a slower time for me.

It's been busy lately. Thursday evening I had loads of mail delivery show up. A book I'd ordered for 75¢ plus postage came, non-tatting. The yoga mat and bag I'd picked as my 20 year anniversary gift from Purdue arrived. I just opened it today. Now...to find a yoga class.

My new buttons from Older Rose came and you'll see them further on down. A few other things I'd ordered came too. What an evening!

So in the last post I told you about knitting, practicing the continental method.

This is how far I got before I decided to rip it all out and start over. This all cotton yarn has a soft feel to it and I decided to make it into a winter neck scarf for one of toddlers in my life, children of friends. I decided this one was too wide for little people and I really thought a pattern that looked the same on both sides might be nicer. Not that kids care about right side, wrong side at that age.

So I started over with the garter stitch and a narrower width. This might go to my great grandson or one of the two baby sons of a friend but I will have to knit a second one no matter who it goes to for the "other" toddler in their family. One is a girl and I haven't decided if this will look too girly for boys or not. Need outweighs looks though.

I couldn't believe how fast these buttons arrived! I ordered two more of Gerry's buttons and she surprised me with an extra button, one with roses! Oh my...wouldn't that look nice on the crocheted sachet I made a few years ago?
In fact, I had to go in and dig it out of my sock drawer and lay the button on it to see! I think it would need a clever bow behind it, but doesn't it look pretty? It might be better on something similar but square shaped so the button would be centered and the main focus.

I went to Gerry's Etsy site to get the link and I see she has a haunted house button, for all you Halloween enthusiasts! Only ONE. And now I want a chickadee button, but it will have to wait for next month's paycheck.

Yesterday morning was my lace guild's meeting, Lafayette Lacers. We have a new member, who is also named "Regina". She tats! A newbie, but we'll fix that. While I'm on the subject of my lace guild, I want to mention our Lace Day, the one we have every other year, alternating with Circle City Lacers, will be April 9, 2011, so mark your calendar. It will be at the same location, for those who have been there before, at the Methodist Church. We'll have the usual fabulous array of vendors including Tracy Jackson Kathy Kirchner, Kaye Judt/Jennifer Titus, and John Aebi. We're also having several mini-classes - different laces and subject, not all tatting since this is an all-lace guild. It's 10:00 - 4:30 Eastern DST. Go. Now. Write it on your calendar! Did I mention it's free? The only charge is for classes. Details later.

I've mentioned a few times that we've been getting ready for a month long exhibit at the Tippicanoe Arts Federation which starts October 29th. Yesterday we were trying to wrap up loose ends about the exhibit. Another project we have going is a small Christmas tree that we decorate with handmade lace and donate to a group that auctions it off as a fundraiser. Last year they got $300 for it. The tree this year will be part of our exhibit until we have to take it to the auction group. Carolyn Regnier has been coordinating the tree (and Lace Day) and as an incentive to get our ornaments in and to destash, she has been offering thread. Yesterday, she also gave tatters a shuttle. A blinged shuttle. (Wendy, see what you started???) A new colored Clover shuttle!

Here's the one I picked! I've already tatted with it. I used the one I got from Wendy and this one to tat another teapot bookmark in ecru. I didn't bother to scan it since it's the same basically as the last one. It went in the dye bag. I can't wait to see how those pieces are going to turn out!

Late last night I felt a need to tat with color again and I got out Jane's Christmas Tree/Brooch Pattern. Jane likes to put the beads on as she goes. I don't. I like to have them on the thread and ready to push whereever I want. There are advantages to both methods, but I decided to work out how to add them first. This is very similar to the way Dianna Stevens designed her beaded amulet bag. I wasn't real sure about the sides so I made the split rings but when I do it again, I may try just chains. I don't think it's too bad for a nearly-midnight tatting adventure. I want to try it with two colors of green beads like Jane's photo too. I really do love all the different Christmas tree patterns. I might make up a collage some day of all the trees I've tatted.

One last note. I borrowed this Christmas Tattig book by Rosemarie Peel from the I.O.L.I. library. I think I borrowed it before but I wanted to see it again. It's one of the few books of Rosemarie's that I don't have. I see a few motifs I want to try before I send it back.

I haven't forgotten the giveaways or the tatted cowboy scene I've mentioned in the past month or few days...but I'm still not prepared to show them. Soon!