Confusion and a Surprise!

I was following up on some links from my google alerts on tatting and found http://www.newlacepatterns.com/. This site only says it's by "admin" but it has posts that I recognize from:

http://tatt3r-lace.blogspot.com/ (Lenore English)

and

http://elizabeths-lace.blogspot.com/(Elizabeth Zipay)

And I think some others too - but I don't know who. It appears to be a collection of favorite blog posts and covers knitting and all kinds of lace. None of mine, btw. LOL! At any rate, I think it's probably not a legitimate thing to do. Unless the "admin" has permission from the bloggers, and I have a feeling that is not so. You might check and see if any of your posts are there. I noticed a whole bunch of new ones today.

Tuesday night I found a notice from the mail carrier saying I had a package to pick up at the post office since I wasn't there to sign for it. I put the notice in my purse, a new one with a new pocket for that sort of stuff, and hoped I wouldn't forget. I did. But I was reminded this morning before I left home and stopped on the way into work. Now I knew a surprise was coming all the way from France so I was excited to see what it was!

Check it out! Lace in Britain!



"Embroidery cut (Renaissance brogue), on tulle, netting knotted lace Irish crochet, needle, pin Bigoudin, etc.. Dans la même collection que Dentelles en Bretagne, voici un historique et usages sur costumes, technique et terroirs. In the same collection as lace in Britain, here is a history of costumes and customs, technical and soils. C'est aussi 150 illustrations et tous les points dessinés, par étapes, avec patrons et modèles. It is also 150 illustrations and all points drawn in stages, with patterns and designs."

Chris is the lovely soul from http://www.dantelezenn.com/ who has translated some of my patterns and some from others into French for her tatting friends. Her blog is inactive right now as she just moved. Once she gets settled in, we'll see her beautiful work again! In the meantime, I'm enjoying photos of lacemakers of the past and all kinds of lace and even the projects at the end. One of my lace guild members used to teach French at the local high school before she retired a year or so ago. I hope she is there and can give me some insights on some of the pages.
On yet another note, I received some vintage tatting and crochet books from a woman whose 94-year-old mother-in-law no longer can use. Lynn wrote me, "My mother-in-law's name is Margaret Gianella Bruno and is 94 years old. She lives with her husband of 70 years in New Jersey but suffers with bad arthritis in both of her hands. Throughout her life, she and her many sisters (along with her mother) did all kinds of needlework creating beautiful pieces for all of the family. ..... It makes her very sad to not be able to do the intricate patterns she used to do when she was younger."

Lynn herself has no skill or interest in learning at this point in her life and asked if I knew anyone who could use them. I asked for a list of titles as I didn't want to take anything if if was valuable and she could get compensation for them. They are all fairly common vintage titles and I even have most of them, so I'm going to offer them as give-aways over the next few weeks. Although this blog is about tatting, some of you also crochet. There are a dozen or less books so I'll break them up into two or three at a time which allows more people to have a chance to win something. I think it's really great that Lynn is trying to find a home for them instead of just dumping them somewhere.
Just as I got to work this morning and was walking from the parking garage to my office (at least 7 minutes to walk!), I got a call from my son saying the crew was there to repair my roof from the tree damage! Yay! That means only one more issue, the garage, and maybe I can relax. Well, actually there are several issues related to my house that I want to take care of soon, but that will be the major one.

I spent last night knitting for a change. I purchased some needles and yarn on a whim at Walmart one lunch hour and kept them at work, playing YouTube videos on cast-on methods during other lunch hours. Yesterday I was bored with the cast-ons and decided to knit. Well...like many things, it's addictive and I just kept knitting, taking it home and knitting more last night. It will probably be a scarf for one of my little friends/relatives by the time I'm done. I rather enjoyed the simple knitting. I am suprised at how comfortable I'm getting with the continental method of holding the yarn in your left hand. It was awkward months ago when I tried it but I was going lickety-split yesterday even though I haven't knitted in months!

This is the mantra for anything new you want to learn: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Tatting Tea Tuesday 2/9/10

Remember the giveaway I had of the Simplicity pattern? I had a duplicate and the one thing I really wanted to make was the tea cozy. (or cosy as it is spelled in some places) I've been determined to make a tea cozy for TTT for weeks! I started crocheting one I found through a link from the OWOH but the directions were horrible and I finally reached a point where no matter what I did, it was not going to come out right.

I thought I'd have to wait yet another week - but - out of nowhere, I was inspired to sew the one in the pattern!

Here it is! I used a couple of fat quarters in my stash and a purchased hanky. It's currently hugging a tea-for-one which wouldn't work at all since I would be drinking out of the cup but I do have some teapots big enough for this. This is the smaller 3 cup pot pattern. My tea-for-ones are in all sizes, some very tiny, some very tall, some very round, some inbetween. Now that I've actually sewn one though, I can play with the dimensions and make more.

And do you remember the tatted lace in that same post about the giveaway that I was considering putting on the little tea envelope? I haven't attached it to anything yet, but I did pin it on one side here just to see what it would look like. I've been debating whether to tat the lace in white or red, but I will go with white. Some of my red tatting has bled just a little and the colors in the cozy are a very deep red so might be hard to match.

I'm just so proud of this little cozy! True humili-tea!

Tatting Tea Tuesday 1/12/10 Giveaway!

I found it! The website for the Indiana business I've used before and thought was gone is still there! There is not nearly as much on it as in the past but they are still in business and I signed up for the newsletter again.

I don't know if anyone pays that much attention but I have a category of blogs in the sidebar that have to do with interesting and inspiring blogs that don't feature tatting as the main subject. Yesterday I noticed that Lollychops had a subject line that said screamed, "The Mad Tatter's Teabag Template!". Now who could resist checking that out??? So I did.

It seems Lollychops has a sister who just learned to tat (in like 24 hours!)and she was bragging on her, rightfully so. But THEN, her next paragraph...and how cool is this given it's now Tatting Tea Tuesday? was a new crafty design of hers - a Tatter's Teabag Envelope! and you can get the template HERE!

I had great intentions for making it when I got home but I was late getting out of work and then I went to the pool at the gym and then Walmart and by the time I got home, I had an hour and a half to eat, check my email, and make the teabag holders.

I had already printed it out on cardstock so this part was easy....cut it out. I ended up cutting a curve on the straight side because I'm not making a card like Lollyshops did. I'm just using it as an envelope but what a sweet gift card! All I've done is glue the bottom and it wasn't quite dry so I didn't push the teabag all the way down. It could use some embellishing too!

I also wanted to make one in fleece or felt. I cut it out. But I needed to get to bed so I just scanned my idea and you will have to use your imagination! Someone asked me what I was going to do with that edging and the needlelaced motif. The edging isn't quite long enough but it might depend on how and where I put it on. I would put the motif on the front flap but it is underneath the triangle right now. Then the edging would probably be long enough! I would also need a little button or bead fastener or maybe velcro, to hold it closed. Anyway...I think this would be a fun and quick project (well, except for the tatting part) for our tea tatters! Oooooh and with Valentine's Day coming up, give your favorite Valentine some chocolate cherry flavored tea and put a tatted heart on it!

Okay...so now you're wondering....didn't she say something about a giveaway??? Yes! At the weekend, I went through a tub of patterns and...sigh...I have this habit of buying duplicates when they're on sale at JoAnn's for $1 each.

And this is a duplicate! See the tea cozies on the table? Another perfect fit for Tatting Tea Tuesday! I'll use the random generator to pick a number from the comments on this post only between now and the next Tatting Tea Tuesday on January 18th. I'll announce the winner of the pattern that morning. Another pretty thing to embellish with tatting, right?

New Year's Give-Away!!!!!

Yessirreeeee! To celebrate the dawn of 2010, I'm giving these tatted earrings away. They are tatted with 2 strands of Mettler silk-finish thread (made in Spain) and beads I received from my SS. The pattern is one of the fragments from Mary Konior's Visual Tatting. They sort of remind me of Mardi Gras.

Just leave a comment on this post and I will pick the winner with a random number generator at the stroke of midnight. IF I stay up til then! Otherwise it will be first thing when I get up on Friday. As much as I'd like to promise I'll make it to midnight, my body sometimes has other ideas. LOL!

I've been waiting to hear that my SS recipient got her package and opened it. Should have since it's in the states (sorry Jane, it's not me if you still haven't gotten yours) and I sent it in plenty of time and put my first name in the card. I'd also like to burn all my photo albums from the year on to a CD and start fresh like I usually do so that means I'd also like to post those photos before I put them away. So...we'll see what happens.

And for now...I'm off to tat a black and purple version of the 2 tone earrings I've been tatting - still for the friend in Vegas!

HAPPY PREPARATIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR! PLAN LOTS OF FUN TATTING ADVENTURES FOR 2010!!!

There's a wonderful giveaway going on over at Brynwood Needleworks if you like embroidery and other needleworks. I actually got there from another site that I'd been sent to about an embroidery idea I have but can't post about just now. You know...secrets, santa, all that stuff!

My sister & I planned to go to the Bloomington Handmade Market in Bloomington, Indiana for weeks and made it there Saturday. It was held at the John Waldron Arts Center downtown and our handy dandy gps system took us right there. The first thing we noticed when we went in were the Christmas decorations! I saw on Facebook where some people were complaining about how soon decorations were going up. I wonder if they realize that Christmas is barely 4 weeks away???? This Santa was huge, probably 8 feet tall!

We loved this cozy spot too.

My sister next to this very creative tree.

I loved the teddy bear pulling down the tip of this tree! My sister liked the Santa mailbox.

I bought some organic healing salve and lip balm at the market. My sister got some adorable miniature handbound book pendants and a few other things. We both got lots of ideas! We then toured the art galleries in the building, had lunch and visited a few other stores. I'll post about one of them for Tatting Tea Tuesday.

I got to sew a bit this past week. The back on this chair had ripped to the point of no repair and I debated on whether to just get rid of it or redo it. I realized I had a piece of canvas that would work perfectly so I decided to keep it. This is the new back. I have the seat done now too but forgot to take photos! The fabric only cost me $1.00!!!

This was a crochet pattern I wanted to try out and needed to do something mindlessly the other night. It was the same pattern every row so it was easy. It still didn't turn out the way I expected and appears to be newborn or preemie size. I thought that was what the fine yarn was for. I thought this one would be bigger. Oh well...my son gave it to a friend with a 3 or 4 month old baby.

I couldn't believe that I got to the VERY END before I knew that I had started out with too many picots in the center! What can you do? it was that very first ring....

I wasn't about to pitch it, so I chained a loop and added a metal split ring. I can stiffen it for a pendant or ornament or even a gift tag. The pattern is from Denise Munoz, a book of snowflakes with rosette centers. It is tatted in Aida size 20 and I used size 11 seed beads.

If you have a chance, go see what Chris over at http://www.dantelezenn.com/ has done with one of the ricrac motifs in my pattern gallery. You can see it started HERE! Chris translated this one into French. She has added beads and used some gold, black and red so far. I love seeing how different people interpret a pattern differently!

Tatting Tea Tuesday 10/20/09 & Giveaway!

Look what I got! I was on a tea blog and happened to see some tea jewelry and thought....I want something like that! I have teapot earrings and you see those everywhere, though mine were made for me by a friend, so I didn't want that but perusing Ebay, I found this lovely vintage brooch which was on a Craft & Barrow card but the back of the pin says KC© and I haven't had time to look into it.

Til now....there are several companies that sell jewelry that have KC as part of their name, Kansas City being the most common and my best guess. The card the brooch arrived on didn't look like it originally belonged there. Although Kohl's might sell jewelry from the KC brand, I don't think it is Croft & Barrows. Doesn't matter as I love it as it is, but I got that "feeling" even when bidding that Croft & Barrow wasn't right. Don't know for sure though.

Now for the giveaway! I am still culling magazines and found this scrapbook stamping magazine which has several ideas for cards having to do with a tea theme. I don't have the stamps, time or inclination to ever make them, SO.....some lucky person who does gets to have this! I don't generally get a zillion comments like some people so I think I'm safe in putting the names in a hat and drawing one. That means, if you don't want the magazine but want to comment, just say you don't want in the drawing and I won't put your name in the hat. Make sure I can contact you!!!! I'll draw the name on Friday. You must comment on THIS post or I won't catch it.

Okay, one more thing. As I was going through another storage tub, I found yet even more printouts that I must assign to a binder or in the circular file. I found lots of OLD correspondence too, from my early tatting days. Remember that spiral bookmark in my pattern folder and I couldn't remember who made the original for me in an exchange? I found the email! It was Darlene Ulbricht. I wonder where she is now? The pattern actually started with the edging (I'd call it an insertion) from the book edited by Rita Weiss, Tatting Doilies & Edgings, on page 23 of my copy. These are a collection of patterns from 6 earlier publications that Dover put together and Rita edited. They range from 1920 to 1944 but I don't know which one it originally came from. Even so, the idea to tat it in two colors like that came from Darlene.

I'm having a busy day Tuesday, so this is written ahead and scheduled for Tuesday. Have a wonderful day sipping tea, nibbling on chocolate, and tatting away!