Many years ago, when Maus hosted various tatting round robins, one that I participated in was a Christmas Round Robin. I tatted this rocking horse for one of the participants and always thought I'd make one for myself. Well, yesterday was that day!

The pattern is from Pam Palmer's Tatting Treats Two. I see Deb Arnold is selling it for $15.00 and I'm sure many of the tatting vendors also still carry it. Don't be swayed by the Amazon used copies for $38.88. I'm finding any book out of print that deals with lace is being sold for atrocious prices so make sure you shop around. I'm pretty sure Zig-Zag Corner's Tatting Corner also carries it for the normal price.

One thing I didn't catch when I tatted this horse the first time is that Pam has you add a 2nd ball thread for the rockers. I'm sure I didn't the first time and so I didn't this time. It would make it more stable, nice if you are using it for an ornament, but I'll probably stitch it to something instead. I also tatted the reins this time which I'm sure I didn't do the last time. I used the handle of a steel crochet hook as a picot gauge to make the mane picots equal size.

This book also has a Christmas Cracker, a Christmas Tree, a Candy Cane, and a Christmas Teapot. There is also a teddy bear, a frog on a lily pad, and a crinoline girl. I've continued to use the book all these years so I think it's well worth the original price.

I've separated all my floss now and tatted a sample butterfly with beads to see how it would tat up. Two strands definitely. One strand tends to fray and will work out too small to make the impact I want from using this particular thread. If I didn't mention it before, this is for the elephant I'm tatting for my daughter for her birthday. It's a pattern by Pam Palmer. sigh..........I'm going to have to figure out how to do links and photos.

So last night I started on the blanket for the elephant. I think I know how I want the colors arranged, but it's kind of hard to get the same impact from colored pencils when you are using bright shiny thread. I've already changed the order of things. I may tat a couple of different versions since the elephant part is tatted last around the blanket. The blanket part is the crucial element. It's the color, the texture, the brightness, and focal point of the whole thing. There are a few motifs around the head too, that I'm not sure what I will do with them.

I'm going to switch gears today though and work on my roundrobins. I have a butterfly to do and a birthday one. I bought several little frames from Walmart recently that will work perfectly for framing small tatted motifs. They were only $1.50, but of course, the tatting is priceless (grin!). It's a glass piece with a backing that stands if you want, and the corners are held together by clips that are colored in pastels. I got pink, green, yellow, and blue so I have a good assortment. I think I have one lavendar one too. Since the birthday one is in February, I thought I would tat a heart and put it in the frame. I love Irene Woo's "Heart of the Butterfly" but I also love Mary Konior's "Heart's Desire". Perhaps I'll do that one and also tat a little flower motif to go in the empty space. I want to to the Celtic Heart too - I think by Martha Ess.......but that one will take some time, so not good for this project. It also needs to lie quite flat the way this frame is. I tried putting a fan in it and the lump where I made the tassel handle was a problem.

I finished the bonnet I was documenting for Georgia, but I'm going to have to remove a row from the back - so I've laid it aside for the time being.

Ulp! I'm tatting a lavendar heart bookmark for my sister's birthday which is the 20th of this month........maybe I'll work on that first! I have 2 hearts done and it will probably need 5 or 6. I'm using Handy Hands cordonnet, size 50. This is Betsy Evan's heart bookmark pattern. I just love it. Gave the 1st one I made to one of my closest friends, Janet.