I'm back to tatting!

I downloaded a copy of the Finnish publication Fox mentioned on her blog. Diagrams are at the end. I had to highlight and enlarge it enough to see to see the numbers and this is my first sample. I meant to climb out of the first round with a split ring but I started in the wrong place so that meant I ended in the wrong place to use a split ring productively.

So then I made a second one in two colors and with beads. Ooooooh....sounds rich, doesn't it? But the thread that I tatted the rings with kept breaking on me which was frustrating on its own. Then I realized that though I started in the right place, I couldn't make a split ring with the two colors and beads. I refreshed my memory about the SSSR but I couldn't see that working with beads and I needed the other color to come out in the same place too. In the end, I didn't like it so you shan't see it. I know, I usually show all my mistakes but not this time. I have PLENTY of other eye candy for you! Later, I will show you another one in one color and beads so you can see how it looks and I'll even tell you where to make the split ring.


I wanted to wrap up the Lace Day posts by showing the goodies that went home with me.
I've mentioned before that I'm doing bobbin lace now. I still meet with my lace friend Sally on most Tuesdays and plug away at it. I post those on my lace blog which also includes embroidery and other forms of lace. I found this pricker at Debbie Beever's booth (Lace & Such). You put your own needle in, whatever size you want and if it breaks, you can replace it easily. My other pricker already has a nice curve in it from all my poking! (it's NOT supposed to curve!)

I bought one bobbin lace book, one of the less expensive ones, largely because it looked similar to the bookmarks I've been making so how hard can this be????? Ha! I say that because I've been struggling with the same bookmark for...oh...3 weeks now. But I'm almost there!

I love these old vintage magazines. I have some other years but these are both 1916. Both have some tatting in them too.

Now for the lovely gifties from others.

When you registered at the front of the church, you could also pick up a whimsical pin like this. Carolyn Regnier provided a huge variety to pick from plus there were little magnet hats as freebies. I think that's where you picked up a pre-ordered commemorative shuttle or bobbin or could buy some extra's if you didn't preorder and wanted one. At first I thought this was a bird, but I think it's really a kooky fish!

Way back last year I met up with Millie Moody at Starbucks. She was visiting relatives in Lafayette but she is from Northern Indiana. She told me she was planning to come to Lace Day but I was so surprised to receive this sweet card from her with a tatted leaf inside. Thank you Millie!

Many of you know I collect Tea-for-One's but I have stopped buying them except on rare occasions because I've run out of places to put them. I'm going to do something with my kitchen cabinets in the summer that I hope will give me more room to display them. Quite unexpectedly, I was gifted with this one from Charlotte Nottingham, another guild member. Thank you so much Charlotte for thinking of me! I love it!

Last night I had the incredible pleasure of attending a comedy show in Wabash, Indiana featuring Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood at the Honeywell Center. I laughed so hard and for so long that I almost couldn't get my breath for the next round of laughter. My sister & brother-in-law took me as well as another friend of hers as a gift. What a delight! Dinner beforehand too and we also went into a fabulous gift shop earlier where I ended up buying a tea-for-one. You'll have to wait until Tuesday to see that one!

Earlier in the day my lace guild held their December meeting which was also a carry-in and lace-related gift exchange. You never know which gift you'll end up with or who it's from until it's done and you open it.

We had three rounds of pick and take, sometimes taking a gift that appeals to you more than the one you initially picked, especially if you were last on the first round and didn't really have a choice. It's all fun. I ended up with a medium sized box with Christmas paper pulled up around it and tied at the top. When I opened it, I was told to go to the next package inside. So I did. There I was told to go to the next one. It lied. It said I was almost there, but I actually had THREE more openings to make before I got to clear round plastic container that held something flat inside some red tissue paper. Ah! Must be a bit of lace!

You'd think, huh? It was a note telling me to go back to the first box and check out the bottom of it! Sure enough, there was the envelope that really did hold the above tatted pieces! They were tatted by Carolyn Regnier. If you have some older tatting pattern books, you might have one by her, called Suncatchers & Snowflakes, I think. She pointed out to me that this is the same pattern done in multiples of 3, 4 and 5. They're already stiffened so will have to go my little tree. She really does exquisite tatting and I love having a sample of her work. She was one of the founders of our lace guild back in the 70's.

On another note regarding Lafayette Lacers, we donated a handmade lace trimmed tree to a local group for their fundraising auction. I don't have a photo yet but the tree brought in $300 and someone said it was the highest bidded item. I really don't know since I saw some other really nice donations when I checked it out, but even so, it's nice to know that handmade lace is appreciated.

This is a busy weekend. My dryer is on the fritz and I haven't had time to repair or replace it so today I'm washing all my laundry and hauling it to the laundromat to dry. Once I'm there, it will only take about an hour and a half. I think I'm going to have my son do the sweeping and vacuuming today. I just can't get everything done myself. I still need to finish up my SS gift and that's my tatting goal today. The tatting is done....just need to package it all!