Month: July 2009

Tatting Tea Tuesday

I’m back! but I have very little to show for the last week or so. Our daughter and grandson stayed a few extra days more than planned – which was wonderful by the way! I didn’t get much done tatting-wise, but that’s okay. Much better to visit with them while they’re here, I’ll have time to tat later.

I did get a little bit done, stress on the “little”. I finished this up this morning with a cup of *hmm* coffee while the grandson took a little nap.

This is supposed to be a horseshoe. To go along with the horse head I’ve made. Well, not quite with the one that’s already made as the colors don’t go together very well. But I’m thinking on a card or bookmark with a horse-y theme. This horseshoe isn’t quite right, but I was not exactly focused the whole time I was making it. It looks more like a “U” than a shoe, but I think I can fix that the next time around. And thought it’s not perfect I think I’ll have this as my #22 in the 25 Motif Challenge.

Well, that’s it, the entire extent of my tatting over the last week or so. Maybe I’ll have something more by next week.

Grandson is visiting!

No pictures today – too busy. My daughter from Omaha is here with the grandson! Woo-hoo!

Haven’t seen them since May and he has changed soooo much! He’s crawling and has two teeth.

They’re going to be here for a week, so I doubt I’ll get much tatting done. If I do accomplish anything with thread and shuttle I’ll try and post it. Maybe at breaks at work I can do a little…

Okay, he’s doing more cute stuff, gotta stop and watch. Everyone have a good week!

Coasters for Tatting Tea Tuesday

The coasters are done! Okay, a day late. But I wasn’t going to be able to give them to my daughter until later in the week, so I was safe!
I think they came out pretty good. They were made with Handy Hands Lizbeth thread size 20 in varigated green #144 and dark red # 670. I’m calling this #21 of my 25 Motif Challenge.

It’s amazing how the varied color combinations make them each look so different, don’t you think?

I was going to set my cup of tea on one for a visual of their use, but it didn’t work out. I ran out of time.

For anyone that’s interested, here’s the pattern. WARNING: there may be mistakes lurking. Tat at your own risk.

Shay’s Birthday Coasters

Round 1 2 shuttles Make all picots small, for joining only

Sht1 R 6-6. R 6-6. RW Ch 9 DNRW Sht2 R 6-6 DNRW Sht1 Ch 9 RW

*Sht1 6+6 to p of prev R. R 6-6. RW Ch 9 DNRW Sht2 R 6-6. DNRW Sht1 Ch 9 RW*

Repeat between * 8 times, last time join last R to first R. Cut, finish ends as desired.

Round 2 Shuttle and ball. Joining picots indicated as j, others longer as desired.

R 6+6 to any Sht2 R of prev round. RW. Ch 10 RW. R 2-2-2-2j-8 RW

Ch 6-2–2-2+ to 4th p of prev R Ch10 RW.

Repeat from beginning of round 2 all the way around, join to base of first R. Cut, finish ends as desired.

A castle, some big rocks and two shuttles

On the 4th of July my husband and I went on a little day trip, just the two of us. We left all the housework and home projects behind and headed off to have a day of fun.

First we visited Coronado Heights. This is a hill named after Francisco Vasquez de Coronado for his visit to Kansas in 1541 looking for gold. This is the castle at the top. It was built in the 30’s along with a freestanding fireplace and picnic tables around the summit.

The views from the top are spectacular. You can see for miles in all directions over the farm/ranch land that surround it. This picture is looking south from one of the picnic tables. The day was partly cloudy and breezy which made it an excellent day for a visit in July. We’d both been here before but not since we were kids.

Then we went a little farther north and visited Mushroom Rock State Park. This first picture is what it looks like as we drive up. If you can make it out in the center of the picture the top of one of the ‘mushroom’ rocks is visible. In the distance you can see what the area around the park looks like.

These pictures are of my husband and I with some of the large rocks that the place is named for. Who would have thought to find rocks like this in Kansas?

My husband took these pictures by setting the timer on the camera and then running to be with me by/on the rocks. (That was fun to watch!)
It’s has been wet so far this summer so it was very green. This made for a very pleasant visit. It can get pretty dry over the summer.

And then we drove to Salina to check out a few of the antique stores there. We’re not big into antiquing, but enjoy it once in awhile.
I found this box in one of the stores. I think it was a jewelry box, but it may have been a sewing box. I have decided it is a tatting project box. It is to sit next to my chair to hold shuttles and notions in the drawers and current threads and projects in the top. I’ve been looking for something of this nature for quite some time, so I couldn’t very well leave it there, could I?


And then, in a store across the street I actually found two shuttles. One of the owners mentioned that shuttles are usually snapped up almost as soon as they put them out. So I got lucky!

The white one has no markings on it that I could tell. The store owner had no information about either of them, other than they were tatting shuttles. She was quite surprised that I tatted and commented about it being a “lost art.” She didn’t even know how shuttles were used or what it signified if the ends were close together. Both shuttles have some thread on them, and they definitely “click”!
The black one has a trademark name on it. Can you make it out? I had a lot of trouble taking a picture where the name is readable.

The name on the black one is “Gloria” with ‘trade’ on one side and ‘mark’ on the other. I don’t think I’ve heard of that before. Anyone know when or where it was made?
They were both in the same display box, so were for sale by the same seller. The white one has definitely been used quite a bit – it’s just a little warped where the finger and thumb would be positioned. The black one also looks used but not to that extent. What a find!

All around it was a great day. We had fun hiking around two wonderful sites on a beautiful day and then found some treasures to take home with us. We finished off the day at home with our feet up, sipping on root beer floats.

I could do with a few more days as nice as this one!

Tatting Tea Tuesday July 7

It’s Tatting Tea Tuesday again and I’m still busy with my daughter’s birthday present of coasters. So I brewed a cup of tea and kicked back to tat.
Thanks to all of you that shared with me ideas of what colors you thought would look good for the coasters. Most liked the red. And I still was unsure. So I thunk and I thunk and…
this is what I came up with.

Obviously they haven’t had the ends clipped – in fact one still has to have the end connected to the beginning.

I finished the sixth one after I took the picture. Can you guess which one of these needs it’s opposite?

I’ll have to have them done before next week or else they’ll be late. I’ll post a picture of the finished coasters when they’re done. I think she’ll like them.

Butterflies

As I mentioned earlier, I was in a butterfly exchange through InTatters. This is the beautiful butterflies I got from my exchange partner, CindyK from Minnesota.

The large one is “Green Butterfly” designed by Martha Ess, found in the Intatters patterns. She made it with Lizbeth thread size 20 in “Jewels” and DMC Cebelia size 20 white. And she sent the little one to keep it company. Aren’t they wonderful?

CindyK considers herself a beginner as she’s only been tatting a few years. She just finished Phase one of the T.A.T. program. If you get the chance stop on over to congratulate her on a job well done! I think she did a great job on these butterflies. Now I just need to decide where I’m going to display them…

This butterfly is the one I sent to CindyK. This was a lot of fun making. I tried Lizbeth thread for the first time with it. I have seen that a lot of people are trying it and liking it so I bought some. And I really really like the Caribbean!

So I just had to do this butterfly in it. This is the Southwest Butterfly by Tatting Goddess made with Lizbeth size 20 thread, Dark Purple #633, Caribbean #122 & Black #604. (www.esnips.com/web/TattingGoddessPatterns). I’m calling this #20 of my 25 Motif Challenge.

I’ve been working on my daughter’s birthday coasters, which I’ll post another day. I think I’ve come up with a solution as to what color to make them.

Yesterday my husband and I went for a day trip, just the two of us. In the afternoon we stopped by a couple of antique stores and spent a few hours browsing through all of the neat – and not so neat- things in them. I have serveral things to share after I have the pictures uploaded. I’m pretty excited about all of my finds.

But that is for another day. We’ve been very busy this weekend – we had three days off from work! – with family and friends and just spending time together. I feel so much more relaxed than I have for weeks.

That’s all for today. My shuttles are calling to me. I better do something with them before they tie themselves in knots.