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Encapsulated!

“Thicket of Flowers” © Sherry Pence 2012
Check this out! I did it!  Woo hoo!
I was one of those people who pre-ordered Sherry’s new book “Branching Encapsulation” back in March and which arrived in the beginning of April.  Lets’ see, that’s April, May, June – wow, three months ago! And I just now had time (made time, took time) to try it out.  Sherry, you would be so proud of me – I read through the directions first, several times even, before starting AND started at the front of the book instead of jumping to the end and trying out what I really want to try.  Okay, I want to try everything in the book, I just have plans for the patterns/ideas at the end :-)Encapsulation does take some concentration to do – it’s definitely not something to do while watching TV.  I really had to pay attention to what I was doing, but I’m very happy with the results. This is my very first attempt!  If this was a little closer picture you would be able to make out the slight discoloration of the white thread because I didn’t make sure my hands were clean after eating lunch, but other than that I think it has gone very well.  I’m using Lizbeth threads in size 20 #601 White (because it was already on a shuttle), #684 Leaf Green Med and Cebelia size 30 pink #3326.  I’m going to continue a bit more to make sure I have a good grasp of this technique, then on to the next pattern!  I don’t have anything planned for this thicket of flowers except to learn how, but I have in mind to decorate a wedding gift with some of those last patterns in the book, so I have to get with it.  I only have three weeks to get it done!  Wish me progress.

This Tatting Tea Tuesday I’m enjoying a glass of cold, sweet tea while I steal a few minutes of another busy day to tat a bit. I haven’t had a lot of time to tat lately, and what I have been tatting has been for a purpose, either to learn a technique or to make something specific.  Unfortunately, none of those things needed to be red, white and blue, so I don’t have anything patriotic tatted up. The date kind of snuck up on me.

Date?

Tomorrow is July fourth, our Independence Day.  It will be celebrated throughout the country with picnics and bar-b-ques, get-togethers and fireworks.  And probably a bit too much to drink by a lot of people, hopefully not the ones lighting the fireworks!  Hopefully, too, at least a little thought will go into what exactly we’re celebrating, what it took to get it, and what it takes to maintain it.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July everyone!

“July Fourth means a lot to me as an American,…It is a patriotic day. It is not particularly about WWII or any war.  It just shows a patriotic way of life we really should celebrate not just on Independence Day but every day.”
Robert Davies

Gift from umintsuru

Tatted by umintsuru
Aren’t these earrings gorgeous?  The picture doesn’t do them justice at all!  Wendy has a much better picture over on her blog. 
These are my gift from Wendy for her Pay It Forward giveaway.  They are made with Lizbeth “Spring Fling” in size 80.   When I opened the envelope there were a lot of “oohs” and “awes” as we looked these over.  Thank you very much, Wendy, I love them!
Looking back over my blog posts I realized I hadn’t posted what I gave for my PIF, inspired by Wendy’s post last fall.  Medictabs,Robert and Suztats were the first three people to leave a message on my blogpost and were the winners.  When I decided to do it I didn’t have even a small clue of what I was going to send them, so it took a little while to get them done.  But they finally were sent off.

I’ve always wanted to do some Crazy Quilting – but I don’t quilt and rarely embroider, so it hasn’t happened yet 🙂  Instead I did a little “CQing” on Altoid tins for their gifts.

I added a few things on the inside.  Each was different inside and outside, but similar.

 The pink heart is a needle threader. The “match book” is a needleholder.  Each one also got a decorated shuttle that coordinated with their thin, and a ball of J &  P Coats size 80 tatting thread – it all fit inside the tin.

This was a lot of fun to do.  And really nice to win Wendy’s PIF.  Thanks again, Wendy 🙂

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”  William James

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_motivational.html

Technical Difficulties

My Tatting Tea Tuesday post has been postponed (again!) due to technical difficulties.  
[It’s rather scary how much I miss my computer:(  ]
“A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.”
Emo Phillips
http://www.brainyquotes.com

Reflections on things I’ve learned

I was at my mother’s house the other day and noticed a gift I had given her years ago.  It’s been sitting out for all these years but I just happened to ‘see’ it again. It’s a picture of my children and my sister’s children when they were much younger in a decorated frame with a little tatting.  
The frame is an inexpensive one without glass and the wooden hearts were painted to coordinate with the material I used to cover the backing.  Where the ribbon is tied around the flowers the tatting is gathered up, giving the impression they are wrapped in the lace.
For whatever reason, this day I also noticed all the imperfections of this gift.  The backing I’m sure is cardboard, not a bad thing but probably, no, certainly, not acid free.  I noticed the hole I cut for the picture is not quite square and whatever I used to glue the tatting down stained the material.  For all that the material, ribbon and flowers are about the same color, one or another should probably have been a contrasting color to show off the others better.
Back when I did this I didn’t know anything about using acid free paper/cardboard.  With the surge of interest in scrap-booking now almost anyone can know about acid free paper just by reading the packaging of scrap booking paper at the store.  There are now a lot of templates easily available for different shapes to make a finished project look, well, finished. There were probably other glues I could have used that would have worked better than whatever it is I used, but I was pretty ignorant of such things back then. 

I remember this piece of tatting – made entirely of plain rings and chains it was supposed to be a round motif that I put too many stitches/too many repeats in, making it ruffle a lot. By gathering it up around the flowers it allowed the rest of it to lay flat.  It was a good way to use what might have been a mistake.  This wasn’t my first attempt at designing my own patterns but everything I knew about tatting had been gleaned just by the experience of doing it.  The only person I knew that even knew what tatting was, was my grandmother and she didn’t do much at all.  There was no Internet to see other people’s tatting, so my exposure to patterns were in whatever books and magazines I could lay my hands on.  The library didn’t have many books on it and magazines with tatting were few and far between.  Yes, Workbasket was out there with a pattern or two a month, but that’s almost nothing compared to what we have available now.  I had taken to coming up with my own patterns a lot of the time, simple though they were. I was following unknowingly in the footsteps of designers everywhere – trial and error: keep what you like, throw away what you don’t, but most importantly, keep trying!

As I look at the gift now I see all of it’s flaws, but also what went into it: the effort, the imagination, the skill, the courage to do something out of my comfort zone.  And mostly the desire to give my mother something special that she would like and, hopefully, treasure. I must have succeeded as it still sits out in her living room, visible to all who enter her house.



“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”

Dr. Seuss

Garage sale find

I don’t go to many garage sales, but my mother does. She goes garage saling almost every weekend.  You never know what you’re going to find at them – sometimes nothing worth bringing home, other times treasure!
(This picture was supposed to be landscape, but Blogger decided otherwise!)

My mother found the white shuttle in a box that was given away at the end of a sale because they didn’t want to have to take it back in the house.  They may not have even known what it was.  
I put it beside a clover shuttle to show the size.  I should have put it next to a Boye shuttle (found one in my stash after I took the picture) as it’s similar in shape and only about 1/4 inch shorter than a Boye. It’s smooth and light. As you can see it is extremely over loaded with thread, which looks to be size 80 in a variegated white/pink. The tips are together at both ends, so the over-loading has not damaged it yet. I tatted a quick ring with it and found it to tat quite nicely.  There are no markings on it to indicate a brand.  I also don’t think it is an antique.  But it is a really nice find! 
Thanks, Mom!
“A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.”  George Carlin

Harvest Time Tatting

Memorial Day, a day to remember those in the military who gave their lives for their country.  It’s celebrated  every year on the last Monday in May. As it’s a federal holiday all government offices, banks and some private businesses are closed, making it a three day weekend for a lot of people.
Unfortunately, not for me or my husband. Not because we weren’t supposed to have a three day weekend –  our company has Memorial Day as a paid holiday. But this year they have a lot of orders that need to be filled an not much time to do it, so everybody had to work Saturday.  And I, and a few (un)lucky others, had to work Sunday as well.  That left Memorial Day alone as my only day off.
The day was beautiful! The sky was blue, the breeze was mild, the temperature on the way to hot without being oppressive.  And I didn’t even have to go anywhere for entertainment, of a sort.
Watching the harvest from the front yard on wandasknottythoughts.com
 Memorial Day, 2012, a beautiful day in Kansas and
the start of harvest around my neighborhood.  This is the view from my front yard.

Front row seat to harvest on wandasknottythoughts.com

This was my front row seat to the harvesting of the wheat in the field next to our house. An iced drink, a nice chair, a great view and a bit of tatting.  Who could ask for more?
My tatting for the day was reviewing the pattern for this cross, checking it for mistakes before sharing it, by tatting it following said pattern.  (I did find a couple of mistakes which I had to correct)
Split Ring Cross found on wandasknottythoughts.com
Split Ring Cross © Wanda Salmans
I made this cross with Lizbeth #601 Snow White in size 20.  I designed this cross several years ago and wrote down the pattern but just finished diagramming it. I have shared it on the Pages tab.
We did make it to a few of the local cemeteries yesterday towards evening.  Even though Memorial Day is specifically to honor fallen military personnel it has traditionally expanded to remember all family and friends who have passed on as well.  We visited all the graves, those of our friends and family, whether military or not.  The cemeteries always look beautiful with all the flowers and flags on this day. Most military graves are decorated with an American flag, put out by volunteers and other veterans.  It’s also interesting to see the dates on all the headstones, they can tell quite a story.  Even though it is a solemn occasion in many ways, it’s  also a day of remembering the the sacrifices made as well as good times with those no longer with us.
“In many respects across this nation Memorial Day has become a time when families have a little quality time together. And I don’t think those who died to defend this nation would begrudge families that quality time.  But Memorial Day is for the purpose of honoring those who died in service to the nation, so a moment of silence give us all an opportunity to remember them and what they stood (for) and what they died for.”
Togo West

Insulated cup – finally!

I finally finished the insulated cup I was working on.
 I thought it turned out well.  The kitty is from Nancy Tracy at Be-Stitched which I actually made some time ago. I found it in a stack of miscellaneous tatting while looking for other things.  This solves my problem of the one that ran away.  I cannot remember what thread I did it in but I’m guessing it’s size 20.  The birds, butterfly and flowers are all things made while emptying shuttles in a variety of colors but mostly size 20 – I think the blue/white bird is size 40.  The only thing I actually tatted specifically for this cup is the grass. 
I didn’t spend nearly as much time looking for background paper on this cup as I did the other one. I thought green would work well, but again, I didn’t want it to be “flat”.  But I had a solution this time – a green stamp pad and a wadded up piece of newspaper.  
I gave the finished cup to my grandson this weekend.  I think he liked it, but there was so much going on that I think it kind of got lost in the shuffle.  That’s okay.  I enjoyed making and giving it.  Once things settle down he might notice it more.

I also gave my granddaughter the clothes to which I added tatting – and didn’t get a good picture of her showing any of them off.  This is not to say I didn’t get some cute pictures of her, just none with a good shot of the tatting.  As I mentioned, there was a lot going on.  Maybe I can get her momma to take a couple of pictures for me.

I actually had a cup of tea this morning, but it wasn’t while relaxing or tatting, it was while getting ready to go to Hobby Lobby.  My sister, mother and I had a girls day out – a little shopping, a little lunch and a whole lot of talking – an almost perfect day.  It just needed a little tatting in it.  Well, maybe I’ll get a little of that done tomorrow.

“The ideal of calm exists in a sitting cat.”
Jules Renard
from thinkexist.com

I had a really nice lunch this weekend at the Spaghetti Works.  They have a gluten free menu☺

Tatting for Special Days

These angels are ‘Tiny Angel #12’ from 15 Tiny Tatted Angels by Patricia Ann Rizzo.
Tiny Angel #12    Pattern by Patricia Ann Rizzo
I tatted these angels for two of my aunts for Mother’s Day.  They’re both Tiny Angel #12 but the one on the right I modified just a little bit.  (I sometimes can’t help myself, just can’t keep myself from making changes.) They are in Lizbeth #671, Christmas Red in size 20.  I like to give my aunts tatting but things that can be hung up or worn – they don’t need anymore stuff laying around than I do.  And it made it possible to get them done in time for Mother’s Day 🙂 
The other tatting I did was the pin for my mother’s birthday using the dragonfly I showed last week.  But it is such a light color it needed a darker color behind it. What better background for a dragonfly than leaves?  
Leaves © Wanda Salmans

These are made in Häkelgarn #2015, size 20.  I had to look through my entire stash of thread to find a green that would look good with the dragonfly and also the scarf that I was hoping it would go with.   Christmas green was definitely out, it was much too bright. In truth, I don’t have a lot of shades of green, but I do have a lot of thread that I had to dig through.  This was a perfect choice.

I know there are leaf patterns out there but I was running out of time, so, as usual, I tried to re-invent the wheel – I made up my own.  I was also going to use the Catherine Wheel join to make the edges smooth – think the beautiful designs of Marilee Rockley – but just couldn’t get them to co-operate.  Then I realized that the ragged edge looked pretty good on a leaf (at least I think so). So I made then next one just like it.

And then I put them together.

Dragonfly pattern by Jon 2010

My mother was very happy with this.  As you can see, I didn’t find the long hat pins I was looking for, but this worked.  I can see this being used as a scarf pin, too. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the scarf I gave my mother for Mother’s Day, which was the inspiration for the pin in the first place.  Oh, well, it looks good on the hat, too.

I didn’t get the cup done yet.  It’s all laid out, the tatting ready to be glued down, but that’s as far as I’ve got. It should take long now, but I’m running out of time before work, so it will have to be for another day – again.

The DragonFly Symbolizes Maturity and a Depth of Character
The dragonfly, in almost every part of the world symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life.

The traditional association of Dragonflies with water also gives rise to this meaning to this amazing insect. The Dragonfly’s scurrying flight across water represents an act of going beyond what’s on the surface and looking into the deeper implications and aspects of life.


http://www.dragonfly-site.com/meaning-symbolize.html

May is Celiac Awareness Month.  The following information is from celiac.com.
Symptoms of Celiac Disease (as if it wasn’t bad enough by itself!)

Celiac Disease can appear at any time in a person’s life. In adults, the disease can be triggered for the first time after surgery, viral infection, severe emotional stress, pregnancy or childbirth. CD is a multi-system, multi-symptom disorder. Symptoms vary and are not always gastrointestinal (GI). GI symptoms can often mimic other bowel disorders.
Infants, toddlers and young children with CD may often exhibit growth failure, vomiting, bloated abdomen, behavioral changes and failure to thrive.

CLASSIC SYMPTOMS MAY INCLUDE

  • Abdominal cramping, intestinal gas
  • Distention and bloating of the stomach
  • Chronic diarrhea or constipation (or both)
  • Steatorrhea – fatty stools
  • Anemia – unexplained, due to folic acid, B12 or iron deficiency (or all)
  • Unexplained weight loss with large appetite or weight gain

OTHER SYMPTOMS

  • Dental enamel defects
  • Osteopenia, osteoporosis
  • Bone or joint pain
  • Fatigue, weakness and lack of energy
  • Infertility – male/female
  • Depression
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Delayed puberty
  • Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
  • Migraine headaches

SOME LONG-TERM CONDITIONS THAT CAN RESULT FROM UNTREATED CD

  • Iron deficiency anemia
  • Early onset osteoporosis or osteopenia
  • Vitamin K deficiency associated with risk for hemorrhaging
  • Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
  • Central and peripheral nervous system disorders – usually due to unsuspected nutrient deficiencies
  • Pancreatic insufficiency
  • Intestinal lymphomas and other GI cancers (malignancies)
  • Gall bladder malfunction
  • Neurological manifestations

Kitties and dragonflies

Pretty Kitty pattern by Nancy Tracy © 2006
I’m still tatting for my granddaughter.  I thought this cute little kitty from Be-stitched by Nancy Tracy would look nice on a dress I bought for her. These are made in Lizbeth #641 Lilac Dark, size 20.
Here is one of them on the dress. The dress originally came with a crocheted purple flower on it but I took it off and put on the kitty.   I have nothing against crochet, I just wanted some tatting on it instead. 
The other kitty was supposed to go on a cup for my grandson, this little girl’s big brother, but somehow or other it disappeared.  Maybe it had other places it wanted to be.  That’s okay, the kitty is quick and easy to make so it won’t take long to make another one.  This kitty actually gave me a reason to try out my Handy Hands thread holder I got from Tabatha. I do so many patterns that take two shuttles I haven’t had need of the holder yet.  It is pretty cool to use, by the way.  I still need to add a wrist ribbon – or something – but it worked great in the car.
Dragonfly pattern by Jon 2010
I made these dragonsflies from a pattern by Jon.  Aren’t they cute? (Have you seen the butterflies at the top of her blog – those are next!) The  purple one is made with the Lizbeth #641 size 20 – hey, I still had thread on my shuttle from the kitties:-) – with bronze-colored beads of unknown origin and size.  The other is made from Lizbeth #144 Leaf Swirl, size 20 with green beads, again of unknown origin and size.  This green and white one is for my mother for her birthday.  I’m planning on adding it to a pin to add to one of her hats.  I bought some hat pins a while back just for this purpose and now I want to use them I can’t find them anywhere!  I still have a couple of days to look, but I do have a backup plan if I can’t find them. 
I had hoped that I could show the pin completed and the cup for my grandson today but I guess they’ll be for another day.  I still have another outfit to decorate for my granddaughter as well that isn’t quite done.   Thank goodness none of these projects are all that big.  There is hope that all of them will be done by next Tatting Tea Tuesday.
Today I actually drank some tea before I started on the coffee. It was just Country Peach from Celestial Seasonings, a nice start for a cool morning. 
May is Celiac Awareness Month.  I mention this because, though I have not been officially diagnosed with this by a doctor, I definitely have either this or a severe gluten intolerance. My daughter is the one who actually diagnosed this when I had a lot of issues a couple of years ago. My doctor had no clue what caused all my problems but when I followed my daughter’s advice it was like flipping a switch on how much better I felt. This is a disease described at www.celiac.org as:

“Celiac
Disease (CD) is a lifelong
inherited autoimmune condition that affects both children and
adults.  When people who have CD eat foods that contain gluten, it causes an immune
reaction that
results in damage
to the small intestine and does not allow
nutrients to be properly absorbed.
Damage can be present in the small intestine even when there are no symptoms. Currently, the only treatment is
strict adherence
to the gluten-free diet.
Gluten  is the
common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to persons
with celiac disease.  These proteins are
found in ALL forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn and faro)
and related grains rye, barley and triticale and MUST
be eliminated.”
(Yes, I’m on a strict gluten free diet.  I even have to watch the ingredients of some Teas!)
“Old age is not a disease – it is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments, trial and illnesses.” 
Maggie Kuhn

Tatting for Little Girls

I tatted several lengths of my “Row of Crowns” edging to put on a dress for my granddaughter.  I finished the tatting on our way up to Kansas City, Missouri where we spent the weekend. I didn’t get much tatting done after that – we was much too busy with the family!
Tatting for a denim dress on wandasknottythoughts.com

This morning I added it to the dress.

 Denim dress before having tatting added 1 on wandasknottythoughts.com

Denim dress before having tatting added on wandasknottythoughts.com

This is the cute little denim dress I picked up at Carter’s for Kids.  It’s one of the few children’s outfits that doesn’t have decorations already on it, just pink thread used to sew on the buttons.
Tatting added to the front of a denim dress on wandasknottythoughts.com
Tatting added to the back of a denim dress on wandasknottythoughts.com
This is what it looks like with the tatting added.
I’m trying Bo-Nash to attach the tatting to the dress. I ordered some a while ago but never tried it until today.  I’m not sure if I like it yet, maybe because I’m not using it correctly.  But if it holds the tatting in place long enough so I can sew it down it’s still a good thing. Trying to keep tatting in just the right place while sewing it down has always been a problem of mine.
I can’t wait to see what my granddaughter looks like in this!
As I mentioned, we spent the weekend in Kansas City, Missouri, close to Country Club Plaza. This place has fountains everywhere! As is usual for me when we travel I just had to have a picture of me tatting with one of our destinations in the background.
Tatting in Kansas City, MO on wandasknottythoughts.com
This is one of the fountains on Nichols Road.  The architecture of the entire Plaza is based on Seville, Spain. It’s a pretty cool place to visit, but if you want to buy anything bring lots of money.  This place has very high-end stores!
We had a wonderful weekend with the family!  Of course I spent too much money on the grandkids, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Too bad we have to go back to work today.
“Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation.”