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“Elcie” pattern is available!

For all of you that have been patiently waiting for the pattern, “Elcie” is finally here! Thanks to Fox for a little help on getting it to my sidebar. That was one of the difficulties yesterday, but by no means the only one! But, finally, success!

“You’ve got to go through turmoil to get to success. ” Tony Battie

Technical Difficulties

Due to technical difficulties Tatting Tea Tuesday is postponed until tomorrow.

Okay, maybe not. It’s still Tuesday and I did drink tea, but there have been problems with my posting today. I was planning on posting the pattern to “Elcie” but I’ve had some difficulties with putting it up. If things go better tomorrow I hope to post it then.

“Life Affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes and seeing them gratified.” Samuel Johnson

Motifs, TIAS and Tea

Motif
I am in the current Design-Tat class that Sharon is doing. We’ve designed our motifs and are learning how to write them out, both in text and with diagrams. We are also supposed
to test tat some of our classmate’s motifs, both to help them write better and for us to learn
to write better as well. This is the second one I’ve successfully done.

Design by Barbara Barney, 2011

We all started with the same basic center and had to design a second round. Didn’t Barbara do a great job on coming up with something totally different? This was fun to do and I can think of several places to put a motif like this. I was trying to empty a couple of shuttles so the threads aren’t exactly the greatest match but they still aren’t too bad. The center is Lizbeth #114 Sea Shell and the outside is Lizbeth #641 Lilac Dark, both in size 20. And I got to use my new shuttle that I got from a swap partner for Christmas. It handles nice but it’s going to take a little bit to get used to it.

TIAS

My day 3 of Jane Eborall’s TIAS

This year I’ve joined in on Jane’s TIAS. I started the one last year and life got in the way so I didn’t finish it. I’m hoping to do better this year. So far, so good! I’m using Lizbeth size 20 thread in #657 Ocean Turquoise Dk and # 662 Turquoise Lt. I have no idea what this is going to end up.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, TIAS stands for “tat it and see” – Jane’s idea of how to have fun in the winter. She gives just a little of the pattern every few days without telling us what it’s supposed to be. We try and follow along and make guesses as to what we think it will be. It’s fun because there are people from all over the world doing this together. Not quite like being in the same room with other tatters but kinda close. If you’d like to try it there’s no time limit to start or to finish so you would have plenty of time to join us. Here’s a link to Jane’s blog and a link to the TIAS blog, where she posts the updates.

Tea
Did you know that this is National Hot Tea month? Over at favecrafts.com they have several tea-related crafts in honor of Hot Tea Month. So today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I’d thought I’d share one of them with you.

Image courtesy of favecraft.com
They call this an Upcycled Tea Box, made from an old book (sorry, Diane, it wasn’t my idea!). They even have a video to help teach you how to do this. They suggest it as a gift for Mother’s Day. Do they think Mom has to hide her stash of tea?

It’s taken me almost all day again to get this posted! I have to figure a way to get done a little earlier than this. But I am happy with what I have achieved this week, and that I did actually get this posted on Tuesday!

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort
Franklin D Roosevelt

Tatting Tea Tuesday 10/5/10

Today’s tea was Rooibos again (I’ve become quite enamored of this tea!) and my tatting should be my homework for the Design Tat class. It might be yet, but I keep getting distracted by a doily that I’m working on. I had hoped that it would be done in time for today, but mistakes keep happening – and I keep changing my mind. So if it’s not making a change it’s taking out stitches because I goofed. I think I’m about done, but obviously not in time for today. I did take a ‘working’ picture I’ll let you see.


God’s Kid left a comment last week, suggesting my bookmark would make a nice bracelet. I thought it was a great idea! So I made a little change…

Thank your daughter for me, God’s Kid!

For some reason I seem to make a lot of things in Caribbean : -) I’ve written the pattern down somewhere so I could share it with you, but I seem to have misplaced it. I’ll write it out again and see about posting it next week, really!

Until then, I hope you all have a great week, and fit in a little tea and tatting if you can.

What day is it?

This last week and a half has been very busy. There have been long days at work, long enough we’d go home, go to bed, get up, eat a little bit and go back to work. Several times I have gotten the days wrong because they have all run together. I even missed Tatting Tea Tuesday! I’ve gotten very little of anything at home done, and very little tatting. I was doing Jane’s TIAS but the last several times I picked it up I either made a mistake because I wasn’t paying close enough attention, or I had to put it right back down. I have all the days patterns printed off and am going to try to finish it this weekend. Key word is try!

What little tatting I did get done was on the table cloth. Woo hoo! I actually started again! It wasn’t much, but starting at all is a big step in the right direction. The reason I was able to do that much is because it’s the same thing over and over. But a start none the less.

On the home front, we had snow a couple of nights ago and yesterday. It made going home from work the other night take a bit longer than usual. We didn’t have it nearly as bad as Oklahoma, no ice and not as much snow. Just enough to make life interesting. I was hoping to get a snow day out of it, but no such luck. My husband and I actually are getting the same weekend off this week, though. Amazing! We haven’t had that kind of luck in months! Don’t know how much I’ll get accomplished, but at least I won’t be at work!

I don’t have any tatting to share this time so I thought I would share a picture of my Christmas cactus. I didn’t think it was going to bloom this year, but one day I looked at it and it and there were buds all over! I brought it into the kitchen so I could actually see it. Isn’t it pretty?

Tatting Tea Tuesday in Kansas City

Monday I took my mother to Kansas City for surgery that was scheduled for this morning. There was a lot of time spent in waiting rooms today. During which time I was mostly tatting.  I’m probably going to regret it tomorrow as I didn’t take very many breaks. But I did get a lot done. And had a couple of cups of tea while I was at it.

What I spent my time on was a technique that was  mentioned on InTatters the other day. I saw a thread about using the Larks Head Picot Join as described by Lily Morales. Patty D had some great pictures she shared about when to use it and put up a link to the directions. 

Now I have been using a lot of variageted thread lately which leads to joins that either look wrong or have a spec of the wrong color showing.  Not liking the look much, I definitely had to try this out.

For my practice piece I chose to do the heart in “The Gentle Art of Tatting Pattern Book 1” by Patricia A. Rizzo.  It’s a book of easy pieces, but I thought this would be a great pattern, not having to think too much about the pattern so I could concentrate on the technique.  I made it in “Falling Leaves” Lizbeth thread in size 20.  Isn’t it a pretty color?

I did get the idea of the LHPJ pretty quickly, but doing it consistantly was not so easy.  One time I would get it, the next time I’d pull the wrong threads and just tie a hard-to-get-out knot.  I think I’m getting better – at least until the next time I try it!

I’m going to count this heart as the first motif of my second round of the 25 Motif Challenge, because it definately was a challenge!

Wall art part 1 and Beaded Snowflake pattern

We have been re-arranging our living room and the pictures on the wall. In the past I have usually just had family pictures on the walls. I thought I’d try some kind of art on the wall for a change. I went with my daughter and son-in-law to several stores looking for some kind of picture or hanging that would feel right in our home. There were several pieces that we liked but nothing that jumped out at me shouting “Buy me, I’m perfect!”

So I thought I’d try something else. Being an avid watcher of HGTV and DYI network I had heard some of the criteria they suggest for choosing artwork. It should be something that reflects your personal style. It could be something to do with your hobbies or interests. Hobbies or interests, ah hah! Maybe I could do something with my tatting!

I pulled out a doily I had done and chose several of my favorite shuttles. Then I had to find a good background, finally deciding to use the wooden seat of my grandmother’s organ stool. I took a lot of pictures of different shuttles in different positions on the doily, with different lighting. The final choice was two shuttles my husband bought from The Shuttle Shop four years ago as my Christmas present (such a sweetie!). Then get it enlarged and put it in a frame with matting. The frame is wood with a slight red tint.

I really like the result, what do you think? But it just wasn’t big enough to fill the space on the wall I wanted it on all by itself. So I had to come up with something else. Hmmm. To be continued…

And now, for Hope and JulenaJo, and anyone else who might be interested, the pattern for the beaded maroon snowflake in my previous post. Try it at your own risk, there may be mistakes or omissions lurking. If they find you, or vise versa, let me know and I will try to help you.

Beaded Snowflake
November 2008
tattrldy

R=ring; Ch=chain; SCMR=self closing mock ring; B=bead; RW=reverse work; += join; DNRW=do not reverse work

2 Shuttles
30 beads – added to picots during join except where specified

Center
Shuttle and Ball
R 1-(very small)2-2-2-2-2-12. RW
Ch 3-2-2-2-2-2-2-3+w/B to 6th p of prev R. RW
*R 2-2-2-2-2-12. RW
Ch 3-2-2-2-2-2-2-3+w/B to 5th p of prev R. RW*
Repeat between * 4 times, + w/B to 1st p of 1st R.

Outside
2 Shuttles
Add 6 beads to Sht1 before starting.
Sht1 R 2-2-3 B 3-2-2. RW
Sht1 SCMR 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2+w/B to 7th p of Ch of center, 2 +w/B to 1st p of next Ch of center, 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2+ to base of prev R. RW
Sht2 Ch 5-2-2-2-2-5. RW
Sht1 R 5 +w/B to 4th p of Ch of center, 5. RW
Sht2 Ch 5-2-2-2-2-5. DNRW
Repeat from start of Outside 5 times, join last Ch to base of 1st R.

Home and back to normal

I actually made it back from Omaha late the 26th with grandson and his parents in tow, yipee! They came home with me for Thanksgiving, so everyone got to meet Mercutio. He was passed around a lot, but took it in stride, or in snooze. He slept through most of it! His auntie was very excited to see him as she was unable to go to Omaha when he was born. She’s expecting a boy in January, so Mercutio will have a cousin his age to play with. The family went back Sunday and had a safe trip home. And I miss them already *sniff*sniff*

I have done some tatting but nothing is ready to show yet. Hopefully in a day or two I’ll have pictures. I have so many things I want to get done by Christmas but I think I’m being a little ambitious. I do have to go back to work and of course do dishes and such *sigh*. What gets done gets done and the rest may have to be for next year.

25 motif challenge #1 & #2

The last few days I’ve been working on items for Christmas. Or rather, I’ve been arguing with tatting for Christmas. I had several ideas and some didn’t want to work. I spent almost all of Saturday trying to come up with one short edging and one small snowflake. I finally conquered both, basically because I went very simple. But I got done what I wanted. The other snowflakes went much better. The edging hasn’t been added to the hanging yet, so I’ll post it when it’s done.

The snowflakes are done in size 30 DMC Cebelia. The bell is done in size 10 DMC Cebelia. All the patterns are mine – the little one is not very elaborate so I’m sure that others have come up with the same thing.

I’m entering the two large snowflakes in the 25 motif challenge. And the countdown begins…