Category: Uncategorized

Out of the habit

It has been a while since I last posted, mostly because I haven’t been tatting a lot lately. I kind of got out of the habit. We were very busy for a while, then I got sick and had no interest in doing anything, then I found other things to do. This didn’t mean I didn’t think about tatting, I just didn’t do very much of it.

Happily, I’ve gotten my tatting groove back! I even made a few things for St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick's Day Penny Ice Drops on wandasknottythoughts 2018
St. Patrick’s Day Penny Ice Drops

I made these four Ice Drops with penny centers to send to one of my daughters. I think you could say these are made with the basic Ice Drop pattern found on the Ice Drop Addicts Facebook page. I didn’t actually follow it, but I’ve made it before. I did adjust counts to accommodate the pennies, but there is a pattern for that, too.

Because I didn’t refer to the patterns I made a few – let’s say, minor adjustments, that I didn’t think through very well. It still worked, just came out a little different than expected.

Two St. Patrick's Day Penny Ice Drops on wandasknottythoughts 2018
Two St. Patrick’s Day Penny Ice Drops

The Ice Drop on the left was the first one. I miscalculated when I put the penny in, putting Lincoln’s head in the wrong location (I thought it would look funny with him looking down instead of out).  I made the hanger long and joined it so Lincoln would sit correctly. Then I noticed the chains didn’t sit quite right, either. Do you see it?

I made a couple Ice Drops with the chains the same way before I figured out what was going on with them.  After that, I ordered them the other way.

I mailed four pins to my oldest daughter to get them to her before St. Patrick’s Day. We were visiting our other daughter on the Friday before, so hers I hand delivered. Because of another project I was working on – non-tatting related – I didn’t have all of them tatted by the time we left. Guess what I was doing on the trip up there? I made sure to take the beads and pins with me so I could finish them up before they were handed out.

I needed four pins for my other daughter but forgot to make one for me. So I finished that one on Saturday afternoon and promptly gave it away as well. The pins were a big hit.

I’m glad I’ve finally gotten back into the habit of tatting.

“Positivity is like a muscle: keep exercising it, and it becomes a habit.” Natialie Massenet    https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/natalie_massenet_653263

Two Cross Bookmarks

It seems like a long time since I last posted. Oh, it has been! Every time I tried to sit down to post something more urgent or import came to my attention. If it wasn’t for the family it was for the church. There were grandchildren’s ball games to attend, their concerts to enjoy, a few birthday parties to celebrate, and several activities with the church. All of these events included some length of travel. Unfortunately for my tatting, I was driving instead of a passenger to most of these events, so very little was accomplished.

Sadly, what little tatting I have completed lately has been for funerals; one of my husband’s cousins and the father of a friend of mine passed within a week of each other. Both had been ill for some time so they weren’t surprising, but that doesn’t make them any less hard on the families.

Traditionally, I put a tatted cross bookmark in the sympathy card. I usually have several already made, kept in a drawer to be handy for such occasions. I’m sure I have a couple somewhere, but they are temporarily misplaced. Still, I needed two. One I started on the way to work and finished on the way to the funeral. The other I was actually able to sit down at home and do.

Tatted Cross Bookmark in Autumn Spice size 20 on wandasknottythoughts
Tatted Cross Bookmark in Autumn Spice

This one was finished on the way to the funeral. The best background I had was my leg. It is in Lizbeth size 20 #136 Autumn Spice.

Tatted Cross Bookmark in Vineyard Harvest size 20 on wandasknottythoughts
Tatted Cross Bookmark in Vineyard Harvest

I took the time to tat this one at home. It is in Lizbeth size 20 #131 Vineyard Harvest.

I am now trying to figure out how to I’ll find the time to tat Christmas ornaments. Every year I include them in Christmas cards for family and special friends. I haven’t even started. I haven’t even decided what I’m making yet.

Do you think I could tat them in my sleep?

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”  Norman Cousins

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Practice and the fair

Tatted earrings based on Lanyard pattern on wandasknottythoughts
Earrings based on Lanyard pattern

I have been enjoying the Lanyard pattern so much I tried making earrings with it. I know there are other earring patterns that are very similar to this but I made these the same as the ends on the lanyard.  Each of these have a couple of mistakes but I will wear them any way.  The next pair will be better.  Unlike with the bigger beads and bigger thread I had to use a floss threader to get the beads on the picots.  It takes so much longer than using a crochet hook!  These were made with Lizbeth #646 Purple Iris Lt in size 20, which is a very similar color to the DMC I used for the lanyard and the bracelet.

Speaking of which, I entered the bracelet in the county fair.

Tatted bracelet made with Lanyard 2016 pattern on wandasknottythoughts
Bracelet made with Lanyard 2016 pattern

My bracelet was the only entry in its class.  It’s great to see a blue ribbon on it as they do not have to give ribbons or top place to any entries even if they have no competition.

Doily with 'Harper' tatted edging at the fair on wandasknottythoughts
Doily with ‘Harper’ tatted edging at the fair

Doilies have to be mounted on cardboard to enter the fair.  My ‘Harper’ Edging looks good on the black background, doesn’t it?   It, too, was the only item in its class.  I’m glad I decided to enter both bracelet and doily so they don’t eliminate the classes.

Now I’m back to practicing cluny tatting.  I am taking one of Mimi Dillman’s classes at Tat Days in September and need to be a bit more comfortable with them.  I’m not trying to be perfect yet, just able to do them well enough that I can understand and learn any tips she teaches in the class.  Then I’ll practice what I learned 🙂

“To practice any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” Kurt Vonnegut

Sometimes you get lucky

I took some vacation days recently, not because we were taking a trip or anything but just to have some days off.  I had all kinds of plans on what I was going to do, work on and get done.  Yes, I had plans.

What’s that line – “the best laid plans of mice and men”?   Like usual, most of my plans didn’t work out, though some did in a modified way.

The first day I had off I worked on a few miscellaneous things.   I worked on the blog, fixing things that didn’t import correctly.  There are a lot of posts to go through, many still to go.  I went through a few boxes of items that need to find homes in my new kitchen.  Laundry was washed and folded.  Not a total loss of the day but less done than hoped.

In the evening I was ready to sit down, watch TV, and tat.  Unfortunately, I was not in the middle of any projects that I could do and watch TV at the same time.  I needed a new project but of course I couldn’t remember any of the several I’d been thinking of.  To give myself some ideas I went through my craft room, picking out random items to ignite my imagination – or at least some enthusiasm.  I spread them across the table to analyze for tatting inspiration.

4 inch round cotton doily - project inspiration

Hmm,  a round doily center.  I’d purchased this quite some time ago but never was moved to make an edging for it.  That day I was inspired by it.  A review of several thread colors led to using Lizbeth size 20 in #159 Easter Eggs.   I gave a little bit of thought to what I was going to tat and started, attaching to the doily as I went.  I did not count the holes to determine the outcome at the finish, I just started.

"Harper" tatted edging 2016 found on wandasknottythoughts
“Harper” tatted edging © 2016 Wanda Salmans

Sometimes you just get lucky.  I didn’t have to adjust where I attached to the doily by one hole.

"Harper" tatted edging in Lizbeth size 20 in Easter Eggs #159 © Wanda Salmans on wandasknottythoughts
“Harper” tatted edging in Lizbeth size 20 in Easter Eggs #159

I’ve made a lot of edgings for runners but rarely for anything else.  I had never attached to a doily or runner in this manner, joining to it as I went.  Normally I make the edging, make the runner to the same width, and attach to it as the last step.  I can’t believe it worked so well!

Though I didn’t plan it as a challenge that is absolutely what it was.  I’m calling this #13 in my current 25 Motif Challenge.  Even if it’s not actually a motif.

I’m delighted how this edging came out and overjoyed at the finished doily.  Sometimes you just get lucky.

“Give luck a chance to happen.” Tom Kite                                        ww.brainyquote.com

 

Please pardon the mess

Excuse the mess of my new blog wandasknottythoughts.com

 

I took the plunge – I changed from a Blogger hosted blog to hosting my own with WordPress and Bluehost.  This change is an interesting experience.  Difficulties started soon after I began the move though most were resolved with help from a friend.  The solution to one problem will take a bit longer.  Everything made the move from Blogger to WordPress except the pictures and Patterns page.  I’m going to have to add the pictures back one by one and start over on the patterns page.

It could take a couple of days – or more :-).  If you don’t find something you’re looking for on your next visit come back later, it will show up eventually.

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”    Seneca

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Under construction

I’m doing some work on my blog and I’ve seem to have lost my Patterns Page.
Fear not, it will return.
As soon as I figure out what I did with it.
“I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.”
Vincent Van Gogh
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Putting on cuffs

No, I didn’t get arrested.
I put tatted buttons on denim with a little lace and made cuffs for my daughters for Mother’s Day.
Tatted buttons on 2 denim cuffs in purples and blues @ wandasknottythoughts

My original idea for my daughters did not work out, so I scrapped it and looked for something else.  While on Pinterest, where I spend way too much time, I came across decorated material cuffs.  They sparked an idea that had a chance to get done in the time left before Mother’s Day.

I started with a known favorite color – purple – and tatted the buttons.  These could be done in the car going back and forth to work as the passenger.  The easy part.
At home I found an old pair of jeans to cut up for the base.  At first it was going to be one piece of denim for each cuff.  It didn’t take long to decide there needed to be a backing to cover up all my stitching and keep the back pretty.  I collected odds and ends of lace, ribbons, and buttons to play with, laying them out on the denim with the buttons in different ways.
Tatted buttons on a denim cuff in purples @ wandasknottythoughts
I had recently purchased some leftover pieces of lace material from a local second hand shop which made a nice base for the other decorations.  It didn’t take long to notice the buttons could be flowers.  And what are flowers without leaves?  A few leaves of green material – didn’t quite look right.  They were very plain and boring.  A few simple stitches with embroidery floss helped them look much more like leaves.
It took longer than expected to put the first one together.  Mostly because I couldn’t make up my mind how to place things or what, exactly, I wanted.  But, at last, the first one was done.
Tatted buttons on a denim cuff in blues @ wandasknottythoughts
The second one didn’t take as long.  Other than changing the thread colors to blues on the buttons it was pretty much the same.  Except – the green material used for the leaves didn’t look as good with the blues.  I had to find a different shade of green material and thread for them.  I also added silver beads as I stitched everything down.
My sewing machine is not accessible at the moment so I stitched the ends down by hand.  Which would have looked much better in something other than white, especially I as I can’t sew straight.  I purposely left the sides frayed-looking but it won’t fray far.  The two layers of denim are glued together.
Tatted buttons on denim cuff in purples, worn @ wandasknottythoughts
The cuffs are finished off with a button on each end and an elastic hair band in the same color as the flower buttons.  They are easy to put on.
I gave the cuffs to my daughters the week after Mother’s Day.  One was completed on time but not the other.  Gotta be fair, right?
I’m thinking about making one for myself.  Will I continue with flowers or try something else?
I would hate to be cuffed to only one idea.
Okay, I’m done now.
“Don’t let your habits become handcuffs.”
Elizabeth Berg