A Doily and a Bottle

I’ve kept working on the green doily from several weeks ago. I am particularly delighted with this doily. I think I’m done but I may yet do another round. Right now, it is six inches across. I am, slowly, working on the pattern for this. I’ve named it “Shae”, meaning good, favorable. An Irish name, as I made it in March, and one I can pronounce!

Shae doily on wandasknottythoughts
Shae doily

I’ve been thinking about how to use tatting in different ways. In October, I put a tatted sunflower on a bottle by hanging it on a thread around the bottleneck. Not bad, but more could be done. I took this idea a bit further, putting a few more decorations with the tatting.

Sunflower bottle on wandasknottythoughts
Sunflower bottle

This was something of a fortuitous accident, as I had added the leaves to the sunflower and held it up to the bottle for placement – and I got it too close. At that point, the sunflower was where it was going to be. Good thing I like it there. I also added lights to the bottle.

Sunflower bottle with lights on wandasknottythoughts
Sunflower bottle with lights

The pictures don’t do the bottle justice. I took it as a prize to a bingo game on St. Patrick’s day. It was very well received. I see more decorated bottles in my future, probably with more tatting on them.

Now I need to work a bit on Easter tatting, or maybe things for spring.

“A book is simply the container of an idea like a bottle; what is inside the book is what matters.” Angela Carter

Tatting in Autumn Colors

Since the craft show, I’ve continued making sunflowers, because they are fun to make. I have also wanted to tat in oranges and browns — you know, fall colors. These aren’t usually colors I tat in except for around Halloween, but I’ve been inspired by the (finally) cooler weather and the sunflowers. Not that I have anything particular to tat in these colors…

I finally just loaded a shuttle with Lizbeth #694 Harvest Orange Med and tatted around a button. I even added beads! This made a lovely earring, so I made another one for pair of earrings. This color works with one shirt that I have, so I wore the shirt and earrings to church this last Sunday. I did grab the wrong size button for the second earring so I had to make a third medallion to get the set.

A set of earrings in Harvest Orange on wandasknottythoughts
A set of earrings in Harvest Orange

I usually tat while watching TV, which I did Sunday afternoon watching the football game. I have several things I need to work on but they need my full attention, so I started – something – with Lizbeth #136, Autumn Spice. I like where this is going, but with the button center, it’s not really a good doily. But it could be hung up as a decoration.

Autumn decoration in process on wandasknottythoughts
Autumn decoration in process
Autumn decoration finished on wandasknottythoughts
Autumn decoration finished

The finished piece is more true to the actual thread color. It came out nice, don’t you think?

Do you ever wonder what to do with the pieces you finish? I do sometimes. While decorating the house for the season I had this idea for a sunflower.

Sunflower decorated bottle on wandasknottythoughts
Sunflower decorated bottle

This is a beer bottle with a string of lights in it. The sunflower is on a string around the bottleneck so it can be removed if I want. The green bottle makes a nice back drop for the sunflower.

Sunflower on lighted bottle on wandasknottythoughts
Sunflower on a lighted bottle

The sunflower looks good on the bottle even with the lights on. The light string is pretty cool, the battery is in the cork. I’m thinking of doing a few more bottles like this. It will give the house quite a lovely ambiance, don’t you think?

“Now Autumn’s fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt.” William Allingham