Author: wandasknottythoughts@gmail.com

Tatting in the center

I went to a nephew’s wedding this weekend in North Platte, Nebraska.  When planning the trip I decided I didn’t have to drive interstate all the way, there are other roads to get to where I needed to go.  Some of the highways I took were two lane (instead of four) but well surfaced, and had a lot less traffic.  Okay, I had to slow down for combines a few times but mostly the roads had few cars or other traffic.  The weather was mild for this time of year making the trip both ways very enjoyable. 
On the way back I took a short side trip to see the geographic center of the contiguous 48 states. 

This is the roadside historical marker that is on US highway 36.
I had seen this on my way to the wedding but stopped on the way home as the timing was better. 
 There’s not much there.  This has a plaque with the longitude and latitude on it.
There is a tiny, tiny chapel and a covered area with picnic tables and a couple of trash cans.  That’s about it.
 The road to get there (looking east from the site). There is a house at the end of that driveway, otherwise just pastures and fields all around.  This road ends at the site though two dirt roads go off north and south. 
Yes, I was tatting in the center – of the United States.
The wedding gift
I had asked the bride what their wedding colors were, she said ‘green, black and white’.  Black and white were easy but there are a lot of shades of green.  Instead of asking what shade I took a wild guess and chose Lizbeth #684 Leaf Green Med and of course white #601 to make the hearts.  There are a few flowers  on there in #613 Golden Yellow Med and #696 Autumn Orange Med, thrown in for contrast.  The leaves are in #138 Leafy Greens. The hearts are Joy’s Heart (on my pattern tab), and the butterfly is Monica Mancenido’s pattern (aka soyloquesoy on Intatters).  All are made in size 20.

My daughter and granddaughter also came to the wedding., her husband and son having a “guys” weekend at home (my husband had to work). We roomed together in North Platte for two nights, which was great. I had even finished the present two days earlier (amazing!) so I wasn’t even rushing to get that done but could relax and enjoy the time with the family.  It was a great weekend.

“Everywhere’s been where it is ever since it was first put there.  It’s called geography.”
Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters

A mouse and the moon

A few weeks ago when I posted about a new bookmark I had made the moderator at the 25 Motif Challenge made a comment about the abbreviated version of it, “Does anyone else see a mouse here?”

Another look at the picture I had taken and, sure enough, it looked like a mouse.  I hadn’t even noticed that when I took it.  Then I thought “some eyes, some whiskers, maybe a little nose – it wouldn’t take much to make a mouse.”

After a little tweeking and a few beads, it did.

Introducing Morgan Mouse!

Morgan Mouse © Wanda Salmans 2013

Morgan is made in Lizbeth #131 Vineyard Harvest and #644 Boysenberry Dk, size 20, with three 11/0 black glass beads.  The center is an 8-point finding (doodad) that is about .5 inches (1.27 cm) across.  A flat-backed “diamond” is glued to the center of the doodad.  For anyone that might be interested in the pattern it has been posted to the Pattern tab.

Any of you check out the full moon this weekend?  Did you know it was a “supermoon”?  This weekend the moon passed as close to the earth as it will ever be this year, making the moon look bigger and brighter.  It was very beautiful!

Supermoon Rises Over Chesapeake Bay Beach

People have taken some great pictures of it (not me).  Check out a few of them at http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/24/world/ireport-supermoon-creative-photos
It was so bright that, along with dry conditions, a lot of people worked into the early morning hours harvesting wheat, at least they did around here.  We saw one crew still out at midnight in a field cutting.   We just enjoyed how beautiful the night was ☺
Hickory Dickory Dock
Two mice ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The other escaped with minor injuries.
Check out more verses and alternates here

Tatting class at Odd Balls Yarn Shop

Saturday, June 15, I taught a tatting class at Odd Balls Yarn Shop in Newton, KS. I had two students, Erica and Cheryl, who already knew each other.  I meant to ask if one had talked the other into taking the class but I forgot to. Too busy getting busy teaching them to tat ☺
Here’s Erica checking to see if the stitch flipped or not.  The dark table cloth helped her see her light-colored thread.

This is Cheryl concentrating on her chain.  She had a dark thread on the shuttle so we put a white board in front of her to help her see the thread. 
Both had some trouble keeping tension with the left hand at first.  They tried to hold the thread the way I learned to hold it for a little bit then they both switched to holding it the way they do when they crochet and Bingo! things went much faster and easier.  Both ladies were able to flip their stitches for both chains and rings with a little work on my part to make sure they could work with the hand positions.  We ran out of time before we could finish their projects of decorated buttons but they were well on their way. 
I utilized my new teaching tools during this class.  One of the biggest problems with teaching someone to tat (IMHO), even with size 30 thread like we used in the class, is making sure that the student understands/sees what you are talking about.  My solution is to use a bit bigger ‘thread’.
This is about a size 3 cord.
When I needed to explain what a stitch looked like, how to tell if it was correct, how to count stitches between picots, etc, it was very easy to show it with this size ‘thread’.  It seems to have worked very well.  Cheryl had brought with her some of the thread that she had, including a whole box of size 80 DMC tatting thread of different colors.  Between the two extremes I explained that tatting could be done with any size thread, with or without an actual shuttle.  (No, I didn’t try putting this cord on a shuttle!)
Cheryl, myself and Erica at the tatting class
We all had a lot of fun Saturday! I’m looking forward to seeing how they progress in with their tatting.
Erica has a website with some of the things she does.  Check out Buxom Bones, maybe she’ll put some of her tatting there ☺
“We learn by practice.  Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same.  One becomes in some area an athlete of God.”
Martha Graham
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Tatting Tea Tuesday

This morning while checking my Facebook I found this page that had some lovely teapots!  How appropriate for Tatting Tea Tuesday, don’t you think?  
Teapot found on Facebook

I’ve had a very busy two weeks for various reasons, and my sister even more so.  She has been planning and crafting for a craft show that was Saturday, June 8.  Other things happened that put a crimp in her time for getting things ready, but with all the money and time she’d already invested she couldn’t not go.  She said she would take some of my things if I wanted, even though I couldn’t go.  It was an outside show held in Hutchinson, KS.   They were only allowing one hour (!) of setup time before the show so we had to make the setup easy.  My husband and I had lent her our pop-up and wind screen, which was definitely needed.  I didn’t want her to have to work very hard on my stuff and I was having trouble coming up with a display that was easy for her to put out.  I finally came up with this. 

This is an upside-down cardboard box with the flaps taped open to make it taller.  I stitched two lines of thread on each of two sides from which I hung my items.  Then I carefully folded up the material and put it inside the box.  It didn’t take much time to set it out!
Unfortunately the show did not go well.  It was poorly planned and the location was awful.  It was not in a place that encouraged or had much traffic that would be interested in crafty items.  Then there was the weather – it was sunny and windy.  I think the gusts were getting to about 45 mph.  My sister said she and the other crafters spent most of their time trying to keep their items from blowing away or chasing those that did.  Between the wind and lack of people all of the crafters packed up and left about noon instead of staying to 4:00 PM as planned.  She was very disappointed. She is now trying to find a show that isn’t too far away and inside.  
Alfred A. Montapert Quote

Several bookmarks

I’ve been tatting bookmarks lately.  And trying to make them with shuttle and ball only. I was in places where I only had one shuttle available (the others had different thread on them) and thought it would be a good mental exercise. Do you know how hard that is when you do almost everything with two shuttles?  Not having that second shuttle available really messes me up!
I started with two cross bookmarks.  The one of the left is in Lizbeth #611 Gold and #604 Black.  The one on the right is in #663 Bright Turquoise Dark.  See, only shuttle and ball 🙂
Trying to do something a little different I made this bookmark in #122 Caribbean and #604 Black. Other than being very ruffle-y I think it came out well. And only one shuttle and ball.

Then I made these, something I tried before but hadn’t been able to work out. This time it did. But not with just shuttle and ball. Notice the end?  It just needed that thrown ring to look good. As I was only using one shuttle I used the shoelace trick to make it.  Okay, technically, they are made with just shuttle and ball only, but not exactly what I meant about using shuttle and ball only.  The top one is made with #670 Victorian Red, the bottom in #131 Vineyard Harvest and #644 Boysenberry Dark.  

I liked the way I made the end of the those last bookmarks so well I tried the end just by itself in #663 Bright Turquoise Dark. All of these bookmarks are in size 20.
Notice the center of the doodads?  There is an indent there, probably for a jewel.  Most of the time I make this the backside, using the other side where it’s flat in the middle, as the front. Being bookmarks either side could be up so I added a little paint to the center.  It’s white craft paint that can be used on metal.  I had seen some metal enamel by Martha Stuart at Micheal’s a week or so ago and thought about trying it. The tube of enamel wasn’t too bad, about $4, but you had to buy a tube of activator to make it work, and that was $14.  I decided to go with the FolkArt outdoor paint from Walmart instead, at $2 a bottle.  I’m just trying white right now, I might try other colors later. 
Anyone else having kind of odd weather this spring?  Other than a few storms here and there we’ve been having pleasant, cool weather here, but Oklahoma just can’t seem to get a break from the weather, one storm front after the other going through.  My prayers go out to all the families that have been effected by the severe weather down there.
“It is only in sorrow bad weather masters us; in joy we face the storm and defy it.”
Amelia Barr
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A birithday gift

A while back I found some material remnants, one of purple and a slightly smaller one of pink with gold sparkles.  I thought together they would make a cute skirt for my granddaughter’s second birthday gift.  Now, I rarely sew at all and usually only such things as straight lines when putting simple table runners together.  My bright idea was to make a skirt – without having a pattern.  Oh, yeah, real bright. 
So, about a week before her birthday I finally get started on the skirt.  I can’t find my roller cutter so have to cut the material with a scissors, guessing at how big to cut it.  I barely start sewing it together and my sewing machine breaks.  For several days I’m at a standstill with it, trying to find a sewing machine to use.  Then it dawns on me that there are a couple of machines at church that the ladies use when they quilt that I could use.  Finally, progress! It takes a lot longer than it should, or should I say I wanted, the skirt was finally together.  And then the tatting had to be sewn on (you didn’t think I’d give her something like that without tatting, did you?).   It was finished the night before the party 🙂 (Just in time!)
When I tried taking a picture of her in the skirt she got all silly and wouldn’t stand still.  It’s a good thing I got any decent pictures because about five minutes after this picture was taken she tried to be a big girl and put her cereal bowl in the sink, which is great, but it still had cereal and milk in it.  There was milk from her chin all the way to the floor. 
The thread is a size 10 white with gold filament, which looks good with the pink material.  The beads are only on about two thirds of the tatting, front and sides but not the back (she doesn’t have to sit on them).  I added the butterfly in the same thread so she would know the front from the back.
The skirt turned out wearable, which is all I could ask for. It’s plenty long enough and the waist is elastic and can be let out some as she grows.  Flaws and all I think it is a success. 
“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” 
Bill Cosby
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Joy

This was my Mother’s Day gift to my mother-in-law.
This idea popped into my head complete once I found the wooden cut-out.  It was unpainted and I’m sure I got it around Christmas time one year but it was perfect for this occasion as my MIL’s name is Joy.
I have a lot of these little flowers around as I usually empty my shuttle with them.  Of course, I didn’t have (couldn’t find) ones in colors that went together so I had to make a few more. The butterfly I made special with the beads just for this occasion.  The little birdy was already done (if anyone can tell me where I found this cute little doodle I’d appreciate it! I know it’s out there somewhere but I can’t remember where! I’d like to give credit to the designer)  Then it was just putting them together in a way that I liked.  
Okay, I had to paint it first.  And the paints were in a nice safe place, it just took me awhile to find them. And decide what color it should be, once I found out what paints I had.  It ended up being green mixed with white to tone it down from the Christmas-y color of the green. 
Then to finish it off it’s completely coated with glitter glue.  It really looks much better in person. Sparkly.
It’s now attached to her wall with some of those 3M Velcro strips.  They were brought along as part of the gift 🙂
For once I didn’t over think an idea, kept it simple.  
I’ll have to keep my eye out for more of this type of cutout.  They could be made into quick, simple gifts for almost any occasion, depending on what they spelled out.
I’d have more pictures to share but I left my camera at my daughter’s house this last weekend.  I really miss it.  And of course all the pictures I took at her house I can’t download, either.  Bummer!  But the plan is to see them again this weekend! :-)) Joy!
“Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.”
Melba Colgrove
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Button, button

Did everyone have a happy Mother’s Day?   
Did you get a nice gift for your mother?
Or did you make a nice gift for your mother?
That’s me, making the gift.  At least it was once I finally decided what I was going to make.
I had an idea but the reality was very illusive. I tried several things before the light came on and then, just like that, it came together.    

So much simpler than what I started with, too.  The butterfly is out of Oren Bayan size 8 thread, the flowers out of miscellaneous Lizbeth thread that I made while cleaning off shuttles. (Anyone else have a container full of flowers and other doodles?) I added a pinback to it so she can wear it.  She wore it pinned on her hat to church on Sunday. 
I liked the way it came out so well I made a couple more.
                                                                                                       
And then tried the idea with a few different buttons.
These were a lot of fun to make.
And aren’t these great buttons?  The local fiber shop, Odd Balls Yarn Shop, has a lot of cool buttons to choose from.

 June 15 and 22 I’m scheduled to give beginning tatting classes at Odd Balls and plan on having each student decorate buttons with tatting.  Simple tatting with a fun result don’t you think?
If anyone local out there is interested in taking one of those classes check out Odd Balls website at http://www.oddballsyarnshop.com/ or stop in the shop. It’s in the Chisholm Trail Shopping Mall just south of Newton, Kansas.   I’d love to see you there. 
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Mahatma Gandhi
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Marking time

I’ve been tatting all week and have very little to show for it.  Okay, I’ve been tatting but only for short stretches at a time.  That I accomplished anything is wonderful!
I’ve made two simple bookmarks.   One is made with Lizbeth # 166 Pink Cocoa in size 40. I’ve had it on my shuttles for doing the zipper pulls and was trying to work it off.  It didn’t look like there was that much on them!  But it’s size 40 and I’ve been working a lot with size 20 so I was fooled into thinking it was almost gone.

The other one is made with Oren Bayan Perele cotton size 8 in the brown-to-tan variegated and a deep green also in size 8 Perele cotton by Oren Bayan.  I think it would make a lovely gift to a man as it’s in woodsy colors, kind of manly.

 It seems we know a lot of people graduating from either college or high school.  I’m glad bookmarks work up quickly and fit well into cards 🙂  I’ve been working a bit on Mother’s Day gifts as well as graduation gifts and several birthday gifts.  Now if I can just make progress on them!
I haven’t even touched my vest this week.  Still thinking about it though.
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
Maria Robinson
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