Category: 25 Motif Challenge

Tatting Tea Tuesday

Tatting Tea Tuesday is here again. I haven’t done a lot of tatting this week and one of the things I did make didn’t get it’s picture taken – oops.
Saturday my husband and I went to a wedding in Oklahoma. I didn’t think I’d get to go because of work. But, big surprise, we didn’t have to work so we headed south. As it’s about a three hour drive I decided to tat the wedding couple a cross bookmark, something I didn’t have time to make before. (And of the three choices of colors I had with me, I picked the wrong one. I had their wedding colors with me, I just didn’t know that was it! I’ll bet they’ll like it anyway.) I didn’t take a picture of it because I didn’t think about it. I had the camera, just not the thought.
Something I have been working on this week is a challenge from Sharon on her Design Challenge blog.

This came out looking like I imagined it would, but it is kind of a pain to make, with a lot of reversing work. On the second, two color one I tried the method for making chains of NOT reversing but also not flipping the stitch. It works (I did it, I did it!) and it’s not quite so persnickety a pattern this way. Of course, you have to pay attention and remember NOT to flip the stitch…
I like the look of this and I’m counting this as #23 on my 25 Motif Challenge. And though I don’t use beads much, I’m thinking of trying this with beads. This could be my snowflake for the Christmas season. I try to come up with a new one every year for friends and family. I may just have come up with it a little early this year.

Tatting Tea Tuesday

I’m back! but I have very little to show for the last week or so. Our daughter and grandson stayed a few extra days more than planned – which was wonderful by the way! I didn’t get much done tatting-wise, but that’s okay. Much better to visit with them while they’re here, I’ll have time to tat later.

I did get a little bit done, stress on the “little”. I finished this up this morning with a cup of *hmm* coffee while the grandson took a little nap.

This is supposed to be a horseshoe. To go along with the horse head I’ve made. Well, not quite with the one that’s already made as the colors don’t go together very well. But I’m thinking on a card or bookmark with a horse-y theme. This horseshoe isn’t quite right, but I was not exactly focused the whole time I was making it. It looks more like a “U” than a shoe, but I think I can fix that the next time around. And thought it’s not perfect I think I’ll have this as my #22 in the 25 Motif Challenge.

Well, that’s it, the entire extent of my tatting over the last week or so. Maybe I’ll have something more by next week.

How about another bookmark? Or two?

Back in May I was trying to decide which bookmark to make for the Intatters bookmark exchange. I tried several different ones on the way to one I liked enough to send. I just counted, and if I counted correctly, I made five bookmarks before I settled on one.

The one at the right is one of them. This one I ended up giving to my mother for her birthday. It’s made with size 10 DMC thread in red. It’s a bit long, about 12 inches long. I’m not sure what I was thinking, I just kept on going. She liked it so I guess it was okay. I’m counting it as #16 of the 25 Motif Challenge.

This blue bookmark is the one I finally sent for the exchange. It’s made with two shades of Manuella size 20 thread. I hadn’t planned on having a ribbon through it, but it looked like it needed something, and that
ribbon really set it off well. The bookmark is laying across a book about Kansas. As my exchange partner lives in Australia I thought I’d add a little something to go along with it so sent the book to show her something of the place I live in. I’m counting this as #17 of the 25 Motif Challenge.

The fifth bookmark was never completely finished. It ended up being a hodge–podge of ideas. A repeat of this, a repeat of something just a little different, then something with the count just a little different, and…. It looks rather strange and lop sided. But I did come up with several ideas I liked in the process, so it wasn’t a waste of thread or time. The exchange bookmark is the result of one of the ideas. I’m using another part of it on another bookmark. Like I need another one right now. Of course, bookmarks are nice to have on hand for unplanned gifts, so whether I use it or gift it, it will not languish too long in a drawer I’m sure.

I have several things I’ve been working on that I haven’t taken pictures of yet and will post them as soon as I can. And I have a list of things I’d like to try from checking out the wonderful blogs out there. Some of you really make me drool with the lovely things you make. Now if I only had a little more time…

Who’s next?


This hasn’t been a good week at all! My mother went to the hospital last Sunday and got out Tuesday, my husband’s mother went to the hospital Tuesday and is still there, and then my dad was admitted to the hospital early this morning. I’m hoping that three is enough and that no-one else has to be hospitalized. Enough already!

None of them has turned out to be serious, which is a good thing in all of this. But it makes life very interesting to try and get to everyone and keep up with how they’re doing. And my husband and I are working nine hours days five days a week and eight hours both Saturday and Sunday. Somewhere in all of this I think I need a nap!

Before all of this came about I did get a little tatting done. I went to a meeting of Hook Yarn and Needle/Fiber Options a week ago. It is through the county extension office and meets once a month. They were doing some needle tatting but I took my shuttles and made “Heart’s Desire” in DMC variegated blue size 8 Pearle. For doing this completely in the midst of several conversations and distractions, I think it turned out very well. I’m counting it as #15 of the 25 Motif Challenge.

They asked me if I’d like to show them how to shuttle tat next month. I agreed, but I’m thinking I will need to give them contact information in case any of them are really interested: the group takes a three month break in the summer! I’m willing to meet with them individually or in a small group elsewhere to help any that want to really learn. I’m planning on making a handout with Internet addresses so they have incentives and support if they want it. I’m also thinking of putting together a DVD of me tatting, both chain and ring. We’ll see if I have time to do this between hospital visits!

Lost and found motif #14

Last week I made this motif using a cabone ring in the center. I showed it to my husband and he liked it, too. As it was late we went to bed and the next morning when I got up I couldn’t find it!

We looked all over the house and couldn’t find it. I looked through all my tatting things, in my chair, on the table, on the floor. My husband looked all over and it just wasn’t anywhere! We even looked to see if one of the cats had decided to play with it and dragged it off. No luck.

Friday we went to Nebraska to see our daughter and her family. We had a nice visit with them and came home late Saturday. I sat down in my chair, looked down, and there it was! Just laying there on the floor! How it could be there I don’t know.

But it was found, oh boy! I hadn’t even jotted down the pattern or taken a picture or scan of it. I was quite relieved. So I can finally post a picture of my motif #14 for the 25 Motif Challenge. I blame this on Krystledawne because I saw her earrings and thought it would be fun to try something with a ring in the middle.

Motif #13 and the weather

This motif I found on Nita’s Creations here. She designed this in a Design Tat class on line. I really liked the looks of it and have several ideas of what I would like to do with it. She graciously said I could try it. This one I made with DMC size 30 pink and green. This will be my #13 in the 25 motif challenge. And I notice that it’s a bit crooked – oh, well. Check out Nita’s motif and her other projects on her blog. She’s been doing cloonies, which I haven’t mastered yet. Hers are lookin‘ good!

I’ve had a little bit of time to tat and to post because I haven’t been outside since I got home from work Thursday night. Because we had a blizzard! Yes, ice, snow, wind, cold, white out conditions. It was projected to be so bad that they canceled 2nd shift where I work so I didn’t have to go to work Friday or Saturday – thank goodness!! The roads got nasty in a hurry. Wichita had lots of ice and lots of accidents to go with it. So I got to stay home and just watch it all come down.

It looks like it finally quit snowing. It’s hard to tell because the wind is really blowing it around. It’s also very hard to tell just how much snow we actually have. Some places you can see the grass, other places have drifts. It’s not as bad here as just west of us, they got about 20 inches a few miles west and more than that south west of here. I’m just glad I don’t have to get out in it! Welcome spring, ha ha.

Unexpected time-out from booties

I had to take a little unexpected time-out from making booties to make this cross for a friend of ours. Friday her husband, an older member of our church, passed away. It wasn’t exactly unexpected, but when is a death ever really expected? I sent it off today in a sympathy card.
This is a very quick pattern. I just made it off the top of my head but I’m sure I’ve seen it, or some variation of it, in at least one book. It’s made with DMC size 30 so it’s about 3 inches long, not including the tassels.
I’m going to call this #12 of the 25 Motif Challenge. Even though it is a sad occasion I think the bookmark turned out well.