Tatting Corner’s Tat Days part 4

I have been tatting but nothing I can share. I designed a pattern I hope will be accepted for Tatting Corner’s cruise next year. I have sent it to a couple of test tatters, two for shuttle and one who also needle tats. The shuttle tatting pattern has been approved by the testers, now I’m just waiting on the needle tatter to help me with needle notations. I can’t share this until sometime after the cruise.

Yes, I still have things to share from Tat Days. It was a busy week, from when we left home until we returned.

When we got to the Tatting Corner shop Thursday (7/7) morning my husband immediately started looking for things for me. I had to stop him as I had plans for the auction on Saturday – we couldn’t spend all of our money right away! We did keep a few things he liked and a few things I picked out.

Mahogany shuttle on wandasknottythoughts
Mahogany shuttle

This is a Mahogany shuttle that Jack liked. I’ve already been using it and it tats nicely. The clover shuttle is there for a size reference.

Celic shuttle on wandasknottythoughts
Celic shuttle

This is a redwood Celic shuttle. I thought at first it was a Celtic shuttle, but it’s too wide for that style. I finally looked it up online. Celic is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina according to Wikipedia, make what you will of that. Google maps show it in the northeast part of the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I take it to mean that it is from or like shuttles of that area. I haven’t tried it yet.

I picked up a couple of shuttles from nekonomekoubou. I don’t know that I’ll ever use them but I think they are so cute!

Cat shuttle on wandasknottythoughts
Cat shuttle
Bird shuttle on wandasknottythoughts
Bird shuttle

Aren’t they gorgeous? My granddaughter loves the cat one. The clover shuttle is there for size comparison. I’m afraid to use them yet, afraid I’d drop them! For now, I’ll just admire them.

On our way to Indiana, we stopped for the night in Hannibal, Missouri, which is the boyhood home of Mark Twain. The area we were in looked intriguing but it was so hot we didn’t feel like getting out to look around. We went to the Riverside Inn where we had a room for the night and didn’t go out again. Our rooms had a view of the Mississippi River and a Mexican restaurant down the stairs and through a door. That was the extent of our exploring that evening. The next morning we did drive through the area but it was too early for most things to be open.

The lighthouse in Hannibal on wandasknottythoughts
The lighthouse in Hannibal

We had planned to meet with Diane, the Lace-lovin’ Librarian, and her husband for lunch on Wednesday but they had problems with their water well and couldn’t make it. It was disappointing but completely understandable. Instead, we stopped in Springfield, Illinois to see the area where Abraham Lincoln lived just before they went to Washington, DC. Neither Jack nor I had ever been there. We only spent a couple of hours there but it was interesting.

Abe's house on wandasknottythoughts
Abe’s house

Lincoln’s house was the only building you had to have a ticket for and go on a guided tour of. The timing wasn’t right for that so we only saw the outside of it, plus the neighborhood. If we get back in Springfield we’ll try to go back again.

On the way home, we went through Vandalia, Illinois, and stopped there for a bit of lunch. We were surprised to notice they have a miniature gateway arch.

Vandalia arch on wandasknottythoughts
Vandalia arch

You can see that it is much smaller than the one in St. Louis, LOL.

Jack was going to turn back and get on the Interstate the same way we got off, but I saw something interesting on the map that I wanted to check out. It was easy to get to and close to the next Interstate entrance.

The Kaskaskia Dragon on wandasknottythoughts
The Kaskaskia Dragon

The Kaskaskia dragon actually breaths fire, for a few tokens. We didn’t buy any so I didn’t see it breathe fire, but the mouth sure looked like it did.

Kaskaskia Dragon on wandasknottythoughts
Kaskaskia Dragon
Vandalia knight on wandasknottythoughts
Vandalia knight

The knight looks like he’s gotten the rough end of the deal.

I don’t recall seeing the sign, but I understand this tourist attraction is to draw people to the Kiskiskia Dragon RV park. I’m not advertising for them, we just enjoyed the dragon.

I’m hoping to have some tatting done by next week that I can share. I still have things to share from Tat Days, like the items I bought at the auction. Let’s see if I can post by next Monday!

“Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs.” Susan Sontag

Dragons and Snowflakes

Jane Eborall has given us the complete pattern now for her 2022 TIAS. It became a very cute critter, Doris the Dragon!

Here be dragons!

It’s always a surprise to what Jane’s TIAS will end up being, but never a surprise at how much fun it is. I love this little dragon! I did have a few issues with it, that’s why there are two instead of one. I don’t know if it was a bad ball of thread, if it was stored badly and developed a problem, or what, but the thread kept splitting and I broke it several times. I also wasn’t careful enough when following the pattern and made several mistakes of one sort or another on each of these. A couple of times I backed up, took out the stitches, and fixed the problem. There was one mistake where that wasn’t an option, which is why I made a second dragon. But they came out so cute in Lizbeth #130 Island Breeze in size 20, mistakes and all! If you are interested in making one yourself, check out Jane’s Tat It And See blog.

I love Doris so much I’m already trying to make up my mind what threads I want to use on my next one. The completed ones are going to be on one of my shirts, I just have to decide how to position them.

Dragons on my shirt on wandasknottythoughts
Dragons on my shirt

When not tatting the dragons I’ve been tatting the Isla Snowflake trying to decide on the stitch counts. Several elements on the original had one stitch count in one place and a different stitch count in others, and I need to figure out which ones work best before I write out the pattern. I also tried something a bit different on the spikes. Which do you like better, the original or the newer version?

Isla original on wandasknottythoughts
Isla original
Isla with different points on wandasknottythoughts
Isla with different points

Today we are experiencing some real snowflakes and lots of wind. We have been fortunate to not have as much ice or snow as places to the south and east of us have. We had to make an emergency run to get coffee this morning and just a few miles from us it was a lot worse. We can use the moisture but that doesn’t mean I like what comes with it. But it gives me a good excuse to stay inside and tat!

Do you have (or need) an excuse to tat?

It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” J. R. R. Tolkien

Rings and Dragons

Fall has arrived here in the lower midwest, with cooler temperatures and leaves that are starting to change. I have made it through Halloween and am ready to decorate for autumn and Thanksgiving. I did have fun doing a bit of decorating for Halloween, including making a couple of costumes. There has also been tatting done, some in fall colors.

Tatted rings on wandasknottythoughts
Tatted rings

These two rings are made with the same pattern, one that I doodled. The ring with the button started as something else when I realized it wasn’t going to work, so I changed it up a bit and made a ring. Orange (this is Lizbeth #694 Harvest Orange Med) has never been one of my favorite colors to wear so I added the button. I had enough fun with it that I decided to make another ring, this time in Lizbeth #136 Autumn Spice. The doily background was made a few years ago and surprised me with how well it looks with the fall colors of the rings and pumpkin. I’ve been working on a couple of other things, but that will be for another post.

The local county historical society put on a costume parade for kids and their pets the Saturday before Halloween. My granddaughter was very interested in going with their dog. Her costume for Halloween was a dragon so we decided to dress the dog as a dragon, too. My daughter suggested that we dress the dog as a sheep, which would have been much easier, but it was too late, my granddaughter wanted a dragon.

Two dragons on wandasknottythoughts
Two dragons

During the week before Halloween, my daughter and her kids went shopping with me for items to make the dog’s costume. We found pink felt and fairy wings at a second-hand store that was the basis of the costume. As we didn’t know exactly what we were going to need to make it at that time we ended up using some green felt that I already had to make part of it. My granddaughter helped me with ideas, cutting out the felt, and putting it together. Amazingly, once we put the costume on her, the dog didn’t have any issues with wearing it. I think she looked pretty cute in it.

My granddaughter’s costume had been ordered online, which consisted of a tail, wings, and a mask. The sweats that were ordered to wear with them didn’t come in, so others had to be worn. But it was a pretty bare-bones costume and the mask hurt my granddaughter’s face. These deficiencies weren’t known until way too late to do anything about it for the parade. But there was time to do a little something before going trick-or-treating the next night.

Costume changes on wandasknottythoughts
Costume changes

While we were still in town after the parade we stopped and picked up some gray felt. It took several hours but I came up with a different mask, some shoulder pieces, and even horns. The mask didn’t hurt her face like the purchased one and was not as heavy, either. The arm pieces broke up her profile without restricting her movements. She still wore the wings and tail that her mom bought, as well as a gray pullover jacket to keep warm. She seemed very happy with the end result and I think the costume was much improved. I had a lot of fun making both it and the dog’s costume.

Though I plan on putting out Thanksgiving and autumn decorations I need to get busy making things for Christmas. I’m not sure what I’ll be making for family and friends this year. I only have a few weeks left, I’d better get on it!

Have you got your Christmas tatting done yet?

Halloween is not only about putting on a costume, but it’s about finding the imagination and costume within ourselves.” Elvis Duran

Problems

I still haven’t finished the dragon.  The thread is dark enough that I need a well-lit area to work on it.  I’m doing the head streamers and am having a bit of difficulty.  Trying to hurry, maybe?   When I have time to work on it I don’t have good lighting; when I have good lighting I don’t have time to work on it.   It will get done – eventually.

Other than a couple of other small things that aren’t ready to be shared yet I haven’t done any tatting.  Getting lazy, I guess.

We’ve been having problems with our Internet.  We had trouble a week ago Saturday, called the provider and thought we had it fixed.  Then we had trouble again.  Again we called the provider, did a few more things and thought we had it fixed.  The next day we lost the Internet and haven’t gotten it back yet.  It is aggravating.  We thought we might have it by today, but we didn’t.

As I don’t have any pictures of tatting ready I thought I’d share a couple of pictures of a visitor we had this week.

Pheasant in my yard on wandasknottythoughts
Pheasant

Saw this handsome fellow strutting through our yard.  I snapped this picture through the window.

Pheasant flying away on wandasknottythoughts
Pheasant flying away

He left in a hurry as soon as we opened the door. It surprised me when I found I’d caught him in this picture.  We’ve been hearing a lot of pheasant calls around so we know they are out there.  This one just decided to brave the yard.   We were lucky we caught sight of him.

I’m hoping to get my tatting enthusiasm back.  Or back in gear, anyway.  I’ve got lots of things I want to make.

“It’s not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line.”  Ashleigh Brilliant

Dragons and Waiting Rooms

Chinese Dragon by Martha Ess in progress on wandasknottythoughts
Martha Ess’ Chinese Dragon in process

While at Tat Days in September I picked up ‘Flights of Fancy’ by Martha Ess. For my first project out of it I chose the Chinese Dragon.  I had thought to use a lighter color than the Lizbeth 674 Garnet Dark but decided a dark color fits my vision of a Chinese dragon – at least today.  I like it in this color until I have to take out stitches when a mistake it made.

Note to self: DON’T make mistakes!

I was working on this in a waiting room when the two ladies at the desk asked what I was doing.  I explained a bit and one of the ladies immediately Googled it.  She was quite impressed by all the tatting she found on-line.

About a week later I was tatting in another quite large waiting room that has plants strategically placed all around and in the middle. A lady on the other side of the room leans around a large plant and asks if I’m tatting.  When I admit I am she comes over to see how it’s done.  I show her a bit and answer a few questions.  Then a gentleman comes over to see what I’m doing.  When they leave the ladies at the desk also want to know what I’m doing, so I show them.  I actually enjoyed my wait that day 🙂

Unfortunately, I still haven’t finished my dragon. I’ve been working a lot of hours and even when I have a few minutes I’m so tired I don’t feel like tatting.  Even so, I’m hoping to finish it soon.  I’m at the ears, then the easy part going down the back.

Maybe I should find somewhere else I need to sit in a waiting room to finish it. Even if that meant I might get interrupted by questions about what I’m making.

I could handle that.

“Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.” Joyce Meyer   brainyquote.com

 

Tatting for little boys

I have two grandsons and have been thinking of things to tat for them.  Little girls are easier I think.  You can do things for their hair, their dresses, their socks (Fox has done some really cute ones), all kinds of things.  But boys aren’t usually into the frilly things, and my grandsons aren’t old enough to really appreciate bookmarks.  I’ve thought of several things, like pillow cases with critters on them (haven’t done one yet) and maybe things to hang on the wall (haven’t done that yet, either).  One thing I was going to do for Christmas but didn’t have time for I have finally gotten around to: insulated cups.

This is “Paprika the Dragon” by Martha Ess, in Lizbeth #122, Caribbean,  in size 20.  There is one opaque black 8/0 bead and 12 opaque rainbow 10/0 beads.  The cup/glass is one that you can decorate an insert for. I don’t remember where I picked this one up at, but Hobby Lobby and Micheal’s have carried ones similar to it. 
The flowers, bird and butterfly were made when finishing off shuttles and are a mixture of threads.  I have a baggy (and a few other containers here and there) full of things like this that are great for putting on cards and letters.  And now, cups! Tatting Paprika was fun and didn’t take much time.
Here is the insert before I put it in the cup.
I was very pleased at how this came out. I gave this to one of my grandsons the other day and understand that it has been well used already.  He hasn’t drank out of anything else since he got it.  He says his “grandma made it and it has a dragon and flowers on it.”
Now I need to make one for the other grandson. 
I’m calling this #24 of my second 25 Motif Challenge.  I keep forgetting when I make something to count them!  
Let’s not forget the TIAS!  
This is Day 5. I have no idea what it could be.  Day 6 will be out Wednesday (Jan 25), maybe that will help in figuring out what it might be. 
“Boys are found everywhere on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to.  Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them.” 
Alan Beck 

And the name is..

Thank you to all who offered name suggestions for my bookmark. I had some great suggestions. I heard from a few people that there was some trouble leaving a comment. Thank you, Shannon, for emailing your suggestion when you had trouble.
I pondered quite a bit over the name, wrote them out to see how they looked, then pondered some more. I showed the bookmark to my daughter, who immediately thought of an award like a purple heart even though it wasn’t purple. Her idea kept percolating in my mind and the name I’ve finally decided on is “Heart’s Honor”. So I guess she’s the winner.

©Wanda Salmans 2011

I’m still working on the pattern for it, getting all the stitch counts and joins correct. I’m getting to do all kinds of things with the diagram that was talked about in the Design-Tat class. I know there are some things that could be done better but I’m leaving the drawing the way it is this time. After you get so far, going back and correcting can sometimes mean going back to, or almost to, the beginning. (I promise I’ll do better on the next pattern!) Between the written out pattern and the diagram I think it will be pretty clear. I don’t know that it will be ready to post next week but I’m hoping it will be ready by the following week.

A few months ago I introduced Ryan, a Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon. Since then we’ve been trying to find the perfect home for her, and she’s been very picky. She couldn’t make up her mind about colors or design or anything. But finally, finally, she found something she likes, and would now like to show off her new home. Her landlord is very happy with her as well (I hope they get along). She was also working on her flame, trying for just the right color. We both thought this copper looked perfect.

I had no tea today and I miss that. I was in such a hurry to get out and do some errands I didn’t take the time to make even one cup of tea for Tatting Tea Tuesday. And I didn’t even realize it until I got to work and it dawned on me it was Tuesday. So today I’ll take time to tat during breaks and dream of tea – okay, probably not dream of tea, but I plan on drinking tea tomorrow.

“Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves” Carol Lynn Pearson

Ryan shows herself

Ryan, Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon designed by Anne Bruvold

This week has been very busy but I was still able to get some tatting done – amazing!

Ryan has finally shown herself. After hiding and being generally sneaky, she finally came out and introduced herself. She’s in DMC Cebelia size 30 in Christmas green and #797 blue with a single strand of gold metallic embroidery floss, which makes her a little bigger than Jarek. I was able to get her to hold still for a little while as we contemplated different colors to use in her new home. We haven’t yet come up with what either of us think will work, so we’ll have to keep trying.

I was a little apprehensive about using a strand of metallic floss in with the other thread as I’ve done it in the past and fought with it a lot. This time it worked great. I had very little trouble with it and the floss didn’t break at all, which is what I was most worried about. Somehow I also managed to put the right amount of thread on the shuttles. The first shuttle of blue made most of the body, then it was filled again for the rest. The last came off the shuttle while doing the last chain and I had to manage that last little bit loose. I almost asked for assistance holding it but made it all by my self. The shuttle of green did both wings with just a little bit left over. I guess I should mark that down for next time.

Based on “Angels in the Snow” by Miranda Rensberger

A friend of mine had a birthday last week – which I missed! I was trying to think of a little something to do for her while I cleaned out my tatting bag and found the start of “Angels in the Snow” by Miranda Rensberger that I had done to take step-by-step pictures for Tabatha. I suppose it was the angle I saw it, but it struck me that with a few additions it would make an interesting necklace. Then, of course, I was in a hurry to get it done and made all kinds of mistakes, like joining in the wrong place and adding too many stitches in a ring. It did come out well and the recipient liked it very much. It didn’t hurt that I made it in green, one of her favorite colors, Lizbeth size 20 in Seagreen Dk 688. I added black shell beads that I found at Wal-mart. They are textured not flat, and look much better than the picture. It actually came out just like I envisioned it.

I mentioned last week that a Kansas tatter had contacted me through my blog. Believe it or not, another Kansas tatter contacted me this last week. Wow! Two in two weeks! I’m hoping to get together with them in the next week or so but will have to play it by ear and see how things work out. Meeting them is really something to look forward to! A tat and chat – hehehehe! How fun!

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bookmark is done!

I’m finally done with my Trial and Error bookmark. It actually turned out better than I thought it would. Blocking helped a lot. There are a couple of things that made it into this bookmark I’ll probably try on other projects later on. It could be better proportioned for a better over-all look, but as my boss pointed out “put it in a book and I bet it will mark your place just fine.”

Gift

My sister’s birthday is coming up very soon. I have been talking about making her a runner for a side table she has for several years but have never even gotten started on it. So this year I am determined to get it done! The plan was to actually have it completed by her birthday. I thought about the colors of the living room and chose a couple of colors that I thought would work, Lizbeth 654, Navy Blue and 655, Wedgwood Lt in size 20. I got started on it and decided to get the actual dementions to finish it in a day or so.

Okay, these colors would have been great – in her other house. She recently moved and is painting her livingroom in shades of green.

She loaned me the paint chips of the colors she’s going to use so I could find out which thread colors would work. Lizbeth 686 and 688, Seagreen Lt and Dk are almost exactly the colors her livingroom is going to be. That meant I had to order thread. Of course, I had to order more than those two colors, right? I’ve ordered several more colors, including the Peacock Blue that Isdahara suggested to Handy Hands. This does mean, though, that her gift won’t be done in time for her birthday. But it will be done shortly after the thread arrives, really!
Blogger issues
It was commented on by several readers that the end of my post from February 15th was not readable – well, Kathy said it was in Wingdings! I’ve looked back in the edits of this post and can’t see any change in the font, so I don’t know how to correct it. Kathy copied it into a text program and changed the font so she was able to read it. If anyone else has that problem let me know. In future posts I guess I can delete and right it over and see if that helps.
Visitor?
I think I have a visitor but I haven’t gotten a good look yet. Jarek has assured me that Ryan will come out and meet me soon but wants to investigate the house first. I did get a glimpse of a glimmering tail in my philodendron this morning, but that was all. I guess I’ll have to have a little patience.

“If you can’t take the heat, don’t tickle the dragon”

“Meddle not in the affairs of the dragon; for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.”

Trial and error

I continued on with my bookmark trial from last week. I’m using it for trying a few different ideas, seeing how a few things work together. This would probably be a good exercise for using a drawing program though I didn’t take the time to try it. It might lay a little a little flatter and be more aesthetically pleasing without all the thread if I had. I have learned a bit, though – like, it’s easier to tat the inside first, then the outside (like I didn’t know that already!). The other way ’round is a little trickier. I did the outside first, trying to find a shape I liked. I’m not exactly happy with this shape but I didn’t want to cut it off and try again, so I started trying ways to stiffen the shape a bit by adding additions in the centers. I like how some of them look, just not necessarily together. There are still a couple of things I want to try as I’m this far with it. Might as well get as much out of it as I can.

A little trade
Isn’t this picture pretty? I’m not sure if this is crewel or tapestry work or exactly what. I was given this in exchange for some tatting.

For my wallpaper on my computer at work I have a picture of Crosby, the Norwegian Flying Dragon. The other day a friend and co-worker was in and commented on him. The next day I came into my office shortly after the start of work and found a large frame in my chair, positioned so with the picture was facing the back. It’s a beautiful piece of work in a beautiful frame. There was absolutely nothing to say who put it there or why. So I start asking around. My friend said his sister had made the picture but, for whatever reason, he didn’t want it anymore but he would like a dragon. If I liked the picture he’d give it to me in exchange.

Anne B has stated that she doesn’t want the dragons sold, but trade is acceptable. She had mentioned thread to make the dragon in exchange for it, but I thought this trade was in keeping with her wishes, so I agreed. Now I have to find the just the right thread – he said he likes blues and greens. Hmmm, maybe peacock colors….

Tatting Tea Tuesday
This has been a tea-less Tuesday, but for a good reason. We have been encouraged at work to stay healthy or try to get healthy and they’ve done some of that encouraging by offering money to have a health check done. They brought in a company this week to take our blood to check for cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose, take our blood pressure, height and weight and give us our BMI and body fat numbers, all in just a few minutes. They gave us a monetary incentive – we might as well take advantage of it, right? As both my husband and work at the same place we went in together this afternoon before work to have our fingers pricked. The down side in this is that you are not supposed to eat or drink anything but water for eight to twelve hours before the appointment – there went my tea. And no trip to IHOP, either.

We planned our day to go in about ninety minutes before work so we could get our fingers poked then go to lunch. We went to a nearby Applebee’s, which worked out well except then I was ready for an after lunch nap by the time work started. What we go through for our health 🙂

“In the future we’ll all have 15 minutes of fame and 15 minutes of healthcare” Nicole Hollander

A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time – pills or stairs” Joan Welsh

“In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties” Henri Frederic Amiel

“To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life” William Londen