Category: practice

Bits and Butterflies

I’ve been doing a lot of practice on different techniques lately.  Some of it is for Tat Days in September and some is just because.  I haven’t gotten all of them right yet, but I’ve had fun working on them.

Tatted bits of technique practice on wandasknottythoughts 'Bits and Butterflies'
Tatted bits of practice

The Clunies on the right I’m working on because there are a couple of classes I’m taking that call for them.  After a lot of practice they are getting easier.  I’m looking forward to learning hints and tricks about making them while at Tat Days.

Those funny looking flowers in the center?  I was trying my hand at Daisy Picots and Dandelion Picots.  Jane Eborall has instructions on her tips and techniques page.   Of course I rushed into making them before I looked them up.  My flowers came out okay and I had fun making them, but they aren’t made per Jane’s instructions.

I also played around a bit with pearl tatting – to remind myself how it’s done – and with using fancy embroidery floss.  I’m not too happy with the results with the floss.  If I really needed to use it for a project I’d work with it more and do better.

Tatted butterflies for Tat Days on wandasknottythoughts 'Bits and Butterflies'
Tatted butterflies for Tat Days

Part of my getting ready for Tat Days is emptying the thread from a bunch of shuttles.  I’m going to be needing them for new projects!  What better way than to make butterflies and donate them at Tat Days?  They give them away at their State Fair – isn’t that a great idea?  I’m sure I’ll have a few more for them before I get there.

I’ll be taking my entries in to our State Fair next week.  They are not what I would like them to be but I’m taking them anyway.  Over the last several years there have been fewer and fewer entries at the fair and I don’t want the category to disappear.  I’ll be taking pictures of them soon (I hope) and sharing them later.

I’m getting ready for the Kansas State Fair and Tat Days.  What are you getting ready for?

“Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.” Henry Ford

Designing Practice

This week I sat down at the computer and tried drawing an idea I have.
I’m getting much better at it. Each time things come a little easier. Some of the things I learned in the Design-Tat class suddenly comes clear. I have these “A-ha!” moments as I’m working, as what was in our lessons finally make sense.
Align Center
This is a mini bookmark done as a sample to see how well I could tat the drawing I made. There are a couple of things I plan on changing, but overall I very happy with it. I’ll have to try a full-length version next.

I’ve also been working on diagramming the heart bookmark. It’s coming along very well. I’m at the really hard part of it – adding the stitch counts and notations for ring directions and such. I’ve never thought so much about the placement of such notations before! It’s a bit more complicated than Elcie was.

For Tatting Tea Tuesday I had a glass of iced Peppermint tea as the temperatures have decided to be summer-like, as in, hot! It was okay, but not as good as it is hot. Of course it might have something to do with me cutting down on my sugar. I’ve gotten used to hot tea with less sugar but iced tea should have lots! No, I’m not from the south and here in Kansas the restaurants have just recently started advertising they have sweet tea. But I grew up with it. My dad and his family always drank sweet tea and that’s what I expect. Trying to cut back on sugar doesn’t mean I don’t add sugar, just a lot less. I’ll see if I can keep it up.

“Do you really think God wants us to live a vanilla-bland life when He’s made a thirty-one flavors world? God wants us to color our world with rainbow colors and Willy Wonka flavors. Sure, playing it safe can make things easier (and duller), but branching out – even a little – can make life fuller (and more fun).” Rachel St. John-Gilbert