Category: Tatting Tea Tuesday

Tatting Tea Tuesday April 26, 2011

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter. Ours was wonderful – time off from work, time to visit with family, and time to worship with our Christian family.

I’ve been tatting this week but most of what I’ve done I don’t want to show quite yet due to them being gifts that haven’t been given yet. Then there’s the tatting that hasn’t quite turned out the way I want it so has been started and restarted several times.

There is also a list of tatting I should be doing that I didn’t do this week. I have several things I have planned for friends and family that I have been somewhat behind on even starting. I give myself the excuse that it’s been a busy week, but I’ve found time to just laze around and not do anything, so I’m not sure that works even for me.

So instead of tatting today I’ll sit here with my cup of tea and contemplate the endeavors I plan for the next week.

“I know now why Franz Schubert never finished his Unfinished Symphony. He would have written more but the clock struck four, and everything stopped for tea.” John Baldrey

A bookmark for Tatting Tea Tuesday

Flowery SCMR Bookmark © Jane Eborall
This week I tried my hand at Jane’s Flowery SCMR Bookmark, found on her free patterns page. Search for Jane Eborall.
I used Lizbeth Butterfly Breeze #127 and DMC Cébélia light green #955, both is size 20. I thought they went well together and they do, but a bit too well. The green DMC is almost an exact match for the green that is in the Butterfly Breeze, so there’s not as much contrast as I’d like. But I went ahead and finished it anyway. I may have to do this one again in different colors.
If you know how to do split rings this isn’t really a hard pattern but I kept having trouble with it – not on the self-closing mock rings or the split rings, but on the way which the split rings went after each of the SCMRs. It’s not the pattern’s fault, it’s just me trying to make things hard. The second side, which is the “leaves” weaving back and forth around the “flowers,” was much easier. Jane has a nice way to go across the first side, which I just couldn’t get until I slept on it, then it was, like “Oh!”, the light bulb came on. I don’t have the tail on yet but I don’t anticipate any problems from it. It’s also not laying very flat but a day or too in a book will take care of that. I’m counting this in my 25 Motif Challenge as #18.
I haven’t mentioned tea lately on my Tuesday posts, but I always try to have at least one cup of tea as I prepare my post, or while I finish that last bit of tatting before taking pictures. Today I had Rooibos again. I must thank Isdihara for introducing me to Tatting Tea Tuesday, which inspired me to try different kinds of teas. I never was very adventuresome with teas for some reason, but now I enjoy trying different flavors. Now that the weather is getting to be warmer again I may have to start trying different flavors of iced tea.
Thank you everyone who has been reading my blog. I’ve not had as much computer time lately so I’m way behind on replying to comments and on reading other people’s blogs. Though I don’t know what the future will bring, I’m hoping it brings a little time to do all that soon.
There are many methods for predicting the future. For example, you can read horoscopes, tea leaves, tarot cards, or crystal balls. Collectively, these methods are known as “nutty methods.” Or you can put well-researched facts into sophisticated computer models, more commonly referred to as “a complete waste of time.” Scott Adams

Adding to my 25 Motif Challenge

I hope all of you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day Monday. I had every intention of posting this weekend but time got away from me again. I was working on this heart, writing and diagramming the pattern and I didn’t get it done! So I decided to post it today. February has Valentine’s Day and is considered American Heart Month, but I think hearts are appreciated any time. This one is made from Lizbeth size 20 in #147. This is #17 of my second 25 Motif Challenge.

This last week Tabatha, from Crafting with Tabatha, asked for some help with ‘Angels in the Snow’ by Miranda Rensberger. Tabatha is very new to tatting, having started just this year. This is a pretty ambitious pattern for one so new, made with two shuttles and SCMR, but she is doing an amazing job tatting already so I think she should be able to make this. I’d seen this snowflake on Miranda’s blog and other places where others had made it, but I hadn’t yet purchased it. Tabatha’s questions gave me a good excuse to buy the pattern and help Miranda raise money for the Brain Injury Association of New Mexico at the same time.

Angels in the Snow © Miranda Rensberger

I made this in Lizbeth size 20 in #662 Turquoise Lt. and #657 Ocean Turquoise Dk. While I didn’t find this difficult I have been tatting quite a bit longer than Tabatha and I still remember when this would have been a problem. I started this again, taking pictures as I went to help her understand what she was supposed to be doing. I checked her blog this morning and she’s made a good start. I’m naming this #18 of my second 25 Motif Challenge.

This is ‘Triana’ by Megzaela, one of my classmates in the Design Tat class. I test tatted this in Lizbeth size 20 color (?). This was an interesting challenge. None of the elements were that hard but you have to pay attention to which way’s up and where you join. I found I had made a join incorrectly after I was completely done so it has not been fixed. Apologies, Megzaela! This will be #19 of the 25 Motif Challenge.


‘Triana’ © Megzaela 2010

While I was blog surfing this week I happened upon Peachtree Cottage Creations and noticed that one of the bookmarks she had made kind of looked like the one that I had designed last fall. And it was! If you haven’t been over there you might go check it out. In this particular post she was trying to decide how best to stage a couple of bookmarks for a photo. She has a lot of really nice things she’s done on her blog, well worth a visit.

On this Tatting Tea Tuesday I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes in keeping with a month dedicated to hearts and love.

Poetry is the song of the heart, molded by the mind.

– Roger W. Hancock –

The thing about falling in love,
is that if you do it right,
you never have to hit the ground.

– Kendall Lepitzki –

TIAS, Test tatting and Trying something new

On this Tatting Tea Tuesday the TTT could stand for this week’s tittle – I put a lot of T’s up there! I’ve let my housekeeping laps a bit so I can do other things – terrible of me, I know. Today as I ignore my chores again I’m drinking Vanilla Rooibos tea and writing this.

TIAS day 5 2011
Jane has posted up to day 5 of the 2011 TIAS and I’m still right in there with ’em! Yea! I still have no idea what it’s going to be, I don’t even know if this is right side up or if whatever-it-is is standing on it’s head ☺. There have been some really cute guesses so far, but Jane still isn’t telling.

This week I tatted a couple more motifs designed by my classmates in the Design-Tat class. This one is by Nina Libin. I liked it in the white she made it in and really liked it when I made it in two colors. The two colors change the look, letting you see the flow of the pattern more clearly. Sharon suggests that we design in white or a light color but then seeing how color can change our patterns is fun, too!

Design © 2010 Nina Libin

As I’m going through this class I’m learning how much goes into writing the patterns, how to write the pattern to explain to all who read it what each step needs to be to get the same results I did when it was designed. We’re writing them out in long form, in short form and then diagramming them. Each type of pattern writing has it’s good points and bad points, and some are easier to do than others. After reading patterns of classmates, how they have written their patterns, I’m looking at my own pattern writing more critically, seeing how they phrased things to make themselves understood and asking myself “have I accomplished that?”

In a Christmas swap this year I was given a Nifty Knitter by Tabatha. It’s a round plastic loom with pegs that you wrap yarn around. It comes with a tool that’s got a hook which is not nearly as small as a crochet hook and not bent as far, more like a 90 degree bend. You use this tool to catch one wrapping of thread on a peg and pull it over the top wrapping on the same peg. Okay, it’s easier done than said. So in the last couple of weeks I’ve given it a try and found it’s rather fun, and very easy. These looms come in several sizes; small, medium, large and extra large. I was given the smallest loom that makes hats small enough for infants and with it I was able to make two small hats.
Hats done with the Niffty Knitter
Many ages ago I learned the basic stitch of knitting in school. So that no-one had to spend money on something that may never be used again the class used sharpened pencils as knitting needles. And, yes, the pencils marked the yarn a bit but we didn’t care. It was a cheap way to learn and we had fun – who wouldn’t want to do something like this a few times during school instead of math or English or such? But that is as far as I ever went with it, a pot holder or two (it was a good thing we didn’t have to pay for knitting needles!). I never thought I’d make anything like a hat. I feel so accomplished!

If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right. – Bob Basso

Homework

Do you remember when you were in school as a child? Did you ever ask why you had to learn a certain skill/subject? Back then, you could never see how you would ever use it and homework could be a real pain. And then you’re older and taking classes, through a school or because of your work, on subjects that you are interested in. Then the homework isn’t quite the drudgery because you can see the where, why and when you’ll use the knowledge. It doesn’t mean it will be easy, though.I’m taking Sharon’s Design-Tat class, learning how to design tatting and then how to share it by writing out the pattern. One lesson was to design a motif, with part of it given to all, and a part of it we each were to come up with ourselves. That wasn’t too hard, and was fun. But then the next lesson was to write it out – not as much fun. But after a bit of stress and several starts (and re-starts) I finished that, too.

So, what do you do with a motif? I’ve done lots of them over the years, but when they’re done, just what is their purpose? Some I’ve done in white and hung on my Christmas tree, though they may not be a snowflake, and a few I’ve put in frames. Quite a few are tucked away, hidden from sight, because I didn’t have anything planned for them. I think the main thing done with motifs is to join them together to make mats or runners or tablecloths – something bigger anyway.

Okay, I have a motif: let me try to make something bigger.

I played around with my motif a little and soon realized that it, at least to me, did not lend itself to be joined together, not as it was anyway. The edges are very frilly, and when two are joined together as designed end up with overlapping picots. Not very aesthetic. So I made a few modifications, which helped a little, though I still wasn’t happy with them. I played around with them a little more and came up with adding corner pieces. Much better. This design leaves the finished piece a little floppy as there aren’t many joins to the center. I found that a bit of hair spray after blocking does a great job of stiffening it enough to fix that without being too messy or taking too long to dry (hair dryers are a wonderful tool)

Both the single motif and the mat are made in Lizbeth size 20 in white. I’m going to call the single motif #15 of my second 25 Motif Challenge and the mat #16. I’m hoping someone in the class will be kind enough to test-tat the motif. It really does a help a lot to have someone else read over a pattern and try it. I always see what I know should be there, not necessarily what’s really there. I haven’t written out the changes and additions to the mat pattern yet – I’m waiting on the proofing of the other pattern first.

And now, on this pretty Tatting Tea Tuesday as I sip my “Constant Comment” tea (“tea flavored with rind of oranges and sweet spice”) – which was a gift from my Advent swap partner – I’m going to share what my wonderful husband did for me this weekend.

He made me another shuttle!

It was hard to take pictures of this; I had a hard time getting the camera to focus. Finally I got the right setting on the camera and was able to take some clear pictures but not as good as I’d like.

This shuttle is made with, we think, Japanese walnut; he actually got the wood from one of our neighbors. In the pictures it looks like the sides are rough but they are actually smooth. In person it looks the same, you touch it expecting it to be rough. It’s also very light weight. The color was much lighter before the hand rub polyurethane was applied. The tips don’t, and aren’t supposed to, meet, but when dangled the thread doesn’t unwind because of the way the slots are cut. I will have to keep a crochet hook with me when I use this shuttle because it doesn’t have a sharp point, but that’s okay, I have several hooks:) It’s a little longer than the Clover shuttles I usually use, but not bad. I think it will hold a bit more thread than a Clover, too. It might be a good shuttle for when I use beads.


Can you tell I’m a little excited about this shuttle??

May this be the start of wonderful new year
May you have enough thread for all your projects
May your shuttle always hold just enough thread
And may there always be a little tea with your tatting on Tuesdays: )

Happy New Year!

Getting ready for Christmas


… and I’m still very busy. I have quite a few things yet to tat before the big day arrives. I did take a little time out from all that to make this bookmark for The Tatting Forums’ bookmark-a-month challenge, just for fun: ) It’s made in Lizbeth color 625 size 20.

I was thinking how busy I’ve kept myself the last several weeks, and though it’s been fun it’s also getting to be a bit stressful as the day gets closer and I don’t have everything done. So I took a little time out for a different kind of fun. With a nod to Isdihara of Ambitatterous, famous for her twisted lyrics, and an apology to Clement Clarke Moore, sit back and enjoy a cup of tea this Tatting Tea Tuesday while I leave you with a poem that I – hmm, adapted – from Mr. Moore.

‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the house

I was still stirring, and I think so was a mouse.

The stockings weren’t hung, the mantle was bare,

I sure wasn’t ready for Christmas to be here!


Patterns of lace were strewn all over the bed,

While visions of things undone danced in my head.

With thread on the table and a cat on my lap

I couldn’t settle my brain on one thing to tat.


When out in the hall there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.

Hanging down from the table a part of my stash

Caught me off guard, I went down with a crash!


The glitter that fell from the table like snow

Gave quite a shine to my head down below.

When, what to my watering eyes should appear,

But a miniature person in fancy foot gear.


She was dressed all in lace, from her head to her toes,

And her clothes were all covered with lots of picots.

An array of bright thread she had clutched in her hand,

And she looked very lovely, in fact very grand.


Her eyes – how they twinkled! Her tresses, how lovely!

Her cheeks were like roses, her stance very queenly!

Her red little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

The dress she was wearing was as white as the snow.


She spoke not a word, but went straight to her task,

What she was doing I had no thought to ask.

And plying the thread, not seeming to bustle,

She made gorgeous lace with a bright silver shuttle!


Her hands flew through the thread, this lovely small elf,

And I laughed as I watched her, in spite of myself!

Each piece as she finished she laid on the table,

Fine tatting she made, her face very tranquil.


When her tatting was done, when finally she finished,

Then as quick as she’d come she suddenly vanished.

But I heard her exclaim, ‘ere she faded from sight,

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good knot!”


Based on “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore


PS Real quick – did you see the lunar eclipse last night? Pretty cool, wasn’t it?

It’s white all over

Snowman and snowflakes, all in white, at least inside my house. (No snow on the ground here, and I can live with that.) Working all in white is what I’ve been doing all week. The cute snowman is something I saw on line and decided I just had to try. It’s made from an old, inside-out sock (it was washed!). I gifted it to one of my grandsons yesterday. Well, actually, I gave it to his mother to put out on a shelf for decoration because my grandson really liked it when he saw me working on it the other day. I had to do a few things a little different than the directions called for, but I think it turned out well.

The snowflakes are ones I’ve come up with this last week trying to decide what I wanted for my 2010 Christmas card snowflake. After making all of these I’ve decided the one I will consider this year’s snowflake is the one at the top right.

Speaking of snowflakes, did you see what Kathy did with one? She hung it from the inside a clear plastic ball ornament. It looks great! I’ve got to try this. I know I had some clear glass ornaments somewhere but I can’t find them. If I don’t find them I’m going to go get some! I just love this look. Great idea, Kathy!

Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I’m enjoying a cup of Raspberry Royale tea, a gift from my Advent swap partner on Ravelry. I wasn’t sure I’d like it because I’m not that fond of the taste of raspberry, but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s pretty good: ) In the spirit of TTT I’m trying a new technique (to me) I saw online yesterday. Who knows, if I really like this, and I can do it, my snowflake for the year may change.

For my Advent gift today my partner sent me a cute little crocheted stocking for the tree and a ball of hand-dyed thread from Crochet 4 U 2 Dye 4 in “Mistletoe”, size 20. I’m looking forward to using it. Isn’t she the sweetest swap partner ever?

I hope you are taking the time to enjoy the season, without getting too stressed. Take a few minutes for yourself, have a cup of tea and tat a few minutes this week – a gift to yourself.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

My Secret Santa, crazytatter, from the Intatters exchange sent me some really cute stuff!

The little guy on the top left is a giraffe paperweight, very cute! The two little boxes have paperclips in them, one regular sized and the other large. There is also a large-eyed needle taped to the inside top of one box, and when I say large-eyed, I do mean large. I’ve never seen a needle quite like it. There is also some neat little stamps for scrapbooking or what ever, a Christmas-y bookmark that she tatted for me (very nice!), and a journal to write in. Wasn’t she generous? Thank you, crazytatter!

I also joined an Advent Swap on Ravelry. You make/buy/use-from-your-stash gifts for every day of December through Christmas. This is the first of three boxes from my exchange partner, Medictabs.

Look at all the presents!

She also put in a few little things for right now. I wonder how she knew I’d like these?

Tea!

It was just in time for Tatting Tea Tuesday, so I’m trying the Cranberry Apple. Yum! The CD with the snowman on it is a mix of Christmas songs! I’m taking it to work to listen to tonight. It has a few of my favorite songs on it, isn’t that great?

A lot of the tatting that I’ve been doing was made for these exchanges and now that they’ve all been mailed I’ve actually got a little bit of tatting done that I can show. And guess what? They’re snowflakes. Surprise! Okay, not really.

The top one is a pattern from a few years ago but I added glass silver seed beads to it to give it a little shine. The larger one on the right is the center of one from last year but with a different outside round. I’ve got a look in mind that I’m trying to achieve, so tried something a little different this time. It didn’t come out quite like I had in mind – not bad, just not quite “it”. The other two are variations on a theme, so to speak, one with six points and one with five. Again they didn’t come out quite like I envisioned, but they still look pretty good. All of these are headed to the center this year’s Christmas cards – cards I need to get busy with very soon! All of these snowflakes were make with Lizbeth white, size 20.

May you all have a wonderful week, with a little tea and tatting somewhere in there!

Making wreaths and wrapping gifts

I got up on Tatting Tea Tuesday and had a cup of Cinnamon Apple Spiced tea and tatted for a couple of hours – with a lot of interruptions. The whole day was full of interruptions and re-dos, actually. My tatting was a couple of wreaths, which aren’t hard – if you just follow the directions! I started the first one three times because I didn’t pay close enough attention to what I was supposed to do! My own fault; there were just too many things going on that kept pulling my attention away from my tatting (one is about three feet tall and gets into everything! Very cute though.)
Chain Christmas Wreath by Susan B. Taliaferro
I’m counting the Chain Christmas Wreath as #14 of the 25 Motif Challenge. Considering how much trouble I had with these I can definitely say it was a challenge. I like this pattern well enough I’ll be making more for this Christmas – the shuttles are already wound anyway, might as well 🙂 Susan has the pattern posted on InTatters if you’d like to try it. I’m not sure of the thread, Handy Hands tucked it into an order I made back when Lizbeth was new. It’s a green with a slightly blue tint, but it looks very nice as a wreath with red beads.
I have been tatting like mad the last week, but everything is for gifts, so I can’t show them until I know they’ve been opened. Other than that I’ve been wrapping said gifts. In fact, most of my day has been spent wrapping gifts, in between running after my two year old grandson that is staying with us. His mother had to go on a short overnight trip and my DH had to work, so it was just the two of us – oh, boy. He gets into absolutely everything if you don’t keep your eye on him constantly!Secret Santa gift from xstchntat
Look what I received in the mail! Look at all the goodies! These were sent to me by xstchntat for the Intatters Secret Santa Exchange. The bookmark was part of a group that won second place at the Arizona State Fair – it’s lovely. A ball of Christmas Delight, 116, Lizbeth thread, size 20 (but it’s labeled Mocha Brown Dk, 692!). Three balls of Coats and Clark thread, size 70, variegated pink to white, variegated green to white and variegated pink, blue, white. A skein of pink Lola color 135 Rayon thread from EdMar which looks a little finer that size 20. Two cute little mittens that would look good on stitch markers (strivers), a Clover shuttle and…

Handmade Podauk Shuttle and striver!
a handmade striver and a handmade shuttle! The shuttle is made from Podauk wood and is very light. You can see it’s smaller than the Clover shuttle. I think it will work very well with the size 70 thread she sent. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, but I’m very much looking forward to giving it a try. I know I’ll be using the striver soon as I have another project I need to do this week that needs several.

Thank you, xstchntat, for the wonderful gifts!

May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving this week, and take a little time out for tea and tatting if you can!

Tatting Tea Tuesday with Chocolates


Have you heard? Isdihara, from Ambitatterous is having a contest, to decorate an empty box of chocolates with tatting. The one she likes the best will win 25 balls of Lizbeth thread of your choice! 25 balls of Lizbeth! For that I have to at least try!

Okay, how do you decorate a box of chocolates? I was having a terrible time coming up with a theme or idea, so I went with what I was working on. Snowflakes. I don’t know how good an idea it is, but I came up with something! The box didn’t show off the snowflakes very well so I covered it in brown paper, which shows off the white thread very well. Then I tried laying out snowflakes on the top in different arrangements. That looked way too busy no matter what arrangement I tried them in, so I reduced it to just one larger one. I’m not sure about this, but it’s what I came up with. I hope you like it at least a little bit, Isdihara!

I have been very busy, both with tatting and with other crafty things, but they’re all for gifts so I can’t show them yet. I’m in a Secret Santa exchange on Intatters and an Advent swap on Ravelry, besides having projects to make for family and friends. As the Internet things have to be sent out first they’ve been first on my list to do. I’m getting close to being done with those – I think! I have done a few things I’ve thought about for awhile but never got around to trying and I’ve been pretty happy with ’em. They’ll be shown in future posts, after I’m sure they’ve all been opened.

I’m still working on snowflakes today as I enjoy a cup of peppermint tea. I keep humming Christmas songs which helps keep me in the gifting mood. “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!”

May you all have a wonderful week with a little tea and tatting if you can!