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

A little distraction

This is all I have to show for tatting this week and it’s not even done. I had a little distraction this week, which I’ll get to in a moment, and what I’ve been trying to tat hasn’t worked out quite the way I’d like.

I started out with an idea to utilize my new knowledge and skill of SSSRs (single shuttle split rings) on, maybe, a bookmark. I had a pretty clear idea what I wanted to do and how, so loaded up a couple of shuttles with Lizbeth size 20 in Lilac Dk. #641 and started. It actually went really good, putting my shuttles just where I wanted. And then things didn’t happen quite like I had imagined.

I knew from doing the dragon’s bodies that SSSRs didn’t behave quite like regular split rings – obviously, there’s just one thread instead of two – but it didn’t really hit me just how different until I had the first row of SSSRs done exactly how different they are. They were kind of, well, wimpy. Some of it could be that I’m new enough at it that it was my stitches that were the main culprit, but whatever the reason, I did not like how it felt and reacted, though it looked like I wanted it to. So I cut out the offending rings (it’s not easy to open a SSSR after it’s closed!) and tried something else.

In the Design Tat class Sharon is teaching us that using drawing software can be quicker and easier to use in testing out some designs than actually tatting them. And I’m working on it, but I’m not there yet so it was back to the shuttles. I should have tried the software, because I didn’t like where I was going with the next try.

So this is where I’m at. I like the start, I just need to re-think what I want to do next.

That little distraction I mentioned earlier: it started when I decided to take advantage of an offer I heard when I was listening to Pandora radio on the internet. It was for a couple of free audio books from audible.com. The first book I chose was Jeff Dunham’s All By My Selves Walter, Peanut, Achmed, and Me read by Jeff himself. I loved it! It has a lot of laughs in it. If you don’t know who Jeff Dunham is or would like to know more check out jeffdunham.com and this.

Okay, I can tat and listen to audio books. But then I started looking for a second free book and I saw a Lois McMaster Bujold title I didn’t recognize. It was a new Miles Vorkosigan book! Oooo, I was so excited! Bujold is one of my favorite authors and the Vorkosigan books are the greatest – if you like space opera (as Ms. Bujold has described it). I of course had to get it, but should I get the audio book or the printed version? I hurried over to Amazon.com to see what they had. They had it listed, of course, but did I want to order it or go to a local store to get it sooner? Audio or printed? Getting my hands on it sooner and printed won out and to the bookstore I hurried.

It is only out in hardback yet but that didn’t matter, I wasn’t going to wait for paperback or the library. For the next couple of days I got almost nothing else done that didn’t absolutely have to be done. Even sleep was something of an option, at least for as long as I could keep my eyes open, then it was up and at it again as soon as I could the next morning. Ahh, I love a good Miles story! Then it was back to other things, all that I had ignored for a couple of days including tatting. The book lay on my table, finished but not yet ready for it’s home in the bookshelves.

I had noticed when I bought it that it had an announcement on the front about a CD-ROM in it and had found the sealed envelope in the back but hadn’t opened it yet. I finally took the time to find out what it was. And, oh, wow! It contains the new book, Cryoburn, and the entire Vorkosigan Saga in multiple formats – that’s all 14 novels for free! It also contains all the cover art, pictures, essays – all kinds of stuff. And you can do almost anything with it you like, including make copies and give them away. The only thing they don’t want you to do with it is sell copies of it, otherwise it’s yours to do with as you like.

This is well worth the price of the hardcover. I already have all the books in one form or another, but I love it anyway. If I ever get a Kindle or other digital reader I can read the books on them, too. This is a really sweet deal.

Well, next week I shouldn’t have such a distraction and I’ll try to have a bit more tatting done. I do have a list of things that I want done…

“Eloquence consists of persuading people of things they desperately want to believe.” – Miles Vorkosigan, Komarr

“Aim high. You may still miss the target but at least you won’t shoot your foot off.” – Elli Quinn

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 –

Dragon sighting

This little guy flew in on the Arctic wind blast that gusted in yesterday. My boss thinks he’s an Ice Dragon due to his coloration. I haven’t gotten much out of this small dragon, mainly his name, which he says is Jarek. He does seem to be attracted to my earrings that I had laid on the table – they don’t look too shiny here but the picture doesn’t do them justice.

When he first arrived he and I had a few problems. He twisted and turned and generally was a bit of a pain and wouldn’t lay down, making me feel quite ambisinister. He finally settled down a bit when he saw my earrings. He looks to be a Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon, in shades just like Lizbeth #142 Turquoise Twist, as described and patterned by Anne Bruvold, though I haven’t seen his type described yet. While trying to get information of where he’s from he indicated that there may be one or two more dragons flying in soon. How exciting!

Something not quite as exciting, but definitely intriguing, is Jane’s TIAS. I still have absolutely no idea what it might be. I think Isdihara’s suggestion to it being a skink is the closest so far, but that thought may easily be changed as we get closer to the end.

My version of the TIAS through day 7

I’m sure there are lot of you out there that are being effected by the really nasty, cold, icy, snowy weather that’s happening on the eastern half of the United States. Here in Kansas, in the middle (where I am) we didn’t get much in the way of ice and only a little snow, but the wind and cold are definitely letting us know it’s winter. At 2:30 PM it’s 7° F, wind gusts up to 44 miles per hour, creating a wind chill of -13° F: translates into, it’s cold! I know there are places that have it much worse and/or will be getting it much worse, but it’s still cold! Good news, my boss called a little bit ago to let me know they canceled work tonight – yeah! I don’t have to get out in this! Whoopee!

I’m enjoying multiple cups of hot tea this Tatting Tea Tuesday, which are definitely helping me enjoy being inside instead of out! Now that my day has opened up I’m hoping to entice a few more dragons inside. Do you think if I raid my jewelry box they might show up faster?

“The Lenox Globe (in the collection of the New York Public Library) bears the phrase ‘HC SVNT DRACONES’ (i.e. ‘ hic sunt dracones ‘) on the eastern coast of Asia,
‘Here Be Dragons!’, they warned “.
taken from draconian.com

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

Motifs, TIAS and Tea

Motif
I am in the current Design-Tat class that Sharon is doing. We’ve designed our motifs and are learning how to write them out, both in text and with diagrams. We are also supposed
to test tat some of our classmate’s motifs, both to help them write better and for us to learn
to write better as well. This is the second one I’ve successfully done.

Design by Barbara Barney, 2011

We all started with the same basic center and had to design a second round. Didn’t Barbara do a great job on coming up with something totally different? This was fun to do and I can think of several places to put a motif like this. I was trying to empty a couple of shuttles so the threads aren’t exactly the greatest match but they still aren’t too bad. The center is Lizbeth #114 Sea Shell and the outside is Lizbeth #641 Lilac Dark, both in size 20. And I got to use my new shuttle that I got from a swap partner for Christmas. It handles nice but it’s going to take a little bit to get used to it.

TIAS

My day 3 of Jane Eborall’s TIAS

This year I’ve joined in on Jane’s TIAS. I started the one last year and life got in the way so I didn’t finish it. I’m hoping to do better this year. So far, so good! I’m using Lizbeth size 20 thread in #657 Ocean Turquoise Dk and # 662 Turquoise Lt. I have no idea what this is going to end up.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, TIAS stands for “tat it and see” – Jane’s idea of how to have fun in the winter. She gives just a little of the pattern every few days without telling us what it’s supposed to be. We try and follow along and make guesses as to what we think it will be. It’s fun because there are people from all over the world doing this together. Not quite like being in the same room with other tatters but kinda close. If you’d like to try it there’s no time limit to start or to finish so you would have plenty of time to join us. Here’s a link to Jane’s blog and a link to the TIAS blog, where she posts the updates.

Tea
Did you know that this is National Hot Tea month? Over at favecrafts.com they have several tea-related crafts in honor of Hot Tea Month. So today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I’d thought I’d share one of them with you.

Image courtesy of favecraft.com
They call this an Upcycled Tea Box, made from an old book (sorry, Diane, it wasn’t my idea!). They even have a video to help teach you how to do this. They suggest it as a gift for Mother’s Day. Do they think Mom has to hide her stash of tea?

It’s taken me almost all day again to get this posted! I have to figure a way to get done a little earlier than this. But I am happy with what I have achieved this week, and that I did actually get this posted on Tuesday!

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort
Franklin D Roosevelt

I’m a little slow getting this Tatting Tea Tuesday post going, but I’ve definitely been drinking tea – lots and lots of plain ol’ green tea. Hot tea has a soothing effect on my sore throat. Yes, I have the dreaded cold. It’s hard to get motivated, or even get my brain to concentrate on anything. Not that there hasn’t been tatting, just slowly, and some by others.

Others, as in Wendy from Umi & Tsuru and Fox from tat-ology. Both volunteered to tat my Design-Tat homework motif “Elcie”. Check these out:

“Elcie” tatted by Wendy with long picots. Quite a different look.

And “Elcie” tatted by Wendy with shorter picots.

This is how Fox tatted it. Isn’t it nice in red?

What is kind of funny is I had just finished tatting Fox’s “Abigail” when she sent me the picture of “Elcie”. So I had to show Fox how I had done her “Abigail”
“Abigail” design by Fox
tatted by Wanda

In Red! 🙂

Thank you both for testing out the pattern for me!

The only other thing I’ve done this last week is this bookmark. It is suggested practice of crossed picots from “Advanced Tatting Patterns +” by Judi Banashek. I definitely need to work on them! Its done in Lizbeth #142 in size 20.

Well, that’s all folks! It has taken me all day to write this much. Hopefully I’ll feel better next week and do a little better job.

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!

2010 is almost over

Can you believe the year is almost over? It’s been such a busy year it hardly seems possible.

I look back over the year and think of all places I went, the new things I’ve tried,
and the people I’ve met – I must say it was a year well spent. We went on several great trips, both with family and by ourselves, and made wonderful memories. I learned
several new tatting techniques that will open up all kinds of possibilities for
projects this next year. I met some great people in the travels I made this year as well as
locally and on-line, people I hope to keep in touch with in the years to come.

The last week I did some tatting, some right up to Christmas Eve, but then the projects were done or they weren’t and it was time to enjoy family and friends. We had
great get-togethers with both sides of our families (the in-laws and the out-laws, LOL!) and
still have one to go. It has been a wonderful holiday season.

I did want to share one more gift I received from my Advent swap partner. She really
spoiled me this year.

Check it out – she sent me Yarnplayer’s Layered Ring Christmas Tree pattern! I was thinking about getting this but hadn’t yet taken the time to order. She also sent me a tension-adjusting
tatting shuttle! (I haven’t tried it yet, but I will soon!) It came in a cute little tin. There was
also a beautiful beaded tree ornament that she made – very nice, very sparkly! Her
son had her include someSpongeBob Squarepants candy books for my grandsons and their families and one for us, too. And a large ball of size 30 white thread. She was very
generous!

I hope all of you have had a wonderful Christmas this year. And may your New Year be filled with wonder and joy!

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?