Tag: pattern

It’s a Plane!

I’ve been trying to post about this airplane for the last several weeks.
First I had trouble with my computer so I couldn’t work on the pattern.  
Then I thought I was ready and lost the tatted airplane without a picture of it.  So I tatted another one and in the process found I hadn’t saved the most recent changes of the pattern (I think the computer ate it).  
Today I finally get a picture of the new airplane – and the computer won’t let me download it.
After a bit of fussing and worrying I tried out a feature of our camera that we hadn’t attempted before – transferring the picture from the camera to my phone.  Have you seen the commercials for the Samsung Galaxy phones where two people hold their phones close together and the picture/file is transferred?  Just like that, except from our Samsung camera to my Samsung Galaxy III phone.  Then from my phone to my Google+ and the picture is accessible from anywhere I can get to the Internet.  Pretty cool!
Airplane @ Wanda Salmans 2014
This airplane is made of Lizbeth thread # 605 Silver in size 20.  Unfortunately the pattern isn’t up yet.  I still have to go back and fix a few things.  If things go a bit smoother tomorrow it will be up in the afternoon (I hope) but if not, then in a few days I will try to put it on my Pattern tab.
Triangle update
I’ve gotten a little bit done on the triangles.  All the white center motifs are done and I’ve started adding them to the middles.  The one on the left below has tatted chains instead of the bare thread.  The center was added last just like before except this time I went all the way around with the bare thread and caught all the picots of the triangle as well as the long stitches in the corners, then went around a second time using the needle as my shuttle and doing direct tatting (un-flipped stitches) on the bare thread.  I don’t like this very much: it wasn’t fun to make and it didn’t end up very round.

Independence Day is this Friday and I actually get the whole weekend off!  This doesn’t mean I’ll have a lot of time for tatting but I plan to get a little in one way or the other. 
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
Henry Ford
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Cleaning?

I have a confession to make.
I hate cleaning. 
I would rather watch tatting dry than clean the house.
And I’m not a neat person, making my house somewhat cluttered.  
So when I do clean house it takes a lot of time.  (I keep telling myself I’m going to do better, pick up things more often – but it hasn’t happened yet.) We don’t have people over often  – we would probably keep the house up better if we did – so when we plan to have company we have a lot to do.  Then it comes down to the wire and I start putting my clutter in boxes so I can stash them out of the way in a hurry, thinking, of course, that I’ll go back soon and take care of all of it when the company is gone.  
What usually happens is most of it stays in the boxes and I start the clutter all over again.  Those things I thought I was using/needing are replaced by other things.
Yesterday I was going through a box of such things when I came across a couple of pattern books I knew I had but couldn’t find.  Yea!
The “Tatted Animals” book by Inga Madsen I had purposely purchased to have patterns suitable for boys – what boy doesn’t like animals of some sort?  I have already started a project out of it, though it’s not for one of the boys, it’s for a niece ☺
Also in the box were these note cards I made probably twenty years ago, possibly more.  They are large, unlined index cards – 5″ by 8″? – folded in half.  The thread used is DMC size 8 in various colors, the only thread I could find at the time that came in so many colors.  I wasn’t much of an artist with these, but I was guaranteed that the recipient wouldn’t be getting cards like these from anyone else.  And they would know who it was from.

There were a lot of other things in the box that I had been looking for.  I kick myself sometimes for how unorganized I am.  I really, really need to start putting things away better.
I also need to start spending less time on social media and the Internet in general.  I get sucked in and spend more time there than I plan to.  But, the other day while on Facebook there was a suggested article, you know, one of those that pops in that are chosen for you based on what you’ve read or searched for, from Ancestry.com, which I found interesting. And it mentions tatting by name!
Celina Anzalone, 2264 First Ave. making lace for Cappallino's factory near by. (Library of Congress)
Picture from Ancestry.com
11 Skills Your Great-Grandparents Had That You Don’t
That’s only 10 skills for us tatters!
For myself, better housekeeping should probably be on this list of skills I don’t have.
“Housekeeping is like being caught in a revolving door.”
Marcelene Cox
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Mother’s Day Tatting

Did everyone have a nice Mother’s Day?
I did. We visited with my mother, my husband’s mother and a couple of special aunts. They were very nice visits.  We gave my MIL and aunts flowers but my mother got a hat pin.
This is made with a large button, Lizbeth #670 Victorian Red thread size 20, and gold beads.  It measures almost three inches across. 
For all this is just simple chains I had quite the time with it, making mistakes in counts, cutting a picot, getting the shuttle threads tangled.  You can see at the bottom where things just didn’t go quite right.  But overall it didn’t turn out too bad.  In person, stepping back a bit, the boo boo isn’t all that noticeable.  I also had such trouble with it I didn’t want to chance trying to fix it :-p.  I thought about trying to put a ribbon or flower or something over it to hide it but decided it was just going to have to be good enough. 
Mom liked it, so all is good.
After all the visits we went home and I spent most the afternoon and evening tatting *smile*. 
I had recently come across the bookmark I had made when I was in Branson, Missouri a few years ago and was inspired to tat it again. 
This is made with Lizbeth Twirlz #404 Mermaid Lagoon size 20.
This is the first time I’ve tried the Twirlz thread.  It tatted up very nicely and held up well when I was retro tatting.  I hadn’t been sure I was going to like it, and I might not like it for every pattern, but I do like it for this. 
I’ve added this pattern to My Patterns tab as Branson Bookmark.
The weatherman predicted there would be severe weather Sunday night and there was, but it missed us by a few miles.  We spent a lot of the evening keeping an eye on the weather and worrying about family and people we know in areas that were getting it worse than we did. We did get over an inch of rain out the storms, so it wasn’t all bad.
It was a good day, imperfections and all.
“Yes, Mother.  I can see you are flawed.  You have not hidden it.  That is your greatest gift to me.”
Alice Walker
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Ramblings on Tatting Tea Tuesday

Believe it or not, I’ve actually finished the cross bookmark pattern.  For once everything went smoothly while I diagrammed it, and it was even finished a few days ago.  I’ve added the pattern to My Patterns page. Look for “April’s Cross Bookmark”.  
I’ve started a couple of new projects this week but neither are to a point I want to share them yet.  This is becoming a very busy month with several birthdays, Mother’s Day, and graduations to find gifts for.  I actually found the cross bookmarks I had lost – I’d put them in a safer place, where I could find them. Sure.  But they are found so I don’t have to rush so much for the graduations.  The birthdays are something else.  Not sure how those are going to go. 
This morning while I drank my tea (Twinnings of London’s Pure Peppermint Herbal Tea) I was sitting in the front yard enjoying the day before it gets really hot and watching the barn swallows try to get me to leave.  They have a nest on the side of the house and were trying to distract me from it. I wish I could have gotten a picture of them but they fly and dart around pretty fast.  Also sharing my front yard today was a rather large turtle.  He was going through the tall grass (we need to mow) and I almost didn’t see him.  He was at least 12 inches long – around here, that’s a pretty big turtle.  What he was doing so close to the house I don’t know. I went back a little later and he had moseyed on to where ever he was going. Hopefully out of the yard, as my husband is supposed to mow tonight.
As I don’t have much tatting done this week I thought I’d share with you an edging I did a long time ago from thread my got from my grandmother.  She had some crocheting left on the ball, which will remain forever unfinished.  But I made a tatted edging for a napkin with it, which will always make me think of her.  She gave me the teapot when I was a little girl.  It presided over many tea parties over the years.  One day I hope to use it at a tea party with my granddaughter.
Tea parties with grandmother – happy memories in a teapot.

A change in plans

Last week I came to work with everything I needed to start a button bracelet during my lunch time.  Or so I thought.  I got everything out to start and realized I had forgotten the buttons!  When I started bemoaning the fact I couldn’t start my project my husband started looking around my office and I asked him what he was 
looking for. “Washers” he replied.
Washers – why not?

Lizbeth black in size 20, silver beads, and 7/16″ washers

I decided to use washers so I could start the bracelet instead of waiting.  I think they look pretty good in this bracelet.
I was re-making this bracelet to write up and diagram the pattern.  Using washers instead of 2-hole buttons changes the look as the rings are more spread out on the washers than they are on the buttons.  The beads also change the look a bit.  I’m thinking that the long chains need to be shorted to be the same length as the other chains if washers (or something other that 2-hole buttons) are used.  I’m not well pleased with my closure method, where a washer fits through a ring, so I need to come up with something else.

I wonder how well washers take paint? They would be easy to come by and then could be painted to color coordinate with different threads and beads.

I had meant to have the pattern ready for today, but it isn’t quite.  Almost.  This bracelet was supposed to be the picture used in the pattern, but the pattern is diagrammed for a 2-hole button. I guess I’ll just have to make another bracelet.

Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I’m drinking TAZO Zen Green Tea out of a mug with snowflakes on it. No, we don’t have snow today (at least not yet – the temperature is 70º F) but I like the shape.  The chance of real snowflakes outside?  It’s supposed to get colder tonight, with a chance of snow in some places not too far away.  Whether we get any or not – we’ll see.  


“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.”
Denis Waitley
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A little difference

Christmas Snowflake 2010 © Wanda Salmans
I made a little change from the pattern on this snowflake, making the ends with three rings instead of a thrown ring, shortened the arm chains and left out most of the decorative picots.  I like the way it came out.  This is made in Lizbeth size 20, White #601.  The original pattern can be found on my Pattern tab.
December Star 2011 © Wanda Salmans
I made a little change in this pattern, too (can you tell? It’s not a star!).  I only made two changes in this one – added beads and another arm to make it a snowflake.  I like the beads but it sure slows down the tatting!  The beads are a bright, shiny, reflective silver – and they made taking a good picture of this a real bear!  Let’s just say I’m very frustrated with my camera right now 🙁  This ‘star’ is made in Lizbeth size 20 Christmas Red #671.  The original pattern can be found on my Pattern tab.
I think the changes in both patterns were successful.   The reason for the changes?  I’m running short on time for coming up with a totally new pattern for my 2013 Christmas snowflakes.  If I’m going to give anybody snowflakes I’ve got to get them done ASAP and starting with something I already have then making a few changes might be what I end up with.  Hmmm., will I stick with one of these – or find something else?
Time will tell.
“Change, like sunshine, can be a friend or a foe, a blessing or a curse, a dawn or a dusk.”
William Arthur Ward
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Snowflakes and Pictures

I made my ‘Crowned Wheel’ (found on my Patterns tab) in white for the first time.  It’s actually the first time I’ve made it in a solid color instead of a variegated thread.  It looks pretty good as a snowflake.

The small snowflakes are just my doodling around to make small ‘flakes for the bags I’ve been decorating, but I’m pretty sure that some version of these (and more!) are in Patti Duff’s ‘Minitats’ (which is currently sold out) and probably other places as well.  
I haven’t gotten much tatting done in the last week due to having family doings for Thanksgiving.  We had three different dinners in three days.  I didn’t have to cook for all three – one was catered and not at our house; one was at our house but made by my Son-In-Law; the other at our house where I did almost everything but the turkey which was smoked outside.  We’re dining on leftovers still, and will be for several more days.  This is not a bad thing at all – little cooking but a variety of good food 🙂
Have you ever had family get-togethers where you want to take pictures but not everyone is all that enthused about it?  As I take a lot of pictures my family knows it’s coming and they will just have to suffer through it.  This year I tried to make it fun.  The weather was very mild so we took the set pictures outside.  I had purchased some holiday accessories – Christmas tree head bands, gnome/elf hats, funny glasses – and had everyone wear them for pictures.  I didn’t hear nearly as much complaining as I usually do – everyone was laughing too hard. The kids thought it was great and even the guys had fun with it.
Our daughters framing us for the holidays.
It was great to have such a mild holiday weekend where we could spend a lot of time outside and didn’t have to bundle up.  I heard that the weather on the east coast was pretty nasty with a lot of travel delays.  Our turn could be coming.  The temp here today was about 65º F, tomorrow the high is supposed to be about 23º.  
And “breezy” – meaning winds 10 to 25 mph.
And maybe snow.
Lovely.
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”
Desmond Tutu
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A mouse and the moon

A few weeks ago when I posted about a new bookmark I had made the moderator at the 25 Motif Challenge made a comment about the abbreviated version of it, “Does anyone else see a mouse here?”

Another look at the picture I had taken and, sure enough, it looked like a mouse.  I hadn’t even noticed that when I took it.  Then I thought “some eyes, some whiskers, maybe a little nose – it wouldn’t take much to make a mouse.”

After a little tweeking and a few beads, it did.

Introducing Morgan Mouse!

Morgan Mouse © Wanda Salmans 2013

Morgan is made in Lizbeth #131 Vineyard Harvest and #644 Boysenberry Dk, size 20, with three 11/0 black glass beads.  The center is an 8-point finding (doodad) that is about .5 inches (1.27 cm) across.  A flat-backed “diamond” is glued to the center of the doodad.  For anyone that might be interested in the pattern it has been posted to the Pattern tab.

Any of you check out the full moon this weekend?  Did you know it was a “supermoon”?  This weekend the moon passed as close to the earth as it will ever be this year, making the moon look bigger and brighter.  It was very beautiful!

Supermoon Rises Over Chesapeake Bay Beach

People have taken some great pictures of it (not me).  Check out a few of them at http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/24/world/ireport-supermoon-creative-photos
It was so bright that, along with dry conditions, a lot of people worked into the early morning hours harvesting wheat, at least they did around here.  We saw one crew still out at midnight in a field cutting.   We just enjoyed how beautiful the night was ☺
Hickory Dickory Dock
Two mice ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The other escaped with minor injuries.
Check out more verses and alternates here

Of teapots and hearts

For Tatting Tea Tuesday today I’m enjoying my very first Tea-for-One teapot.  My oldest daughter and her family gave it to me for my birthday along with a tin of Tazo Refresh Mint tea, which she knows I like. 

She’s seen that I’ve started drinking more tea in the last few years and supports it by furnishing me tea once in awhile.  This time it was with the whole teapot as well.  She is so sweet!  It’s it pretty?  (I’m going to have to have a slightly larger space to place my tea cup by my tatting chair though – it’s a bit wider than the mugs I usually use.)

Speaking of sweet, Michelle over at Tela Magistrae has recently tatted a couple of my patterns, Christmas Snowflake 2010, which is on my pattern page, and then the heart  that I posted about last week.  She likes the pattern but not the result she got due to the colors she used (it looks white on my computer).  Check it out, I think she did a great job.  Thanks, Michelle!

As the pattern seems to be workable I’m sharing that with everyone now. Check it out on the Patterns page.

Joy’s Heart © Wanda Salmans 2012

There are a couple other hearts that I have made over the last several years that I’m working on the patterns for.  I hope to have them done very soon.  
I invite you to have a cup of tea today for Tatting Tea Tuesday, it will warm your heart. 
I’m a little teapot,
Short and stout,
Here is my handle, 
Here is my spout,
When I get all steamed up, 
Hear me shout,
Tip me up and pour me out!

By George Harold Sanders and Clarence Z. Kelley

Trial and Error

The green mess there in the front?  My attempts at adding a bead to the center of a ring. I watched Marilee’s  video found on her blog, which is very clear and easy to follow, but mine look pretty sad.  This doesn’t show all the rings I broke when trying to close them, just my semi-successful attempts.  I finally decided that if that wasn’t working to try something else, namely trying it with split rings.  This is working much better.  Maybe when I get a little more comfortable with the technique I’ll have better luck with the single-shuttle version. I can dream. 
Speaking of Marilee, have you seen her magnificent Nouveau necklace?  If you haven’t seen it yet you really need to go check it out!
I’ve been working on the pattern for the latest version of barefoot sandals, trying to write out on paper what I did in thread.  My problem is habit -when I tat I don’t think about what shuttle to use, as, this is shuttle #1 and this is shuttle #2, or even this is the pink and this the yellow, I just see which way I want the tatting to go and without thinking too much about it use the shuttle and technique to go that way. Which means when trying to write it out I’m totally lost on when to change shuttles.
I remember seeing how Fox used high-lighters to help her follow a pattern and thought I’d give it a try, too. I  loaded two empty shuttles with thread, added what I  hoped was enough beads and started trying to follow the pattern I jotted down, coloring the lines with the appropriate color as I went.  Coincidentally, the two high-lighters I happened to find were the same colors as my shuttles – how cool it that?   Now to consciously notice which shuttle I am using and mark the paper. So far it seems to be working well. I am, of course, correcting errors as I go and trying to note bead placement and use as well.  I don’t often use beads and I think this is the first time I’ve made them an integral part of the pattern. Lots of new things to try documenting!
I was hoping to have the pattern done by today, but it didn’t happen. I still have quite a ways to go.  I’m going to try hard to have it ready to post by next week, but it all depends on how much time I have to work on it. 
Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I’m enjoying a cup of peach tea.  I’m going to make a second cup now that I’m done with this post and try to get some tatting done. I think I’m going to work on putting beads in the center of the ring again, take a break from the computer for a while.  The pattern work can wait just a little 🙂
“I have failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”
Michael Jordan
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