Tag: shuttle

Getting ready for Tat Days

Tatting Corner’s Tat Days start in just over a week, July 6, 7, & 8. I’m trying to prepare for the classes I will be taking.

Tat Days class descriptions on wandasknottythoughts
Tat Days class descriptions

I’ve been reviewing the project descriptions and lists of what each requires, such as thread color and size, how many shuttles, etc. I have plenty of shuttles but some of them have threads from previous projects still on them. The last week or so I’ve been emptying them by making doodles and small motifs.

Miscellaneous doodles and motifs on wandasknottythoughts
Miscellaneous doodles and motifs

These are a few doodles and such that have come off my shuttles this week. I really need to empty my shuttles when I’m done with a project instead of waiting until I need the shuttles. I had enough shuttles emptied for the upcoming classes when I found more shuttles.

Loaded shuttles on wandasknottythoughts
Loaded shuttles

I don’t know that I’m going to take time to remove all the threads from these before we leave for Indiana, but I know what I should be doing whenever I get the chance. I found a box with loaded shuttles that still has the project attached.

Unfinished mermaid from 2022 Tat Days on wandasknottythoughts
Unfinished Mermaid from 2022 Tat Days

This is the only class project from last year’s Tat Days that I did not finish. Pearl is a cute mermaid, but somewhat complicated. I’m going to try finishing her before we leave. Where the hands are joined is a bit tricky, I might have to ask for help. When finished, she will be a great piece to put on a vest or shirt, or bag for the upcoming cruise in November.

Now I need to go back to list making and bill paying so I am ready to leave at the end of the week. Tat Days, here I come!

“He, who every morning plans the transactions of the day, and follows that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through a labyrinth of the most busy life.” Victor Hugo

A Few Gifts

My mother has been going through her stuff, trying to thin them out. When she finds items she thinks I might like, she gifts them to me. I can’t keep everything she gives me, but I love that she thinks of me and gives me these little things. Recently she gave me a bag with sewing notions.

Sewing notions on wandasknottythoughts
Sewing notions

I’m not sure how old any of these are, but it is obvious they are not new.

Old wooden spools of thread on wandasknottythoughts
Old wooden spools of thread

Check out the cost of two of these spools of thread! The thread is old enough that I expect it would break when sewing with them. I wouldn’t try to use it unless I had to. All of the spools are wooden, which for some reason I just love.

Wooden needle cases on wandasknottythoughts
Wooden needle cases

All three of the wooden needle cases have needles in them. Each is labeled to have three needles inside, which they do, but two cases have five needles. And not all the same size. I do not know if these needles will work in my sewing machine, but I plan to check.

Mom doesn’t know where the needlebook came from, and there is no information on it except what you see. The back of the book looks just like the front.

Inside the needlebook on wandasknottythoughts
Inside the needlebook

Some of the needles have been used and a few are missing. I’m not seeing any needles here that will work for the thread I use in tatting, but I do sew buttons on once in a while, LOL!

My brother-in-law gave me a pretty cool gift recently. He knew it was something I wouldn’t use, but he thought it was funny.

Weaving shuttle on wandasknottythoughts
Weaving shuttle

According to Google, this is a wooden weaving shuttle. Check out how big it is! I have included the ruler and two tatting shuttles to show just how large it is. It does look like there is something broken on it. But it’s a cool gift. I think it will be a great decoration in my craft room.

I haven’t gotten much tatting done lately. Or much done on my patterns, either. I’m hoping to get back into both soon. I have gotten a bit of motivation from a couple of emails about preparation for Tatting Corning’s Tat Days in July. This is happening in three weeks! I need to start getting my tatting organized for the classes I’m taking.

“There is only one real deprivation… and that is not to be able to give one’s gifts to those one loves most.” May Sarton

Beautiful New Shuttle

I collect shuttles when I can. Sometimes my husband surprises me with one – or two – and has even made me several. The most recent shuttle I purchased is from Shuttle By Design.

Helping Hands shuttle by Shuttles by Design on wandasknottythoughts
Helping Hands shuttle by Shuttles by Design

Rita Richmond does such spectacular work, doesn’t she? This shuttle was designed as a fundraiser for Lisa Adams and her husband Chuck, who recently underwent bypass surgery. Lisa is the owner of Tatting Corner in Chesterfield, Indiana, and Rita has designed and made this shuttle and donated some of the proceeds to help them out.

This is a Moonlit shuttle, decorated with a beautiful design by Rita. I purchased one to both help Lisa and be able to tat with such a lovely shuttle. I just got it in the mail yesterday and am looking forward to tatting with it.

I have not finished writing out the pattern for the Arches Over Arches doily. I am having difficulty diagramming it. I am still working on it and think I am going in the right direction now, so hopefully it will go faster. Maybe, maybe.

“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.” Milton Glaser

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/milton_glaser_170011?src=t_design

A pretty teacup

This was supposed to be posted yesterday for Tatting Tea Tuesday but I have lost my photo editor on my computer. I tried re-installing it but I can’t find the disk.  So instead of several pictures I have one.
I was in a local antique store/flea market a couple of weeks ago and saw this pretty teacup.  It has no markings on the bottom to indicate maker or anything else but I thought it was pretty and so elegant looking.  So I brought it home.  I think I should dress up and wear a hat to drink tea out of this, don’t you?
Lizbeth size 20 in #617 Magenta Med and #644 Boysenberry Dk
I was inspired to make a doily to go along with the teacup.  I think I chose the colors at night with bad lighting as they don’t match the cup like I thought they did.  Oops.
The first seven rounds of this doily went pretty smoothly but the last two took forever!  I just couldn’t get it to do what I wanted it to. I kept changing my mind on those last two rounds, which probably took as long to tat as all the others put together. And I think I should have reduced the stitch count on the last round.  The doily ended up being just over seven inches across when finally finished.  It had to be blocked a lot before it would stay flat, due, I’m sure, to those last two rounds of (mostly) chains.  I’m thinking of doing it again in different colors and changing the stitch count in a couple of places. And maybe the dark thread at the center.
The shuttle is made of horn.  I haven’t tatted much with it as it’s pretty slick, I keep dropping it.  It is marred on both sides though I’m not sure how that happened.  It is still a pretty shuttle.  
There hasn’t been much tatting in the last week and I’m not sure there will be much in the next week.  There are a lot of family things going on and it’s hard to tat with a lap full of children.  I’m not complaining.  I’ll just smile and sip my tea.
“When in doubt drink tea”

New shuttle

My sweet husband surprised me with a new shuttle. It looks better in person than in the picture.
It feels wonderful and is a very nice size, but the tips are very tight.  I even tried size 70 thread, which I very rarely tat with, and it was too tight for that as well.  I’ll have to fix that before I can tat with it, but isn’t it pretty?
My husband is so thoughtful!

Garage sale find

I don’t go to many garage sales, but my mother does. She goes garage saling almost every weekend.  You never know what you’re going to find at them – sometimes nothing worth bringing home, other times treasure!
(This picture was supposed to be landscape, but Blogger decided otherwise!)

My mother found the white shuttle in a box that was given away at the end of a sale because they didn’t want to have to take it back in the house.  They may not have even known what it was.  
I put it beside a clover shuttle to show the size.  I should have put it next to a Boye shuttle (found one in my stash after I took the picture) as it’s similar in shape and only about 1/4 inch shorter than a Boye. It’s smooth and light. As you can see it is extremely over loaded with thread, which looks to be size 80 in a variegated white/pink. The tips are together at both ends, so the over-loading has not damaged it yet. I tatted a quick ring with it and found it to tat quite nicely.  There are no markings on it to indicate a brand.  I also don’t think it is an antique.  But it is a really nice find! 
Thanks, Mom!
“A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.”  George Carlin

My new shuttle


This is the shuttle my husband made for me for Christmas. So why haven’t I posted about it yet? Well, it wasn’t quite done. He hadn’t gotten the engraving or the finish on until last week. And then my picture wouldn’t post right. But here it is at last!The shuttle is made from oak, and the point is very sharp. It has a rather tall post in it, and overall it is a little thicker than most of the shuttles I’m used to tatting with. It has the year on one side (2009) and my initials on the other. When I added some thread to give it a try we found out the points were a little too tight and had to be sanded down just a touch. I’ll have to get used to the added height but it will hold a lot of thread.

Isn’t my hubby such a sweetie? I do believe I’ll keep him another 30 years.

If you remember from last week, I had trouble posting a picture. I finally just used another picture because I couldn’t get the other one to sit straight, it was rotated 90 degrees. The engraving isn’t quite as readable in this picture, but you can see it.

I’m wondering if part of the problem wasn’t my camera. The computer couldn’t even recognize the camera was connected last week and had a tendency to shut off. I thought it was just me not doing something right, but it was the camera. We took it in to see what was wrong and they sent it out for repair. It’s not supposed to be back until next week. I’m hoping for an early return but I’m not holding my breath.

I’m working on an exchange piece for Intatters. We’re doing pendants. I’ve not really done jewelry, so we’ll see how it comes out. I haven’t decided on a pattern yet. I’ll probably try to use beads, which I don’t use much of, but I think it will really help on a pendant. I’ll share what I come up with after it’s received by whomever I’m set up with. Let’s hope my camera is back by then!!

I didn’t get much tatting done this Tatting Tea Tuesday because I did something I very rarely do – I slept late! Very late. I had a bad night last night, nothing bad, just not able to sleep. When I finally got to sleep it was after 4:30 AM or so. This doesn’t happen often, which is good, but it makes for a very short day when it happens. I hoping tonight is better!

I hope all of you have a wonderful week.