Last Tatting Tea Tuesday of 2009

Amazing, isn't it? This is the last Tatting Tea Tuesday of 2009. On this cold and gray day I'm having a cup of green tea, trying to stay warm and cozy. After a couple of nice days the weather turned cold again, with snow flurries. Here we go again?

Did everyone have a happy Christmas? It's hard to believe that it has come and gone already! We had a wonderful Christmas with both our daughters and their families. Christmas eve didn't go quite as planned, though. The weather got a bit worse here than was predicted and we had white-out, near blizzard conditions though not all that much snow. It did mean that our oldest couldn't make it out until Christmas day. But that was great!

I haven't gotten much tatting done this week with all the family things going on. The snowflake in the picture is one of the few, made in Lizbeth size 20. It's a modification of another one, but I like the hearts around the edge. I guess as Christmas is past I should start working on a few other things. The question is which one? I've been so busy getting ready for the holidays that I'm having a hard time getting past it. I think I need to make a list of my other projects I need to do so I can get back on track in the New Year.

Have you made any New Year's resolutions? I haven't - yet. I think I need to make a few, or at least one. Like write out the patterns for a few pieces I've designed this year.

'Twas the Tuesday before Christmas...

And all through the house,

Everyone was stirring,

Even the mouse!

It's just a few days before Christmas and there still seems to be so much to do! That last little gift needs to be wrapped, the final snowflake needs to be finished, the last bit of shopping to do. Is there anyone I forgot?
These are a few of the last snowflakes I've been making to give to close friends and family. They take that little bit of extra time to put them in the ring, so mostly they'll be given Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Most of them are not "Christmas-y" in color, so could be hung out all year. Yeah, yeah, they're not too late. Really.

And this one is an oopsie. I started the center while we were driving (not me, I was the passenger!) and got a little distracted. I finished the center and had started the outside when I noticed things were not going together like they were supposed to. Then I realized I hadn't made the correct number of picots in the center. *Uh oh!* But, as I was already started on the outside, I just went with it. Okay, it's not fancy or anything, but I don't think it's a waste of thread. It has a nice, frilly look. I think it's a keeper.

We're going to have a full house for the next week. My daughter from D.C. and her family are flying in tomorrow evening. There was a chance the weather here would be bad, but now they're saying the worst is going to miss us. For once I'm glad they are saying that, here at least, we're probably not going to have a white Christmas, or at least the Wednesday before Christmas won't be! I don't want them delayed or stranded. The airport in D.C. has dug it's way out of all the snow they had, I would hate to have them fly into another snowbound airport!

Our other daughter is local so doesn't have to worry about travel so much. They'll be coming out on Christmas Eve and then again Christmas night. Both grandsons to play with and spoil (only a little!) oh, boy!! :- )

Over the next few days we will be having several family get-togethers, the church program and an anniversary party. Lots of family and friends to be with, plenty of food to eat, and oodles of love to share. It's going to be a wonderful Christmas!

I hope that all of you have a joyous Christmas, spend time with those you love, and be safe in all of your travels. I saw a wonderful quote the other day that I'll leave you with:

"May Peace be your gift at Christmas and a blessing throughout the year." author Unknown

Tatting Tea Tuesday December 15, 2009

I'm still doing snowflakes. I have a couple of other things I should be doing, but I just don't seem to get started! Oh, well. Everything will get done, or it won't. I think I'll have another cup of tea and try not to worry about it.

Last time I told you about an old snowflake that I had found and showed a modified version of it. Today I have the old one, and a couple of modified ones. No, the old one didn't get a bath (another of those things I was going to do and never got started). It's the one on the bottom right. You can see the difference between the old and the new. I like the old one, I just don't want to have that many ends to hide!

We've had a very busy week around the house and with family. It seems that there are always at least two different things we should be doing at any given time. And it's not just getting ready for Christmas, it's the everyday things. Sometimes I just have to slow down and take a breath. And make choices as to what gets done and what doesn't. So this is going to be very short today.

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday season. Enjoy your families, remember the reason for the season, and have a Merry Christmas!

A Snowy Tatting Tea Tuesday

It's snowing!
Okay, sometimes it's sleeting and then sometimes it's raining - but then it's snowing!
There's only a couple of inches on the ground right now, though they are predicting that we'll get a couple more before the night is over. Farther south, where I work, they got more ice than snow. Which will make it fun getting to and from work. Just looking out the window at all that snow makes me think of Christmas-y things but it also makes me cold. So I made myself a nice, hot cup of green tea and sat back for a few minutes to tat.

This week I found a snowflake I made some years ago (I don't know how many, but I'm thinking at least 10). It has some yellow spots and isn't quite the cleanest because it was in the bottom of the the box of Christmas decorations. It is an interesting pattern in that it has a lot of ends to hide. Looking it over I couldn't see how to make it without all those ends. But I liked the look so modified it a bit. The two on the right are what I came up with. They are made with Lizbeth color 102 (I think it's Western Sunset) in size 20. One was made with SCMRs and one with two shuttles. Can you tell which one is which? I'm counting these two as my 4th motif in my second round of the 25 Motif Challenge.

I didn't post a picture of the original because I got in a hurry and forgot to take a picture of it. I'll try to share it later, maybe after it gets a bath.

The one on the left I designed in September.
It's done in the same thread as the others and I think it looks pretty good in this color. I've been going back and forth between white snowflakes and colorful snowflakes. I'll empty my shuttles of one and try another and then back to white. There is just something about a white snowflake, no matter how pretty they look in colors, that appeals to me.

I think I'll check outside now and see if there is more of the real thing coming down!

Wishing everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas season.

Secret Santa Exchange

At InTatters we had a Secret Santa exchange. The person you were sending to didn't know who you were and they weren't the one you were getting a package from. As this is through the mail it's a little hard to be anonymous when you sent it, but they wouldn't know who you were until they got your package. I'd never done an exchange like this before and it was fun!

Among other things, I sent my partner this Christmas-colored doily. I can post now as I know that she received it. I think it looks pretty good in these colors as well as the fall colors I did it in last time. This went to Tarie in Arizona. I hope she likes it :-)



These wonderful items are what I received from My Secret Santa.
IcePrincess from Germany sent me all these wonderful things. There is a handmade shuttle with blue leaves, a Celtic style cross bookmark, a wooden "W" on a keyring, and some beautiful red/blue/purple beads. The card has a hand made paper seal with an angel on it. Thank you so much IcePrincess, I love what you sent to me! A very lovely way to start the Christmas season.

There was some debate on InTatters if we should wait 'til Christmas to open our packages. It was obvious that most of us didn't wait, or want to wait! It would be rude not to let the 'Santa" know that you received and liked what you got, wouldn't it??? Well, I think so! Besides, I think most of us still have that little kid inside that doesn't want to wait!

This exchange has really gotten me into the Christmas spirit and gotten me motivated to put out the Christmas tree and decorate the house. And start playing the Christmas music! I love to sing along to the carols and songs that I know.

Wishing all of you a wonderful and blessed Christmas season!

Tatting Tea Tuesday with snowflakes

Do any of these look familiar? They should.
What, I'm showing pictures of the same ones over again?
No. Well, except for one that was half finished the last time.
I invite you to make yourself a cup of tea, take up your tatting and sit back while I explain myself.

This is the time of year that I try to make snowflakes to go in my Christmas cards. Yes, I should of had most of them done by now, but I never do. It seems I have to really get in the Christmas mood before I can get into gear to make them. So, sometime after Thanksgiving. Okay, to make enough of them for the cards. Before this I have a hard time buckling down to do this as there are so many things that would be so wonderful to make for gifts or new patterns to try or... Well, you get the picture. Distractions. But about now I realize that if I don't get with it, they don't get done!

The trick to getting them made quickly, at least for me, is to make the same ones over and over. That way I don't have to keep referring to a pattern and I know exactly what I have to take with me to tat on the go. It sometimes seems that I don't have to do a lot of thinking about them while I'm tatting, either. My mind can move on to other things, like what am I going to get the grandsons for Christmas. (Or, what am I going to limit myself to getting for the grandsons!) And then I get done however many get done.

In the spirit of snowflakes, Christmas and giving, I'm posting the pattern for the larger snowflake. It's for all of you, but especially Tatskool, as she asked for it. As always, I'm the only one that's made it yet, so the pattern may have a few oopsies in it. Please watch out for them and let me know if any of them get you.

September 2009 Snowflake
2 shuttles
R=ring; Ch=chain; - = picot, the longer the line, the longer the picot; +=join; RW=reverse work; DNRW=do not reverse work; . =close; Sht1=shuttle 1; Sht2=shuttle 2; SR= split ring

Center
R 2-2-2-2-2-2 climb out of R with mock picot. (Alternate: finish with -2, cut and tie.)

Inside
SR Sht1 3, Sht2 3. RW (Alternate:start Inside with Sht1 R 3+3 to a p of Center.)
Sht1 Ch 2-2 RW
*R 3+3 to next p of center. RW
Ch 5-2--2---2--2-5 RW
R 3+3 to same p of center. RW
Ch 2-2 RW*
Repeat between * 4 times then

R 3+3 to next p of center. RW
Ch 5-2--2---2--2-5
Join to base of SR

Outside
Sht1 R 3+3 to 5th p of last Ch of Inside. DNRW
R 3+3 to p of next Ch of Inside. DNRW
R 3+3 to 1st p of next Ch of Inside. RW
Ch 5-6-2--2-6 DNRW
Sht2 R 3-2--2---2--2-3. DNRW
Sht1 Ch 6-2--2-6-5
#R 3+3 to 5th p of same Ch of Inside. DNRW
R 3+3 to p of next Ch of Inside. DNRW
R 3+3 to 1st p of next Ch of Inside. RW
Ch 5+6-2--2-6 to last p of prev Ch DNRW
Sht2 R 3-2-2---2--2-3. DNRW
Sht1 Ch 6-2--2-6-5 RW#
Repeat between # 4 times then
Ch 6-2--2---2--2-6+5 to 1st p of 1st Ch of Outside.
Join to base of 1st R.

Good luck! And if any body makes one, I'd love to hear about it!

'Sunflower' doily

Earlier this year I designed a small doily that I call Arches over Arches. For my blogoversary giveaway I made the doily in Lizbeth Falling Leaves size 20. This thread has such a wonderful fall look. I was then inspired to put a brown center in it.

And this is how it turned out.

Doesn't it remind you of a sunflower?

I hadn't posted this earlier because I wanted to make sure the winner of my giveaway - Trayna - had received it before I shared it here. It was hard to wait! I really like how this turned out : )

And now fall is almost over and it's time to think of Christmas and winter weather.
Today is supposed to be the last really nice day for awhile. Sunny, not too windy and pleasant temperatures. After today the temperatures will return to a more normal range - in the 40's - so we are planning to put out our Christmas lights this morning. Not that we put out a lot of lights, but I would much rather do this when the weather is mild and then enjoy them when it's cold and snowy!

And then it's back to tatting snowflakes. Between the colder weather and the Christmas lights, it should really get me feeling festive!

Thanksgiving is here, and then comes Christmas

Yesterday, as I was getting home from work (late, late) I realized I had missed having tea with everyone for Tatting Tea Tuesday. It didn't dawn on me until then that it was even Tuesday! I'm sorry I missed it! I hope every one had a nice cup of tea and enjoyed a little tatting.

Here in the States tomorrow is Thanksgiving, also commonly known as turkey day because the traditional main meal of the day is centered around a turkey, be it roasted, fried or smoked. I don't want to forget the reason for this holiday, which is to remember all the things we have to be thankful for and give thanks for them. I'm very thankful for my wonderful family - the kids, the aunts and uncles, cousins, parents, and of course, my very loving husband. I'm thankful for the great friends that we have, many of them so close as to be like family themselves. Even though I've been known to complain about the long hours that we've had to work this year, I'm very thankful that I have a job during this time when many people don't. And I'm very thankful for the Internet, that I can share my love of tatting with people no matter how far away from me they are and meet new friends that share that same passion. I have much to be thankful for!

After Thanksgiving comes Christmas, very close around the corner. Among other things, I've been working on snowflakes. I try to send one in each of my Christmas cards to close friends and family, and make it different every year. This year I'm working on these two. The finished multi-colored snowflake is made with a pattern I've posted about previously here . I'll probably put it in a bangle for people I hand deliver cards to, but probably not for the ones I'll mail, as I'm not sure it would mail nicely.

The white one is new this year, too. I very much like the looks of this one, and it's pretty quick and easy to make. I'm trying it in the multi-colored thread as well. At least on this background it's not showing up as well as I'd like. I've found that I love the look of this thread, but what background to use for pictures? The white one is made in DMC size 20, the others in Lizbeth Christmas Delight size 20. I'm counting the white snowflake as my third motif in my second round of the 25 Motif Challenge.

I got a nice surprise from my mother yesterday. She's been doing a lot of cleaning, getting rid of things she doesn't use or need any more. She found a stack of old Workbasket magazines that she gave to me for the tatting patterns! These are mostly from 1987 and 1988, with one from 1989. Isn't she sweet to think of me? She was concerned I already had different patterns for some of the things in them - cross bookmark, hearts, etc. - until I explained to her that wasn't a problem. Who wouldn't want a variety of edgings, bookmarks, hearts, and the like?

I remember back in the day when the Workbasket was one place you could find tatting patterns. There weren't nearly the amount of books available as there are now, and no Internet to find patterns on-line. Of course, the patterns are written in long hand, so can be somewhat hard to follow. But, hey, in those days I didn't complain because this was all I knew, and who would I complain to? I didn't know any other tatters! I did make a few notes here and there in my short hand - much closer to how a lot of patterns are written now! One more thing to be thankful for :-)

Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Home again, home again, jiggety jig - with butterflies and snow

We made it home at last, in time for Tatting Tea Tuesday. I say it that way because who doesn't sleep better in their own bed? I had a wonderful time in Washington, DC and loved the visit with my daughter and her family. Though I didn't get to see a lot of the sights of the area - at least up close and personal - it was an enjoyable vacation, too. But it is nice to be home again.

For the last two weeks the tatting I've gotten done has been in a limited number of colors because I didn't take a large variety of thread. I really didn't anticipate getting a lot done. Which I didn't. What I did get done was simple patterns that I didn't have to concentrate on too much. Between taking care of the grandson (ooh, so sweet!) and meeting new people (daughters' in-laws), seeing the area, and then the long trip home, my mind wasn't into thinking hard. So what has been posted and these few butterflies and the heart are the entire amount of tatting I've done in two weeks.

The heart is again Tracy's Heart by Heather, done in Lizbeth thread size 20 black and Victorian Red. I used two shuttles and adjusted the pattern just a little so the bottom ring was in black instead of red.

The butterflies are based on a pattern by Monica Mancenido, aka soyloquesoy, found on Intatters. It's a simple little butterfly with a simple little stitch count. I decided to make it, but wasn't on-line and hadn't really checked the stitch count. So what I got are the butterflies you see. The one top left is the closest to her original pattern - not quite, but close - and then the top right with a lot of picots on the outside. The two bottom ones I added the thrown off ring for a head as well as more picots. They are all done in Falling Leaves Lizbeth size 20. Another cute way to use the last of the thread on a shuttle.

I'm enjoying a nice cup of hot tea today (mint), much needed as the weather is pretty chilly. The thermometer says it's 39 degrees F but it's gray and cold-looking outside. The last few days in Washington were wet with the tail end of Ida causing lots of rain but they are now enjoying nice, sunny weather. We come home to snow flurries and rain. Ahh *sipping tea* but it is nice to be home, no matter the weather.

Tatting Tea Tuesday with IsDihara

I'm still here in Washington, DC, with my daughter and her family. Shortly after I got here I received an email from IsDihara. As she lives close by, she asked if I'd like to me her. !!! Of course! To meet another tatter and one who blogs as well - oh, yeah!

We didn't meet right away because I was here to help my daughter after she had surgery. By this week she was feeling much better and ready to get out of the house. So I emailed IsDihara and we arranged to me at the Potomac Mills Mall. And on Tuesday, no less!

Here we are, IsDihara on the left, me on the right, having a cup of tea. As neither of us knew what the other looked like it was like, how will we know who the other is? As I knew we (my daughter, her baby and my husband) were there first I figured the easiest way to let her know that it was me was to pull out my shuttles. So there we sat, in the food court of the mall, me tatting away. She had no trouble finding me!

I was so glad we could meet! As my daughter said to me later, IsDihara and I could have spent all afternoon talking. And she brought me the prize I won from her Halloween giveaway! How fortuitous is that!
Isn't this pretty? This isn't the best picture - it's wonderful in person. It has a tatted pumpkin edging around it and the front has a pumpkin. Check out her blog Ambitatterous, I think her picture is better.

It was a great afternoon, a wonderful Tatting Tea Tuesday!

I have gotten a little tatting done. As I'm away from home I only have a few colors to work with so I've been doing a lot in the Lizbeth Falling Leaves in size 20. These two butterflies are my pattern, with Lizbeth size 20 black as the body and the edging. The heart is Tracy's Heart, by Heather from The Tarnished Tatter, in the same threads. This heart is easy to do and will come in handy for notes and letters and such.

This has been a great week here with my daughter and her family. And a little extra bonus meeting another tatting blogger! And I've even seen a little of Washington - more tomorrow, I hope!

Happy Tatting everyone!

Adventures in Traveling

On my trip to Washington, DC I had to change planes at O'Hare airport in Chicago. I'd never been there before. I was fortunate to have enough time to get from one terminal to the other without rushing. I just followed the signs and had no trouble finding the other gate.

It's amazing what you'll find in airports. I certainly didn't expect what I saw. And I just had to take a picture.

This was by the gift kiosk for the museum. Pretty cool, isn't it? It was a surprise to me!

I've gotten very little tatted this week. I've been chasing a little boy for a week - makes it a little hard to tat! I have taken a little time during his naps and such to get a little work done but nothing that takes a lot of concentration in case I have to put it down suddenly. I'll take some pictures in the next day or so of what I've gotten done and post later.

The sun has finally come out here in DC, and the temperatures are supposed to be a little warmer, too. We're hoping to go to park today. Oh, boy, that will be fun!

Tatting Tea Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

I'm having tea in Washington, D.C today.

What am I doing there, you ask? Well, one of my daughters was having surgery and I came out to help for a few days. The surgery was nothing serious - if you can call any surgery not serious - but she would be down for a few days and the grandbaby is not quite one year old. Can you imagine trying to keep up with an eleven month old when you're supposed to take it easy? Not possible! So I flew out to help her out.

The surgery went well, so at least that is now off our minds. And she's getting along pretty well, which is great. And being here with the baby is lots of fun. Okay, I love seeing my daughter and son-in-law, too, but babies are babies and they don't stay that way very long. You gotta grab the chances when you can to enjoy them!

I haven't had a lot of time to tat - the baby moves pretty fast, gotta keep up - but I did get a couple of hearts made, one on the plane on the way out. I'm doing these hearts for Heather at the Tarnished Tatter. She has a friend, Tracy, who is having a double mastectomy on November 11. Heather is a great friend, helping out in a wonderful way. She has designed a tatted heart which she invites others to make and send to her so she can give them to Tracy with words of encouragement before and after the surgery. I'm sending these to her to help out.

I'm counting this as my second motif in my second round of the 25 Motif Challenge.

I'm hoping to see a few of the sights while I'm here in DC. So far I haven't really been out of the house yet, but I'll be here for a little more than a week. The other night when I got in it was raining, besides being late. There is suppose to be some sun before I go, and I'm hoping there will be some of the fall colors left, too.

Whether I see very much of the area or not, at least I get to visit with the family for a little while. That definately makes the trip great!

And the winner is.....

Okay, you've waited a-l-l day with bated breath to see who won my giveaway.

You've waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

You may have thought I had forgotten.

You may have wondered if maybe the site had problems and didn't update.

Well, wonder no more. 

The wait is over. 

You can breathe now, the winner has been chosen.

I gave the name of each person who entered a number.  I used a random number generator to choose one number.

And the winner is.....

******

*****

****

***

**

*

(Would you like to know what took so long?  It was a long day where things didn't go quite as planned.  I meant to do this first thing, but then....)

Oh, all right already!   

I'll tell you who won!

The winner is

Trayna!

Congratulations, Tayna!  You have won a wonderful box of goodies from me! 

Thank you everyone that entered.  I've had a lot of fun trying to figure out what the prize was going to be.  I'm hoping Trayna enjoys getting it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

As this is so late I'm not sure I'm going to be posting tomorrow for Tatting Tea Tuesday.  It's going to be another very busy day.  But I plan on having at least one cup of tea, tatting for at least a few minutes (it will probably be in the car!) and maybe have a little chocolate. I envite all of you to join me tomorrow for a little communi-tea and do a little tatting of your own and take a minute for yourself with a cup of tea (or coffee, or hot chocolate, or hot apple cider, or coke or pepsi - okay, the beverage of your choice!)

Happy Tatting everyone!

Tatting Tea Tuesday in Kansas City

Monday I took my mother to Kansas City for surgery that was scheduled for this morning. There was a lot of time spent in waiting rooms today. During which time I was mostly tatting.  I'm probably going to regret it tomorrow as I didn't take very many breaks. But I did get a lot done. And had a couple of cups of tea while I was at it.

What I spent my time on was a technique that was  mentioned on InTatters the other day. I saw a thread about using the Larks Head Picot Join as described by Lily Morales. Patty D had some great pictures she shared about when to use it and put up a link to the directions. 

Now I have been using a lot of variageted thread lately which leads to joins that either look wrong or have a spec of the wrong color showing.  Not liking the look much, I definitely had to try this out.

For my practice piece I chose to do the heart in "The Gentle Art of Tatting Pattern Book 1" by Patricia A. Rizzo.  It's a book of easy pieces, but I thought this would be a great pattern, not having to think too much about the pattern so I could concentrate on the technique.  I made it in "Falling Leaves" Lizbeth thread in size 20.  Isn't it a pretty color?

I did get the idea of the LHPJ pretty quickly, but doing it consistantly was not so easy.  One time I would get it, the next time I'd pull the wrong threads and just tie a hard-to-get-out knot.  I think I'm getting better - at least until the next time I try it!

I'm going to count this heart as the first motif of my second round of the 25 Motif Challenge, because it definately was a challenge!

Look what I got!

See what came the other day?

A box of Lizbeth thread from Handy Hands! Whoopee!

This is all size 20, mostly solid colors. To coordinate with some of the variegated colors that I bought last time. Don't they just look yummy?

I did get a couple of variegated threads, like Western Sunset. It sounded so pretty I just had to get some. Not sure what I'll make with it, but I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Lizbeth has just wonderful colors. I usually buy just one or two balls at a time, but if you have to pay for shipping, you might as well buy enough to get free shipping, don't you think?

Now I'm going to have a hard time deciding which color to use first! I did have a thought, though - maybe I should make samples with each of the colors. I'd have a thread and a size sample and I'd get to use all of the colors soon! Okay, I'd have to wrap shuttles a lot, but I'm sure I could figure out just how much each sample takes and only wrap that much. Hmm, I'll definitely have to think on that.

The candle on the table is "Pumpkin Spice" and it smells wonderful! It makes the house smell sooo good. It is an inspiration to use those fall colored threads that I just bought - like I need any more incentive!

Don't forget to leave a comment if you want to enter my giveaway. One more week!

And check out LadyShuttleMakers giveaway, too. She's also shared pictures of her "Girl Cave" - I want one!

The good and the not-so-good.

This week has had it's good moments and it's bad. Let's start with the good. I won Isdihara's Fractured Quotes: "Knot-TEA" Parody & GIVEAWAY! This was a lot of fun to enter. She asked that you write a 'fractured' quote about tatting and tea, based on a quote, to enter. I wrote a couple, not necessarily that good but they were fun to come up with.

Now for the not-so-good. I've worked on several pieces this week. And none of them have turned out like I planned. The above is one of them. Can anyone see what's wrong with the unfinished piece on the right?

The problem started because I started the piece with a different size thread than I've used before. In the past I've made it with size 10 but this time I thought I'd use the size 20 Lizbeth I just bought. Nothing wrong with that - I knew it would be a little smaller. And I added another ring to make it bigger. One ring. That doesn't work with the rows that follow. So, I had to start it over. **sigh**

I also was going to make a cross bookmark for friend. I probably still will, but I mis-counted the repeats in the long arm and made it too short. **sigh** There should still be enough thread on the shuttle to start over.

I think I just need to slow down a little, sip a little tea, and do it right the first time!

My first giveaway!

Yes, it's true, I'm having my first giveaway. Why, you ask?

Believe it or not, I've been blogging for a year come the 26th of October! And I thought I'd celebrate by giving away some goodies!

As this is my first ever I'm keeping it simple (I hope!)

All it takes is posting a comment on any of my posts, starting with this one, through midnight October 25, central time, and asking to be entered into the drawing. One entry per person.

The winner will be chosen randomly from all of the qualified entries. On October 26th I will announce the winner here.

I think that's all. Good luck!

There are a lot of giveaways out there right now. Check out LadyShuttleMaker's Mondo Monday giveaway at http://ladyshuttlemaker.blogspot.com/; Wickedtats Halloween giveaway at http://wickedtats.blogspot.com/; and Isdihara's Fractured Quotes giveaway at http://ambitatterous.blogspot.com/. These are all pretty cool, don't miss them!

Tatting Tea Tuesday with Sophie and giveaways

Who is Sophie, you ask? 'Sophie' is the pattern I chose to make for the InTatters October Tatting Challenge. This example of Sophie, here with my pink ribbon mug - for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - is not my entry to the challenge. I made this with a thread that I like very much, thank you, but I was having trouble with my project, so made it first in this. It's DMC Perle Cotton, color 115, size 8.

Below is my entry for the challenge. It is made with Knit-Cro-Sheen size 10 in Deep Coral. The Challenge is to use a thread you don't like or don't use and I don't use this kind of thread any more. There are too many threads out there that are much nicer for tatting with (anyone heard of Lizbeth?). This thread is something I must have picked up some time ago. I don't know why I have this thread - it's not my color really - or why two balls of it. I must have had something in mind when I bought it but I have no idea what it was.

The problem I was having was actually with the pattern. It's by Lyn Morton of Tatting & Design, which I found a link to in the pattern library on InTatters. The problem? It's written in long form with lots of words. I found it a little hard to follow. Of course, if anyone has noticed, I make a lot of things with my own patterns, which means I just have to figure out what I meant and not what someone else might mean.

So I took a few minutes and wrote it out in shorter form then made it with a thread I like working with so I could concentrate more on the pattern than the thread. I thought it came out great! (I won't mention that I forgot the last chain of 10 ds - good thing I cut my tails long - but I didn't mention it, shhh!)

I have no idea what I'll do with these, but they came out looking pretty good, even the one in Coral.

Did everyone see that LadyShuttleMaker is having a giveaway? If you haven't seen it yet, or haven't posted a comment yet this week check her blog out here.

And Wickedtats is also having a giveaway! Check out her blog here.

Good luck to everyone in the giveaways. I think they're contagious, because I'll be having one this month, too! Check back for more details.

LadyShuttleMakers Weekly Monday Mondo Giveaway

LadyShuttleMaker is having a giveaway and the more people who enter the more prizes she gives away. Wow, what a concept! I've finally got her banner on the right side of my blog, but it doesn't take you there (my bad), but this will! She has some awesome stuff she's giving away, including, sometimes, her HDT (hand dyed thread)! I've not bought any yet (I hear it's very addictive!) but others say it's wonderful, and I would love to try it. This may be my chance!

Tatting Tea Tuesday Sept. 29,2009

I'm sitting here with my feet up with a cup of tea realizing I have no pictures for today :( I'm tatting something a little bigger than the snowflakes and bookmarks I've been doing the last several weeks and have not taken pictures of it yet.

I enjoy Tatting Tea Tuesdays, sharing a few moments of tatting with others who may also be having a cup of tea while they are tatting somewhere in the world. Not quite the same as being in the same place, but still a feeling of belonging. Kind of a virtual tea party.

I happened across a site this week about having tea parties. We're talking proper tea parties where you dress up and have fancy cups and saucers and everything. Some of these sound like fun - a lot of work, though. They are like our communi-tea in that after your tea party you share it online with others. If you're interested in learning about how to give a fancy tea party check out Sandy's Tea Society. She even has books on how to do it right.

One day, if we ever get our house updated like we want, this might be fun. Until then, I'll stick with our Tatting Tea Tuesdays - I get to have my feet up and I don't have to clean the house!

Wickedtats Hallowversary Giveaway

Check it out! Wickedtats is having a Hallowversary Giveaway on her blot at http://wickedtats.blogspot.com. It looks like fun. Why not hop over there and see what she's giving away?

I missed it! Sort of.

Yesterday I got up, fixed a cup of tea, put my feet up and tatted for a little while. In fact, I kept tatting when I should have been writing this! I did finally put down the shuttles, but then it was time for work. Which was a very long day, so I didn't have time to post after work. It was Tuesday, I had tea and I tatted, I just didn't get it posted for Tatting Tea Tuesday. So, just for a minute, pretend it's yesterday, have another cup of tea and see what I was doing.

I've been making snowflakes in both white and colors. The one in the bangle is, of course, Lizbeth thread size 20 in Caribbean (surprise!). The white one is in DMC size 20 Cebelia and the other one is Lizbeth size 20 in Christmas Delight. (Okay, the paperclip has a horse on it - they're fun to make and I had to try it in this color!)

I had a terrible time finding a background for these in the short amount of time I had yesterday -oops, that's today, I mean. At least they show up.

I have several projects that I need to start but keep on with the snowflakes and bookmarks. They are so quick I feel I'm getting a lot done with the time I have to tat. Still working a lot of overtime so I don't have a lot of energy to think up the next thing. It's easier to keep doing what I'm already doing, momentum I guess.

Thanks for joining me for my Tuesday Tea and tatting, even if it was a day late. I'll try to be on time next week!

Grandma's tea cup and a new bookmark

Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I used a cup and saucer that belonged to my grandmother, the one who taught me to tat. I've always loved this golden tea set. It looks so rich and elegant. And it really looks good with that bookmark, don't you think?

The bookmark is new this week. The center is entwined together before it's joined at the last clover. I've seen something like it somewhere but I don't remember where. Thank you, who ever you are, for a great idea. My husband really likes the look.

This one is made with Lizbeth thread "Springtime" in size 20. And it does look like springtime! I also made one in Lizbeth "Caribbean" with black on the outside. That looked pretty good, too.

This should be #25 of my 25 Motif Challenge. That is a wonderful site. They gather together what other bloggers have done, which is great so you don't miss some wonderful work. I might just have to start it again!

I hope everyone had a few minutes to enjoy a little tatting and a cup of tea. It really is a great idea.

Tatting Tea Tuesday September 8, 2009

It's Tatting Tea Tuesday again. Today I'm working on snowflakes.

All of these snowflakes are my patterns, the two smallest ones are from a design made last week.

All of these are made with DMC Cordonnet Special white in size 30. I'm planning on doing a few in colors as well, but I'm doing the ones I know people expect first - you know, white. But they do look good in white.

I found some bangle bracelets in gold and in silver. I thought I'd try putting some tatting in a few. I'm not much on working with beads but I might even try a few with beads - maybe. I'm sure they would really be eye-catching, I'm just a little lazy. You'll see them if I do any.

Now, back to the white thread and more snowflakes.

Work, work and very little time to play

It's inventory time where I work. And that means I got to change hours for a week, oh yeah. Instead of working a late shift it's really early AM to whenever we get to a stopping place. Doesn't that sound like fun? (NOT)

No, I'm not counting widgets. My department along with maintenance is doing some major line changes that have to be done before the plant returns to production next Wednesday. Between the change in sleep hours and the long work days I am pretty much done when I get home. Not very conducive to getting any tatting done.


I did get these snowflakes done. I know it's not the best picture, but I just wanted to sit down and put my feet up, so this is as good as it gets for now. This is just something I came up with because I didn't think I could follow a pattern and have it make sense. The colorful one is Lizbeth size 20 in Jewels. The other is DMC Cordonnet Special, size 30. The outside round has a strand of Coats Metallic Decorative sewing thread in bright gold added. I was kind of leery about adding it but it went very well. Of course, there was nothing very complicated going on, so we'll try it again later.

This is my #24 of my 25 Motif Challenge (I think), well, I'm calling it that any way.

Now, I'm going to let my brain take a break. Hopefully we'll be done tomorrow and get the whole three days for Labor Day weekend. That sounds so wonderful!

Tatting Tea Tuesday with more horses and butterflies

It's Tatting Tea Tuesday again, and yes, I'm still doing horse and butterfly paperclip bookmarks. They've been a lot of fun and I have a lot of new colors to try them in. I'm getting quite the herd of horses and a rabble of butterflies. Debbie's sea horse makes such a wonderful horse for this, don't you think? The butterflies are my patterns.

All of these bookmarks are made with Lizbeth thread size 20. From the left starting with the horse: horse in Caribbean and purple; butterfly in Grape Pizazz and purple; horse in Grape Pizazz; flower with pearls in Grape Pizazz; butterfly in Jewels and purple; the cross is in purple.

This morning I sat down with a cup of tea to finish off this cross that I started last night. I'm not sure who to credit the pattern to as it's so very basic. You don't so much follow a pattern as follow the logistics of a cross. I vary the count of the double stitches and picots in the rings and chains as the mood dictates every time I make it.

A family member of my boss's family died a few days ago and I thought I'd include a cross in the card for him and his family. Nice idea, I thought. But I had the most horrible time getting this one done! I was joining in the wrong places, twisting threads, tying knots - the wrong kind - left, right and sideways! There was once I tried to close a ring with the body of the cross inside! If I hadn't needed to get it done today I would have put it aside for another day. I finally got it done, in about twice the time it should have taken me. (You'd think I'd had something stronger than tea!) I'm blaming my lack of concentration on my allergies as they have really started bothering me the last few days.

I really need to get on to some other projects, but these bookmarks have been such fun! I guess if I'm going to go to a craft show this fall I'll need a lot, so I shouldn't feel too guilty staying with them. And if I have trouble with them, they're just small stuff, nothing tragic if I tangle the threads a bit - I'll just start over!

Wishing all of you a wonderful week and Happy Tatting!

More paperclips and a box of thread

It's Tatting Tea Tuesday again! That day of the week when you make yourself a nice cup of tea, put your feet up, pick up your shuttles and take a little "me" time.

This week I did have a cup of tea instead of coffee. I picked up my shuttles and tried making one of my butterflies with two colors so I could maybe write down the pattern. It ended up being a little loosey-goosey from my stopping, checking what and where I was and chasing the cat off my lap, where she insisted she should be. Oh, well, I need bookmarks, too.

These paperclip bookmarks are some of what I accomplished this week. The handy thing about this kind of bookmark is they are small and don't take long to make. I don't do a lot with beads but I thought I'd give it a try on one, and will probably do a few more as well. I'm not sure about the hearts because they loose their shape pretty easily. Hmm, they need a little work. The horse heads are getting to be pretty easy though. I like them.




These bookmarks are great for taking out when you only have a few minutes to tat. In fact my husband needed new work shoes this week and I was tatting while he tried on shoes. The sales lady was very curious as to what I was doing - she'd never seen or heard of tatting before. She thought it was very pretty. Tatting in public, a great way to introduce people to a great art.

I received a package in the mail yesterday from Handy Hands. A few days ago I decided I needed more thread (who doesn't??) And HH had sent out an email coupon so I had to buy something, right? I've noticed that I usually use solid threads, mostly blues, white and ecru, so I thought I would get some variegated threads. And a few in colors I don't usually think of, expand my horizons so to speak. They are all Lizbeth size 20.

The colors, reading across from top left to top right, are:

Mocha Swirl, Black, Golden Yellow Med; 2nd row, Denim Whisper, Marble, Jewels, Jewels (I've seen a lot of people use this and just had to have some) ; 3rd row, Caribbean, Caribbean (I really like this color!), Sea Shell, Springtime; 4th row, Grape Pizzaz, Red Burst, Christmas Delight, and Country Side.

A color chart was included in the box, so now when I need a new color I have a great place to start. They have started making Lizbeth in size 40 but I am very comfortable with 20 so this is where I've started. Maybe next time it will be the smaller thread. Another good excuse to buy more thread don't you think?

Tatting Tea Tuesday Aug 11, 2009

It's Tatting Tea Tuesday again and I even have a cup of tea today!

I have actually gotten a few more paperclip bookmarks done. The purple one is from last week, and the green is using the same modified pattern from Debbie Arnold. It's made from DMC Cebelia size 20, green #955. The two butterflies are my own pattern; the pink is DMC Perle cotton size 8, pink variegated #116 and the blue is Manuela size 20, light blue #008.



I was trying to write down the pattern for the butterflies and find I'm having trouble with it. When I'm tatting my own patterns, while I'm doing them for the first time, I decide I want this element to go that way, and another element to go this way - I don't really pay attention to which shuttle I'm using, I just know which one it needs to be to go in the direction I want the pattern to go. The same way for reversing the work and keeping track of up/down (I'm very much a upside/downside tatter!), I know when to reverse and which side is up, but keeping track for writing down later..! This inattention makes writing down the patterns a bit of a challenge. I think I'm my own worst enemy!

You know, if I would make everything in two colors to start with, at least I'd know which shuttle I was using. Some things might end up looking a little strange, but I could keep those as my samples.

Or I could write down the patterns as I go along. Or not! Talk about tedious and losing the flow!

Or maybe I should figure out how to diagram tatting. So many others do that, and there are a lot of programs that can be used. I like following diagrammed patterns and I'd really like to learn how. Another something I should do that takes time, but I think would be well worth it.

Horse bookmark

I haven't gotten a lot of tatting done this week. I did start several things that were relegated to the trash, though (this is what happens when you don't pay attention to what you're doing.)

I did finally get the horse head onto a paperclip. This had been in my mind since I first started looking for a horse pattern, which turned out to be a seahorse modified, found here on ds9designs by Debbie Arnold. This is a little bulkier than the butterflies and doodles I've put on paperclips before, so I made the attachment to the clip a bit more robust than usual. The horse now holds its head up pretty well.

This one is made from HH Lizbeth thread size 20 in purple. This is the best picture I could get - all the others were fuzzy (I think it's me, not the camera). I'm planning on doing a few more of these in different colors, maybe even with a bead for the eye, okay, if I sit down long enough to try it. My sister and I are thinking of doing a local craft show this fall and I thought this type of thing might go over well, and they don't take long to make, either. And I have a box of 100 large paperclips in different colors, so all I have to do now is the tatting.

Maybe this next week I'll get a little more tatting done that's even good enough to keep!

Tatting Tea Tuesday

Tatting Tea Tuesday is here again. I haven't done a lot of tatting this week and one of the things I did make didn't get it's picture taken - oops.

Saturday my husband and I went to a wedding in Oklahoma. I didn't think I'd get to go because of work. But, big surprise, we didn't have to work so we headed south. As it's about a three hour drive I decided to tat the wedding couple a cross bookmark, something I didn't have time to make before. (And of the three choices of colors I had with me, I picked the wrong one. I had their wedding colors with me, I just didn't know that was it! I'll bet they'll like it anyway.) I didn't take a picture of it because I didn't think about it. I had the camera, just not the thought.

Something I have been working on this week is a challenge from Sharon on her Design Challenge blog.

This came out looking like I imagined it would, but it is kind of a pain to make, with a lot of reversing work. On the second, two color one I tried the method for making chains of NOT reversing but also not flipping the stitch. It works (I did it, I did it!) and it's not quite so persnickety a pattern this way. Of course, you have to pay attention and remember NOT to flip the stitch...

I like the look of this and I'm counting this as #23 on my 25 Motif Challenge. And though I don't use beads much, I'm thinking of trying this with beads. This could be my snowflake for the Christmas season. I try to come up with a new one every year for friends and family. I may just have come up with it a little early this year.

Tatting Tea Tuesday

I'm back! but I have very little to show for the last week or so. Our daughter and grandson stayed a few extra days more than planned - which was wonderful by the way! I didn't get much done tatting-wise, but that's okay. Much better to visit with them while they're here, I'll have time to tat later.





I did get a little bit done, stress on the "little". I finished this up this morning with a cup of *hmm* coffee while the grandson took a little nap.



This is supposed to be a horseshoe. To go along with the horse head I've made. Well, not quite with the one that's already made as the colors don't go together very well. But I'm thinking on a card or bookmark with a horse-y theme. This horseshoe isn't quite right, but I was not exactly focused the whole time I was making it. It looks more like a "U" than a shoe, but I think I can fix that the next time around. And thought it's not perfect I think I'll have this as my #22 in the 25 Motif Challenge.

Well, that's it, the entire extent of my tatting over the last week or so. Maybe I'll have something more by next week.

Grandson is visiting!

No pictures today - too busy. My daughter from Omaha is here with the grandson! Woo-hoo!

Haven't seen them since May and he has changed soooo much! He's crawling and has two teeth.

They're going to be here for a week, so I doubt I'll get much tatting done. If I do accomplish anything with thread and shuttle I'll try and post it. Maybe at breaks at work I can do a little...

Okay, he's doing more cute stuff, gotta stop and watch. Everyone have a good week!

Coasters for Tatting Tea Tuesday

The coasters are done! Okay, a day late. But I wasn't going to be able to give them to my daughter until later in the week, so I was safe!

I think they came out pretty good. They were made with Handy Hands Lizbeth thread size 20 in varigated green #144 and dark red # 670. I'm calling this #21 of my 25 Motif Challenge.

It's amazing how the varied color combinations make them each look so different, don't you think?

I was going to set my cup of tea on one for a visual of their use, but it didn't work out. I ran out of time.

For anyone that's interested, here's the pattern. WARNING: there may be mistakes lurking. Tat at your own risk.

Shay's Birthday Coasters

Round 1 2 shuttles Make all picots small, for joining only

Sht1 R 6-6. R 6-6. RW Ch 9 DNRW Sht2 R 6-6 DNRW Sht1 Ch 9 RW

*Sht1 6+6 to p of prev R. R 6-6. RW Ch 9 DNRW Sht2 R 6-6. DNRW Sht1 Ch 9 RW*

Repeat between * 8 times, last time join last R to first R. Cut, finish ends as desired.

Round 2 Shuttle and ball. Joining picots indicated as j, others longer as desired.

R 6+6 to any Sht2 R of prev round. RW. Ch 10 RW. R 2-2-2-2j-8 RW

Ch 6-2--2-2+ to 4th p of prev R Ch10 RW.

Repeat from beginning of round 2 all the way around, join to base of first R. Cut, finish ends as desired.

A castle, some big rocks and two shuttles

On the 4th of July my husband and I went on a little day trip, just the two of us. We left all the housework and home projects behind and headed off to have a day of fun.

First we visited Coronado Heights. This is a hill named after Francisco Vasquez de Coronado for his visit to Kansas in 1541 looking for gold. This is the castle at the top. It was built in the 30's along with a freestanding fireplace and picnic tables around the summit.

The views from the top are spectacular. You can see for miles in all directions over the farm/ranch land that surround it. This picture is looking south from one of the picnic tables. The day was partly cloudy and breezy which made it an excellent day for a visit in July. We'd both been here before but not since we were kids.

Then we went a little farther north and visited Mushroom Rock State Park. This first picture is what it looks like as we drive up. If you can make it out in the center of the picture the top of one of the 'mushroom' rocks is visible. In the distance you can see what the area around the park looks like.

These pictures are of my husband and I with some of the large rocks that the place is named for. Who would have thought to find rocks like this in Kansas?

My husband took these pictures by setting the timer on the camera and then running to be with me by/on the rocks. (That was fun to watch!)

It's has been wet so far this summer so it was very green. This made for a very pleasant visit. It can get pretty dry over the summer.

And then we drove to Salina to check out a few of the antique stores there. We're not big into antiquing, but enjoy it once in awhile.

I found this box in one of the stores. I think it was a jewelry box, but it may have been a sewing box. I have decided it is a tatting project box. It is to sit next to my chair to hold shuttles and notions in the drawers and current threads and projects in the top. I've been looking for something of this nature for quite some time, so I couldn't very well leave it there, could I?

And then, in a store across the street I actually found two shuttles. One of the owners mentioned that shuttles are usually snapped up almost as soon as they put them out. So I got lucky!

The white one has no markings on it that I could tell. The store owner had no information about either of them, other than they were tatting shuttles. She was quite surprised that I tatted and commented about it being a "lost art." She didn't even know how shuttles were used or what it signified if the ends were close together. Both shuttles have some thread on them, and they definitely "click"!

The black one has a trademark name on it. Can you make it out? I had a lot of trouble taking a picture where the name is readable.

The name on the black one is "Gloria" with 'trade' on one side and 'mark' on the other. I don't think I've heard of that before. Anyone know when or where it was made?

They were both in the same display box, so were for sale by the same seller. The white one has definitely been used quite a bit - it's just a little warped where the finger and thumb would be positioned. The black one also looks used but not to that extent. What a find!

All around it was a great day. We had fun hiking around two wonderful sites on a beautiful day and then found some treasures to take home with us. We finished off the day at home with our feet up, sipping on root beer floats.

I could do with a few more days as nice as this one!