Practice and the fair

Earrings based on Lanyard pattern

I have been enjoying the Lanyard pattern so much I tried making earrings with it. I know there are other earring patterns that are very similar to this but I made these the same as the ends on the lanyard.  Each of these have a couple of mistakes but I will wear them any way.  The next pair will be better.  Unlike with the bigger beads and bigger thread I had to use a floss threader to get the beads on the picots.  It takes so much longer than using a crochet hook!  These were made with Lizbeth #646 Purple Iris Lt in size 20, which is a very similar color to the DMC I used for the lanyard and the bracelet.

Speaking of which, I entered the bracelet in the county fair.

Bracelet made with Lanyard 2016 pattern

My bracelet was the only entry in its class.  It’s great to see a blue ribbon on it as they do not have to give ribbons or top place to any entries even if they have no competition.

Doily with ‘Harper’ tatted edging at the fair

Doilies have to be mounted on cardboard to enter the fair.  My ‘Harper’ Edging looks good on the black background, doesn’t it?   It, too, was the only item in its class.  I’m glad I decided to enter both bracelet and doily so they don’t eliminate the classes.

Now I’m back to practicing cluny tatting.  I am taking one of Mimi Dillman’s classes at Tat Days in September and need to be a bit more comfortable with them.  I’m not trying to be perfect yet, just able to do them well enough that I can understand and learn any tips she teaches in the class.  Then I’ll practice what I learned 🙂

“To practice any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” Kurt Vonnegut