Friday, February 24, 2017

Tatting when you're bored

At work the other day I was waiting on decisions to be made and changes to be done by a couple of other people.  I was listening and doing my part in the job but only so many people can fit in one small area at a time.  While standing there I noticed a few thin wires on the floor that had been the tail of some cable or other.  As they hadn’t quite made it to the trash yet I picked them up and started fiddling with them instead of throwing them away.  Noticing the size, color and length I tried tatting with them.

tatting with wire on wandasknottythoughts
When you’re bored you’ll tat with anything

I made the ring on the right first, then a smaller ring that didn’t close.  With another couple of scrap wires, one green the other white, I made the rings with the chain between.  I even joined the rings though I had not left a picot.  There was still a lot of white wire left which I wound around the wire tails of the first two rings.  I did not try tatting that part, my fingers were already feeling the strain of working with wire.

No, I did not use a shuttle to work with the wire, I finger tatted it.  The shuttle is only for reference to the size of the wire tatting.  The wire is about 24 gauge but due to the stiffness does not tat small.  I made the white chain using direct tatting but the rings I did normally.

I knew that tatting with wire could be done; I’ve tried before but never with coated wire.  It was challenging but fun.  I don’t think I’d want to make any large project out of it though – talk about hard on the hands!

“Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful, or to discover something that is true.” William Ralph Inge                                                       www.brainyquote.com

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Old Hatband

A couple of weeks ago my mother wore a hat that she had picked up at a garage sale.   It had a feather wrapped around it as a hat band, which was okay but she wanted something different.  She took a hatband that I had made a long time ago and put it over the top of the feather.  She liked this a lot better so we removed the feather.

Old tatted hatband in Kreinik thread on wandasknottythoughts
Old tatted hatband put on a different hat

I’m not sure when I tatted this hatband but it was at least 20 years ago.  I believe I made it with Kreinik thread but I can’t tell you what color number.  I know it is not blended with another thread.  I remember it was not as easy to work with as cotton thread.

I have made several hatbands for my parents.  My dad especially liked the ones made out of this kind of shiny thread.  I don’t remember if I followed someone else’s pattern or did this one on my own.  It’s not that complicated a pattern, it could be either one.  It would make a pretty bookmark, wouldn’t it?

“And all your future lies beneath your hat.” John Oldham                                               https://www.brainyquote.com