Ready for some green

Can you believe it’s almost March already? We haven’t had a hard or bad winter here in Kansas – so far – with more mild days than bad. But I’m still looking forward to spring, with growing things popping up everywhere. A few green things are popping up on my shuttles already.

Something green

The plan was to start making green bookmarks for several friends in March. What came off my shuttles is NOT a bookmark. My fingers decided I should do something else. I’m not sure I like that green button in the center, but I liked the size. I’m already on to another round on this. It looks like I’ll be starting the bookmarks later.

My hand is starting to feel better, which makes me more inclined to tat. For a while there I did not want to pick up a shuttle. I ended up reading a few ebooks instead of tatting. I started a series from Sherry A. Burton, The Jerry McNeal stories. They are good enough that I started the series on February 16 and am now on the 10th of 13 books. They aren’t very long and are quick reads. Not much else has been done.

I did have pancakes on February 21, which was Shrove Tuesday. I had been reminded about pancakes on the news that day because of the pancake races in Onley, England, and Liberal, Kansas, USA. There is a fun rivalry between the two towns, seeing which one will beat the other. This year Olney won. I had nothing to do with the races other than seeing the results later, but pancakes did sound good.

Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday 2023

We’ve had several days of temperatures in the 60s F, but today we’ll be lucky to get to 32°. We do have sunny skies, which is a blessing, considering all the nasty weather people to the north are getting the last few days. We are supposed to get a lot warmer here Sunday, but with that comes the possibility of severe weather, such as hail, strong winds, and a chance for tornadoes. We go from one extreme to the other.

I’m going to go back to my shuttles now, and see what I can accomplish. (My dog is telling me I should pay attention to her, so we’ll see!)

“Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.” E. B. White

Aliens Have Arried

Jane Eborall has published the last part of her 2023 TIAS, and it’s a good one. I was kept guessing until almost the end. You can never tell where she’ll take you on her yearly journey. You think you know what it is you’re tatting, and she surprises you. I encourage all of you to go check out her Tat It and See blog to see all the aliens that have been sent in. She numbers them so we know how many there are. Here’s mine.

TIAS alien

Jane put a lot of techniques into the TIAS this year. There are Victorian sets, Catherine Wheel joins, long twisted picots, as well as split rings. As in any of her patterns, if you have trouble with a technique, she has helpful hints and directions on her blog, so no one needs to feel that is too much for them. The clues are given days apart, giving you plenty of time to learn and work on the TIAS. The journey is always fun, as are the comments of everyone else traveling on it with you.

Even with the TIAS going on I was able to finish the paperclip heart bookmarks I wanted to and in plenty of time. They were warmly received. The pictures I posted of them on Facebook were also well received, with a lot of people wanting the pattern. I realized that I had the heart pattern but not the bookmark part of it posted. I suppose I should update the pattern with the bookmark option. Until then, here is what I did to make the bookmark part.

Replace RJ in the pattern with a split ring: SR 3-1–1—1–1-3/3-1–1—1–1-3. Repeat for the length desired. The last ring is R 3-1–1—1–1-3 join to paperclip, join to paperclip 3-1–1—1–1-3.

January Heart paperclip bookmark

Now that Valentine’s is over, I need to move on to other things. I am prepping to teach a class in April at a library. Not sure how many will signup, if anyone, but I’m getting my notes and such together. I was contacted by the librarian last fall about doing a class in the spring. I don’t know when they will advertise/promote it. I may not know much until closer to time.

March is fast approaching, with St. Patrick’s day and spring weather. I have a few ideas I want to try that reflect those ideas. I just need to get my thread together and get started.

My sister and I are starting to get more into our planning for the cruise we are taking in November. We are going on the “Knotical Adventures” Tat Sea cruise with Tatting Corner. It’s going to be so much fun! Are any of you going?

“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.” Carl Sagan

Valentine's Day 2023

February Tatting

I haven’t tatted a lot in the last month or so due to one of my hands hurting. Not sure what I’ve done to cause it, but it lets me know when I hold a shuttle or try to grip things with my right hand. I’ve been doing the recommended stretches to help it get better, which it has, but I’m still going slow with any tatting.

What tatting I’ve been doing are small things, like working on the Arlo bookmark. I think I’m finally happy with the ends, so now I just need to finish the pattern. While doing this, I tried the stitch count on just the ends. By the time I finished this sample, I was thinking it would make a cute earring.

Short Arlo bookmark

I’ve also been doing Jane Eborall’s TIAS (Tat It And See). A great way to tat without doing too much at a time, right? We’re only a couple of clues from finishing, and I’m still not sure what it is! This is up to day 12.

2023 TIAS day 12

Something has to attach at the top, but how exactly, I don’t know. It’s a person, right? Maybe? You never know with Jane! There are a lot of fun guesses over on the Tat It And See blog. Jane’s next clue for the TIAS is in a couple of days. I understood her to say there are two clues left. I’m looking forward to seeing how we finish this up. Are any of you doing it?

I’ve also been doing a few small bookmarks using my January Heart pattern on large paper clips similar to what I did for my niece last year. A couple are thank-you gifts, the other one for a friend. I have two more I’d like to make before next Wednesday. They are small enough I think it’s doable.

A trio of heart bookmarks

One of these is for an aunt, who recently sent me a couple of souvenir coins. She got these coins at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Fransisco, California when she was eight years old.

Animal League coin with a dog on one side

This coin is very lightweight. I’m thinking it is aluminum.

Animal League coin with a cat

I never thought much about how long animal care organizations existed.

The coin she thought I’d want is this Coleman coin.

1939 Coleman lantern coin

This coin is much heavier than the other, feeling more like an actual coin. You can tell it’s been carried around a lot, enough to rough up the lantern on it.

1939 Good luck Coleman coin

I started work for the Coleman Company in Wichita, Kansas in 1979. I never worked in the lantern factory, but it was a very important part of the company. This coin is so cool! I’m going to have to come up with a way to display it.

Now back to a few stretches, an ice pack, and my collection of things I would like to be tatting.

“Every experience, good or bad, is a priceless collector’s item.” Isaac Marion