Heart-shaped Paperclips

 While on YouTube the other day I saw a video on covering bent paperclips shaped as hearts. @Celyn Haf used a heavier thread than I usually do, but the clips looked so fun! She didn't use one, but I used a large-eyed needle to direct tat on these. The bigger the thread used, the faster it was finished.

Covered heart-shaped paperclips

These were so simple and ended up so cute! I had a variety of threads handy and I tried several of them on paperclips of different sizes. You can see that I don't quite have down the best way to bend the paperclips, but they all ended up looking like hearts, so all is good.

Heart-shaped paperclips

The clips don't have to be covered in thread to be used, but using thread is my thing, so they were covered. They go on the paper easier without the thread, but these were more fun! 😉

I am working on tatting around an egg, and have not gotten as far with it as I had hoped I'd be by this time. I didn't plan to do an egg at all this year, but my nephew bought it for me, so I feel I need to. I'm hoping I'll have it done by Easter. It is coming out very different than all the other ones I've made and I'm still working on what it will look like when it's done, hoping I'll recognize it when I get there.

"I think setting a goal, getting a visual image of what it is you want. You've got to see what it is you want to achieve before you can pursue it."    Chuck Norris

R.I.P. Chuck Norris 1940-2026

Playing in Clover

 The Ides of March have passed and St. Patrick's day is upon us. Have you been tatting up the green? Have you been enjoying the green out the window?  I have heard that some people are staring out the window to several feet of snow this morning, no green to be found outside. All the more reason to enjoy a bit on the inside of the window!

I wasn't going to tat clovers this year, as I have other projects I'm working on. That changed when my mom went to the hospital. She is still there after more than a week. They were going to send her to rehab last Friday, then determined that she wasn't ready yet. This happens when there are a lot of doctors involved and they don't necessarily talk to each other. So I spent time in her room with green thread and shuttles, making clovers. 

Playing in clover

My original plan was only to make what clovers came about when I cleaned green thread off of shuttles. While I was doing this at the local senior center a few weeks ago I noticed the director was entranced by the clover that came out of it so I gave it to her. She put it on her desk where she could see it. And then it was gone.

Framed clover

As I ended up making a lot more clovers, I decided to give her a few that would be harder to lose. I found a small picture frame and repurposed it to frame a few clovers. I'm thinking I could change out the clovers with other tatted items as I make them. If she wants, of course. 

I also made something for me that I have thought about but never done. 

Clovers on a pin

I've pinned clover to shirts and jackets before, but it's always been in an afterthought kind of way. This time I purposely added them to a safety pin, with beads even! Even though St. Patrick's day is tomorrow, this pin will be worn much longer. It gives out a 'spring' feeling, don't you think?

We're praying that my mom goes to rehab soon, which will be much closer to home. We'll be able to spend time doing other things instead of traveling back and forth. And she'll be working on getting strong enough to go home. 

I'm looking forward to getting back to my regularly scheduled projects!

What are your tatting plans for spring?

"In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours."

Mark Twain

More Tatting I Found in a Drawer

 I mentioned last week I found several tatted things in a draw. It is a drawer where I put miscellaneous tatted items I make, either to put away for later, or because I'm done with them and I don't know what else to do with them. Sometimes I put tatting in the drawer just to get it out of the way when I 'clean house'.  Most of the time I forget to go back to the drawer except to put more in it. When I do check it, it's kind of like Christmas, I'm never sure what I will find. 

This piece looks like I was trying something, then didn't know what to do next. At least, I'm pretty sure this was me playing around.  

Found small doily

I've been think I should add on to this a bit. If I do, I'll try a different color thread. That way I don't have to try and match this thread, or worry about any aging related discoloration with the old thread not matching the new. 

Way back in the early eighties in my part of Kansas, I had a hard time finding colorful thread to tat with. I could find white, ecru, and maybe, black, though not all were conducive to tatting. I could find DMC size 8 in quite a few colors. This is a very soft thread, and splits easily if you try and fix any mistake. But they were in COLOR! I did quite a bit of tatting in these before I discovered other threads.

DMC color chart

I made this helpful little card to keep track of the colors. Later it came in handy when I found DMC Cordonnet Special, back when you could find them in an assortment of colors. There was a store in Wichita, Kansas, that had most of the colors in sizes 10 and 30. It was wonderful! It even had a section of tatting patterns - whoa! What made DMC threads even more wonderful, you could match the Condonnet with their embroidery floss. My sister and I made several projects together with her embroidery and my tatting using DMC threads. 

You can still find DMC size 8 and size 5 in lots of colors, but I don't tat in it any more. There are much better threads out there that I have access to now. It is sad that you can only get the Cordonnet in neutral colors now. At least that's how it is around here.

Easter is just around the corner. I am doing a little tatting for the season, but not as much as I might have. The last week I've been spending a lot of time in hospital rooms with my mother. She is getting better, but still not home. I've only been taking small things to tat, that I don't have to worry about losing or making mistakes. 

The weather has been unseasonably warm almost all winter. Now we're going from hot to cold, cool to warm, up and down. The flowers and animals are somewhat confused, and allergies are here with a vengeance. Enjoy the outdoors, but be prepare for changes in the weather and pollen.

What are you making this spring?

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine."  Anthony J. D'Angelo

Once Upon A Stork

 

Once upon a time, about 15 years ago, my daughter was pregnant with her second child. For a gift I made Jane Eborall's tatted stork to put on a photo album. I can't remember if I made this one first for practice, or made it second, meaning to give it away. Whatever I planned, I found it in a drawer the other day.

Stork

I remember how much I enjoyed making this. I have always enjoyed making split rings, ever since I learned how many years ago. The way Jane designed the legs on this really caught my attention. I modeled the legs of a spider I designed that same year (2011) after them. 

I found a few other things in the drawer that I have forgotten about. Some I remember when I did them and others were just passing thoughts. I'll probably share them another day.

"A heart without dreams is like a bird without feathers."

                                                                Suzy Kassem

Another Modification

I made another Split Ring Cross with another modification, this one totally unintentional. This is what happens when you are distracted while tatting.

Modified Split Ring Cross

I made the 'modification' on one arm and went too far before it was noticed. As I didn't want to untat that much I decided to just go with it. It's not that it's that bad, but it just doesn't have the right balance to it. 

Two crosses together

I prefer the one on the right, the way I planned it. The one on the left will go in either my Bible or my husband's. Nothing wrong that hiding it as a bookmark won't cover. 

I'm working on an Easter project that I hope will be done in time. The thread has been decided but not the pattern. That will be figured out as I go along. It will probably be a few weeks before I'm close to sharing it. It's not the only thing I've been tatting. 

Maybe that's why it will take awhile. 

"If you never change your mind, why have one?" 

                                                            Edward de Bono

Cleaning Up Leftovers

 I'm cleaning up my shuttles, tatting small things to get leftover thread off of them. I rarely measure when I add thread to a shuttle, just add until it's full. I'd rather do this than have to add thread in the middle of a project if I possibly can. This does lead to small amounts left on shuttles when the projects are done. Periodically I try and find small things to tat with the leftovers. 

This snowflake was done in a waiting room while my mother had an appointment. 

Snowflake doodle

When tatting while out and about I expect to find mistakes later. You never know when you will be interrupted, or where in the piece you'll have to stop. If you are fortunate, it will be at a good stopping point. If you're not, you might forget what you were doing when you got interrupted. You can't see it in this not-so-wonderful picture, but the thrown rings are upside down. This isn't a problem unless you do front side-back side tatting - which I do. I'll probably keep this and put it on my Christmas tree next year.

Two-tone doodle

There was still thread on both shuttles when I finished the snowflake, so I tried something else. I can see this as another snowflake, though it will need modification if I don't want to cut and tie every two arms. Maybe ears? Wings? I might give it more thought, I might not.

Key paperclip bookmark

I started this a while back and forgot about it. This paperclip bookmark is a one shuttle with ball pattern. There was still thread on the shuttle when I was done so I'll have to find something else to do with it.

Caribbean paperclip

This paperclip bookmark is made with Lizbeth Caribbean HH20122. I love this color in any size! But this particular ball of thread must be old, because it was awful to work with. Closing rings was mostly impossible if they had more than a few stitches. I finished the project I started with this but wanted something that used more chains than rings. I was watching TV when I tatted this one. There are a lot of boo boos in this, but I will still use it at home. 

Now there more shuttles ready for other projects. I have a list.

What do you do with leftovers?

"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found."

Calvin Trillin

Split RIng Cross Modifications and Mistakes

 I usually keep a few tatted crosses on hand for different occasions, like weddings, graduations, and funerals but my stash is low. About the time I was debating what crosses to tat I learned of the death of one of the members of our church. I had to quit procrastinating and make one. I decided to do my Split Ring Cross, but with a few modifications. 

Split Ring Cross

I changed the stitch and picot count on all the arms, lengthening them a bit. On this one I left off the long picot at the top and bottom to add the tassel to the rings instead of the picots. I like the overall look more than on the original pattern. 

This is actually the second cross I made. I made a bit of an oops on the first one. 

First cross

This cross is mostly the original pattern, except the long arm has one section with more picots. But it also has a mistake at the bottom, one of the rings is too small. It may or may not be all that noticeable, but I see it. This cross will be used in my Bible, but I won't be giving it away.

When I started on the second cross I had already decided that I'd lengthen the arms with a few more picots. I like the dimensions better.

Both crosses

Which one do you like better?

I'm not sure how I like it with the tassels added to the top and bottom rings without use of the picots. If I do it that way, I may have to make that ring bigger. Maybe.

Split Ring Cross finished

I give crosses to families that have lost loved ones as a way to acknowledge their grief and show my sympathy in times when I rarely have the right words. I pray that in some small way it helps them remember their loved one. 

 

I still need to make a few more crosses to have on hand. It is getting close to graduation time, though I'm not sure I know anyone graduating this year. Better to be safe than sorry. The crosses might not be this pattern, I haven't decided yet. 

I wasn't going to tat around any eggs for Easter this year, but that may change. I've been presented with a new challenge. We'll see how it goes.

"There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief." 

Aeschylus 

Kansas Day

 January 29, 1861 is the day that Kansas became the 34th state of the United States. It's mostly celebrated in schools as children learn about the history of our state. I don't think about it much, either, but it came to mind a couple of days ago. 

I enjoy living in Kansas, I've lived here all my life. We've done a lot of traveling through the state and there is still a lot we haven't seen. A lot of people don't think about it as being a place to visit or vacation in, though it does have some interesting places to see.  Something it does have are wonderful sunrises and sunsets. 

This is a sunrise from from my front yard. Every day the view is the same, but it's like seeing a new painting every day. 

There is a tree row to the west of our yard, as well as power lines, so the view isn't as inspiring as the view to the east. That being true, you don't have to go far to catch a beautiful sunset.

This was taken about a mile from our place. That is a working windmill for a farm pond, so I was excited that it was angled so well for this picture. After making sure no-one was behind me, I stopped the car on the road to get this picture. If I had finished this post yesterday as I had wanted to, I would not have had this to share.

It has been cold and snowy here off and on for a week. We had snow instead of ice, which we are grateful for! It was no record streak of cold but five days below freezing is quite long enough for me. After a couple of days about freezing, we get a few more below. At least we had a few days of sunshine! 

I haven't gotten much tatting done for all that we've been inside due to the weather. My husband has been trying to get rid of a cold for about a month, and then he was generous and gave it to me. Instead of tatting I've been snoozing and watching TV whenever I sit down. I just couldn't get up the enthusiasm to tat much. Not that I didn't do a little bit. 

I tatted these up to wear when we play pool tournaments in our senior pool league. We play 8 ball, where that is the last ball of 15 to be pocketed to win the game. The 8 ball is black with a small circle of white where the the number is.  The 8s in my earrings are small wooden beads that I painted white and wrote '8' on. The beads spin quite a bit and I'm never quite sure if the 8 is showing or not. I've tried gluing them in place, but have not yet succeeded in getting it right. I still wear them. I've got some ideas of making a couple of other pairs with other ball colors, but haven't done them yet. 

I have several other things I would like to tat. Now I just need to do them! Maybe as I sit and watch the sunrise.

"There's never one sunrise the same or one sunset the same."  Carlos Santana

Runner Finally Finished

In 2015 and 2016 I was making a lot of edgings and runners. A few days ago I found one of those edgings pinned to a runner hiding in a drawer. I remember this runner and the edgings, I just didn't remember that I hadn't finished it. I thought now was a good time to do that.

The first side went smooth, fitting the edge the way it should, the way it had been pinned to the material for more than 10 years. 

Then I started on the second edge. I found a mistake that might be the reason I didn't finish this.

The edging is obviously missing something, like the last clover. I must have been in a hurry to finish, or maybe just tired. It wasn't that hard to fix, just untat that last chain and open the last ring and add more thread. Then redo the ring and chain and finish with the clover. 

Ta-da! The end looks much better now!

It was then the next issue was discovered. Not noticing the mistake back in the day, I had pinned it out as if it should go all the way across the end of the material even though it was one clover short, stretching it to make it fit. A good guess this was what kept me from finishing sewing the edging on. With the clover added the edging was now a bit too long, as the thread had been stretched out. 

Have you ever had this problem? I had to think about it a bit to come up with a way to make it fit. My solution was to soak it in very hot water then dry it with a hot hair dryer to shrink it. It helped. I still had to sew it down carefully, but it doesn't stick over the edge!

As I worked with this, I remembered the reason I was never in a hurry to finish it. You can probably tell that the edges aren't exactly straight. I liked the material but found when I went to cut it out that the pattern on the material wasn't straight with the thread of the material. I had to play with the layout to get it cut and have it look right. Then I had issues with sewing straight lines for the edges. I decided this edging would be mine, whenever it was completed. 

Now, after 10 years, it is done. It will look good on my table. And I will probably be the only one to notice that there are issues with it. If anyone does notice, I'll bet they won't say anything, LOL.

The pattern for Emma is on My Patterns page. There is a note on it, under the picture, that the stitch count in a couple of places was changed but I didn't get a new picture with the change. 

It took me 10 years to complete this UFO. Not quite the longest I've ever had, but close. How long has it taken you to complete a UFO?

"Normal people...believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet."  

Scott Adams

January Tatting

 Tatting has been done! Not big projects or complicated patterns, but shuttles have been used.

A friend of mine celebrated her birthday a few days ago. She works at the local Senior Center and is well known. The Center arranged a party for her, which was attended by many in the community. Mostly people's presence was their gift to her, but there were a lot of cards also. We gave her a card, but how could I not add a little something? I thought a paperclip bookmark would be a thoughtful gift. 

This bookmark is a simple paperclip with a line of split-rings attached. The dragonfly charm is connected at both top and bottom to stabilize it. The bottom is strands of thread strung through the bottom picot of the last ring, then braided. I originally tied a knot at the bottom, as it was when I took this picture. I didn't like the look so took out the knot and left the bottom without, then used fabric glue to keep them from coming undone. It looked good.

The other tatting done is a remake of an earring I made a couple of years ago. The earring wasn't all that great, but I liked the idea of it. I modified it quite a bit to come up with this version. Not sure if I'll make the other earring to this or not.

Unusually for me, I used a few beads. I keep looking at this, trying to think of what else I could do with it besides as an earring. I'll keep looking. 

I'm hoping to take more time to tat this year. I am no long the chair of a board of our church so I don't have those responsibilities, which should give me more time to tat. More importantly, I'll have more energy to imagine more things. What a concept!

"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere."

Carl Sagan 

Happy New Year!

 Can you believe it is 2026? It hardly seems possible that we have reached another year. I need to start making a list of what I should work on!

I didn't get as many Christmas pickles done as I had hoped, but I did enough. 

These were given to only about half of the family at our family Christmas. I didn't get the notes attached to the pickles, but I explained what they were. They were a big hit. 

Last year we celebrated with my husband's family before Christmas, in a place I didn't have a chance to give out my ornaments, so they missed out. This year I gave those family members wine cork angels and a few of the hymnal angels instead of the pickles. They were well received. 

Wine Cork Angel from 2024

Hymnal Angel from 2020

This year we had an amazing day with family a few days after Christmas, with some extended family members we rarely see. We rented a place with lots of room for visiting and eating. It was so well received that many left talking about doing it again, maybe this summer. What a present!

Less than a week later I spent half the day in a hospital waiting room. My mother had a procedure done while my sister and I spent time visiting and tatting. My tatting was a medallion I started a few weeks ago when I hadn't yet figured out what to do for my Christmas ornament and had only limited thread. I wasn't sure where I was going with it until I got there. 

I did have a few false starts, where I went a little way, decided that wasn't working, cut it off and tried again. But I like how this came out. Not bad for not having any idea where this would go. What do you think?

I have a lot of ideas for things to make this next year. I do have a list. I'm just hoping I can keep up the enthusiasm about all of them. Or at least some of them!

What do you have planned for 2026?

"Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress." 

Charles Kettering