Practice Points

I’ve been busy with many things other than tatting over the last few months as you can probably tell by my lack of blogging. I’ve thought about trying to post more often, then something else comes up. Then I lost the habit. So let’s see if I can find it again.

I had planned to go to the zone meeting of our LWML and was working on the earrings of the logo. I didn’t get to go to the meeting but I still like the earrings. Marie, from West Pine Creations, was so sweet and sent me earring wires that are easy to change out so I can wear them.

LWML logo with changeable earring wires

You might notice that the two earrings are not quite the same. I had a pair with the gold wires Marie sent me, which I wore, then put in a safe place. So safe I don’t remember where I put them. I know they didn’t go far. These two are my practice pieces, working out what stitch count I liked best. I would have made me another pair but ran into a bit of a setback.

A bit of a setback

The ball of Lizbeth #HH20641 Lilac Dk thread somehow got tangled badly. It might have something to do with being put in my purse and it getting out of the bag it was in… I wasn’t about to cut off and toss if I could untangle it, but that did put me off of working with it for a bit. So I started something else.

I still can’t get the points of the hearts to look the same every time so thought I would practice the SSSCh (suspended chain). You have to have a chain to practice it, so I made something with chains.

12-point SSSCh practice

I had a shuttle with Lizbeth Twirlz HH20403 Winter Ice that was left over from something or other so I used it. I came to the conclusion this wasn’t the best choice for this type of practice. It isn’t always easy to see the stitch count with this type of thread. But once I started I finished it. I do see an improvement.

When this was finished I liked the look so much I thought I’d do it again. It reminds me of a flower so the next one was made to look more like one.

12-pt SSSCh flower

As you might notice, I did get the Lilac Dark untangled. I didn’t spend a lot of time blocking this, just enough to have it lay flat. The petals are a bit uneven-looking that might be alleviated with better blocking though it looks good the way it is. The yellow thread is Lizbeth #HH20616 Daffodil Med.

(Has anyone else noted that Lizbeth thread numbers now indicated the size? The balls of thread I have don’t have the HHxx before the color number but I like how it is in the catalog. Makes it easy to know you have the size you want.)

Our life has maybe slowed back down a bit but I can’t say it’s back to normal. My husband has just changed shifts at work. We used to be able to drive together and see each other a lot. Now, it’s just in passing most days. This is a temporary change, at least for now. We’ll see how things go. And I’ll see if I get more or less things done with more personal time on my hands, LOL.

‘Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.‘ Anton Chekhov on brainyquote.com

More decorated buttons

I am still working on emptying a few shuttles. I’ve had fun deciding what to do with the thread that I have to work with.

Decorated button in a turquoise blue

The picture doesn’t show the true color of this thread, it has more green to it. I’m not sure how many shades of blue/turquoise I have, but a lot, so this is hard to match. I had enough to go around this 7/16th inch button (11 mm). The longest measurement of the finished button is 1 1/2 inches (about 4 cm). I’m sure the thread is Lizbeth size 20.

Decorated button in pink cocoa

This one looks to be made in size 40 thread. I think it is Lizbeth #166 Pink Cocoa. I started off with one idea and transitioned into something else when it wasn’t going to work out as expected. It still came out kinda cute. It also measures about 1 1/2 inches (about 4 cm) long. The button is also 7/16th inch (11 mm).

This medallion was not made emptying shuttles. I was trying out a new ball of thread, Liz Metalic #325 Gem Stone. I used a metal ring about 15/16th inch across (23m mm) that I found at JoAnn’s last week. I think the thread would look a bit richer with a gold center, but I like how this looks. Especially with the right background. The Metallic thread does not show up in pictures as pretty as it is in person.

Decorated ring in Gem Stone

The finished medallion is about 3 inches across (75 mm). Originally I planned on another round but decided against it – at least this time – when I finished the second round. I like how it looks just like this.

I’ve been happy with my thread endeavors recently, even though they start out with few intentions other than to tat. Lately that has been enough.

“If you get up in the morning and think the future is going to be better, it is a bright day. Otherwise, it’s not.” Elon Musk

Nothing as planned

Since I finished the 10 point coaster I’ve not decided what I want to do next. I keep thinking I should keep a physical list, maybe digital, of things I want to tat, but I haven’t yet. When I’m in the middle of projects I think of all kinds of things I want to do when I’m done, but when I’m done I go blank. And that’s where I’m at now.

I’ve been seeing a lot of decorated buttons lately, and I have several buttons that would be good centers. I did work on one, without any pattern or plan. It doesn’t look bad but it didn’t turn out all that great.

Decorated button in greys

I miscalculated stitch counts so my (vague) idea didn’t come out as I thought it might. I’ve been debating with myself if I should do another round and see where that takes it, but I’ve not decided which side has won yet, to do it or not. It is made in Lizbeth #607 Charcoal Med and #190 Silver Ice, which did not come out well in the picture.

I also started a little something in a couple of the Lizbeth Metallic threads #311 Silver and #320 Steel Blue I recently got from Tatting Corner. I had another vague idea about what I wanted to do with these but very soon took a wrong turn.

Metallic doodle

When I realized my thoughts had gone astray, I went ahead and finished it, sewed in the ends. I might use this as an accent on a card or something, no reason to throw it out. This picture doesn’t do the metallic threads justice at all, they work well together. I’ll be using this combination again.

I like working with the Lizbeth Metallic threads but threading a needle with them to sew in the ends is somewhat problematic. You can see in the picture how they separate. Which makes me glad I have a Clover needle threader.

Clover needle threader

Using this makes threading a needle with the metallic threads easy. I keep it on my tatting tool keeper all the time even though I don’t use it often.

Tatting tool keeper

I use this tool keeper instead of a chatelaine. All the tools are on a badge reel, so I don’t have to take it off to use any given tool and it doesn’t hang in the way when I’m not using them. I also don’t drop anything on the floor and lose them, lol!

I do not make anything for mentioning Lizbeth threads of Clover tools.

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” Gloria Steinem

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/gloria_steinem_121278

New Coaster

I mentioned last week that I was working on another project. I did finish it, and I like the look.

10 point coaster

When I started this I was just doodling. I had the gold thread on the shuttles and started something to use it up. The first piece was less than inspiring by itself. I thought it might look good with some others, and it turned out much better than I expected. But is it a motif? A small doily? It is so small I decided to call it a coaster.

This isn’t hard to do but rather tedious. Each point is a separate piece, which means there are a lot of ends to hide. When I decided to continue I went with how I started, but I keep looking at this wondering, could I do this in one pass? I’m just not seeing it right now.

Besides thinking about how to have fewer ends there are a few other places that I am thinking I might do better a wee bit different. But do I want to make another? Hmmm, I don’t know.

I made this with Lizbeth # 699 Harvest Gold in size 20. This might look good in one of the new threads that I just got. I’ll have to think about it.

“There’s more than one way to do things. There’s always different points of views.” Tim Hudson

January Cross 2019

Have I mentioned that I ordered several of the Lizbeth Metallic threads? Have I mentioned that they are easy to tat with? I have? Oh. Well, here I go again

I’ve used a few but not all of them yet. In ‘December Tatting’ I used Lizbeth Metallic Silver #311 and Turquoise Green #321. In ‘Old Snowflake in New Thread’ I used Antique Gold # 328 and Raspberry Pink #316. Now I’m using Violet #315.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to tat but I knew I wanted to use the Violet in something not too big that doesn’t take too long to make and nothing too complicated. I like to have bookmarks on hand because they are easy to mail and they work for so many occasions, so this what I set out to do. I like to make crosses, but not the same ones every time. So I made a new one.

January Cross 2019

I’m amazed at myself – I used this metallic thread to design a new pattern. I didn’t start with a cotton thread of any size, I started with this. The biggest issue I had was trying to count the stitches. The glittery thread makes it a little hard to see the stitches in lamplight.

I was very inspired when I named this cross – January Cross 2019 (LOL!) I guess a name is just a designation to differentiate one like item from another, so it doesn’t have to be poetic, right?

After using the metallic thread I made this pattern in Lizbeth Purple Medium #632 size 20. It came out a bit smaller than the ones in the metallic thread even though Handy Hands claims it is similar is size to size 20. Similar is the keyword.

January Cross 2019 Lizbeth Purple Med #632

I’m happy with this cross. It has four thrown rings and two split rings but still an easy pattern to tat. I’ve written this out. If you are interested in getting the pattern (versions 1 & 2) check them out on the My Patterns page.

“You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things.” Nate Berkus
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/nate_berkus_612444?src=t_new_things

Tiny doily a little bigger

Tiny thread doily from 2014

Four years ago I made a small doily in a tiny thread. I was so pleased with the look of this piece I always planned to try it again.

Two doilies

This week was the week to try it again. Originally I used a very small thread, maybe size 70 or 80, though I couldn’t be sure because it was thread that was on an old shuttle that I had been given. This time I used size 20 in Lizbeth #662, Turquoise Light and Lizbeth #652 Royal Blue.

You can see just how much larger it is this time when made in size 20. It was also much easier to tat as well, between being a larger thread that I am comfortable using and being a new thread – I have no idea how old the pink variegated thread is.  It was old enough that it gave me problems with breaking before I was done. This time employing two colors instead of variegated gives it a different look, too. The newest doily came out well. It is also easy to make, using only a shuttle and ball with only normal rings and chains.

I thought I would make the doily a bit bigger yet by adding a few rounds. So far I’ve added one more round then I ran out of steam. This round makes the outside a bit less rounded and smooth.

Not-so-tiny doily

I might yet add another round, there are several ideas floating around about it. But not today. I am in the middle of two other projects and have several I want to start. Now I just need the time to do them.

“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped” – Tony Robbins

Panya Ice Drop

What do you do when you have leftover thread on your shuttles? You find something small to make with it of course. I thought an ice drop would fit the bill to use up some of my remnant threads.

Panya Ice Drop

I still had Lizbeth #638 Christmas Green and #671 Christmas Red size 20 on a couple of shuttles, so those are what I worked with. I started with the idea of the basic ice drop pattern with a few minor adjustments, then added the outside round. The center is a blue glass gem from The Dollar Store.

I don’t recall seeing this particular pattern before so I named it. If I am incorrect I’ll acknowledge the author and update this.

Ice drops are fun to make and usually don’t use much thread. Once you know how to make the basic ice drop you can enjoy creating so many different variations to fashion each one a little different. Or make the same one over and over and still have fun tatting them. There isn’t much to limit your ice drop creation.  Except maybe the length of your thread and how many centerpieces you have.

“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.” Lauren Bacall               brainyquote.com

 

Happy Independence Day!

4th of July Bracelet

A little 4th of July tatting using Jane Eborall’s Beaded Lock Chain pattern in Lizbeth #652 blue and #671 Red in size 20.   I wanted to make it out of size 10 but I didn’t have red and blue in it.  The beads would have worked better with size 10 as well, but it was fun to make.

Today is pretty soggy due to heavy rains last night and light rain off and on today, but it is supposed to clear up by tomorrow night.  At least all the rain makes shooting off fireworks very safe this year 🙂

Wishing all of you in the States a happy and safe Independence Day!

The Star Spangled Banner

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

By Francis Scott Key 1814

Tatting Tea Tuesday in May

A few weeks ago my tatting group got together at Sherry’s house.  She surprised us with tea and brownies served on a beautiful tea set.

Everything had butterflies – the teapot, teacups, and napkins.  Even the napkin holder was a butterfly.

I don’t remember the flavor of tea she had found but it was delicious!  The brownie bites were even gluten free so I could have some, too.

She amazed us with her thoughtfulness.

After sipping tea and nibbling brownies we got down to tatting.  Carla was able to come, so there were four of us.  Carla was worried about being too far behind but she remembered much more than she thought she would.  Becky worked on her napkin edging and Sherry her heart.

I brought several books with snowflake patterns to look through.  Becky is thinking about trying a few.  I also brought a sampling of LIzbeth thread.  We are talking of making an order together.  Not that I need anymore thread, but they could twist my arm.

We have still not officially come up with a name for our group.  At the moment it has defaulted to ‘Tuesday Tatters’ as that is how several of us put our meetings on our calendars.  We usually meet on Tuesdays but we’ve been known to meet on other days, just not as often.

We all had a lot of fun at Sherry’s house.  The June meeting is at my house.  On Tuesday.

“Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things.”

Chaim Potok,   www.brainyquote.com

 

Color research

Color sample made with Lizbeth thread size 10 in #606 Charcoal & #602 Natural

While making edgings for the table runner that were made this fall I discovered - rediscovered? - that my sense of what colors go together needs help.  Setting balls of thread on material gives an idea if they look good together but not necessarily if they work together for a pretty edging.

For a Christmas gift this year I'm planning on another table runner.  Instead of making the edging and then finding out the colors just don't quite work like expected I thought I should do a little more research and make a sample with the planned colors and then make the decision.

Why did it come out as a snowflake?  It was a good idea at the time??

These colors didn't quite work as expected with the material - good thing it was only a sample! - so more research was needed.

These were done only in one color so they could be put side-by-side with other colors to see how they would look.  Probably a much more practical way to research the problem and find the colors that work the best, don't you think?

"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing."

Wernher von Braun

www.qualtrics.com/blog/research-quotes/

On the edge with Emma

 Emma Edging © Wanda Salmans 2015

Here's another edging I've been working on, Emma.  Last week I talked about using more colors, and I did, just very neutral colors, Lizbeth #691 Mocha Brown Medium and #693 Linen Medium, both in size 10.  They are similar enough to each other that sometimes in the evenings when I was refilling the shuttles I had to compare the two threads to make sure which one I needed.  But the subtle color change really works with the material I have picked out for this edging.

Emma Edging in size 10

Part of this edging I made for a runner for the Christmas craft show last year.  Surprise! I changed it a bit this time around.  Actually, just the second row, the first row is the same.  The second row is different because I wanted the edging to be wider.  

Emma Edging in size 20

This is a sample in size 20, Lizbeth  #602 Natural and #658 Ocean Turquoise Light.  I used these colors because I had shuttles already wound with them.  Hey, one of the shuttles is now empty - yay! This sample has a bit of a different stitch count than the finished edging in a couple of places as I decide what works the best.

Emma Edging in two sizes

I use size 10 thread for runners because it covers more edge faster.  It doesn't look as delicate as it would with smaller thread, but for table runners where the lace hangs over the edge of the table the heavier thread works better, I think.  At least it doesn't take as long :-)

I hope to have the pattern for Emma posted later this week.  Part of it's done already but I also have to decide if I want to change the stitch count in a couple of places.  Oh, yeah, and try and catch mistakes :-P

I've got another edging almost finished then I need to figure out what I want to do on another.  I think I know the colors of thread I want to use but I'm not sure of the pattern.  Will it be a new one?  Will it be one I've done before? Will it be a combination of new and old?

I'm on edge to find out!

"They dined on mince, and slices of quince, 

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, 

They danced by the light of the moon."
Edward Lear

www.brainyquote.com

A good idea

It has been a very busy week and I've not gotten much tatting done.  Between being busy and all the things going on in the weeks before I've lost some of my motivation and my plans for future projects.

And somewhere in the last couple of weeks I've also lost the bookmarks I usually have on hand to give away as gifts.  So I thought it would be a good idea to start my stash again and an excellent way to start getting back into the swing of things. 

Cross bookmark made with Lizbeth #184 Rainbow splash size 20.

The shuttle is a Moonlit, about 2.75" without the hook.

Cross bookmark made with Lizbeth color #658 Ocean Turquoise Lt. size 20.

The shuttle is a Boye, about 2.75" long.

The top arm is different than the first cross because I was distracted and made the turn a little early.  I didn't want to unpick anything so I kept going. I think it was a good idea.

Another good idea would be to put up my feet, sip a little tea, and tat a bit, perhaps another cross...

An itty bitty tatted doily is size 70 thread and an itty bitty tea set.

Autumn tatting

Isn't fall wonderful?  With cooler weather and spectacular colors it is one of my favorite times of year.

It would be nice if that were true here, but I guess I'll have to wait a little longer.  We've finally had some days that were cooler but we're still looking at 80º F and the trees have not yet begun to change. 

So I've been working a little bit with fall colors to give me a better sense of the season.

Lizbeth #136 Autumn Spice in size 20
added 10/9/13 Motif by Wanda Salmans 2013

I really like the colors in Autumn Spice, lovely colors and very nice color changes. 

And how about my new shuttle?  I know the Aerlit has been out a little while but I hadn't bought one yet.  But during our stay in Buena Vista last month I stopped in a shop that carried them and just had to pick one up. I usually use Clovers with picks though I have a few Aeros and am familiar with this type of shuttle.  So far this one works well, though it made my thumb a bit sore when I started as I'm not used to adjusting the thread in and out with a bobbin.  But it didn't take long to get it working well. 

The shop I got it in is called "Serendipity".  It is a really nice shop that sells items for knitting, crochet, tatting and spinning.  They have some items already made up as well as hand-dyed threads and yarns, besides the more normal yarns and threads (including Lizbeth).  It carries gift items as well (it would have been easy to spend a lot of money here!)  The owner has classes for the different fiber arts, including tatting; a tatting class  was planned to start the first week of October.  She does both shuttle and needle tatting but prefers using needles.  I'm glad we were able to stop in. 

A still-living tree growing sideways on the trail up Mt. Princeton

One of the trips we took while in Colorado was up Mt. Princeton.  The road is very narrow all the way up, with very few wide spots to let on-coming traffic pass.  We were fortunate that we met very few people driving while going either up or down.  We did not try hiking to the top so we didn't become 14ers, we just drove as high as possible and looked around from there.   That is still about 12,100 feet.  It has a fantastic view of Buena Vista.

As you can see by the trees in this picture there was very little color change yet.  There were some aspens that had changed on the trail but we hadn't yet reached them. We were somewhat disappointed that we didn't see everything in their fall colors as we had hoped, but the trees were so green it was only a small disappointment. 

There is autumn yet to be enjoyed at home.

Small threads, vacation and TIAS

I did a little bit more with those small threads, King Tut and Perfect Quilter.  Okay, mostly to work them off my shuttles :-)

The butterfly at the top is in Lizbeth size #20, the yellow on the right in Perfect Quilter, the smallest in King Tut.  They are tatted with the same number of stitches (though the picots may not have the same ratio to stitch size.)  The edging is also Perfect Quilter.  Making this, and the crosses I posted about last week, show that I have trouble getting the picots the right size for the size of thread.

IsDihara left a comment on last week's post about what she found out about the quilting threads.

"Since I have a ball of size 100 thread to compare against, I can confirm that WPI (wrapas per inch) for King Tut thread matches size 100.  Perfect Quilter has more WPI than size 80 Lizbeth but less than size 100 thread.  So it seems to be in between sizes.  But that could also be an issue of different plies.  Pretty sure Perfect Quilter is not a 6-ply cotton. (Don't know why I didn't think to check these details before now.)  Thanks Madtatter80 for wondering!"

Thanks, IsDihara, for sharing this information.

We recently went on a vacation to Colorado, to the Buena Vista area - yes, again.  For the last several years this has been our favored vacation spot, and September our favored time of year.  We have been very blessed with seeing the Aspens change to their fall colors - until this year.   They have had so much rain all summer that, unless you were at a pretty high altitude, the aspens were only barely starting to change. 

This is the Mary Murphy Mill, not far from St. Elmo, Colorado. You can see that the Aspens have turned here, but this is at about 11,000 feet.

We stopped for lunch at a likely looking spot - there was a somewhat flat area with a convenient large rock to use as a table. The altimeter app on my phone showed we were at 11,433 feet. 

After lunch I took time to take a few stitches using our 'table' to sit on.  You can see it was a little cool here.

Sherry Pence, LadyShuttleMaker, is doing a TIAS, found here. Her pattern won first place at the 2013 Idaho State Fair.  This is my day four.  It doesn't quite look like the pattern :-(  I might have to un-tat a bit and try again.  That's okay, it's still fun!

"By all these lovely tokens 

September days are here, 

With summer's best of weather 

And autumn's best of cheer."

Helen Hunt Jackson

www.brainyquotes.com

The trouble with Angels

I've been thinking for a while now about making a material angel with tatted wings.  I finally sat myself down and did it. 

I started with the wings, which would determine the size of the rest of the angel. I had two shuttles already wound with Lizbeth white size 20 thread so I could just get started with my idea for wings.  They were turning out pretty much as imagined when I noticed something a little odd.  They already looked a little dirty.

No, I had clean hands, just two colors of thread.  What I had thought were two shuttles with color #601 white, in reality were one of #601 and the other of #602 Natural.  Things were going so well and I was so far along that I decided I wouldn't stop but keep going, so finished the wings.  

Then it was on to the body, which I made of denim from a pair of jeans.  I spent a lot of time cutting down the material to the right size and getting it shaped into the body.  For as small as this is, the denim was hard to work with.  Instead of sewing the back together I used fabric glue.  Then I had to get the neck just right so it looked good with the head bead.  Again, if I had used a lighter weight material it would have been easier.

The front tatted piece is a circle, attached to the wings in the back, which are glued to the body.  I left a twisted picot back there - I'll have to work on that. The simple rings and chains at the bottom of the skirt are glued on, which also helps to keep the denim from fraying without a hem. The halo is a tatted ring with an outside round of chains with beads, which makes it pointed. This halo is not the first one I tried, but about the third or fourth.

The finished size of this angel is about four inches tall.  The body is stiff enough that it can stand by itself, but then the head falls off because it's on the thread but not held tight to the body.  I think I need to find another way to keep it there, whether a knot or a touch of glue.  The wings aren't stiffened but they might need to be.  I'll be watching to see if they start drooping. 

Yes, I'm lazy and used glue instead of sewing the tatting on.  This is a prototype and I just wanted to get it done. I learned a lot doing this one, things to do differently next time and things to do the same.  If it was for someone besides myself I might - maybe - sew on the tatting.  Time will tell. Overall I'm happy with my angel. I'm just hoping the next one - when, if - doesn't take so long!

I'm call this #8 of this round of the 25 Motif Challenge.  It was quite the challenge to finish.

edited 10/16/12 to mention wings were not stiffened.

"But men must know, that in this theatre of man's life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on." Francis Bacon

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/angels.html#8JvbCD7fTaB8Uc3r.99 

More new tatting

I was working on another short edging that didn't come out quite like I wanted. 

Crowned Wheel © Wanda Salmans 2012

Edging?  Yes, it was supposed to be an edging but kept curving, so I let it.  I thought it looked a little hollow so added a little something to the middle.  It came out pretty nice, but obviously not an edging.  This one is made with Lizbeth #163 'Blue Ice' in size 40.  Originally I was working in Lizbeth #115 'Springtime' in size 20. I made the one in 'Blue Ice' to verify stitch count and shuttle use so I could write out the pattern.  If you're interested in it check out the Patterns tab. (I recommend starting with the center then working on the outside ☺)

I haven't finished the project with the Hanging Basket Edging yet, as this edging - the one that didn't happen - is  going to go with it.  I wanted to make sure the two edgings worked together before I got too far in attaching them.  Which means I'm not done yet.  I have some thoughts on where I went 'wrong' and will be trying again.

I'm trying out the Pages option here in Blogger, which is where I moved the links to my patterns.  The list was getting kind of long *grin* which isn't a bad thing, but I thought maybe this would work better.  

"Success is following the pattern of life one enjoys most"  Al Capp

found at http://thinkexist.com

Gifts

To me!

These wonderful items are from Tabatha that I received for our Advent exchange.  That container in the back has seven different colored seed beads.  Each bead color is in it's own compartment so each can be opened without releasing loosing opening all the others - great!  The ball of thread is Lizbeth "Springtime" #115 in size 20.  I haven't used it yet but it's such a 'spring-y' color I'm thinking of using it for something for Easter.  The cute book is a journal, an encouragement to keep jotting down my patterns.  And the pens aren't regular pens but crochet hook pens.  And they are soo pretty!  I've been keeping one in my purse so I always have one handy. 

All of these items are in such pretty colors they make me think "Spring!"  We've had such a mild winter here that it almost seems like spring already.  We actually had a thunderstorm yesterday with high wind and hail.  Very spring like, indeed.  Of course, it could come up and snow any day - it's still only February.  But tatting with "Springtime" thread, using those pretty beads and crochet pens, and jotting down ideas in the journal (did you see the tea pot?) will make it feel like springtime anytime. 

I didn't have any tea this morning for Tatting Tea Tuesday, I had coffee instead.  I was just too lazy to try and choose which tea to drink this morning :-)  I've also been too busy this week to tat, so there's no tatting to show.  I have a list of things I want/plan to tat, just not the time.  I'm hoping that this week is a little better on the tatting front.  

May you have a bit of tatting time this week, too. 

"Youth is not a time of life: it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it it a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life."

Samuel Ullman

A Doll and New Thread

Isn't this doll cute? This is called a "Wagon Train Doll". It is made of strips of cloth (actually bias tape) in a couple of different lengths with knots tied in strategic places to form arms, body and skirt. You are supposed to trim the material ends evenly along the bottom and the ends of each arm but I didn't do that (yet). The apron and cap are simply done with a few gathers and a little bit of elastic (to keep the cap on the head). You could buy dolls like this already made or in a kit that you could assemble yourself. This was a kit, which consists of the pre-cut material, the head already wrapped, the cap and apron, and directions to make it and future dolls if desired. I bought this in Silver Dollar City, Missouri for my granddaughter. Okay, she's a little young for it yet (two months) but she might like to play with it in a year or two! I'm thinking it could be fun to make matching apron and caps for the doll and the granddaughter later on. Even with my poor sewing skills I think I could manage that.

Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I was able to tat for about an hour, with the only interruptions being questions of those that happened by. I went with my mother-in-law to her physical therapy today and tatted while she did her exercises and what-ever. Almost everyone that came in asked or commented about what I was doing. And I still got a lot done! No tea though.

This last week I ordered some thread from Handy Hands for an interesting project. A friend of mine is doing a quilt with a muslin top. She chose a white-ish muslin instead of the more usual ecru colored type. She says it's not a crazy quilt but is supposed to have some embellishments on it and has asked if I would make some tatting for it. As it's not white-white material the white thread I have is a little too bright, so I ordered some Lizbeth in Natural, #602. I ordered one ball each of size 80, size 20 and size 10, and two balls of size 40 so she could have a choice of sizes but all be the same color.

Well, that was the plan.

I don't know how well this will show up on your screen - I had quite a time getting a picture of it - but in real-life there is a bit of a problem. This stack of thread has DMC white size 20 on the bottom, then Lizbeth Natural size 10, Lizbeth Natural size 20, Lizbeth Natural size 40 and Lizbeth Natural size 80 on top. The Lizbeth size 20 is a different color entirely. I know that different lot sizes can be different shades, I expected that. But the size 20 looks more ecru than anything else. I emailed Barb Foster at Handy Hands about my problem, but there's nothing to be done. They've lightened the dye in all the other sizes but haven't had to order more of the #602 in size 20 yet, so this darker color is it. That's why the ball of DMC. It's white but it's not as white as the Lizbeth, so it looks a little closer to the Natural of the other balls. If multiple size thread is needed I doubt they will be side-by-side, so this will probably work.

Oh, well. It's a little disappointing but not tragic. I think I can live with what I got - and the other colors of thread I bought while I was making the order:-)

"While only a rag doll with a few red yarn strands for hair, she has been loved for generations. Parents enjoy the positive memories of their childhood and sharing those stories with their children." Marianne Szymanski

The right colors

Colors
My order of Lizbeth thread from Handy Hands arrived late last week, which included the thread I needed to make my sister's birthday present. I've made a start of her gift but there is a long way to go, mainly because I haven't decided exactly how I'm going to join them together or finish it off. I have a few ideas that are bouncing around the back of my mind about it, but they haven't come together yet. Some of you might recognize the motif I'm using is from last October, the Priscilla Tatting Book No. 1. This time I'm using Lizbeth size 20 in 686 and 688, Seagreen Lt and Dk. The inner long picots are a half inch in length, probably a little long, but I like how it gives them a swirling effect :-)

Some of the other colors that I ordered are 'Paint Brush', 'Butterfly Breeze', 'Root Beer' and 'Peacock Blues'. A few of these I have plans for, others just appealed to me. I guess that means I'll have to find projects to make with them. Not to justify their purchase but to have the opportunity to use them and enjoy their colors.

The newest dragon
Ryan hasn't shown herself completely yet. Okay, I got excited about getting started on my sister's gift and did that instead. I'm using DMC Cebelia size 30 with one strand of metallic embroidery floss, which makes the finished project bigger than one made in size 20 Lizbeth. Only her wings are missing yet, and then framing and finishing. I don't think I'll get her done yet this week as we're having company this weekend - our daughter and her son will be here for a few days. Somehow having a two-year-old running around doesn't give a person much time to tat!

Contact!
I had an interesting email yesterday from a woman who lives here in Kansas and also tats who would like to get together sometime. Oh, goodie, goodie! The biggest problem right now is I'm so busy with a lot of different things that our meeting might have to wait a week or two. But I'm sure eventually we'll find a time that will work for both of us. I'm really looking forward to it.


Blogger issue
I happened to use a computer using Explorer to view my blog yesterday and I found out what Kathy and Margarette found - that the end of my 2/15 blog post was now showing in Wingdings! As I post using Firefox I hadn't seen it before. I changed it, hopefully for all the different methods of viewing.

Japanese disaster
I'm praying for all those that have been effected by the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan. May God bless and protect them from further harm. I don't know how many who read this blog may live in the effected areas but I hope they are all safe.

In this disaster, as well as the ones recently in Australia, I don't always know how I can help, one person a long way away. But there are ways, including donations of money to organizations that are capable of being there to help. The company I work for has employees in Japan and has announced that all are accounted for. Now the company is donating $1 million dollars to the Japanese Red Cross and getting out information on how the rest of us can help. It's good to work for a caring company.

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do."
Helen Keller

Tatting Tea Tuesday with Chocolates

Have you heard? Isdihara, from Ambitatterous is having a contest, to decorate an empty box of chocolates with tatting. The one she likes the best will win 25 balls of Lizbeth thread of your choice! 25 balls of Lizbeth! For that I have to at least try!

Okay, how do you decorate a box of chocolates? I was having a terrible time coming up with a theme or idea, so I went with what I was working on. Snowflakes. I don't know how good an idea it is, but I came up with something! The box didn't show off the snowflakes very well so I covered it in brown paper, which shows off the white thread very well. Then I tried laying out snowflakes on the top in different arrangements. That looked way too busy no matter what arrangement I tried them in, so I reduced it to just one larger one. I'm not sure about this, but it's what I came up with. I hope you like it at least a little bit, Isdihara!

I have been very busy, both with tatting and with other crafty things, but they're all for gifts so I can't show them yet. I'm in a Secret Santa exchange on Intatters and an Advent swap on Ravelry, besides having projects to make for family and friends. As the Internet things have to be sent out first they've been first on my list to do. I'm getting close to being done with those - I think! I have done a few things I've thought about for awhile but never got around to trying and I've been pretty happy with 'em. They'll be shown in future posts, after I'm sure they've all been opened.

I'm still working on snowflakes today as I enjoy a cup of peppermint tea. I keep humming Christmas songs which helps keep me in the gifting mood. "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

May you all have a wonderful week with a little tea and tatting if you can!