We had a very relaxing day today, and I spent a good part of my day tatting with itty bitty donuts.
To make things more interesting, I pulled out shuttles that had thread wound on them. The challenge with this was to see if I actually had enough thread to tat around the donut.
There were two close calls that required a little finger tatting at the end.
I have no idea what most of the colors are, but I guess it doesn't matter. I had fun!
The best part is, I used all of the itty bitty donuts!
When I saw a picture of Pamela Myers' opalite donut necklace, I knew I had to find one for myself. I quickly found a small packet on Etsy and ordered them right away... without checking the size!
I was a little disappointed when they arrived. They were only about 3/8" across, much smaller than I wanted. So, they just sat on the table next to my chair for a couple of weeks.
This morning I decided it was time to give them a chance, and I'm glad I did! I wasn't able to use the pattern I've been using for the larger donuts. I just couldn't hold on to the donut to make the join. So, I switched to a simple ring and chain pattern.
First I tried a pattern of ring 4-4+4-4, chain 6-6. It was okay. Next I tried ring 4-4+4-4, chain 12. I liked that much better. Then I tried putting a bead in place of the picot on the chain. I think I like the sleek middle version the best.
These are smaller pendants, but I think they look nice. Tomorrow I'll add jump rings and necklaces. I'll add them to my stash of necklaces for Christmas in the Village.
I've really meant to get back to my doily this past week, but I've been distracted by buttons and donuts. Maybe I'll get back to it this week!
Tollway Tatters met today via Zoom. We had a really nice visit, and it was great to see what everyone was working on. Unfortunately, we may never meet on the tollway again. There was a recent news article reporting that our Hinsdale Oasis will be demolished in September. I'm not sure how long we've been meeting, but we sure have had fun over the years!
I managed to tat three button ornaments during our meeting today. I usually don't accomplish this much! Marilee was able to identify my hand-dyed thread as her Lake Effect. I'm glad to know the name!
A beautiful blue shuttle arrived in the mail today. This one is by Alexy Romanov in Russia.
Alexy included some amber beads. I love amber! I'll have to do something special with these beautiful little beads!
I finished the flower motif I was making with my Jean Roux shuttle. I've been asked how to wind the shuttle, and there's nothing like pictures for a how-to!
First, I simply pulled the bobbin out of the case. I was pleasantly surprised at how much thread was left on the bobbin.
I believe the red thread at the bottom is there to keep the bobbin from sliding out of the shuttle.
Apparently, I forgot to take a picture of passing the thread through the shuttle case, but if you look at the top two pictures you can see that all that's needed is to pass the thread from the outside through the inside of the shuttle case. I used a slip knot to attach the thread to the spool. It was a bit fiddly to get started, but once I got started I was able to wind the thread easily.
I'm not sure if it makes a difference which way the thread is wound, but I wound it the same way as I received it.
I probably could have wound more thread onto the bobbin, but this was enough for me. The next step is to insert the bobbin into the shuttle case, making sure to draw the thread through the slit .
I didn't think to measure how much thread I wound on to the bobbin, but now you can see that it is ready for a ring and chain pattern. If I wanted to tat a rings only pattern like the one shown in the first picture, I would simply snip the thread from the ball. Easy peasy!
There were ideas floating around in my head about color combinations for donut necklaces.
Not one of them turned out the way I expected.
Still, they're pretty and my gift stash is growing!
I really am enjoying making donut necklaces! I don't need any more for gift giving right now, but they're easy enough to keep on hand for future use. This donut is a bit thicker than the ones I've been using. It's 3/4" across, and I used size 20 Lizbeth Rainbow Splash.
This donut is thin, but slightly larger at 1". The thread is size 20 Lizbeth Springtime. I guess I'm on a roll for tatting with donuts!
Daughter Carol borrowed my computer, so I’m posting from my phone tonight. I haven’t done this in a while, so it took me a few minutes to figure out how to do it!
I had 12 pendants ready, so I packaged them up and took them to school today.
I still have a few people I'd like to give gifts to, so this afternoon I made my last pendant out of Sugar Maple and moved on the Lizbeth Rainbow Splash. It's such a cheerful color combination!
I couldn't help myself. I just had to tat with Yarnplayer's Sugar Maple again! This time I actually followed my December 8 button ornament pattern, and I really like the way it looks. The two flowers are #14 and a variation of #14 from Mary Maynard's Tatting Rings of Flowers.
Sometimes I feel inspired to keep working with a color, and today I felt like playing with Yarnplayer's Sugar Maple. Yes, I've tatted another button ornament, and I played with a couple of flower designs from Tatting Rings of Flowers by Mary Maynard. My flowers look very different from the ones in the book, but I think that's okay!
I've been officially released from quarantine! I still have a bit of a cough, but that cough is consistent with my springtime allergies.
This is Snowflake #2 from Four Dozen Tatted Snowflakes by Robin Perfetti. It really looks better in person than it does in the picture. My photography skills are very sketchy!
Snowflake #3 is in size 20 hand-dyed Sugar Maple from Yarnplayer. The shuttle is another beauty from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design.
Inspired by the beautiful color, I decided to tat a button ornament. I love the stability that comes with using a button, glass gem, or doo-dad in the center of small tatted motifs. Speaking of doo-dads... I wonder where I put my stash?
I've put the snowflakes I've tatted from Four Dozen Tatted Snowflakes by Robin Perfetti someplace very safe. I seem to do that way too often!
Rather than take time to look for them, I decided to start over and keep the finished ones in a baggie with the book. This is Robin's Sample Snowflake in Tatskool's size 20 Serendipity hand-dyed thread.
Another beautiful and unusual shuttle that I recently added to my collection is from Jean Roux in France. I saw a YouTube video showing how this shuttle worked, and then I followed links and was able to contact him. I do not speak French, and he does not speak English. Thanks to Google Translate, we were able to understand each other, and I now have a fabulous new shuttle in my collection!
I've basically slept away the past week. I've had a low grade fever and persistent cough. It seemed the best thing to do was sleep, so that's what I did. I did call the doctor's office, and they ordered medicine for a sinus infection. However, I was told that I had to have a COVID test, so I did. It came back positive, which seemed odd since I haven't been in contact with anyone other than Mom and Dave, and I had finished my vaccine two weeks before. I'm in quarantine until Friday. If I truly have COVID, it's a very mild case. Still, I will follow the protocols.
I'm on a hand-dyed thread kick again, and I had recently ordered some beautiful new threads from my friend Pamela aka Tatskool. I've been collecting hand-dyed threads for years, and I've decided it's time to do more than just collect. I need to enjoy this wonderful threads!
Yesterday was the first day I had energy to do anything in a week, so I tatted around four different donuts. I think the top left one is my favorite. The thread is Pamela's Serendipity, size 20. I do love tatting with hand-dyed threads!
I was thrilled to find out that I was one of the winners in Marilee Rockley's drawing last week! The surprise was the amount of thread that was included. Yes, I saw the picture. Still, it looked like so much more when I opened the package. To say I am thrilled is an understatement!
It was a lazy day around here. It rained all morning, so we just sat around talking. Daughter Carol made blueberry smoothies for us, and I baked a loaf of beer and cheddar bread for my brother.
This afternoon, I watched t.v. and worked on Renulek's Spring 2021 doily. I'm taking care to check every three to five motifs now. I keep telling myself that slow and steady wins the race!
