Only four to go!

I just finished tatting around another motif section, leaving only four to go! I'm going to miss this round when I'm done. I really like the way the pattern flows.

Some new shuttles arrived from The Shuttle Brothers yesterday. My friend Denise met Randy at a lace event at Zig Zag Corners a couple of weeks ago, and she showed him the large bobbins I had. Randy said he was sure he could make shuttles for me, and all but the one in the center were made just for me! The center shuttle is elk antler. Denise raved about Randy's antler shuttles, so I had to have one, of course!

2013 TIAS

I loaded my shuttles for this year's TIAS from Jane Eborall the day I received the notification of it! I tend to get bogged down in details, so I was very pleased when Jane suggested a variegated thread for the first part. I grabbed the ball of thread to my right and went hunting for shuttles to match! I'm using size 20 Lizbeth #165, Grape Splash. I have now idea what this will be, but I'm going to try and keep up this year.

I was thrilled to open my mail today... four new shuttles from Randy Houtz! I've been admiring these shuttles for a long time, and I decided to make my purchase now. I really don't need any more shuttles, but I wanted these for my collection. I'll be retiring in a few years, and I know that I'll be on a much more restricted budget. Yes, I am enjoying working with bobbin style shuttles. I wasn't sure that would ever happen. ;-)

There was also a slip of paper saying that I had a package from Poland to pick up at the post office, so I quickly drove back to town. I'm glad I did! There are quite a few patterns that immediately caught my eye. I've already started one. Maybe it will be finished tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

I made it all the way to 9:15! I'm such a night owl! ;-)

I did get up at 4:30. I just love the early morning hours. They're so relaxing, and I am able to organize my thoughts to get ready for the day.

So, have you made any new year resolutions? I always fail miserably, so I gave up resolving to accomplish anything years ago. I did have a conversation with daughter Andrea when we were in Minnesota, and I really like her resolution... look for joy every day. Now that's something I think I could get into!

On to my first tatting of the year...

I keep thinking that it would be nice to tat every piece from one book. I wonder how far I'll get before I'm distracted by someone's post, a new book, or a telephone call?

It occurred to me that there could be new tatters who might stumble across my little blog. Wouldn't it be nice to know all the details without having to ask questions? Maybe my resolution should be to provide more information. We'll see how that goes!

Motif #1 from Minitats: 69 Petite Motifs by Patti Duff (out of print)
finished size 1 1/4"
size 20 Lizbeth, Wedgewood Dk #656
Shuttle Brothers bobbin shuttle
Picot gauges from Georgia Seitz

Tollway Tatters 2013

Yup! You read it correctly! The Tollway Tatters are starting 2013 off the right way... with a tatting get-together! We'll be meeting on Wednesday, January 2. If you'd like to join us and need details, just drop me an email and I'll give you the specifics.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that five years ago I slipped on a 2" patch of ice and broke my left wrist in 11 places. Knitting and tatting played a big part in my recovery. I am so glad that I've regained most of the mobility in my wrist. My only problem is that when the weather gets really cold, I cannot keep my left hand warm

Denise to the rescue! As part of my Christmas present, Denise knit me a pair of tatting gloves... fingerless mitts that will keep my wrist warm and allow me to tat. This is easily the best Christmas present ever!

Denise wanted to make sure I exercised my wrist regularly, so she also gave me a beautiful Bocote shuttle from The Shuttle Brothers! I do love wood shuttles, and this one is a beauty! Yes, there was thread, and coffee, and wine. I can tat day and night with the appropriate beverage! ;-)

Thank you, Denise!

I finished tatting Doodad Snowflake #2 in Snow White on Christmas morning. However, with all the excitement of having grandchildren here and preparing for our trip to Minnesota, I did not finish it and hang it on the tree until this morning.

Yes, I'm still in snowflake mode, and I think I may be throughout the month of January!

Our trip to Minnesota was wonderful! We had a surprise baby shower for daughter Joanne, who is expecting a girl at the end of March. Daughter Alison and family joined in the fun via Skype. Isn't technology wonderful?

Son-in-law Jake was on a hunting trip for two days after Christmas, so we didn't open presents until Friday. It was so much fun extending the holiday through the end of the week! No pictures though... I forgot to take my camera along, and I never thought of using my phone. The phone may be smart, but apparently I'm not! ;-)

On Thursday, daughters Andrea and Carol drove me to meet Michelle and her daughter for lunch... quite a treat for me since neither Andrea nor Carol tats!

Michelle and Theresa had put together a wonderful Christmas package for me!

Do you think this is a hint that I should start tatting snowmen? ;-)

Look at all the goodies! Two hankies from Aunt Rose's collection, beautiful blue thread and beads, doodads, and a ring and bobby pins to decorate. Do you see the key on the left? That's a beautiful brooch made by Theresa!

Michelle also brought along a book for me to read, review, and pass on. So far, I'm really enjoying it. I read 68 pages on the way home, which is saying a lot... I don't do well with reading in the car! More about the book when I finish reading it!

After lunch, Michelle and Theresa whisked me away to...

a bead shop! You'd never have known it was a bead shop from the storefront or the name, but inside we found treasures galore! I could have purchased so much more, but I remembered the stash at home and exhibited extreme self-control. I asked the clerk about silver-lined beads and tarnish, and she told me they can tarnish over time, but she didn't think it was something to worry about. She showed me some silver lined bugle beads that were very old, and they just looked more mellow, so I bought some seed beads that were calling my name.

I think I have some more doodad tatting in my future! Thank you Michelle and Theresa for a wonderful tatting get-together! I hope that next time I'm up we can arrange a time when Cindy can join us!

One skein of Teenybopper

In case you haven't guessed, Spinning Wheel glass mat from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior is my all-time favorite pattern! I love the way it shows off the colors of hand-dyed threads. This thread is Teenybopper from Yarnplayer. I think I may challenge myself this year to see how much I can tat from each skein of hand-dyed thread that I use. That way, I won't have unidentified bits of thread lying around! The other four motifs are from Occhi, the Peacock Book. I LOVE this book!

Here is my Teenybopper Spinning Wheel in its new home. Top left is my real English Aero shuttle. Top right is an impostor from who knows where., Underneath them is a German Aero shuttle. There is a big difference in each of these shuttles. I love the English, can't stand the impostor, and don't mind the German. I noticed that the Handy Hands catalog shows these shuttles now being made in Mexico. I guess maybe I'll have to try one of those as well.

The three shuttles on the bottom left are from The Shuttle Brothers. The three on the bottom right are Silent Tatters. The blue and brown shuttles in the middle are from either eBay or Etsy, I don't remember which. I guess I should try these shuttles out! ; )

Pure indulgence!

I"m sure many of you know about LadyShuttleMaker's Mondo Monday Giveaway... well, I was the lucky first winner! Believe it or not, the gorgeous HDTs she sent me are the perfect match for my CQ block. To the left of the shuttle is "Leaf Braid" from Tatting With Visual Patterns by Mary Konior in size 20 silk... yes, silk! If you haven't tatted with silk yet, you are missing out on a very special experience!

Oh, and the indulgence... I bought one of the Shuttle Brothers engraved silver shuttles as an anniversary present to me! Dave told me years ago that if I wanted jewelry, I had to buy it for myself because it just didn't do anything for him. Well, I count this beautiful shuttle as a luxurious piece of jewelry for my hands! I guess I must like me! I wonder what my next indulgence will be? ; )

The Shuttle Brothers

One of the advantages of having a broken arm is that I am forced to do more reading than experimental tatting. I'm one of those people who skims the directions, jumps right in, and then becomes frustrated when things don't work right. That's exactly what happened when I first purchased Tatting the GR-8 Self-closing Mock Ring, designed and illustrated by the Shuttle Brothers, published in 1999. I mainly bought the book because I had purchased one of their shuttles... a natural progression in my mind! I admit, my half-baked effort at trying this technique left me so frustrated that I didn't open the book again until this weekend... and I'm glad I did!

There is true tatting genius displayed in this book. My mind is reeling with possibilities! Some of the older patterns that I have might be able to be reworked so that I don't need to cut, tie, and hide ends as often! And, the person to rework those patterns could be me! I know that I will be looking at my older tatting books with renewed interest!