Ornaments and bookmarks

 

I started the morning with a button ornament.

Then I decided to tat a Workbasket bookmark.

I followed up with "Christina" from Tatted Bookmarks ~ cross-shaped by Lene Bjorn.

I had decided I really wanted to complete three button ornaments today.

I was very pleased to achieve my goal!

Family fun

Daughter Andrea came down for a visit with her daughters Lily and Ella this weekend. We hadn't seen them in nearly a year, so the time together was extra special. Daughters Alison and Carol joined us on Saturday, and even though we had rain and storms for most of the day, we all had a great time.

I did miss out on our Tollway Tatters Zoom meeting, and I missed the shuttles that Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design had for sale on Saturday. However, that's a small price to pay for a weekend of family fun!

I did manage to get some tatting in. When I was sorting through craft supplies last week, I found these two hole buttons. I couldn't believe how perfectly the colors of the button matched the thread!

I also unearthed a box filled with coin beads that I purchased a few years ago. This one also goes pretty well with the thread.

All of the girls (daughters and granddaughters) had the opportunity to choose bookmarks and necklaces from my supply of tatted items. Alison was looking for a cross bookmark, but the few I had left didn't catch her eye. She found a ball of size 40 Lizbeth #653 Antique Blue Med, so I worked on this cross for her.

There was enough of the hand-dyed thread to tat a button necklace.

My final tatting for the weekend was again in the size 40 Antique Blue Med. I needed to work with a smaller button, so it was a good thing that I also found a box of assorted buttons that I had forgotten.

Mom and I have no special plans for this week, so I'll probably do some more sorting... and tatting!

Primary

 

Today I worked with a very cheerful color combination, Primary from Yarnplayer. This is my December 8 pattern, and the thread is size 40.

One donut wasn't enough. This one was destined to be another necklace in my December 1 pattern.

Primary also makes a very pretty Workbasket cross. I may move on to using this thread with buttons next!

14 years

It's hard to believe that I started my blog 14 years ago on my 55th birthday. Where has the time gone?

Today was bookmark day, and I chose to work with Daffodil Dell by Tatskool. This is the Workbasket pattern I love minus the picots.

When I want to work with just one shuttle, I love tatting Curds & Whey from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior.

Finally, I decided to try tatting Christina from  Tatted Bookmarks ~ cross-shaped by Lene Bjorn. This time I left off the picots for a totally different look.

I still have a little bit of Daffodil Dell left, but I'm pretty sure I'll need to choose another color tomorrow!

Too late

I've found that I prefer blogging at night. That way I can keep a record of what I've accomplished in a day. That didn't happen last night, because I finished my last tatted piece too late. I just didn't have any energy left for blogging!

I started my day with another Workbasket cross in size 40 Lizbeth #117 Country Side. I left the picots off on this one, and I really like the sleek look. I laid the cross on a large white envelope, because I knew it would disappear on my Kindle cover. I like using my Kindle as a backdrop because of the texture, but I've realized that it seems to suck the life out of some colors.

With that in mind, I re-photographed yesterday's Curds & Whey bookmark. Now you can see more of the true beauty of this color combination from Tatskool!

I spent some time de-cluttering upstairs in the morning. Then, I loaded up the back of the car with items I no longer could use, and Mom and I headed to Goodwill. We visited daughter Carol for lunch and then headed back home. I was thrilled to see that Victoria Ong's new needle lace book had arrived in the mail!

This is Victoria's third book on needle lace, and I am thrilled to have it! It is very detailed and beautifully done. I've had the pleasure of taking a class with Victoria, and she has attended Tollway Tatters. She is a very patient teacher, and I am happy that she took the time to write three wonderful books on needle lace!

It took me until late afternoon to finish the Workbasket cross. I'm still adjusting to tatting with size 40 thread. I love working with it, but I haven't developed a feel for working with it, so it takes me quite a bit longer than when I use size 20. After dinner, I decided to tat another donut necklace. The donut is 5/8" donut and it works well with the size 40 thread.

My friend Sue has been using these 3/4" plastic rings in her sun catchers. They also work well with the size 40 thread. 

So, why did I switch from hand-dyed threads to Lizbeth? When I'm experimenting, I prefer to use the Lizbeth. It's less expensive. Once I know my ideas will work, I feel better switching to the hand-dyed threads. Truth be told, I have way more thread than I will ever be able to use (both Lizbeth and hand-dyed). Still, I hate to be wasteful!

Busy weekend

We had a very busy weekend with work around the house and spending time with family. Saturday was very hot and humid, but Sunday was absolutely gorgeous!

Somehow, I can't stop myself from collecting tatting supplies, and I love collecting bags. This weekend I received two of Jane Eborall's Roly Poly tatting bags. These are perfect for carrying around in my purse! I was only going to order one, the one on the left. However, those cute little bugs were calling to me, so I had to have two.

I finished the last of my skein of the pretty blue/green. I didn't quite have enough thread to go around the button. It still makes a cute pendant!

Moving on to another hand-dyed thread, I was in the mood to tat another Curds & Whey bookmark from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. The thread is Just Daffodils by Tatskool. I could not get a good picture of this thread. It is absolutely gorgeous!

I love the way the colors flow on the Workbasket cross pattern. I am so glad I decided to start using my hand-dyed threads. Life's too short to save everything for something special. Sometimes we need to enjoy what we have right now!

Untagged

 

I found another skein of untagged hand-dyed thread.

It doesn't matter what the name of it is.

I think it's beautiful!

This is it!

 

This is the pattern that sparked my interest in tatting! I was given a cross bookmark as a thank you the summer of 1969. Mom knew that it was tatting, but didn't know how to tat. I remember that we went to the five and dime and purchased a shuttle, some thread, and a Coats & Clark book. For 20 years I periodically referred to the book and tried to figure out what to do. It never made sense.

One day, my friend Denise called and said she had found a video by Mildred Clark that would teach us to tat. Denise lent the video to me, and within 20 minutes I was tatting!

It took me years to identify the pattern as one from Workbasket. I have a copy of that Workbasket magazine somewhere. When I find its safe place, I'll let you know what issue it is.

I figured out that the thread is size 40, and I know that it is hand-dyed. It's a beautiful thread, and I'm glad that I had enough for the cross and a button ornament. This is an ornament I will keep. I had a stack of Dad's shirts that I had cut apart for quilt blocks, and I saved the buttons. I plan on making button ornaments with all the buttons I saved from Dad's shirts. When they're finished, I'll let family members choose ornaments for their trees. I hope they think they're special!

Playing

It took me all day to tat this Workbasket cross. I can't believe how many mistakes I made and how much time I spent untatting! I started at 6 this morning, and didn't finish until around 5 p.m. You'd think with that much time put in, I'd have a tassel for it. My tassel making skills are poor, so I need to find a finishing touch that works for me.

This one is in size 20 Lizbeth #671, Christmas Red. It's about 4.5" long and 3.5" wide. I played around with the length of the chains, changing the stitch count on either side of the picots from 5 to 7. I think it looks nice, but I think I'll go back to the original stitch count for my next one. Let's hope the next one doesn't take me all day to tat!

This is it!

More than 50 years ago, I was given a cross bookmark as a thank you gift. That's when my interest in tatting began. I had never seen tatting before, and I was fascinated! The girl who gave me the bookmark moved shortly after giving it to me, so I was never able to learn to tat from her. It took me 20 years to learn how to tat.

The Internet gave me the ability to search for the pattern, which turned out to be from Workbasket. I was sorting through some files on my computer last night and found the pattern. Naturally, I had to tat it!

The thread is size 40 Lizbeth # 40-9100, Arctic Evening, one of the new Limited Series threads. I like the thread, but I'm not sure I like it for this pattern. I think this cross is prettier in a solid color, or perhaps something with more subtle color variations.

I also tatted "Christina" from Tatted Bookmarks ~ cross-shaped by Lene Bjorn. The color variations seem to work better with this pattern. However, I think I still prefer solid colors fro cross bookmarks.

I haven't worked tassels for these two yet, and I'm not sure I will. I adore tassels, but I find they sometimes get caught and get pulled out of the book, something I find very frustrating!

How do you feel about tassels on bookmarks?

Grabbing tiny bits of time

This is Dave's busy time selling blooming tropical plants. I don't have a head for business, but I can alphabetize invoices and record payments, so that's how I spent my evening... not much time for tatting!

This is a picture of the cross from the December 1958 issue of The Workbasket. I will be tatting this one soon! I kind of like the squared off arms, different from the crosses I usually decide to make.

Yesterday morning I found time to begin the last round of Doily VI from Tatted Treasures by Jan Stawasz. I think it will go fairly quickly... once I get some time to tat!

One of my nightly routines is to soak my feet in Epsom salts after dinner. I find it really relaxes me. Maybe that's because I'm rooted to a chair and I have 20 minutes to call mine! One of my Origami pouches was sitting right next to me, so I opened it up and found another pink cross that I started a couple of weeks ago. What's a girl to do? I worked on the cross, of course!

Lace-lovers to the rescue!

Thanks to some wonderful tatting friends and sleuths, I now have the pattern I've been looking for! I feel so lucky that I received so many responses regarding the cross pattern. I'm pretty sure that the original bookmark I received was from this issue of The Workbasket, because it was given to me in 1967 or 1968, too early for the Rebecca Jones book or the Becky Dempsey version.

Thank you, Patti! This is the April 1955 issue, and the pattern I've been looking for is right there on page 6!

Lucky me, I also have the December 1958 issue on its way to me! That's the issue I was originally looking for, but I have found that the cross in that issue is slightly different. I'm really going to have fun tatting both of these pretty patterns this summer. Now to get my tassel skills up to snuff!

Look, Jane... split rings!

I know, there are only three of them, and they're not integral to the cross pattern, but I did tat three split rings!

I was trying to use up what I thought was a little bit of thread on my shuttles. I wanted to empty them and refill them so that the last round of Doily VI by Jan Stawasz would have no extra thread joins. Silly, I know, but that's the way I want it. Guess what? I think I have enough thread left for another cross!

Did you notice the two shuttles? Rachel, who does fabulous nail art, decorated them for me. She actually painted those designs on! They're not paper or fabric that has been decoupaged. It's actual art work!

Isn't this zebra stripe awesome? This is an altered Starlit shuttle... no pick tip!

I told Rachel to feel free to do her thing... one side, both sides... whatever she was inspired to do. I'm glad that she only decorated one side. The decorated side is so smooth, I'm afraid the shuttles would fly right out of my fingers if both sides were decorated!

One fantastic week!

Despite being laid low by a stomach bug on Tuesday, this has been a fabulous week!

Play practice began on Monday, and although I didn't need to be there, I attended Middle School Drama Camp and participated in learning the dance routine... for as long as I was able. Oh, my goodness! I knew I was out of shape, but this is ridiculous! I'm going to have to do some training in the coming week so that I'm prepared for learning the dance routine I have to know! It was suggested that we practice jogging in place while singing "One" from A Chorus Line so that we're prepared for the finale. Are you kidding me? The thought of jogging in place makes my knees and ankles ache. I've been trying to learn the lyrics, and my tongue gets all tangled around the words. What if they kick me out of the play? Can I get by with lip syncing? I'm the old lady in the cast, so hopefully the director (daughter Carol) will cut me a little slack. ;-)

The best part of the week was receiving a new tatting shuttle to beta test for Dave Stanbrough at Grizzly Mountain Arts!

It is awesome! Do you see the little handle attached to the top? It's to help with the winding process.

Can you see the deep slits? It does take a little longer to wind this shuttle because of the deep slits, but the shuttle is so smooth, I don't find it to be a problem. Winding shuttles is very therapeutic for me. If you're addicted to winding quickly, this shuttle may not be for you. I forgot to measure the thread as I was winding, but I do know it holds much more than a small Clover. I'll try to remember to measure the next time I wind it.

This is the hole where the handle screws in. While tatting, I put my thumb over this hole. I found that it helps me keep my grip.

The top is nice and smooth. I do love the feel of wood when I'm tatting. What are your thoughts on a shuttle like this? I'd love to give Dave some feedback from tatters. Would you be interested in a shuttle like this?

Dave told me in his email that he will probably never be able to make typical post shuttles again because of problems with his fingers and hands. However, he misses making shuttles, and he thinks he'll be able to make some of these as well as some of his flat shuttles with no problems.

You can always visit Grizzly Mountain Arts to see what Dave has available, but beware... I'm an avid fan of his shuttles, spindles, and picot gauges, so if I see them first, you may not have the opportunity to buy one!

So, what did I make with this new shuttle?

Another Pineapple Parfait cross! I'm kind of addicted to this pattern now that I have it memorized. The Pineapple Parfait was sitting right next to my chair, and I just couldn't resist using this yummy color again.

Fox the Enabler got me into trouble again. We tend to do that to each other! She emailed me about a book that was being discussed on InTatters, and she wondered if I was familiar with it. I quickly searched for the book, watched the YouTube video, and decided that the book was not for me. There's nothing wrong with the book. In fact, it's wonderful! I just thought about all the books I have that are, as of now, unused... meaning I haven't tatted anything from them.

I did find the book on Etsy for about half the price I had seen it in other places. I sent Fox the information, and she also decided to pass on it for now. Then, one day I received an email from Etsy indicating that I had an item in my cart that needed to be paid for... oops! I didn't realize I had put it in my cart! Or if I did, I thought I had completed the purchase... I'm afraid the old brain just isn't what it used to be. Anyway, I figured that I needed to pay for the book because the seller had been waiting for payment.

It arrived this week, and there are some wonderful designs! One aspect that I find very interesting is the use of color, so different from what I would ordinarily choose. However, when I think of the bright colors in Ukrainian costumes and the gorgeously decorated Easter eggs, the color choices make sense. I'm very happy to add this book to my collection!

I chose the name Lace-lovin' Librarian for a reason... I am fascinated by all kinds of lace! I am always excited to receive my lace issue of PieceWork magazine, but this year's issue is especially wonderful. Can you see what attracted me on the cover? "Discover a Master Tatter"...five full pages devoted to Lily Mae Burley Patrick! I'd have to look through my past issues, but I do believe this is the most extensive article devoted to tatting in any issue I've ever read in PieceWork! I highly recommend checking out this issue!

After tatting "Sonnenschein," I knew I had to have Happy Occhi. I can't believe it arrived so quickly! If I counted correctly, there are 25 patterns in this book... fabulous!

I managed to finish all my laundry last night, so I think I'll take a little time to tat today. :-)

Pineapple Parfait Cross

Pineapple Parfait is a beautiful bright yellow, although it looks more gold in this picture. I had thread left on my shuttles, and this seemed the perfect pattern for using up that thread.

I know I won't have much time for tatting this week. Daughter Carol is running a middle school drama club camp, and I'll be helping her out. She's planning a summer showcase the end of July, and I'm going to be in it! This will be my first time in a drama production. I am very excited!