Masquerade

I really needed to try out my new large bobbin shuttle, so I chose a familiar pattern.

This is Masquerade from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. I have a love/hate relationship with this pattern. Either it works up beautifully as it did this time, or I get all discombobulated and can't make it work. I'm glad it worked well this time!

I used size 10 Aunt Lydia's. It's hard to believe that I used to consider size 10 thread to be "fine" crochet. Now it feels like rope to me! I don't mind crocheting with size 10, but I really don't like tatting with it.

The shuttle worked great! I should let you know that I'm not a big fan of bobbin shuttles, although I do have quite a few in my collection. I guess because I learned to tat with post shuttle, it will always be my first love. Anyway, I was impressed with Laszlo's shuttle. I thought that the recessed screws might bother me, but they didn't. The shuttle is so smooth, the recess didn't matter at all.

However, if you do not like tatting with a large shuttle, I wouldn't recommend this one. I have many tatting friends who do not like large shuttles. They don't bother me. Just so you know, the large Clover shuttle seems small after using the large bobbin shuttle. I hope that gives you a frame of reference.

My newest scarf is coming along nicely. This is Morant from Sequence Knitting. I treated myself to some Madelinetosh. My friend Denise loves it for knitting socks, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's a lovely yarn! I don't usually spend this much per skein, but one skein won't break the bank!

In search of a large bobbin shuttle

Earlier in August, Frivole posted about her interest in finding a larger bobbin style shuttle. Although bobbin shuttles are not my favorite, I felt the need to find one! I contacted several bobbin shuttle makers, and will post my findings as they're available. If you make bobbin style shuttles and I didn't contact you, please don't be offended. I'm not sure I can remember who I contacted!

The first shuttles have arrived! They're from Laszlo in Budapest, Hungary. He actually contacted me on the Facebook Tatting Shuttle Addicts page when he read of my search. If you're interested in his shuttles, you can find him on Etsy (Banyek) or Facebook (Coin Smal).

As you can see, this shuttle is just about 3" long.

It's about 1" thick.

The screw holes are recessed and very smooth.

The bobbin itself seems huge!

The bobbin is about 1" wide.

It's about 1/4" thick.

It holds 12 yards of size 10 Aunt Lydia's.

It's ready to go!

Just in case there's a run on these shuttles, I ordered three! Laszlo included this nifty little screwdriver. Can you guess what my new quest is?

I'm making progress on my Jan Stawasz Masterpiece. I think I will finish round 12 this week!

Finishing Enders

It looked like I was getting close to finishing, so I've spent the last two days concentrating on my Enders scarf from Sequence Knitting. There was more yarn left on that ball than I thought! The finished scarf is 48" long. No, I won't be able to wrap it around my neck more than once, but it will look really sharp tucked inside the neckline of my bright red jacket!

New circles

I was getting a little tired of the circles I was using as the backdrop for my Jan Stawasz Masterpiece, so I switched spots on the rug...

I think it gives the doily a fresh new look... or it could be that I've made it half way around!

Slowin' down for the weekend

It was a busy weekend, which meant I had to slow down on my tatting. Still, I managed to finish one more section. Just think... the next time I post a picture of this doily, I will be half way around!

We went to daughter Alison's to help with her bathroom remodeling project. It's much easier to pick up and put down my Enders scarf from Sequence Knitting than to ask Dave to wait until I finish tatting a ring. So, I made pretty good progress on the scarf. I know some people would not like the way the darker shades pool together, but I think it looks cool. I guess that's a good thing, since I am now positive that I will keep this scarf for myself!

Taking a hint...

I was reading Jane's post about protecting the edge of her knitting, and I thought it was a great idea for holding the bulk of my Jan Stawasz Masterpiece while tatting. It's working out great! Thanks for the tip, Jane!

I'm making pretty good progress with my Enders scarf from Sequence Knitting. I LOVE this blue! I was going to give it as a gift, but I'm thinking of being selfish and keeping it for myself. :-)

What Mom wants...

...Mom gets!

Mom wanted a picture with a yard stick to show the size of my Jan Stawasz Masterpiece. Here it is, Mom! As you can see, I've managed to get around a third motif. I just keep humming "High Hopes" as I'm tatting, and I'm always amazed at how much I can accomplish!