Sunday, January 6, 2013

Today's tatting...

...is brought to you by the letter L!


I wanted a quick tat, so I decided to look through my new books to see what might tempt me. I don't think I've ever tatted a letter of the alphabet before!

L is for Lily, who loves the color purple! This is size 20 Flora , #64.

The pattern is by Gill Fisher and can be found...


here. I'm so glad I re-joined the Ring of Tatters and purchased some new books!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Slowing down...


I didn't find much time to tat today, but I did manage to finish this Doodad Snowflake #3 in Snow White. I've had a wonderful Christmas vacation, but reality will hit on Monday morning... back to school!

I guess that means tatting time will slow down. I'll be happy if I can spend an hour a day tatting. There always seems to be so much to do!

Friday, January 4, 2013

More with blue

I"m becoming more comfortable working with beads, although I'm still having trouble keeping my stitches even. I'm sure that will come with time!


I'm not sure why Blogger decided to post this Christmas tree picture first, but I'm too lazy to fix it.


This is my Triangular Doodad Snow Crystal done in size 20 Lizbeth, Snow White. The beads are from Michelle and Theresa... love the color! Thanks, girls!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Pretty but impractical...

...at least the way it is right now!


I got a little carried away with beads, and the "arms" of the snowflake are a little heavy. Not to worry, though...


for now, the branches are holding the snowflake in place, and when I manage to get my sewing room cleaned up, I know I have some bangles that are just the right size to hold this little beauty. The real question is, am I willing to give up tatting time to organize my stuff? ;-)

Doodad Snowflake #2 (see tab at the top of this page)
Doodad from Fire Mountain Gems, stock #H20-9117FY
size 20 Lizbeth, Snow White #601
glass seed beads from Mill Hill #02097 ~ thank you, Michelle!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Tollway Tatters

Oh, how I wish all of you could have joined us today! The Tollway Tatters always have a lot of fun, and I am so grateful that I have been able to spend time with these wonderful ladies!


Granddaughter Eva finished tatting a friendship bracelet, and she wanted to use some of Marilee's hand-dyed thread for her next project. Luckily, her mom was willing to hold the skein of thread while Eva wound it on to shuttles. Alison didn't get a chance to tat today, but she said she enjoyed the time spent together. Sometimes it's okay to just sit and soak it all in!


Sue Anna is always so much fun to be around! In addition to tatting, we did a little tech talking today. We have to try and keep up with the times you know. ;-)


Denise almost didn't come, but her husband Warren encouraged her to join us. He even washed floors and vacuumed so that she didn't have to feel guilty about taking the day for herself. He's a gem!


Marilee, our personal thread vendor, brought along some gorgeous threads, including her new Blue Streak. Can you guess what I bought?


Denise worked on a baby bonnet. The pattern is from Workbasket, one that my mom saved for years. Some day I'll try the pattern! Denise is using some Greek crochet cotton that I found on Etsy. It's so soft!


Sue Anna worked on Marilee's snowflake pattern, Marian... so pretty!


Marilee claims that we help her get her creative juices going. Today she was working on Clunys separated by Double Core Single Shuttle Split Rings. Now that's a mouthful! With this technique, Marilee can tat two split rings in a row in two different colors... very cool!


Right before we left for the day, I snapped this picture of Sue Anna's progress with Marian. I love the two shades of peach together!

And what did I accomplish? Well...


I finished this "Christmas Decoration" from page 64 of Tatting theory and patterns by Jan Stawasz. The thread is size 20 Lizbeth, Snow White.


This is Motif #2 from Minitats: 69 Petite Motifs by Patti Duff. Again, the thread is size 20 Lizbeth, Snow White. I think I need to use a larger picot in the center. The rings are too close together and distorted. I didn't have the patience for pinning it neatly, so the chains are distorted as well. Maybe I'll take the time to fix it tomorrow, or maybe I'll just tat another!


I skipped to Motif #6 in Minitats, because I wanted to use up thread on a shuttle. This is size 20 Lizbeth, Wedgewood Dk, one of my favorite colors!


We talked a little bit about scissors today, and I remembered that I had this little pair on my ironing board. These have the thinnest blades of all the scissors I own, and they are great for snipping threads very closely. I wish I could remember where I bought them!

In case I forget to post about it, our next Tollway Tatters meeting will be on President's Day in February. If you'd like to join us, drop me a line and I'll give you the details!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Tatting with Jan Stawasz

I managed to sneak in a little extra tatting time today, and since I've ordered Jan Stawasz's new book, I figured I should probably tat something from the first book!


I'm not overly fond of front side/back side tatting. I get lost, confused, and frustrated. Still, I decided to give it a go today. Yes, there are mistakes, but at least I tried. Now if I could only figure out how to consistently focus with my camera!


Now for the details...

Pattern ~ sample for Jan's Method
Book ~ Tatting theory and patterns by Jan Stawasz
Thread ~ size 40 Lizbeth, Cranberry Bush #181
Finished size ~ 3" long
Special tools ~
Penguin shuttle from Margaret Wall (purchased on eBay)
Holly shuttle from "'im in the garage" (sold in Jane Eborall's Etsy shop)
crochet hook from Grizzly Mountain Arts
picot gauge from Georgia Seitz

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