Nifty Needle

Life Line

2011-12-30T20:45:00.002-06:00

I'm still about - on earth that is, not so much in cyberspace. Thank you for checking on me. Sorry that I haven't responded to emails. It has been busy... and that won't be changing any time soon. We began homeschooling one of the kids this year. BIG adjustment for me. It's going well and I am happy that we are doing it, but my creative pursuits have definitely taken a hit...

There hasn't been much time for tatting - my brain can't keep up with language arts and social studies etc, AS WELL AS, ds, -, --, and RW. All I have to show is what I WAS working on before I came to care about prepositions, pronouns and the American Revolution...

Above is progress I had made on testing a tatting pattern I am attempting to write up. And below is an unfinished motif - I BELIEVE it is part of a vintage pattern, but I wouldn't swear to it. If I ever find the pattern, maybe it will be finished...

Knitting has been my friend lately. I still have a bee in my bonnet to make some socks for my dad and the pattern is simple enough that I am able to work on it as I wait... and prod... and wait some more... for homeschool work to be completed.

Unfortunately, not so simple that I didn't make a mistake while shaping the heel. I'm such a newbie at knitting that I can't immediately tell where my mistakes occur and things started to careen out of control as I began ripping back. I thought all might well be lost and reminisced lovingly about how hard it is to retro-tat and how apparent a mistake can be in a tatted piece (SOMETIMES, that is...). You're never going to see a piece of tatting unravel and return to a pile of crinkly thread before your eyes as you attempt to fix an error and figure out WHERE you are in the pattern!

I put the ever shortening sock aside and scoured the internet for help. That's when I found JL Yarnworks' post about lifelines. THANK GOODNESS!

I'm happy to say that adding a lifeline has put me back on track and I didn't lose anymore sock than the heel flap. I'm going to take Jackie's advice and keep my lifeline in as I continue knitting in case I find myself in water over my head again...

Why the ELO song?

This is the song I found myself humming as I stitched in my lifeline. I do love me some ELO!

Dweams and Dwums

2011-07-28T15:00:00.001-05:00

Dweams

I tatted the first couple rounds

of this motif after Baby Doll

had woken me up

several nights in a row,

frightened of her "dweams."

That accounts for the

(in my mind)

HUGE AND CLEARLY VISIBLE

lumps where I hid the thread ends.

Cheaters, a magnifying glass

and squinting were

not enough for these tired eyes to see.

Dwums

Baby Doll began running a tempie (fever)

about the time I was debating

whether to chuck the motif

or keep tatting.

A (fairly) quick trip to the doctor
explained those "dweams."
Baby Doll had an ear infection
AND
a virus - she likes to multitask.

So the last two rounds were tatted

over several nights, sitting on the floor by the sofa
(which is apparently the BEST sick bed in the house),

while Baby Doll fell asleep
watching Little Bear,
after being assured
that there would be no more
"dweams."

And now...
the "dwums" are healed,
the "dweams" are done,
but there's STILL a baby on my sofa
when bedtime comes.
But that's not ALL bad...

The motif is No. 15 - Rosette of Tatting, from Old-Fashioned Tatting Patterns, Book 1, edited by Barbara Foster. It was another enjoyable tat, and the perfect relaxation for a worried mind.

Baby Doll's "Spa Day" & Tat Time for Mama

2011-07-15T15:47:00.002-05:00

This is No. 52 - A Tatted Edging from

Old-Fashioned Tatting Patterns, Book 1

Edited by Barbara Foster.

LOTS of pretty patterns in this book!

I was using up some thread left over on a shuttle

while waiting for Baby Doll at the

~~manicurist~~ dentist.

She LOVES the dentist,

but I was afraid the honeymoon would be over

after yesterday's appointment

because she needed a filling.

She was happy as a lark after her appointment though,

with painted nails, a bouncy ball and a balloon bird,

and her "special cleaning" went very well.

On the sock front,

we have a HEEL!

Erm, and a couple little holes,

and it is kinda tight

BUT

the good news is that I think I know

where I made my mistakes

AND

like I said, we have a HEEL!

So we're still in the game...

Bee in My Bonnet or Sloth in My Socks?

2011-07-02T18:18:00.000-05:00

When I FINALLY

learned the basics of knitting,

I got a bee in my bonnet

to make some socks for my Dad.

I thought,

AT LAST

I had found a hobby

which I could share with him.

But in an effort to be

REALISTIC

I decided to make socks for

Baby Doll first.

Little Feet = Little Commitment

Good thing because

I tat slowly,

I sew slowly,

I do whatever I am doing slowly,

and it appears that knitting is no different.

I figure that at least by knitting little socks

I will reach the point of messing up

and learning lessons from it more quickly

and perhaps

I will then be able to begin

SLOWLY

knitting Dad's big ol' size 12 socks...

I'm making socks from Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I am a total rookie knitter and have been amazed that I have made it this far. This book has a great method and very effective instructions.

We Did

2011-06-27T18:52:00.002-05:00

and all these years later,

we still do...

This is a botched attempt at a well known heart (which I will add the link for as quickly as I find my copy of the pattern) and the beginning round of a larger doily (hopefully) to come.
Update: The heart is actually Li'l Heart by Birgit Phelps (http://webspace.webring.com/people/qb/birgit_ph/lilheart.html).

Tatting With Ease

2011-06-21T20:53:00.000-05:00

Tatting With Ease

(to the tune of “Down in the Valley”, lyrics by Ann)

Take up a shuttle,

Wind it with thread,

Soak in the color,

Blue, yellow, red,

Follow the pattern,

Tat where you’re led,

Rings, chains and picots,

Filling your head.

Hands dance a ballet,

Thread sings a song,

Lace is appearing,

Delicate, strong,

Shuttle moves surely,

Doing no wrong,

This perfect moment,

Tatting along.

Tatting with ease, you’re

Tatting with ease,

Smooth, gliding shuttle,

Does what you please,

Mind sheds its worry,

Heart is at peace,

Joy resurrected,

Sorrows release.

Tatting with ease, you’re

Tatting with ease,

Smooth, gliding shuttle,

Does what you please.

(A little ditty for your humming pleasure)

The tatted piece is a pattern from "Let's Tat" which I was fortunate enough to borrow from Fox. It's been done for a few months... who knew hiding the ends could take so long?

That's My Boy!

2011-03-24T09:58:00.001-05:00

I was "minding my business like a good girl should"

several weeks ago

when Boy approached me with a

PROBLEM.

He had been trying to learn to knit

for a project for his 3D Art Class

for a couple weeks

and decided it was time to

wave the white flag

and ask Mom for help.

Now there's a whole 'nother

PROBLEM.

I've always been a FAIL at knitting.

But that night was magic,

sitting with Boy on the sofa

looking at "Knitting for Dummies" together...

I caught the bug and he learned to knit passably

(so long as I hovered and cautioned).

Since then I have been caught in a knitting vortex,

and as you can see, I have been making swatches

and trying to figure this thing out,

determined to make at least

ONE SOMETHING

before I give the needles a rest.

I'll keep you posted...

Not much later, after our knitting night,

Boy asked me if I would help him learn to sew.

For his next art class project, he wanted to make a quilt.

Of COURSE I would!

But Boy tends to dream big

and as he sat down at the computer to research quilts,

I felt bud nipping was in order

and suggested the simple pattern you see here.

He worked VERY hard on this.

Did it ALL himself - Cutting, Piecing and Quilting...

and I have the video to prove it...

APPARENTLY

this was supposed to be an "in class project".

Several kids knitted scarves while others made "quilts."

I say "quilts" because knotting fleece together

doesn't fit my uppity definition of a quilt.

APPARENTLY

Boy took the hard road and drug me down it with him

by making this quilt,

and although I fussed and complained at times

(mostly because of having to video it all)

I'm glad to have had the opportunity

to guide him through it.

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, I'm sure.

And now I have the memory of working with Boy

and video of his silly little sisters

prancing through the kitchen as he sewed.

Since this post has become an

Ode to Boy,

I will finish by sharing his true, current passion,

WOOD WORKING.

Boy loves working with hammer and nails.

This bird house was his first project.

With no previous experience, a hand saw and a hammer,

he constructed this abode for birds.

Dad and his drill completed the job.

Boy cut bamboo from the yard for the perch.

AND NOW BOY HAS A BOARDER!!!

APPARENTLY

this little bird is as big a dreamer as Boy.

They will get along just fine...

I Feel Honored

2011-03-06T22:31:00.001-06:00

I feel HONORED

that my blogging friend, Martha,

used an edging I tatted for her

a while back,

on the ring bearer's pillow

she created for her daughter's wedding.

The preparations for Emily's wedding

are

JOYOUS and colorful!

Martha has been busy working on

napkins for the guests,

pennants

and, most recently, the pillow.

It is DARLING - and you can see it HERE.

She and Emily are gathering

Depression glass table settings

for the reception.

How funny that I photographed

the edging with a couple of the pieces

Mom gave me years ago.

Colorwise, I think my set would work,

but since it is a childrens' tea set

I'm afraid some guests would be

disappointed with their portion size...

Needless to say, I am THRILLED

that something I created

will be part of such a

HAPPY OCCASION!

Oh, and I'm back. I haven't been far.

Just a case of life interrupting art.

MY TATTING STORY

2011-02-06T00:00:00.004-06:00

My Grandma (Mom's mom) tatted.
Her fingers flew!
She never used a printed pattern because she knew
how to make her tatted crosses by heart.
I don't remember her even pausing to count stitches.
She passed away when I was still too young to teach.

Over the years Mom and I talked many times
about Grandma's tatting and how her fingers flew.
I grew up and moved away from home.
Then on one visit, Mom brought me
Grandma's shuttles and her tatting.
I was so happy to have them!

More years passed.
Occasionally I would take out Grandma's tatting
to admire it and hold the shuttles
and just wonder,
"How in the world..."

Enter Carol Duvall.
Mom and I both watched her show.
One day there was a segment on needle tatting.
We were on the phone right after it aired, so EXCITED!
I got needles and thread and was ready to try...
but then I thought to do an internet search
and found instructions for
SHUTTLE TATTING just like Grandma!
(anyone need some brand new needles?)

In fact, I found SEVERAL tutorials on shuttle tatting,
but still was getting nowhere until one day I found yet ANOTHER and gave it a try...

I do not know who posted these instructions to the internet, but
THANK YOU.
On March 23, 2001, I FLIPPED for tatting!

I happily tatted away, making a few "Lacy Bookmarks."

I placed my first order from Handy Hands.
I made small motifs.

Mom was very proud and I was very happy...
but there was a problem.
After tatting for HOURS on some pretty little motifs,
THEY WOULD TWIST AND BECOME MISSHAPEN
ON THE FINAL JOIN.
I. COULD. NOT. FIGURE. OUT. WHY!

I kept reading the instructions in my new tatting book,
but to no avail.
I found myself limited to certain patterns.
I was frustrated.
I gave up.

For several years

I only picked up a shuttle
to see if I could still make a ring.

About a year after Mom died,
I found myself revisiting things we both enjoyed or admired.
I began wanting to tat and turned once again to the Internet.
There I found Gina, Sherry, Jane, Fox, Jon and Tatting Chic.
I stalked them SHAMELESSLY!
And the more I stalked,
the more determined I became to tat again and better.
This time I felt as if I had a community of tatters cheering me on.

My AHA moment came on June 22, 2009.
With the help of my OTT magnifying lens,
I SAW how to make that dreaded final join
and there was MUCH rejoicing!

My fingers STILL don't fly - maybe they never will -

but I find that if I tat slowly and steadily,

I ENJOY being in the race!

Winter Froze My Toes, But Tatters Warmed My Heart

2011-02-02T19:39:00.000-06:00

THUNDERSLEET

never heard of it...

until yesterday.

We had a few hours of it, at the end of which

the kids were DELIGHTED

to find themselves with a free day,

but the little ones were DISAPPOINTED

to learn that there would be no snow play.

Today the ice remains,

as do bitter cold temperatures,

the kids,

AND

"ordered" rolling blackouts

have been added to the mix (for fun).

Still, watching the news, I know

WE ARE LUCKY.

But I must say as

EXCITING

(in a "when will this go away" kind of way)

as the weather has been,

I have been

FAR MORE EXCITED

about emails from tatters in my inbox...

In the last 48 hours, there has been a

FLURRYof activity

regarding my Tatting Press Pattern!

and it WARMS MY HEART because

I posted it hoping to contribute

SOMETHING

to the tatting community

which has been so kind to me.

First came an email from

AUBREY at SWEET MAGNOLIA TREE

saying she had made her tatting press

and sharing

THIS LINK

to the LOVELY blog

she has begun with her mom and sister.

Check out her cheery, Country French press!

LOVE IT!

She even posted WIP pictures of the press being made!

Next came an email from

MARIA at KNACKFUL KNITTER

to say she had also finished her press!!!

With her permission, here is a picture,

ISN'T IT JUST BEAUTIFUL!

Serene also comes to mind.

The perfect press for tackling clunies!

Check out Maria's blog

HERE.

She knits WONDERFULLY

and has recently taken up tatting.

THEN I read Fox's post

which showed a

LOVELY motif she tatted

and a picture of it in progress

on her Tatting Press

at the coffee shop!

AND FINALLY,

because Maria sent information about the press pattern

to ANOTHER tatter,

the pattern may show up in new places online

so, HOPEFULLY, more tatters

will be able to make one of their own!

All this has added up to one VERY HAPPY...

Norm and Dunno

2011-01-27T08:34:00.000-06:00

Since he pecked his way out of

Brain Cell #3

last year,

I thought

Norman

would certainly be able to

give me a clue

as to what this year's

TIAS

is.

He took one look and said,

"Dunno,"

before sauntering away

to crow out

his greetings to the day.

Thank you, Norm!

I KNEW YOU WOULD KNOW!

Should I Feel Guilty?

2011-01-24T20:58:00.001-06:00

Should I feel

GUILTY

because I am so far behind

on my

TIAS...

-OR-

that I began retatting it

at the playground

on a

SIXTY DEGREE

sunshiny day

IN THE DEAD OF WINTER

while Baby Doll

built her sand castle?

No, I don't think I should feel guilty about THOSE THINGS...

but I PROBABLY should feel badly about

recounting it here so gleefully...

I really should. :)

BAD

SHOO GRAY! GO AWAY!

2011-01-19T12:01:00.000-06:00

This Tatting Press

is for a tatter

who lives

FAR NORTH OF ME

LOVELY,

(but by my understanding)

GRAY

(this time of year)

Washington State.

Because she brings

RAYS OF SUNSHINE

into Tatland,

I felt this situation

needed to be remedied

and determined that her press

should be

DECIDEDLY SUNNY.

Hope you enjoy

your sunny, scrappy press,

Krystle!

Does the Doctor need one as well...

or can you two share? :)

Joining the Fun With Jane and Janet

2011-01-17T09:26:00.001-06:00

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read background text
if you EVER plan to read this book OR see the movie!

I've joined the fun

Jane's TIAS

(Tat It And See).

Here are my Days 1 & 2.

LOVE

that Jane takes the time

to do this every winter.

It is a day brightener

on these otherwise

gray days.

Another lady brightened my day

yesterday as I worked on the TIAS.

Janet Gaynor,

in Small Town Girl.

LOVE her smile and her voice.

So WHY the photo of a page from

Leave Her to Heaven?

A rather murderous book...

Because

Ben Ames Williams

wrote

Small Town Girl

AND

Leave Her to Heaven.

I have several books in my

"library,"

(or shelf if you prefer)

on which movies are based.

Since I have

Leave Her to Heaven

I thought I might also enjoy

Small Town Girl,

but at prices starting around $200,

per one site,

I think I'll wait until

I make my first million.

It'll be a while...

Opportunity from Emerging Designer, FOX

2011-01-14T20:30:00.001-06:00

Of course, I said,

"YES!"

when emerging designer,

FOX,

asked me to test tat

MAEVE,

one of her new patterns.

Fox has been taking the latest

Online Tatting Design Class

taught by

Sharon Briggs

and is doing a

MARVELOUS

job of flexing

her creative muscle.

Maeve

was a

relaxing and rewarding

motif to tat.

Thank you for the opportunity, Fox!

It was a pleasure!

My color selection for Maeve

was inspired by nature,

more particularly,

a flower that bloomed

five years ago

in the garden

at Groovy Girl's preschool.

The threads are #20 Lizbeth.

Maeve is #9 for my

25 Motif Challenge.

I'm a bit behind on my challenge,

but have several pieces to post

in order to begin to catch up.

I am known for tackling tasks

SLOWLY

and am often asked by

members of my family

to translate time frames

from "Ann Time."

They are a clever bunch. :)

ME AND ANGELINE

2011-01-11T23:26:00.002-06:00

I've been hanging out with

Angeline

for a bit now.

She's pretty cool.

I like her a lot.

Her love of tatting

totally contagious

even

thirty years later.

I look in wonder

at this book

which she self-published.

SO MUCH WORK

went into this labor of love.

I love that she took the time

to lay out some pages

in a special way,

and that no mistake

was too small

to fix.

(whatever kind of glue THAT is, I NEED some)

Imagine if she had been

able to use

computer...

I think she would

have had

colorful tatting

LEAPING OFF THE PAGE.

But, even in black and white,

and without

the tricks of today's graphics,

Let's Tat

is a GREAT book,

because

Angeline Crichlow's

passion for tatting

comes through

loud and clear.

I'm thankful

she wrote it

and that

Fox

generously

sent her copy on

such an

amazing journey

so tatters like

myself

could enjoy it

and perhaps be inspired

to share their

love of tatting.

Tatting Press Winners!

2010-12-15T20:33:00.001-06:00

It's been ANOTHER busy week around here.

Putting up the Christmas tree and decorating it with ornaments.

Chasing Baby Doll as she absconds with the ornaments.

Hanging the breakable ornaments out of her reach.

Finding out she can reach farther than I thought.

Admitting defeat.

Taking the ornaments off and going to paper decorations.

Making cookies for a holiday cookie swap.

Trusting my 4th grade self to have

written down my then

FAVORITE

recipe correctly and

HOPING

I had good taste in cookies then.

I did and I did.

They were easy and yummy.

The cookies we brought home were yummy too!

Yep, they were good - past tense...

Catching up on shopping.

BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME,

LET'S TALK ABOUT

YOU!

THANK YOU SO MUCH

for all your wonderful comments about the press pattern!

I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how good you made me feel!!!

I had Baby Doll pick the

Tatting Press Giveaway winners

out of a hat...

This press will be sent to Gemini,

And this press will be sent to umintsuru.

Please email me your addresses and I will get these in the mail.

Thank you to everyone who entered.

I will be doing this again.

The Tatting Press Pattern is READY... and a GIVEAWAY!

2010-12-09T09:35:00.002-06:00

YES!

You read that right!

The press pattern is FINALLY ready!

Click HERE to get it!

THANK YOU to my blogging friends,

Cindy (A Happy Bluebird)

and

Martha (Q is for Quilter),

for giving the pattern

and instructions a read through

and making suggestions

for improvement.

And THANK YOU to all of you,

for your kind comments

and

for putting up with my endless press posts.

I haven't been a very good blogging friend of late

while I have been trying to finish this up.

To celebrate completing the pattern,

I would like to have a

GIVEAWAY!

Comment on THIS post

and I will put your name

in the hat (literally)

for a chance to

win one of two presses.

I will draw two names

DECEMBER 15, 2010.

I'm going to keep making presses

and plan to host future giveaways.

In fact, I have one press

currently in the works,

intended for a tatter

who hoped very much that

she lived NORTH of me.

She SO does!

Tatting Press Pattern

2010-12-09T09:30:00.001-06:00

The Tatting Press

I designed the Tatting Press as a way to keep my on-the-go AND in-the-home tatting projects neat, tidy and ready to tat when I was ready to tat. No more tangled threads - I just pick up my tatting and start where I left off!

I am sharing the pattern here for your PERSONAL use. Feel free to email me if there is something in the pattern which is unclear. If you make a press and post about it, please link back to this post... and let me know! I would love to see your press!

Shuttle Pockets

Back Pocket

Your Current Tatting Project

Add a Light for Tatting at Night

The instructions and pattern pages are stored on Google Docs as separate PDFs to maximize their resolution. I BELIEVE the icon to the far right on the toolbars will take you to the complete, printable PDF.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T15:22:00.000-06:00

Ex Libris

2010-11-17T21:50:00.000-06:00

Although her name

is not

Marian,

she is INDEED

LIBRARIAN

(which has always been a dream job of mine, by the way).

It is a FACT

that

she LOVES lace,

and will often,

"Tat a little,

Pick a little,

Tat a little,

Pick little,

Pick, pick, pick,

Tat allot,

Tat a little more."

because she said as much

once in a comment

on another blog.

SO TO RECAP:

She is

LACE LOVIN'

and

LIBRARIAN

and

apparently

also enjoys

The Music Man

(that last bit is pure conjecture on my part).

Name that tatter!

For your viewing pleasure (you'll thank me for the second one later).

For a Goddess Among Tatters

2010-11-16T09:40:00.000-06:00

There's only

ONE

Goddess of Tatting,

GINA.

Thank you

for your

ENCOURAGEMENT

and

INSPIRATION!

Buffalo Gal Won't You Come Out Tonight

2010-11-09T13:37:00.004-06:00

Buffalo Gal,

won't you come out tonight

and TAT by the light of the moon!

Isdihara

is one of those tatters

who breaks into verse

or alliteration

from time to time,

and you LOVE it when she does!

I have never been to a

Tatters' Turnout,

but I SO hope

that there are songs,

tat songs,

and I FIRMLY believe

Isdihara and Fox

could be Tatland's answer

to Rogers and Hammerstein.

Thanks Isdihara,

for the impromptu ditty,

sung to the tune of

Buffalo Gals,

which you penned.

I now have the dream

of tatting in the moonlight -

doesn't that sound lovely?

This is as close

as I can come

to lassoing the moon

for you.

It's round

AND

it glows at night

you clamp a book light on it.

And now for your humming enjoyment,

I offer you,

TATLAND TATTERS

(to the tune of Camptown Ladies)

Tatland Tatters, sing this song,

Glad 'ta, meet 'cha!

Tat an edging five feet long,

Gonna tat all day.

Gonna tat doilies,

Gonna tat bookmarks,

Put my money on some HDT,

Lights my creative spark!

Press Pattern update - stalled on FINAL page due to too much computer-based homework for the kids and ROTTEN bug that the kids brought home, but so far have kept to themselves.

Tatting on Isdihara's drawstring bag done with embroidery thread (thanks for the idea, Gina!). I'm counting it for the 25 Motif Challenge because I'm SO far behind, desperate, and have never been this adventurous with my tatting thread selection, so I feel it is something to celebrate!

If you like the bag, I'll be glad to post how to make one... some day... but it would be a while...'cause I am hitting my pattern wall.

Skipping One Across THE Pond

2010-10-29T14:39:00.000-05:00

I wonder

how many skips

it will take

for this one to go

across THE Pond...

'ya know,

the REALLY BIG

Pond.

This tatter likes riddles,

so you'll have to

guess

her name...

Here are some

"helpful" hints:

She is the ONLY person

in the WORLD,

to EVER call me "lass."

Gotta say I liked it.

Felt young and

spring-steppy.

She ain't

afeared

of color -

That's why

I thought

she could handle

this press.

She makes

winter

warmer

with her magic

tat wand.

Heaven forbid,

if she took a

bonk on the head

and forgot her name,

the constable

would still get

it partly right,

although

her surname

is not Doe.

She is

generous

to all tatters

and such

a nice person

to "know."

I betcha know who I'm talkin' about...

You may have wondered where I have gotten myself to (or quite possibly not). I've been here working diligently on "The Plan" and am VERY happy to say it is almost there. So close I can taste it (but have refrained). I've been trying to stay away from Blogland for a bit in order to "get 'er done" and have only been allowing myself a little occasional lurker time here and there. Hope to "see" everyone soon!

Up, Up and Away!

2010-09-29T08:05:00.001-05:00

For a lady who knows

how to throw down a

CHALLENGE

and

CULTIVATE CREATIVITY

among tatters

with her design class...

This press is on its way

to Sharon

in Canada.

Thank you

for encouraging me

in last spring's design class.

Sorry I didn't finish... yet.

You unleashed my

inner designer

and this is

what she

made.

Golfing With Friends

2010-09-27T10:52:00.000-05:00

Boy has a way with bugs.

He once caught a wasp in an Ozarka bottle.

I don't know how,

but I asked him

NOT TO DO IT AGAIN.

Boy also has a way with geckos.

He is my go-to guy

when the little devils invade the house.

Oddly, Boy's calm and gentle approach

to catching them

works better than my prancing, screaming fits.

How Boy got this guy

to play golf with him,

I don't know.

Boy also coaxed him

to stay for photogs

before jumping into the bushes

by the back door.

I'll put the question to

Mr. Gecko

later

as I wait for Boy to arrive,

cup in hand,

to escort him back outside.

Because I

KNOW

he'll be back.

They always are...

The Birds May Be Flying South...

2010-09-23T09:11:00.000-05:00

The birds may be flying south,

but

the presses are flying north.

This one is for A Happy Bluebird

aka Cindy.

I've got a handful of presses

which I am finishing up

for particular tatters

I have in mind.

They don't even know

that I have them in mind,

so I hope they don't mind!

I'm also working on the pattern

and will make a couple more presses

for a giveaway

to test it out.

Just call me

The Ann With a Plan.

So if you'll excuse me,

I'd better put some hustle

in this bustle!

Little Bit of Fall

2010-09-22T14:43:00.000-05:00

(Simple Leaf by Karey Solomon from Tatting Turns Over a New Leaf, #9 of The Challenge)

We've been enjoying

a little bit of fall

each morning...

But by afternoon

it still feels

like a

whole lotta summer.

Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda

2010-09-21T09:15:00.001-05:00

I coulda done

this little #41 MiniTat by Patti Duff better.

The center shoulda looked

like the top half and not the bottom,

and it woulda if

I had done the first join correctly.

Regardless,

this little regret

will be my #8 of The Challenge

and I'll just have to tat

Patti's clever pattern

all over again.

Poor me. :)

Off You Go Then...

2010-09-18T13:45:00.001-05:00

This press is headed north

to Fox.

I'VE never been out of the USA,

but now I've SENT

something out of the USA...

I shared this observation

with the man at the post office.

He said perhaps I would

leave the country next...

But I kind of think

that was just

wishful thinking

on his part.

Crazy Like a Fox

2010-09-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

Not that I think Fox is crazy...

On the contrary, she is FULL of good ideas.

One of which is tatting at the coffee house.

I put my own spin to it though,

changing coffee to tea,

and tatting to sewing.

My husband abruptly told me today to,

"Get out of the house."

Not for good,

just a couple hours.

He worries about my sanity

and felt I needed a break

because it's been a week

and I've been SO tired.

He's a good man.

With nowhere else to go,

I decided to pull a Fox

and go to Starbucks

where I worked on a tatting press

for that crazy-in-a-good-way, Fox.

I'm making a few of these

to go with the tutorial

and I told Fox she could have her choice,

but I'm taking that back now.

I like this one VERY much

so it will be hers.

Sorry Fox...

but them's the breaks... :)

Sweet, "Forgetful" Diane

2010-09-04T15:30:00.001-05:00

(tatting by Grandma - 1.5 yards of edging in size 80 thread)

Diane hosted a Tulip crochet hook giveaway recently.

I commented that I would enjoy a hook

and that should she ever decide to give away

that NEAT, flat, little box, to please throw my name

into THAT hat as well...

A couple days after the winners were announced,

SWEET Diane sent me that COOL box,

complete with its

WONDERFULLY crinkly-crackly cellophane paper

printed with the Tulip logo...

AND "forgetful" Diane

had left a little something inside...

Sweet, "forgetful" Diane made my day!

PS Doesn't it look "just right" with Grandma's tatting and her shuttles? I thought it did. :)

Baby Doll and Good Mama Go Shopping - Conclusion

2010-08-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

When last we saw our heroine, Baby Doll, she had endured countless attempts of subterfuge by "Good" Mama to thwart her pursuit of a fine, embroidered, vintage linen, but had emerged from the antique mall victorious and clutching her prize.

"Good" Mama's feelings toward the vintage pillowcase which "didn't go" in Baby Doll's room softened on the drive home and she said to Baby Doll, "I'll just sew the end up and finish the pillowcase for you."

"No Mama, I want a dress!" exclaimed Baby Doll.

Today Baby Doll's dream came true.

The End

Long Time Coming

2010-08-07T15:14:00.001-05:00

I threaded these beads and wound this shuttle with thread long ago with no particular pattern in mind to tat. I liked the combination of beads and thread SO much it took me until last week to find the "perfect" pattern. I'm working on Tatted Doily (pg 68) from A Tatter's Workbook. As you can see, I am just getting started. It may still be a long time coming...

At the beginning of summer I dreamed the impossible dream. As it turns out, I have not gotten much tatting or sewing done this summer. I HAVE had six helping hands and even eight when Baby Doll folds washcloths, but with all of us in constant company there isn't a whole lot of "quiet" time to spare (you were right, Jane). I can't complain though because I have had six helping legs, as well as four stroller wheels, who have been willing to go on VERY long daily walks this summer and as a result I have lost fifteen pounds and feel YEARS younger.

I am telling you all of this as a round about way of explaining why I STILL haven't posted a Tatting Press tutorial. This is the giveaway press I made for Kimberly and posted to her in June. I had taken photos for the tutorial and started cropping and arranging them when the computer hard drive crashed. After I got back into the process, I decided a little more tweaking was needed. Those tweaks were added to Kimberly's press but need to be added to the tutorial.

I WILL prepare a tutorial and plan to begin working on it again after school starts in a couple weeks. I have used mine all summer and have been VERY pleased with it, so I want VERY much to share it here. Hopefully "soon" will be SOON this time!

Out, Damned Spot!

2010-07-29T19:45:00.003-05:00

While I LOVE Mary Konior's book, Tatting With Visual Patterns, this edging turned me into a CRAZED LUNATIC - or - maybe just a snappish mother. Downright feisty. It was time for it (meaning the photocopy I made to carry in my purse, not the book for goodness sake) to go out with the rubbish and the banana peel my oldest tossed on it right after this photo was snapped prevented me from having any second thoughts...

Good thing I didn't toss my shuttles in the bin as well, because these arrived on my doorstep later in the day. Tatting from Burda and A Tatter's Workbook, as well as bobbins which I hope will fit my Pop-A-Bobbin shuttles. What BEAUTIFUL books! I love having something new to peruse! That for me is "such stuff as dreams are made on."

Love This Book, Love This Pattern

2010-07-22T15:25:00.004-05:00

As a little girl, sitting on her grandfather's knee and listening to his stories of faraway places, Miss Alice Rumphius vows to travel the world and return home to live by the sea. Her grandfather urges her to make one last promise, and that is to "make the world more beautiful."

As a grown lady, Miss Rumphius does indeed travel and after hurting her back riding a camel decides it is time to make her home by the sea. But finding a way to "make the world more beautiful" proves to be the hardest promise to keep. However, the Lupine Lady, as Miss Rumphius comes to be called, will do just that...

MISS RUMPHIUS, by Barbara Cooney, is one of my FAVORITE children's books. It's a sweet, simple story and is BEAUTIFULLY illustrated.

To make this edging called Lupins from Mary Konior's book, Tatting With Visual Patterns, I needed to learn roll tatting. There are some simplified instructions on roll tatting on the same page as the Lupins pattern, as well as tutorials on the web. After the fact, I also found roll tatting addressed in The Complete Book of Tatting by Rebecca Jones.

For me, roll tatting was a little tedious in the beginning and I wasn't at all impressed with my first efforts. It's "rolling" right along now, so I decided to put together a "how to" of my own so I will be able to remember what worked for me as it isn't an element I typically see being used in tatting patterns and it may be a while before I try it again.

This is how I roll...

Roll Tatting

2010-07-22T15:20:00.001-05:00

Before adding roll tatting to a ring, it is necessary to make at least one DS to anchor your rolls. I have done 2 blurry DS to begin my ring in Pic 1. I have been using a needle puller to help control the thread as I begin adding rolls. The needle puller is a rubber disk used a lot in hand quilting to pull a needle loaded with several stitches through the layers of a quilt. For this purpose, it grips the DS and completed rolls from beneath and makes it easier to control them in the pinch.

To make the rolls, hold the carrying thread* taught and pass the shuttle under the carrying thread (Pic 2). Bring the shuttle up and over the carrying thread and repeat for as many rolls as you wish to add at one time. Although I have read that adding 3 or 4 rolls at one time is recommended, I like loading up and have done as many as ten rolls at once. *I'm defining the carrying thread as the thread between the pinch and middle finger of my left hand, where the DS are usually worked.

In Pic 3 I have tatted 2 DS and loaded 10 rolls. I am still holding the carrying thread taught.

In Pic 4 I have flipped the ten rolls by relaxing the tension on the carrying thread and pulling the shuttle thread taught (like flipping a regular DS stitch).

(Pic 5) At this point I usually drop my shuttle to hang while I continue holding the shuttle thread taught with my right hand middle, ring and pinky fingers. A little tension is required on the carrying thread to keep the rolls from rolling back on themselves while my right hand pointer finger and thumb begin scooting the rolls toward the DS. Speaking of DS, don't forget to keep a good grip on them and try to keep their heads up (or "fancy pants" down) as you work with the rolls.

You can't really tell it, but Pic 6 is an ACTION shot! I am "massaging" the rolls between my thumb and pointer finger in a counter-clockwise or "lefty-loosey" direction to work out lumps as I continue scooting the rolls toward the DS. The motion is much like winding a watch, except going the opposite direction. Be careful not to roll too tight so you won't have difficulty closing the ring.

OH NO!!! The DS have flipped heads down. I'll need to fix that before I close the ring.

In Pic 7 I have added two more sets of 10 rolls. I prefer working with larger sets of rolls because I find them easier to control as I get them into the pinch. I have also stitched 2 DS to anchor my rolls. Always make a DS after you have completed the number of rolls a pattern requires for a ring.

In Pic 8 I have begun closing my ring. Before you begin closing a ring with roll tatting, make sure all your DS are heads up and your picots are to the outside of the ring.

Here is my completed ring (Pic 9). The first ring is hardest for me because the rolls want to twist more. The needle puller helps me control that. I didn't put a picot in this ring although I would imagine most patterns would call for one so you can connect rings. Once a pattern is underway, the previous tatting helps subsequent roll tatting not be as twisty. At that point I find I no longer need the needle puller.

And that's the way I roll...

Groovy Girl's Hoop Dreams

2010-07-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

Groovy Girl taught herself the back stitch while making a pillow for my husband on Father's Day. This week she was looking for something to do so I suggested she try red work. Here is the result. I'm VERY proud of her! She is figuring it out as she goes. That's the way this girl rolls. She wants to do it herself or not do it at all. She is planning a quilt for Baby Doll. Lucky Baby Doll! We all want to make stuff for her!!

A President, The King, And A Guy in His Garage

2010-07-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

(Patchwork by Mary Konior, Tatting With Visual Patterns

#6 of 25 Motif Challenge)

Our family just got back from a trip to my husband's home state of Tennessee. While there, we did a little daycationing from his home town.

********************

First we visited The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson's home near Nashville, on a BEAUTIFUL day last week. The house tour was interesting but I REALLY enjoyed strolling the grounds and looking at the flowers.

The tomb of President Jackson and his wife, Rachael, is lovely and peaceful.

OF COURSE, Baby Doll's favorite part of our visit to The Hermitage was the chicken which wanders about outside the gift shop. After she asked her farm-raised and subsequently horrified mother, WHAT IT WAS, she had a great time chasing after it. But once the tables were turned and she found it making its way toward HER, she tucked her little feet up under her dress and scooted to the other end of her bench.

********************

After the best chocolate shake I've ever had at Elliston Place Soda Shop, we went to the Parthenon. It is AMAZING to see something like this near downtown Nashville. It is a full size replica of the Parthenon in Greece. I'll have to email these pics to my brother who took his family and my sister-in-law who went with my oldest niece to visit the "real" Parthenon this summer. Won't they be GREEN WITH JEALOUSY that MY Parthenon wasn't all OLD and CRUMBLED!!!

Inside, you will find Athena, a goddess worthy of a role in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. She is SOMETHING! You can't tell very well from the picture, but she is wearing some SCARY big flip flops...

SERIOUSLY, the Parthenon is pretty cool. My college history teacher said she scoffed when she heard about it, but ate her words when she went. She had visited the Parthenon in Greece and was amazed at the detail of the replica in Nashville. In fact, she spoke so highly of it, it has been on my mental list for all these years.

********************

The next day, we enjoyed some time in Memphis. Had some great barbeque at The Rendezvous and had fun soaking up the atmosphere of the place until one of our friends pointed out that we were in the basement of a 100 year old building which sits on the New Madrid Fault... gulp! So what is a person to do? FINISH YOUR RIBS, that's what... and better polish off the beans and coleslaw as well.

But before dinner we went to Graceland, the home of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, ELVIS PRESLEY.

Although it was very different from what I had been expecting, Graceland did not disappoint. The home is a modest size by today's standards. I know quite a few people who haven't even had ONE record go gold who live in bigger houses! Its decorating style is like a flamboyant seventies time capsule. Although there were too many visitors to take in too many details, you could still pick up good vibes from the place.

The tour answered one of my longtime questions - WHY IS IT CALLED GRACELAND? The answer was simple. The couple who built the home in the 1930's had inherited the land from an Aunt Grace, so they called it Graceland.

This is the formal living room just inside the front door. You can see the arm of a white sofa on the right which stretches 20 feet across the room.

In the basement TV room, just out of shot, the letters TCB with a lighting bolt are painted on the wall - Taking Care of Business In a Flash. DH was trying to get a shot of Elvis's stereo system. I guess that is it back in the corner...

I liked seeing many of the costumes Elvis wore in the movies and concerts displayed on mannequins with attitude.

And this is the pool. As we walked in the backyard, it was fun to imagine Elvis and Ringo Starr playing football there (I had just heard Ringo talking about it on Elvis radio as we drove into town). I didn't visit the graveside. I guess I've joined the ranks of the many who wish he wasn't really there...

********************

We usually vacation by car, so a large part of my trip preparations is spent picking what project(s) to take along. This year I chose Tatting With Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. I spent most of the trip working on Patchwork. The motif pictured here was never finished because as I neared completion of it, I nodded off... when I awoke, I proceeded to make a disastrous join which turned my square motif into a triangle and didn't notice my mistake until I had made more stitches and rings than I cared to remove.

MORAL: Don't tat within thirty minutes of a nap or your brain will cramp and your motif will sink.

I gotta say, as irritating as a fumble like that can be, my frustration was lessoned by my new shuttle from I'm In The Garage. Before this shuttle, I had only tatted with clovers. The Pop-A-Bobbin took a little getting used to and a little time to break in, but BOY-OH-BOY, I LOVE tatting with it! I used a clover for just a little while on the trip and had to switch back!

Besides working on Patchwork, I reacquainted myself with clunies and tried some roll tatting. I'm practicing roll tatting with Mary Konior's Lupins edging. As awkward as the cluny loom feels, I find holding the wraps of roll tatting more difficult. They REALLY want to twist and I feel as though I'm going to sprain something while I ~~fend them off with a chair~~ hold them in the pinch of my fingers. I'll keep working and maybe I will have something more than this to show for it sometime...

Tatting at the Bar

2010-06-30T14:22:00.000-05:00

(Anniversary by Mary Konior, from Tatting With Visual Patterns,

#5 for the 25 Motif Challenge)

   So I was hanging out at the bar. It was a busy night and people were everywhere. I knew I was in for a wait just to be served, so I pulled up a stool and pulled out my tatting. I started a little edging I was previewing for a nighty for Baby Doll's baby doll. After working a few minutes I realized someone was watching me and then a voice spoke from somewhere behind me.

   "Excuse me, is that tatting?"

   "Yes it is!" I turned and replied to the nice, smiling, lady.

   "My mother-in-law is crafty and she can tat. I can't tat, but I can crochet," she continued.

   "That's funny because I can't CROCHET, but I can tat!" I laughed. I was already taking a liking to this person. We seemed to have a bit in common, what with an appreciation for fiber arts and both of us winding up in this particular bar on this particular night.

   "I can't believe anyone who can do THAT, wouldn't be able to learn crochet!" It was her turn to laugh.

   But that is where our brief, crafting encounter ended at the bar, because an Apple Genius came and snagged my new acquaintance away from me to discuss the repairs on her computer and then my name was called so I could talk to my own Genius about the state of my iMac's hard drive.

   I hope her talk went better than mine...

A Tatting Temptress

2010-06-29T07:30:00.002-05:00

An Afterthought

'Twas in the garden chatting

Amid the mignonette,-

She with her snowy tatting,

I with my cigarette.

I still can see her fingers

Flit softly in and out;

With rapture memory lingers

To view her lips a-pout.

A happy sunbeam glancing

Upon a wayward curl

Set every pulse to dancing,

And turned my brain a-whirl;

And when she looked up shyly,

I could not help, you see,

But stoop and kiss her slyly

Behind the apple-tree.

Strange that some mote forever

Should mar the rays of bliss!

Though conscious I had never

Yet won so sweet a kiss,

Alas! the act of plunder

So gracefully she bore,

I could not choose but wonder,

Had she been kissed before?

Samuel Minturn Peck

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

2010-06-27T00:49:00.000-05:00

No picture today?

Nahhh... it's a public service announcement after all!

And it's a SIMPLE one:

BACK UP!

BACK UP!!

BACK UP!!!

We have been without a computer all week.

On Monday, without warning, the hard drive crashed.

LUCKILY, I had a system backup

thanks to a

VERY good friend

who set it up for me

after she helped me update

my old family videos.

It wasn't as up-to-date as I would have liked

(because I don't have it back up constantly),

but it sure saved us the hassle of

resetting settings,

and we haven't lost a GREAT deal of work or pictures.

That concludes my announcement.

I will return

you and myself

to our regular schedule

of cruising about

the Blogosphere.

Beautiful Pendant from Victats

2010-06-14T18:47:00.001-05:00

It was a pleasure to pick up the post today

BECAUSE

I received a package from Victats

which contained

this BEAUTIFUL pendant necklace

I won

from her last giveaway!

It is STUNNING!

Thank you SO MUCH Vickie!

An added bonus for me

was snapping a picture

of this little fellow

while I photographed

my lovely, new necklace.

Baby Doll and Good Mama Go Shopping

2010-06-11T14:35:00.001-05:00

Baby Doll and Good Mother

wandered into an antique mall one day.

Baby Doll found a pillowcase

hanging amidst countless other vintage linens

and pronounced it "mine!"

At first Good Mother did not agree

and explaining that it didn't "go" in Baby Doll's room

rehung it

amidst the countless other vintage linens.

As Good Mother continued to browse,

Baby Doll searched and found the case,

and again proclaimed it "mine!"

Good Mother glanced down,

and seeing the price tag,

hung it more determinedly than before

BEHIND

the countless other vintage linens.

(Perhaps I should rename Good Mother...)

As Good Mother continued to browse,

Baby Doll resumed her search

and found something else which caught her fancy

UNTIL

she spied THE pillowcase

BEHIND

the countless other vintage linens.

With a SQUEAL of delight

the newcomer linen was forgotten

and when Baby Doll DECREED the case, "MINE!" again,

Good Mama agreed...

How Do You Catch A Wave Upon The Sand?

2010-06-08T14:16:00.004-05:00

Today, Krystal posted about the struggle we all feel

balancing the unrelenting practicality
foisted upon us by the real world

with our creative projects
and the stuff of our dreams...

Some days I feel like I am full to overflowing with ideas.

Some are GREAT (I think),

some are wild (and less than feasible),

some are harebrained (but they make me happy),

and then there are the duds (bound to happen I suppose).

Lately, I have been trying something new.

It is NOT a new idea at all,

and one that I'm sure has been tossed about
in many self help books.

Here it is in all its glory:

I'm finding myself interesting.

I'm taking more of an interest in myself,

and taking care of myself,

but also I'm giving myself credit for

having interesting ideas.

Good grief, if I don't who will?

And so I'm writing all these interesting ideas down.

In a little sketch book.

With my little colored pencils.

Now my interesting ideas

will be there for me

when I'm feeling

less than interesting...

and holding the page for me

when life is too busy to wait.

It's my way of holding moonbeams in my hand

and catching waves upon the sand...

but I STILL don't know

WHAT to do with Maria...

No Troubles, Just Bubbles

2010-06-06T23:55:00.001-05:00

I haven't been in the Blogosphere much lately...

But now school is finished

and there is more time for

bubbles for Baby Doll,

swimming for Groovy Girl,

games for my Boy,

books for my Oldest,

and long walks with DH.

For me, I also hope to find time for

tatting, sewing, and blogging.

Is that my own version of

The Impossible Dream?

I hope not because

this summer

I plan to have three more kids at home,

as well as,

six extra helping hands...

MEET THE (Improved Tatting) PRESS

2010-05-25T23:15:00.000-05:00

TUTORIAL coming soon...

Tatting Press Winner!

2010-05-21T13:00:00.002-05:00

I would like to thank everyone again for signing up for my

FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY!

It was SO much fun for me and

I SO appreciate all the nice comments!

I put everyone's name in a bowl and drew

KIMBERLY!!!

Kimberly liked the green option best, so I will make her press

and get it in the mail to her as quickly as kids allow!

I have made some improvements to the press I posted

and had hoped to have the "updated" version ready

to post today, but I'm in the end of the school year crunch

and found myself between a Field Day Rock

and a band concert hard place.

I'm pretty excited so I will finish it up and post it SOON

along with a

TUTORIAL

for anyone who would like to make one!

WHO KNOWS, I may go wild and make a few as well!

I seem to be in a fabric frenzy lately and my shuttles

are feeling sorely neglected as a result.

Thanks for playing along and congratulations Kimberly!

Here Kitty, Kitty!

2010-05-16T21:00:00.003-05:00

Here's a PEEK of something I am working on for Baby Doll.

It is FRESH from the hoop.

Pencil marks ABOUND and I see I missed a stem...

It is just the beginning of a little project

which will involve a bit of sewing and serging,

a little more embroidery,

as well as some GRATUITOUS TATTING...

but then, is it ever REALLY necessary to justify tatting?

GRACIOUS NO!

The design is part of a

Laura Wheeler embroidery transfer from 1939,

posted by my blogging friend, Martha, at Q is for Quilter.

Instead of satin stitching the centers of the flowers,

I decided to use lazy daisy stitches and some French knots

because I thought it made the flowers look more like this one

which I photographed several years ago.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has entered my

FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY!

I've got to say it is even more exciting hosting a giveaway

than signing up for one!

And thank you for all the nice comments about the Tatting Press.

I hope whoever gets it will enjoy it.

There's still PLENTY of time to sign up for the giveaway,

so if you are interested just leave a comment on the

TATTING PRESS POST.

A Pressing Matter and a GIVEAWAY!

2010-05-11T19:17:00.003-05:00

I like to carry my tatting with me EVERYWHERE.

I dislike the tatting that I take with me EVERYWHERE ending up in a CLUMP of tangled thread and shuttles, causing me to spend more time UNTANGLING on the go than TATTING on the go.

This became a PRESSING matter for me so I created a

TATTING PRESS.

Now my work stays neat,

even when life gets messy...

If you would like to try a tatting press, leave a comment ON THIS POST telling me which fabric/ribbon combination you like (brown, pink or green). It will measure about 4.5 inches in diameter and (hopefully) will have two shuttle pockets. No worries if you don't (currently) tat. I think the press may be useful for other crafts as well. You can let me know about that!

I will draw one name on May 21st and get the press to you ASAP! Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you so I can get your mailing information (my email is under About Me).

This is my first giveaway.

HOPEFULLY I have covered all the bases!

Oh, and good luck!

Tatting Day Giveaway from Wendy

2010-05-11T06:38:00.000-05:00

Before I was so rudely interrupted by THE BUG, I received this LOVELY coaster tatted by Wendy at Umi & Tsuru. I won her Tatting Day giveaway, in which she offered to tat this fascinating pattern from Mary Konior's Tatting With Visual Patterns in the color of the winner's choice. I chose purple and I LOVE the piece she tatted!

I have Tatting with Visual Patterns and have looked at this coaster pattern before but was too intimidated to try it because once you get the flowers and first ring around them completed, you are on your own. The rest of the rounds are randomly tatted and joined, so no two coasters would be exactly alike. That would be quite a leap for symmetry loving me! Therefore I was very excited to win Wendy's generous giveaway. The coaster is SO pretty and will SO never have a glass sitting on it!

Thank you Wendy!

Mother's Day is FOR THE BIRDS!

2010-05-09T18:55:00.000-05:00

I've had a nice Mother's Day. My oldest is on her way home from a weekend band trip but remembered to text me a wish for a happy day. Groovy Girl colored a flattering portrait of me which has me thinking of cutting bangs and Baby Doll is being her sweet self, hugging my leg in the grocery and saying rather loudly, "I LOVE YOU!". What more could I ask than that? Oh, and everyone seems healthy - WONDERFUL!!!

So why is Mother's Day for the birds? Because my son gave me this bird feeder and has been watching it with me for appearances of our feathered friends. It has been our weekend activity together and I am enjoying it very much.

We have a pair of cardinals who seem to like the grub we are serving up.

I had some fun with these photos, using gradient filters in Photoshop like What Katie Does. I like the effect, but need some more practice.

Happy Mother's Day!

My Sick Thoughts

2010-05-03T12:50:00.000-05:00

It's been an ick week around here, so I have nothing to share other than my sick thoughts. Last Wednesday my son came home from school ill with a nasty stomach virus. He wasn't doing well in the evening so DH took him to the ER. The doctors and nurses got him back on his feet and sent him home at 2:00 am the next morning. DH got an hour of sleep before I became ill and a few hours later he had the pleasure of sharing my first trip to the ER with me.

I had recently bought She and Him, Volume 2 and had been enjoying listening to it. While ill, these are the songs which ran through my brain in an unending loop. I was afraid it had been ruined for me, but have found that I still like it, and that is saying something. To me, it sounds like summer.

I am afraid to hope that we are through with this nasty bug. Out of six, there are only two, Groovy Girl and Baby Doll, who have not had the pleasure... No one else had to go to the ER (thankfully), and the recovery is speedy, but I'd rather we called it a day with this thing, so I have proclaimed myself Queen of Disinfectant and until my reign of terror is through, I may be a bit spotty in Blogland.

Just wanted to pop in to share my sick thoughts...

She & Him - In The Sun from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Tatting To-Day by David Law Proudfit

2010-04-19T12:34:00.003-05:00

(the frame is a collage of photos I've taken in the last year)

Tatting To-Day

With figure demure, and a downcast face,

And a tranquil air of quiet grace,

Her delicate fingers deftly wrought

A pattern as fine as a fairy’s thought,

Tatting that day!

O maiden fair, with the silken hair,

And the shining eyes of a luster rare,

What abracadabra’s mysterious spell

Is thy flying shuttle weaving so well,

Tatting to-day?

Ah, sir, I work to have my way

In the perfumed air of a gracious day;

My nimble fingers are weaving a snare

To entangle human hearts. Beware

Of my tatting to-day!

So the lily fingers entrancing flew,

And the lustrous eyes were heavenly blue;

And the silken hair was shot with gold,

And down in a golden glory rolled,

Tatting that day.

And she had her will on a gracious day,

All clad in a cloud of white array;

And I bless the day and the perfumed air

That kissed her cheek as she wove her snare

Tatting that day.
David Law Proudfit

My Little Gardener

2010-04-15T00:05:00.001-05:00

These have become Baby Doll's pansies. A neighbor's daughter sold them to me as part of a team fundraiser, I planted them in a couple pots in the backyard last October and haven't touched them since. Mother Nature watered them through the winter months with more rain than we are used to and MUCH more snow than we are used to. Things have warmed up and dried out now. The flowers needed watering on a regular basis but my mind has been elsewhere. You may recall that I am a cold blooded plant killer. Things were looking pretty bad for my pots of pansies. That's when Baby Doll stepped in. She LOVES being outside and in her ramblings through the back yard she took an interest in the sad, potted pansies. At first I thought her interest would kill them. She is a rather brutal dead header. I humored her when she asked for repeated cups of water knowing she meant it for the flowers. Then about a week ago, I noticed that the pansies were perking up. Tonight both pots were full of flowers. Do you think green genes are recessive? Because although I don't exhibit many indications of having a green thumb, I seem to have passed my green genes on to the next generation.

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

2010-04-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

but no worries, because I'm talking wicked GOOD, as in the giveaway I won from Aileen's Wicked Tats! For her birthday, Aileen hosted a party favor giveaway and much to my surprise, MY name was drawn for a prize! I don't know WHAT I am doing, but lately I have been quite lucky and it all began with Aileen. Previously, IN MY WHOLE, ENTIRE LIFE, I had only won ONE thing... a frozen turkey in fourth grade... imagine my delight...

Well I'm not in grade school anymore and just LOOK at the cool party favors Aileen sent! I have done QUITE a bit of cross stitch in my time and enjoy it VERY much. Cross Stitcher magazine has some really pretty charts, so I may be finding myself with a piece of lugana and two strands of floss in my hand again... IF I can find the magazine! I taught Groovy Girl (my third grader) to cross stitch last summer and she has already kiped it once - caught her reading it in bed. She has her eye on this chart in the "how to" section:

Aileen also sent a COOL, cross stitch, key chain which has charts for the Chinese Zodiac. I will get to stitch this one for sure... but probably not in my sign. Most likely, I will stitch up a pig for my oldest daughter. She flipped for it when she saw it, which just goes to show how cool it is, because she isn't normally a flipper! Plus, the pig is SO DARN CUTE!

Thank you Aileen! We are ALL enjoying your party favor prizes!!!

(by the way, Baby Doll is beginning to think she is a hand model)

Love, Love, Pat, Pat - A Quilt for Baby Doll

2010-04-06T23:34:00.002-05:00

I recently posted pictures of a pillow and pillowcase I made for Baby Doll's American Girl doll, Emily. I commented later that Baby Doll had stood beside me at the sewing machine as I stitched the final seams. When I was done, she put out her little hand for the pillow and upon receiving it put out her other hand and said simply, "Blanket." My blogging friend, Martha replied, "Tell Baby Doll not to worry -- a little yellow doll quilt will be coming her way soon from Washington." I LOVE Martha's blog, Q is for Quilter and admire her work greatly, so I have been very excited, especially when she began posting about the Baby Doll Quilt she had begun. Yesterday it arrived in the mail and it is absolutely ADORABLE!

(pat, pat)

It's like a ray of sunshine! I LOVE the yellow setting blocks and the fabrics Martha chose! She makes most of her quilts using vintage fabrics. The quilt is approximately 17" x 23" and is OVERFLOWING with 1930's era prints!

Martha pieced it by machine and then hand quilted it with little tulips in the setting triangles because the fabrics reminded her of spring.

It is SUCH a happy little quilt!

Even the back is sunny and bright!

(love, love)

Baby Doll LOVES her little quilt! She squealed when we opened the package yesterday and called it her "blanquets (said with a lisp)." Poor Emily didn't happen to be nearby, so Baby Doll gathered up Stella in the purple and Mora in the plaid and went to snuggle with them and the blanquets (don't forget the lisp) in a chair.

We didn't get to play much today because we had a sick sibling keeping us company, but we will get Emily all tucked in and share with you soon!

Thank you Martha - it is a special little quilt
and you are such a kind friend!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T19:30:00.002-05:00

Luke 24:1-8

Happy Easter!

This cross was tatted by Grandma.

2010-04-01T16:42:00.002-05:00

(tatted piece by my grandma)

HAPPY TAT DAY!

I haven't ACTUALLY tatted today OR had chocolate and since I don't have any chocolate in the house and probably won't tat until LATE tonight, I thought I had best hurry and wish you a HAPPY INTERNATIONAL TATTING DAY now before the night gets away from me (again) and I have to wish you HAPPY DAY AFTER INTERNATIONAL TATTING DAY tomorrow... it just doesn't have the same ring to it...

Tatting is TOUGH!!!

2010-03-29T22:41:00.003-05:00

I do not like to sew winter clothing. I like sewing for spring and summer the best. So as the trees begin to leaf out and the tulips are in full bloom, I feel the stitching bug sneaking up on me (actually more like bellowing in my ear). Last year I made a couple little dresses for Baby Doll which included some tatting. I had read how durable tatting was and knew that it had been used extensively in the distant past to embellish clothing. The question for me was, could MY tatting hold up to repeated washings... The answer, so far, is YES!

These pictures were taken today of the dress I made for Baby Doll at the end of October last year. I posted about it here. Baby Doll has worn it quite a bit and put it to the test with markers, crayons, messy eating habits, fingers looped in the tatting, and most recently a stroll through a muddy, wheat field. And the tatting has held up!

I hand wash this dress because the dye from the brown fabric leeches into the wash water and I don't trust it with other delicates. Once or twice I have had to vigorously work out stains on the tatting. I hang it to dry and haven't had to iron it once - that alone gives it a special place in my heart...

I made this dress for Baby Doll last June and posted about it here. It has had a TON of wear! It was in CONSTANT demand with Baby Doll and she gave it quite a stress test also. I have always machine washed and dried it... and again NO IRONING (tears of gratitude are coming to my eyes as I type - I hate ironing except when quilting). It has held up well also, although you can see in the detail picture below that the picots on the tatted edging have disappeared - they've gotta be there somewhere, right?

So, in summary, I plan to add more tatting to Baby Doll's clothing. It may not always wear this well, but I am convinced that TATTING IS TOUGH!!!

Victim Falls Prey to TATTING BUG!

2010-03-26T11:40:00.002-05:00

Please welcome to Tatland one of the latest victims to fall prey to THE TATTING BUG!!! I found Lelia's blog through a comment she left on Gina's blog (I'm missing her while she is taking a blog break) during the One World One Heart celebration on A Whimsical Bohemian's blog (shoof, that's ALLOTA links).

Lelia began tatting lessons with a REAL, LIVE tatting instructor (I KNOW! I had HEARD that they existed in the wild and not just in captivity on my computer screen, but I have never SEEN one myself) at the end of October last year and has been making GREAT progress! Yesterday she celebrated quite a milestone in my humble opinion - conquering the twisted picot problem all new tatters encounter in making their first motifs. I am SO happy for her and excited to say that she found my Twisted Picot Join Tutorial helpful (the husband and kids are tired of hearing about it, so I figured I would bend your ear a bit)!

It hasn't even been a year since I had my own AHA moment regarding the twisted picot join and my tatting confidence went sky high! You see, I had learned the basics of tatting eight years earlier, but abandoned the art because I couldn't figure out that final join. It just crushed me to work away at a motif and have it ruined within stitches of the end!

And that brings me to the picture above... It is the reason I returned to give tatting another try. I decided I wanted to start sewing little things for Baby Doll. I didn't sew much for my older kids because I felt a little outnumbered by the three of them so close in age and honestly, at that point I wasn't that into sewing other than for hand quilting or home decorating. Baby Doll lags behind my previous, youngest child by seven years, so during the day, when the kids are at school, she is basically an only child. AND when the kids are home, they are very sweet about watching her so I have more time... OK - back to the point! When I began looking for lace for little sewing projects I was very disappointed in what I found and thought I would like to try making my own. It's taken some time to get my tatting legs and now I hope to use it more and more in my sewing projects. The lace above was left over from the first dress I made Baby Doll using my own lace.

So here I am, a year after picking up a shuttle again, enjoying tatting for sewing projects and just for its own sake. I guess that is why I am so excited for Lelia. It's wonderful to see the pieces falling into place for someone else! Please stop by her blog and give her a warm, Tatland welcome!

Butterflies Are Not Free

2010-03-25T06:30:00.003-05:00

This butterfly about COST ME MY MIND! If you think I am being overdramatic, you're probably right, because it was the KITCHEN SINK or lack thereof which pushed me to the edge! The butterfly only threatened to send me fluttering over into the ravine...

It is a simple pattern (part of edging #98 from The Tatted Artistry of Teiko Fujito) but it took me FOUR tries to get it done! Besides issues like your basic forgotten picot or twisty rings, I created my own dilemma by tatting it front-side/back-side, which is still new to me. THAT butterfly was going well until I choked on the final join. I had been using down joins and couldn't decide what to do about the final one. I tried to do a backwards version of the Twisted Picot Join which I usually use for the final join, with disastrous results. It was knotted up so tight there was NO picking it back out.

SO MY QUESTION IS, what kind of join do you use for the final join of a motif like this when you are doing front-side/back-side tatting?

In the end I reverted back to traditional tatting and the Twisted Picot Join to make THIS butterfly. I was determined to add it to a get well card I had found for my aunt. The card was blue with a few tiny butterflies on it and a big space on the front begging for something more. Some peace of mind returned when I was able to send it with its little blue stow away in the right direction through the US mail.

A big CHUNK of peace of mind returned when my DH finished installing a new faucet in the kitchen (the old one broke off a few days ago sending water flying across the kitchen) and threw in a new sink to boot! It was a learning experience though - I now know a little bit about plumbing and more importantly, that I should not strike out for the new territory in my covered wagon, because pioneer life and doing dishes outside AIN'T FOR ME...

Far and Away

2010-03-19T09:19:00.001-05:00

This week is the kids' spring break so we decided to take them where the wind comes sweeping down the plain to visit my dad. This is the first visit that he has really gotten to know Baby Doll. She has always been too clingy and shy during past visits, but this time she really warmed up to him and he LOVED it. My 84 year old dad laid down on the floor to color Disney princesses with her and talk about matching colors! He also introduced her to rainbow Goldfish. The first little bowl she got, she picked through, eating all the usual "gold" fish, then asked for more. We had to show her that the rainbow fish were edible also! Dad also took Baby Doll out to see the wheat. He walked her about five feet into the field and asked her how she liked it. She liked it FINE and ran about a hundred feet farther into the field just smiling and laughing. Our oldest dove in after her because Baby doll showed no signs of stopping! It was a nice visit for all of us.

The first picture is the view from my childhood home toward my high school alma mater. I would imagine not many people could look out their window toward their school ten miles away and see the football field lights. I could. I could also look the opposite direction toward the larger town twelve miles away and see the fireworks display on July 4th. It was in miniature of course, but still pretty...

Here I've zoomed in so you can see my high school. It's right there on this side of the grain elevators. Spot it? Me neither... too bad football season is over.

As far as tatting goes, I was busy, busy, busy on the drive to Dad's house and back home... but I've got nothing to show for it... or rather, nothing I CAN show for it. I took a couple projects with me to work on but found the car too noisy to explore any new territory, so I opted for working on the TAT Apprentice course. I've read most of my binder and looked over the exercises SEVERAL times. Me tackling a project like this, is sort of like Ed Norton signing a paper - lots of theatrics to get everything JUST RIGHT so I can FINALLY begin! So after a couple of false starts and a thread change, I am halfway through the first exercise.

OK, I'm BAD, BAD, BAD and I know it's WRONG, WRONG, WRONG and I'm not really SUPPOSED to show any of my TAT work, but I CAN'T do a post without showing a picture of something I'm working on... so here it is...

It's coming along, don't you think? I've put a penny in for size comparison...

Goodnight, Sleep Tight...

2010-03-10T12:40:00.004-06:00

(tatted edging #83 from The Tatted Artistry of Teiko Fujito,

embroidery added based on my previous diagram)

One little dolly will be sleeping well tonight! After a color change, a few weeks dawdling over other projects and then some hand and machine stitching, her pillow is done and DONE!!!

(finished sizes: pillow 4.5"x7.5", case 5"x9")

I went for an old fashioned look and used blue ticking for the pillow. The case has french seams (ooh la la) so hopefully it will survive being stuffed and unstuffed by Baby Doll.

Baby Doll was VERY excited and promptly trotted off with the new bedding to put her dolly to sleep!

So WHY are you STILL AWAKE, little missy?

OH, I SEE I SAY!!! Yes, while it IS a LOVELY ensemble, it would be QUITE impossible for me to sleep in those clothes also! Give me a little time... or perhaps allot... just don't go all Bride of Chucky on me if I take a bit... and I will make you a nightie fit for the little, plastic, doll princess that you are!

A Dying Art

2010-02-22T08:41:00.000-06:00

Inspired by Fox's sometimes murderous post titles, I have come up with the cover of a book I will most likely NEVER write, unless Fox can also inspire roughly 268 pages to go between... But I DO have a rather nice pen name, don't you think?

"We Are Not Amused."

2010-02-13T17:54:00.002-06:00

Do you have Prince Albert in a can?

Well, you'd better let him out!

This is Queen of Hearts by Mary Konior from "Tatting with Visual Patterns." It was done in Lizbeth size 20 thread, #147 (the photos don't really do the color justice).

I learned a bit while making this pattern. After a false start, heading out in the wrong direction with my chains, I learned that the curve of the chain would follow the curve of my knuckles as I made the chain. Pretty simple, I know, but I usually get caught up in the written directions of a pattern and refer to the diagram only to confirm that my understanding of them is correct. With just the diagram to follow, I became more aware of what the thread was doing to form a ring or a chain. It was a very good lesson for me.

I was really cruising as I got to the end of the pattern. I kept marveling at how natural it felt to tat, even graceful (that word is NEVER applied to me, even in my dreams). So, of course, caught up in my musings, I tatted the last three chains and ring without making my final joins (but I must say my hands moved BEAUTIFULLY as I made my mistakes). That is when I made ANOTHER discovery! For me, it is easier to open a ring and unpick the stitches with a tapestry needle than with the tip of the shuttle or a tiny crochet hook. My tapestry needle was a size 24. It is a nice thick needle with a fairly blunt tip and slid between threads more easily than the hook and I had less problem with the thread fraying.

Happy Valentines!

The Norm has Landed!

2010-02-02T08:59:00.000-06:00

Well, I was going to name him Little Mojo - but when all was said and done, and HE was done, I realized Jane was right and that my rooster does INDEED look like a Norman! Whatever moniker he goes by, I am QUITE happy with my little guy. He's a colorful fellow and patient too! It took me a week to get his leg and tail feathers on and he didn't make a peep about it! He's crowing now though!!

I really appreciate Jane Eborall hosting this TIAS. It was SO much fun and I learned ALLOT! It was especially good for me not to know what was coming each day. Still being a tatting newbie, I tend to look at patterns and decide if I think they are doable for me. While it may ensure current success, that attitude doesn't encourage growth! To be honest, I probably would have passed on this pattern if I had seen it all at once because I would have thought it was too hard for me. I would have missed out!!!

So thank you again Jane! I hope to be a more adventurous tatter in future.

The parade of Normans continues at Tatting Patterns with the Added Fun Factor!

The Method to My Madness

2010-01-31T19:31:00.001-06:00

Thank you everyone, for your warm reception of the embroidered crochet block in my last post! I LOVE the idea of mingling tatting, crochet and embroidery. That kind of cohabitation occurs often in crazy quilting, but I want to add it to clothing and household items. In pursuing my dream of becoming a proficient tatter (and yes, I have ALWAYS wanted to tat, but didn't have any means to learn until the internet), it has also been my goal to use it in creative ways to embellish my sewing projects. Not that you've seen me sew much in the last year. Learning to tat, especially with small children, is all consuming...

I thought I would share what works for me, to combine embroidery and tatting. The photo above is actually of a copy I made of an edging I tatted and the fabric I plan to use it with. I made three copies to play with. I used pencil to mark the embroidered stitches I am thinking of using because I plan to stitch with ecru thread which will match my tatting thread. If I were planning to stitch with colored floss, I would have used a marker or colored pencil. For this edging I plan to sew it on with straight stitches and highlight it with French knots - I love making French knots! My plan may require a little tweaking when I begin to sew, but I think it helps me to draw it out like this to see if it will enhance or detract from the tatting.

I don't know if crazy quilters ever try this method, but I think it could be VERY handy for them to lay elements in place, make a copy, and then sketch out stitching ideas.

I'll keep you posted on my progress with this little project!

There's ALWAYS Time to Dream

2010-01-30T00:40:00.001-06:00

This week we laid a Pergo floor in what WAS our youngest daughters' room, but now has become our son's room. In the process of laying the wood in the girls' room we realized that the only way we would be able to fit two girls in THAT room would be if they lived like nuns with VERY sparse furnishings and VERY few material possessions. Our son's room was much better suited for two people, so we decided to swap rooms.

And that is when I realized that I must be a COMPLETE pushover... Nothing could drive that point home better than pulling EVERY LAST THING out of the deepest, darkest corners of their closets and into the light of day. Shame, shame, SHAME on me... but I WILL be very popular at the Salvation Army...

Because of all my soul searching and wood laying this week, not to MENTION a trip to the doctor for a child with a double ear infection, there has be very little time for tatting or sewing... but I HAVE had time to dream... and these crochet blocks have played a starring role in my daydreams.

A few months ago Fox was gifted these blocks along with some tatting, shuttles and books. Many of the books featured crochet instead of tatting. One in particular caught my eye because it was a book of edgings - I love edgings. Fox knew that I wanted to learn to crochet, so she VERY KINDLY offered me some of the books and some of the crochet blocks. I haven't tried my hand at crochet yet, but I have enjoyed looking through the books and hope to share a pattern from one of them someday. But right now I am SO excited about the blocks and have an idea in my head which is taking shape and includes these fabrics from my stash...

and some embroidery floss...

Thank you again, Fox! I'm looking forward to putting these little beauties to use!

In tatting news... there's a poor tatted rooster named Little Mojo in desperate need of a tatted leg and picot claws... Don't worry Mojo - I'm coming!!!

I Feel Good Mojo Coming My Way!

2010-01-25T11:54:00.002-06:00

I am halfway through Day 10 of the TIAS and OVER halfway through with a wood floor we are putting down in one of the kids' rooms. We may also be switching rooms for the kids, so I don't know who will end up walking on wood. Perhaps I should have a drawing... but I don't think they would like that. I'm enjoying the TIAS but not the flooring. Wood working AIN'T MY THING, and I must admit to doing a happy dance when my husband announced the saw battery needed recharging. I hoped it meant some good mojo was coming my way and as I gazed at my TIAS I became sure, because to my eye my little birdie looked much like Sherry's MOJO. But now I see others' TIAS projects and am thinking my little MOJO is indeed... a rooster. If he is, I'm still going to at least NAME him Little Mojo!

Gotta get back to work - why does that battery have to charge faster than something fun like an ipod?

Clueless

2010-01-20T13:39:00.001-06:00

Here is my Day 7 of Jane's TIAS.
I must admit that I am clueless...

Short People

2010-01-17T19:41:00.000-06:00

One of my older brothers used to delight in singing the song, Short People, to me, or rather, AT me when we were kids. It would really ruffle my feathers, although I must have liked it deep down... way, WAY down, because now I remember it quite fondly... unless he were to ask...

This piece of tatting is an edging from The Tatted Artistry of Teiko Fujito. It is #83, tatted in Cebelia #30. It could quite possibly be the easiest piece of tatting in Tatted Artistry. It will be my second motif in the 25 Motif Challenge.

I plan to use this edging for a pillowcase for one of the smallest heads in this house. This little girl SHOULD have a pillow of her very own because she falls fast asleep EVERY time she lays her head down and it is IMPOSSIBLE to wake her up without making her sit up... except if you poke your finger in her eye and pry her eyelid open, but I think that is kinda mean (even IF she is made of plastic)... unlike my two-year-old, Baby Doll...

Other than THAT, Baby Doll really IS a sweet little short person, and I'm SO glad she's 'round here.

I'm Winded, But I've Caught Up!

2010-01-11T13:10:00.000-06:00

I had fallen a little behind on the TIAS and hadn't done Day 2 when Day 3 came out, and because Jane had mentioned picking up the pace, I thought I had best get my shuttle in gear! So here are my Days 1 through 3. I threw a guess Jane's way, but really... I haven't a clue...

Stumbling Blocks

2010-01-09T21:25:00.002-06:00

Until last year twisted picot joins, which are part and parcel of MANY wonderful tatting designs, were a MAJOR stumbling block for me. Try as I might I could NOT complete any motif with that critical join without it becoming twisted and ending up a lumpy mess. After many failed attempts I put my shuttles into a dark, dark corner of my closet and they didn't see the light of day for MANY years. Then last spring I became interested in tatting again after reading many of the wonderful tatting blogs in cyberspace and I finally had my AHA moment when the twisted picot join became a building block rather than a stumbling block.

This is my first motif for the 25 motif challenge which I joined on New Years Day and is also the first piece I have made from Mary Konior's book, Tatting With Visual Patterns. It is called Posy. It is a wonderful motif made with just one shuttle and MANY twisted picot joins. The thread is Lizbeth #663, size 20. My photograph doesn't do this color justice. It is deeper and shinier and I LOVE IT!

As I worked on this motif with its MANY twisted picot joins, I decided that I would like to try my hand at a tutorial on what else... TWISTED PICOT JOINS! I welcome any input on the tutorial if anything seems unclear or changes need to be made. I sure don't want to lead anyone down the garden path!

So here is the link to my first ever tatting tutorial (or you can just scroll down because it's the post before this one): Tatting - Twisted Picot Join

Tatting - Twisted Picot Join Tutorial

2010-01-09T21:15:00.003-06:00

There are many explanations of and tutorials on how to make twisted picot joins floating through cyberspace. I have decided to add my own explanation because I believe that an AHA moment of understanding can sometimes take more than one explanation or a photograph that clicks with someone. Perhaps this description of the twisted picot join will be helpful...

Here is a simple motif which is ready for its final join i.e. twisted picot join. A is the picot by which the final ring will be joined to the beginning ring. B is the stretch of taut thread between the pinch and middle finger which will be joined to A. To make the twisted picot join the motif will be folded along the blue line to bring A into alignment with B.

To begin, I am holding the motif in the normal fashion.

In this photo the motif has been folded. The back of A is now visible and has been brought close to B.

I have inserted my crochet hook into picot A from the underside.

Now I turn the crochet hook clockwise to put it into position along the taught thread at B.

I'm ready to pick up the thread...

And pull the taught thread through the picot to form a loop large enough...

For my shuttle to pass through.

Don't ask me WHY I used such a big shuttle for such a small motif!

My ring needs 5 more DS before closing. I add these now BEFORE unfolding the motif.

After the ring's stitches are complete, unfold the motif and make sure the twisted picot join is in fact NOT twisted and that stitches are correct. I'm ready to close this ring!

Here is my completed motif. The final join is my twisted picot join.

Look Ma, no lumps!!!

TIAS Day 1

2010-01-06T14:53:00.000-06:00

Here is my Day 1 of Jane Eborall's TIAS (Tat It and See). This will be a fun way to bust up the winter doldrums! Jane gives wonderful, detailed instructions and her creative use of thread AMAZES me!

For me the most challenging aspects of Day 1 were hiding my beginning threads and split rings. Tatting over my beginning threads isn't my strong suit, but if Jane says to do it - by golly, I'm going to! She gave great instructions on how to accomplish this, but it also helped me to refer to Gina, The Tatting Goddess's video tutorial. Sometimes I have to read about it, look at a picture AND see someone do it to figure a thing out. Apparently I can be VERY needy!

That accomplished, I turned to the split rings and realized it had been SOOOO long since I did one that I couldn't remember ANYTHING about it other than making my hand look like a dead spider. So I refreshed my memory with Jon's split ring tutorial and relearned what to do after I had my hand playing dead.

Now I'm looking forward to Day 2. I have a feeling this will be QUITE fun and just hope that I can keep up!

For a Child

2010-01-02T15:13:00.001-06:00

Fox just posted a BEAUTIFUL piece of tatting which reminded me of some photographs I took of leaves after a spring rain. I made one of them into a kaleidoscope and used part of that kaleidoscope for this poem which is one of my favorites. It is by Fanny Stearns Davis.

I'm sorry, it's a JPEG and the resolution isn't the best, but if you click on it and then zoom in a little, it is readable (or just click on the author's name above for a link). I made it years ago to put on a card for a baby shower.

Resolutions Made... More or Less

2010-01-01T10:42:00.003-06:00

I don't ALWAYS make resolutions, but I pretty much ALWAYS break the ones I DO make!

So I'm keeping it SIMPLE for myself this year by resolving to just do SOME things more and SOME things less. I figure that as a pretty well intentioned person (giving myself allot of credit here, I know), if I do the things I know I OUGHT to do more and the things I know I SHOULDN'T do less, I'll be a BETTER well intentioned person in 2010! Is my more or less resolution a cop-out? Probably, but it is more or less doable and I don't have the energy to carry the guilt of broken resolutions for the better part of a year (yeah, I break 'em THAT fast).

In closing, to support the validity of my 2010 More or Less Resolution Theory, let me offer an example of one of my MORE resolutions which I think we can all agree on:

In 2010 I resolve to USE MORE THREAD!!!
Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T15:03:00.000-06:00

Sun Tea

2009-12-22T13:45:00.004-06:00

Although I ENJOY reading everyone's Tatting Tea Tuesday postings, I usually do not have anything myself to offer. I LOVE tea, but only ICED tea... preferably Lipton with no sugar or lemon (shudder). On special occasions, I OCCASIONALLY make my iced tea with bottled water rather than tap. LET ME TELL YOU that in a tall clear glass filled with ice, it sparkles like the sun!

And today being the national... OK, maybe just local... yes, yes quite possibly just in my own home, HOLIDAY that it is, SUN tea would be the order of the day (if the sun were actually out)! Because yesterday was the winter solstice, today is the first day of many that we will gain an additional minute or two of sunlight and that is cause of great celebration and rejoicing to me every year!

I could not be described as a sun worshipper (this pasty pudding doesn't tan well) or outdoorsy type, but apparently I need the sun to be out there even when I am not, to promote my own happiness and well being. I become grouchy, sullen and unproductive without my sunshine. So in my home we could call this RETURN OF GOOD ANN DAY, although that seems to promise allot, so maybe it should be RETURN OF A HIGHER PERCENTAGE POSSIBILITY OF GOOD ANN DAY. It's a mouth full and will make for a very expensive banner, but still it IS cause to celebrate! So in answer to the Tatting Tea Tuesday question, "How many extra minutes of sunshine will you take with your tea, one or two?" I would answer, "TWO PLEASE!"

My tatted sunshine today is a rendition of a pattern by Jane Eberall. It is part of her Sun, Moon and Stars Mobile. I say it is a rendition because it was not done perfectly. I did not have small enough beads for my sunshine to have a sunny smile. My beads produced a joker-like grin not suitable for the large orb that heats the earth - that kind of grin would produce fear of accelerated global warming. My execution of the pattern is a little clumsy and the pattern is intended to be placed in a large ring, but I am quite pleased with my patch of sunshine and am now even MORE excited about Jane's upcoming TIAS project in January!

Oh! I forgot to mention. Those really ARE the clouds I saw in the sky last night a little before dusk. Today they have melded together to obscure the blue but the sunshine still manages to filter through so I am happy!

Caring and Sharing

2009-12-14T09:54:00.000-06:00

My daughter did not CARE for the last picture I posted and asked me to please SHARE another picture so she wouldn't have to keep looking at it on her reader. She didn't care for that picture because she doesn't care for Party Pizzas because she doesn't care for meat. I, on the other hand, had grown tired of it because I kept getting HUNGRY looking at it! It is our very own version of the generation gap...

So I rushed, or perhaps sauntered, maybe even just schlepped outside this morning and photographed a snowflake I made last night, and truth be told, MANY nights before, because I tat slower than Christmas! It is Jon's Quantiesque Snowflake done in a size 20 Lizbeth thread. It was a pleasure to make!

If I sew more quickly than I tat, you will see it hanging on my tree soon...

Yum-yum! Party Pizzas!

2009-12-08T10:22:00.000-06:00

One of our holiday traditions is to make a bunch of appetizers on Christmas Eve and munch away. My mother-in-law always made Party Pizzas and they are a favorite.

They are very simple. Spread cocktail bread (we like pumpernickel) with tomato paste. Sprinkle on some ground oregano. Top with browned Italian sausage and shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees until the cheese melts and browns a little. Yum!