Tattin' Kat

Gina

2012-02-17T16:24:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Gina, I was able to tat this motif.

I know that the scan is awful, but it is Irene Woo's heart.

When I broke my tatting needle, Gina generous sent me one as well as lots of pattern books as well. You will be missed, Gina!!

a late Merry Christmas and winners

2011-12-27T16:34:00.000-06:00

Merry late Christmas to all you in Tat-Land!!

I've finally gotten around to finding the winners of the baby contest. Red, you were the closest on the time. Only off by a few hours..impressive. Teresa, you win the name contest. My new daughter will be known as the mouse! Fox, I love your name as well--but I'm going to stick with the cat theme and I'm not sure that I could remember how to spell Picoette :) No promises on the speed of receiving the prizes---late seems to be our theme these days.

It's a.........

2011-12-15T11:56:00.003-06:00

GIRL! My daughter finally decided to arrive on Dec 11!! She weighed 9 lbs and 15 oz. We are all doing very well, but wishing for a bit more sleep. I'll figure out the winners of the giveaway after live settles a bit. I just wanted to let everyone know.

Sally, thanks so much for the shuttle--I would send you an e-mail but I can't seem to locate your e-mail address. It arrived the day after my daughter! I've only looked at it briefly, but can't wait to try it out!!!

Still here

2011-12-09T12:37:00.006-06:00

I'm still here with no baby. So, there is still time to enter the giveaway in the previous post. I have even started working on the giveaway prizes!!

I've been keeping busy getting some Christmas tatting finished. Here are some of the ornaments that I have ready to give. Nothing exciting or new, but at least they are ready to give.

I also pulled the sewing machine out and almost finished up a project that had been cut out for a while. It is a bag made out of men's cargo pants and a man's shirt. There are lots of compartments to place items. It even worked out for a cell phone holder in the strap using the shirt pocket. I still need to do a bit of hand sewing and some top stitching.

We have received several boxes in the mail recently. It is amazing that children and cats both love the simple pleasures in life. This piece of packing paper and the box that it came in has been the source of amusement for cat and kitten for hours.

Hopefully the next post will be after baby has arrived!

Still waiting and tatting

2011-12-07T14:23:00.006-06:00

Update: As of Dec 8, we are still waiting on baby. So there is still time to enter the giveaway!

Still waiting for baby to makes his/her arrival in the world. In the meantime, I've gotten some Christmas and other tatting accomplished! This is a horrid scan, but the scanner is on the floor and trying to get it all lined up is a bit beyond my capabilities at this point :) On a similar note, I'm wishing that I had one of the new Lizbeth thread holders right now. I've been chasing so many balls of thread on the floor--my husband finds it so amusing! On the right is a needle tatted cross for a lady from our church who is having surgery soon---it is desperately in need of some pressing. On the left is my shuttle tatting of the same cross. It is taking me a long time, but I have noticed my shuttle tatting is quite a bit smaller than my needle tatting. I still have a long long way to go with tension and even-ness, but at least I'm getting the flip almost all of the time. I'm practicing my shuttle tatting so that I can enjoy my Pop-a-Bobbin shuttle when it arrives. Sally, I'm wondering if the shuttle will arrive before baby!

We had a bit of snow yesterday. Thankfully Snowflake enjoys snowflakes!! The kitten certainly enjoyed it as well. She was disappointed when it melted.

Last, but not least--I want to thank Tat-land for all of your answers to questions, generosity, and encouragement. So I'm going to do a giveaway! Just a warning though, I need to make what will be given so it might take a while before you get your winnings! I do promise gifts to the winners though. There will be 2 winners of the giveaway. Leave a comment with the following to enter the giveaway:

1. A blogging nickname for the new baby. My daughter's blogging name is the kitten. Baby's gender is unknown, so you can leave a boy and a girl name if necessary.

2. A guess of the date and time of when baby will arrive. The date and time will be Central Standard Time in the US. Just to help you out--baby was due to arrive on Dec 1.

One winner will be the one with the nickname that I choose for baby. The other winner will be the one with the closest date and time of the arrival of baby. Ties will be chosen randomly.

The cut-off time for entries is whenever baby decides to arrive!! Hopefully that isn't too long away. I'll post the winners whenever I get a chance. Best of luck to all and a very Merry Christmas to all of you wonderful tatters as well.

Grace Snowflake (25/25)

2011-12-05T14:16:00.002-06:00

I tatted the Grace Snowflake for the Christmas exchange at InTatters. I can share it here now that my partner has receive her package! I was concerned that baby would arrive before I finished this, but baby still hasn't arrived.

This is the 25th motif of the challenge. I'm ready to start fresh after baby arrives......although it might take me quite a while to get to 25 this time around!

Oh Boy, oh Boy

2011-11-29T18:33:00.001-06:00

No, baby isn't here yet. But I won a Pop-a-bobbin shuttle from Sally's blog. So excited!!!

Now to get back into working on my shuttle tatting.

Thanks so much Sally and thank the man in the garage for me as well.

Cat, Contractions, and Christmas.....(24/25)

2011-11-28T08:09:00.003-06:00

As you can see our newest addition, Snowflake, is getting ready for baby to come. I think that she will be very disappointed when the car seat contains a crying baby. Snowflake has definitely become a member of the family. The kitten adores her...maybe a bit too much!

I finally finished my tatted item for the Christmas exchange at InTatters! Now to get a box and actually mail it. We had a false baby alarm a few weeks ago and I was concerned that I wouldn't get it finished in time. Tatting with contractions is interesting! Thankfully baby has decided to stay put for the time being so we were able to enjoy Thanksgiving. The due date is this week so hopefully baby will make his/her presence known soon.

I've been tatting up some quick items to give as thank you and Christmas gifts. This is a quick tatted heart in Lizbeth Christmas Delight designed by Birgit Phelps. I also played a bit more with cabone rings and came up with these Christmas ornaments. One is Lizbeth Christmas Delight and the other is Lizbeth Angel Love. I think they look like mints. I really enjoy these cabone ring designs and put Jon's tatted rings book on my Christmas list.

I've finally finished up my family ornaments for the year. I tatted 6 Makena balls. 4 of them are finished, but I'm holding onto 2 of them and hope to try out a new stiffener on them. Someone at InTatters mentioned Fa-brick as a stiffener and this is on my Christmas list as well.

Now to sit back and wait for baby to come. Happy tatting to all!!!

The newest addition to the family and some tatting (22 and 23/25)

2011-10-29T15:34:00.000-05:00

No the newest addition is not a baby. I still have several weeks left although there is no room left in the inn so to speak.

The newest addition is a kitten who decided to follow us on a walk. It has been a neighborhood stray for a few days and unless anyone claims the kitten it is ours. Everyone is a bit uncertain on the sex, but the general opinion is that the kitten is a girl. I was promised a cat 5 years ago from my husband, but due to living conditions we couldn't have one. We aren't supposed to have cats here either, but the cat will be an outside/garage cat. I've been jealous of all of Tat-land's cats for a while, but now I can say that this Kat has a cat! A few pictures for your enjoyment. As you can see my daughter, known as the Kitten, loves Snowflake the kitten.

I've been trying to tat up some Christmas gifts before baby arrives. I have all of my 3-D ornaments tatted, but I still need to stiffen and shape them. I'll post pictures of all them when I get them complete.

I decided to transform Krystle's Spanish Dancer earrings into necklaces since most people I know don't wear earrings quite that large. Here are some of the ones that I have completed. The colors are all Lizbeth (Caribbean, Wild Flower Garden, Spring Garden, Autumn Spice, Leafy Green, and Autumn Spice).

I had a request to tat something to wear on the big headbands for a baby girl. This is what I came up with. It is one of Jane E's patterns modified to work with a really big button. I put a quarter in the center to give you an idea of how large the button is. The thread is Lizbeth size 10 Juicy Watermelon. The requester really likes it. I'm personally not a fan of the big flowers on babies, but I'm glad that it is appreciated.

Now to get as much tatting in before baby comes!!

Part 2 of the Doctor's visit (20 and 21/25)

2011-09-06T15:08:00.001-05:00

This post is the continuation of the Doctor's visit.

She encouraged me to try and tat in the car. Big mistake on the curvy roads on our trip. Due to her urging (she kept pointing at my bulging belly and telling me that I needed to start working on Christmas gifts), I decided to finally tat up some of Krystle's Spanish dancer earrings. Here are 2 pairs in Lizbeth white and Victorian red. I love the pattern. Since I don't wear earrings I decided to tweak the pattern slightly and try a pendant for me to wear. I need to tweak the pattern a bit more, but here is the result in Lizbeth Vineyard Harvest. I hope to make a few more in different colors to help spice up my limited wardrobe. By the way, these are a combination of needle and shuttle tatting! I shuttle tatted around the ring and then needle tatted the rest. I'm still working on my shuttle tatting and have concluded that I don't like Clover shuttles. Although, I do like them when tatting around cabone rings. Maybe I just need some more practice but the tip seems to get in the way.

The Doctor and the kitten loved all of the bright colors at a hot air balloon fest that we went to.

The wind was too strong and we only got to see one balloon up in the air, but the night glow was amazing to see. Hopefully these pictures can help the doctor remember all of the beautiful color combinations.

We enjoyed the Doctor's visit. And hope to have her back again. Thanks for sharing her with us Krystle.

The Doctor's visit

2011-08-26T13:23:00.012-05:00

I'm finally getting around to documenting Dr. Vonthreadmore's visit here. Computer problems have been the culprit. The dear Dr. had wanted me to make a postcard with pictures from her visit to send to Krystle, but the same computer problems made this impossible. The Dr was insistent that Krystle see the pictures, so I agreed to post them here.

The visit started off to a rocky start due. My 73 year old widow male neighbor decided to bring a dead month for the kitten to view shortly after the Dr's arrival. This set Dr. Vonthreadmore talking about the state of "Misery" (more properly known as Missouri) and packing up her things to leave for a more desirable place to visit. As she was headed out the door to leave, she discovered a nice slug crawling on our glass door. She decided that she would postpone her departure for a few minutes until the slug left. This gave us a bit of time to chat and she encouraged me (twisted my arm)to try my hand at Krystle's Spanish Dancer earrings. More about that in a future post.

My neighbor felt awful, but thankfully he had an apple pie in the oven.

And he is a wonderful cook. In fact, he kept me in food at the beginning of my pregnancy when I could only eat food that I had not smelled cooking. Here is the wonderful pie complete with a smiley face.

The apple pie solved all of the problems with the Dr and she decided to come on a business/vacation trip with my family down to Southern "Misery". Thankfully the curvy roads didn't seem to bother her like they did me. We saw a fish hatchery--the kitten and the Dr were enthralled with all of the fish and the fish loved the food that they were throwing in. The picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of the fish and water.
They also loved watching the fisherman and the mist coming off of the water. I don't have pictures of this, but there was quite a collection of "treasures" collected between the 2 of them--mostly acorns, sticks, leaves, and rocks. I believe that some of these treasures should be making their way to Krystle's house :)

We continued our trip by visiting Elephant Rocks, which isn't known that well at all (even in the state) but is quite impressive to see. We spotted a beautiful turtle on the walk--he was in quite a hurry to get away from the kitten.

Here is a glimpse of the impressive rocks at Elephant Rocks. The big rock in the picture is on top of a large mound of rocks and weighs almost 700 tons.

I'll post more of the Doctor's visit later, but she wanted to make sure that Krystle was able to see all of the great outdoors that she was able to visit.

Any ideas Tat-land?

2011-08-01T16:10:00.006-05:00

I have had my watch since I was 12 years old and have replaced more batteries and watchbands than I can count on it. I love my watch even though certain family members keep wanting to buy me new ones!! I recently was in need of a new watchband--the leather kind. I couldn't find watch bands, so I ended up buying a new watch and putting the watchband on my watch. This left me with a watch face that needed something done to it! I immediately wondered about tatting a band for it. Has anyone ever tried this? Then my thoughts went to Jane's flowers that I made a bracelet out of last fall (see here for the post). I thought that it would be stunning in black and white or black and silver--as a gift since I obvious don't need a new watch, right? I'm having troubling trying to attach the tatting to the watch. This is my "solution" each ring has 3 or 4 strands of thread around it to hold it, but I'm not certain if this is enough. Any thought or suggestions?

much thanks!!!

2011-07-28T14:23:00.003-05:00

I appreciate all of the sympathy over my broken tatting needle!! I was shocked when the Tatting Goddess herself came up with a wonderful solution. She was the recipient of the tatting supplies of Carol Moser after she passed away. There were some tatting needles in the supplies and she sent them to me. Not only that, but she sent other goodies as well as you can see by the picture. My tatting books doubled in size from this gift!! Thank you so much for sending these Gina!! You made my week in this hot, hot, hot summer. I'm just waiting for a day without a heat advisory.

I have been tatting some, but the heat, some traveling, and VBS have kept me from tatting. I gave away the little bit that I had completed before I took pictures :( I'll see if I can get the recipient to take some for me.

Awareness Ribbon (19/25)

2011-07-14T14:01:00.002-05:00

This is Lenore English's Awareness Ribbon shuttle tatted in Lizbeth size 20. This is tatted for my mother a breast cancer survivor. I need to find something to hold it together so that she can wear it on her next walk.

The completion of this motif can be blamed on the "good fortune" of having a broken tatting needle. Although this is soon to be rectified in a most surprising manner to me...I'll share more later.

I'm still not pleased with the tension, picots, or even getting rid of the space between the rings and chains in my shuttle tatting. Hopefully more practice will help. I have some more practice planned.

shuttle tatted edging done (18/25)

2011-07-14T13:50:00.003-05:00

This is my completed shuttle tatting edging. I received a start of the edging in an exchange soon after I began needle tatting. I can't remember who it was from, but thanks for you since it was a great help in getting me started with the shuttle. It is completed since I have run out of yellow thread, so I can't continue. I'm thinking about using it to decorate a denim jacket for the kitten, but I will probably have to use some creativity since it is a bit shorter than what I actually need.

There's that medallion again (17/25)

2011-07-09T13:55:00.003-05:00

I tatted this over a year ago before I started blogging. It is Roger's There's that medallion again doily. I just found the picture and wanted to put it up on my blog so that all (or most all) of my tatting pictures are in one place. I've given away most of my tatting, so it is nice to have all of the pictures in one place. This was tatted in Lizbeth Victorian Red size 20.

Thanks for all of the sympathy over the broken tatting needle. I actually broke it in half while tatting---yes I tat very tightly. I'm trying to use the time to practice shuttle tatting, but if the withdrawal is too much I'll do mail order. Last night I managed to shuttle tat a bit until I created some knot that shouldn't be there, so I need to pick out some tatting.

Tragedy!!!!

2011-07-08T13:32:00.002-05:00

A tragedy of epic proportions occurred last night--I broke the tatting needled that I use for size 20 thread!!! I don't have a spare and live about 2 hours from the nearest store that sells them. I don't have plans to be that way for another 2 weeks.

I can still needle tat with size 10 thread and I have been hoping to get some more shuttle practice in. So I might just wait 2 weeks to get one....a rough 2 weeks!!

Just wanted to share with those that would understand.

More Makena (16/25)

2011-07-07T14:05:00.002-05:00

Here are the finished Makena that I have made. The turquoise one is made without beads, but the others have beads at all of the joins. Speaking of beads, what size crochet hook do you use for 11/0 beads? I'm having trouble with the thread on the chains splitting when I add the bead, but it is the only hook that will fit through the bead. Any ideas?

Yes, these are stiffened. Don't look too closely because I do need to clean up the extra glue. They keep their shape, but can be reshaped some after the balloon is popped. I need to make or find some small boxes to give/store these in so that they will keep their shape. A word of warning, 2 year old daughters love to play with these items and can make it so they don't look like a ball anymore!

I don't remember where I got the balloon pump, but I use it to make balloon animals. As long as you can stand the noise of twisting the balloon, making the animals is fun and not to difficult.

I will be making more of these for Christmas gifts, so you will see more in the future.

Makena(16/25)

2011-07-06T14:35:00.002-05:00

Here is what balloons and tatting have in common. I used the balloon to shape a tatted ball. Here is the picture before the balloon was popped. I would have an after picture to share, but the kitten got a hold of the ball and it needed to be redone after she enjoyed it. This is the pattern Makena--the pattern is found here. And the donation for the pattern goes to support a great cause--The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. This ball was tatted in size 20 Lizbeth Country Turquoise Medium. The worst part was getting the balloon blown up correctly inside the tatting. I have already started this pattern again in a dark red with silver beads for some Christmas gifts. I'm starting early this year on getting my presents finished since the end of the year is going to be a whirlwind. I'll show you them when they finish drying. By the way this is the perfect pattern to tat while playing games with company. I finished 2 this way!

Balloons and tatting?

2011-07-05T14:32:00.003-05:00

What does a balloon, a balloon pump, and a glob of tatting have in common? Any ideas? I'll tell you tomorrow!!

Belated Thanks

2011-07-05T14:25:00.003-05:00

I feel awful that I haven't gotten around to a thank you before now. I'm now feeling much better although the heat is still causing me some problems. At least I can blame everything on baby :) Between company, traveling, and life--time has been short the past while.

Thanks to Diane for the beautiful handkerchief and the shuttle. Any ideas for an edging for the hankie since it isn't a straight edging? The kitten fell in love with the shuttle and I thought that it was lost until I cleaned for company and found it stuffed in the sofa cushions!!

Thanks to Michelle for the great shrinky dink shuttle. I'm going to need to have some fun this summer with shrinky dink......my daughter is going to love it.

Surprise(15/25)

2011-06-02T16:18:00.001-05:00

bookmark exchange

2011-05-24T13:50:00.004-05:00

Here are the bookmarks that I received from Jon in The Tatting Forum's exchange. I love them!!! So beautiful and the stitches are so small and perfect. Thank you so much Jon.

I should have some tatting to show you next week!!

Also just in case you are interested, a friend of mine is having a BabyLeg's giveaway on her blog. You can find it here

kitten's shirt is finished

2011-05-21T15:34:00.000-05:00

Here is the shirt that I found for the kitten's tatted Valentines heart. It took a while, but I finally found a shirt that would work.

Not the best picture, but it has been rainy and dark here for a while. It looks adorable on her if I do say so myself. Although I was disappointed when she wore it to the rehearsal dinner for a wedding and no one noticed.

bookmarks from the exchange(13 and 14/25)

2011-05-20T14:58:00.004-05:00

These are the bookmarks that I made for the bookmark exchange at The Tatting Forum.

The first bookmark I tatted from Kersti's Floral Bookmark Pattern, but I've heard that it is very similar to a pattern of Mary Konior. It is tatted in Lizbeth size 20 Country Turquoise Medium.

The second bookmark is Jon's Folder Over bookmark which I love by the way. I need to make one for me!! This is tatted in Lizbeth size 20 Wildflower Garden.

Hopefully I will have some more tatting to show you soon. There has been a bit too much travel, weddings, and other activities going on. I'm late on my Mother's Day gift!!

bookmark exchange

2011-05-10T13:38:00.002-05:00

Life has been busy here of late--a bit of traveling to see family (and the craft stores), gardening, and just life. I have been tatting, but I can't share it with you yet. I'm participating in the bookmark exchange at the Tatting Forum and I received my first bookmark yesterday. This bookmark is from Bonnie. I love the colors and it is already in use in the book that I just started. Thanks again Bonnie. Mine went in the mail this morning.

Hopefully I will have some of my own tatting to share with you soon.

heart and maria cross (11 and 12/25)

2011-04-21T16:24:00.002-05:00

Life has gotten busy here again. We have a container garden growing--well we hope it is growing. Spring came and then left here, so hopefully our plants are okay.

I have managed to sneak it a bit of time to tat!! Mostly for gifts that have been given away before I had a chance to scan or take a picture. Here are a few that I managed to get right before they went out :) This is Jon's Hearts Entwined for yet another wedding present. You can see that this one was attached to the card before getting its pictures taken :) The heart was needle tatted in Lizbeth size 20 Lilac Dk.

And yes there is still another cross. This one is a repeat this time. It is the Maria cross also needle tatted in Lizbeth size 20 Lilac Dk.

I have been shuttle tatting some, but don't have any pictures to show. I'm still working on the edging and have almost run out of thread. I don't know what thread it is, so I can't make it any longer. I found a denim coat for the kitten in next years size for $1 and it looks great on the back. I might have to tat a few flowers for the front.

I also made a trip a few weeks ago to "town" and went to a craft store again. I got some tatting essentials, but also came away with some Modge Podge. I've already put it to use on something for the kitten. I'll share with you soon, but hopefully I can try it out on shuttles soon.

Happy Easter to all!!

Happy April Fool's Day(10/25)

2011-04-01T08:44:00.000-05:00

Happy International Tatting Day to All!! I injured my shoulder/arm earlier this week, but hopefully will be able to tat some today. I don't know what I did, but it has gotten me out of doing some dishes :)

I even received some new thread in the mail yesterday and haven't been able to tat with it yet. I have been organizing my threads instead and trying to decide what to tat. Oh and I got a new pattern book as well. I bought "Tatted Animals" by Inga Madsen. I think that the kitten will love having some tatted animals to put on shirts, bags, or just to have around.

Here is my latest tatted cross from Lene Bjorn's book. This is the Malene cross. I think that I'm done tatting new crosses from the book for a bit. But I will be going back and tatting some of them again in different colors for gifts. This was needle tatted in size 20 raspberry pink medium Lizbeth thread
Here are all of the crosses that I've tatted from this book so far in one place. I'm not sure which one I like the best.

Enchanter Hearts (9/25)

2011-03-29T14:52:00.003-05:00

My newest cross is almost finished, but I thought that I needed a good dose of springy colors with the gloomy weather here.

Here are two needle tatted Enchanter Hearts designed by Jon. Both are tatted in Lizbeth thread. One is in spring garden and the other is tropical punch. I need to find someone who ties nicer bows :)

Heart (8/25)

2011-03-28T14:49:00.000-05:00

This is the Heart from Learn to Tat by Janette Baker. It is needle tatted in Lizbeth Jelly Bean. Just had to test out the color :)

I might have to try this one again soon with a shuttle :)

Easy Cross (7/25)

2011-03-26T13:40:00.000-05:00

Here is another needle tatted Easy Tatted cross (the pattern is available at inTatters). I was in need of a quick cross to give to someone who had been sick. After seeing it in the picture I think that I need to block it. This is Lizbeth size 20 in Mountain Breeze.

I had hoped to have another cross from Lene Bjorn's book, but the one that I was working on got scrapped. I had miss counted way too many things and it wasn't fun anymore, so I started another one last night that will hopefully be much quicker and maybe I can count properly!

By the way, where did spring go? We are back to cold wind and snow flurries again. I love the cold and snow, but don't like the sneak peak at spring just to have it revoked!

Edging (6/25)

2011-03-25T13:35:00.000-05:00

We received snow again last night. Not much, but just enough for me to spend the morning pulling a sled around the yard and throwing a few snow balls.

I received the start of this edging in a Christmas exchange in 2009, but I can't remember who sent it. Whoever you are, thanks!! Three of the rings and three of the chains were tatted by me. I thought that this might be a nice addition to the back of a denim jacket for the kitten.

Are there any secrets for un-tatting shuttle tatted work? Last night one of my stitches didn't flip and I didn't notice until I tried to close the ring. I've been using a crochet hook and doing everything in reverse, but I'm hoping for a faster way :)

I think that these shuttles need some decorative paper added to them, what do you think?

Luck of the Scottish??(5/25)

2011-03-24T14:30:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know that it should be Luck of the Irish, but my husband is Scottish :) And yes, I even have a kilt that I love!! This is my successfully shuttle tatted shamrock from Gina's pattern. I think that I might finally be getting the hang of it.

This is a doily that was recently passed onto me that I thought you might enjoying seeing. I don't know who tatted it, but the doily is just fabric with the ends tacked down.

Heart's Desire (4/25)

2011-03-21T21:39:00.003-05:00

I have another cross started but it is going to take a bit. In the meantime, I decided to start making some hearts. This is Heart's Desire by Susan Fuller.

Don't look too closely though because it isn't quite right. It definitely isn't symmetric. The thread is Lizbeth size 20 Berry Burst.

I have some shuttle tatting to share soon, but that it going to require getting out the camera cord. You can read I'm lazy into that if you would like :)

Right now it is time to get our taxes in order. I've been putting it off for a long time now, but this is the week!!

A day late (3/25)

2011-03-18T20:26:00.002-05:00

I'm a day late posting my shamrocks. There was too much jigging and eating corned beef and cabbage :) Much thanks to Gina and Sharon for the patterns. You can click on their names to be taken to the patterns. The threads are Lizbeth size 20 in leaf green medium and leafy greens.

One set of these headed home with our friend who brought the corn beef and cabbage yesterday. I'm working on shuttle tatting Gina's shamrock. I'll post results when I get some that look alright.

Hearts (2/25)

2011-03-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

I was in need of something tatted for a wedding card and Jon's entwined hearts were perfect. This was needled tatted in some of the DMC that I recently received from Happy Bluebird. I think that I will have to make some more of these for future wedding cards.

Regina cross (1/25)

2011-03-15T14:15:00.000-05:00

This is the Regina cross from Lene Bjorn's tatted cross book. This was needle tatted in Lizbeth size 20 Victorian Red. I received this book was a Christmas gift and have already gotten quite a bit of use out of the book. I think that there might be one more cross from this book in the near future.

It appears that I have (through OWOH) convinced someone to learn to tat!!!! Exciting and exactly why I decided to participate in the first place.

Shuttle Tatting Update (part 2) (25/25)

2011-03-14T15:39:00.000-05:00

I usually compose grand blog posts and emails while washing dishes, but my computer time is limited and it never gets onto "paper". I had a "Good, Bad, and Ugly" post all set up in my mind days ago and then I saw yesterday that Fox had used it already!

The Good
The shuttled tatted Stumpy is finished.

The Bad
I still haven't figured out my shuttle tatting tension and the thread keeps moving in ways that I don't like. Time for practice, practice, and more practice.

The Ugly
I decided to spare you my ugly shuttle tatted Stumpy and show my needle tatted Stumpy instead that I finished recently as well. Believe me it is ugly. I think that I need to focus on smaller projects to help my learning curve and keep my practicing. Any suggestions--something beside the traditional ring and chain pattern? I also learning that I'm not a fan of big rings.

(Update: I forgot to mentioned that the Stumpy shown here is Dr V's thread Sea Glass in size 10).

Well this completed my second 25 motif challenge. Count me in for another one Sharon.

And Happy Pi day to all (3.14159). Make sure and eat some pie :)

test tat(22, 23, and 24/25)

2011-03-08T14:00:00.000-06:00

Surprise, surprise. Not a cross this time around...although I am working on another one.

This is a test tat that I did for Jessica at Snapdragon Lace. The pendants are needle tatted in Lizbeth Boysenberry dark size 20 and the bracelet is needle tatted in Country Turquoise Medium size 20. I LOVE the bracelet and have already worn it out and about. I would like to tat the pendants/earrings in smaller thread since they are large for what I wear.

Thanks for letting me test tat for you, Jessica.

Pernille cross (21/25)

2011-03-05T14:40:00.000-06:00

You will never guess what tatting I have to share with you today :)

This is the Pernille cross from Lene Bjorn's tatted crosses book. I had a hard time figuring out the exact stitch count from the pattern, so this is my adaptation of the pattern. This was needle tatted with Lilac Dk in Lizbeth 20. Since I'm on a roll there will probably be another cross or 2 in the near future.

Now back to shuttle tatting Stumpy. I think that I should have chosen something with smaller rings. I'll make sure and do this with my next project.

much thanks

2011-03-05T14:35:00.000-06:00

Much thanks to A Happy Bluebird for the beautiful bag and threads!!! I didn't anticipate this much thread, but I was pleasantly surprised. What a perfect way to brighten up a dreary day. The kitten loved all of the pretty colors as well. Thanks again.

Patchwork is bigger (20/25)

2011-03-03T14:21:00.000-06:00

My Mary Konior Patchwork is getting bigger!! I'm still amazed at her designing ability. I'm not sure how big to make it. I had originally thought about making it 4 by 4, but now I'm wondering about making it rectangular rather than square. This was done a few weeks back, but I'm just now getting it up. I've had enough white for a while, so I'll put this aside for a bit and come back to it in a few weeks.

Maria Cross (19/25)

2011-03-02T12:52:00.000-06:00

In case you can't tell, I'm on a roll tatting the crosses from Lene Bjorn's book of Tatted Crosses. This is the Maria cross needle tatted in Lizbeth antique blue medium. It came out more blue and silver in real life. These are fun to tat up and the recipients love them.

Bet you can't guess what I'm working on now? :)

lucky me

2011-03-01T13:30:00.000-06:00

I have been the recipient of some blog giveaways recently and wanted to share the gifts with you.

The first was part of OWOH. I was the winner of this wonderful bracelet from Niky at Silver Nik Nats . She has a shop with some beautiful jewerly, so if you are in the need of something check her out. The bracelet is beautiful and is small enough to fit my very small wrist. My wrist is so small that I used to be able to get out of the play handcuff when I was younger. Thanks Niky. I've already worn it and got some nice complements on it.

The next was a blog giveaway at Purpseful Homemaking. If you are in the need of some ways to save money, some ideas of things to do with children, or some "green" ideas for your home. Be sure to check her blog out. The link will take you to the giveaway page since there is a link that every crafter will love. It is a link to the Thirty-one catalog. It is a catalog with all kinds of bags. Some of them would be perfect for carrying around tatting. Now to pick one and save my pennies.

I won a lunch tote bag pictured below. I can't wait for spring since this will be perfect for picnics at the park!!

And I also won the giveaway by Happy Bluebird. February was a lucky month for me. I wonder what March will bring :)

Monica cross and some thread (18/25)

2011-02-23T17:24:00.000-06:00

This is the Monica cross from Tatted cross-shaped Bookmarks by Lene Bjorn. This is needle tatted in Lizbeth Boysenberry dk. It is already in the mail to a special friend who just sent me quite a bit of thread and a snowflake tatted by her grandmother.

This is a snowflake tatted by her grandmother. She sent it to see if I could tat something similar.

I also received all of these goodies as well.

The first is some pink and blue crochet cotton.
Then some thread in size 10. Christmas colors, light blue, red, green, dark green, yellow, and brown.

And lastly, quite a bit of DMC thread in size 80.

If you see anything that strikes your fancy, let me know and we can set up a trade.

blog layout

2011-02-23T14:53:00.000-06:00

I'm playing around with a title and layout. Any ideas of how to get the full title to show up?

You will see these crosses soon--they are already in the mail.

shuttle tatting update part 1

2011-02-23T14:18:00.001-06:00

I promised a shuttle tatting update, so here it is. I've figured out the flip and have yet to break or throw a shuttle. A good start I thought :)

I still haven't gotten tension and the rings as close as I would like. Hopefully practice will help to fix that. Here is one of my first motifs. I still need to figure out how to add threads. I have some websites on my list to help with starting and adding threads.

After my grand success at this ring and chain motif, I decided to do something bigger! It didn't turn out so great. I tried Stumpy thinking that it would be easy. Boy was I wrong. I'm having a problem with the big rings--how do you make the loop big enough for all of the stitches? I ended up having to pull some extra thread out of to make the loop bigger, but still ended up with just enough room to squeeze my shuttle through at the end. This made for really tight rings. I decided to start again and see what happened. This is my Stumpy with really tight rings.

I have a solution to the big ring problem, but if you have a suggestion please let me know. I wrap the thread several times around my ring and little figure to give me some extra room to make the ring. So here is my new Stumpy and my shuttle. The shuttle was part of a giveaway from Gina . Thanks Gina!! Now with all of the practicing I need to add some thread to my shuttle. Time to read the tutorials.

The winner is.....

2011-02-17T14:07:00.001-06:00

In the course of OWOH, my world has gone from this:

to this!

Today the windows are open and we're enjoying some fresh, albeit cold air.

I wished that I could have made it to more of the blogs, but time didn't permit. Thanks to all those who entered. The winner of the bookmark is steufel from Stefanies Sammelsurium . Congratulations. I'll mail it out after I get your address.

I really wish that I would have had more time to look at all of the blogs. I found some new ideas and more blogs to follow. I already heard that I won a doorprize :) I've also gotten a few e-mails with patterns and ideas. What a great way to meet people. I hope to e-mail back some people who left comments on my blog--who knows we might have a few more tatters from this!

Tatting pictures and a shuttle tatting update to come soon.

A Queen for the kitten(17/25)

2011-02-14T13:30:00.001-06:00

I decided that the kitten needed a heart for Valentine's Day. Needless to say she was much more interested in the Thomas the train book :) If I can find a plain shirt (they are really hard to find) I will probably attach this to a shirt for her to wear. This is Queen of Hearts by Mary Konior tatted in Lizbeth spring garden size 20. Happy Valentine's Day to all!!!

All hearted out!!

2011-02-11T14:37:00.000-06:00

I've been having a grand time seeing the crafters of the world with OWOH. Wish that I had more time to look at everyone.

My mom asked me to make hearts for some special friends of hers. The pattern is by Birgit Phelps. Now I don't want to see these hearts for a long time :) I am working on a special one (a new heart pattern) for the kitten for Valentine's Day. Hopefully I can get it finished in time.

I got surprised with these lovelies. I love how sometimes surprises happen just when you need them most.

Any opinions on the shuttles? I've heard bad things about the metal Boye. But wondered about the plastic Bates. I might take them back and exchange them for Clovers since this appears to be a shuttle most people like. This was such a great surprise since I'm 2+ hours from a real craft store.

I'll have to show pictures of my shuttle tatting soon. It is coming slowly. You will probably be seeing some questions appear on tatting forums soon!

Also, any advice on this product. It was passed along to me thinking that it would make tatting stiff and sparkle at the same time. I'm concerned that it might make the tatting not last as long.

One World One Heart 2011

2011-01-31T14:45:00.000-06:00

"One World One Heart is a worldwide event for bloggers only. It gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections with those they may not have otherwise met from all over the world. In the past 4 years this event has grown to over 1,000 participants with lasting friendships (and even one love connection) formed along the way. Think of it as a GIGANTIC open house allowing you to travel without ever leaving your home........going from blog to blog(in various countries) seeing the wonder each one has created and meeting all the fabulous people behind those blogs. As a bonus each blogger participant will offer up a "door prize or prizes"....just for dropping by, saying hello and seeing their world. It's really that easy."

Last year I didn't have a blog and was insanely jealous during this event. Now I have a blog and get to participate!! I'm a tatter living in the Midwest of the USA. Which if the weatherman is correct will covered with 17 inches of snow in the next 2 days!!! I have a wonderful husband and a great 2 year old daughter.

Now for the giveaway and some tatting info.

This bookmark is my doorprize. It is hand needled tatted. My neighbors think that I'm strange because I'm young and tat. If you look on the internet there are lots of young tatters. I learning to needle tat from a dear college friend a few years ago. I'm currently teaching myself (with the help of many Youtube videos) how to shuttle tat. If you are interested in learning how to tat, try the InTatters forum or the Tatting Forum. They are great for answering questions....and believe me I've asked a lot.

Please leave a comments on this post for a chance to win the bookmark. The event ends Feb 17. Winners will be drawn on Feb 18 and e-mailed for mailing addresses. You must be a blogger to participate and please make sure that I have a way to contact you should you win. Glad to have had a chance to meet you.

Updated: The giveaway is now ended. Thanks for entering.

Be our guest (16/25)

2011-01-21T13:25:00.001-06:00

This is Martha Ess's tiny square teapot tatted in Lizbeth size 20 Wedgewood Dk. The top is a bit floppy, so I'm not sure what to do with it yet. I had thought about a bookmark like the one Threads of a Tatting Goddess did, but with the floppiness I'm thinking about either stiffening or gluing it to something for the kitten maybe with a cute tea cup added.

And last but not least, here are my shuttle tatting accomplishments. There is still much to accomplish, but at least this way I have proof of what I've done to look back at. My rings don't seem to close all of the way yet, but I'm definitely making improvements. Maybe back to some youtube videos again.

Christina cross(15/25)

2011-01-19T13:15:00.000-06:00

Here is Lene Bjorn's Christina cross tatted in Cebelia size 30. I might make the topper chains a bit longer so that I can use them to mark additional pages in my Bible. Yes, this one is for me. I had a bit of trouble with the Josephine chains, but I can make shorter ones now. I'm still having a bit of difficulty with longer chains--the chain twists when I take it off the needle. Maybe something better to shuttle tat.

Speaking of shuttle tatting, I completed 10 flipped stitches in a row yesterday!! I went from argg to ahah. I've never watched so few seconds of a video so many times!! Thanks to everyone who has YouTube tatting videos available. I looked at quite a few and took a bit here and a bit there. I attempted a ring last night, but realized that I had used black thread on my shuttle (silly me) and it didn't work out so well. I think that I had one stitch that didn't flip. I'll try again with variegated thread on the shuttle and see what happens. I'll show you the progress once I get something to show.

I also decided to participate in One World One Heart. I saw it last year, but couldn't participate since I didn't have a blog.

All done

2011-01-14T14:00:00.000-06:00

I realized after my last post that I forgot to share the completed last name with you. Here it is all done. The groom especially really liked it. This isn't the best picture--I realized right before I packed it that I didn't have a picture of it completed.

Hello 2011 (14/25)

2011-01-14T13:44:00.000-06:00

I hope that you are all doing well and enjoying the start to 2011. It is hard to believe that another year is gone. We survived our trip to the wedding and I got a chance to see a craft store again. I received a few gifts card for Christmas and enjoyed spending the money :) I now have some red beads as well as some other beads as well.

We survived the wedding. The kitten walked down the aisle with my husband and looked adorable. I'm sharing pictures of the tatted items that I made for her to wear in the wedding. Her dress was sleeveless and the color was blue, so I tatted a small flower (just rings and chains) to give a bit of color to a white sweater and I used Jane's small button flowers (that I've made before but this time without the inside piece) for her hair. I would have made the flower on the sweater bigger, but I brought thread out on my Ezbob to save space and just had enough to finish. I should have wound more. The thread is Cebelia royal blue size 30. I think that I'll have to get some more of this thread. I really liked tatting with it. I will probably make a few more of these barrettes for the kitten and maybe some for gifts. They were quick to tat and looked great in her hair. Just the right amount of color.

I did manage to tat a bit more while we were gone. I tatted a few more of the Easy Crosses for gifts. I didn't take any pictures of them because they were given as soon as they were finished!

I'm not really a resolution person, but I did make 2 tatting goals for the year. I would like to learn to shuttle tat. I have a video and hope to start this afternoon---that is if the kitten will stop singing and take her nap :) The second tatting goal is to keep a bit more of my tatting. I've given away most of what I've tatting. I'm probably still going to give away most of it, but I would like to keep a few more pieces.

Christmas tatting (10, 11, 12, and 13/25)

2010-12-22T13:24:00.000-06:00

Here is some of my tatted Christmas gifts. Hopefully the recipients enjoy them. I like to make gifts especially for the person and pick colors that I think they would enjoy.

This first is the first round of a wreath designed by Laura Bobay and found at Tat-man's site. I made 3 of these for the neighbors. I was excited to find that one neighbor's mom used to tat and was able to see some of her mom's tatting. She thought that tatting was a lost art! This is tatted in Lizbeth 20 leaf green medium. The beads are clear and all that I had. I wish that I would have had red beads, but the only beads are found at least 2 hours from me. Next time I get near a craft store I sense some red beads getting sold to me.
These are what are going in my Christmas cards this year which will be send out next year. They are tatted in Lizbeth size 20 Christmas delight. The pattern is by Birgit Phelps.
These are the Easy Tatted Cross posted at In-Tatters by xstchntat. Thanks for posting this xstchntat. For some reason I had a rough time on the first one, but they tatted up extra quick after that. There are a few more to be tatted as well. The colors (in clockwise order) are Autumn Spice, Leafy Green, Spring Garden, Caribbean, Tropical Punch.
And last but not least are some necklace pendants. These are the ones that I found on Pieknits blog. The non-black ones are size 20 Lizbeth Vineyard Harvest and size 40 Lizbeth Turquoise Twist.
Merry Christmas to all!!!

the purpose for the "b"

2010-12-22T13:18:00.001-06:00

Ignore the bad sewing on this. I can really sew better than this, but wanted to make the book completely "edible" for a child. I sewed the tatting to the fabric and it didn't work so well. What fabric glue have you used that works to attach tatting to fabric? The middle pages also are sewed with the diaper wipe plastic cover inside (it make the fabric slip as well) so that the pages make noise. Hopefully the child like the texture and color book. I made use of stuff that I had and one pair of childrens jeans that I bought for a grand 75 cents!!

little b and friends..(6, 7, 8, and 9/25)

2010-12-20T14:30:00.001-06:00

"Big B, little B, what begins with b?" Anyone know what that is from? If so, I'm guessing that you are around children under the age of 4! That is from a Dr. Seuss book. I gave up on my big B for a little bit, but couldn't get the idea out of my head. I was looking at one of my trials for the big one and came up with a little b. It isn't the best, but will serve its purpose. I'll work on fixing it up and the big one at a later time. Right now there is just too much to do. This is Lizbeth size 20 color Navy blue.

I also needed an A. I decided to stick with the old standby rather than create a little A. This is done in Lizbeth size 20 harvest orange medium (a Christmas present for me)

This bunny is from Mark Myers. I need to get the right ribbon for his neck. I think that he is so cute and will serve the purpose perfectly. I'll show you the purpose after it is finished (hopefully soon since it needs to be finished for Christmas), but here is a hint it starts with a "b". This is tatting in Lizbeth size 20 white.

And I needed something with an "a", again thanks to Mark Myers for the apple. This is done in Lizbeth size 20 leaf green medium and Christmas red.
A special thank you to tatters who post patterns. I greatly appreciate you sharing them.

Bothersome Bs (4 and 5/25)

2010-12-10T16:39:00.000-06:00

I had this marvelous idea and right now nothing is working. Lest you get concerned when you view the picture....I am NOT tatting another last name....repeat NOT tatting another last name. I might be called upon to tat initials or a last name of 3 letters or less sometime in the distance future.

I am trying to make a texture and color book for a baby. I wanted to put the first initial of the child, a B, in the book. But my Bs aren't looking right. I tried to come up with a variate of the letter that I tatted before, but it looked like a D with a line in it. Then I found letters from Gillian Buchanan. Her B looked great, but mine looks like an 8 (I did drop off the extra picot since it is for a boy--I thought that it would be more boyish). I would like to figure out how to alter the block B since a lot of people I know have a last name starting with a B, but that will have to wait. Any ideas? I'm posting this mostly for my own memory so that I can alter it in the future. I think that for now I'm going to tat some animals for the book instead.

It's beginning to.....

2010-12-09T13:25:00.000-06:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Now to hide the ends.....

Christmas exchange pictures (3/25)

2010-12-09T13:14:00.000-06:00

Here are my goodies from the Christmas tatting exchange on the Tatting Forum. I'm so glad that I checked back in just in time to sign up for the exchange. I'm just like a little kid and opened it (with the kitten's help....boy did she love all of the items....I hope that you all made it into the picture). I received all of these great ideas from vividmana. I wonderful bookmark and something to put on a necklace, some thread (colors that I don't have :) ), paper-clips that I'm thinking about making into some ice skates that I saw on Sharon's blog, beads, and containers. I'm especially excited about the E-zbob. I'm been on the lookout for one and am excited to give it a try. Thanks vividmana!!
I can finally show the tatting that I sent to my partner now that she has received and opened her package. It is Jon's Merriment Doily. Thanks for the pattern Jon. It is tatting in Lizbeth Christmas Delight size 20. It is worked on the ball and I love how it is very periodic with the thread coloring.

Can you put tatting inside a glass ball? (2/25)

2010-11-29T00:51:00.000-06:00

So here is the tatted last name almost finished!! It was done in Lizbeth size 20 and is mocha brown light and medium. It sat around for a week before I finally finished it. I'll try and post pictures of the finished product when I get a chance. All done finally. Hope the bride and groom like it.

This is a gift from our neighbor for the kitten. A wooden top made out of scraps. She can't get it to spin herself yet, but loves for us to get it going.

I have a question that you might see posted on other forums as well. I've seen many people put tatting around glass balls for Christmas trees, but has anyone tried to put tatting inside a glass ball? I would like to do some glass balls for Christmas ornaments, but got too late of a start for tatting around them. Someone gave me the idea of putting them inside hanging from a string at the top. I think that the tatting will need to be stiffened, but them how do you get it inside the opening of the ball? This is like trying to get a boat in a bottle. Any thoughts are appreciated!!

Happy Thanksgiving or Happy Thursday!! (1/25)

2010-11-24T20:37:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving or Happy Thursday to you--whichever fits you. I decided to take a break from the letter edging--which is almost done by the way--to make something to wear for Thanksgiving. I'm not a big jewelry person, but thought that I would try a necklace again since it has been so long since I've worn one. The patterns is one from pieknits's blog. I'm thinking about trying a few modifications and maybe making some for Christmas gifts.

Letters are done now for the edging... (0/25)

2010-11-04T13:36:00.001-05:00

The letters are finished!! This is the new last name of a couple getting married soon--the kitten is going to be the flower girl. It was supposed to be ready for a shower this weekend, but this is the picture that got mailed to the shower instead.

Now to work on the edging--the edging will be my first motif for my next 25. I actually have the whole bottom of the edging finished. It is a pain to keep everything from getting all tangled into a ball.

I've been seeing some cro-tatting and it has me curious--if you are also curious check this giveaway out.

I'm back (25/25)

2010-10-28T14:47:00.000-05:00

Not too much tatting has been occurring. We are moved and slowly getting everything settled. Trying to move a family and a consulting business with deadlines occurring while you are moving is not the best of ideas :) The kitten loved the ramp on the moving truck. I think that she is ready to move again, but I'm certainly not.

Due to the move, I missed out on signing up for the InTatter's exchange, but I was glad to find out that I made the deadline for the Tatting Forum exchange. Now to figure out where the craft stores are here!!

While preparing for the move I tatted Agasunset's lace panties to give as a gift since I could remember the pattern and didn't have to concentrate too hard. It was easy to tat, but a lot of end to hide. Make sure and check out her blog if you haven't--she has a beautiful ring to give away.

I also found this to house my tatting. I really like it because it is very portable and the kitten doesn't know how to open it yet.

If all goes well, I will have some finished letters to show you soon and get your opinion. It was supposed to be ready for a bridal shower in a week, but I'm going to send a picture of what I have finished.

I have finished my 25 motifs and plan to continue with 25 more!!

I accidentally packed my tatting needles!!!!

2010-10-04T20:19:00.000-05:00

This is probably the last post until sometime after moving, but I just had to share with people who could sympathize. I thought that I was being so careful to pack things to tat with, but I accidentally packed my tatting needles!!! I kept out thread, but packed the needle by accident.

give me a c..(24/25)

2010-10-01T21:53:00.001-05:00

So what do you think, does the C need pieces coming down (hopefully you can figure out what I mean)? They letters really need to be blocked, but that is for after the move!

I have a bit more tatting to post. It might or might not happen until after the move. We will be moving 1000 miles next weekend so life is a bit crazy. It should be rather eventful since the kitten doesn't like the car for longer than 2 hours.

give me a p that needs to be an r (23/25)

2010-10-01T21:52:00.001-05:00

I need to find a way to make this "P" into an "R". I'll figure it out after the move.

Letter A with border

2010-10-01T21:39:00.000-05:00

So here is the letter A with more of a border on it. I'll post the other letters in a bit.

only 10 more.....

2010-09-25T12:30:00.000-05:00

I am still around. We have been almost going to move for 4 years and now it is finally going to happen!!! We have been living in a much much too small space and will finally be getting some more space. Needless to say this has made life crazy for a bit. The move has been on again off again for a bit. I'm so ready to get some more space...as I've been packing up I've discovered things that I had thought were lost in our last move. Most of our stuff has been in boxes these past 4 years. Also I'm hoping this means that I will soon get my birthday present from 4 years ago...a cat with a C!!!

Here is the current Patchwork by Mary Konior--done in size 20 Lizbeth white. Six done and only 10 more. It will probably have to wait until after the move. I have a bit more tatting that I've been doing in my free time that hopefully I will show you soon.

"A" is for ........(22/25)

2010-08-17T12:28:00.001-05:00

I haven't been tatting much due to time--life is going to continue to be crazy for at least other month, but then there is much hope that it will settled down some. I have been checking other tatting blogs, but usually when the kitten is up and running away. Thus, I haven't been able to comments as I would have liked. But I have seen some beautiful tatting!!

I'm trying to tat a last name as a wedding gift--there last name is only 4 letters :) But I'm not sure that I like the 2 colors together in this. The colors are Lizbeth's mocha light and medium. I'm trying to make it as neutral as possible so that the couple can change the matted color if need be. Any suggestions? Oh and you can find the pattern on Il Chiacchierino Edda Guastalla Bianchetti.

The kitten's skirt (21/25)

2010-08-07T12:18:00.001-05:00

Well the edging is finally finished for the kitten's skirt. Now if I can only figure out how I want to attach it. I get these great ideas, but forget about the small details. I don't really want to try and hand sew through denim--especially the really thick hem line. I'm thinking about machine sewing the edging along the yellow/orange hem line. I've read somewhere that it is nice to sew down the bottom of the lace as well for washing purposes so we will see what I can come up with for that. Any suggestions?

in need of some color (20/25)

2010-08-03T14:38:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a break from the white Piecework mat because I'm was in need of some color!! I got some new colors of Lizbeth and needed to try them out. So I tatted up Brigit Phelps's sweetheart. The left is Turquoise Twist in size 40 and the right one is Berry Bust in size 20.

The heat left for a few days, but it back now. May snow come soon!!!

May the heat stop soon (more 18/25)

2010-07-28T15:04:00.000-05:00

The heat has been awful here!! It is hard to tat with sweaty hands in close to 100 degree temps, so I haven't tatted as much as I would have liked to. I'm slowly, but surely making my way with this piece. It is Piecework by Mary Konior.

This one is mine!! (19/25)

2010-07-28T14:59:00.000-05:00

Dr. Von Threadmore had some opps thread that was calling my name and this Stumpy bookmark is a result of some of this thread. This is her blues and greens continuous variegated. I usually don't have the money in my tatting fund for HDT, but thankfully the fund had some money. I recently discovered that I have given away all of my tatting (except for the ones that went into the trash) and I decided that I needed my own bookmark. So this one is mine and no one elses!!

I can count to 4 (17 and the start of 18/25)

2010-07-14T13:14:00.001-05:00

I love how easy the Spinning Wheel pattern is to memorize. I just needed to count to 4. This could also be titled: tatting at 2am. I had to be up anyway, so I was tatting at 2am. Don't ask :) Here is the finished Spinning Wheel (well the ends still need to be hidden and it needs to be blocked--but the fun part is finished) in size 20 Lizbeth Country Turquoise Med. I really enjoyed tatting this and would love to make it bigger without adding fabric in the middle. Have you seen anyone try this by just extending the rows by a few rings? I think that I might try variegated for the next one.

This is Patchwork done in boring white. It is a Christmas gift and the person will really like it but only in white. I'm thinking about making it 4 motif by 4 motif for a something to put on a small side table. This could take a while!

catching up (15 and 16/5)

2010-07-08T13:00:00.001-05:00

This is Yarn Player's Eternal Cross tatted in Lizbeth Purple Splendor and white. I'm not sure if it because this was needle tatted or if it is the white thread, but the cross is "soft". I don't believe that it would be able to be worn as a pendant and hold its shape. I wasn't impressed with this white Lizbeth.

This is Jane Eborall's Mini button flower made into a hair bow for the kitten. If you look closely you can see some of the kitten's hair from when she pulled it out. It did look ever so lovely for 1 hour though! The button was bigger than the suggested size so the white outer layer has a few extra rings and chains to accommodate this. I am going to need to find a better way to attach this to the barrette. Currently it is sewn own with quilting thread, but with the wear it received in just a few hours it is already coming off....and I don't want to use GLUE!!
Last if a work in progress, I needed something to do during the family get together since I don't sit around too well. So I decided to tat an edging for skirt for the kitten for next summer. I bought the skirt for a quarter so you can't beat the price. The edging to done is size 10 so that it will not take forever. The edging is Mary Konior's babylace. Don't look too closely because there are a few missing joins--it is hard to concentrate when there are lots of people. This was taken a few days ago. Currently I have enough for about 1/2 way around the skirt.

I also have another projects started, but that will have to wait until enough day.

Finished (12/25)

2010-06-30T13:38:00.001-05:00

These are the reason why I haven't had as much time to tat. There are 3 more that didn't make the picture. Juggling balls!! We decided to learn how to juggle. Tom-Kat is great, but I haven't quite mastered it yet. Hopefully soon. The kitten loves to "juggle" like mom--that is throw the balls everywhere.

The bracelet is finally finished. My wrist is really small, so it is way too big for me. I would need to take one of the flowers out for it to work for me. Just so I can remember, the bracelet is about 9 inches long. I'm going to wear it just the same this weekend at a function and will probably give it to the first person who likes it and has a bigger wrist :) Thanks so much to Jane Eborall for the button flower pattern. I think that I will be making more of these!

And last but not least. Here is one of my current tatting projects. This is Mary Konior's glass mat spinning wheel done in Lizbeth size 20 Country Turquoise Medium. Sorry the picture isn't great, but I didn't feel like working with the scanner :) Hopefully I can finish it soon and show you the finished project. I'm also working on an edging for a skirt of the kitten--I might be asking for opinions next week.

The Scarlett Letter (14/25)

2010-06-30T13:21:00.000-05:00

Here is a letter "A" tatted from the alphabet shown here . Much thanks to the tatters at InTatters for help finding the tatter again. I love looking for patterns on the internet, but sometimes it is hard re-finding them :)

It is tatted in size 20 Victorian Red of Lizbeth. I just grabbed the nearest thread when I started and realized part way through that I was tatting the scarlet letter!! It isn't perfect with a join off at the top and it probably needs to be blocked some (I still need to get a blocking board). I just started tatting without thinking on this one. I should have saved some thread when my needle thread ran out, but instead I had to wind some thread off mid-way during tatting. I need to get some of those Ez-bobs and just wind some of all of my thread on them. Are there any physical stores that sell these or is the shipping cheap since they are light?

The letter is about 3.75 inches tall by 2.5 inches wide. I want to tat someones last name for a wedding gift and this would be a bit large to frame. I wonder what the size would be if I tatted it in 30 or 40. Any ideas?

Patchwork (13/25)

2010-06-23T20:58:00.000-05:00

There is a new winner of the opinion quiz giveaway! Congratulations Beelizabeth!!

This is Patchwork from "Tatting with Visual Pattern" by Mary Konior tatted in Lizbeth size 20 Country Turquoise Med. I didn't realize until I finished that I had messed up at the very beginning. Oh well, it was fun to tat although I kept having to untat because I messed up my counting. I will be trying this again in the future.

Aha!! (11.75/25)

2010-06-21T13:33:00.000-05:00

I figured out Jane's lock join. I just needed to figure out what "outside" meant! When I figured it out I said "Aha" just like Winnie the Pooh (see "In which Kanga and baby Roo come to the forest, and Piglet has a bath" from the Pooh Bear books. If you haven't hear or read them in a while it is worth laughing at again).

So I started with one and used black so that I could clearly see a difference in the threads, but then I wondered what it would look like with 2 joined together. And then I wondered what it would look like with more. Before I new it there were 5 together :) Now is it just waiting for me to buy a clasp and figure out how to finish the bracelet. Not quite my color scheme, but I still love the idea and I think I know the perfect person to give this to. Since it isn't finished I'm counting this as my 11.75 th motif :) Hopefully I can finish it soon and post the finished product.

Any advice for hiding ends with black thread? It is so hard to see. I guess the benefit is that no one can see if it isn't perfect, but boy is it hard.

Socks, socks, socks (9, 10, 11/25)

2010-06-19T16:10:00.000-05:00

Here are all 3 of the socks together. I appreciate all of the opinions. Not the best pictures, but then the light here is awful for pictures. I added some more close-ups at the bottom of the post. The tatting didn't take long, but sewing the edging to the socks was a pain. I have 3 more socks that I bought, but I think that I'll put them away for now. Now I have some baby gifts all ready. Hope my friends have girls :)

And the winner is.........

2010-06-19T15:52:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all for the opinions. And thanks to the kitten's Teddy for posing with the winner. The correct answer is 384. And no I will not be tatting that many socks!!! Greenly family I could not access your profile, so I have no way to contact you. Please leave a comment on this post with a way to contact you. If I have not heard from you by 8 pm on Tuesday June 22 then I will pick a different winner. Below is a picture of your prize.
I also am a winner today since I found some great deals at yard sales. Most of the items were for the kitten, but I found 16 of the cards that you see above with the heart for $1. I have been thinking about coming up with a way to display the hearts when they are given away and I think this works. I also received some buttons from someone's stash. I'm attempting to tat Jane Eborall's mini button. I think that I'm stuck on the Locking join, but hopefully I can figure it out tonight. I have some plans for these mini buttons--I have some girl clothes that are in need of some tatted extras added to them and I think these would be perfect. I'll keep you posted.

the kitten's "tatting"

2010-06-17T13:17:00.000-05:00

The kitten loves thread. Here is a sample of her "tatting" and the reason why all thread must be put away!! The loves any stray thread that I send her way though. Maybe she is planning on this for Christmas gifts :)

purple Stumpy bookmark (8/25)

2010-06-17T13:12:00.000-05:00

Here is the Stumpy bookmark designed by Kersti Anear tatted in size 10 Lizbeth Purple Splendor. It is a bit wild for my taste, but will be perfect for the recipient. I love this pattern since it is quick and fun to tat--perfect for gift giving.

Thanks for the opinions on the sock edging. Remember the giveaway is on Saturday!!

opinion quiz

2010-06-14T12:47:00.000-05:00

After the wonderful credit card trick shared by Fox, I decide to attempt some tatted socks. I found 6 socks for $1.25, so I have several to play with.

With all of the options I'm in need of some opinion help, so start a comment and make sure that you include contact info (a blog is fine with me) because there might be something special in it for you :)

Question 1:
Do you think the edging with yellow in the following figure is too small for the sock? Is the one in green a better size? (The thread with yellow is Lizbeth Topical Punch and the other is Lizbeth springtime).
Question 2: Does the small edging in tropical punch look better on this shorter white sock. It looks non-white in the picture, but is a nice white with some light pink design.
Bonus: Just to show you how difficulty a decision this is. How many options of tatted edgings are there if I have 12 threads to chose from, 4 different edgings, 2 sizes for each edging, and 4 different beads to use!! (The beads were included for you Fox since I have yet to tat with beads. I'll try and remedy that with my next pair of socks)

I will randomly choose one winner for a tatted heart from the comments that get the bonus correct. If no one gets the bonus correct I will choose my favorite answer, so don't leave the bonus blank.

In an effort to curb cheating :), I will not publish the comments until all answers are submitted. (hopefully I got this set up right) Can you tell that I was a professor before the kitten? This "quiz" will remain open until 5 pm EST on Saturday Jun 19. Only one entry will be accepted and no tatting will be harmed based on your opinion. I believe that is all, so happy quiz taking and tatting!!!

The Goodies

2010-06-08T14:13:00.000-05:00

The kitten is much better. So still not much time to tat :) I'll have to show pictures of her "tatting" soon.

So here are the goodies all beautifully packaged!!

And here are on the goodies. Have pity on the shuttle because it is going to be my "learn to shuttle tat" shuttle. Thanks again Gina!!!!!!!

And I'm a very lucky girl because my mom also sent me some hankies to tat around.

I'm in hanky heaven!! Now to find a good edging to start with. Any recommendations? Do you prefer to tat and then attach or attach as you go?

Movie tatting and the package (6 and 7/25)

2010-06-07T13:10:00.000-05:00

The kitten has been sick, so I don't have much to share.
These are hearts that I enjoy tatting when I need to pay
attention to more than just tatting. My mom keeps asking
for more to give away, so it works out well. They are the Sweetheart pattern from ???. Can anyone help me out with the designer. The page is no longer up on the internet. I decided to tat one without the outside picot--it gives it a different look.

I also received the giveaway package this morning. I don't have access to the camera at the moment, so pictures of my goodies will have to come later.

fixed bookmark (5/25)

2010-06-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

Here is the fixed altered version of Jon's bookmark. I can't make up my mind, but I think that I like with one better with the outer picots. What do you think?

The thread is my latest 40% buy at Hobby Lobby. It is Lizbeth Vineyard Harvest and I just HAD to bring it home. I'm so glad that they expanded their selection.

small cross (4/25)

2010-05-31T13:00:00.000-05:00

This is the small cross from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. It is tatted in Lilac Dark Lizbeth size 20 thread. This is a late Mother's Day gift for my MIL. She is getting it later today, so hopefully she likes it.

I'm tatting the some initials using the letters from Gillian Buchanan. I'm stuck on the "N". Hopefully I can finished them up soon. They are a gift and are late already. I feel that I really should be tatting on them, but other things are calling to be tatted.

lucky and silly me

2010-05-31T12:48:00.000-05:00

First for the lucky me part, I was one of the winners of a giveaway held at http://threadsofatattinggoddess.blogspot.com/ I'm so excited for the goodies to arrive in the mail. I'm going to try and learn to shuttle tat this summer, so the shuttle I won will be by first shuttle! Now if only I can figure out how to shuttle tat. I love handkerchiefs and my mom really loves them. Any ideas for a nice fast edging for a first tatted hankie?

Second for the silly me part, I decided to tat Jon's bookmark again with the picots on the edging. I've discovered that I'm a less lacy lace person. I think the lacy lacy with all of the picots is beautiful, but less me. After I tatted this up and hid the thread, I realize that I forgot to the add the picots to join the second part of the bookmark. Maybe I'll try it again and be a bit more careful next time.

foldover bookmark (3/25)

2010-05-26T15:39:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Jon Yusoff for the pattern for this lovely foldover bookmark. The kitten gave me a week of little sleep for Mother's Day, so there has not been much tatting here. Thankfully this bookmark was a quick tat since I'm in need of a gift for a reading friend. This was tatted in Lizbeth spring garden size 20. I have another one of these started and will try a variation to it. I'll post the details when I finish.

bookmark (2/25)

2010-05-08T21:27:00.001-05:00

Thanks to blog searching (http://www.tatteristic25motifs.blogspot.com/) I found this great idea for a bookmark. This is Lizbeth size 20 thread in tropical punch. I'm hoping to make some more of these for some quick gifts. Of course I just had to check it out inside a book and the closest book was "Introduction to Mechanics of Solids". Isn't that your closest book? This is motif number 2.

Happy Mother's Day (1/25)

2010-05-08T15:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all! I'm going to start this blog (and my 25 motifs) with the cross that I tatted for my mom for Mother's Day. Now I'm going to have to make one for myself. The cross is the large cross from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. It is tatted in Lilac Dark Lizbeth size 20 thread. It turned out a bit large for a bookmark. Maybe I will try it in size 40 next time. It isn't the best scan. Any advice on getting good/straight scans for your tatting?