A Hush Falls

Today's post is a culmination of tatting angst and a nod to the hush that seems to be falling over Tat Land of late.

Please join me as I pour a tall glass of "Iced Tea" by The Carpenters and fracture one of their best loved songs.



I know you were expecting to hear the tune, "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)".

I had originally planned this as a Tatting Tea Tuesday post and it was my attempt at a tie-in. Yes, I hear the crickets...

I freely admit I am not as good at Tatting Tea tie-ins as Gina the Tatting Goddess. But I can fracture a quote (or a lyric) with the best of them!


There's a kind of hush,
All over Tat Land tonight.
All over Tat Land.
You can hear the sound of lacers mid-knot.

You know what I mean.

So listen very carefully
Get closer now and you will see what I mean
It isn't a dream

The only sound that you will hear

Are lacing shuttles [needles] clicking into high gear
Before Santa appears


What? More crickets?!? Y'all sure are a tough crowd.

Before you start lobbing rotten tomatoes, here is a fascinating PDF file. It is a tatting story that The New York Times originally ran on February 2, 1913. The title of the story was Tatting Rest Cure for British Brains.

Can you believe that under the headline it said this? "beats playing solitaire"  Oh sweet mercy!

I particlularly was amused at the spelling of the word doily : "d'oyley."

Another amusing bit was the term "toilet mat." Today, wouldn't a toilet mat be one of those fuzzy rugs that people use to accessorize their bathroom decor? I'm pretty sure that in 1913 they were referring to a lacy dresser scarf or some such.

Now, the next time you find yourself in the loo, the words "toilet mat" will pop into your head. LOL!

Remember — Tatting, it beats playing solitaire!

(To come full circle, it seems The Carpenters released their version of the Neil Sedaka song, "Solitaire" in 1975 and it reached 17 on hit charts of the day. As a kid my first LP was one of The Carpenters albums. Just more useless trivia...)

I know, I know...don't quit my day job.  Aren't you glad I shelved this topic in favor of dishing on HDT stash?

Have a great weekend!

What's in Your Stash?

My HDT stash.
Please forgive this quick post, I have a couple of burning questions for HDT lovers:

Are you a HDT hoarder? A user?
How much HDT is in your stash?

Lately I have been feeling guilty reflective [They would take away my Unrepentant Thread Junkie membership card if I lapsed into feelings of contrition.] over recent HDT purchases. And my desire barely rational need to purchase more is getting stronger.

Don't get the wrong idea. I don't regret a single (or multiple) skein purchase. But I know I won't be able to use all this gorgeous thread in the pre-holiday hustle, either to make gifts or to shorten my "must tat" list.

Let's face it, I currently possess enough threads (not just HDTs, but total thread stash) to last multiple lifetimes. Yet I still must have more hand-dyed thread.

As radical and absurd as it may seem, HDTs don't always bring out the best in a pattern or design. Sometimes it is better to pair a variegated thread with a solid. And yes, there are times when only a solid color will showcase a design to its best advantage. But I'm no expert in making those weighty decisions. Still very much a novice!

Back to the pretty colors. LOL!

Looking over the photo, I see a shortage of rusty red or blue-blended colorways. (Excepting Tatskool's awesome indigo and blue skeins, of course.) There is also room for something deliciously creamy (maybe some Vanilla Sky?). Maybe some Helm's Deep...

See how easily I enable myself?

Could you help me assuage this wicked HDT craving?

Show me your HDT stash. Don't hold back. It will help me put mine into perspective.

Isn't this pretty?

Image Source: Functional Fiber Art Etsy shop

Isn't this a pretty little gift card holder?

Prairie - Keyring Card Pouch

A Kindred Spirit
The creator of this hand-made case hails from Auckland, New Zealand. And she lists HDT as well as tatting and lace among some of her favorite things.

How did I come across this cleverly decorated case? I stumbled upon it after window shopping the latest hook pen arrivals to LadyShuttleMaker's Etsy shop.

nzjo has a few different styles of card cases and other items in her Etsy shop, if you care to browse.

Although I paused at the price, I don't doubt that the cost is totally in line for a custom-made item. Especially if the needle artist is creating the tatting herself.

I'm putting one of these on my Wish List for Santa.

[*scribbling.sounds.of.pen.on.paper*]
Dear Santa,
I've been an exceptionally good girl this year...I have kept my HDT purchases within budgeted limits (barely), blogged with discipline and kept my online and real life responsibilities in balance. If you could slip a keyring card pouch decorated with tatting and silk ribbon embroidery under the tree, I'd be ever so grateful.

Thank you, Santa!

Yours,
IsDihara
[*gently.blows.across.paper.to.dry.the.ink*]

You are welcome to use my hastily scribbled note for your own Letter to Santa.

And The Winner Is . . .

Carol from Carol's Little Treasures! Congratulations, Carol!

A special honorable mention goes out to Rayanna, who is a friend of Carol's and entered after reading about   the giveaway on Carol's blog. Rayanna, I will be sending you a special goodie in the package with your participation prize.

Carol and Rayanna, please send me your mailing address (you can use the email addy in the upper right corner) so I can mail out your prizes.

Thanks to you both. And to anyone who tried but didn't get your entries in on time, I will be doing it all again in early Spring to help dispel the winter blues. Same rules!

So start thinking about what types of tatting bits you'd like to see on a Teapot Tuesday card. Or a Think Spring card. Or a Ground Hog's Day card (hee, hee!). Or an Easter card. The possibilities are endless, really.

More Design Inspiration

Image reprinted with permission,courtesy of Urban Threads.com

This machine embroidery pattern is one that I thought was cool. (No pun intended.)

Wouldn't it be lovely on hand towels for the holidays?

But I digress...I see a tatted snowflake in this pattern. Do you?

Dr. Mom's Mail Call

Today the post arrived with three (Count 'em, three!) packages for me!

Julie Beagle, our post-surgery pooch came home Tuesday night — so Dr. Mom has been administering meds, helping the hopped-up hound navigate stairs while she wears her e-collar, and policing the "no licking" law over her sutures.

Julie Beagle is doing very well and I expect a speedy recovery, but Dr. Mom sure did appreciate getting so many goodies in the mail.

Quit stalling, you say? Show me the goods, you say?

*drumroll*  Okay.

First wave of tatting goodies
In spite of the fact that you can count three items in this photo, it only documents two of the packages of note.

Package one contained two tatting books signed by Georgia Seitz from her Ribbonwinners series:

   1. Book 2: Tatting: It's Not Just Doilies Anymore!
         "Celebrate the Spring Holidays"

   2. Book Six: Tatting Talk
         "A Self-Imporvement Guide for Tatters"
            (Revised Color Edition 2006)

Now, I cannot tell a lie. This is the third copy of book six that I have purchased over the years. The first was printed in black and white. So when a color edition came out I bought it again. It is by far the most well-used tatting book in my tatting library. Initially a technique book, but frequently used for reference.

Why the third copy? A few weeks ago I thought I had lost my color edition of Book Six. I was panic-stricken. I was frantic. I felt like I had lost a loved one. (No, I am not exaggerating about this.) A dashed off a note, practically begging Georgia to sell me another copy. And could she please autograph it?

Well, if you've ever dealt with Georgia, you know how lovely a person she is to interact with. I've never met her in person, but boy-oh-boy, would I like to. (If I ever do, my knees would probably buckle and I'd drop to the floor muttering something unitelligible at the sight of her.) Of course she posted off both copies and wrote totally warm, charming notes in each one. And of course I found my second copy several hours after I sent her my frantic note. So now I have three.

If I ever set foot in her state of residence, I will call her and ask if I can make a detour to meet her. And upon arrival pass out on her front porch!  LOL!

Tatted Pumpkin Earrings
Package two contained Elizabeth's exquisite 100th sale giveaway prize! The tatted pumpkin earrings!! They are more gorgeous in person than the photo in her Etsy shop conveys. My photos don't do them justice at all.
They are drop dead gorgeous!

For those of you who have been salivating to really see how these beauties look, I couldn't leave you with the schlocky shot above. Here is a super-uber-close-up from my scanner. You can see the extraordinary brilliance of the Swarovski crystal beads, the polished detail of the leaves and the shimmer of the pearls inside the perfect, perfect tatting.  Thank you, Elizabeth!

As if all this wasn't enough, the July/August 1996 edition of Piecework magazine that I scoured the Internet for (and found on eBay) arrived too! This issue includes Armenian needle lace, a sample of Rickrack and Tatting from Nufashond Rick Rack Braid No. 37 (originally published in 1917 by The Narrow Fabric Co.), an article on coronation cord, and the much-coveted Icelandic knitted lace shawl article with pattern.

The lace guild ladies are going to go wild to see this magazine. Anita, the other tatting lady in the guild, and I have been trading emails on the topic of tatting and coronation cord lately, and the lace shawl pattern is also of interest to a few of my newfound guildies. It is a great issue!

She Did It Again

Martha Stewart gets me every time. Sometimes I swear her crafts marketing people can see into my brain.

This paper-punch set looks enough like tatting that it could be used for those darling little description cards vendors enclose with their Etsy or Ravelry goods.

See the small diamond made with the corner punch?
I'm thinking thank you notes, holiday cards...
Oh, the possibilities!

Punch Around the Page - One-Two Punches:
Loops Edge and Corner Punches

Disclaimer: 
I don't get kick-backs of any kind from Martha Stewart Living.