Ambitatterous

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Dead Battery

2012-01-10T18:50:00.004-05:00

As odd as it sounds, today's Tatting Tea Tuesday post has been derailed by a dead battery.

Before I go off on a dead battery rant, (We've all been there, right?) it is time to confess. I did not tat over the holidays (*gasp* Horrors!) but have started tatting again.

Here are my current works in progress.

Goodness! Please pardon the sad state of my apple accent rug. I swear I vaccuum it. There is nothing like a tatting photo to really show the lint and dirt, eh?

Lately Lady Grey tea has been helping me get back in the tatting swing after an extended bout of "winter plague." Thankfully everyone at Silly Hat Central is recovered and healthy.

The photo shows three projects in the hopper, with Jane Eborall's TIAS making four! I haven't yet done today's TIAS Day 1 bit, but will post my progress once complete.

The lavender satin Christmas ball will have this simple motif attached at the top and bottom. I am playing around with a strip of dark purple edging for the middle, if I decide the top and bottom pieces leave too much empty space around the center. Stay tuned for the finished product.

Next up is a bookmark-in-progress using Lizbeth® 20 Autumn Apple Pie #169. The pattern is the marvelous Broomstick Tatted Bookmark © 2010 Martha Ess.

Dirt aside, the apple rug shows the close match of the color chosen to represent the flesh of the apples. Sort of a pale, greyish white offsets the rich red and golden tones. Lint, dust specs and dog hair are not part of the plan. (sigh)

A whole separate post about Autumn Apple Pie is coming in a few weeks, but for now let me say that I am (as I suspect many of you are) dissatisfied with this colorway.

Remember my post from September 15, 2011, ♥ Lizbeth® is here ♥? Autumn Apple Pie was my favorite of the lot.

On the ball this colorway looks good enough to eat. I stand by that assessment.

But let me come right out and say it -- tatted up, this colorway does not deliver the way many other Lizbeth® colorways do. In some cases the colors "pool," in other cases the resulting lace resembles a dog's breakfast. Or worse, the by product of a dog's breakfast.

Here is the same bookmark tatted using Lizbeth® 20 #125 Seascape:
Motif #15 - Broomstick Tatted Bookmark

What makes #125 Seascape so enchanting and #169 Autumn Apple Pie fall flat? Is it the irregular lengths of the colors? Is it the way they blend (or don't blend) together? Is it the pale, greyish white that throws off everything else?

These are the questions I am willing to get to the bottom of.

Hey, that last line reminds me of a movie...was it Sleepless in Seattle? When Tom Hanks talks to his son Jonah about starting to date again?

The final unfinished snippet of lace is a half-finished heart tatted in Lizbeth® 20 Purple Iris Fusion #162. Even half-done this heart looks splendid. Captivating colors in pleasant progressions that add to the appeal of the end product are what I am accustomed to with Lizbeth® threads.

But I digress...the heart pattern is called Broad-Shouldered Heart © 2004 Karey Solomon. It appears on page 23 of her booklet Hearts Belong to Tatting.

SwankyL4c3r, my needle-tatting pal, chose this heart for a Valentine-themed tat-a-long (TAL) held on Sunday, January 8, 2012. What a fun afternoon we had, tatting this winsome heart! The only change to the pattern is the ring making the heart's bottom point.

White seed beads add a dainty outline to the sweet shape, don't they? Can't wait to finish this one.

Well, I have rambled on a whole lot longer than intended. Thank you for sticking with me through the end!

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea and some finished projects!

2012 TIAS Announced

2011-12-31T08:26:00.005-05:00

Wheee! I want to shout from the rooftops, skip with glee (not from the rooftops) and start winding shuttles in anticipation.

Jane Eborall has announced the starting date for the 2012 Tat It And See (TIAS). Here are the details, in Jane's own words:

Subject: Happy New TIAS
From: janeluvs2tat

Happy New TIAS!

Happy New Year to all in Tat Land.

I would now like to announce the arrival shortly of a new Tat It And See. The starting date will be the January 10th.

As usual I will announce each part on on this blog (http://janeeborall.blogspot.com/) and on the TIAS blog (http://tatitandsee.blogspot.com/).

The introduction can be found from a link on both blogs and gives details of what you will need.

Let the fun begin!!!!!

Jane

Christmas Snapshots

2011-12-27T08:09:00.001-05:00

The tree all ready for Christmas morning.

The Sprout included a Note to Santa with the cookies and carrots for hungry reindeer. You can see he still doesn't take writing too seriously, but he does write his name and wrote "Merry Christmas" on gifts for his teachers.

Grandpa received a gift of Christmas Candy Coal this year, since he told The Sprout he was on both of Santa's lists! (Naughty and Nice) Tricky Grandpa.

The Sprout got a letter from Santa and boy, oh BOY, was he happy to know he made Santa's Nice list!

Decorating a Gingerbread Train was a highlight of the days leading up to Christmas, and here is the little rascal eating candy off the finished train before we even got a photo!

Mommy got a tabletop trebuchet for Christmas and we all have had fun flinging mini-marshmallows, Cookie Crisp cereal, jelly beans and doggie treats around the house. Finding (and eating) the flung bits fell to the two hounds, who took their jobs very seriously.

And a few parting shots of The Sprout being The Sprout...

Cherish the simple things and never stop seeing the humor in life's unreserved moments! Best wishes to all and to all a happy, healthy and joyful New Year!

Secret Santa Snowflake

2011-12-26T10:04:00.001-05:00

Now that Christmas Day has come and gone I can share this photo of the snowflake I tatted and sent to a lady in Alabama whose kind request for 3 snowflakes was forwarded to one of the online tatting lists by Marilyn Jones.

While I couldn't send three, I could send one as a Secret Santa. It was Kira's Star, designed by Birgit Phelps and tatted in Lizbeth^® 20 Snow White #601.

Kira's Star has been on my Must Tat List for a long while so I met two goals at one time with a single action. And this seemed like a doubly good way to unofficially kick off a new tatting year.

Wishing everyone in Tat Land a prosperous, happy and healthy 2012!

"Read all about it!"

2011-12-22T11:20:00.005-05:00

Donning my "newsboy" hat to help Barbara Foster get the word out...

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Handy Hands has been working on a new web site and is getting close to being done. They need sample photographs of tatting made with Lizbeth^® threads to use on the new web site.

Here is what Barbara had to say, in her own words:

I would like to post photographs of finished projects that have been made from the Lizbeth^® thread, It can be tatted, knitted, crocheted, needlepoint etc. We are only going to post ONE per Lizbeth^® color. We have to have the following information.

1. Name of the person that made it.
2. Where the pattern came from.
a. If from a book, the name of the book and page number – the book needs to be in print.
b. If online, the link to the pattern.
3. Attach a picture of the finished project.

So Barbara can contact the person who submitted the photo, be sure to include a valid e-mail address with each photo submitted.

E-mail - staff@hhtatting.com

ALL SAMPLE PHOTOS SHOULD BE SENT TO HANDY HANDS.

Motif 11 - Tatted Jewelry

2011-12-13T08:06:00.013-05:00

Sipping Dream by the Fire tea and surfing tatting blogs has been a guilty pleasure that has distracted me from today's Tatting Tea Tuesday post. Huge apologies, Tat Land!

But I have been tatting. Tatted Jewelry by Marilee Rockley has been at the top of my list.

One Shuttle Glamour Earrings
Designed by Marilee Rockley
Tatted by IsDihara

Motif 11 - One-Shuttle Glamour Earrings
These intermediate level earrings are quick to tat, use around two (2) yards of thread and yield a big, sparkly bang for the buck. What's not to love?

The ones pictured above use Lizbeth^® 20 Rootbeer Float (#150) and Sea Island Citrus (#161), size 11 seed beads, 6mm and 4mm round beads and Swarovski crystallized^™ 4mm bicones. Goodness! How fast my bead "garden" grows.

A question for more experienced tatted jewelry-makers: Are split rings always preferred over jump rings to attach findings?

Thank you, Marilee, for getting this pattern booklet published. It is a treasured addition to my tatting library.

Whether you're tatting jewelry, snowflakes or something else, may you all find time to dream by the fire and create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Snow Angel Poetry WINNER!

2011-12-09T15:51:00.005-05:00

HO HO HO! Here's the prize!

Thank you for all the inspired entries for this contest! You all did SO GREAT at filling in the last line of poetry. Talk about tapping into creative energies and taking charge of a challenge! You rocked it in ways I never considered.

I wish I could award prizes to each and every one of you, but as they say in Hollywood, "There can be only one" so. . . *drumroll*

The winner of the Snow Angel Poetry Challenge is....Crazy Mom.

She followed up Fox's playful entry (which was spot on for expressing frustration) with a sly rhyme. Both were terribly clever and made me laugh out loud.

Does anyone else see the humor in the photo? I stuffed the prizes into Santa's pants! (But seriously, what a cute gift bag, eh?)

Thank you for helping me celebrate my 300th post! And a hearty HO HO HO with mistletoe and lots of tatting joy for the remainder of 2011 and into 2012.

Snow Angel Poetry Challenge

2011-12-03T20:14:00.005-05:00

Snow Angel © 2011 Sharren Sarver Morgan
Tatted by IsDihara

Snow Angel Poetry Challenge
As angel lace reeled off the shuttles and visions of snow angels danced in my head, a poem was born, or at least most of one.

My 300th blog post is coming up fast (this post is number 298) and I thought, 'What better time for a quick bit o' knot-tea fun?' So I'm having a giveaway!

The challenge is to find a suitable last line to the following bit of verse:

Snow Angel by IsDihara (and...you?)

It's fun to walk in the sparkling snow,
And hear my boots go crunch.

Frolicking in a frosty 'spance
thrills my heart a bunch.

Swooshy imprints in the snow,
Give my cheeks a rosy glow,
And leave behind a cool halo,

Snow angels are big funch!

ADD YOUR LAST LINE IN THE COMMENTS FOR THIS POST.
PLEASE LEAVE ME A VALID WAY TO CONTACT YOU.
IF I PICK YOUR ENTRY, YOU WIN A PRIZE!

DEADLINE to enter is THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2011, at midnight, Eastern Standard Time.

Contest is open to all domestic and international followers of Ambitatterous. You must be a "regular reader" to qualify. That means a reader who has spent a minimum of three months following this blog.

I will pay shipping for the winning entry.

I will announce the Poetry Contest Challenge WINNER on Friday, December 9, 2011.

Thank you for reading regularly from your corner of Tat Land, wherever it may be! Good Luck!

Giveaway - Tuscan Lace Prize Pack

What Do I Win?
This Tuscan Lace prize package will bring a little ray of sunshine to warm up a wintry day.

A gorgeous, 50-yard skein of sun-drenched Tuscany HDT by LadyShuttleMaker in size 20, a box of Lipton "Tuscan Lemon" Black Tea and an 8-ounce jar of luxurious, Tuscan Lace hand and body lotion made by New Hands Soaps and Lotions.

REMEMBER TO ADD YOUR LAST LINE IN THE COMMENTS FOR THIS POST.
PLEASE LEAVE ME A VALID WAY TO CONTACT YOU.
IF I PICK YOUR ENTRY, YOU WIN A PRIZE!
GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Motif 10 - Snow Angel

2011-11-29T08:00:00.009-05:00

The final Tatting Tea Tuesday in November dawns grey and overcast with a steaming cuppa (pumpkin spice tea) and wistful sighs over the inevitable end of the turkey leftovers.

(Thanksgiving celebrations in my corner of Tat Land can range from a simple turkey dinner to unrestrained food orgies. The feasting at Silly Hat Central was reasonably controlled. For example, I made four pies for six people and was chided for having a ratio that was less than 1:1.)

On the bright side, I have new tatting to show.

A Pair of Snow Angels - can a choir be far behind?

Motif 10 - Snow Angels
These angels are another inspired creation of Sharren Morgan. Are you amazed to see all the beads? Slowly I am befriending them (beads) and even having a bit of fun.

Tatted in Lizbeth^® 40 #163 Blue Ice, these delicate angels wear sparkly halos of size 10 silver-lined crystal seed beads. Their wings and robes are edged in size 11 blue glass seed beads. I also played with adding bugle beads to one angel's empire waist just for fun.

Each angel measures 1.5 inches wide by 2 inches long. (3.8cm by 5.1cm)

This pattern is included on the Palmetto Tat Days 2011 fundraiser pattern CD. Click here for details.

Sharren's method of encapsulating a safety pin yields a charming holiday pin. Mine are pin-less and will be lovely tucked into cards.

Snow Angel © 2011 Sharren Sarver Morgan

One of the things I am learning is that beaded tatting can be a challenge to photograph! These three images were the best of the lot.

Shawl Shenanigans

2011-11-17T14:35:00.016-05:00

Favecrafts.com recently mass e-mailed an advertisement with an intriguing hook (no pun intended): The Goddess Shawl makes you as beautiful as Aphrodite!

Ever the skeptic, I call shenanigans!

If nubile beauty and infinite desirability were as easy to achieve as tossing on a shawl, wouldn't we all have it? And never take it off?

I admit the crocheted shawl in the ad has a definite charm and appeal. Is it the shawl's gorgeous drape? The mysterious allure of the model?

After fantasizing about it, (Didn't you?) I concede the possibility of tossing on a shawl, if it were tatted, to attain epic beauty and allure. I mean, why not? It worked for Kathy Berndt.

Kathy really does look beautiful in her lace, doesn't she?

Libido-lifting Lace?
Advertising claims aside, the Goddess Shawl posits some food for thought.

Why pineapples?!? Did Aphrodite like pineapples? I like pineapple as much as the next person, but it never seemed like a nubile fruit to me.

Well, whaddya know? The aphrodisiac history of pineapple.

Now I Really Want One
Is it possible to tat a Goddess Shawl?

Tatting the pineapples should work, since tatted pineapple doilies exist. But methinks the rest would require some re-engineering.

What say you, Tat Land?

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Motif 9 Cross Your Heart

2011-11-08T13:21:00.000-05:00

Motif 9 - Cross Your Heart
It is done! This could be the prettiest heart I have ever tatted. It demonstrates the versatility of edgings and bookmarks.

This dainty heart is adapted from Hearts Afire Cross © 2011 by Crazy Mom and Hearts © 2001 by Dee Powell. It is tatted in Lizbeth® 20 Victorian Red #670 and measures 4 inches by 4 inches (10.2 cm by 10.2 cm).

The Hearts Afire pattern is on the 2011 Palmetto Tat Days pattern CD. Mrs. Powell's "Hearts" bookmark is in "Tatted Bookmarks - Needle & Shuttle" (edited by Barbara Foster of Handy Hands, Inc.) on page 8. It is simply called "Hearts."

Cindy from A Happy Bluebird tatted "Hearts" in February, 2010. Her pretty Valentine Bookmark proved perfect for satisfying my crafty muse.

Anyone interested in seeing more of Mrs. Powell's work is encouraged to visit Georgia Seitz' "In Memory Of" page, which will be available in the near future.

Tea Shop Mystery - Scones & Bones

Laura Childs' latest Tea Shop Mystery held my interest until chapter 22. The frenetic pace of the next two chapters rehashed previous material. By chapter 24 I had lost interest and flipped to the end to see "whodunnit." Surprise! I was wrong about the killer!

Scones & Bones gets a teacup review rating of 3.5 cups. Atmosphere and quirky characters move the story along well enough until the final 1/3; then peevish reader disdain set in. Where were the clues? It seemed as if the plot was circling the drain.

Don't get me wrong, beautiful descriptions of Charleston, interesting pirate lore and the Indigo Tea Shop's tasty treats were engaging. But are "light, cozy mysteries" intended to be short on plot?

Since this was my first "light cozy" I'm giving myself a second chance with Tea Shop Mysteries. Knowing that the intrigue is not easily predictable may keep me turning pages in the Jasmine Moon Murder. Let's hope a clue or two are buried, like pirate treasure, amid the gravestones of Jasmine Cemetery.

Edging Closer to Motif 9

2011-11-06T11:14:00.012-05:00

The other day I read a comment sewmuchfun4 made in 2010 about "feeling less than tranquil" with tatting. It brought a knowing smile to my lips. Haven't we all felt like this at one time or another?

Sometimes putting your tools down and taking your mind off the setback will allow your creative muse to recharge. That is precisely what happened when I was playing around with Crazy Mom's Hearts Afire Cross.

I knew I wanted to expand the cross into a heart. Designing my own heart edging was a decidedly "less than tranquil" experience. And research into heart edgings available online left me stumped.

But the pattern book "Tatted Bookmarks - Needle & Shuttle" (edited by Barbara Foster of Handy Hands, Inc.) stoked my muse. On page 8 was an edging by Dee Powell^‡, simply called "Hearts."

Cindy from A Happy Bluebird tatted "Hearts" in February, 2010. Her pretty Valentine Bookmark proved perfect for satisfying my crafty muse.

See how pretty this edging looks adapted into a heart? It takes a curve so beautifully.

^‡Delores "Dee" Powell, 75, of Kansas, died in 2008 of cancer. Barbara Foster (Handy Hands, Inc.) has given permission to Georgia Seitz to post one of Dee' s patterns from the book "Tatted Bookmarks - Needle & Shuttle" online. Georgia will create an "In Memory Of" page for Dee.

Almost Motif 9 - Cross Your Heart
This heart-in-progress is adapted from Hearts Afire Cross © 2011 by Crazy Mom and Hearts © 2001 by Dee Powell. It is tatted in Lizbeth^® 20 Victorian Red #670 and will measure 4 inches by 4 inches (10.2 cm by 10.2 cm) when complete.

What a tatting journey this experiment has led me on so far! Crazy Mom's cross fueled the fire for a heart. Taking a "less than tranquil" design path led to an existing source for a lovely edging. From there the creative spark ignited again to combine two lovely designs into a dainty new heart.

Or it will be once I finish...

Beyoncé Sighting!

2011-11-06T07:26:00.001-05:00

I couldn't believe my eyes.

Sw4nkyL4c3r and I were driving down a familiar stretch of road, on the way to our lace guild's monthly meeting. There it was — a Giant Metal Chicken!

Funny thing was, it was standing in front of a rather nondescript, white house.

I wanted to rush up to the front door, ring the doorbell and ask the owners if they read The Blogess, but decided against it.

What if they had never heard of her? What if the owners had displayed the Giant Metal Chicken simply because they liked it? What if they mistook my contact for a chicken-induced come on?

File this under Truth is Stranger Than Fiction.

It's here! It's here!

2011-11-03T17:09:00.000-04:00

Look what arrived late Wednesday afternoon in the mail. I was at the Yarn Cloud waiting for a student to arrive when Big Daddy and the Sprout walk in with a package for me. It was my copy of "Tatted Jewelry" by Marilee Rockley (published by Annie's Attic).

I'm so excited to have Marilee's new book!

Up for a Tea Shop Mystery?

2011-10-29T06:39:00.003-04:00

Have you read any of the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs?

I only just discovered them a week or so ago when a copy of Scones & Bones was on display in the "Fortunate Find" section of my local library.

I grabbed it, thinking it would be a casual bit of fluff reading. Probably not something that would hold my interest. Was I wrong!

It is a lighthearted read, yet held my attention even though I usually guess the murderer early on in typical murder mysteries.

The story is set in Charleston, SC, and revolves around resident Indigo Tea Shop owner, Theodosia Browning. I won't say much more, except that this is the 12th installment of the series. Here are two reviews if you want to know more:

"Scones and Bones" by Laura Childs
Like it a Latte: Laura Childs & The Tea Shop Mysteries

The scene of the 5th Tea Shop Mystery, Jasmine Moon Murder is set under an autumn moon, making it a fun read for this time of year.

Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is catering a Charleston benefit, a "Ghost Crawl" through Jasmine Cemetery, when the organizer drops dead—and it looks like foul play. Theodosia stirs things up with her own investigation, and gets into hot water up to her neck.

Renee over at Renee's Reads has a fun rating system for her book reviews and I love that she sets aside time on Thursday for Tea, much like I do for Tatting Tea Tuesday.

As I am on on chapter 5 I will have to give you my rating in a few days. In the meantime, why not try a Tea Shop Mystery and let us know what you think?

Where Have You Gone, October?

2011-10-27T19:47:00.004-04:00

I seriously cannot believe that this is the last Thursday in October. Where did this month go?!? Weren't we all just mourning the loss of August? Speeding through September to get to Tat Days weekend? Then BOOM! Hello, November.

With a new month comes a new resolve -- to befriend beads!

OctoStarFlake © 2011 Jane Eborall

The pattern is on the Palmetto Tat Days 2011 Pattern CD. The thread used for this motif is Lizbeth^® #135 Lollipop in size 20. The beads are size 11 Dyna-mites™ seed beads in blue/lilac. A few galvanized gold seed beads in size 11 found their way into the mix too, just for fun.

How many of you remember how OctoStarFlake started out?

As a magnetic brooch cum fridge magnet!

Donna Thompson, if you are reading, please accept my heartfelt thanks for all the patient attention you gave to me during this class at Tat Days. I will return your shuttles to you loaded in either the Lizbeth^® or hand-dyed thread of your choice as a thank you!

Imagine how hopeless a student has to be for the teacher to hand her two pre-wound shuttles (from her personal stash) to start over? Folks, I don't make this stuff up.

(That's Julie Beagle, who thought it was a great time to beg for a treat while I was taking the picture.) Lord knows, I wanted to go to Tat Days in 2003 but I didn't make it there until 2009.

And Lord knows I wanted to sail through this class brilliantly. But arriving late, not starting with shuttles wound CTM. . . To make a long story short, I just couldn't get my brain in gear. The words I used at the time were "I can't get out of the driveway."

But some class learnin' must have sunk in, because I made it through the pattern at home with no trouble.

No doubt this was due to the many gracious tips and warm-hearted help from the ladies seated next to me. This is ON TOP OF the patient direction received from Donna Thompson. Thank you, Donna! Thank you, ladies! I couldn't have completed this motif without you.

Is anyone else as amazed as I am to see a motif with so many beads reel off my shuttles?

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Scissors Fob

2011-10-25T15:12:00.009-04:00

Slowly but surely I am whittling away at my Tat Days class projects. What do I have to show today? A darling scissor fob created with tatting and beads.

Motif 7 - Scissors Fob © 2011 Sharren Sarver Morgan

Tatted in Lizbeth 40 #638 Christmas Green with size 11 Dyna-mites™ seed beads in blue/lilac. The large bead reminded me of a Turkish "evil eye" bead (though it is not one) and 2 clear beads help keep the seed beads from slipping through the holes of the larger dangle bead.

Sharren Morgan taught this class and did a marvelous job working with students who got stuck. (Or like me, kept getting stuck again and again.)

I encourage you to take a class from Sharren Morgan. Full of Southern charm, laughter and patience, her inviting personality makes lessons approachable. Her command of the lessons and ability to problem-solve on the fly keep you going, righting stumbling blocks with ease. It wouldn't surprise me if she had a superhero alter ego. Sharren Super Tatter!

This class contained three new (to me) techniques:

how to use a bead spinner and a curved beading needle to string beads
Marie Smith's easy method of encapsulating a split ring (the metal ring used in jewelry making, not the tatted split ring)
pearl tatted chain with two shuttles

What a gratifying learning experience this was, and what a fun tat!

This in-progress photo actually shows the beads all lined up properly. The finished fob (first photo) is slightly askew after The Sprout had completed his expert examination and declared it "good."

Hindsight being what it is, a red-wrapped split ring would have been a nice touch to accentuate the spot on the large bead. No worries, just something to keep in mind for next time.

Tatting Tea Tuesday
As for tea, I have sadly put away my Sun Tea jar, switching over to stove-brewed tea. A delicious decaf Pumpkin Spice warms body and soul while I tat and listen to Pandora Internet radio.

Watching The Sprout dance and sing along with the Radio for Kids music feed makes Tatting Tea Tuesday even more special. Wish you could see it.

Want a sneak peek of the class project I am working on today?

Can you believe I added all those beads? Me?!?

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea and an OctoStarFlake!

Waiting Room Giveaway Winners!

2011-10-22T14:41:00.002-04:00

(Exclaimed in a southern belle voice, accompanied with appropriate mannerisms...) Why, I do declare Tat Land has nimble-fingered, quick-thinking HDT lovers.

Congratulations to the first winner, deft detective Karrieann!

Her comment arrived 62 minutes into the giveaway. Silly me, I thought it would take you all days to figure it out. Can you believe that Karrieann beat out the second runner-up by less than a minute? Hoo-wee, that's playin' it shrewd and fast!

As I watched the entries come in, though, I wondered...

Did the hint that Shannon_in_Love unknowingly divulged 19 minutes into the giveaway help point any of you in the right direction? Her entry was RED HOT, but missing one key detail. She returned soon after with the correct answer, but not in time to beat Karrieann.

So I'm giving Shannon_in_Love a consolation prize. The second runner-up, Crazy Mom, agreed that she should receive it.

So congratulations to Shannon_in_Love, the second winner!

Shannon, please email me with your mailing address. I will also send you a 50-yard skein of HDT from my stash.

And THANK YOU to EVERYONE who commented. Your entries made this my most exciting giveaway yet!

Motif 6 - Rosone

2011-10-21T15:54:00.000-04:00

I have completed the rosone (Italian for rosette) from Il Lavoro Chiacchierino 14, page 8. The thread is YarnPlayer's Celery in size 20. It will count as Motif 6 in my second 25 Motif Challenge.

This is a very sturdy six-sided medallion. I really like it in Celery and think it would be even lovelier tatted in Yarnplayer's Roses HDT. That said, it also begs to be tatted as a proper snowflake.

As I tatted away, the stitch counts seemed odd. And I kept wondering two things: why are the inner rings double joined? (Aside from adding strength, I mean.) Is it an attempt to form hexagons?

A honeycomb center would certainly be pretty. Then the motif could be called "Honey and Clover." What could be done to make the inner rings look more hexagonal?

It is an interesting avenue for exploration, once I have completed my Tat Days class projects. But as is, this motif is quite inviting.

Waiting Room Giveaway

2011-10-19T14:36:00.001-04:00

This photo of me tatting in the waiting room at the doctor's office (while DH's foot was being examined - notice I did not say 'head,' ha ha!) - was created with Paper Camera. The effect applied to the photo was called Comic (somethingorother), perhaps Comic Grunge?

Can anyone tell what it is I am tatting? (The lace draped over my right hand.)

The person who posts the first correct answer in the comments will win a 50-yard skein of hand-dyed thread from my stash.

I haven't yet chosen the winning thread, so tell me your favorite color and I will try to match the winner with HDT in his or her favorite color or at least a colorway that includes his or her favorite color.

I will not reveal the correct answer until Saturday, October 22nd at 12:00 noon EST. So hurry, that is less than three days away!

P.S. If nobody guesses the correct answer I will ask DH to take another photo with PaperCamera using another bit of tatting and you will have a second chance to win!

Everybody ready? Let the guessing begin!

Tat Days 2011 Loot

2011-10-15T07:00:00.017-04:00

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island.”
~ Walt Disney

And there is more treasure at Tat Days than a Disney dreamer can imagine. It comes in many forms and guises.

Crazy Mom shared photos of her uber swag haul from Tat Days 2011, including the large tote bag, size 20 Omega thread and a clear bag jam-packed with nifty trinkets of every size and description.

I took the liberty of spreading mine out for a more detailed view. It is just one of the many ways Palmetto staff attend to every little detail for their guests. They excel at this.

Snack Room Treasure
Feeling peckish between classes? Need a late night snack? No problem. The snack room is filled to overflowing with every imaginable treat and refreshment. Another example of how Palmetto staffers attend to every little detail for their guests.

Finding Chocolate Strawberry tea in the snack room was a delightful surprise. I was so busy squealing with glee I forgot to snap a photo for the blog. Crazy Mom came to my rescue with this link - Chocolate Tea. Thanks, Crazy Mom!

Tat Days 2011 Spoils

Vending Room Treasure
Having experienced wicked, hedonistic shopping impulses in 2010, I came prepared with a shopping list. For the most part I stuck to it, only splurging on the Rosemarie Peel pattern book.

Two copies of Martha Ess' Playing with Picots and Tat Days 2011 Pattern CD were purchased. One copy of each item now lives in the Piedmont Lace Guild of Virginia's library.

Aren't you all impressed with my willpower?

Shuttle Lab Trends was a new vendor (for me) whose wares I am eager to try.

In 2009 I had seen photos of gorgeous, drool-worthy HDTs from this vendor, and lace made from them, show up on other blogs, but none were available in 2010.

Imagine me hovering vulture-like over the display of threads, beautifully blinged shuttles, etc., deciding what to take home. I bought four fabulous HDTs.

Beanile Treasure
The loot I am most thrilled about are Nina Libin's beanile lace kits.

Winter Solstice © 2011 Nina Libin

Did you see my first completed earring in the above photo? No? Here is a close up.

Dazzling, eh? When the second earring is finished I will block them together. Then on to the exquisite necklace and pendant. This could be the beginning of a beautiful beanile relationship.

The second kit is an icy, crystalline enchantment called "The Snow Queen - I." It will be a snow day tat later this winter. Nina gifted Crazy Mom with the Snow Queen - I earrings she tatted. You can see them here.

Can you believe I'm not finished? (Almost.) Crazy Mom was so generous, she let me pick out this custom mix of gemstone beads. They're so pretty!

And last but not least, Georgia Seitz handed me this creative button sample on the final day. Her online tatting class page gives lots of inspiration for embellishing them. I'm looking forward to playing around with these to see what I can come up with. Thanks, Georgia!

Here is what they look like when you find them in their commercial packaging.

Whew! My fingers are tired! I hope you enjoyed this loot post. Back to tatting for me!

Lookie See & Loot to Come

2011-10-14T10:43:00.001-04:00

Thanks to my eagle-eyed niece, Jalice, for alerting me to this notice:

It is good to see Yarnplayer's latest pattern booklet getting some buzz-generating promotion. Yarnplayer, can I get my copy autographed, pretty please?

Come back tomorrow for the long-awaited TAT DAYS 2011 LOOT post!

Wednesday Levity

2011-10-12T07:30:00.000-04:00

Have you read The Blogess yet?

Right out of the gate, let me say that The Blogess has the kahones I only have in my wildest dreams.

[Yes, I know that the correct spelling of the Spanish word is "cojones." Since females don't have "cojones," I went with the kooler urban spelling.]

Oh Sweet Mercy! Her irreverent humor is oddly liberating. Plus, she still regards Pluto as a planet. I like that about her.

Crazy Mom got me hooked on The Blogess in June when she sent me a link to And that's why you should learn to pick your battles.

In truth Jenny had me at Will Wheaton Collating, but that giant metal chicken gag really had legs.

Now not only am I a Bloggess-aholic but a closet giant metal chicken groupie.

Tat Days Projects, Part I

2011-10-11T10:40:00.007-04:00

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Hello October
Director Sprout set the scene, which explains the octopus and menacing tea light tree. ツ

While week one felt fall-ish, Columbus Day weekend sun brought temps in the mid-to-upper 70s. So instead of switching over to hot tea, today I settle in to tat with a sun-brewed glass of decaf green with peach iced tea. Later, The Sprout and I will bake pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies.

Let the huddles break, breezes blow and leaves rustle. My tea and thread cupboards are stocked, shuttles wound, and my favorite Pashmina shawl is at the ready.

Can you believe Tat Days ended three weeks ago? Still so much tatting to do! Here's what I have been tatting in the after glow of that marvelous, fun-filled event.

Crazy Mom's Hearts Afire Cross © 2011
Tatted in Lizbeth^® 20 Victorian Red

Motif 4 - Hearts Afire Cross
Just look at this adorable dimpled heart cross. I couldn't attend this class because Nina Libin's Winter Solstice was at the same time, so I opted to wait for the pattern CD to make the cross.

Can I make a confession? Over the years I have been pretty tight-lipped about my uncanny ability to break a thread when closing a dimpled ring. Those durned dimples got me every time.

That was before learning to close the dimpled rings second half-first, then first-half. The technique was first shared by Sue Hanson at 2008 Shuttlebirds Tatting Weekend. Sue called it the Dimpled Yorkie. Crazy Mom's pattern includes tips for closing her vertical heart split rings this way. Brilliant!

In fact, the whole Hearts Afire Cross pattern is a work of genius. It cleverly throws dimpled hearts off of dimpled hearts, then moves on to vertical heart split rings. It sounds complicated, doesn't it? But Crazy Mom's instructions are crystal clear and make it easy! If I can do it, you can too.

Sunrise, Sunset Bookmark © 2011 Martha Ess

Motif 5 - Sunrise, Sunset Bookmark
My first Friday class was with Martha Ess. We made her Sunrise, Sunset bookmark. The thread is Altin Basak 50 in colors AB355 Copper and AB336 Periwinkle.

Martha's patterns are 110% pure pleasure to tat. Clear instructions, gorgeous photos and diagrams - what's not to love? That said, her Sunrise, Sunset bookmark raised the bar.

Oops! Mine looks a bit topsy turvy, doesn't it? Sunset, Sunrise!

Don't fret if your bookmark curls a bit. Mine looked like this before pinning it out. A quick shot of steam and it was right as rain. (The pretty shuttle was made by Georgia and Richard Seitz.)

That which we call a rose, by any other name
Next up is a "rosone" (Italian for rosette) in progress from Il Lavoro Chiacchierino 14, page 8. The thread is YarnPlayer's Celery in size 20.

Celery (the food) has always been dreaded diet fare at Silly Hat Central, but YarnPlayer's Celery HDT is so fresh and pleasing it is easy to "swallow." ツ

This was my airport tatting project, not a Tat Days class. The bits I actually tatted in airports ended up looking positively wretched, so I cut it off and started again. This second try looks much better.

Last is a photo of the silly, "just say no to celery" pin I made for a fellow Tat Days attendee. My 2011 tatting resolution was to create more mixed media items with my tatting and this pin helps to meet that goal. Hee, hee, see how the Celery HDT accents the stalks?

I honestly couldn't judge the recipient's reaction beyond initial confusion (which, all things considered, was understandable) but the joy in creating, completing and giving it (On time, too!) made it all worthwhile.

This post just scratches the surface of my class projects so there will be a part II. Then comes Tat Days Loot! As for hijinx, all I can say is "what happens at Tat Days, stays at Tat Days." (Sometimes genteel, southern ladies can be bad.)

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

In Memory of Myrtle Hamilton

2011-10-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

A lovely tribute to Myrtle Hamilton was on display at 2011 Palmetto Tat Days. Pam Freck, one of the program coordinators for Tat Days 2011, told me that the display would travel to the South Carolina State Fair after Tat Days had ended.

Myrtle (Bartoo) Hamilton was born December 1, 1895, in Potter County, Pennsylvania. One of 12 children (9 surviving), Myrtle grew up in a fairly prosperous farm family near Mills. She lived in Coudersport, PA, roughly 20 miles from her hometown, and died in 2003 at the age of 107.

Mrs. Hamilton holds a special place in my heart for two reasons. First, she worked tirelessly to keep tatting alive, contributing many wonderful designs for future tatters to enjoy.

Second, it makes my heart glad to know that she lived no more than 125 miles away from where I grew up, not far from Clarion, PA.

In her "Celebration of Tatting and the Life of Myrtle Hamilton" for the Online Tatting Class, Georgia Seitz wrote:

"Tatting had many ups and downs during the second half of the 1900's and through those long years, I believe that Myrtle Hamilton became one of the guardians of the art of tatting. Myrtle produced wonderful designs of all kinds which were published in the Workbasket, Stitch n Sew, Popular Needlework, Old Time Crochet and many others. I firmly believe that Myrtle kept tatting alive in the US for decades."

Georgia also writes of Mrs. Hamilton's tatting column in Workbasket magazine in her BellaOnline article "Building a Tatting Library:"

"The tatting world has been enriched by dedicated teachers and designers like Myrtle Hamilton who helped prevent tatting from becoming a lost art. Her Workbasket designs were basic and in classic style. Any of the older issues contain tatting gems and would be excellent additions to any library."

I received one of Myrtle Hamilton's heart patterns in an online exchange in 2003.

The heart was done by Terry McGuffin who re-wrote the pattern to incorporate split rings and chains so that it could be tatted continuously, without all of the cut and ties in the original design. You can read about it here.

The I.O.L.I. Library has this listing:
T-049 Blue Ribbon Patterns, Patterns for Tatting/Hamilton, Myrtle/1970/English/24p/A collection of patterns/

Myrtle Hamilton exchanged letters with Betty Magill of Kinards, SC, who shared the photo taken on her 100th birthday (top). Pam Freck shared a copy of this photo with me. Thank you, Betty, and thank you, Pam Freck, for sharing this information with me. It is like receiving a hug from a tatting angel.

Tat Days - Banquet, Quilt Drawing & Silent Auction

2011-09-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

Friday Night Banquet
The banquet is always a high point. Some dress to impress in evening wear, though it is just fine to come as you are.

Regardless of attire, it is a great opportunity to show off your tatting! Isn't Kathy Berndt's tatted shawl gorgeous?

If the lavender shawl didn't drop your jaw in awe, Kathy sported an equally mind-blowing scarf during the day. (And check out her adorable penguins with tie-dye tuxedos!)

Riet Surtel-Smeulders from The Netherlands received a gift of a finely cross-stitched Sock Monkey Pirate from Celticdreamweaver. Here she is showing it off. (Note the Oohs and Ahhs.)

This close up shows you just how adorable the Monkey Pirate really is. It is stitched on linen. Riet also received micro-knitted sock monkey earrings as a gift and wore them proudly for all to see. So tiny and so cute!

One more snapshot of how genuinely tickled pink Riet was, and Hope Bates too!

Quilt Drawing
After the banquet, the Old Man Winter quilt covered in tatted snowflakes was auctioned off. Every flake was hand-sewn on by Erin Holloway. It was a stunning and spectacularly beautiful work of art.

Congratulations to Katie Verna, whose name was drawn as the lucky winner!

By this time on Friday evening my cell phone battery was mostly dead, so I didn't get very good photos of the quilt. The Tat Days web page has a close up.

Georgia was as entertaining as ever as auctioneer. Three smaller quilted wall hangings (or table toppers or table runners, depending on the winners' preferences) were also auctioned off, raising approximately $1,300 for the scholarship fund.

Silver Necklace donated by Nina Libin

Silent Auction
There were so many donations for the silent auction this year! Items of every size and description. Just a few of them (in no particular order) are shown here.

I donated two Tatting First Aid Kits, inspired by Fox who has blogged about her egregious tatting injuries. We have all done it: forced a dangerously tiny hook through a tight join, only to have it stab into a finger. Ouch! Of course no Tatting First Aid Kit would be complete without chocolate.

Knitted Stocking earrings donated by Lynne Gillies

Miser's Coin Purse donated by Sheron Goldin

One of several brooches donated by Erin Holloway

One of several Edging Pattern Books & Starlit Shuttles donated by Handy Hands

Tatter's Toolbox for Breast Cancer Awareness donated by Kathy Hodge

Hooked Rug Kit donated by Mary Alice Kinnette

Doilies with Tatted Edging donated by Riet Surtel-Smeulders

Tatting Treats & Box donated by Hope Bates

Heart Gift Basket donated by Kathy Hodge

Whew! And that was but a smattering of the many donations. Every time I wandered into the Silent Auction room there were new items to see...all of them thoughtful, beautiful and waiting for more bids. Well done donors and winners!

Good gracious, there's still MORE to come — stay tuned for candid photos and loot!

Tat Days - Guinness Attempt & Eye Candy

2011-09-27T20:22:00.009-04:00

Guinness Book Record Attempt
Over 100 tatters around the world gathered for the first ever attempt to establish a tatting world record. (Some said the number was 127, but I was not able to confirm this.)

The photos were taken, the paperwork filled out and we'll wait to see what the folks at Guinness Book of World Records have to say.

Shuttles were very busy during the attempt. Hands were working at many different speeds, some faster than I ever imagined they could go. Want to take a peek into the room?

Tat Days Keeps Growing
Eighty-six people attended Tat Days in 2011, that's 15% more than last year. Fifteen registered attendees didn't tat, but added to the fun by coming along and dealing with our tatting obsession. Three cheers for Tat Days and the non-tatting but very good sports!

Tatting Display
Each year tatters bring some of their projects to show. The display never fails to impress.

Elgiva Heart by Martha Ess

Martha Ess shared several original designs from her new book, "Playing With Picots." This lovely heart is dedicated to the memory of Elgiva Nicholls, who did such beautiful work with graduated picots. Octopus really liked it.

Barbie Dress & Hat by Marie Smith

Marie Smith tatted a dainty dress and hat for Barbie in hand-dyed silk. The pattern came from an old Workbasket magazine. Barbie never looked so chic.

HAND-DYED THREAD UPDATE: Marie Smith emailed the details for the thread she used on Barbie's FAB ensemble: Silk HDT by LadyShuttleMaker in the colorway "Enchantment" - Thanks!

Pillywiggin by Karrieann Warr

Karrieann shared the fairy house she made for Pillywiggin the pixie and the tatting she added to Miss 'Wiggins' attire and wings. Don't you just love the tiny white puffballs on her shoes? (...she reminds me of a certain tinker fairy.)

Mary Konior's pattern "Curds and Whey," tatted by Karrieann Warr

Karrieann also shared this beautiful edging, made from Mary Konior's pattern Curds and Whey. She didn't mention details about the lovely thread, but I'm guessing it was something scrumptious, dyed by her daughter Krystaldawne. Or perhaps Dr. Vonthreadmore?

HAND-DYED THREAD UPDATE: Karrieann commented, "The HDT thread that I used in Curds & Whey is by Karey Solomon... Seneca somethingother..."

Gold Beaded Bag by Marie Smith

This gorgeous, beaded bag took my breath away. It was tatted by Marie Smith and if my "amazing powers of deduction" hold true, I think the partial image of the note card indicates that it was made up of 10,000 beads. (*bows* if I got it right...*ducks.for.cover* if I got it wrong)

John from "John's Tatting Blog" shared several large projects, including an ecclesiastical stole, triangle lace, handkerchiefs, baby shoes and two large doilies. These items are more impressive in person than the photos can portray. That's saying something!

There's more to come — stay tuned for tales from the Friday Night Banquet, Day 2 of classes, Quilt Drawing and Silent Auction.

Tat Days - The Thursday and Friday Report

2011-09-24T17:32:00.019-04:00

Before jumping in to the fun-filled day of classes, events and hijinx that was Friday, I have some bad news. Blogspot refuses to play nice with Safari. I have not been successful uploading photos from iPad.

A creative work-around (So there, Blogger!) is being attempted. If later tonight you see photos on either this post or the previous one, you will know that CrazyMom and I outsmarted Blogger.

New Friends, Awesome Talent
Meeting Nina Libin at the airport was a thrill! What a warm, wonderful, kind and generous lady. A genuinely incredible woman.

What Southern Women Know
Southern ladies know how to put travelers at ease with their hospitality. Once again I have been wowed, especially from CrazyMom.

She did Georgia proud all weekend. In addition to playing tour guide to Nina and I on Thursday, she was all prepared with "roomie prezzies" of Toblerone, jewelry-making kits, beads and loads of laughs!

Local Trivia
Did you know that Georgia had the first gold rush? Nina and I learned this after CrazyMom pointed out the gold-domed State Capitol Building in Atlanta.

As early as 1819, gold was being mined by whites in North Georgia. (Native Americans panned for gold much earlier.) The California Gold Rush began in 1848.

"What'll ya have?"
We headed off to The Varsity for lunch, where the staff call out "What'll ya have?" as soon as you approach the diner-style counter. It is a chili dog and burger joint that is listed among the top fast food restaurants in the country. The onion rings, chili-n-slaw dogs and FO's (Frosted Orange milkshakes - they taste like creamsiscles.) are legendary.

Last year I didn't get a single photo of CrazyMom at Tat Days so I determined to get one of her this year. Little did I know what a challenge this would be. She is an expert at evading the camera!

See what I mean?

A few highlights from the ride to Toccoa:

Lots of get-to-know-you conversation - hearing about Nina's experience teaching tatting in the Tuilleries Gardens in Paris and other places where she has been invited to teach, "where were you on 9/11," tales of the Stooges and of course The Sprout.

We made great time and were at the Baptist Conference Center with time to schmooze before teacher check-in. Thank you CrazyMom and Nina for making the drive so enjoyable.

After check in, I made two discoveries. One, my leprechaun abduction attempt had gone awry. Ciarrán was not in my suitcase. Curses!

But I did find a stowaway. Tucked in among the sundries was a stuffed toy octopus that The Sprout had smuggled in so I wouldn't get lonely without him. Isn't he just the sweetest son a mom could hope to have?

We had fun with octopus. He kept cropping up in photos, like this one with a darling, wee pixie named Pillywiggin who came with Karrieann.

Marie Smith's 10-year-old granddaughter, Georgia Seitz and a few others put octopus on their heads. Before long we were calling him Octo-Bonnet.

Stay tuned for tales from Day 1 of classes, the Guinness Book of World Records, awe-inspiring projects and a tribute to Myrtle Hamilton!

Let the Good Times Roll

2011-09-24T08:02:00.004-04:00

Posting from the Atlanta Hilton hotel room, before I take the airport shuttle to meet Nina Libin and Crazy Mom.

The sunset photo was taken at 39,000 feet. It reminded me of the pretty sunrise and sunset photos Crazy Mom shares on her blog from her weekday commute.

But, I'm in Georgia, y'all! Later today Nina, Crazy Mom and I will have lunch together in Atlanta on the way to Toccoa.

Let the fun begin!

Tatting Tea Tuesday - T-minus 3 days

2011-09-20T08:45:00.019-04:00

My bags are packed and shuttles wound. I'll be taking off for Palmetto Tat Days 2011 on Wednesday morning. Wheee!

This year I'm flying solo. No Big Daddy or Sprout. (Sorry, Hegla!)

I will miss the menfolk somethin' awful while away. But I'm hoping that tatting friends will keep me grinning and tatting through the conference.

Leprechaun No Show?
Can you believe Ciarrán says he isn't coming? It was all "Ar aghaidh linn," with his bag in his hand until he found out that The Sprout wasn't going. The fickle elf up and bailed! He says he's staying home to play with The Sprout and Toothless.

How many other tatting leprechauns will be at Tat Days?

An intervention may be required...

Tah Cha Cha - knot-tea song lyrics
The following fractured lyrics may cause feelings of flying fingers and happy feet.

Inspired by the song: "The Bear Cha-Cha-Cha" from Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House

The Tat Days Tah-Cha-Cha

[IsDihara]
(Uh-oh. I'm gettin' that feelin' again.
Yeah, it's the itchin', a twitchin', a scritchin', a scratchin'.
It's time for the Tat Days Tah-Cha-Cha!)

When I feel my fingers start to twitch
My lips go la-la-la la-la la-la
And my arms and legs get the itch
It's time to do The Tat Days Tah-Cha-Cha

Tah-cha-cha
Ha-cha-cha!
Gonna tah-cha-cha
Ooh la la
Time to tah-cha-cha
The Tat Days Tah-Cha-Cha

(Well, don't just sit there. Get up and do it with me. Come on!)

A kind of hush is falling over the tatting blogosphere. Maybe because tatters are traveling...but I know not all of you are.

I will attempt to blog from Tat Days. Last year the internet connection from the hotel in Cornelia, GA, wasn't fast enough to upload photos. This year I will be on campus at the Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa, GA, where CrazyMom says the internet connection is serviceable. Keep your fingers crossed for more than one update! I will do my best.

Stay tuned for Tat Days updates. Signing off for now.

♥ Lizbeth® is here ♥

2011-09-15T13:30:00.020-04:00

Feast your eyes on new Fall colorways -- for now ONLY in size 40 and 80 --but sizes 10 and 20 will be ready at the end of October.

The only one missing from the lineup is #606 Charcoal. It will not be available in any size until the end of October.

From the looks of things, the back-ordered threads will be worth the wait. Oh yeah! Try not to drool on your keyboard.

Disclaimer: I do not get any compensation from Handy Hands whatsoever. I am just a happy customer (and self-professed UTJ*) caught up in thread-induced euphoria.

* Unrepentant Thread Junkie

First up is Autumn Apple Pie. This thread makes me want to eat a warm slice of apple pie. Seriously.

Next is Blue Ice -- an arctic blast of crystalline cool. Can you say snowflakes? I feel a flurry coming on.

For purple lovers, Grape Splash brings to mind harvest celebrations and grape stomps.

Jane Eborall is the lucky winner of 25 free balls of thread for this next lovely combination -- #166 Pink Cocoa. Behind it are two more exquisite colorways: on the left, #168 Latte Foam. On the right, #697 Fudge Dark.

Shown here with the rich, creamy confections in reverse order. In a word, YUM!

Are you ready for Blue River Glades? This unspoiled blend of blues and greens evokes (at least to me) a pebbly stream bed winding through a glade of Kentucky blue grass.

Hang on to your hats, because now we're getting to the greens!

Deep. Verdant. Leafy. On the left, #675 Fern Green Medium. On the right, #676 Leaf Green Dark. Center front, the pièce de résistance, #167 Jungle Greens.

Honest and sincere thanks from the bottom of my heart to every person who submitted color suggestions and/or names for this latest batch of threads. Whether or not your suggestion(s) were chosen, you have helped shape some of the most desirable (IMHO) color mixes in the Lizbeth^® line.

And the best part? You get the colors that you want!

The thread-busting challenge is looking better and better. At least the guilt-free purchases as a reward for stash-busting do.

Why Stash Reduction is a Mystical Concept

2011-09-14T11:01:00.011-04:00

Lately those crafty editors at Interweave Press and Knitting Daily have been writing newsletters that speak directly to my fiber-lovin' inner child.

Weaving Today, for example, ran with the headline "Why Stash Reduction is a Mystical Concept."

You don't have to be a weaver to appreciate the wisdom in Karen Donde's column. Just substitute "weaver" with "tatter" and much, if not all, of her words will ring home.

Stash-busting is a hateful activity at Silly Hat Central, but a time comes in every Unrepentant Thread Junkie's (UTJ) life when limits must be imposed. So I propose embracing the mystic portents with a Thread-Busting Challenge!

Cover your eyes, spin around a time or two and blindly (dizzily?) reach into your thread stash. Or let someone else (your pet?) choose. Whatever thread gets chosen must be the starting point for your next project. AND anything you need to use with it must also come from your stash. Tap into your creative inspiration and let it flow!

If you choose to share the end result with Tat Land, please note in your post that you accepted the Thread Busting Challenge.

By using up some of your stash you can order new threads with a guilt-free conscience.

Anyway, that's my alibi and I'm sticking to it.

Motif 3 - Oh là là, Napoléon

2011-09-13T07:00:00.173-04:00

Napoleon © 2011 Orsi

"A picture is worth a thousand words" is sometimes attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte. The Emperor didn't say it first, but the adage applies so well to this wispy bit of elegance.

Motif 3 - Napoleon
What started out as "just emptying shuttles" ended in this keeper of a motif designed by Orsi. Tatted in Lizbeth 40 #638 Christmas Green, the photos say it all.

For some reason the thread looks almost black in the top-down image - even without a flash. Nevertheless it shows the graceful shape punctuated with Josephine rings. So very pretty! Can't wait to see several of these joined together, can you?

Tatting Tea Tuesday
Today's tea is an infusion of minty sweetness that hits the spot during periods of laryngitis. It is Numi Moroccan Mint tea. Hot. (Brew. Steep. Sip. Repeat.) Nibbling on Chocolate Chip Pecan Sandies adds to the bliss when my hands aren't busy with shuttles.

This week I also tatted a Prima butterfly from LadyShuttleMaker's book The Exquisite Collection of Tatted Butterflies. (Click on the link to see one. It is in the top right corner of the multi-butterfly photo on LadyShuttleMaker's Etsy page.)

The butterfly was a special request for my neighbor's 6-year-old daughter. I surprised myself by tatting it in only a few hours!

Can you believe, in my excitement I forgot to take a photo of the butterfly? It is the first time anyone has asked me to tat something for them (other than The Sprout) and I was able to start it and complete it in one sitting. High five!

New Lizbeth® Threads for Fall

2011-09-12T15:12:00.004-04:00

BREAKING NEWS: New Lizbeth^® Threads at Tat Days
If anyone is sitting on the fence whether or not to day trip to Tat Days for the shopping opportunity, consider this: The new fall colorways in sizes 40 and 80 will be available for sale at Tat Days!

Later this week I will have photos to show you all, but here is the list of what will be available.

First, the bad news. Lizbeth^® #606 Charcoal will not be available in any size until end of October.

Now for the good news! The following list of solid and variegated threads will be available in size 80 and 40 during Tat Days (except where noted):

675 Fern Green Medium
676 Leaf Green Dark
697 Fudge Dark (only size 40)

163 Blue Ice
164 Blue River Glades
165 Grape Splash
166 Pink Cocoa
167 Jungle Greens
168 Latte Foam
169 Autumn Apple Pie

Sizes 10 and 20 in the above colors simply couldn't be made in time to ship. So they won't be available for sale until the end of October.

AUGH! I'm chomping at the bit to see colors! Aren't you?

Congratulation go out to -
Jane Eborall who helped to name #166 Pink Cocoa
Karla Hartzell who helped to name #169 Autumn Apple Pie
Yours truly who helped to name #164 Blue River Glades

I promise I'm not holding out on the rest of the contest winners. I don't know who they are! If you recognize your winning entry, please leave a comment and let us know.

Motif 2 - Heart's Honor Bookmark

2011-09-10T09:00:00.004-04:00

It's done! The exquisite Heart's Honor bookmark designed by Wanda Salmans.

Heart's Honor © 2011 Wanda Salmans

Tatted in Lizbeth^® 40 Peacock Blues, the bookmark measures 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) long. The heart top is 1 3/4 inches (4.4 cm) wide while the lower segment is 1-inch (2.5 cm) wide.

Absorbed in bright blues and captivated by quatrefoils, this project held my interest from start to finish. Isn't it lovely?

Admittedly, I got bogged down during stage two because my thread kept splitting and snapping. Once the setback was righted the lace was again pure pleasure to tat.

Thanks again, Wanda, for allowing me to test tat this pattern!

New Threads to Come
The next release of new colorways at Handy Hands will include two exciting new variegated threads. One my twin sister, Igoya, helped to name! It will be called Autumn Apple Pie. The other I helped to name. It will be called Blue River Glades.

Hold onto your hats, because all the upcoming threads are super-scrumptious! But the release dates may be staggered due to a rejected shipment (more on that later).

Presenting Zaurun Toothless

2011-09-07T13:50:00.029-04:00

Toothless, an Iridescent & Gold Dragon

25 Motif Challenge - A 2nd Go
Remember the dragon hatchling from last week? He has both wings now. Isn't he handsome?

He reminds me of this gorgeous iridescent dragon painting, though I didn't find it online until after Toothless was finished. Serendipity!

Motif 1 - Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon
Toothless will launch my second 25 Motif Challenge. Here are his thread specs:

The foundation is a Water Dragon tatted in Signature^® thread from Japan. The color is M07 - Pastels. It is a long-staple Egyptian quilting cotton that I blended with a sample of YLI red-gold variegated thread.

The interlocking rings and body bits are tatted in Altin Basak 40 Nakis Simi (Gold - Sari) and Ozen, size 50 - a 100% Polyester thread sample from Backwoods Tatter (by way of CrazyMom).

For the wings, I used the Signature^® thread - M07 for the chains and Altin Basak 40 Nakis Simi (Gold - Sari) for the rings.

Toothless, an Iridescent & Gold Dragon, sideview

Anne Bruvold's Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon has been on my Must Tat List since 2008. A long time, but so worth the wait.

The Sprout loves him and plays with him every day (Such a joy to watch!) but he insisted on changing his name from Zaurun to Toothless.

One of my favorite things about him, aside from the color, is that he is posable. He is flexible, not stiff, but the interlocking rings give his neck, body and tail just enough support. I simply must try to get a photo of him perched on something and looking down on his prey.

FYI-- the braided "reins" were a special request from The Sprout. Who is the dragon rider?

Thank you, Anne, for sharing this marvelous pattern!

Support Handmade - Shop for a Cure

2011-09-01T15:25:00.022-04:00

It may not ward off weird rashes, but shopping CAN help give hope for a cancer cure.

My twin sister, Igoya, is supporting the American Cancer Society and Ovarian and Breast Cancer research by "running" a special offer in her Etsy store. Let's "relay" our way toward the finish line.

Make a Purchase for Life - Together We Can Make a Difference
During SEPT and OCT New Hands Soaps and Lotions will make a 5% donation on any store purchase.

Ask about Igoya's foaming bath whip. Or try her Tuscan Lace hand lotion. I'm hooked on 'em! (Her chocolate milk bath and oversized bath teas are gloriously indulgent too. See how spoiled I am?)

Need more sweat equity for your Etsy buck?

To show you how hard she'll work to support the American Cancer Society, Igoya has prepared a special spa cloth promotion tailored-made for Ovarian and Breast Cancer fundraising.

During SEPT. and OCT. your purchase of a Pink & Teal Pure Cotton Spa cloth set will guarantee a 25% donation to Ovarian and Breast Cancer fundraising through the American Cancer Society.

Don't miss the Etsy widget for New Hands Soaps and Lotions in the right navigation bar!
(under My Blog List)

Thank you for your kind attention and happy shopping.

Do You Have Threadophilia?

2011-09-01T14:28:00.004-04:00

The inspiration for today's post comes from Spinning Daily

Don't be shocked, but occasionally I read blogs on topics other than tatting. When I do they are generally fiber, fabric or book related.

So when Spinning Daily asked if I was a yarnophiliac, I said yes! Their marketing e-mail offered a prescription-free cure. I chuckled at the clever spin (← pun), but quickly converted "yarnophilia" into a more lace-worthy disorder.

Threadophilia: A deep love of and abnormal obsession with thread.

Unrepentant thread junkies (like me) embrace our condition. We don't need a cure!

But let's take things one step further, shall we?

Tatophilia: A deep love of and abnormal obsession with tatting.

Now that's what I'm bloggin' 'bout.

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Lanyard Love & A Hatchling

2011-08-30T10:00:00.011-04:00

Keeping this short and sweet in order to be ready to receive The Sprout's teacher shortly after lunch for a scheduled Home Visit.

Two Interlocking Ring Lanyards

Motif 25 - Interlocking Ring Lanyards - Finished
Thanks to 12 - 13 hours of hurricane rain (courtesy of Ms. Irene) I had several hours of tatting time. I finished not one, but two "braided" lanyards using Jane from South Africa's interlocking rings.

The threads used for the one on the left are:

Lizbeth^® 20 #638 Christmas Green for the foundation row.
Lizbeth^® 20 #652 Royal Blue for the Interlocking Row.

The threads used for the one on the right are:

Lizbeth^® 40 #157 Raspberry Frappe for the foundation row.
Lizbeth^® 40 #638 Christmas Green for the Interlocking Row.

The lanyards turned out rather well if I do say so myself. If I tat another, I will add a bead to the center of each ring in the foundation chain to give the braid some sparkly pizazz.

This officially completes my first 25 motif challenge.

I will be starting a second challenge as soon as I decide whether to focus on a tatted animal theme, work my way through a tatting book or continue letting untried techniques be my guide.

Hatchling Has a Head
One other project that I can share with you is progress on the Dragon Hatchling.

The foundation is Anne Bruvold's Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon (Water Dragon) tatted in pastel-colored quilting cotton blended with a sample of YLI red-gold variegated thread.

Applying interlocking rings to the the tail, body and neck adds dimension and looks like scales. The interlocking rings and body bits are tatted in Altin Basak 40 Nakis Simi (Gold - Sari) and Ozen, size 50 - a 100% Polyester thread sample from Backwoods Tatter (by way of CrazyMom).

Next to come are the wings. He is to be a love present for The Sprout while I am away at Tat Days. So I must get him finished in time!

As I tat this darling wee dragon, I imagine him hatching in an abandoned mine shaft where gold dust still glitters in alluvial deposits. His name is Zaurun. It is a blending of the Pashto name Zarin, the Hindi (and Cambodian) name Arun and the symbol for the chemical element for gold, Au.

Here is how one (very classy, IMHO) woman weathered Irene: High Tea in a Hurricane

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Tatting Tea Tuesday Earthquake!

2011-08-23T15:24:00.022-04:00

Thank you to all you lovely folks who have texted, emailed and called to inquire if everyone at Silly Hat Central was okay after the earthquake that struck earlier this afternoon. We're all fine.

The epicenter of the 3.7-mile deep (6 km), 5.8 magnitude earthquake was 70 miles away.

My younger sister, a Maryland resident, also felt the earthquake. When I called her cell phone, her exact words were, "I'm fine. My building shook like crap!"

My father was in Indianapolis, IN, driving an 18-wheeler (He's 75. Why is he still working?) and had not yet heard about the earthquake when I called his cell phone at 3:10 PM.

My mother was sitting on her back porch swing and didn't feel the shaking at all. (Not to worry mom, The Sprout and I - somehow - didn't feel it either.)

My husband was in Chicago, IL, on a business trip and I assured him that we are all fine. (We're still fine, honey!)

Here is what wikipedia has to say about seismic activity in my little corner of Tat Land.

The Virginia Seismic Zone is located in the U.S. State of Virginia in the Piedmont province covering approximately 8,000 km² (~3,000 mi²). Earthquakes in Virginia are irregular and rarely above 4.5 on the Richter magnitude scale.

A look at the historical data for the eastern US states shows that this is the biggest quake to hit the east coast since 1897 (a 5.9 in VA) and the second biggest of all time (well, since they started recording such things) after a 7.3 that hit South Carolina in 1886.

As of approximately 3:05 PM CNN reports that all National Monuments are "stable but closed" and so far the only reported damage is to part of the central tower of the National Cathedral. (The cathedral is the highest point in Washington, D.C.)

The Wall Street Journal has just posted this disturbing bit of news:
Virginia Nuclear Power Plant Loses Power After Quake

The news services are reporting that the effects of the quake could be felt as far north as Toronto, Canada. Fox, did you feel it?

If you felt the earthquake in your corner of Tat Land, please leave me a comment and tell me what you were doing when the earth started moving.

Are You Still Reading?
If so, let me treat you to a small video skit called Tea and Earthquakes.

Shopping!

2011-08-19T12:57:00.000-04:00

As today is the final time this summer that The Sprout will spend Friday at Day Camp, I decided to treat myself to a shopping trip to Kohl's. (It has been 5 years since any new clothing has entered my wardrobe. Not since maternity clothing.)

I am so pleased with this tunic top. Look at the interesting neckline. The moment I saw it I said to myself, 'I'm going to add tatting to this!'

Neologistic Rant - Incentivize?

2011-08-18T10:45:00.002-04:00

Readers of this blog know that I like to have fun with words. I am not a hater of coined phrases. But I must protest a recent media ~~abuse~~ attempt to coin a new phrase:

INCENTIVIZE

Seriously?

Wikipedia offers up many wonderful examples of neologisms:
"Popular examples of neologism can be found in science, fiction, branding, literature, linguistic and popular culture.

Examples include laser (1960) from Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, robotics (1941), and agitprop (1930)."
Popular literature examples include cyberspace, from "Neuromancer" by William Gibson.
Lewis Carroll has been called "the king of neologistic poems" because of his poem, "Jabberwocky", which incorporated invented words like chortle (a combination of 'chuckle' and 'snort') and slithy.

Popular culture phenomena have created many new phrases, such as jumping the shark from the 70s TV series Happy Days, and Internet.

Incentivize isn't fit to lick the boots of legitimate neologisms, IMHO.

The early bird gets the worm or so I have heard. It is true in this case: Neologism Competition

I leave you to idly chortle over invented words. You will surely do better than incentivize.

A Tale of Two Fillings and Fair Results!

2011-08-17T11:34:00.014-04:00

Thank you all for your kind and supportive comments about The Sprout's day at the dentist.

The Sprout was so brave! He stayed calm through the laughing gas and the novocain. After his lip and cheek went numb he willingly opened wide and the dentist went in to start drilling.

That's when the hysterics started. When the drill sound came from inside his mouth. He got through it, thanks to the amazing patience and gentle hand of the dentist.

Then it was time for ice cream: a dentist-approved strawberry milkshake to help pass the time while the effects of the novocain wore off.

Later we headed to the County Fair. Here are a few pictures to share with you all.

Sw4nkyL4c3r entered the most fetching Venetian mask, tatted in black with Swarovski crystals and decorated with feathers. I was shocked to see a red ribbon on it! The mask was a shoe-in for the blue, or so I had presumed.

A delicate, ecru tatting bag filled with tatting tools was chosen for the blue ribbon. It is lovelier than my cell phone photo can portray, hearkening back to a style from a bygone era.

And a darling, wee bunny was entered by a new tatter! Hurray, a new tatter!

Prince William County Fair tatters, if you are reading please accept my warmest congratulations and an offer to meet up any Wednesday evening in August or September at the Yarn Cloud for tatting and chatting. The tea is on me!

Why didn't I enter? Because I hadn't completed the doily I started (but only got half-way through) from 2010. It never entered my mind to enter something else that I had completed. Sometimes I can be such a dim-wit.

Here are a few more photos from the Home Arts competitions.

The crocheted watermelon purse makes me smile! Wouldn't it be a hoot to tat a watermelon purse? How about an ensemble of watermelon-themed accessories?

*crickets chirping* Okay, maybe it's better to stick to chocolate-themed items.

Riding on a kiddie tractor ride with his best friend, Little Man A.

Just look at that face. Those dark, expressive eyes. Is he not a deadly lil' charmer?

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Blue Hands & A Braid

2011-08-16T07:00:00.010-04:00

This morning The Sprout has his second harrowing experience at the pediatric dentist. He is having cavities filled. He has decided he hates going to the dentist. Do you blame him?

Hands of Blue

The photo reminds me of the mysterious pair of assassins from Joss Whedon's cancelled TV series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity. Those blue-glove-wearing baddies were creepy and deadly.

The red doodad on The Sprout's nose is supplying laughing gas. Even with the gas he cried hysterically the entire time (10 days ago) and I suspect he will scream again.

Make no mistake, these visits are hard on the mommy too. Tatting zen doesn't even scratch the surface of guilt I feel knowing that I did not do enough to keep his teeth clean.

(An inside voice is saying, "but thank goodness we found out before the decay affected his permanent teeth." Is that even a valid thought? Would tooth decay affect the underlying teeth?)

We are now using fluoride tooth paste, dental floss and an anti-cavity rinse to keep future cavities at bay. And by we I mean the whole family. I guess that's something.

Once we get home I intend to break out the chamomile tea and a big box of tissues, in case my post-procedure nerves get the better of me.

Motif 25 - Interlocking Ring Lanyard

I have begun the "braid" technique described in Jane from South Africa's Interlocking Ring Choker pattern. (A lovely piece of jewelry!)

Jane Eborall describes it in her post from July 2010: Just look at these

The threads used for this are:

Lizbeth^® 40 #157 Raspberry Frappe for the foundation row.
Lizbeth^® 40 #638 Christmas Green for the Interlocking Row.

If you are fond of tatting split rings (as I am) I encourage you to try this technique. I am enjoying it immensely. My only regret is not planning ahead to include beads in the center of the foundation rings. If I had done that the end result would be spectacular!

The photo shows only a few inches, but I have so far completed interlocking rings for 12 out of 36 inches of the foundation row. (30.5 cm out of 91.4 cm)

This, or one of Gina's (Tatting Goddess), Interlocking Ring techniques would make gorgeous friendship bracelets, don't you think?

This will be a lanyard for Palmetto Tat Days. Once finished it will be counted as Motif #25 of my first 25 motif challenge.

Score One for Charlie Brown

2011-08-11T18:14:00.008-04:00

Oh, ha ha! What a marvelous treat I found in my mailbox today. An unexpected letter from Lily! (Aren't these simply THE BEST sort of surprises?)

Just a little, hand-addressed envelope. So very exciting to open and read! I was immediately time-shifted back to younger days when I would anxiously await letters from far-away pen pals.

This letter was every bit, if not more, exciting than those. It felt a bit bumpy in spots and I immediately thought, "Lily sent me tatting!"

I ran. I kid you not, RAN home to open the letter.

Sounds silly right? But having an appreciation for the time, effort, energy and love that goes into a hand-made piece of tatting, I get excited when someone sends some to me. Don't you?

Here's what I saw as I opened the contents:

Not sure if you can see the round, embossed spots in the paper...at regular intervals...can you make out the barest hint of an outlined shape in the paper?

Okay, okay, enough stalling. Ta-daah!

Oh Lily, these are even more bright, bold and beautiful in Peacock Blues than I could have ever imagined. And the gold beads and wires accentuate the lace to perfection. Your stitches are impeccable. Stunning! I will wear them proudly and think of your generosity every time I do.

It all started back on July 30 with this comment on Lily's blog:

Thank you, Lily, from the bottom of my Peanuts-lovin' heart.

I accept this spectacular gift in honor of Charlie Brown. This time Lucy didn't pull away the football. This time he kicked it through the goal post.

Tatting Tea Tuesday - In the Zone

2011-08-09T05:08:00.005-04:00

Juggling multiple projects can frazzle the nerves but this past week I was in the zone. Let's credit the adrenaline rush from registering for Palmetto Tat Days online. I'm getting excited!

My tea for today is a tall glass of iced pomegranate apple green tea. It goes down smooth and easy on hot summer days.

Beginning Tatting - Level 1 Kit

This week:

I wound 12 floss cards with tatting thread samples, loaded 6 Pony shuttles and assembled 6 new (beginner level) tatting kits for my class that starts tomorrow night.

Fleur de Lis Motif Sample

I tatted a new sample in Lizbeth^® 20 #642 Lilac Medium. The rings on the sides are floating free to test a hypothesis fueled by Jane Eborall's awesome Diamond Mat. How will the Fleur de Lis motif look joined together into larger shapes?

A quick-n-dirty, not-pretty-enough-for-prime-time pattern is available for any brave soul wishing to test tat. Email me at the address listed in the "About Me" widget on the right navigation panel above. (Look for the red-headed cartoon girl.)

Heart's Honor © Wanda Salmans 2011

Wanda Salmans' Heart's Honor bookmark is closer to completion. I'm half way through round two.

This is my "on the go" tatting project. It is great for tatting in the car or while DH watches TV shows I don't care for. This design is eminently preferable to "Mansquito" or Sasquatch or Ghost Hunter TV. (Apologies to fans of these shows. They are just not my cup of tea.)

Lizbeth^® 40 Peacock Blues is the thread I am using for Wanda's lovely bookmark. It looks pretty to me, but sometimes I am not a good judge of a variegated thread overpowering a design. Do tell: do you think Wanda's design is getting lost?

I began a test tat of Anne Bruvold's Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon in pastel-colored quilting cotton blended with a sample of YLI red-gold variegated thread CrazyMom sent me.Thanks, CrazyMom, I have been so anxious to try the sparkly threads you sent.
As I mentioned, I registered for Palmetto Tat Days online. Wheeee!
I registered The Sprout for his second year of preschool. Where has this summer gone?

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Starting to Pack

2011-08-04T09:54:00.001-04:00

Call me crazy (it wouldn't be the first time) but I have started packing for Tat Days.

Here is a sweet list of recommendations from say la vee blog to help anyone else with their advance planning phase: packing

Why the new header?

2011-08-03T12:12:00.001-04:00

This was my best effort to "freshen up" the look of this blog.

My frustration level with blogger templates has risen to unheard-of new heights. I hate everything about the new template format. *grumble.grumble*

Folks (like Fox and a few others) who routinely entice and delight us with blog makeovers, how do you manage?

As for the photo, I took it with my cell phone quite by accident one day while I was tatting and listening to Pandora streaming radio. The fabric is actually from the pocketed dolly bag I bought from Jane Eborall back in April, 2010.

Thinking myself quite clever, I decided to attempt a blog makeover using this photo. Many hours later I was still wrestling with the template designer options and intensely dissatisfied with the results.

In the end I settled for this. Mostly because it will focus on the color in the lace photos I upload. But I am not happy with the design.

Eye, Eye, Capt. and ♥ from Postie!

2011-08-01T20:58:00.004-04:00

On Monday, the human residents of Silly Hat Central had eye exams, so we drove to the nearest Metro station and rode the "city train" to visit the Optometrist.

The Sprout and I both did great! His eyesight is exactly where the doctor wanted it to be and no change for me since last year. Big Daddy has officially joined the Progressive Lenses Club for Men.

The Sprout really enjoyed riding the Metro and asked if we could take more trips on the city train. "Can we go to the Aquarium on the city train? I want to see killer whales and sharks."

Alas, we had to explain the "city train" only travels around the city. The closest killer whales were in Florida.**

We stopped by the outlet mall on the way home to buy a pair of Crocs on inventory clearance. Here they are.

I don't know what is more exciting, the fact that they are for me or that with the money I saved I decorated them with Harry Potter Sorting Hat, Gryffindor Crest and Goofy Jibbits. If only they had tatting shuttle Jibbitz!

The Sprout donned this Pirates of the Caribbean hat in the Disney Outlet and had us grinning from ear to ear. (That's a shark on his crocs.)

♥ from Postie
Two parcels arrived via post on Monday while we were out.

And three gorgeous skeins of Lady ShuttleMaker's HDT!

The arrival of these parcels couldn't have been better timed. Inside the box were these beauties.

Suffice it to say, as thunder rolls and lightning crashes outside I am happily unwinding Helm's Deep HDT and loading up new shuttles for their first tat.

One is called "Tea for Two" and the other, "Pretty Pansies." Both the HDT and the shuttles are more enchanting than the photos can portray. Squeee!

** This past weekend I learned that SeaWorld in Aurora, OH, and Geauga Lake had both closed down in 2007. Both places held fond memories from my own childhood. How disappointing to not share these attractions with The Sprout.

Fleur de Lis Figure

2011-07-29T10:48:00.023-04:00

Playing around with the fleur de lis edging led to this lovely surprise. The figure is 3 inches (7.6 cm) long and 1 1/2 inches wide (4 cm) tatted in size 20 thread.

You are looking at an unblocked test tat using three shuttles. Many attempts to keep the shuttle count down to two ended in missteps, but also led to new discoveries.

I am cheered, delighted and excited by this outcome.

This figure CAN be tatted using two shuttles, but would require the second four-ring cluster (the top part of the fleur de lis) to be tatted separately and attached as you go.

To tat it all in one pass was a bit more tricky. The issue was throwing off a ring and chain combo from a SCMR.

For those who don't mind two extra ends to hide, using two shuttles would be easier.

I will be writing out this pattern to share!

While the process did not yield a fleur de lis edging, it produced other tat bits and built my design confidence. In the end I do think that a fleur de lis edging will come forth.

I Make These Mistakes...
...so you don't have to. See the uneven chain? I hid the final two ends in the wrong place. Click on the image above for a close-up.

Now I turn by tatting focus back to an unfinished project - Wanda's Hearts Honor Bookmark. (Sorry for the blurry cell phone photo.)

Absorbed in bright color and captivated by the split chains down the center, this second stage is even more fun than the first. The first stage was pure pleasure to tat! The rest should go smoothly and will result in what is sure to be an all-time favorite bookmark.

Thanks again, Wanda, for allowing me to test tat this pattern!

Paisley Scarf Edging

2011-07-21T12:40:00.006-04:00

Spotted on Etsy

Red Grey Paisley Silk Tatting Lace Long Scarf

Here is the link to this Etsy item: Red Grey Paisley

Take note of this graceful way to "unique-ify" a silk accessory.

Hmmm, I have a shoebox full of long-neglected accessory scarves a round here somewhere...

Don't the colors of the lace match the scarf perfectly?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My ability to re-size photos (PhotoShop) is still on the fritz. (*grumble*) But I am still tatting. (Wishing I could show you...)

Remember this? Dipping a Toe in the Design Pool

Here is a slightly out-of focus shot from my cell phone. It shows my attempts to tat a fleur de lis edging. Right now it looks more like a weird light bulb filament, but once I get the shape worked out to my satisfaction I will offer up the pattern for free.

Here is a second cell phone snapshot.

Gina, you have been waiting since June of 2009 for this project to bear fruit. Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long! I am still toying with ideas. Hopefully soon it will be finished. Soon!

An Austen Afternoon

2011-07-13T11:06:00.003-04:00

Photo processing issues have not yet been resolved, so I beg your indulgence a while longer.

Today The Sprout and I are feeling much better. After lunch we go to visit Sw4nkyL4c3r to deliver a Christmas-in-July gift. The ladies have planned an Austen afternoon of tatting. The Sprout will show off his Hot Wheels and no doubt play games on my iPad.

Which Jane Austen film to choose? Persuasion, Miss Austen's final novel? Sense and Sensibility? (a personal favorite) Northanger Abbey? Pride and Prejudice?

Since I appear to be the last test tatter to complete it, I will be working on Heart's Honor by Wanda Salmans. So sorry to keep you waiting Wanda!

St. Basil's Turns 450

2011-07-12T14:04:00.008-04:00

Today's Google logo celebrates the 450th anniversary of St. Basil's cathedral.

Since my PhotoShop is on the fritz and my hand isn't steady enough for sharp, clear cell phone close-ups, I offer up Onion Dome. It was inspired by St. Basil's cathedral.

It is my first design effort. If you want the pattern, it's here in .pdf format.

(Thanks to CrazyMom for suggesting Keep and Share and holding my hand through the account set-up and file upload process.)

Tatting Tea Tuesday

No tatting has happened this week.

Today both The Sprout and I are under the weather with sinus pain and pressure. (Actually the 2 hounds are medicated too.) A heat advisory and a code orange air quality alert are in effect for a wide swath of my state, so we're staying indoors.

While Schoolhouse Rock plays for The Sprout, I peruse a lovely book that arrived today via post from amazon.com - Tea with Jane Austen by Kim Wilson.

The dust jacket sums up my first impressions of this book concisely. "Who would not want to sit down with Jane Austen and join her in a cup of tea?"

As for tea, I am sipping iced Jack Frost - a caffeine-free herbal blend of African red bush, vanilla, peppermint and spearmint. Hoping it will help dispel the hateful heat.

Stay cool in your corner(s) of Tat Land. Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Bastille Day Macarons

2011-07-11T13:29:00.007-04:00

Bien sûr, Bastille Day is Thursday, July 14.

Call me crazy (I'm not even French), but I get into the spirit of the day. Typically Silly Hat Central celebrates Bastille Day with a French-style meal, a Bastille Day cocktail and a few impromptu exclamations of "Storm the Bastille!"

Not quite the fever of joviality that descends upon Paris, but il est bon, oui?

This year there will be macarons. Yes! There will be be macarons!

What? You want to get in on the mac action?

Bastille Day Macarons Near You

Lucky Australian tatters who wish to try these lighter-than-air confections can visit Baroque Bistro in Sydney for limited edition Bastille Day macarons.

Tatters who live in or around Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand can avail themselves of a FREE macaron at The Department Store.

Mount Holly, Vermont tatters and their neighbors can drop by A Dozen Eggs Bake Shoppe for Bastille Day sweet treats.

Pasadena, California, tatters who wish to try a tasty mac can go to 'Lette Macarons on South Fair Oaks Avenue. The PasadenaNow.com Living Section (Food and Wine column) had this to day: Let them eat macarons!

I will be making my own and nibbling them with tea on a picnic blanket, but however you celebrate your inner monsieur or mademoiselle...

Vive la France! Vive le macaron! Vive la frivolité!

Elusive Shuttle Socks

2011-07-09T11:18:00.003-04:00

There are some CRAZY socks out there. Anatomically correct bone socks, toeless socks (which look kinda cute in the photo), Union Jack socks, even Foot Kandy.

Every once in a while, I read about a tatter who has purchased novelty socks with shuttles on them. Who sells these?

Quilters have novelty socks: Quilters Socks
Knitters have novelty socks: Knitting Girls

Will one of the Palmetto Tat Days vendors have them?

Tatting Tea Tuesday with Sw4nkyL4c3r

2011-07-06T15:38:00.008-04:00

July kicked off with fireworks and a wonderful Tatting Tea Tuesday! Sw4nkyL4c3r dropped by for some shuttle tatting. (She is a needle tatter.) She wanted to get in some shuttle practice in order to demonstrate Civil War-era tatting during the commemorative event later this month. (Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and the Battle of First Manassas)

Tatting Tea Tuesday leftovers

We noshed on "Romeo & Juliet" cookies from the bakery, drank strawberry tea, tatted and chatted the afternoon away.

Every so often she would giggle and say, "I did it! Six whole stitches," or "Look! A ring with three picots." And then she would giggle again, saying, "Of course, if I were using my needle I'd be done with the whole project by now."

She was absolutely right. She is a fast needle tatter. Her stitches do not suffer in the least for speed. They are uniform and evenly tensioned. Talk about a natural.

I also introduced her to the owner of the Yarn Cloud (the shop where I teach shuttle tatting). The owner asked if she would teach a needle tatting class in September!

This is marvelous news for anyone thinking about trying tatting!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
It is Christmas in July and I believe! I feel like standing on the street corner, yelling "Hear ye! Hear ye!" because Yarn Cloud sells Lizbeth threads!

Many have sighed heavily and resigned themselves after JoAnn Fabric and Crafts limited sales of Lizbeth threads to a small fraction of their US stores. Hobby Lobby came to the rescue, but the closest Hobby Lobby in my area is 35 miles away. So I am thrilled to have a local shop that carries quality tatting thread.

As for tatting, I got farther along on the foundation chain for my ring trim braid lanyard. Last post it was 18 inches (45.7 cm). It is now 32 inches (81.3 cm) long. Only 4 more inches to go. Then the fun really begins!

Irons in the Fire

2011-07-02T20:33:00.018-04:00

It has been a busy week in my lil' corner of Tatland.

The 8 students at my beginning tatting class received kits with 3 samples of Lizbeth thread size 20, 2 shuttles (one Clover post and one German Aero bobbin), picot gauge, extra bobbin, corsage pin and a few other goodies.

All of them left the two-hour class having successfully made "the flip" and having tatted chains. A few of them completed their first 10-stitch ring. Three came back Saturday morning for some extra help after having frustrating experiences with stitches that stubbornly refused to flip.

This coming Thursday (July 7th) I hope they all return to learn picots, joins and combining rings and chains. They will also leave with a simple butterfly pattern and a few beginner patterns to try out their skills. (If they haven't already started their butterflies in class.)

Moving right along...

Golly, that white thread scans poorly, even with a pale fabric behind it. All threads are Lizbeth 20. (Christmas Green #638, Mint Light #689 and Snow White #601) What a high contrast piece!

In 2009, Martha Ess and Tatting Chic worked out a way to hide the color change in a Single Shuttle Split Ring. It was the perfect technique to use for a multi-color Round 1. Martha cleverly suggested adding the 4th shuttle to place the color exactly where I wanted it.

Please note, to tat Round 1 in one color requires only 2 shuttles wound CTM. To tat it in two colors, 3 shuttles are needed (but the split rings will be two colors). To get those split rings all one color required a 4th shuttle.

(Fox, see how my split rings are all wonky in this piece? They should be more even, but I am still quite thrilled with this effort.)

Martha, thank you for working out the 4th shuttle color option! And Jane, thank you for loaning your Brain Cell #3 to the task as well as preparing the SSSR Double Core tutorial. I couldn't have tatted Round 1 without you both. I love this technique!

Speaking of split rings, this 8/8 split ring chain is tatted in Lizbeth 40 Raspberry Frappé. It is a foundation chain for a ring trim braid that will be 36 inches (91.4 cm) long. The original necklace designed by Jane in South Africa is the pattern for a lanyard I hope to complete before Palmetto Tat Days 2011.

FYI, the shuttles are 2 1/2-inch Buffalo Horn Tatting Shuttles sold by LACIS.

This foundation chain is a perfect "on the go" tat. No pattern needed. And tatting a ring here and there really helps keep me from getting bored. The cell phone photo doesn't do these dreamy, creamy colors justice. They're perfect for a hot summer day!

Are you tatting this weekend? Whatever your plans, I hope you take time to create something beautiful. See you on Tuesday!

Summer Tattin' - knot-tea song lyrics

2011-06-27T11:46:00.003-04:00

In honor of my new beginner's tatting class starting on June 30th, I offer up a knot-tea song lyric.

Summer Tattin'
Sung to the Tune of "Summer Nights" from the movie "Grease"

[IsDihara]
Summer Tattin' got me a class.

[Students]
Summer Tattin' signed up so fast.

[IsDihara]
Six new students waiting for me.

[Students]
Makin' lace, just like Aunt Bea.

[Both]
First lesson comes with a kit, to uh-oh get stitches to flip.

[Everyone]
Uh Well-a well-a well-a huh

[Students]
What's a pinch? Did yours flip?

[IsDihara]
OK, hold it like this.

[Students]
Holy cow! Mine just flipped.

[IsDihara]
Great! You made your first stitch!

"What is so rare as a day in June?"

2011-06-14T16:40:00.005-04:00

"Then, if ever, come perfect days.”
by James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)

Today I type from the playground on a beautiful, breezy sunny day. The kids are out in droves to PLAY!

The Sprout is in his favorite spot - the sandbox - scooping and sand-dozing with a shovel, bucket and a front-loader toy. We're at the Fantasy Playground, a wonderland of wooden bridges, tunnels, alcoves and nooks. A great place for imaginative play.

This Tatting Tea Tuesday finds me still in catch-up mode and dreaming of Palmetto Tat Days in September.

I managed to finally mail a notecard with the Margaret Daisy motif to Fox. (This photo is a teaser. You can barely see it sitting coyly beneath one of my teacups.)

See this awesome digital transfer I found on Etsy? Tea o'clock! Can't wait to put it on something. It just seems so suitable for a tatting frame of mind.

Would it be too abstruse (<-- word of the day!) to transfer this onto a t-shirt and print underneath: "It's always tatting time somewhere."

Irons in the Fire
I am working on a few tatting projects. One is a lanyard for my Tat Days ID tag. Another is an airplane for a baby onesie. I have completed samples for Doretha Albee's Rose Medalion and her original design using the SCMR (published in "Tatting Knots and Notes," Vol. 13, Issue 5, April 1999). I have started round 2 of Mindy Al-Aaraji's Clover Motif. Test tatting continues for Wanda's Heart's Honor bookmark. And last but not least is a split ring edging for a silly project I have been thinking about.

Normally working on multiple projects is the way I work best, but juggling is starting to frazzle my focus, so it is time to get 'em done.

Here are a few photos of these works in progress.

Kokeshi & More

2011-06-07T08:00:00.007-04:00

Knit Kokeshi Doll by Igoya
My twin sister Igoya is so talented. She knit this sweet little doll for a friend who recently had her first child and asked permission to name the baby after her daughter.

Igoya's Kokeshi doll still needs a few facial details, but even without a pouty mouth, two dark eyes and a hint of blush on her cheeks, she's just too cute.

Here is a link to a lovely Kokeshi Doll-shaped Card download. (Sorry, it's not free.)

Hanky from LLL Diane's Giveaway
with Ciarrán and canine pals

Scalloped Hanky
This delicately scalloped, wildflower-embroidered handkerchief was a gift from Lace-lovin' Librarian Diane. It arrived on May 24th. I have been horribly remiss in posting the photos. This may sound odd, but each time I pick it up I want to go pick wildflowers. Thank you for this sweet inspiration, Diane!

Ciarrán brought both crazy salt shakers into the picture this time. That lep is one incorrigible (and adorable) attention hound. Could it have anything to do with me saying that men who keep pets attract women? (Hmmm, I may be onto something.)

♥ from Postie
Yesterday my mail carrier slipped a fat, padded envelope inside my storm door from CrazyMom. Just look at all the goodies she sent!

See that heart-shaped basket? See the size 15/0 Miyuki Rocailles in two to-die-for colors? See all that thread? Two crisply starched hankies? Shuttle bling paper? The plump, pink pig with googly eyes? (Googly eyes are very popular with The Sprout.) AND a tin? Here is what I found inside the tin.

Contents of Mint Tin

One more treasure was packed in this trove of goodies - a music mix CD for The Sprout. It has been playing almost nonstop since yesterday. Lots and lots of songs a four-year-old can love!

Last night he particularly identified with track 15 - Mama's Soup Surprise by Bruce Springsteen. I found myself singing along with "The Marvelous Toy" by Peter, Paul & Mary. But the one that got stuck in my head and won't come out is "Ha Ha This a Way" by Leadbelly. Thanks for all the catchy songs, CrazyMom!

As for tea, I'm sipping Jack Frost - a caffeine-free herbal blend of African red bush, vanilla, peppermint and spearmint. Hoping it will help dispel the sweltering heat and humidity that plagues my corner of Tat Land.

Stay cool in your corner(s) of Tat Land. Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Tatter on NPR

2011-06-04T17:53:00.014-04:00

[Editor's Note: Special thanks to Tatting Pam from Texas who scooped this awesome bit of tatting news!]

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

No, that isn't me trying to be funny. It is actually the name of the radio program where a tatter was a contestant and won a free recorded message for her answering machine.

Anyone who has listened to this program knows how entertaining it is. I find it to be clever and laugh-out-loud funny.

Listen to the full show - June 4, 2011

After the second segment, called Bluff the Listener (in which the tatter was featured), actor Kevin Bacon was interviewed and played another game called "Not My Job." Funny stuff!

Motif 24 - Nelson Edging

2011-06-02T13:27:00.004-04:00

Tying up a few loose ends before jumping into new tatting projects: can you believe I forgot to count Nelson Edging in my 25 motif challenge?

I posted about finishing the socks on April 26, but didn't count the edging toward my 25 Motif Challenge.

March 23 - A Time for Tatting

March 1 - Edging Toward Spring

You can see that this project took nearly two months for me to complete. This is a result of "catch as catch can" tatting and is in no way a reflection on Orsi's edging.
Nelson was a joy to tat!

Tatting with small children requires a bit of flexibility. You make the best of whatever tatting time is available. It comes in small snatches, like while you are waiting for the dryer buzzer to go off or for a pot of water to boil. Or after the kidlet(s) are tucked into their beds. Is this why so many tatters of yore kept a shuttle in their apron pocket?

A Brain Cloud?
Lapses of attention are becoming increasingly problematic. Even a bit alarming. (I forgot to buckle The Sprout into the car seat again today. And this time he reminded me while we were on a highway!) I walk around my house in circles because I put something down and can't find it. I search for words and can't remember if I leave things on. Am I losing my mind?

Luckily I found this article online that helped assuage my fears: Pay attention to your fuzzy thinking. Time for some pampering and extra sleep. YAY!

In Memory of Doretha Albee

2011-05-31T16:00:00.012-04:00

Doretha Albee (1935 - 2011)

On Saturday, April 16, 2011, Tat Land lost a treasured rose. I never had the pleasure of meeting Doretha Albee, but her contributions to the tatting community were generous and many. For that I am forever grateful.

Georgia Seitz was fortunate to know her and has published this memorial on BellaOnline. Shared here with permission.

Doretha Albee's "Rose Medallion" first appeared in "Tatting Online, The Official 1999 Tat Chat Pattern Book," published 1999 and edited by Georgia Seitz. Shared here by permission of the editor in memory of Doretha.

In January 2000, Carol Lawecki tatted this lovely multi-colored "Rose Medallion" by Doretha Albee and has kindly granted me permission to share her photo here. Thank you, Carol!

Did you know that Mrs. Albee designed a Pineapple Doily? Yessirree! Designed in 1997, it is called Pineapple Heaven.

CrazyMom is tatting this lovely doily. You can follow her progress here: Doily Progress

"Tatting Knots and Notes Revisited, Book 1"

Doretha's only published book to which I can find any reference is the newsletter compilation, "Tatting Knots and Notes Revisited, Book 1." A copy of it, I am told, is available through the I.O.L.I. Lending Library.

I'm not an I.O.L.I. member. However, PLG of VA tatter Anita Barry shared 4 issues of "Tatting Knots and Notes" from 1999 that she had saved in her library. Was I excited!

The tone of the newsletters was intimate and genial. I immediately felt as if I were sitting with Doretha tatting and chatting over tea. Few bloggers, including me, achieve this level of warmth in their writings. Once I had devoured them all I was left wanting more.

Doretha shared anecdotes, patterns from turn-of-the-century needlework magazines, tatting news and original designs.

She wrote of hating to cut and tie ends (Don't we all!) and often reworked antique patterns to make use of modern techniques. Clear photos of her own samples rounded out the pattern sections.

Doretha's window on the tatting world was filled with warmth and charm.
Let's all encourage "Tatting Knots and Notes Revisited, Book 1" to be reprinted.

Never having known her, I feel sure that I would have liked her immensely. Thank you, Doretha Albee, for continuing to publish this newsletter after Pat Perry died in 1991.

Thank you also for leaving a legacy of tatting companionship that will grow and flourish for generations to come.

On this last Tatting Tea Tuesday of May 2011, I raise my teacup^* in tribute and bow my head in silence before picking up my shuttles.

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

^* Today's tea is an infusion of decaf green/pomegranate/raspberry/mint.

♥ Lizbeth® is here ♥ - Part 2

2011-05-25T11:59:00.002-04:00

Or how the UTJ Flair Button was born.
(Just joking. You ladies crack me up.)

Lizbeth^® Purple Iris Dk #647, Purple Iris Lt #646
and Purple Iris Fusion #162

This photo shows off the crystal better than the thread, but it still gets the job done. I am in a purple rapture over this combination.

Lizbeth^® Purple Iris Dk #647, Purple Iris Lt #646
and Purple Iris Fusion #162

This photo gives you a much better idea of the colors.

At the risk of unrecoverable blasphemy, these purples give me that "lift me up to meet Jesus" feeling. (Oh Lord, I apologize.)

Lizbeth^® Magenta Dk. #618 , Magenta Med. #617
and Raspberry Frappe #157

Wait, there are more! I am not a "pink person." But Barbara Foster had me drooling with her description of Raspberry Frappe before I ever saw a color sample. So let me hold up my head proudly and say THIS is thread even a pink-hater can love.

Because I really do.

Leps may be mischievous, even masters of misdirection, but they don't lie. Ciarrán "leapt" right in to the thread pool. And you?

One last photo -- but you have to scroll down to yesterday's post to see it. The image of the "blues trio" needed to be shared, so I grabbed a snippet of tatted lace that I "rescued" from a flea market and took another photo so you could see how great these "blues brothers" look together.

♥ Lizbeth® is here ♥

2011-05-24T14:07:00.010-04:00

Feast your eyes on the new Lizbeth colors. My order arrived yesterday in the afternoon post.

Were they worth the wait? Oh yeah!

Honest and sincere thanks from the bottom of my heart to every person who submitted color suggestions and/or names for this latest batch of threads. Whether or not your suggestion(s) were chosen, you have helped shape some of the most desirable (IMHO) color mixes in the Lizbeth^® line.

And the best part? You get the colors that you want!

Disclaimer: I do not get any compensation from Handy Hands whatsoever. I am just a happy customer (& self-professed UTJ *) caught up in thread-induced euphoria.

* Unrepentant Thread Junkie

Lizbeth^® Sea Island Citrus
Light, idyllic Sea Island Citrus (#161) goes so beautifully with my favorite Pashmina wrap. Aren't the colors a perfect match?

You'll dream of balmy skies and ocean breezes while you tat. (OK, it's me doing the dreaming...but why not you too?)

Lizbeth^® Niagara Falls and Lizbeth^® Sea Island Citrus
with Ciarrán and a cool canine companion

Ciarrán begged to bring this crazy salt shaker into the picture saying it added perspective. I think he just wanted face time.

Lizbeth^® Easter Eggs and Lizbeth^® Country Kitchen

These next two are medleys of muted pastel perfection. On the left is Lizbeth^® Easter Eggs and on the right, Lizbeth^® Country Kitchen. Mine is just one humble opinion, but I think these are well suited for Easter tatting, baby items, friendship gifts, handkerchief edgings and more.

The handkerchief was given to my grandmother (may she rest in peace) in 2001 by Shirley Carmona from Galt, CA. She kept it with her until the day she died and then it was passed on to me.

Lizbeth^® Easter Eggs, Lizbeth^® Country Kitchen
and Lizbeth^® Niagara Falls

Much like its namesake, Niagara Falls thread neatly straddles the divide between two of my favorite blue variegated threads: Peacock Blues #149 and Turquoise Twist #142. If you are a "blues" lover, Niagara Falls rounds out the pair, making a pretty trio.

The "blues brothers"

Six more juicy, sun-drenched shades are waiting in the wings, so come back tomorrow for more thread euphoria!

Sunday Sweets

2011-05-23T09:47:00.008-04:00

As a new class of students embarks on their Design-Tat journeys, I can't help reflecting on my own discoveries.

One of the revelations was that you never know from whence the spark will come. Once you start seeing the world through design eyes, inspiration can come from anywhere.

Image reprinted with permission
Copyright © 2011 Carol Gillott
A delectable dessert photo, for example.

Everyone else (maybe you included) salivates over the scrumptious-looking petits fours, but I see the box.

'Can the lacy border can be tatted?' I wonder.

This sketch came to a screeching halt because of the "tassel effect." It is a principle element on the box. (Click on the Paris Breakfast photo for a close-up view.)

Another revelation is that once inspiration strikes you never know where it may lead. The "tassel effect" section I also "see" a ribbon bow with a tassel hanging from it. So the Clunies may morph into bows.

Nothing is certain, except for one thing - getting there is half the fun!

Do go over to Paris Breakfasts for more mouth-watering images of sweet treats and the incredible water-color paintings pastry artist Carol Gillott creates from them. Just don't go hungry...

Tell her IsDihara sent you. シ

Uncle, I Say!

2011-05-20T17:58:00.004-04:00

Does anyone have any ideas or tips for getting my blog roll to update more frequently?

On a daily basis my blog roll shows items that are at least a day old. When I go to another tatter's blog roll I find several newly updated posts that are not showing on mine.

I am ready to remove this widget because it does not show "real time" updates.

UNCLE!

My background has been changing fairly regularly too. Can't seem to find a free background that I like. Am I really that picky?

I really should create my own, but I don't want to take the time away from tatting or my long list of lace guild responsibilities.

Back in the day (2008) I created my own banners and headers for my mommy blog: A Parently Speaking

Is-disabler in the Driver's Seat

2011-05-17T15:18:00.035-04:00

Tatting Tea Tuesday got off to a rocky start as I got The Sprout up, washed, dressed and off to preschool. I forgot to pack his tote and snack.

I also forgot to unbuckle him from his safety (car) seat. (Thank goodness I remembered to buckle him in.)

This all may sound like nit-pickin', but the buckle snafu meant The Sprout wasn't ready when the carpool helper came to escort him into school. Holding up the carpool line doesn't ingratiate you with the helpers or the long line of parents waiting behind you.

On the up side, he was washed, dressed, fed and had a car snack, so the morning wasn't a complete mess. For that I am grateful. But I had to drive home, retrieve his tote and drive it back to preschool.

Determined to salvage some tatting time, I brought iPad and tatting and am writing from the preschool parking lot. The one thing I didn't grab on my second dash out the door was tea.

Often we talk of enabling or being enabled by another person's passion. If anyone has a spare scrap of passion to send my way, I could use a bit of a boost. Just call me Is-disabler today.

Here's the silver lining: I am unplugged from phones, Internet and barking dogs. Squeals of glee from children running, climbing, and playing recess games are my "white noise." It is a beautiful day.

“In my view, nineteen pounds of old books are at least nineteen times as delicious as one pound of fresh caviar.”
~ Anne Fadiman

Boons from the Briny Deep

Yesterday the postman brought a treasure trove of old tatting books sent from a friend. Not even the most successful pirate could have plundered greater spoils, me hearties!

My hands actually shook as I opened Angeline Crichlow's seventh book, "Solid 3D Tatting." The pages had been assembled by hand and bound with a pink satin ribbon. The color photos were hand trimmed and pasted onto mimeographed pages.

Georgia Seitz tells me Angeline put all of her books together that way. The only one that was sent off to be printed and bound was "Let's Tat."

(A squirrel just came up to the minivan and raised up on its hind legs, listening. He (or she) couldn't see me sitting behind the wheel, but could hear the tapping sound as my fingers danced across the iPad's touch screen keys. Sorry I don't have any acorns for you, friend.)

Another treasure is "Heritage Patterns" by Norma Benporath. Did you know that Norma was the only tatter to have been presented with the Order of Australia for her "service to the craft of tatting as a designer and through international publication of her patterns?"

Dilly Delights, books I and II were tucked in the box, along with a beautiful hard-back copy of "La Frivolité" in French, Orkis uden groesner (Hanne L. Pedersen) in German, a wonderful Japanese tatting book and a Russian macramé book that includes a small section on tatting.

All this bounty will be added to my personal tatting library. So please accept my sincere apologies for not sharing any tatting today - or tea. Too much tatting lore over which to pore!

The Sprout's class just came out to the playground for recess so I will break here to watch him play.

All in all, this "fallback plan" turned out to be both productive and relaxing. I look forward to doing it again next Tuesday with tea!

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Egregious Green

2011-05-10T16:21:00.004-04:00

See how close I came to completing this motif only to run short of green thread on the final repeat?

It laid flat until the final repeat and now cups ever so slightly.
Blocking may fix it. If not, the experiment will continue anew -- as 3D tatting.

It is definitely not in my nature to just "go with it," but this experiment seems to be progressing mostly according to plan. So nervously do I turn this project over to the muses.

Sorry to be unclear, y'all. I am not quitting this motif just because the green thread ran out. I had hoped to have the new green added in, the final chains completed and all ends hidden by today, but life got in the way of lacemaking.

So I'm showing you anyway. Sometimes you can't rush a good thing.

Anyway, if the muses choose 3D then I'm thinking perhaps a 3D Teapot?

* Thread Specs - Flora 20 Green #230, Lizbeth 20 #601 Snow White and Lizbeth 20 #613 Golden Yellow Medium.

* Diameter in size 20 thread = 4 inches (10.2 cm)

A Traveling Adventure Series?

2011-05-03T18:28:00.001-04:00

Gentle tatters, our community is poised to create a new custom.

Two "traveling book adventures" are in progress and a third is in the preparing stages. All in loving tribute to tatting paragons who have gone before, but who are not forgotten.

It all started with Angeline Crichlow.

Through the generous efforts of Fox in Canada, a copy of "Let's Tat" has been "on loan" - whisking its way around the globe from one interested tatter to the next and so on. Three Cheers for Fox and Angeline's Traveling Book Adventure!

[Responding to a request I have received for information on how to acquire books published by Angeline Crichlow (deceased 1997): This is the information I have:

Angeline Crichlow*
order by mail C/O her daughter, Jeani Crichlow Wieck, 4309 SE Flavel Portland OR 97206. Contact IsDihara (me) privately if you would like a phone number.]

Here is a link to my 2009 post "Let's Tat"

Mary Konior*
A year and almost 4 months ago, Tat Land lost another treasured rose in Mary Konior. We all love her patterns and will likely love them for generations to come.

Here is a link to my 2009 post No Rose Without a Thorn

Martha Ess (a great tatter in her own right) has generously launched a second "on loan" traveling book adventure. Yes! A copy of Mary Konior's "Tatting in Lace" has also begun traveling. Three Cheers for Martha and Mary's Traveling Book Adventure!

So tell me, what do you think of starting a "traveling book adventure" series?

My two cents: it would be a lovely tribute to the tatting paragons who made their own textbooks when none were available, who published so that tatting did not perish, who shared of themselves to keep our gentle art alive.

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Margaret, Modified Again

2011-04-26T18:53:00.008-04:00

Today's tatting is for Fox who commented that she would like to see the modified "Margaret" motif in white, yellow and green.

Hurray! I remembered to try out Jane's "blipless" joining technique for the first join.

Boo! I forgot to throw off a green ring from petals two and four of the smaller, five-petal posy. *face.palm*

The ring was intended to connect the outer posies for added strength.

Journey commented that she would consider further modifying this pattern to connect the flowers. Sharon Briggs also mused about not leaving those posies to wave in the wind.

I agree! So the experiment continues.

(Can't help wondering, though, if a six-petal flower would align the rings and petals more judiciously.) ッ

The outer round of posies reminds me of Western Springbeauty or Pear blossoms.

Easter Socks

The Nelson edgings for Easter socks were completed on time and given to my niece Jalice. Can you believe that is the first pair of socks to which I have ever attached tatting?

Another observation: two 12 1/2-inch lengths of edging (31.8 cm) are roughly halfway around a handkerchief. Hmmm...

As for tea, I sipped my first seasonal glass of sun tea. It was a refreshing blend of decaf green, pomegranate and wild berry plum. (It sounds complicated, but tastes delicious on ice!)

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Motif 23 - Margaret, Adapted

2011-04-23T17:54:00.008-04:00

An adaptation of Lyn Morton's "Margaret"
into a nine-sided motif

A UFO that began as a design experiment in 2009 is finally done.

This piece was intended to be part of my first 25 motif challenge so, in a weird way, it is good that I hadn't yet completed the challenge. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)

Here is the post that started it all. Snowed in Under a Cherry Moon

The hypothesis: Can Lyn Morton's Margaret motif (found in her book, Tatting Patterns, page 81) with its six-petal flower, be tatted as a nine-petal flower and turned into a nine-sided motif?

The proof: Yes, it can.

I did make one more change to Lyn Morton's pattern. I threw off a ring from the connecting chains in round two in order to create a bit more negative space. The rings create an inner circle that I find quite pleasing.

Lyn Morton's "Margaret" includes a third round of chains with single rings to connect the flowers. Round three adds strength and gives the motif a polished finish.

Doesn't Tatskool's luscious ChocoRaspberry HDT make this piece look sweet as a gumdrop? (It is size 40 thread, I think.)

I would love to tat this again using her Apple Blossom HDT. And again in three solid colors (white, yellow and green).

I will count this motif as number 23 in my 25 motif challenge.

Boy does it feel good to finish this motif!

NPR takes on The Celery Question

2011-04-21T14:16:00.001-04:00

As I was writing up my next tatting post, I stumbled upon this story from NPR columnists Robert Krulwich and OddTodd.

If you have ever had to give up chocolate (*gasp*) in favor of celery, their views will be of particular interest.

Chewing on Carbon: The Celery Question

Just one more reason to eat chocolate, if you ask me.

Spumone + Macarons = YUM?

2011-04-20T14:36:00.029-04:00

Check out this Flikr photo of a Spumoni Macaroon:
Spumoni Macaron Sandwich (In Italy, spelled Spumone)
I'm off and running to try this flavor combination!

If the taste doesn't live up to the imagery, I will fall back on either pumpkin filling, orange curd or salted caramel.

The foodie in me is dancing with glee. Wheee!

UPDATE: The Spumoni ice cream samples are resting in the freezer. The pumpkin filling samples are resting in the refrigerator.

As for the salted caramel filling I turned to a no-fail foodie blog: Smitten Kitchen - Deep, Dark, Salted Butter Caramel

Test Filling #1: Pumpkin Curd

Just looking at the photo, I can hardly believe I made such a tasty-looking mac in my own kitchen!

The lighting in following two photos isn't nearly as good but show the fillings adequately enough to make my mouth water.

Test Filling #2a: Spumoni - Cherry/Pistachio

Test Filling #2b: Spumoni - Pistachio

Had to stop taking photos for the blog, as I kept eating samples! Sadly the salted caramel samples didn't get made because of health issues.

Do I intend to savor this baking victory? You bet your sweet bippy!

The results are in!

1. Spumoni (Pistachio, then Cherry, then Chocolate)
2. lemon curd (strong lemon flavor, only a hint of pistachio)
3. pumpkin curd (totally overwhelmed the pistachio flavor)

After all is said and done, I'm sure that a pistachio buttercream would top this list. Salted caramel would rank second(if not first). Dark chocolate ganache probably number three.

As for the curds, they have their merits, but are best paired with macs of the same flavor. At least until my mac palate matures.

Little Pistachio Sins

2011-04-19T19:11:00.004-04:00

Remember when I posted about macaroons to celebrate Macaroon Day?

Today I achieved my first macaroon baking success. Here are a few photos.

First successful meringue

Piped shells resting for 30 minutes

Here is what shells look like when you slide them straight into the oven without letting them rest first.

Now for a confession: I haven't yet assembled the macaroons. Every filling recipe calls for butter and heavy cream or whipping cream and I just don't want that kind of temptation during Lent.

Some macaroons are filled with jam or curd (as in lemon curd) but what flavor goes best with pistachio macaroons?

The recipes in Mad About Macarons suggest a pistachio buttercream or a dark chocolate ganache. Both sound sinfully delicious. But I need something else.

So I ponder (apricot? orange?) and nibble pistachio-and-air confections that are "little sins" in their own right.

We Now Return You to Your Regularly Scheduled Program

Pretty Promises

2011-04-07T14:53:00.010-04:00

It was a gorgeous Spring morning worthy of a few (cell phone) photos.

CrazyMom got me all wistful with her wild dogwood, wisteria and other gorgeous flora. I commented about a close up of the dogwoods and she shared some awesome shots! Thanks CrazyMom!

In our neighborhood, creamy dogwoods are more common than the white or pink varieties. Ours are just starting to awaken from their dreamy sleeps.

Morning light captured in shy buds. Don't they look luminous as they yawn and stretch their petals?

Just one more...these flowers remind me of teacups.

Check out this weeping cherry.

Cascading pink petals were such a spectacle as to nearly take my breath away.

Spring is certainly in the air, though not yet as fully as in Hotlanta. Do visit CrazyMom's blog for real displays of delicate beauty.

Despair not northern cousins, Spring is on its way!

Decoupage Delirium

2011-04-03T19:21:00.004-04:00

Count me among recent converts who have been madly blinging tatting shuttles. What started with a hesitant toe-dip has become an enthusiastic cannonball plunge.

Case in point.

Spring Bling - ITD Giveaway Prizes

Congratulations to Krystledawne who won the blue origami butterfly shuttle and to Jon Yusoff who won the Cherry Plum Blossoms shuttle. You both did a great job with the Online Tatting Class puzzles and games!

When You Care Enough to Enable

Remember when Lace-lovin' Librarian Diane shared adhesive papers with Tat Land? I got some. Then even more decoupage goodies arrived in a huge envelope from Bree's prize giveaway. Between the two of them I had enough embellishments to warrant storage.

Cue my sister Igoya who kicks in with scraps of left-over Japanese washi paper from her Etsy Shop.

This level of sharing could tackle world hunger!

ITD Gets Noticed

2011-04-01T14:48:00.006-04:00

Word is getting out about International Tatting Day!

Holiday Insights has the most accurate info.

National Whatever Day spotlights three events today, ITD being at the top of the list.

The Ultimate Holiday Site takes a more tongue-in-cheek approach, winning the prize for Most Frequent Use of the Word Doily in a listing.

Gone-ta-Pott actually has the most comprehensive listing, though some of its data is vague or incorrect. They certainly get an A+ for effort.

Thank you ALL for helping us spread the word about our very special day!

Three Cheers for INTERNATIONAL TATTING DAY!

Wishing you all a fun-filled ITD!

If this is your first time celebrating, here are a few suggestions to get you started, courtesy of Marty McCarthy:

International Tatting Day
1. Eat all the chocolate you desire.
2. Wear a little tatting and tell everyone you meet about tatting
3. Tat only for yourself, only what YOU want to tat
4. Remember (or Honor) the tatters who have gone before you and contributed so much to our art.

And by all means, you can send cards.

Photo reprinted with permission
©2010 Paris Breakfasts

Chocolate Fish (Poisson d'Avril)
For the past three years, I have written about why I tat with a flat, fish-shaped shuttle on April 1^st.

I will spare you a rehash. But if it is your first time or you are curious, here's a great primer from Carol Gillott, author of Paris Breakfasts: Poisson d'Avril!

Carol's posts are always chock-full of gorgeous photos and this one is dedicated to seafood, silly pranks and chocolate fish.

A Giveaway - No Foolin'
In spite of the progress we have achieved, many tatters still don't know about our special day.

So in the interest of getting the word out far and wide, I am having another giveaway!

Here's what you need to do to get score one of two ITD prizes!

1. Attend the Online Tatting Class special session at either 3PM or 8:30PM ET (New York time).

2. Participate in the activites to qualify to win.

Two Online Tatting Class winners will receive by mail directly from me (in addition to whatever Georgia Seitz has in store) a chocolate fish and a blinged Clover shuttle. (sample shuttle image below)

Everyone who attends the Online Tatting Class will receive a freebie PDF with instructions to make your own flat shuttle template.

Why not use it to create and bling a flat shuttle for yourself or a new tatting friend?

Spring Step Forward, Snow Step Back

2011-03-27T15:31:00.003-04:00

This past week Spring began bursting out all over.

First blooms of Spring
Mid-week the trees were bud-heavy, but before you could say "Bob's your uncle" they looked like this.

March on springtime!

Wouldn't you know? Sunday morning dawned with a dusting of snow covering those delicate pink petals. Thankfully, by noon it had all melted away.

Spring Bling Pink Prep

White stuff got me off my duff to bring some Spring indoors. Putting pink blossoms on my shuttles is my bling-erific goal.

So far I have painted one pink Clover white and am ready to apply the first coat of Mod Podge and flowery napkin.

AUGH! Had to stop to deal with family matters. In this instance it was the breakdown of the car. The mechanic says that it needs a new fuel pump (costing $1,000) and Big Daddy doesn't want to put that much money into it. He prefers to spend that money for a down payment on a replacement vehicle. So we're off to Carmax to shop for mini-vans.

Like Spring, my progress seems to be of the "one step forward, two steps back" variety. Shuttle will have to wait. For now.

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Macarons

2011-03-23T11:50:00.006-04:00

To celebrate Macaroon Day (March 20, 2011) I drove 15 miles to a Swiss Bakery and picked up these little gems. They were sold in sets of 3 or a larger package of 6. I saw no reason to limit my taste test. All in the name of blog research, of course.

Their size may surprise you. At roughly 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter, they are tiny bites of pure pleasure.

Carol Gillott, author of Paris Breakfasts blog, advises, "Macarons are supposed to be petit - un péché mignon (a little sin)."

Macarons also come in two larger sizes but not many people buy them. Parisians prefer the smaller, guilty pleasures. Who am I to argue?

Light, crunchy meringue exteriors give way to soft, gently flavored interiors (lemon, lime and strawberry are pictured) with a buttercream or ganache filling.

I am so wild about these almond-and-air confections that I bought this from Amazon.com:

The book should arrive later this week. Once it does, it will be time to get baking! Cross your fingers that I will be able to make macarons to feed my foodie appetite.

A Time for Tatting

As for lace, I have finished the first of two 12 1/3-inch (32 cm) edgings and am working on the second.

Adult size Easter socks for my niece Jalice. Silly hats and crazy socks are popular pieces in the fashion repertory of my family.

I still haven't begun the meandering vine edging that Lace-lovin' Librarian Diane has been testing for her sister. And there are still Easter egg laces to try. So much to do and so little time!

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

♥ for Postie and Spring Bling

2011-03-22T10:39:00.007-04:00

This past week I received three wonderful packages that made me feel so special! One had traveled all the way across the sea from JaneE. It reaffirmed my faith in Royal Mail.

This image is from Jane Eborall's Etsy shop listing. It is the butterfly bookmark I bought for Igoya, my twin sister.

Forgot to snap a photo before mailing it out, so I had to wait to share the images. Igoya should be receiving it today. Jane did such a splendid job!

I did, however, remember to take this seahorse bookmark photo. Isn't he a handsome gent!

They are both really stunning lace creations. It was quite difficult choosing which to send and which to keep.

Spring Bling

This second package was actually the first to arrive, but my dithering kept me from doing anything other than fondling the pretty papers and holding Clover shuttles up to them. Thank you, Lace-lovin' Librarian Diane, for your generosity and color-coordinating everything in advance.

The shuttles are mine for the blinging. Diane did not send them. Her gift of papers was generous enough!

Giveaway Prize

The third package was jam-packed with even more shuttle decorations. Thank you, Bree, for sharing so generously. It is the biggest giveaway prize I have ever received. Now to get blinging!

Dip a Toe or Jump in?

So the moment of truth has come. I decided to toe-dip instead of jumping in.

I covered a bon bon box with mulberry paper and lined the inside with a glittery gold. Toss in a few shamrocks for luck and...

Voila! A travel box fit for a leprechaun.
(He might need Ray-Bans^®...)

(Image courtesy of Ray-Ban^® Virtual Mirror)

Holy cow! Where has the time gone? I have another whole post worth of macaroon goodness to share for Tatting Tea Tuesday. Ah well, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Check back for Mad for Macarons

Happy Macaroon Day!

2011-03-20T06:51:00.059-04:00

Since I missed Macaroon Day last year, (organized by François Payard himself to coincide with the jour du macaron in Paris), I feel compelled to spread the word about this little French confection.

This Tuesday, March 22, I propose celebrating the arrival of Spring by settling in for Tatting Tea Tuesday with your favorite cuppa and a tasty macaroon.

Who's with me?

Curious about these meringue-like marvels?

National Public Radio published this story earlier this year:

NPR - Move Over Cupcake, Make Way for the Macaroon

Paris Breakfasts shares Jour du Macaron 2011 photos.

One of my Twitter pals, @NotQuiteNigella, posts this about her love-hate relationship with macaroon baking.

The Macaron Whisperer

I even competed in @NotQuiteNigella's Ultimate Chocolate Cake Challenge in 2008 and did much better than I expected.

A Parently Speaking (2008)- The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Challenge

A Parently Speaking (2008) - You Still Have Time to Vote

Whether or not you have means to bake or acquire one or more of these tasty treats, I wish you a very Happy Macaroon Day!

Paper, Podge and a Plane

2011-03-17T07:45:00.004-04:00

My poor abused fingers have been bandaged lately, which makes tatting awkward, so I switched to scrapbooking and experimenting with Mod Podge.

Here is the first digital scrapbook page I finished. Of course, one very eager elf leapt with glee as soon as I agreed to post it.

The bottom section leaves room to add hybrid items, such as bits of tatting and an accordian-fold mini-photo book.

The journaling wraps around the page. It is hard to read unless you can enlarge the image to 8x8 or larger. So here's what it says:

It's up, up and away for Ciarrán the leprechaun! Here he is taking advantage of a fine Spring day to joy ride on Birgitte Tessier’s model airplane.

Waving goodbye, our intrepid lep' takes to the skies and sets his sights westward. It is a quest he hopes will end in romance as he heads off to win the heart of his lady fair. Ciarrán had the good fortune to train with her during his academy days in a remote Irish location.

With naught but a lucky coin and his passion to guide him, it will be the adventure of a lifetime. Good luck to you, Ciarrán!

The photos were taken LAST Spring, hence the May 2010 date. Since then I have not heard heard the end of lep pestering to post this page.

Does Ciarrán have secret motives? A flight plan?

I did spy him skulking through the kitchen the other night. The next morning there was an unsealed letter addressed to a lady lep sitting on the breakfast table.

'What does that wily sprite have up his sleeve?' I thought and peeked into the envelope.

*gasp* A glimpse inside the card...

The card bore the lady lep's name as well as a bit of Irish poetry. Not wanting to spoil the surprise in case the recipient reads this blog, I cropped off those parts. (Sorry!)

But oh, it makes my heart glad to see that Ciarrán has not given up on romance. His resolve hasn't waned in spite of receiving no word from his lady fair in a year. And let's not forget he has a rival.

Will Ciarrán's love interest favor him with an answer?

Stay tuned for more Adventures of Ciarrán the Leprechaun.

This post has gotten quite long so watch for details of my experiments in Mod Podge in the next post.

Next: Dip a Toe or Jump In?

Civil War Tatting

2011-03-11T06:26:00.021-05:00

On Saturday I will be giving a short talk on tatting at a stitcher's guild meeting, and hope to mention how tatting fits into the Civil War timeframe.

I am not well-versed in Civil War historical research. Luckily I don't need to be. Virginia Mescher has published a great article on Civil War tatting that Kersti kindly posted with permission over at InTatters forum.

Follow this link to read all about it: Civil War Tatting

Or read it via the Online Tatting Class: Civil War Tatting

Historian Lorene Payne of the Southern Fauquier Historical Society is coming to speak at the Piedmont Lace Guild's April meeting. She will give a presentation on Ladies Wear of the Americas in full 19th century garb!

The program is open to guild members and guests.
E-mail info@piedmontlace.org to join me as my guest.

Hope and Union

2011-03-07T09:55:00.001-05:00

design*sponge loves this little peek inside a sunny, Charleston, SC coffee shop called Hope and Union and I must confess to mirroring her yearning to move inside. But for a different reason.

I want to tat there! Bet I'm not alone.

Who lives close enough to this coffee shop to go, tat and take pictures so I can live vicariously through you?

Fifteen Seconds of Fame?

2011-03-01T18:25:00.007-05:00

Last September, my Tatting Tea Tuesday - Tidbits post announced a future 15 seconds of fame.

It came! It came!
My 15 seconds of fame...

A complimentary copy of the March/April 2011 issue of Piecework magazine arrived in today's mail. ツ

In the "By Post" column (page 4) is my Letter to the Editor regarding the tatted edging shown in "A Tray Cloth to Hemstitch" (September/October 2010).

Georgia Seitz's web site is cited as a source for the edging pattern. It is to be found here:

"Butterick's Tatting & Netting" 1896

Tatting & Netting, Part 1 (page 24 of 40)

Seeing one's name in print is strangely surreal. (Squee!)

The March/April 2011 issue hits newsstands March 8th.

This issue contains NO TATTING, but it is filled to bursting with rich, vibrant color!

Read on for today's Tatting Tea Tuesday post.

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Edging toward Spring

2011-03-01T15:22:00.003-05:00

Happy Tatting Tea Tuesday on this first day of March. Were you able tat at IHOP this morning?

Long lines stretched out the door of my local IHOP.
Folks in my area must really like free pancakes.

I wanted to tat at IHOP, but sadly came home to paint. I haven't finished painting 180 craft sticks that must be done by March 5th for the lace guild.

Painting hasn't kept me from my shuttles entirely. This week I have been test tatting two new patterns for CrazyMom, plus breaking in four new Pony shuttles.

CrazyMom's patterns must be kept top secret for now, but here is what has been reeling off the (new to me) Aero-style shuttles.

Nelson Edging © 2011
Design by Orsi (part of her Napoleon series)

Both samples are 3-inches (7.6 cm) long. The first is tatted in size 30 Bali HDT by Backwoods Tatter. The second sample is tatted in size 40 Lizbeth^® #663.

Don't they look grand? The Lizbeth^® is a trifle more crisp than the Bali HDT; the difference only showing up when closing the Josephine Rings.

Thank you, Orsi, for sharing this superb edging on your blog. The whole Napoleon series is stately and elegant. Your patterns are exquisite!

Meandering Vine
More inspiration comes from Lace-lovin Librarian ~ Diane, who has been test-tatting an edging for her sister. Her process fanned the edging spark in me.

Edging #8861 from Tatting No. 207, 1944

Meandering vine #8861 was her sister's chosen edging. (Hey, I have that book too! Tatting. Published by The Spool Cotton Company No. 207, 1944.)

The clustered rings that make up this flowery pattern have always looked like butterflies to me. So pretty.

Watch for a color edging using #8861 to come soon. In the meantime, head on over to Diane's blog to monitor her progress or enter her Spring Bling Giveaway!

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

I Flip for IHOP

2011-02-23T11:10:00.004-05:00

Just another one of my crazy ideas . . .

Did you know that March 1^st is National Pancake Day? If you flip for flapjacks, mark your calendar. IHOP is giving away free short stacks until 10:00 AM on that day.

Anyone who has heard of my crazy ideas in the past (fractured song lyrics and menacing microbes come to mind) knows it is only a tiny leap for me to turn pancake day into a tatting meet-up.

Think of it as building awareness, a preamble to International Tatting Day on April 1^st.

Call a tatting friend and arrange a meet-up on March 1st at a mutually convenient IHOP. Bring your shuttles (or needles) and tat in public. If (when) someone asks, tell them you flip for tatting and pancakes. What a perfect way to enjoy both!

ChocoLove Giveaway Winners!

2011-02-21T13:48:00.006-05:00

Sorry to keep you all in suspense. My twin sister and her family came to visit and I waited until they had made their goodbyes to pick the four lucky winners.

*drum.roll* Without further adieu...

The four ChocoLove Giveaway WINNERS are...

CONGRATULATIONS!

43 = Quayceetatter

35 = Laura

15 = CrazyMomTats

9 = JB

Each of you have been contacted privately to request your mailing info. If you see your name here and DON'T have a message from me in your inbox (or a comment on your blog) please get in touch with me immediately!

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who entered and watch for another blog giveaway in honor of International Tatting Day on April 1st!

BREAKING NEWS!

Jane Eborall posted her ChocoLove Giveaway entry comment while I was choosing the winners and so JUST squeeked in before it was too late.

Since I inadvertently chose the winners BEFORE 12:00 Midnight EST -- thereby closing the contest 12 hours early -- it is only right that Jane gets a prize too.

Jane, what is your favorite color?

Spring Tease

2011-02-19T21:46:00.003-05:00

Two gorgeous spring-like days have given way to gusty winds and colder temperatures. Mother Nature's tease has got me thinking about Spring things, like these lovely eggs decorated by Polish tatter, Woalka.

Woalka saw eggs on Renulek's blog and shows hers as she watches closely for more shared patterns.

Once the ChocoLove Giveaway is over, I look forward to playing around with egg patterns too.

ChocoLove Giveaway!

2011-02-14T06:18:00.011-05:00

ChocoLove Giveaway Prizes
Ah, l'amour. If secret longings (or the more openly professed kind) have your tatting heart pounding, let me help take your mind off things with a sweet treat.

What could be sweeter than a GIVEAWAY?

Here's your chance to sate those lace cravings with one of four "ChocoLove" gift packs.

Up for grabs are four Dream in Chocolate notepads. (They are all the same, so I only put one in the photo.)

Tatskool has donated four scrumptious skeins from her superb Choco-family of hand-dyed threads (HDT):

ChocoMango
ChocoLime
ChocoRaspberry
Raspberry Ripple with Real Vanilla

Four 3.2 oz (90 g) bars of dark Belgian chocolate in these tempting flavors:

Raspberries in Dark Chocolate
Peppermint in Dark Chocolate
Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate
Chilies & Cherries in Dark Chocolate

Winners will receive one gift pack each containing a Dream in Chocolate notepad, a bar of ChocoLove Belgian dark chocolate (It has a love poem inside.) and a skein of Tatskool's size 20 HDT.

Does that put you in the mood?

To enter, please leave a comment on THIS POST by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, February 21. Also please include a valid contact. (You can use your blog or e-mail address. For example, isdihara at verizon dot net)

Winners will be chosen by random number generator and announced on Tuesday, February 22, 2011.

Even if you are feeling cynical about love this year, there's no better revenge than indulging in a little lace-inspired ChocoLove. Good Luck!

Free Shipping - Today Only!

Don't forget to visit Lady ShuttleMaker's blog for her Mondo Monday Anniversary Treat. Four years ago today she opened her Etsy shop and is offering FREE SHIPPING on her hand-painted, ceramic Art Shuttles!

This is an exceptional savings for tatters around the globe. Just think...Belgian Dark Chocolate, gorgeous threads + an Art Shuttle = a Valentine trifecta worthy of any tatters dreams!

Motif 22 - Ruffled Heart

2011-02-08T19:55:00.003-05:00

Ruffled Heart © 2009 Dr. Vickie Clarke

Motif 22: Ruffled Heart
Just in time for Valentine's Day, the January 31st Online Tatting Class examined Set Stitch - also called half stitch or node stitch. Homework was VicTat's Ruffled Heart.

The arches in my first try were a bit off-kilter and the motif had obvious chain joins so I tatted it again, this time reversing the colors. Both hues look balanced.

I loved tatting these romantic darlings! They both measure 1 x 1.25 inches (2.5 cm x 3.2 cm) and have been on my "must tat" list for 2 years.

I used samples of Altin Basak 50, a Turkish 3-ply thread, in a lovely copper (AB#355) and a bluesy-purple (AB#336). They are threads that I had been ~~hoarding~~ saving for the perfect project. TypsTatting sent them to me through The Thread Exchange.

Thank you, TypsTatting, for sharing these awesome samples!

Almost Party Time!
It is a busy week here at Silly Hat Central. The Sprout turns 4 on Thursday, February 10th. He is super-excited about this birthday and wants to celebrate every day.

Last year we threw him a Dread Pirate Party. This year it is to be an Angry Birds Bash.

Angry Birds? Unless you have played the game on a touch-screen mobile phone or an iPad, you probably haven't heard of it, I'm guessing.

A bakery will laser-screen an Angry Birds image onto his cake and I have a plan for embellishing cupcakes with home-made Angry Birds-themed toppers. We are prepared to play a round or three of live-action Angry Birds for party games. But it will be a less elaborate party than last year. We're improvising.

Check out this fully detailed Angry Birds cake. (Shared via Gadgetsin.com, who got it from Geeky Gadgets touching Angry Birds Cake Source.) Gotta love the viral nature of the Internet, eh?

Anyway! The cake was created by Anya Richardson for her 8-year-old son in November 2010. She posted her photo on Flikr and the rest is history.

Engrossed in Edwardian Drama

2011-02-06T13:28:00.000-05:00

Season 1 may be over, but I only just sat down to savor episode 1 of Downton Abbey on PBS.com.

It is an engrossing Edwarian tale, with intrigues, undercurrents and swells of supremely satisfying noble and weak moments. Looking at all the lace is a perk.

Full episodes will only be view-able until February 22, so don't wait to see this delicious slice of "upstairs-downstairs" society life. You won't be sorry.

Tea Lovers! Stash Savings

2011-02-02T09:56:00.002-05:00

Tatting Tea Tuesday participants drink a wide variety of beverages (coffee, diet coke, even beer) but for tea lovers who don't mind subscribing to save, a deal is being offered that may be of interest.

Stash Tea $1.61 Each Shipped
Source: Frugal Freebies & Deals web site
by frugal jen on February 1, 2011

Do you love tea? Right now you can get your choice
11 different flavors of Stash Teas for $1.61 each when you buy 6. This price is available when you choose the $11.38 sale price and take an extra 15% off with Subscribe and Save.

Your final price including shipping will be $9.67.

Read more

Tatting Tea Tuesday: Motif # 21 Red Bird

2011-02-01T16:12:00.004-05:00

Motif 21: Tatted Cardinal

The latest addition to my 25 Motif Challenge is my first stab at making tatted earrings. I chose Anitra Stone's oh-so-cute cardinal pattern.

I exaggerated the wing tufts just to see what they would look like. Here is a small photo from the pattern PDF so you can see the normal-length wings.

Hmmm, I think I prefer normal-length wings. My flyer needs tail feathers to match its larger-than-life fringe. (Take it from me, once you start tweaking it's nothing but work, work, work.)

This bitty bird measures a mere 1.25 inches (3.2 cm). I used Lizbeth^® 20 in #671 Christmas Red, a tiny bit of black thread, one black seed bead and one orange-red seed bead. The pattern calls for two shades of red thread for added realism.

As for findings, I'm winging it. (← a pun) ツ

ADDENDUM: Anitra's Cardinal, as well as a whole flock of other birds, was inspired by Anne Bruvold's "Ringtrim" microdragon pattern. Special thanks go to Anne for inspiring such darling dragon offspring.

Waking up at 3 AM

2011-01-30T04:22:00.003-05:00

I was awake at 3AM and thought, 'Great! While the house is quiet I'll get an early start on Day 7 of T.I.A.S.' So I pulled up Jane Eborall's T.I.A.S. blog. Alas, Day 7 hadn't yet been posted.

Those participants who tat the new release, scan it in and e-mail photo attachments -- all before Lady Jane finishes her breakfast -- How do they do it?

I am tickled to report that by 3:44 AM the Day 7 pattern was posted. That's awesome, Jane!

After printing out a copy I seem to have lost the motivation to wander downstairs (imagine that) and am opting to give sleep another go. Happy tatting to all early birds. I'll be sleeping in.

Motif #20 - SCMR Snowflake & TIAS

2011-01-25T18:41:00.009-05:00

Motif #20 - SCMR Snowflake

For Tatting Tea Tuesday I completed Sharren Morgan's SCMR Snowflake, shown here in a super close-up.

Do the clear beads give it frozen ice crystal appeal?

As you can see, it hasn't been blocked. I had a few "d'oh!" moments with this snowflake which contributed to its off-kilter shape. Blocking should set it right.

Sadly, this darling pattern isn't available online. Sharren e-mailed me a PDF. If she grants reprint permission I will add a link to the PDF file.

Tatting Tea Tuesday

Two cups of Moroccan Mint tea accompanied my tatting efforts. I had been thinking back to my wedding/honeymoon cruise and the wicked laryngitis I had. The server at our dinner table was so kind and attentive. She served me hot mint tea every evening until my voice returned. Just in time to say "I do!"

No laryngitis today, but it seemed right to raise my cuppa to the tea that got me through that cold/flu season. Hee, hee, if the tea doesn't help this time, maybe another Caribbean cruise will?

2011 Tat It And See (T.I.A.S.) - Day 4

I am participating in Jane Eborall's TIAS. Day 5 was released yesterday but I haven't tatted it yet, so I have fallen a little bit behind.

If you are unfamiliar with TIAS, it is a fun, creative winter diversion. Jane releases only a small part of a pattern every day or so and won't tell what it is.

That's right! You don't know what you are making. You "Tat It And See."

Part of the fun is guessing. As of Day 4 I was still thinking some kind of lizard or a turtle. But I was holding out hope for a sea creature. Who knows? Maybe I'll get my wish and it will be Nessie from the Loch!

The Day 5 blog entries suggest that something along the lines of an airplane or jet might be more accurate. A bent pogo stick or even roadkill (perhaps a flattened rabbit?) is still likely, though not Jane's style.

It is not too late to join in the fun! You can join at any time, and catch up as you go or just to watch the fun unfold on the TIAS blog.

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Flower Power from Postie

2011-01-21T16:32:00.002-05:00

Lookie what postie brought yesterday in the mail.

Those lovely lasses and lads from the Palmetto Tatters Guild wrote to thank me for sending a donation to the scholarship fund in 2010. You don't see too many hand-written notes these days (more's the pity) and the one I received was especially nice!

As if the thank you letter wasn't enough, tucked inside was this magnificent tatted Autumn posy. I just love this!

If you were the tatter, please know that I can't stop smiling at receiving this very pretty piece of tatting.

Thank you for creating it from one giddy recipient!

1920's Tatted Coaster Set Pattern

2011-01-20T16:10:00.001-05:00

Passing along a link that I found today while I was typing up Tatting in the News.

Image Source: Bramcost Publications

Ring in the New Year (Day 12) Vintage Tatted Coaster Set and Box Pattern

Don't know how long the pattern link will remain active, so go look and print it out if you think such a project is of interest.

Special thanks to Bramcost Publications for making this vintage coaster pattern available! It is just one of many vintage needlearts publications they are sharing.