At Last!

🙌 My name change request has been granted.🙌

As of July 1, 2026, I am officially Karen Elizabeth Beary once again. 

(The legal document arrived yesterday.) Yes, you can still call me IsDihara.

🎶 Life is like a song. 🎶 

~ "At Last" by Etta James 

"Change but the name, and you are the subject of the story.”

Horace

Just Chicken In: 🐔 Silverudd Blue

 

Meet Chicken Boo the Silverudd Blue chicken. His breed proudly lays green eggs. 🥚  

I began tatting this 3D chicken on August 13, 2023, but put it aside to focus on life for awhile.  I am so pleased to share that he is completed and no longer languishing in the Land of To Do.  

Thanks upon thanks to Faerlic for hand-holding me through this creation AND Even More thanks to all the tatting friends who kept me motivated to finish him. So very grateful and positively delighted with the results!

Beginnings: A Spring Napkin and an Easter Chicken

Getting his comb:

And of course, the cartoon chicken popularized in the TV series, Animaniacs, to which my 'Boo' bears no resemblance, but from which my 'Boo' gets his name anyway. 😁

  Buck buck, Ba-cawk! - Chicken Boo

Handling Life Changes OR Transitions are Tricky

Since I have been quiet for too long, let me offer an update:

Tatting Friends and Family,

The past two years have been a wild ride. The lead-up to divorce proceedings was a stressful eight months. Then life took a hard left turn when my husband suddenly and very unexpectedly died on April 4, 2024.

While it admittedly doesn't sound like a lot of time, anyone who has navigated the pre-process of divorce will tell you the ups and downs can be dramatic.

Let me state for the record that I did not want to divorce. 

Todd Parent and I were getting through the legally-required waiting period (one year) before filing when life took that terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, Hard. Left. Turn.

I am not even joking when I say, it was 11 months before a cause of death and an autopsy was released.

Several unfathomable details emerged, only one of which I will share: Todd literally left Sapling/Twig/Banyon and I penniless. He withdrew the last $100 out of the bank account the same day his dead body was found. I would learn later that he had opened at least five other bank accounts, all of which had been depleted. So I couldn't "follow the money," as they say in movies, to get answers.

Transitions are Tricky

With huge amounts of help from family, both chosen and blood, I stumbled through the dissociative fugue and financial crisis of those early months. Unpacking the new reality of my life was a jumble of tears, fears, confusion (Who am I?), emotional distress, practical problems, and poor attempts to address the underlying trauma. So many folks jumped in to help - without hesitation - in the best ways they could. 

Outpourings of Support 

    The SCA and Beyond: It takes a village to raise a child. It took a village to save us. SO MANY citizens of the SCA (who I didn't even think remembered me) responded like family, as if we had only connected yesterday instead of decades ago. They opened their pocket books and their hearts to make sure that my son and I would not starve. How can I ever repay such kindness? There is only one way; to pay it forward. I promise you I will. I don't 'have enough words, but my heart is so full.

More to come. 

Gratitude heading into International Tatting Day (2024)

 

Tat Land is truly the best land in all the magical lands of lace! It has ALL the right people.  😉

Showing gratitude is always a good idea and tatting friends make it so easy to be grateful.  

This 2024 post never made it farther than the above two thoughts, so I publish them now, with one sad addition:

Today, September 27, 2025, I wandered back into Tatland's lovely blogosphere and discovered that CrazyMom had suffered the tragic death of her middle child back in July. She referred to him as Curly on her blog. I am so, so sorry I didn't find out about this sooner.

Please accept my grossly belated condolences, CrazyMom! Such a deeply mourned loss will go through many ebbs and flows before the grip loosens. I hope you are experiencing the loosening grip.

There Really is No Place Like Home

 

Today my copy of Martha Ess' new tatting book arrived!  It is titled, Whimsical Tatting, and it is a delightful compilation of characters from The Wizard of Oz, dragons, an alien, an adorable puppy, and an equally adorable kitten.

Whimsical Tatting Patterns
by Martha Ess

I've said it before and I will say it again, Martha's patterns are 110% pure pleasure to tat. Clear instructions, gorgeous photos and diagrams - what's not to love?

A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others. – The Wizard of Oz

Dark Days on the Horizon 

My husband has asked for a divorce. My world has been thrown into chaos and uncertainty. Trying to find a lawyer. Beginning a job search after 16 years as a Stay-at-Home-Mom. 

The only things that are certain for me are:

1. Navigating divorce proceedings will not be easy. 
2. There will be many days ahead that outright SUCK. 
3. I need to get everything Brody and I are entitled to/due for as long as possible to provide for Brody

I may not be able to blog for awhile. But I will try to keep tatting (I am officially adding tatting to the category of SELF CARE.  We all know what good therapy tatting is!)

Beginnings: a Spring Napkin and an Easter Chicken

Renulek Spring 2021

   During the pandemic I resolved to tat patterns that I have "loved from afar" -- designs lovingly purchased but left to languish in the Land of To Do. It was time to take the plunge and work on my tatting list even if only by one or two To Dos. What better choice than a Spring Napkin?

Taking the Plunge!

   Renulek's patterns are perfection and while other tatters around the world were creating the 2023 Spring Napkin, I "took the plunge" to tat Spring Napkin 2021 (pattern sold on Etsy.com). For round one I chose the warm yellows of Lizbeth 20 #180 Honey Drizzle. Marilee Rockley's hand-dyed colorway Roses is an elegant compliment for round two.

Round one and the start of round two

  

   Those who have attended zoom meetings for Tollway Tatters this year have witnessed the beginnings of my journey through this gorgeous pattern. Here is a snapshot of rounds 1 and 2 complete:

Today I dove into round 3 with Lizbeth 20 #676 Leaf Green Dark.  It is a straightforward, relaxing tat. Very soothing, with no direction changes!

   I am taking the time to enjoy this process and (fingers crossed) building the stamina to keep going once the work gets significantly larger.  Stay tuned!

 

   Just Chicken In: 🐔

   Spring Cleaning project #2 is a 3D Easter Chicken from this Polish magazine: 

 Issue No. 4 Moje Robotki 2008

         The pattern calls for size 10 thread and I chose a Lizbeth Limited Edition color for the body: Lizbeth 10 #9100 Arctic Evening.  It approximates the colors of a Swedish Isbar chicken.

Swedish Isbar Chicken

3D Easter Chicken - humble beginnings

head and neck

       The stitch marker indicates the first ring of each new round.  It helps me to climb out with a split ring at the right spot.

Completing round 6 tail section

   The complete pattern is only seven rounds, so I am almost done with the body. I decided to tat an additional section of tail feathers in a coordinating color for visual interest. Then round 7, and the comb, eyes, beak and wattle. Et voila! My chickie will be complete. Stay tuned!

Aliens in Tat Land: A Closer Look

   This past January, Jane Eborall hosted her annual Tat It And See adventure. She works hard to design, diagram, and deliver an original tatting pattern in bite-size pieces for Tat Land to enjoy.  It is two weeks of creative battery-charging, energy-boosting, doldrums-banishing fun!   

   You can never tell where Jane will take you. Every stage of her game is fun, since it fuels my  imagination to run wild with crazy guesses. (I always try to work in a camel guess early on.) 

   Each new clue jump-starts my creative brain cells and helps me to see design possibilities. This year she had me guessing right up until the very end.

   Without further adieu, I present to you the first of my insinuation of aliens! Chief Blue Meanie from Outer Space!  He is tatted with Lizbeth thread, size 20, #707 – Sky Blue Dark. 

   You know that bittersweet feeling when you get to the end of a very good book? The end of T.I.A.S. each year is a bit like that. It is affecting, conquering new techniques; I have loved the camaraderie; I am delighted by the aliens, and yes, I am sad it's over for 2023. 

I will have alien #2, #3 and #4 to reveal in future posts.  Stay tuned, tatting friends!

“Everyone’s quick to blame the alien.” ~ Aeschylus

No Foolin' -- International Tatting Day 2023

    Sue Bradham, this post was published with you in mind. You are a loyal reader -- I am blessed to  have you in my life and I am grateful that you are not the only one. Thank you for inquiring if and when I would return to blogging. As of April 1st I am rededicating myself to blogging about tatting more regularly. 

   It’s the tradition in France to play practical jokes on friends and announce "Poisson d’Avril!" when they discover the joke. Often, the prank is just a paper fish taped on the back of your friend, when you pretend to give them a pat on the back. Très drôle, non?

  Did you know that April Fools' Day is also International Tatting Day? I decided to draw attention to this tatting holiday two days early in the hopes of encouraging more participation. This year I will be attending a lace guild meeting as well as frequenting a yarn shop that promotes tatting!

   In 1582 AD, the Council of Trent switched from the Julian to Gregorian calendars. This declaration meant that the new year was celebrated on January 1st. Before then, as you might have guessed, the new year was marked on April 1st. It’s quite understandable that some people would go through their life unaware that the change had been set in motion.

   It would not be hard to imagine people celebrating the new year incorrectly on April 1st for some time after the declaration. And we even know that these people were referred to as “poissons d’avril”, or the easily caught fish of April, in France. It’s a fairly clear accusation that a person who’s been a bit slow on the uptake should be mocked on April 1st. In fact, we even know that people placed paper fish on the backs of anyone who made such a mistake.

   April Fools’ Day is a day of celebration of unpredictability. We tatters celebrate our beloved lace-making art on this day, International Tatting Day. Unlike the unfortunate folk of old, who were not aware of the calendar change, tatters anticipate with glee and prepare projects for our special day!  

   It is also customary to indulge in delicious chocolates in the shape of fishes. Who doesn't like to join in on the chocolate-fish fun?

 

   While very few tatters associate April 1st with fishy pranks, every one of us embrace efforts to bring a smile to the faces of our friends and family. And eat chocolate in any and all shapes or forms! 

I typically tat a small fish on this day. If an unwitting target is found, I attempt to tape a paper fish on said target's back and declare "Poisson d'Avril!" My kid (who, after 14 years or more of his mother's thinly veiled ruses) is wise to this trick. If all else fails I can trick the dog!  Hee, hee!

   Poisson d’avril – April fish – is what French people say for ‘April Fools’ day’-- so in two days I hope you embrace the day, eat delicious chocolate (whether or not it is fish-shaped) and tat to your heart's content! 

A French April Fools' Day prank on the kitty:  https://youtu.be/kGRYO3eDUIA

We Still Do -- 19 years!

Nineteen years ago today, I said, "I do," to my husband, Todd Parent. He proposed to me in 2002 on a beautiful beach in Nags Head, North Carolina. It feels simultaneously like yesterday and a lifetime ago. 

I married him because I knew he would keep my laughing when I got too serious; because his blue eyes were clear, bright and keen, the bluest I had ever seen; because his lips were eminently kissable, and because I knew I could love him to the end of my days.

 

White lilies, red roses, red mini carnations,
alstroemeria, purple statice and assorted greenery

I was delighted when an unexpected bouquet was delivered this morning. I shouldn't have been surprised, except that I NEVER get the date of our wedding anniversary right. Never. Todd has always tolerated this failing with grace.

Nala, inspecting her gift

Nala was fascinated with HER colorful new bouquet, blithely posing with the largesse. (She is a cute little dickens, isn't she?  I hope she doesn't knock it off the table...)

Strawberry Heart with a Celtic Top by Birgit Phelps

 

Don't let this juicy gem fade into antiquity. It is getting harder and harder to find. Save the pattern. Tat one today!

Strawberry Heart with a Celtic Top by Birgit Phelps

https://web.archive.org/web/20150228024339/http://webspace.webring.com/people/qb/birgit_ph/strawberry.html

Still Working on a Snowflake

"Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem."  ~ William Hamilton Gibson.

I have been working on a mixed media snowflake for several months now.  Like a delicate snowflake, ideas for it have come and gone, melting before I can turn them into reality. I can only presume that other designers have a clarity of focus - or a process - that enables them to progress more steadily, but this has always been mine.

Mixed Media Heart

I began with an article from the Online Tatting Class (founded by Georgia Seitz) that I had shared in August 2003 called Mixed Media Heart. It was a heart my mother found at a flea market in Florida in 2002. My parents had only just begun their 19-season-long winter treks to sunny North Florida. This heart was found after rummaging through a box of crocheted lace doilies. Haven't we all enjoyed a good rummage through the doilies, looking for tatted treasure? 

Carolyn Groves wrote a pattern for the heart from the photos I sent to Georgia. Thank you  again Carolyn for your excellent work! 

Georgia's original post begins with "There is an old saying that needleworkers should not mix their media."  I believe that old saying is wrong. Throughout history artists have excelled at combining mediums as suited their vision. The 2003 heart mixed tatting with thread crochet. I wanted to reshape it into a snowflake with my own creative vision. With any luck it would be a gem.

Round one combines six tatted rings, chains with decorative picots, and a crocheted chain across the top of the picots to add texture and dimension. 

The decorative picots in round two mirror the technique in round one. A single shuttle split ring bridges the gap nicely, but I needed two threads to tat the next chain. See the problem? Several faltering attempts later (see photo below for the most hopeful of the discarded attempts) I changed the plan again. 

Here is an Instagram photo of a pretty snowflake combining tatting with Turkish needle lace. It is my inspiration for round three, if I can recreate the needle lace. Wish me luck!

"I wish I could press snowflakes in a book like flowers." ~ James Schuyler.

Brownies in a Pie

 Brownie cravings are real. My sister gifted me this gorgeous, ceramic pie "plate" at Christmas. It is the deepest pie dish I have ever seen, which makes for X-treme crave-bustin' brownies.

Memorial Day Designing

Hellooooo!  May 30th is a holiday weekend in my little corner of Tat Land. A few years ago, I spent some time creatively and ended up with a tatting design doodle.

Let me say up front that designing does not come naturally to me.  I often look to nature or vector graphics or marketing labels or trash or anything I can find to get me started. (Even then I struggle, sweat, curse, cry and give up most of the time.)

Apps called Make-a-Flake and Snowflake Creator are two sources for inspiration. Here is an example of a snowflake I created with an app called Make-a-Flake:

The interesting part for me is whether to attempt tatting designs from the negative spaces or the positive ones? A question for all you accomplished tatting designers:  is it okay to switch back and forth between negative and positive space when you replicate a drawing?  Or should someone like me stick to one or the other?  I would love you hear your thoughts.

DORIS is Ready for Her Debut

Three years after Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was officially declared a pandemic and the world went on lockdown, me and mine choose to continue to wear masks and go about our daily routines as best we can.

 A model of coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2

Lockdown was a great time to dust off my old Tatters Across Time binder (2005) and begin improving my proficiency.  Alas, I continue to struggle with one assignment -- the old way of tatting dimpled rings -- and have put the project in "time out" until I tat a satisfactory sample.  This muddled mess is my latest attempt:

In January 2022, Jane Eborall resurrected her beloved T.I.A.S. (Tat It And See) and I joyously joined, albeit several weeks later than everyone else. If you have never taken part, the fun of T.I.A.S. is in not knowing what you are tatting. The pattern is split up into small bite-sized pieces and released every few days.

DORIS (the dragon formerly known as DURANTE)

You wind on some thread, tat a few rings/chains and wonder as the design emerges. This year's mystery did not disappoint. Right up until the end participants were uncertain what they were creating. Once I had gotten to the snout stage, I dubbed my "whatsit" a platagon (platypus-dragon) named Durante. Now I marvel at how close my guess actually was.  Isn't he darling?

For those who like to know, Durante is made with 20 Lizbeth® #716 Maple Syrup.

Plum Summer Snowflake

In February 2017 Robin Perfetti posted a bookmark pattern on her blog Tatting by the Bay.  I had been wanting to play with triangles to build a snowflake and her pattern was perfect inspiration.

Gall bladder surgery in December, 2017 and a hernia repair in early 2018 required some time off to heal. Time slipped by (as it does) and before long it was Autumn, then end of year.

In 2019 I rededicated myself to tatting. This snowflake was started as a "triangle-a-day" project to make tatting a part of my daily life again.  It was fun determining the path this work would take to minimize hiding thread ends.

Here is my summer snowflake, tatted in size 20 Lizbeth® #625 Plum.  Thanks to Robin!

She wore white heirloom lace about her throat

And in her hair a bright golden feather

A pearl like a plum hung ripe from her neck

But her smile fetched ten gold together.

Shannon Hal

Double Core SSSR Success (and failure)

THIS POST was written in 2009 but it sat in my draft folder until today.  Now I am looking for the UFO and the Irish Crochet clovers that were made for this project.

The first bit of tatting I have done in over a week is this:

Boy did it feel good to get the half-hitches flowing again!

Note to the Occassional Tatter - Once you get into a daily tatting habit, it is surprising how much the tatting zen fulfills you. Try it. You'll be glad you did.

Even though my tatting "must do" list is overly long, I decided to try a technique that Martha Ess and TattingChic worked out in May 2009 -- Double Core SSSR with Two Colours

This technique is perfect for tatting Mindy Al-Aaraji's Clover Motif © 2003 in three colors. Either two or three, I'm still waffling. But probably three.

I even convinced my twin sister, whose lace crochet work has been published in magazines, to create the Irish Crochet clover centers for me. Big win!

If you have sisters you probably won't understand why this was a huge win. Your sisters (I'm betting) would grant your crafty requests without batting an eye. Mine refuses, so I took it as a green-lit SIGN from God, the Universe and Everything.

Naturally, she said I needed to make these myself "because they were so easy" to do. Heh, I haven't used a crochet hook to do anything besides hide knitted ends or join picots since 1977. My feeble attempts would derail this project and probably make a leprechaun angry.

Since I have one of those close by, I dared not risk it!

Here are her gorgeous clovers:




Remember to make tatting a part of your life every day!

Mattie the Battie and a Fall Flake

I discovered yesterday that Fox has stopped blogging.  It made me sad.  Of course I understand, because Instagram is a good deal faster for posting photos, but still, sitting down to the computer for a leisurely blog stroll is a guilty pleasure.  I will miss reading her blog.

So I am posting my most recent tats for those of you who (like me) still enjoy reading the tatting blogs.  My latest creation is a Fall Snowflake, designed by Robin Perfetti, called Solstice.  

Solstsice Snowflake © 2014 Robin Perfetti
Tatted by IsDihara

It is gloriously rich with blazing Autumn color.  The second round required three (3) shuttles to accomplish the color placement.  Overly complicated? Yes but the results speak for themselves.

Threads used are Flora 20 variegated yellow, Lizbeth 20 Harvest Orange Medium #694, Lizbeth 20 Autumn Spice #136 and Lizbeth 20 Christmas Red #671.

Free pattern available here:  http://tattingbythebay.blogspot.com/


Next is Mattie the Battie, designed by Erin Holloway-Moseley.  Erin shares a photo in her pattern of the real Mattie - her mother!  It is a free Halloween Tatting pattern shared on BellaOnline:  http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/4798.asp

Mattie the Battie © 2013 Erin Holloway
Tatted by IsDihara

Georgia Seitz has this to say about Mattie the Battie:

Double Ten!!! In many cultures, the tenth day of the tenth month is considered a lucky day. And luckily for us, Erin Holloway-Moseley is sharing her tatted bat pattern. It is named "Mattie the Battie" in honor of her mother (see photo.) In Chinese, the word for good luck is pronounced "fu" and it sounds like the word for bat,"fu". Thus bats are lucky. Enjoy!

My bat is photographed before getting a block-and-steam "spa treatment" so eagle-eyed viewers will notice that the wings aren't even.  No worries!  It will all work out. Should I make Mattie into an Ice Drop bat?

Here she is with a red stone tucked into the approximate spot:

Mattie the Battie © 2013 Erin Holloway

Tatted by IsDihara

The gem is a bit small and would slide around once encased, so I don't think I will.  But I will be on the lookout for a larger red gem...

In these days leading up to Halloween, I wish you many happy tatting moments.  Trick or Treat!

Triangle Motif by Ninetta Caruso and Muskaan

Two VERY talented tatters have worked out a new three-sided motif that really looks like a natural snowflake (or a shield) to me. Sharing their incredible work:

All credit to Muskaan and Ninetta!!!
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/…/07/treble-with-m.h…

FO's to Show

After a rough patch (two surgeries and their respective recovery periods) I am back to healthy and whole and I couldn't wait to get shuttles back into my hands. I resisted the urge to splurge on NEW handcrafted shuttles and started sorting through the vast and various loose shuttles floating around my craft room.

You know what happens when you start looking around in your creative space? You find all sorts of unfinished things that scream to be completed.

I gathered up the tatting UFOs, put them in a pretty box and resolved to complete as many as possible before the end of the school year.

Hand-wound Happiness

Two HWT projects kept whispering, "Pick me,"  so I pulled them out and got to tatting.  I made it though one and a smidgeon of the the second UFO before starting a new project.

Jon Yusoff's Merriment doily pattern was one repeat away from finished.  Why hadn't I tatted one more repeat?!?  We'll never know.  I had used two variegated Valdani 12 threads hand-wound together to get the marled effect.  While not for everyone, I found this thread combination to be pleasing and easy to work.  It was a fun, quick to finish tat, which motivated me to keep going.

So I chose this UFO for the next project.

Aren't the threads pretty?  Round one was a square and round two alters it into a bracketed square.  A King Tut sewing thread (pictured) was hand-wound with a size 30 HDT to achieve the cheerful combo. The pattern for this is of Russian origin and was found on Pinterest.com.

So much pattern piracy happens on Pinterest that I decided not to share the pattern here.



Still slowly plugging ahead on the Russian motif, I start thinking about a Poppy pattern designed by Jennifer Williams in 2012.

"...the new Liz Metallic^® threads would add a wonderful sparkle to her pretty poppy...I have a ball of Christmas Red #324...doubling it up with a solid red would add more poppy-ness..."




Boom!  I have started a Poppy Project.


Last but not least are the two MERFOLK completed back in January for Jane Eborall's final Tat It And See 2018.  My very purple mermaid has big, brown eyes and her name is Sirena.  She is friends with Herman the Merman, who has crazy copper-colored hair.

Sirena is tatted with Lizbeth 20 #165 Grape Splash. Strands of Elderberry Jam #177, Lilac Medium #642 and a variegated brown sewing thread make up her hair.  Her long locks are tied back with a scrap of green sock yarn "seaweed."

TIAS Day 5 - Trunk, Paisley or Glow-on-the-Go?

Day five (5) dawned and I kid you not, my first waking thought was for the TIAS.  Some (not tatters) would say I was going fou-fou-nutzo.  But we all know what is important, don't we?

Of course we do!

So I hopped out of bed and headed to the computer to see what Day 5 brought -- even before coffee!

My printer died so I am tatting from electronic screens this year.  Luckily, my iPad allows me to bring the pattern to my favorite tatting chair and work.  Here is my quick snapshot showing my shuttles and the screen. 

I chose Lizbeth^® 20 #165 Grape Splash thread to tat this curious, unknown-as-yet "wotzit." My glow worm might be morphing into an elephant trunk.  Either that or a paisley?

 
The open picots could easily be for a paisley shape.  But I'm not giving up on my glow worm just yet. Lil' Lumo might just be preparing a travel home to carry on his back.

On to Day 6!