Motifs 1 & 2: Confirmation Bookmark

Confirmation Bookmark 2013

Q:  What do you get when when you cross a Dove and a Phone Box?
A:  a Confirmation bookmark  
(Click and drag mouse over answer to reveal.)

Miss me?   (Not after that joke, I'll wager.)

I wanted to offer up a fractured song lyric today but my brain is a-buzz with Sapling jokes (the variety found to be funny by first graders).  Let's try this one that Sapling told in this morning's carpool:

Knock, knock
Who's there?
Doctor
Doctor who?
You know my name!

25 Motif Challenge - A 3rd Go
I resolve to begin a 3rd 25 Motif Challenge in 2014. The goal of this challenge will be to keep me tatting regularly. Oh, and finish in one calendar year if I can.

Dove © Jane Eborall 2011
Tatted by IsDihara 2013

Motifs 1 & 2 - Bookmark for a Boy's Confirmation
Jane Eborall's Dove will launch my first tat --  a Confirmation bookmark. Didn't it turn out nicely?

Threads used are Lizbeth^® 20 Christmas Red for the bookmark and Lizbeth^® 20 601 Snow White for the dove. Patterns used for the two elements are Dove © Jane Eborall 2011 and T.A.R.D.I.S. bookmark © Anne Bruvold 2009.

T.A.R.D.I.S. bookmark © Anne Bruvold 2009
Tatted by IsDihara 2013 - 2014

Doctor Who fans will giggle knowing that I chose a T.A.R.D.I.S. pattern for the body of the bookmark. (Doesn't the top half resemble a red T.A.R.D.I.S.?) The white dove is designed by Jane Eborall in the UK. Doves and the color red are symbolic of Confirmation so I am told.

The connecting cord is braided, encapsulating the thread ends into "cobra" braid used in paracord survival bracelets. Cobra braid is basically a series of shoe-lace tricks tied around a core.

OK, one last joke...  (Are you groaning?)

Q:  What do you call a camel with no humps?
A:  Humphrey
(Click and drag mouse over answer to reveal.)

Have a marvelous Tatting Tea Tuesday everyone. Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for joke-free communi-tea!

Motif 25 - Magenta Monster Mollusk

A few weeks ago I was asked by a young girl if I would tat her a small animal -- a pink octopus like the one I had on the display table during one of my summer tatting demos.

So I grabbed my shuttles and began a test tat.

The magenta-colored head tatted up perfectly. 'I got this,' I thought and pressed on.

 I make these mistakes so you don't have to
Almost immediately I misunderstood the directions, not noticing my error until four limbs had been completed.  (So very like me, and precisely the reason for test tatting a piece first.) I ended up with NINE limbs instead of eight.

Motif 25 Nonny the Nonapus
May I present my strange creation and the head of his soon-to-be eight-limbed cousin? Here Nonny is holding up his claim to fame.

Nonny is tatted using Lizbeth^®  20 Magenta Dk 618. He measures about 1.5 inches (3.81 centimeters).

EDIT:  The pattern for Martha's adorable octopus can be found on page 14 of her book, "New Critters on the Block."

Test tat of Octopus © 2006 Martha Ess,
Tatted by IsDihara 2013

This completes my second 25 Motif Challenge.  I finished it in less than 2 years, an improvement from my first challenge.  (FYI--if one motif is tatted and posted within a two-week period it should take no more than one year to complete the challenge.)

I am not disappointed with my timing, just being aware of it.  The challenge isn't about racing to meet a deadline. Completing the challenge gives me a great sense of accomplishment and keeps me tatting on a regular basis.  Both are good things.

So I will carry on for a 3rd Challenge, so long as you readers aren't hopelessly bored.  Completing my class projects from Tat Days 2012 will be the goal for the first part of this new challenge. Hearts and Beanile lace jewelry and critters, oh my!

More Monster Mollusks
If you would like to read more about monster mollusks, two links to stories about real-life nonapus (or enneapus) are included below.

• Susami, a blue-ringed octopus: Nine-limbed octopus gives aquarium a leg up
• Common octopus: Nine-tentacled octopus

"Strange beauty, eight-limbed and eight-handed Whence camest to dazzle our eyes?" 
~Arthur Clement Hilton

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Scissors Fob

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!

Tatting Tea Tuesday: Motif # 21 Red Bird

Tatted Cardinal © 2010 Anitra Stone
(Contact designer or Palmetto Tatters Guild
for more pattern information.)

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.

Motif #20 - SCMR Snowflake & TIAS

SCMR Snowflake © 2007 Sharren Sarver Morgan
Tatted in size 20 Hakelgarn Bright White
with crystal beads

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!

Motif #19 - Elcie

Elcie
Design © 2011 Wanda Salmans
Tatted in size 20 Lizbeth #651 Blue Medium,
#652 Royal Blue and Flora #238 Navy Blue.

The latest addition to my 25 Motif Challenge is a test tat of tattrldy's Elcie motif. Didn't it turn out well?

I loved tatting this. The pattern was easy to memorize and fun to the final stitch. And it makes a lovely mat.

Elcie measures an even 3 by 3 inches (7.6 by 7.6 cm). Three shades of blue give it a tranquil air. Adding this classy little square to my 25 Motif Challenge will bring my total up to 19.

Motif #18 - If He Only Had a Brain

Nutmeg the Christmas camel
Design © 2002 Dolly Hollander
Through no fault of his own, poor Nutmeg has become an unfortunate Christmas camel.

I didn't bother to block him (for reasons to be explained) but will still count him toward my 25 Motif Challenge.

Motif #18 - Christmas Camel

Nutmeg is tatted with Lizbeth #671 Christmas Red, #638 Christmas Green and Tatskool's Nutmeg HDT. All size 20.

He has a size 11/0 black seed bead for his eye and size 8 gold seed beads for his saddle. The flat scan doesn't do it justice, as the saddle bows out slightly for a lovely 3D effect.

Here is a link to Tatskool's Christmas camel from 2007. Hers is decked out so handsomely in his Christmas finery.

A Series of Unfortunate Decisions
Poor Nutmeg's neck is all out of whack so I didn't finish his bridle and reins. But the problem is not with the pattern.

He was coming along so well until I missed a join behind his ears, resulting in a misshapen neck and disturbing lack of brain.

(Now Nutmeg has something in common with a certain Scarecrow.)

Of course, decapitation is an option. I could tat him a brainy new head.

Would you fix him or leave him to suffer his fate?

~ flexiPoll: free online web poll ~

While I don't consider this next bit to be an unfortunate decision, I would reduce the stitch count if I were to tat it again:

I tatted Nutmeg's tail using Jane Eborall's marvelous Padded Double Stitch technique. But I didn't adjust the stitch count so his tail is a bit long.

Okay, I am done being my own worst critic. Whew! Aren't you glad that's over?

Let me stress that this is a wonderful pattern. Tatskool downloaded it from the Internet a few years ago. When I asked her if she could share a link, she was able to screen grab the pattern for me using the Wayback Machine. But my Wayback Machine searches have turned up bupkus. I am not sure where you can find it now.

ADDENDUM: I was lucky enough to stumble upon her phone number and spoke with Dolly on the phone this evening. What a delightful person she is! She shared a trick with me for stiffening lace using Future Acrylic Shine Floor Wax. Thank you, Dolly, for taking the time to chat!

E-mail Dolly Hollander privately at the email listed at the top of this post to request a copy of the Christmas camel pattern.

Motif #10 & Bring on the Summer Fun

Adding this darling, little square to my 25 Motif Challenge will bring my total up to 10. I had wanted my 9-sided motif to be the next addition, but que sera sera.

Tatted Motif #2 from
Free-Tatting Patterns.com
Tatted in two colors, size 20 Lizbeth #104 (Summer Fun) and #642 (Lilac Medium), this motif measures an even 2 by 2 inches (5.1 by 5.1 centimeters).

This cute quatrefoil motif is a continuation of my ongoing exploration of color. It is a bit of a departure, since I normally don't use variegated threads in pastel or ice cream colors.

That said, it turned out pretty well. Three of these joined in a row would make a lovely bookmark. Also, this motif is begging for bling.

The variegated colors worked up pretty evenly, and the entire center could be tatted in the solid color by using the shoelace trick before tatting chains 8 and 10.

This motif could be tatted using a medium turquoise, a medium pink or even white. Lots of color possibilities, and I haven't even tried switching the threads. Solid color chains and variegated rings . . . might have to try that. Just to see.  ツ

Tatting Tea Tuesday
As for today's tea, I am enjoying a tall, cool glass of iced green apple tea. Made with a combo of decaf green and Morrocan Pomegranate Red teabags and brewed in the sun, following the Green Apple Tea recipe.

More tatting is in store later today when I meet up with the local stitchin' group.

In addition to working on Treble Clefs this past week, I started the Mary Konior pattern for a 3D Rose.

The Chesapeake Lacers Guild is making 300 rose boutonnières to give to members at the I.O.L.I convention in 2011. The roses will be created using tatting AND bobbin lace. Both methods are stunning.

I should be working on my county fair doily, but until I am sure the tatting fugue has passed, I won't be touching that project. And I could be working on the 9-sided motif. And I am itching to load up another one of Tatskool's Transitions HDT thread samples to add to the Heart bookmark. AND visions of butterflies for the Houston Holocaust Museum are flittering naggingly over my head. Goodness! So many UFOs.

It is a good thing that the Tuesday night stitching group lets me sit in. More tatting time! (Hope I didn't just jinx myself.)

Wishing you all more me-time to create something beautiful.

See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Motif #6 and Holy Holly Kaleidoscope!

Igoya, my twin sister, granted me permission to post this image. She created it from a photo of an ice-glazed holly bush in her front yard, using a software program called Kaleidoscope Kreator 3.

Does this image inspire you? It inspires me. Wouldn't it make an amazing tatted snowflake?

If you think this image should be made into greeting cards, please leave Igoya a comment at her Etsy shop or here.

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First Snowflake
For Tatting Tea Tuesday, I'm working on partridges
and Wendy Durell's 4 Ring Snowflake while sipping Snowberry Tea.

4 Ring Snowflake
© 2009 Wendy Durell

This auspicious flake is the first one I have ever attempted that actually was completed in time for holiday gift-giving.

It was made using "Signature" thread from Japan. It is a long staple Egyptian cotton quilting thread that comes in several solids as well as variegated colors. The color is M07 - Pastels. It is pale enough for snowflakes, but would also be divine tatted up for baby.

I am counting this snowflake as motif number six (6) in my 25 motif challenge.

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

Round 3 Complete

Done yesterday during Tatting Tea Tuesday, after switching tea flavors. Hee, hee! Italian Chamomile soothed me through the ring re-opening. After a short blog surfing break (you guys always make me feel better) I switched to Lemon Ginger tea and worked the final stitches and end-hiding bits.

What do you think?

Tweaking...
Taking a cue from weavers, I think I will try pairing this wonderful HDT with black or a coordinating solid to bring out the beautiful colors.

Is it just me, or does the Sweet Heart get lost? Birgit's heart makes such a stable and attractive center. It just won't do to have it get lost in the kafuffle.

The gap between the bumps is not pronounced enough for my tastes either. I will rework the pattern to give it a deeper plunge.

A long, maybe even twisted picot connecting the bottom tip of round two to round three would be good too. Oh, the possibilities!

A Heartbeat Away...

AUGH! It's frustrating to be so close and yet so far from completing this project. It is the project [original SweetHeart by Birgit Phelps, © 2003] I have been picking up (and putting down) since July.

The thread is Tatskool's lovely Rainbow Bright.

See that top ring there? The partially open one showing signs of an extended wrestling match? I am determined to reopen that ring. I have been working at it for over an hour now.

Not sure if my nerves or the thread will break first!

So it is time to unwind with a relaxing cup of Italian chamomile herbal tea and redirect my energies. Perhaps even write the instructions for round three and draw the diagram for this pattern.

UPDATE: Perseverence pays off! The ring is undone.

The jury is still out on whether this heart will have a pronounced enough gap between the bumps at the top, but I like the length of the point at the bottom. (That negative space around the tip is a bit floppy...some tweaking may be needed there.) And I'm not sure if the variegated thread is overpowering the design. Perhaps pairing it with a color-matched solid. Maybe black to lend a stained glass look?

Can you tell I'm one of those types who can go on indefinitely tweaking? LOL!

Moving on.

Sharon Briggs has said that once you start, you will find inspiration everywhere you look. Look at this surprising source of snowflake inspiration.

Image Source: Wegman's Garlic Naan

Tandoori Flat Bread Wrapper
Graceful little flake, isn't it? Because it is printed in a warm green, it reminds me of henna paste or an ivy plant. The dark green, bell-shaped bits could either be rings or Clunies. The dots could be joins or Josephine rings or nothing at all. The outlined edge could be large clovers or onion rings or dimpled rings or ...

Sharon, (if you are reading) you are a bona fide tatting genius!

Does this image inspire you? If so, please, please share. Would love to see where this leads you.

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

Insider (Germ) Trading & Motif #4 of 25 Motif Challenge

School is back in session and the first wave of germ-trading has begun. The Sprout is not even enrolled in preschool. Three days into the school term he got sick and developed an ear infection.

So Tatting Tea Tuesday finds me blogging from bed, cuddled close to an alternately teary and talkative boy. He has been watching cartoons (Toy Story, Little Einsteins, Dinosaur Train or Pinky & The Brain). We have also read several books and even made up a few stories to break up the monotony.

Tatting under these conditions is not easy, but I have managed to finish this little something. It is tatted in Manuela size 20.

Tiara ~ Motif #4 for 25 Motif Challenge

Tiara is my latest experiment with stabilizing chains. I worked rings after short series of chains and used a split ring-chain combo to add more strength. The design ended up being wavy and square.

Overall, I am pleased with the results even though it turned out to be a bit more ornate than I expected. Stability and negative space are both good. It makes a nice motif #4 for the 25 Motif Challenge.

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** UPDATE **

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Thank you, one and all, for your lovely well-wishes! I am happy to report that The Sprout has rebounded with new-found toddler energy and gumption after completing his course of antibiotics. We head to the pediatricians on Tuesday, 9/22/09, to verify that the ear infection is, indeed, gone. If so, they plan to administer a flu shot. So more teary, out-of-sorts tantrums and cartoon marathons may be in store for the days ahead.

Motif # 3 of 25 Motif Challenge

Ta-Daaa! The tatting that has consumed my heart, mind and soul this week stems from a study of negative space in the Design_Tat class. I used Lizbeth size 20 cotton thread in the color Mocha Brown Medium. It measures seven (7) inches across.

It is not blocked, as I am already preparing to tat it again in HDT. (With a few tweaks to help it hold its shape better.) Can you tell what shape I was going for? Here's a clue .

Ugh! I goofed and scanned it with the wrong side up, so if you look closely you will see the unsightly knot where I started and stopped. Nonetheless, it represents a milestone in my tatting development: my first original design.

Oh no! I just read through a past post from Threads of a Tatting Goddess' blog and saw the following passage:

"We were to design the next round of a center motif. The only rule was to join at the 4 picots on the original center motif."

Take another look at my motif. See the stunning lack of joined picots on the central motif? Oh, the horror! The mortification! All that work and I failed to follow the one, simple rule of the lesson.

Well at least I hadn't uploaded it yet. So dear readers, you are the only ones who will know the truth. (Still, the motif is quite pretty.)

My lot is to start over, making a whole new design. But this one still counts as motif #3 for the 25 motif challenge, so at least the work wasn't all for naught.

Milles mercis, Tatting Goddess, for stopping me before I completely embarrassed myself in front of the class.

Motif #1 for 25 Motif Challenge

I did it! I have signed up for the 25 motif challenge. See me wading into the waters with SweetHeart pattern by Birgit Phelps © 2003.

I chose it for a few reasons:

• 2003 was the year I went on a tatting hiatus (until 2008)
• the joins create the illusion of four-petal clovers
• no awkward downward joins

Plus, I think this design makes a terrific central motif upon which to build a bigger heart. More on that later.

The colorful heart on the left was made with an itty-bitty mini skein of Tatskool's lovely Rainbow Bright HDT in size 20. Hee, hee, the center rings remind me of Fruity Pebbles^®.

The pink heart uses the same thread as the pink-and-white edging pictured in my last Tatting Tea Tuesday post. This thread came to me in a box salvaged from an estate sale rubbish bin. Not sure, but I think it is a finer quality crochet cotton in roughly size 30.

For the past few weeks I have been experimenting with a lattice-like heart design that includes four-petal, split ring clovers and adapts an edging pattern for the last round. But my end point is awkward and I'd prefer not to have to cut and tie ends to start a new round.

Birgit's SweetHeart motif looks like it will adapt well. It offers a more straightforward "climbing out" point to begin the next round. Hence, the pink heart on the right.

I'll stop here to ponder the best "climbing out" method. Simple chain? Split chain? Other options?

Time to put the kettle on. See you on Tuesday!