All the Pretty Ponies

Just had to post again to say thank you to Marilee Rockley and Sharren Morgan for crafting the perfect headline for yesterday's post (much better than the one I chose, which expressed an underlying tone of angst).

And to share today's pony, tatted in the car.  This is tatted in Lizbeth^® 40 Autumn Apple Pie #169.
I had plenty of time to finish this pretty pony, but no paperclip. So it will be finished at home later tonight.

I will also try to share a "herd" photo.
 
These horses are tatted using Ineke Kuiperij's Horse pattern from her Chess Set booklet (on a paperclip). The booklets are available for purchase from Riet Surtel-Smeulders.

Earlier this fall, I saw a Yahoo tatting group post from Riet over at Bengelblog called "Horsing Around with Ineke's Paard." The linked PDF file credited Bobbie Demmer with showing a horse to Katharine Buckner, Pam Freck and Riet at the end of 2011 Tat Days.  Today when I looking in the Yahoo group files, I did not see the 'Paard' file.  It might have been taken down because it had gotten corrupted.

Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful comments!  They help me so much to keep a caring perspective about this art form and not give in to petty thoughts and pressures.

Don't spare the horses...AUGH!

Two more horses
tatted in the car.

AUGH!  Instead of working on my Gingerbread Boy, I have been tatting more horses on paperclips.  In addition to the first one, I have completed #2 in Lizbeth^® 40 Pink Cocoa #166 and #3 in blue and taupe HDT from Shuttle Lab Trends  (size 20, I think).

Here is a photo of the thread.  I have lost the label, so I don't know the name or the size.  AUGH!  Hope Bates created it...by any chance, could Hope -- or another reader -- fill in the blanks?

HDT from Shuttle Lab Trends

Just as I was hiding the ends on horse #3 I get a call from my LYS asking about Lizbeth^® threads. The shop owner was placing an order before leaving for holiday break. What threads did I want to have on hand for the January tat-along?

I responded, "Any size 20 variegated thread that looks vaguely "horsey."

Palomino -- golden, yellow or tan
Bay/Chestnut/Roan -- reddish-brown to brown or rust to dark brown
Pinto -- brown and white patches of color
Grey

Plus, Pink Cocoa #166, Sea Shells #114 and Autumn Apple Pie #169.

Even though I am sure someone will want to tat "Black Beauty," I asked not to have black on hand.  It is simply too hard on the eyes unless tatting under a very bright light.  Shop lights are good, but not bright enough for black thread.

Après moi, le déluge
And then the shop owner dropped the bomb...could I tat up more samples?

I wanted to scream, "No!" (Why didn't I say no?)

Shouldn't I be completing projects (Gingerbread Boy, felt partridge, heart to send to JB) already in progress rather than starting something new?

CrazyMom suggested that the shop owner (who both needle and shuttle tats) create the additional samples herself.  What a wonderful suggestion.

But I opened my mouth and out came the words, "Well, these don't take very long to make, I can make another one for you in Autumn Apple Pie."  AUGH!

So, horse #4 is in progress using Lizbeth^® Autumn Apple Pie. I am sure that Lizbeth^® Sea Shells will also make a pretty, pretty, paperclip pony. And Lizbeth^® Pink Cocoa is the stuff of little girls' dreams.

It's a good thing we have so many scrumptious threads to choose from, with hand-dyed threads on the top of this Unrepentant Thread Junky's list, followed by drawers of lovely Lizbeth^®. 

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Pink Cocoa & DIY Daleks

Starting off Tatting Tea Tuesday by finishing my second (IMHO adorable) horse on a paperclip.

Ineke Kuiperij's Horse (on a paperclip)
Thread: Lizbeth^® 20 Pink Cocoa #166
Tatted by Is'Dihara

Why did I stop so close to the end?  Some sorting out was required.  My threads are facing the wrong way to continue making the second through fourth joins to the paperclip.  If I pressed on I would end up with twisted stitches. 

As for the rest of Tatting Tea Tuesday, it is time to make the Daleks! (With the requisite tea and chocolate covered pretzels, of course.)

Crafty felt Dalek project in progress

I found a tutorial on Craftster for three-inch (7.62 cm) felt Dalek badges and decided that it was a moral imperative to make holiday Dalek ornaments.

Armed with my faithful purple X-acto blade, a steaming cuppa and a tub of treats, I'm ready. 

Tea-for-One in a lovely purple

This is a more color-true photo of the Tea-for-One teapot.  Steeping inside is a yummy mint tea.

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

A Finished Lace Mat

2012 Norma Benporath Lace Mat Tat-Along
Completed December 7, 2012
Tatted by IsDihara

It is done!  My work on Jon Yusoff's Tat-a-long for The Lace Mat by Norma Benporath is complete.   The gradient yellows give the mat a cheerful look, like lacy sunshine!

Update:  I forgot to mention that this lace mat measures 6 3/4 inches (17.145 cm) in diameter.

The threads I used are:

• Rounds 1 and 2:  Lizbeth^®40 Pinapple Parfait #170
• Round 3:  Lizbeth^®40 Honey Drizzle #180
• Round 4:  Lizbeth^®40 Honey Drizzle #180 & Lizbeth^®40 Gold #611

Thank you, Jon, for sharing this vintage treasure from "down under" circa 1930s. It has been such a pleasure to participate in the tat-along. 

FYI - a tatting blogger expressed her fear of losing clovers which she had tatted separately while adding them to round four.  That is exactly what I did -- lost clovers.  Twice.  No idea where they have gone, perhaps the same place as missing socks? 

Since they never turned up,  I tatted replacements.  And I made a mistake with them that (to me) stands out glaringly in the photo. But I wonder if anyone else noticed before I sent you looking?

The perfectionist in me wants to cut them off and redo, but if it is really a case of "nobody will know from the 14th row," I won't trouble myself to correct the mistake.

Meet 'Elfy'...from Elf on a Shelf

On Monday, Nancy from 'New to Me' blog posted about a darling new addition to her home: 'Oli'...from Elf on a Shelf.  He was already up to mischief on the ride home!

As it happens, we are also pleased to introduce a new addition.
 
Meet 'Elfy'...from Elf on a Shelf

Meet 'Elfy'

Elfy arrived three days ago. He was so excited he couldn't sit still! Sprout fed him treats, checked on him regularly and thoroughly made Elfy feel welcome.

Here is Elfy on day two.

This precarious perch instantly cemented the friendship between Ciarrán and Elfy, who insisted on helping choose the location for day three.  (And showing Elfy his skateboard.)

See them both beaming gleefully from the top of the tree?  The poor star was relegated to the bottom:

Thus far they haven't gotten into my stash of threads, but I am certain it is only a matter of time.

Update:  Little did I know that The Blogess would be jumping on the Elf on a Shelf bandwagon.  You don't want to miss her doozie of an "elfin mischief" snapshot:  Elves are assholes

Ashley over at Lil Blue Boo compiled a photo shoot of elf antics: 18 Elf on a Shelf Ideas
[Spoiler: Love the image of her elf photocopying his bottom, hee, hee!]

The Huffington Post even covers the shelf-ish shenanigans in this column by Abbie Rumbach:  The Elf Went for A Drink

Enjoy all the impish roguery as you tat today and now I must go prepare for tonight's prank.  Will it be marshmallow bath time, tin foil Viking hat or (the horror!) formaldehyde elf in a jar?  Choices...

---

Addendum:  Tatman gets in on the impish roguery via Facebook!

For those who don't use Facebook, let me explain that Mark did not create this naughty elf image.  He was sharing a photo that a girl named Kelly posted.  But his comment is priceless. 

Oh Christmas Weed, Oh Christmas Weed...

The Christmas Weed
(not cannibis)

This weekend I discovered a 20-inch (50.8 cm) weed on our back patio. Trying to get Big Daddy to "get in the spirit" of lawn care, I added a lone Christmas ball and made an announcement.

"This year, instead of putting up a Christmas tree, we are going to have a Christmas Weed," I said.

He laughed, saying it looked like a Charlie Brown tree. 

Now, if he would only cut the grass...


Update:  As it is now Monday and the weed still lives, I offer up a fractured song lyric.


Oh, Christmas Weed, Oh, Christmas Weed,

How Grinchy are thy "branches."

Oh, Christmas Weed, Oh, Christmas Weed,

As cuddly as a cactus.


Pernicious as a dandelion,

Will you be here past Christmas time? 


Oh, Christmas Weed, Oh, Christmas Weed,

How Grinchy are thy "branches." 


Do you have a Christmas weed (not cannibis) just waiting to be trimmed?  Share a photo!

Lace Mat - Moving Right Along

Round four of Jon Yusof's Lace Mat Tat-Along is progressing.  Now that those long chains (round 3) are out of the way I am having more fun. And I am pleased with the color progression.

The trefoil bits are attached as I go. Doing it this way allowed me to keep tatting while waiting for the Lizbeth threads to arrive to the Handy Hands warehouse from China. 

Otherwise I would have tatted it all in one pass.

This mat is a bit of a challenge to photograph. The golds in the second image are more true-to-life but the lighter threads are overexposed. Zooming in on the same photo yielded the first image.

Here is a scan. 

Please pardon all the loose threads.  The ends are "hidden" but I tend to not trim them until I have done a final steam press and/or blocking. See how the colors look different in all three images?

I am tatting more on round four of the Lace Mat today instead of the Gingerbread Boy. Variety keeps me from getting too bored or frustrated.  Looking forward to sharing "tidied up" images.

À tout à l'heure, mes amies!