Motif 24 - Nelson Edging

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

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

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 ♥

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

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!

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

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!