My First Ground

Today I had a lesson in making bobbin lace, Torchon ground.  There would be more to show, except I arrived 30 minutes late and did not have my bobbins wound. (Naughty Student!)

The purple threads down the right-hand side are "bypass" threads -- intended to just hang out, running down the length of the foot side of the lace.  They get woven into the work by the traveling threads and provide a more sturdy edge upon which to sew the lace.  See how much I learned already?

Of course, this photo is upside down.  (The threads hang down from the crossed-and-twisted threads, not up.) Photographing it upside down allowed for a more crisp, clear cell phone image.

The real challenge will be to continue this pricking without the calming presence of the instructor nearby to help troubleshoot my mistakes and fix them. Cross you fingers that I don't get it all in a muddle!

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Bad Back

With two unfinished snowflakes and a list of "wanna tats" two (or more) arm-lengths long, shouldn't I be completing projects already in progress rather than starting something new? Apparently not, according to my inner tatter, who has been throwing "startitus" tantrums for days.

When the two hounds' leash-yanking antics threw out my lower back, I relented. Big Daddy was home yesterday due to the holiday weekend in the US, so I tatted from bed off and on throughout the day. We all know tatting is the best medicine!

Mary Konior's Anniversary Motif from page 80 of Tatting with Visual Patterns was the first piece of "bad back tatting." It is a pretty bit of posy repetition that can be tatted with shuttle and ball. Mine is made in Lizbeth^®20 Country Kitchen.

Next came Very Small Butterfly ©Jane Eborall - a flutter to use up the last 1 1/2 yards left languishing on a shuttle. What a sweet, wee bug tatted in Lizbeth^®20 Summer Breeze. I altered the pattern at the very end a tiny bit, substituting a Josephine Ring for the head instead of the Jane's split ring. It made the head smaller, which I thought worked out quite well.

Note: LadyShuttleMaker also has at least two patterns in her butterfly books that are great for using up that last yard of thread.

An uncommitted shuttle cries out to be wound, so out came Fuschia Frivolité (size 20) from Shuttle Lab Trends - dept 11. Purchased during Palmetto Tat Days 2011, I have been holding it in reserve for a special project. It pairs well with Lizbeth^®20 Boysenberry Dark don't you think?

Maus' Old Fashioned Heart ©2000 is a very special project and will keep me tatting happily through Tatting Tea Tuesday. As of Monday it was only in the beginning stages, but will soon be embellished with beads.

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

Thank You, Maus

Squeeeee!

Look what Maus has so graciously re-posted on her blog --

"Old Fashioned Heart"

© 2000 Etha Schuette (January 2000)
Such a beautiful shape!  Always a show-stopper, this beauty never loses its appeal.
Can't wait to tat it with beads!

Thank you, thank  you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, Maus. 

Seen on eBay -- teardrop shuttle

I saw this unusual shuttle for sale on eBay. It is out of my price range, but very beautiful!

Here are a few details about the shuttle: 3" long, silver plated,
drop shaped, bird-in-a-pond design on both sides. Post is marked: "Pal"



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Unusal-Tatting-Shuttle-/160801686039?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2570870217

Peacock Blues to the Rescue

How did (do) lacers do it?  Spend hours upon hours creating lace using only white threads?

I admit with pride that I am a "color girl" when it comes to lace.  Tatting multiple snowflakes in white lasted only for two -- adding colored beads to help break up the monotony.

The thought of loading up my new shuttle with more white thread damped my enthusiasm, so it was Lizbeth^® 40 Peacock Blues to the rescue!

Here is the outer round of Celtic Snowflake © 2012 Jane Eborall.  I wanted to have completed this round before taking photos, but time waits for noone.  Almost done...on the final repeat.

Jane's pattern calls for beads, but I got so focused on winding this gorgeous blue thread that I forgot to add them, so this round will be plain.

 And another photo showing the lovely color in morning light.  Oh color, how I love thee!

New Shuttle

I got mine!

The Tatting Forum's signature shuttle is pure Shuttle Shop goodness.  Can you believe it is the first Shuttle Shop tool in my collection with a pick?

In the past I have purchased post shuttles without picks and I use crochet hooks to make joins. I must have forgotten to say "no pick, please."

But no matter, because I LOVE IT!  It is my first shuttle to have Is'Dihara printed on it.

Ever since it arrived I have been fantasizing about a future day when someone "inherits" this shuttle.  What kind of person would pick it up (in an antique/estate/yard sale or flea market or "boot sale")? What kind of person would take it home?

Between now and that future day I plan to put this lovely shuttle to much good use. Let the oils from my hands infuse it with love. Let the threads that reel off be transformed into yards of lace.

Now I must go, load it up and try it out!

Blogger Changes (FAIL)

It seems that Blogger has changed it's publishing tools since the last time I posted. Working through the "new, streamlined, Google +" tools saps my creative energy. Blech! UGH! Phooey!

Where have I been?
Since March 16th a few things have been happening. The Sprout applied to Kindergarten and got in to the school we rated as "1st choice," a private program.

The downside -- to pay for this private education I have reallocated all my "fun money" (what I use to buy tatting books and hand-dyed threads) to help pay his tuition. *big.pouty.lip*

I look at it this way. The Powers that Be softened the blow by granting me the wherewithal to win free threads in 2010 and 2011. Thank you again, Powers that Be for taking care of me!

Walt Disney World Resort
Last week The Sprout, Big Daddy and I went on vacation to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Two full days in Magic Kingdom^® and one day at Universal Orlando! Islands of Adventure^®. We drove instead of flying, breaking up the 12-13 hour trip with an overnight hotel stay in Santee, SC. It was a wonderful holiday. A few cell phone photos follow.

Hey Howdy Hey!

A Magical Hug from Princess Ariel

Jessica Rabbit - a Tatter?

Hmmm, I'm sensing a red-headed bias. My fault! Da Boyz like brunette, blond and ginger characters.

Vacation Tatting
Of course I took my shuttles along on vacation. Nestled among the gear in the third row section of the minivan was a cozy tatting spot.  I was able to tat in a moving vehicle for the first time, even adding beads!

A second Regal Snowflake (pattern design © 2011 La Cossette) tatted in Lizbeth® 20 Snow White #601 seemed to be a good choice for a Disney vacation.

For anyone curious, blue Swarovski crystals and blue seed beads add a hint of sparkle.

This is how far along I got before heading home. I failed to snap a photo of the finished snowflake.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter 
Admittedly, the stroll through the Harry Potter theme park was more for Big Daddy and I than for The Sprout. But The Sprout rode the Flight of the Hippogryph roller coaster seven times.

We all enjoyed our first tastes of butter beer and pumpkin juice, and touring Hogwarts.

We visited Zonko's Joke Shop; shopped for Chocolate Frogs™, Fizzy Wizzy and Sherbet Lemon candies at Honeydukes™; and got postcards stamped with a Hogsmeade™  postmark at the Owl Post™.  Big Fun!

Several movie props are on hand to charm even the most stalwart visitor.