Bronze Shuttle Sin

Forgive me tatters, for I have sinned.  I have coveted my neighbor's shuttle.

At the end of May, Marie Antoinette (real name Mauricio), who writes Boudoir Tatting blog, posted about his bronze acquisition. That is when my sinning began. 

His new project, "sombrero tatting," caught my attention. I hope he is able to share photos of his progress so that I may ooh, aah, and be distracted from the lovely bronze treasure.

But until then, my covetous thoughts continue. Can you blame me?

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Motif 15 Celtic Snowflake

Three cups of tea into Tatting Tea Tuesday and enlightenment finally sets in.

Celtic Snowflake © Jane Eborall - 2012

Tatted by Is'DiharaThread: Lizbeth^® 40 #163 Blue Ice & #149 Peacock BluesBeads: size 11 blue seed beads & a disc bead measuring just under 1.3 cm (1/2 inch)

Motif 15 - Celtic Snowflake
I cannot say enough good things about this new pattern from Jane Eborall. It is easy to tat with clear diagrams and instructions. And look how pretty!

That said, this snowflake suffers a bit from lackluster decision making.

It started out "right" enough. I carefully chose the pattern, thread, beads and even read through the instructions twice.

Tatting merrily along, I completed the outer section without realizing that using size 40 thread would require adjusting the stitch count around the central bead of the inner round.

Cue Mantra
I Make These Mistakes So You Don't Have To.  
But I was stubbornly committed to size 40 and had already tatted around the bead.

'It will work out,' I told myself, and didn't go back to readjust the stitches.

Lackluster decision number two: adding beads to the joining picots around the center bead. (The instructions do not call for them, and a careful examination of the photos on the pattern reveal no beads added to these joining picots.)

At this point I should have excised the offending bits with scissors and started again, wiser for the effort. But I tatted on, this time contemplating a cupped center.

'I'll pin it to a satin ball and everything will be fine,' I rationalized, 'It is too pretty to stop now.'

Once the inner round was finished it seemed that a simple steam press would fix the problem. But after pressing, the crumpled side rings of the clovers stood out clear as day.

The scan says it all.  Ah well, perhaps a fourth cup of tea...

Hubris itself will not let you be an artist.
~ Larry Wall

Postscript: As pretty as this snowflake looks, it deserves to be redone in size 20.  I would tat it again in size 40 if I could find slightly smaller beads. 

---

Enjoy these lace and tea-themed links as you browse Tatting Tea Tuesday posts today.

Caterpillows
Think you are a savvy tatter? This crafty caterpillar makes doily-hideouts out of flowers.


DIY Tea Gift
The Edible Crafts Team over at Craft Gossip has shared this lovely tea tidbit: Make your own calming herbal tea and find links to packaging supplies HERE at Country Living.

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

Bitter Over Autumn Apple Pie?

I feel compelled to offer apologies to anyone in Tat Land who purchased Lizbeth^® #169 Autumn Apple Pie and is disappointed with the way the colorway tats up in projects.

My post from September 15, 2011, described Autumn Apple Pie as one "of the most desirable (IMHO) color mixes in the Lizbeth^® line." On the ball this thread is gorgeous.

I wrote, "This thread makes me want to eat a warm slice of apple pie," and seeing it does make me want to eat a warm slice of pie. But, as I have said, I am not so sure it tats up as beautifully as other variegated colorways.

Is this colorway one of the unfortunate ones — a "crap-tastic" composition doomed to the dusty recesses of the tatting closet or worse...the dust bin?

After TIAS in January I intended to put this colorway through a series of tatting trials. To tat:

•  a Martha Ess bookmark
•  a Heart's Desire heart by Susan Fuller 
•  a Mary Konior Spinning Wheel Glass Mat

So far I have only completed Martha Ess' broomstick tatted bookmark and one other bit of edging.

But I have made a discovery. This thread comes up aces when used for single-shuttle patterns, for example Mary Konior's Curds and Whey.  (I was tatting in the car.)

And Martha's Broomstick Tatted Bookmark looks terrific too. No final verdict has been made, but I can tell you that all hope is not lost.  Heart's Desire and a Spinning Wheel Glass Mat are up next.

[Psst, see the peacock feather tail I added to Martha's Broomstick Tatted Lace Bookmark?  I love it! The pattern is from Peacock Feather Bookmark © 2008 Wally Sosa.  Two more examples of Wally's bookmark are:

• Le Blog de Frivole:  Peacock Feather Bookmark
• Fun With Tatting: My Previous Work (scroll down a bit)

I think the peacock feather complements the central rings in a pleasing way.  Don't you?]

Please email me privately (my email addy is listed at the top of this blog) with your comments/concerns/complaints about this thread. I want to know what you think.

Nose to the Ground Stone 2

Another Friday night progress report on my beginning Torchon bobbin lace lessons.  This is lesson 2, take 2, where we added more colors and observed how they traveled.  I did it!  I finished within 7 days.

Ready to prep lesson three -- a diamond strip with spiders.  But I won't get farther than the pricking until after the Independence Day holiday (in the US).

Color me happy, in lavender, variegated pinks and green!

Aerlit Shuttle Excitement Builds

Exhaling a huge sigh of relief after reading Jane Eborall's post, titled "Fantastic Shuttle News" --  because I also have been testing the Aerlit shuttle prototypes for Handy Hands.

Imagine me (figuratively, but sometimes literally) sitting on my hands so as not to "spill the beans" about these soon-to-be-released bobbin shuttles.

The one thing I kept saying during testing was that since I had never held one of the original Aero England shuttles in my hands, I couldn't be sure the prototypes were as good as "the real McCoy."

So when Barbara Foster told me that she had sent Jane Eborall a set of the most recent (black plastic) prototypes I waited with bated breath to hear her thoughts.

The news I have been waiting for is here!  Jane compares the latest prototypes with her "real McCoy" Aero England shuttles.  YIPPEE!!!

Now the excitement is starting to become real.  Not just hopeful hype.  And Handy Hands really is planning to sell them in a wide range of colors.

The first color is for the shuttle and the second color is for the bobbin.

NOTE - Because I know how savvy you are, please note that the color names on the images (if you can see them) are only placeholder identifiers.

See why this is getting exciting?  Look at all those pretty colors!  And if these shuttles perform as well as the pinnacles of perfection we all have heard about (and only a few still have the luxury of owning or using), then we should get excited to try them for ourselves.

And Jane is absolutely right, it is high time bobbin shuttle lovers have more color variety at their fingertips.  No more soggy, grey shuttles day-in and day-out.  What exciting times we live in!

Motif #14 Washington, D.C. Cherry Blossom

Georgia Seitz posted this adorable pattern designed by Anita Barry, President of my local lace guild. Great job, Anita! 

Anyone who would like to make some for the Palmetto Tat Days scholarship quilt, please use size 30 or smaller thread.  Georgia needs blossoms the size of a nickel, or less than 2 cm (or about 3/4").

This charming cherry blossom was tatted in Lizbeth^®20 Pink Parade and measures 3 cm (or 1 3/16").  The inner ring is made with Hakelgarn 20 White.  It is too large for the scholarship quilt.

Darn, I will just have to keep it for myself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Washington, D.C. Cherry Blossom © 2012 Anita Barry 2012
http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2012/abarrycherryblossom.pdf

Cherry Blossom © 2011 Jane Eborall
http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2011/janecherryblossom.jpg

PattD's Cherry Blossom http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2012/pattydcheryblossom.jpg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Call for Strings of Josephine Rings
In related news, Georgia Seitz also needs small Josephine rings for the same fundraiser quilt project.

The Josephine rings should be tatted in size 30 to 40 -- about 8-10 half stitches in each, tatted in a string of rings with little to no space between them to use for greenery and leaves.

They will be used rather like Helma did in the green section of this photo:

http://www.occhi.de/Kunstgalerie/Helma_Siepmann/Fruhling/Sommerlandschaft/Sommerlandschaft_gross.jpg

Georgia also needs strings of rings with lots of picots such as Helma used in this picture:

http://www.occhi.de/Kunstgalerie/Helma_Siepmann/Fruhling/Herbstwald/Herbstwald_gross.jpg

For this she needs soft yellow colors, some in white and deepest pink or raspberry tone.

Please mail to:
Georgia Seitz
1227 CR 1760 E
Greenup IL 62428 USA

The Online Tatting Class is on recess. Special event in July watch for news. 

Nose to the Ground Stone

Here is my progress as of Friday night (t-minus 16 hours until class time) -- four (4) inches/10.2 cm. of Torchon ground.  I had wanted to reach the bottom of the pricking, but am about two (2) inches/5.1 cm. away from that goal. 

It might not look like much, but it represents my best effort and loads of hands-on learning.

[Hand-on learning:  a process whereby  I would: 1. work two repetitions 2.uncross-untwist back three repetitions to fix an unclosed pin.  3. Rework three repetitions. 4. Examine.  5. Find another unclosed pin.  Repeat from step 2...]

Tomorrow I will have the option to work this pattern again, using contrasting color thread in the center so I may see where the threads are going.  Or to advance to lesson 3.

The instructor is WAY too nice to say, "Honey, you  need more practice."  So I will choose to work this pattern again.  If I'm not blisteringly bored and/or have achieved error-free lace, more practice couldn't hurt.

Wish me luck that I will get to the bottom of the pricking next time!