Support Handmade - Shop for a Cure

It may not ward off weird rashes, but shopping CAN help give hope for a cancer cure.

My twin sister, Igoya, is supporting the American Cancer Society and Ovarian and Breast Cancer research by "running" a special offer in her Etsy store. Let's "relay" our way toward the finish line.

Make a Purchase for Life - Together We Can Make a Difference
During SEPT and OCT New Hands Soaps and Lotions will make a 5% donation on any store purchase.

Ask about Igoya's foaming bath whip. Or try her Tuscan Lace hand lotion. I'm hooked on 'em! (Her chocolate milk bath and oversized bath teas are gloriously indulgent too. See how spoiled I am?)

Need more sweat equity for your Etsy buck?

To show you how hard she'll work to support the American Cancer Society, Igoya has prepared a special spa cloth promotion tailored-made for Ovarian and Breast Cancer fundraising.

During SEPT. and OCT. your purchase of a Pink & Teal Pure Cotton Spa cloth set will guarantee a 25% donation to Ovarian and Breast Cancer fundraising through the American Cancer Society.

Don't miss the Etsy widget for New Hands Soaps and Lotions in the right navigation bar!
(under My Blog List)

Thank you for your kind attention and happy shopping.

Do You Have Threadophilia?

The inspiration for today's post comes from Spinning Daily

Don't be shocked, but occasionally I read blogs on topics other than tatting. When I do they are generally fiber, fabric or book related.

So when Spinning Daily asked if I was a yarnophiliac, I said yes! Their marketing e-mail offered a prescription-free cure. I chuckled at the clever spin (← pun), but quickly converted "yarnophilia" into a more lace-worthy disorder.

Threadophilia: A deep love of and abnormal obsession with thread.

Unrepentant thread junkies (like me) embrace our condition. We don't need a cure!

But let's take things one step further, shall we?

Tatophilia: A deep love of and abnormal obsession with tatting.

Now that's what I'm bloggin' 'bout.

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Lanyard Love & A Hatchling

Keeping this short and sweet in order to be ready to receive The Sprout's teacher shortly after lunch for a scheduled Home Visit.

Two Interlocking Ring Lanyards

Motif 25 - Interlocking Ring Lanyards - Finished
Thanks to 12 - 13 hours of hurricane rain (courtesy of Ms. Irene) I had several hours of tatting time. I finished not one, but two "braided" lanyards using Jane from South Africa's interlocking rings.

The threads used for the one on the left are:

• Lizbeth^® 20 #638 Christmas Green for the foundation row.
• Lizbeth^® 20 #652 Royal Blue for the Interlocking Row.

The threads used for the one on the right are:

• Lizbeth^® 40 #157 Raspberry Frappe for the foundation row.
• Lizbeth^® 40 #638 Christmas Green for the Interlocking Row.

The lanyards turned out rather well if I do say so myself. If I tat another, I will add a bead to the center of each ring in the foundation chain to give the braid some sparkly pizazz.

This officially completes my first 25 motif challenge.

I will be starting a second challenge as soon as I decide whether to focus on a tatted animal theme, work my way through a tatting book or continue letting untried techniques be my guide.

Hatchling Has a Head
One other project that I can share with you is progress on the Dragon Hatchling.

The foundation is Anne Bruvold's Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon (Water Dragon) tatted in pastel-colored quilting cotton blended with a sample of YLI red-gold variegated thread.

Applying interlocking rings to the the tail, body and neck adds dimension and looks like scales. The interlocking rings and body bits are tatted in Altin Basak 40 Nakis Simi (Gold - Sari) and Ozen, size 50 - a 100% Polyester thread sample from Backwoods Tatter (by way of CrazyMom).

Next to come are the wings. He is to be a love present for The Sprout while I am away at Tat Days. So I must get him finished in time!

As I tat this darling wee dragon, I imagine him hatching in an abandoned mine shaft where gold dust still glitters in alluvial deposits. His name is Zaurun. It is a blending of the Pashto name Zarin, the Hindi (and Cambodian) name Arun and the symbol for the chemical element for gold, Au.

Here is how one (very classy, IMHO) woman weathered Irene: High Tea in a Hurricane

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