♥ Lizbeth® is here ♥

Feast your eyes on new Fall colorways -- for now ONLY in size 40 and 80 --but sizes 10 and 20 will be ready at the end of October. 

The only one missing from the lineup is #606 Charcoal. It will not be available in any size until the end of October.

From the looks of things, the back-ordered threads will be worth the wait. Oh yeah! Try not to drool on your keyboard.

Disclaimer: I do not get any compensation from Handy Hands whatsoever. I am just a happy customer (and self-professed UTJ*) caught up in thread-induced euphoria.

* Unrepentant Thread Junkie 

First up is Autumn Apple Pie. This thread makes me want to eat a warm slice of apple pie. Seriously.

Next is Blue Ice -- an arctic blast of crystalline cool. Can you say snowflakes? I feel a flurry coming on.

For purple lovers, Grape Splash brings to mind harvest celebrations and grape stomps.

Jane Eborall is the lucky winner of 25 free balls of thread for this next lovely combination -- #166 Pink Cocoa. Behind it are two more exquisite colorways: on the left, #168 Latte Foam. On the right, #697 Fudge Dark.

Shown here with the rich, creamy confections in reverse order. In a word, YUM!

Are you ready for Blue River Glades? This unspoiled blend of blues and greens evokes (at least to me) a pebbly stream bed winding through a glade of Kentucky blue grass.

Hang on to your hats, because now we're getting to the greens!

Deep. Verdant. Leafy. On the left, #675 Fern Green Medium. On the right, #676 Leaf Green Dark. Center front, the pièce de résistance, #167 Jungle Greens.

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!

The thread-busting challenge is looking better and better. At least the guilt-free purchases as a reward for stash-busting do.

Why Stash Reduction is a Mystical Concept

Lately those crafty editors at Interweave Press and Knitting Daily have been writing newsletters that speak directly to my fiber-lovin' inner child.

Weaving Today, for example, ran with the headline "Why Stash Reduction is a Mystical Concept."

You don't have to be a weaver to appreciate the wisdom in Karen Donde's column. Just substitute "weaver" with "tatter" and much, if not all, of her words will ring home.

Stash-busting is a hateful activity at Silly Hat Central, but a time comes in every Unrepentant Thread Junkie's (UTJ) life when limits must be imposed. So I propose embracing the mystic portents with a Thread-Busting Challenge!

Cover your eyes, spin around a time or two and blindly (dizzily?) reach into your thread stash. Or let someone else (your pet?) choose. Whatever thread gets chosen must be the starting point for your next project. AND anything you need to use with it must also come from your stash. Tap into your creative inspiration and let it flow!

If you choose to share the end result with Tat Land, please note in your post that you accepted the Thread Busting Challenge.  

By using up some of your stash you can order new threads with a guilt-free conscience.

Anyway, that's my alibi and I'm sticking to it.

Motif 3 - Oh là là, Napoléon

Napoleon © 2011 Orsi

"A picture is worth a thousand words" is sometimes attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte. The Emperor didn't say it first, but the adage applies so well to this wispy bit of elegance.

Motif 3 - Napoleon
What started out as "just emptying shuttles" ended in this keeper of a motif designed by Orsi. Tatted in Lizbeth 40 #638 Christmas Green, the photos say it all.

For some reason the thread looks almost black in the top-down image - even without a flash. Nevertheless it shows the graceful shape punctuated with Josephine rings. So very pretty! Can't wait to see several of these joined together, can you?

Tatting Tea Tuesday
Today's tea is an infusion of minty sweetness that hits the spot during periods of laryngitis. It is Numi Moroccan Mint tea. Hot. (Brew. Steep. Sip. Repeat.) Nibbling on Chocolate Chip Pecan Sandies adds to the bliss when my hands aren't busy with shuttles.

This week I also tatted a Prima butterfly from LadyShuttleMaker's book The Exquisite Collection of Tatted Butterflies. (Click on the link to see one. It is in the top right corner of the multi-butterfly photo on LadyShuttleMaker's Etsy page.)

The butterfly was a special request for my neighbor's 6-year-old daughter. I surprised myself by tatting it in only a few hours!

Can you believe, in my excitement I forgot to take a photo of the butterfly? It is the first time anyone has asked me to tat something for them (other than The Sprout) and I was able to start it and complete it in one sitting. High five!

New Lizbeth® Threads for Fall

BREAKING NEWS: New Lizbeth^® Threads at Tat Days
If anyone is sitting on the fence whether or not to day trip to Tat Days for the shopping opportunity, consider this: The new fall colorways in sizes 40 and 80 will be available for sale at Tat Days!

Later this week I will have photos to show you all, but here is the list of what will be available.

First, the bad news. Lizbeth^® #606 Charcoal will not be available in any size until end of October.

Now for the good news! The following list of solid and variegated threads will be available in size 80 and 40 during Tat Days (except where noted):

675 Fern Green Medium
676 Leaf Green Dark
697 Fudge Dark (only size 40)

163 Blue Ice
164 Blue River Glades
165 Grape Splash
166 Pink Cocoa
167 Jungle Greens
168 Latte Foam
169 Autumn Apple Pie

Sizes 10 and 20 in the above colors simply couldn't be made in time to ship. So they won't be available for sale until the end of October.

AUGH! I'm chomping at the bit to see colors! Aren't you?

Congratulation go out to -
Jane Eborall who helped to name #166 Pink Cocoa
Karla Hartzell who helped to name #169 Autumn Apple Pie
Yours truly who helped to name #164 Blue River Glades

I promise I'm not holding out on the rest of the contest winners. I don't know who they are! If you recognize your winning entry, please leave a comment and let us know.