Motifs 1 & 2: Confirmation Bookmark

Confirmation Bookmark 2013

Q:  What do you get when when you cross a Dove and a Phone Box?
A:  a Confirmation bookmark  
(Click and drag mouse over answer to reveal.)

Miss me?   (Not after that joke, I'll wager.)

I wanted to offer up a fractured song lyric today but my brain is a-buzz with Sapling jokes (the variety found to be funny by first graders).  Let's try this one that Sapling told in this morning's carpool:

Knock, knock
Who's there?
Doctor
Doctor who?
You know my name!

25 Motif Challenge - A 3rd Go
I resolve to begin a 3rd 25 Motif Challenge in 2014. The goal of this challenge will be to keep me tatting regularly. Oh, and finish in one calendar year if I can.

Dove © Jane Eborall 2011
Tatted by IsDihara 2013

Motifs 1 & 2 - Bookmark for a Boy's Confirmation
Jane Eborall's Dove will launch my first tat --  a Confirmation bookmark. Didn't it turn out nicely?

Threads used are Lizbeth^® 20 Christmas Red for the bookmark and Lizbeth^® 20 601 Snow White for the dove. Patterns used for the two elements are Dove © Jane Eborall 2011 and T.A.R.D.I.S. bookmark © Anne Bruvold 2009.

T.A.R.D.I.S. bookmark © Anne Bruvold 2009
Tatted by IsDihara 2013 - 2014

Doctor Who fans will giggle knowing that I chose a T.A.R.D.I.S. pattern for the body of the bookmark. (Doesn't the top half resemble a red T.A.R.D.I.S.?) The white dove is designed by Jane Eborall in the UK. Doves and the color red are symbolic of Confirmation so I am told.

The connecting cord is braided, encapsulating the thread ends into "cobra" braid used in paracord survival bracelets. Cobra braid is basically a series of shoe-lace tricks tied around a core.

OK, one last joke...  (Are you groaning?)

Q:  What do you call a camel with no humps?
A:  Humphrey
(Click and drag mouse over answer to reveal.)

Have a marvelous Tatting Tea Tuesday everyone. Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for joke-free communi-tea!

Missing out

Yesterday I missed a lovely Tatting Tea Tuesday gathering because of contract work. The weather was gorgeous, the two tatting ladies delightful.  It was an afternoon of "Tatting on the Farm."

Instead of tatting with the ladies in Virginia horse country, I tatted in my tatting corner. It is a nice corner, but it doesn't have a view of horses frisking in the field or the Autumn splendor of the Shenandoah Valley. Next time I will go!

This is what I am working on (using two of my shuttles made by Georgia and Richard Seitz):

IsDihara's Dove - a work in progress

Does anyone recognize the pattern?  Here is a closer look:

IsDihara's Dove - a work in progress

The pattern is:  Dove © Jane Eborall 2011 and HER dove, pictured below, is 100% finished and looking splendid!

DOVE © JANE EBORAL 2011
All Rights Reserved

For my dove, Lizbeth 40 Snow White thread is being used with opaque white seed beads and a black bead for the eye.  It will adorn a bookmark (in place of a tassel) that I am making as a gift. A friend's son is being confirmed at the end of November. Doves and the color red are symbolic of Catholic Confirmation ceremonies.

Let's cross our fingers that my dove will look a fraction as good as Jane's. I can but hope. Jane does such incredible work.

And speaking of work, it is nose back to the grindstone for me.  À tout à l'heure! (See you soon!)

Motif 21 - Pram Pride

IsDihara's TIAS 2013 complete!

These darling baby carriages will count as Motif 21 for my 25 Motif Challenge. 

For those who like to know, here are the threads I used to create these cuties: 

Lizbeth 20 #168 Latte Foam for the body of the pram on the left.
Lizbeth 20 #125 Sea Scape for the body of the pram on the right.

Lizbeth 20 #603 Ecru for the wheels and handles.

What does your pram say about you?  

Mine say that I LOVED tatting January's mysterious and whimsical TIAS.  It was brilliant!  The releases kept me guessing well past the half-way mark. (It is the guessing that I like most of all.)

In fact, I stopped tatting on the last installment to tackle Sapling's 6th birthday party and a few other real-life bits, but kept putting it off JUST so the fun wouldn't end. (Crazy logic, I know.)  Eventually they called to me to be tidied up and taken out for a stroll.

Merci mille fois, Jane, for giving us this delightful game to play. It sure was fun!

Here is a quick guide for deciphering what your baby's actions are when in an outward-facing pram.  If the person walking toward you:

• Smiles or comments about how cute your child is = Baby is asleep.
• Gives you pitying looks = Baby is crying.
• Looks of horror = Baby is covered in vomit or the wind has stuck a crisp packet to it’s face

(I found these amusing tips on a blog post entitled "What does your pram say about you?") 

And last, but not least, is this image of the limited edition BMW Pram Royal Baby Stroller. I hadn't seen it before. Apologies if your little corner of Tat Land has been inundated with it.

 

Tatting Tea Tuesday - butterfly beginnings

The Ides of March are almost upon us -- that ill-fated day when Julius Casear went to the big coliseum in the sky.

My paternal grandmother was born on the Ides of March. Theresa Schill Beary lived and raised 10 children on a small homestead with a chicken coop, a sprawling lawn and a lovely flower garden.  Butterflies often flitted among the spring tulips, summer cone flowers and various wildflowers throughout the growing season.

Today's tatting project is a pretty butterfly pattern chosen to compliment my memories of that lovely garden and its winged visitors. I found it on the Italian tatting web site:  CHIACCHIERINO  The butterfly diagram can be found on this page: Gioielli di chiacchierino

Here is my first round.  And a second photo of this pretty start next to its "schema."  <sup>*

 *</sup> NOTE: Round 1 starts with a knot at the tip of one antenna and chains toward the Self-Closing Mock Ring (SCMR) body. If you are not familiar with this technique, please review SCMR instructions offered by Jane Eborall or The Shuttle Brothers.  I used a lock-stitch chain for the antennae, but a regular chain works equally well.

Farfalla, round 1
Lizbeth^®20 #613 Golden Yellow Medium and a
blend of lavender/black/yellow threads for antennae

Farfalla, round 1
with diagram

Rains pelt the windows as I sit sipping an infusion of green tea sweetened with a lemon and ginger syrup.  It soothes my sore throat and eases the sinusitis brought on by Old Man Winter's (hopefully?) last gasp.  I am winding two shuttles (CTM) with Lizbeth^®20 #139 Fruit Fizz for round 2 as I dream of delicate daffodils and delphiniums, butterfly gardens and the freshness of spring.

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

Tatting Tea Tuesday - TIAS Day 10 & Penguin Head

February tends to fly, but holy smokes!  Has it really been a whole month since my last post?

IsDihara's TIAS 2013 Day 10 progress, red background

Freshly completed January TIAS projects usually energize my tatting creativity. This year I set aside Jane Eborall's adorable TIAS at Day 10 with the intent to finish Gingerbread Boy.  (...before the creative wave washed in.)

Gingerbread Boy still unfinished...

Poor, neglected cookie laddie still languishes in my tatting corner. What's the hold up?  Nothing really, just me being obsessive about not messing him up. Can I rationalize that it would be a whole lot easier if I had a diagram to follow? 

Yes! I even tried to draw a digital diagram to get going again. *grumbles.loudly* Computer wouldn't cooperate.  More on that later.

So I switched to designing with my shuttles instead. This is what I created.

Front-facing penguin head 
© 2013 Karen Beary Parent
All Rights Reserved

Imagine black beads in the center of the white rings for eyes.  Also imagine a triangle-shaped bead for the beak. Beads are intended to be sewn on later but could be tatted in as you go.

AUGH! If only my middle-aged computer could handle "the strain" of diagramming. It is not up to the task. (Hard drive errors linked to memory swap issues....AUGH!)  And I haven't yet been brave enough to try diagramming patterns on the iPad.

For Tatting Tea Tuesday, I sip Chocolate Strawberry herbal tea while I finish up TIAS Day 11.

I am also contemplating a graft of a front-facing penguin head onto a penguin body designed by Jane Eborall. If it works it will be disarmingly cute. If not, the unfortunate fellow could be a freak the likes of a Frankenstein monster. (That wasn't melodramatic at all...)

More photos to come after two prams/baby carriages are done and given a quick steam press. 

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful (and neck bolt free). See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

TIAS Day 7 -- What IS it?

Instead of waiting for the weekend, I thought I'd post a quick update of my TIAS Day 7.

IsDihara's TIAS 2013 Day 7 progress, white background

IsDihara's TIAS 2013 Day 7 progress, red background

Note:  These scans are flipped "wrong side" up. Being a left-handed tatter, my "whatsit" naturally progresses with the Days 5, 6 and 7 the other way round (on the right side).


Day 7 had me saying this phrase over and over in my head:  rubber baby buggy bumpers
Say that three times fast!

Here is a photo of my latest guess:  a surrey-like baby buggy.  It puts me to mind of the song from the musical Oklahoma!  -- "Surrey with the Fringe on Top"

Image source: Hap Moore Antiques Auctions, March 21, 2009
www.hapmoore.com

Isn't it fun how each new release jump-starts the creative brain cell(s)?

It really is great to see so many TIAS 2013 bits pop up on the blogs. What a wonderful reminder that we aren't "tatting in the wilds" (all alone) but in a lively global community.

TIAS 2013 Start Date

Have you heard?  Jane Eborall has announced the start of Tat It And See 2013!

If you have never participated, you're in for a treat!  This is the perfect time to jump in with two feet er, shuttles (one needle, if you prefer).

Jane's marvelous announcement and introduction says it all:

 "This year's TIAS (Tat It And See) is starting next week on Friday, 11th January."

 "Here is the link for the TIAS blog http://tatitandsee.blogspot.co.uk and here is the link to the introduction page too. http://janeeborall.freeservers.com/TIAS2013/IntroTIAS2013.pdf

 "Details of what you need is on the introduction page. I promise that this year's will be an easy tat for everybody and a great deal of fun. No beads for those of a nervous disposition!!!"

 "To see past games please visit the TIAS blog. Please email me on love to tat @ gmail.com if you want further help". ~ Jane

Hope to "see you there!"

Tatting Tea Tuesday - ♥ from Postie ♥

Ooh, it has been a good week for post.  Look at what my "Twistin' Postman" delivered.  And yes, he did ring twice.

New Tatting Bags and Shuttle Pouches
from Jane Eborall

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  I just love, love, love these new bags! JaneE is so generous.  She even included one of the square tatting bags designed by Anne Bruvold. 

This fabric might not appeal to everyone, but I really fancy it. (bought it ages ago) It has been languishing in my stash closet waiting for the perfect project. Wouldn't you agree that this was it?

Size comparison

My original orange bag is starting to look worn from me taking it (literally) everywhere. The new, round bag is taller for those times when I am teaching and need to use a tatting needle. (Not very often, but it pays to be prepared.)

Not one, but TWO matching shuttle pouches

What a luxury to have matching accessories!  Two shuttles from my collection are included for scale.

The same shuttles at the bottom of the new tatting bag.  Don't they look small?  ツ

Of course, one very eager elf leapt right into the square bag for an impromptu game of hide and seek with his knitted pal, Arthur Dent.  Don't panic, Ciarrán, but he's getting closer...

Not sure if the giggles permeating my kitchen are of the tiny, elfin variety or from The Sprout.  Either way, we're greatly enjoying the parcel from across the pond!  Thank you, Jane!

---

But that's not all.  This box arrived two days later.  Just a little box...

But sometimes the best things come in small packages, as Ciarrán will attest.

Honey Drizzle, Elderberry Jam and a few other Lizbeth^®40 new Fall colors (not all of the them).

These will tide me over until the size 20 threads (and size 3) and new Aerlit^® shuttles arrive.

Hoping you have time to indulge in lace-making endeavors today and can enjoy a cuppa tea too.  See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Where Have You Gone, October?

I seriously cannot believe that this is the last Thursday in October. Where did this month go?!? Weren't we all just mourning the loss of August? Speeding through September to get to Tat Days weekend? Then BOOM! Hello, November.

With a new month comes a new resolve -- to befriend beads!

OctoStarFlake © 2011 Jane Eborall

The pattern is on the Palmetto Tat Days 2011 Pattern CD. The thread used for this motif is Lizbeth^® #135 Lollipop in size 20. The beads are size 11 Dyna-mites™ seed beads in blue/lilac. A few galvanized gold seed beads in size 11 found their way into the mix too, just for fun.

How many of you remember how OctoStarFlake started out?

As a magnetic brooch cum fridge magnet!

Donna Thompson, if you are reading, please accept my heartfelt thanks for all the patient attention you gave to me during this class at Tat Days. I will return your shuttles to you loaded in either the Lizbeth^® or hand-dyed thread of your choice as a thank you!

Imagine how hopeless a student has to be for the teacher to hand her two pre-wound shuttles (from her personal stash) to start over? Folks, I don't make this stuff up.

(That's Julie Beagle, who thought it was a great time to beg for a treat while I was taking the picture.) Lord knows, I wanted to go to Tat Days in 2003 but I didn't make it there until 2009.

And Lord knows I wanted to sail through this class brilliantly. But arriving late, not starting with shuttles wound CTM. . . To make a long story short, I just couldn't get my brain in gear. The words I used at the time were "I can't get out of the driveway."

But some class learnin' must have sunk in, because I made it through the pattern at home with no trouble.

No doubt this was due to the many gracious tips and warm-hearted help from the ladies seated next to me. This is ON TOP OF the patient direction received from Donna Thompson. Thank you, Donna! Thank you, ladies! I couldn't have completed this motif without you.

Is anyone else as amazed as I am to see a motif with so many beads reel off my shuttles?

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.

Why the new header?

This was my best effort to "freshen up" the look of this blog.

My frustration level with blogger templates has risen to unheard-of new heights. I hate everything about the new template format. *grumble.grumble*

Folks (like Fox and a few others) who routinely entice and delight us with blog makeovers, how do you manage?

As for the photo, I took it with my cell phone quite by accident one day while I was tatting and listening to Pandora streaming radio. The fabric is actually from the pocketed dolly bag I bought from Jane Eborall back in April, 2010.

Thinking myself quite clever, I decided to attempt a blog makeover using this photo. Many hours later I was still wrestling with the template designer options and intensely dissatisfied with the results.

In the end I settled for this. Mostly because it will focus on the color in the lace photos I upload. But I am not happy with the design.

♥ for Postie and Spring Bling

This past week I received three wonderful packages that made me feel so special! One had traveled all the way across the sea from JaneE. It reaffirmed my faith in Royal Mail.

This image is from Jane Eborall's Etsy shop listing. It is the butterfly bookmark I bought for Igoya, my twin sister.



Forgot to snap a photo before mailing it out, so I had to wait to share the images. Igoya should be receiving it today. Jane did such a splendid job!

I did, however, remember to take this seahorse bookmark photo. Isn't he a handsome gent!

They are both really stunning lace creations. It was quite difficult choosing which to send and which to keep.

Spring Bling

This second package was actually the first to arrive, but my dithering kept me from doing anything other than fondling the pretty papers and holding Clover shuttles up to them. Thank you, Lace-lovin' Librarian Diane, for your generosity and color-coordinating everything in advance.

The shuttles are mine for the blinging. Diane did not send them. Her gift of papers was generous enough!

Giveaway Prize 

The third package was jam-packed with even more shuttle decorations. Thank you, Bree, for sharing so generously. It is the biggest giveaway prize I have ever received. Now to get blinging!

Dip a Toe or Jump in?

So the moment of truth has come. I decided to toe-dip instead of jumping in.

I covered a bon bon box with mulberry paper and lined the inside with a glittery gold. Toss in a few shamrocks for luck and...

Voila! A travel box fit for a leprechaun.
(He might need Ray-Bans^®...)

(Image courtesy of Ray-Ban^® Virtual Mirror)

Holy cow! Where has the time gone? I have another whole post worth of macaroon goodness to share for Tatting Tea Tuesday. Ah well, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Check back for Mad for Macarons

Motif #20 - SCMR Snowflake & TIAS

SCMR Snowflake © 2007 Sharren Sarver Morgan
Tatted in size 20 Hakelgarn Bright White
with crystal beads

Motif #20 - SCMR Snowflake

For Tatting Tea Tuesday I completed Sharren Morgan's SCMR Snowflake, shown here in a super close-up.

Do the clear beads give it frozen ice crystal appeal?

As you can see, it hasn't been blocked. I had a few "d'oh!" moments with this snowflake which contributed to its off-kilter shape. Blocking should set it right.

Sadly, this darling pattern isn't available online. Sharren e-mailed me a PDF. If she grants reprint permission I will add a link to the PDF file.

Tatting Tea Tuesday

Two cups of Moroccan Mint tea accompanied my tatting efforts. I had been thinking back to my wedding/honeymoon cruise and the wicked laryngitis I had. The server at our dinner table was so kind and attentive. She served me hot mint tea every evening until my voice returned. Just in time to say "I do!"

No laryngitis today, but it seemed right to raise my cuppa to the tea that got me through that cold/flu season. Hee, hee, if the tea doesn't help this time, maybe another Caribbean cruise will?

2011 Tat It And See (T.I.A.S.) - Day 4

I am participating in Jane Eborall's TIAS. Day 5 was released yesterday but I haven't tatted it yet, so I have fallen a little bit behind.

If you are unfamiliar with TIAS, it is a fun, creative winter diversion. Jane releases only a small part of a pattern every day or so and won't tell what it is.

That's right! You don't know what you are making. You "Tat It And See."

Part of the fun is guessing. As of Day 4 I was still thinking some kind of lizard or a turtle. But I was holding out hope for a sea creature. Who knows? Maybe I'll get my wish and it will be Nessie from the Loch!

The Day 5 blog entries suggest that something along the lines of an airplane or jet might be more accurate. A bent pogo stick or even roadkill (perhaps a flattened rabbit?) is still likely, though not Jane's style.

It is not too late to join in the fun! You can join at any time, and catch up as you go or just to watch the fun unfold on the TIAS blog.

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

A Giveaway — No Foolin'

For many, April 1st is a day for tomfoolery, pranks and hoaxes. But for tatters it is a day devoted to furthering a lace-making art.

Did you know that April Fools Day is also International Tatting Day?

Many tatters still don't know about our special day. So in the interest of getting the word out far and wide, I am having another giveaway!

Enter for a chance to win this pampering set from New Hands Soaps and Lotions.

Amber Romance Gift Set
NHSL is my twin sister's Etsy shop. In February Igoya prepared a Posh Petals custom set for me to use as a prize. In it was an indulgent combination of chocolate lip balm, champagne and strawberries linen spray and posh petals soap.

As good as that was, this gift set is even better! Amber romance is a warm and mildly aphrodisiac scent with black cherry, creme Anglaise, sandalwood, sensual amber and Egyptian musk.

Included in the prize package is a 6-ounce lotion and two 7.5 ounce bars of long-lasting, handmade soap.

And since we're "partyin' like its our birthday," I'm throwing in a skein of Tatskool's Vanilla Sky hand-dyed thread. Just in time for Easter or Spring tatting projects.

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment on this post. You must leave a valid e-mail address to be eligible for the prize. Comments without valid contact information will not be entered in the drawing.

2. Cut-off date for entries is Wednesday, March 31.

3. Winner will be announced on Thursday, April 1st.

For more chances to win you can

1. post about this giveaway on your blog to qualify for an additional entry.

2. post about this giveaway on Twitter to qualify for an additional entry.

Be sure to add a (2) or (3) to your comment, just like in LadyShuttleMaker's Mondo Monday Giveaways. Kindly include a clickable link or the name of your blog so I may verify your entry. Once verified, you will be added to my giveaway spreadsheet a second or even a third time.

Winner will be chosen via random number generator.

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Wanna see my past posts for International Tatting Day?

2009 - International Tatting Day – No Foolin'

2008 - No Foolin' – International Tatting Day

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Each year in honor of International Tatting Day I sit down to tat with my fish-shaped shuttle. Over the past two years I have searched in vain for a Celtic fish pattern. If anyone finds one please do forward details or a link.

That said, it would be remiss of me not to point out that Jane Eborall offers many wonderful animal patterns for free, including an impressive goldfish in three sizes, small fishy earrings and even a starfish.

Special thanks to Georgia Seitz for making my beloved fish shuttle and Lady Jane for sharing her limitless creative artistry.

If you're still reading, click on this link to read a lovely poem called The Name of a Fish by Faith Shearin.

Now, let's all spread the word about International Tatting Day!

T.I.A.S. 2010 complete

Jane Eborall's marvelous T.I.A.S. is over and everyone else has turned in photos of their completed projects. I just finished up mine Thursday evening.

Boo -- A Chicken for the People

Norman the Rooster

a.k.a. "Chicken Boo"

"He's a chicken! A chicken I tell you!"  ツ

Okay, before you all start thinking I don't know the difference between a hen and a rooster, that line comes from The Animaniacs, a wacky and clever cartoon show that I enjoyed back in the 1990's.

Norman's (a.k.a. Boo's) tail, leg, breast and frilly neck plumage were tatted with Lizbeth size 40 in color # 107 Tropical Fruit. Clark's Big Ball size 30 crochet thread makes up his body. (I didn't have a coordinating thread...*gasp*) And last but not least was my favorite thread to work with on this project, Lizbeth size 40 in color 688 Seagreen Dark.

I read on another tatter's blog who either raises chickens or has a close friend who raises chickens (Foggy memory is an occupational hazard when blog surfing during the wee hours.) that their breed lays green eggs. Chicken Boo's family undoubtedly falls into this lot of egg layers!

Looking forward to trying the obvious Seussian fare, once Boo's wife Aileen gets down to business. (Had to phrase it delicately so as not to upset the poor dear.)

This has been great fun and I can't wait to do another T.I.A.S. Thanks, Jane!

It Came! A Shamrock Setback & More

Fabric Postcard from Bonnie's Tatting Blog
Today Bonnie's blog giveaway prize came in the mail, making it a very good day. It is a fabric postcard that sets the mood for Spring. I am ready for a few flowers in the garden and a few buzzing bees. Are you?

Thank you, Bonnie! Your uplifting card sits next to Carol Lawecki's tatted teapot note card on my computer desk, where it brightens my day and long into the wee hours.

There is so much to write about today!

The Sprout slept in glamorously late (8:30 AM) so Tatting Tea Tuesday started early with decaf Irish Breakfast tea. I started tatting what I thought would be the easy one. The three or four-leaf clover pattern from "The Tatted Artistry of Teiko Fujito."

I had some Majestic 80 left over on a shuttle so I thought I would use it up doing a bit of warm-up test tatting.

[cue mumbled curses, teeth-gnashing and the sound of thread repeatedly snapping under tension]

Two full hours of frustrated attempts led to what you see below. (Had to keep putting it down and walking away.) But I want tiny, delicate shamrocks.

Tomorrow I will try again with Star tatting cotton in size 70. It has a more firm hand and hopefully won't snap so easily as the softer, but more lustrous Majestic.

Besides T.I.A.S. I have been working on an edging tatted in Tatskool's Bracken Crunch size 40. I love the way the lime transforms into antique gold and the gold into rusty red, back to gold and full circle to lime. It really has enlivened and enriched the dull, grey days.

I have Been Bad
Copping a phrase from Fox, I have a confession to make. I have been in touch with Tatskool, Krystledawne, Yarnplayer, Lady Shuttlemaker and LaceySusan. In an attempt to hide the evidence soften the blow I won't be posting the HDT purchases until later in the week.

All Good Things Come in Threes
Just look at my three new tatting books! I tried to camophlage them with other goodies, including a fancy bone china teacup, saucer and third plate, plus bobbin holders and new Lizbeth thread.

Tatskool, were you distracted by the cup? Jane, did you see your tatting bag? Krystle, did you notice Dr. Von Threadmore's handiwork? Wanda, see how your butterfly marks my place?

Honestly, I have been blessed by the generosity and friendship of you all. And so many more.

My copy of Tatting Patterns by Lyn Morton sprouted (unintentional pun) legs and scampered off, so I needed to replace it.

The Japanese book was purely an impulse buy.

The prize of the buying spree was the French tatting book! I dropped $34.00 on this precious jewel. And I try never to spend that much on a tatting book.

My French is very rusty, but the author prefaces her work by writing:

Savez-vous que le monde minéral peut être source d'inspiration pour les dentellières?

The author uses crystaline mineral sructures as the inspiration for her lace — things like snow, sugar, salt, mineral metals and gemstones  Flipping through the pages was like being gifted with sapphires, rubies, celestine, amethyst, agate, petalite, tourmaline...

It gives new meaning to tatting bling, eh?

And there's more! Come back on Friday for HDT madness.

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful.

See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Interview with Jane Eborall

Skipping about on Ravelry today I noticed a tatting group and decided to join. The first thing that caught my eye was this!

Posted by NoreenCroneFindl (moderator) on Saturday, June 13:

> Recently, I posted an interview with Jane Eborall to my blog. She’s a total delight!

> :o) Noreen

I couldn't agree more, Noreen! Here’s the link to the interview:

Hankering for Yarn - Jane Eborall...

Jane is truly a scrumptious and charming lady, full of wit and wisdom. I adore her! Didn't want anyone to miss out on this interview.

Special thanks to Noreen for taking the initiative to interview our dear Jane and share it with us.