Round 4 of Fair Doily

Row 4 of Purple and Teal Square Doily
Debbie Arnold © 2002
Round four (4) is complete and thankfully went smoothly. Except for the final ring with that blasted final join. It took three tries to get it right.

(Fox be praised! She sent me instructions to understand how to make the final join correctly.) Thank you, Fox!

This motif now measures four inches (10.2 centimeters) from corner to corner. It is tatted in size 40 Lizbeth Linen (color #693) and size 50 Treebeard HDT from LadyShuttleMaker.

The split-ring clovers in round four are why I chose to tat this doily. When I get to round seven (7) you will see a pretty scallop emerge after the second round of split-ring clovers are added. Cas tatted this great example in blue and white in 2005.

Whether or not the scallop stands out in my doily remains to be seen. The ladies from my lace guild think the mossy/linen combo looks elegant and "not at all old-fashioned." What a nice compliment. 

Tatting Tea Tuesday
Brewing up a cuppa green tea Kombucha to settle in for some much needed tatting zen.

It has been melancholy around Silly Hat Central since Saturday, May 1st, after learning of a SCAdian friend's death from lung cancer. The news came as a shock since I hadn't known the lady was ill.

That's all I have to say about that.

Two packages arrived in the mail over the weekend: one from Jane Eborall and another from Jan Stawasz. The first mailer, Jane's, was destroyed in my enthusiasm to get at the contents.

It contained two superb Pop-a-Bobbin shuttles: one made from Iroko and the other from Ash. That brings my greedy total to four Pop-a-bobbin shuttles. Gonna load 'em up for a test drive today!

Jan's mailer included these two shuttles.

Two Jan Stawasz Shuttles
These generously sized beauties are three inches in length (7.6 cm) and 5/8 inch wide (1.5 cm) so they are well suited for larger projects. Gonna give them a go too.

Today I will attempt Dragon in Egg from Heather, the Tarnished Tatter's book, "Afternoon Tatting."

Since I have "geared up" my tatting goals lately, I  am adding tatted wedding hearts to the list, plus a stab at a treble clef. That's a tall order!

Better get tatting . . .

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

Round 3 of Fair Doily

Round 3 of Square Fair Doily, unblocked
Round three (3) is complete and thankfully it went smoothly, though it is beginning to ruffle. Sharon Briggs' blocking method worked like a charm on the ruffle.

Round 3 of Square Fair Doily, blocked
Round four (4) is made up of split rings, which I really enjoy. I am looking forward to working them in two colors.

Kickin' It Up a Notch
It is time to really shift things into high gear. I want to tat an Easter egg this week, plus tat the first of several entwined hearts for a wedding project on which I have volunteered to assist.

AND a lucky winner must be choosen for the International Tatting Day - Pamper Yourself Giveaway on April 1st! Who will it be?

It could be you! But only if you enter.

Milward Shuttle - My eBay auction win!
Milward Shuttle
Last week I won an eBay auction and scored a Milward tatting shuttle from a seller in the UK. It didn't come with a hook, but I am still over the moon with excitement to be its proud new owner.

Milward stopped producing these shuttles in the 1980s so they are increasingly hard to find.

In October 2009 Fox wrote of her eBay auction win of a Milward shuttle and an English Aero. It's true, my longing quadrupled after reading her post. My English Aero quest continues with a broad, "I got a Milward" grin!

ISO Manuela Thread
The English Aero is not the only thing I am in search of. Recently I took a thread inventory and realized that some color planning and organizing was in order. One thread I was not able to buy was size 20 Manuela  "Vanilla" color #055.

The incredible family of tatters on the Here_Be_Tatters list have graciously helped me in my search.

• Jeff (Bridge City Tatting) helped me find the correct color number for Manuela Vanilla. 
• Elesa Hurley looked through her thread stash and offered me her ball of Manuela "Natural" color #002. 

Thanks to you both, and anyone else who checked their stash for Manuela "Vanilla." The quest continues, so if you stumble upon a source, please let me know!

Last but not least, here is how I have organized my "ball" cottons. A 50% off Michaels A&C coupon came in handy to purchase this three-drawer cabinet. Now I have a separate drawer for size 20, 40 and size 50 - 80 threads. A narrow basket in each drawer will hold hand-dyed threads (HDT).

Thread Storage
Off to tat hearts and eggs and split rings.

Hope to see you for Tatting Tea Tuesday!

Pamper Yourself GIVEAWAY

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. That Hallmark holiday so many love to hate.

Not me. I scoff at Anti-Valentine's. I commend cupid. I'm in love with the heart holiday. And that means it's GIVEAWAY time!

So let the great Love/Hate debate rage on.

Love the skin you're in and enter for a chance to win this pampering set from New Hands Soaps and Lotions.

NHSL is my twin sister's Etsy shop. Not long ago Igoya and I were talking when she asked what could she do to get more exposure for her shop?

Being ever mindful of giveaway opportunities, I said she should prepare a custom set for me to use as a prize!

The gift pack she put together is simply superb for Valentine's Day. Who doesn't love to feel pampered?

Posh Petals Gift Set
This prize is simply superb. A "rip open the package and fall in love" kind of superb!

Take a moment to reflect on the thrill you feel when a HDT order arrives. Yes, it is on par with that!

The prize package comes with a 7.5 ounce bar of Posh Petals soap, a 4 ounce Champagne and Strawberries linen spray and a tin of Dark Chocolate lip balm.

For the fragrance minded, Posh Petals is delicately fresh, feminine and red-carpet glamorous. It blends essences of rose water, tangerine, lemon, pomegranate and aloe into a classy and elegant bouquet.

I love this gift set so much TWO lucky winners will be chosen!

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Cut-off date for entries is Monday, February 8th.

3. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, February 9th.

Want another chance to win?
If you post about this giveaway on your blog you qualify for a second entry.

Be sure to add a (2) 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 time.

Winner will be chosen via random number generator.

If chocolate, lingerie and a romantic movie make up the typical Valentine trifecta, this gift pack is a sweet indulgence light years beyond the Whitmans Sampler.

Even if you are feeling cynical about love this year, there's no better revenge than being good to yourself. Good Luck!

Is She a Winner?

(Click on the photo for a larger view.)

YES! Look what I won. (Sorry if you thought I won Tatting Chic's fabulous 50,000 Visitors Celebration Giveaway...but I kind of did.)

Back on July 5^th I posted about receiving a super-duper awesome gift in the mail from JB. It was my prize for winning the Pay It Forward Giveaway on her blog. The workmanship and thought that went into this gift are jaw-droppin' awesome and I'm thrilled to be able to show them to you now.

Isn't this the prettiest heart-shaped bookmark? Be sure to click on the image because it is even more beautiful close up. I have to tell you that I cannot tell where she made her final thread joins! It looks completely seamless. And yes, this bookmark is my new favorite.

But that's not all! Check out this splendid, embroidered linen hand towel she made for me. Linen! Aren't the colors vibrant? The flowers cheery? Just look at the details. I just LOVE IT! Here is a close up of the monogram.

(Click on the photo for a larger view.)

It looks so pretty hanging in my powder room. I wish I had another one for my other powder room. Maybe I'll proffer a trade or offer to pay her on commission. But a trade would be more fun.

JB, if you're reading this, would you be interested in making one more of these lovely hand towels? Let's chat about what I can make for you (that is, if you are interested). :-)