Wednesday Levity

Have you read The Blogess yet?

Right out of the gate, let me say that The Blogess has the kahones I only have in my wildest dreams.

[Yes, I know that the correct spelling of the Spanish word is "cojones." Since females don't have "cojones," I went with the kooler urban spelling.]

Oh Sweet Mercy! Her irreverent humor is oddly liberating. Plus, she still regards Pluto as a planet. I like that about her.

Crazy Mom got me hooked on The Blogess in June when she sent me a link to And that's why you should learn to pick your battles.

In truth Jenny had me at Will Wheaton Collating, but that giant metal chicken gag really had legs.

Now not only am I a Bloggess-aholic but a closet giant metal chicken groupie.

Tat Days Projects, Part I

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Hello October
Director Sprout set the scene, which explains the octopus and menacing tea light tree. ツ

While week one felt fall-ish, Columbus Day weekend sun brought temps in the mid-to-upper 70s. So instead of switching over to hot tea, today I settle in to tat with a sun-brewed glass of decaf green with peach iced tea. Later, The Sprout and I will bake pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies.

Let the huddles break, breezes blow and leaves rustle. My tea and thread cupboards are stocked, shuttles wound, and my favorite Pashmina shawl is at the ready.

Can you believe Tat Days ended three weeks ago? Still so much tatting to do! Here's what I have been tatting in the after glow of that marvelous, fun-filled event.

Crazy Mom's Hearts Afire Cross © 2011
Tatted in Lizbeth^® 20 Victorian Red

Motif 4 - Hearts Afire Cross
Just look at this adorable dimpled heart cross. I couldn't attend this class because Nina Libin's Winter Solstice was at the same time, so I opted to wait for the pattern CD to make the cross.

Can I make a confession? Over the years I have been pretty tight-lipped about my uncanny ability to break a thread when closing a dimpled ring. Those durned dimples got me every time.

That was before learning to close the dimpled rings second half-first, then first-half. The technique was first shared by Sue Hanson at 2008 Shuttlebirds Tatting Weekend. Sue called it the Dimpled Yorkie. Crazy Mom's pattern includes tips for closing her vertical heart split rings this way. Brilliant!

In fact, the whole Hearts Afire Cross pattern is a work of genius. It cleverly throws dimpled hearts off of dimpled hearts, then moves on to vertical heart split rings. It sounds complicated, doesn't it? But Crazy Mom's instructions are crystal clear and make it easy! If I can do it, you can too.

Sunrise, Sunset Bookmark © 2011 Martha Ess

Motif 5 - Sunrise, Sunset Bookmark
My first Friday class was with Martha Ess. We made her Sunrise, Sunset bookmark. The thread is Altin Basak 50 in colors AB355 Copper and AB336 Periwinkle.

Martha's patterns are 110% pure pleasure to tat. Clear instructions, gorgeous photos and diagrams - what's not to love? That said, her Sunrise, Sunset bookmark raised the bar.

Oops! Mine looks a bit topsy turvy, doesn't it? Sunset, Sunrise!

Don't fret if your bookmark curls a bit. Mine looked like this before pinning it out. A quick shot of steam and it was right as rain. (The pretty shuttle was made by Georgia and Richard Seitz.)

That which we call a rose, by any other name
Next up is a "rosone" (Italian for rosette) in progress from Il Lavoro Chiacchierino 14, page 8. The thread is YarnPlayer's Celery in size 20.

Celery (the food) has always been dreaded diet fare at Silly Hat Central, but YarnPlayer's Celery HDT is so fresh and pleasing it is easy to "swallow." ツ

This was my airport tatting project, not a Tat Days class. The bits I actually tatted in airports ended up looking positively wretched, so I cut it off and started again. This second try looks much better.

Last is a photo of the silly, "just say no to celery" pin I made for a fellow Tat Days attendee. My 2011 tatting resolution was to create more mixed media items with my tatting and this pin helps to meet that goal. Hee, hee, see how the Celery HDT accents the stalks?

I honestly couldn't judge the recipient's reaction beyond initial confusion (which, all things considered, was understandable) but the joy in creating, completing and giving it (On time, too!) made it all worthwhile.

This post just scratches the surface of my class projects so there will be a part II. Then comes Tat Days Loot! As for hijinx, all I can say is "what happens at Tat Days, stays at Tat Days." (Sometimes genteel, southern ladies can be bad.)

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

In Memory of Myrtle Hamilton

A lovely tribute to Myrtle Hamilton was on display at 2011 Palmetto Tat Days. Pam Freck, one of the program coordinators for Tat Days 2011, told me that the display would travel to the South Carolina State Fair after Tat Days had ended.

Myrtle (Bartoo) Hamilton was born December 1, 1895, in Potter County, Pennsylvania. One of 12 children (9 surviving), Myrtle grew up in a fairly prosperous farm family near Mills. She lived in Coudersport, PA, roughly 20 miles from her hometown, and died in 2003 at the age of 107.

Mrs. Hamilton holds a special place in my heart for two reasons. First, she worked tirelessly to keep tatting alive, contributing many wonderful designs for future tatters to enjoy.

Second, it makes my heart glad to know that she lived no more than 125 miles away from where I grew up, not far from Clarion, PA.

In her "Celebration of Tatting and the Life of Myrtle Hamilton" for the Online Tatting Class, Georgia Seitz wrote:

"Tatting had many ups and downs during the second half of the 1900's and through those long years, I believe that Myrtle Hamilton became one of the guardians of the art of tatting. Myrtle produced wonderful designs of all kinds which were published in the Workbasket, Stitch n Sew, Popular Needlework, Old Time Crochet and many others. I firmly believe that Myrtle kept tatting alive in the US for decades."

Georgia also writes of Mrs. Hamilton's tatting column in Workbasket magazine in her BellaOnline article "Building a Tatting Library:"

"The tatting world has been enriched by dedicated teachers and designers like Myrtle Hamilton who helped prevent tatting from becoming a lost art. Her Workbasket designs were basic and in classic style. Any of the older issues contain tatting gems and would be excellent additions to any library."

I received one of Myrtle Hamilton's heart patterns in an online exchange in 2003.

The heart was done by Terry McGuffin who re-wrote the pattern to incorporate split rings and chains so that it could be tatted continuously, without all of the cut and ties in the original design. You can read about it here.

The I.O.L.I. Library has this listing:
T-049 Blue Ribbon Patterns, Patterns for Tatting/Hamilton, Myrtle/1970/English/24p/A collection of patterns/

Myrtle Hamilton exchanged letters with Betty Magill of Kinards, SC, who shared the photo taken on her 100th birthday (top). Pam Freck shared a copy of this photo with me. Thank you, Betty, and thank you, Pam Freck, for sharing this information with me. It is like receiving a hug from a tatting angel.

Tat Days - Banquet, Quilt Drawing & Silent Auction

Friday Night Banquet
The banquet is always a high point. Some dress to impress in evening wear, though it is just fine to come as you are.

Regardless of attire, it is a great opportunity to show off your tatting! Isn't Kathy Berndt's tatted shawl gorgeous?

If the lavender shawl didn't drop your jaw in awe, Kathy sported an equally mind-blowing scarf during the day. (And check out her adorable penguins with tie-dye tuxedos!)

Riet Surtel-Smeulders from The Netherlands received a gift of a finely cross-stitched Sock Monkey Pirate from Celticdreamweaver. Here she is showing it off. (Note the Oohs and Ahhs.)

This close up shows you just how adorable the Monkey Pirate really is. It is stitched on linen. Riet also received micro-knitted sock monkey earrings as a gift and wore them proudly for all to see. So tiny and so cute!

One more snapshot of how genuinely tickled pink Riet was, and Hope Bates too!

Quilt Drawing
After the banquet, the Old Man Winter quilt covered in tatted snowflakes was auctioned off. Every flake was hand-sewn on by Erin Holloway. It was a stunning and spectacularly beautiful work of art.

Congratulations to Katie Verna, whose name was drawn as the lucky winner!

By this time on Friday evening my cell phone battery was mostly dead, so I didn't get very good photos of the quilt. The Tat Days web page has a close up.

Georgia was as entertaining as ever as auctioneer. Three smaller quilted wall hangings (or table toppers or table runners, depending on the winners' preferences) were also auctioned off, raising approximately $1,300 for the scholarship fund.

Silver Necklace donated by Nina Libin

Silent Auction
There were so many donations for the silent auction this year! Items of every size and description. Just a few of them (in no particular order) are shown here.

I donated two Tatting First Aid Kits, inspired by Fox who has blogged about her egregious tatting injuries. We have all done it: forced a dangerously tiny hook through a tight join, only to have it stab into a finger. Ouch! Of course no Tatting First Aid Kit would be complete without chocolate.

Knitted Stocking earrings donated by Lynne Gillies

Miser's Coin Purse donated by Sheron Goldin

One of several brooches donated by Erin Holloway

One of several Edging Pattern Books & Starlit Shuttles donated by Handy Hands

Tatter's Toolbox for Breast Cancer Awareness donated by Kathy Hodge

Hooked Rug Kit donated by Mary Alice Kinnette

Doilies with Tatted Edging donated by Riet Surtel-Smeulders

Tatting Treats & Box donated by Hope Bates

Heart Gift Basket donated by Kathy Hodge

Whew! And that was but a smattering of the many donations. Every time I wandered into the Silent Auction room there were new items to see...all of them thoughtful, beautiful and waiting for more bids. Well done donors and winners!

Good gracious, there's still MORE to come — stay tuned for candid photos and loot!

Tat Days - Guinness Attempt & Eye Candy

Guinness Book Record Attempt
Over 100 tatters around the world gathered for the first ever attempt to establish a tatting world record. (Some said the number was 127, but I was not able to confirm this.)

The photos were taken, the paperwork filled out and we'll wait to see what the folks at Guinness Book of World Records have to say.

Shuttles were very busy during the attempt. Hands were working at many different speeds, some faster than I ever imagined they could go. Want to take a peek into the room?



Tat Days Keeps Growing
Eighty-six people attended Tat Days in 2011, that's 15% more than last year. Fifteen registered attendees didn't tat, but added to the fun by coming along and dealing with our tatting obsession. Three cheers for Tat Days and the non-tatting but very good sports!

Tatting Display
Each year tatters bring some of their projects to show. The display never fails to impress.

Elgiva Heart by Martha Ess

Martha Ess shared several original designs from her new book, "Playing With Picots." This lovely heart is dedicated to the memory of Elgiva Nicholls, who did such beautiful work with graduated picots. Octopus really liked it.

Barbie Dress & Hat by Marie Smith

Marie Smith tatted a dainty dress and hat for Barbie in hand-dyed silk. The pattern came from an old Workbasket magazine. Barbie never looked so chic.

HAND-DYED THREAD UPDATE: Marie Smith emailed the details for the thread she used on Barbie's FAB ensemble: Silk HDT by LadyShuttleMaker in the colorway "Enchantment" - Thanks!

Pillywiggin by Karrieann Warr

Karrieann shared the fairy house she made for Pillywiggin the pixie and the tatting she added to Miss 'Wiggins' attire and wings. Don't you just love the tiny white puffballs on her shoes? (...she reminds me of a certain tinker fairy.)

Mary Konior's pattern "Curds and Whey," tatted by Karrieann Warr

Karrieann also shared this beautiful edging, made from Mary Konior's pattern Curds and Whey. She didn't mention details about the lovely thread, but I'm guessing it was something scrumptious, dyed by her daughter Krystaldawne. Or perhaps Dr. Vonthreadmore?

HAND-DYED THREAD UPDATE: Karrieann commented, "The HDT thread that I used in Curds & Whey is by Karey Solomon... Seneca somethingother..."

Gold Beaded Bag by Marie Smith

This gorgeous, beaded bag took my breath away. It was tatted by Marie Smith and if my "amazing powers of deduction" hold true, I think the partial image of the note card indicates that it was made up of 10,000 beads. (*bows* if I got it right...*ducks.for.cover* if I got it wrong)

John from "John's Tatting Blog" shared several large projects, including an ecclesiastical stole, triangle lace, handkerchiefs, baby shoes and two large doilies. These items are more impressive in person than the photos can portray. That's saying something!

There's more to come — stay tuned for tales from the Friday Night Banquet, Day 2 of classes, Quilt Drawing and Silent Auction.

Tat Days - The Thursday and Friday Report

Before jumping in to the fun-filled day of classes, events and hijinx that was Friday, I have some bad news. Blogspot refuses to play nice with Safari. I have not been successful uploading photos from iPad.

A creative work-around (So there, Blogger!) is being attempted. If later tonight you see photos on either this post or the previous one, you will know that CrazyMom and I outsmarted Blogger.

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New Friends, Awesome Talent
Meeting Nina Libin at the airport was a thrill! What a warm, wonderful, kind and generous lady. A genuinely incredible woman.

What Southern Women Know
Southern ladies know how to put travelers at ease with their hospitality. Once again I have been wowed, especially from CrazyMom.

She did Georgia proud all weekend. In addition to playing tour guide to Nina and I on Thursday, she was all prepared with "roomie prezzies" of Toblerone, jewelry-making kits, beads and loads of laughs!

Local Trivia
Did you know that Georgia had the first gold rush? Nina and I learned this after CrazyMom pointed out the gold-domed State Capitol Building in Atlanta.

As early as 1819, gold was being mined by whites in North Georgia. (Native Americans panned for gold much earlier.) The California Gold Rush began in 1848.

"What'll ya have?"
We headed off to The Varsity for lunch, where the staff call out "What'll ya have?" as soon as you approach the diner-style counter. It is a chili dog and burger joint that is listed among the top fast food restaurants in the country. The onion rings, chili-n-slaw dogs and FO's (Frosted Orange milkshakes - they taste like creamsiscles.) are legendary.

Last year I didn't get a single photo of CrazyMom at Tat Days so I determined to get one of her this year. Little did I know what a challenge this would be. She is an expert at evading the camera!

See what I mean?

A few  highlights from the ride to Toccoa:

Lots of get-to-know-you conversation - hearing about Nina's experience teaching tatting in the Tuilleries Gardens in Paris and other places where she has been invited to teach, "where were you on 9/11," tales of the Stooges and of course The Sprout.

We made great time and were at the Baptist Conference Center with time to schmooze before teacher check-in. Thank you CrazyMom and Nina for making the drive so enjoyable.

After check in, I made two discoveries. One, my leprechaun abduction attempt had gone awry. Ciarrán was not in my suitcase. Curses!

But I did find a stowaway. Tucked in among the sundries was a stuffed toy octopus that The Sprout had smuggled in so I wouldn't get lonely without him. Isn't he just the sweetest son a mom could hope to have?

We had fun with octopus. He kept cropping up in photos, like this one with a darling, wee pixie named Pillywiggin who came with Karrieann.

Marie Smith's 10-year-old granddaughter, Georgia Seitz and a few others put octopus on their heads. Before long we were calling him Octo-Bonnet.

Stay tuned for tales from Day 1 of classes, the Guinness Book of World Records, awe-inspiring projects and a tribute to Myrtle Hamilton!

Let the Good Times Roll

Posting from the Atlanta Hilton hotel room, before I take the airport shuttle to meet Nina Libin and Crazy Mom.

The sunset photo was taken at 39,000 feet. It reminded me of the pretty sunrise and sunset photos Crazy Mom shares on her blog from her weekday commute.

But, I'm in Georgia, y'all! Later today Nina, Crazy Mom and I will have lunch together in Atlanta on the way to Toccoa.

Let the fun begin!