Happy Holidays!

No matter what you're celebrating -- even if it's just being off work for a bit (I'd like to celebrate that every day!) -- I hope you thoroughly enjoy this time of year.
Yes, where I am it's dreary looking (actually raining!), it's damp, and cold. BUT...I don't have to work after today until it's a whole new year; my sister and her family are flying in from Maryland today; we're all healthy; and the year was good enough that Santa Claus is coming to our house. Lots of things to celebrate.

There are tatting things to celebrate too. I won a drawing at the Lace-Lovin' Librarian's website and received the most wonderful little packet of goodies. I was wondering if the "Royal Fail*" had invaded our USPS, but they did manage to deliver a very pretty yellow satin pouch with a shuttle, some thread, and other goodies. I'll have to post a picture after the holidays. (I'd like to claim I'm having technical difficulties, but it's really that I'm having organizational difficulties.) I got a beautiful tin tied in a silver ribbon from my exchange partner at The TattingForums. I'll get a picture of what's inside on Christmas day and post that later, too! I'm certain it's good stuff, though!
Finally, I've got pretty shuttles to use now -- that should make all my tatting prettier, right? I'm anticipating some good days of tatting and chatting with family. I wish you all the same.

*Check out the continuing mis-adventures of the English post at Jane Eborall's website!

Flurry of Bling

This is the Flurry part -- Jane Eborall's Flurry Snowflake in bangles. It's really a great pattern (and even easier when all done in one color so the SLT can be skipped ... lazy, that's me). It looks wonderful in the bangles -- even if I did have a bit of trouble getting each spoke at 60 degrees from the other. The one done with Lizbeth's red, green and white thread is a bit wild, but I like it anyway.

"So...where does the bling part come in?," you ask with great trepidation. Yup. I did it again. The dollar store yielded up lots of pretty patterned tissue paper. Of course, it's rather seasonal. TA-DA! Holiday Shuttles! And, yes, those are a couple of little Clovers on the right end. I think the Aeros are easier to cover because the paper can be tucked under the sides. It has to be cut with much more precision for the Clovers. I like the striped one on the left side the best, but the minimalist blue snowflakes is a close second.

Addicted to Bling?!

Addictive, that's what it is. These rather speak for themselves, but I have discovered I like tissue paper better than paint. That gray one on the far right (the one with the red jewel in it's little bellybutton) is covered with silver tissue paper. It doesn't look much different than the plain gray Aero, except for the shine, until you turn it over and see it has Snowflakes on it. :)

Continued Bling and Snowflakes

Here they are for a closer look. (There are only 7 of them, this shows both sides of each shuttle.) The three on the left are unpainted -- that's the native gray showing through.
The green vines on the far left shuttle were made with two shades of extra-fine Sharpie markers. It has a big yellow chrysanthamum (at least that's what I'm pretending it is) on the opposite side. The flower and leaves were painted with acrylic paint then accented with Sharpie markers.
The purple and green stars on the second from the left are shiny metallic stickers with more Sharpie marker lines for accents with shiny little half beads stuck into the shuttle divots.
The third from the left is covered with tissue paper, stripes on one side and dots on the other. The flat half-beads stuck into the divots sit pretty flush with the shuttle body. This one is the easiest to use. Maybe because I only used two coats of decopodge -- or it could have been a better shuttle to begin with -- or even, it could be that the tissue paper makes it feel sturdy but still light. I don't know, but I like it. (I don't like it as well as the beautiful shuttles I got from LaCossette though.)
The next three were all painted white -- but it took two coats and a bunch of touch up to get the gray covered. That's too much paint and it doesn't look that good on close inspection. The flowers are stickers with Sharpie marker stems and leaves. I had to peel away part of the paint and decopodge on part of the winder end of the red and purple flower one, because I couldn't put the bobbin on it. It looks a bit odd with that bit of gray showing.
The frogs are somewhat raised stickers, also accented with Sharpie markers. That black blob on one side is supposed to be a little fly. This one is the second hardest to use because of the raised character of the frogs. The thread doesn't slide over them from the back -- but if you tat with your fingers behind the center of the shuttle, as I do, there's a perfect finger spot on this one.
The blue one on the far right has shiny silver star stickers on it -- and at least three coats of blue paint. It's painted on the inside as well. That was not a good idea. The bobbin doesn't turn well in this one, but it's still workable, and I think it might loosen up.

I know they all work because I tatted these with them:

You all must recognize Jane Eborall's Flurry Snowflake. This is the greatest snowflake pattern I've run across in a long time. It's pretty. It looks good in lots of colors (these are my sister's Bermuda Red and Singing the Blues in size 30). It uses beads (shiny, I like shiny!). It's all worked in one round. It's uses the shoelace trick in the cleverest way ever. I even think it will fit in the bangles I use if I just make one of Jane's long beaded picots at the top of each point.
You know, sometimes I think the world doesn't know what it's missing because Jane hasn't got braincell number 4 in permanent residence. If she can be this clever with just number 3 -- she could clean up the world with number 4! I really, really like this pattern -- can you tell?

More Bling

I've been playing with my plain gray Aero shuttles during the long Thanksgiving weekend (my office is closed the day after Thanksgiving, too). Seven of my shuttles are out of commission -- at least for the time being. I learned something on each shuttle and about each of the materials I used. There are some things I would never do again -- like paint the inside of the shuttle (duh). I will probably never do three or four coats of paint with four coats of decopodge, either. Oh, and I'll wait for the Sharpie ink to dry before putting the decopodge over it, too. Lots of fun goofies, but I'm hoping they work out anyway! Once they are free of the drying box, I'll put up some better pictures. Between cleaning, cooking, cleaning again and painting shuttles, I haven't done any tatting this weekend -- can you imagine!?

More Covered Ring Jewelry

The absence of tatting on this blog doesn't mean I haven't been tatting. I've just been tatting things some people who read this blog shouldn't be seeing until after the holidays. This jewelry set (two earrings and a pendant) is for someone I don't know. My sister's co-worker loved her "mom earrings" (the ones with the nylon hooks). She requested earrings and a pendant for her sister-in-law who's just had a baby. She wanted earrings just like the ones I made for her (except in blue), so I had to come up with something pendant-looking that matched. I'm not too certain this is it. My sister's going to take them in and see what she thinks.
I made a draft without beads and it worked, so I added the beads, now some of the rings overlap a bit. If the pendant is too weird, I'll make something smaller. This pendant is about 2.5 inches long and 1.25 inches wide. The earrings are about an inch wide. These are all made with Oren Bayan multi-colored metallic thread and sizes 15 and 10 seed beads -- there are 94 size 15 beads and 12 size 10 beads on each earring. The pendant has 206 size 15 beads and 8 size 10.

This picture is from the scanner, that's why the six ring flower in the center of the lower ring of the pendant is blurred. I might get better results with my camera, but it's such a hassle.

To Bling or Not to Bling

To Bling or Not to Bling, that was the question...

Personally, I think it depends on who you are and where your talents lie.

Apparently mine don't lie with painting with fingernail polish at midnight.

I do show SOME common sense. These are opposite sides of the same shuttle. I can at least claim only one shuttle was harmed in the making of this post.

To clarify just a bit -- the shuttles are plain Aero-gray. I didn't paint the whole shuttle, nor did I cover it with anything. The flowers are painted with a pink fingernail polish and the leaves and stem are green fingernail polish. The pink had one little bristle in the brush that stuck out further than the others, so there are a few tiny pink dots on the shuttle you can't see at this size. The blue one is painted with blue fingernail polish and outlined with a black Sharpie marker. I don't know what possessed me to give it green antennae. I live in a household with two girls (one 8 and one 15). We have very nearly any color of nail polish you can name.

The Dreaded Cluny

The cluny -- other people can do them. Some people do them beautifully. Some people are really making an effort to make clunies and improve their personal technique.

I scribble. Okay, I scribbled once.

I think there might be one of these that looks pretty good. Mostly they look wider on one side than the other -- what's up with that?

My fingers are all thumbs when it comes to making the loom. You know if you don't pinch the thread right it all comes apart in a non-interesting tangle?

Wanting to learn and having the patience to do so are coming into conflict. So...I'll do what I do with most difficult questions. I'll keep it in the thinking stage for a while.

If you're thinking about it -- you don't have to DO it. *sigh*

25 Motif Challenge Numbers 12 and 13

Halfway through my ornament challenge...any the year is almost up. Ah, well, I may not make it -- fortunately there is no penalty. :)

These two are adaptations of Mary Konior's Spinning Wheel Glass Mat. One ornament is 2.5 inches and the other is about 1.75 inches in diameter. Both are made with white perle cotton and lots of little green glass beads. Just to be different, I pinned them to the ornament with sequins under the pins. I'm still deciding if I like that or not. I do think the pattern looks really good wrapped around an ornament. I might have to make more.

Seahorse Dragon

Anne Bruvold created this Seahorse Dragon based on Debbie Arnold's Seahorse. What a great pattern! It's rings and chains, no complications or advanced techniques. It's a relaxing piece to tat and at the end you get this really cute little guy.

My sister dyed this "Mermaid" thread on a DMC size 80. It seemed like the perfect thread for a marine animal. It's just 3 inches tall and a total of 2 inches wide from tip of nose to tip of wing.

I'm going to make more of these. I'm thinking a red one, a green one and some snowflakes on a styrofoam ornament. Yeah, cute!

Dangerously Beautiful?

I wanted you all to see why I was only distressed that I could not tat on plane on the way home -- not truly moaning about losing my plain gray Aero shuttles. All this beauty came in the mail just before I left for vacation:
Aren't they pretty? Having these declared dangerous and "not permitted" really would have made me cry!
The top shuttle on the right, and first to arrive, is a Dragon Shuttle made by Chris Hinton from The Shuttle Shop. The wood is beautifully veined and polished to a smooth lustre. Of course, the carved rendition of Ann Bruvold's dragon right there in the center makes it very special. Even more charming is Chris's personal "Hi" to me carved into the post. That's a particularly nice thing to do after I literally destroyed two of his winder shuttles during testing. I intend to take very good care of this shuttle. All the shuttles are posed in the Dragon Shuttle's new case -- what could be more appropriate than this silk-covered box I got in San Francisco's Chinatown? (Well, okay, one with a dragon pattern on the silk, but flowers are good, right?)

The shuttle on the right arrived next. It's a new Pop-a-Bobbin Shuttle from "'im in the garage" that I got from Jane Eborall's Etsy site. These great shuttles sell like hotcakes, so my timing had to be just right. I'd been waiting to pounce on the new offerings since Jane announced the posting time on her blog. This one is teak -- it sounds as exotic as it looks. It's also a very smooth bit of work, and I love the feel of the wood. Oh! It has a purple bobbin too! Wouldn't it be fun if bobbins came in every color of the rainbow? This is my fifth Pop-a-Bobbin shuttle -- greedy, huh?

My last beautiful shuttle actually arrived home the same day I did. Isn't it marvelous? It used to be a plain dull gray Aero shuttle until Joëlle at La Cossette agreed to try covering an un-neutered Aero for me. I like the length of the Aero shuttle and frequently have my fingers just above the winding post when I tat. Without the post, I'd drop the shuttle! I use the winder all the time, too. I told her any of three patterns (or was it four?) which were in her Etsy shop at the time would be just fine. I don't know how she actually picked the one I liked the very best! These are blackberries and are on both sides of the shuttle. I love that bit of orangy-yellow leaf on the bottom end of one side. What ever paper and medium she used to secure it has certainly altered the feel of the shuttle. It doesn't feel like a flimsy plastic shuttle anymore; it's much more substantial. Besides that bonus, the covering medium also gives the shuttle a bit of a texture making it easy to hold onto without creating any place the thread can catch. I think I need more of these pretty shuttles.

There's just one more to see. This one I've had for quite some time, but it's another shuttle that doesn't travel with me. This one was made by David Reed Smith. It's very light wood with a small, flat brass hook set into the end. It's very nice to work with. Can you just see a double-shuttle project with this on one thread and the Dragon on the other? Nice image, eh? Anyway, not content with just the shuttle, I also got this crochet hook in a turned case. The hook pulls out of the end, reverses, and goes back in for use. It has a hole through the end of the long cap so it can be worn as a necklace or on a chatelaine. I wonder if it would make it through the x-ray machines at the airport? Ha. Well, I'M not going to be the one to test it, that's for sure and certain.

There. Now you've seen my at-home shuttles. The dull gray Aeros are my traveling shuttles. I've always got one in a contact lens case with a pair of fingernail clippers and a couple of extra bobbins of thread so I can make butterflies or caterpillars anywhere.

Dangerous!

No, no -- not the beach or the sand or the sun or the wind. Cancun, Mexico is a lovely place. Those Caribbean blues in the water were perfect -- I understand some of the thread dyes now!
The hotel was marvelous -- the only places with four walls, doors, and windows were the individual rooms and a couple of the restaurants. Everything else was open, on patios or under palapas. The people were marvelous and so patient with my very poor Spanish. I can count, say hello and goodbye, and know a smattering of other useless words (like sombrero, and burro -- fortunately "Coca-Cola" and "Fanta Orange" appear to be Spanish.)
Chichen-Itza was a wonder, truly. I never realized how large the area is and how many buildings there were. The building precision was amazing to see, and the carvings equally so.
Cancun was a lovely place for a wedding! (Nope, not mine -- my niece's, which made it even better.)


So...what's dangerous you ask? I'll show you:

Yes. It's the dreaded Aero Shuttle in all it's drab grayness. I flew down to Mexico with six of these weapons in my carry on bag and happily tatted in the plane all the way down. I came home without six of these dangerous items. I do hope you all feel safer in your homes and in the skies.



However, just so you know, these are NOT dangerous:

Go figure.


Let this just serve as a reminder (which I didn't even think about) that just because you can travel through the airports in your own country with your tatting shuttles, knitting needles (my sister's are gracing some airport security lockup in Cancun), and crochet hooks, it doesn't follow that you can travel with them in some other country. Perhaps on my next trip my nice wooden lucet will have to come along for the ride.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Dad and Akari!



















Iris Niebach "Cactus" - color photo-manipulated.

Koinor Butterfly and Rings Only Practice

While I've got the opportunity to use Mary Konior's book "Tatting Patterns" (because a very nice person let me use hers for a while), I'm trying out the small patterns. This one is a rings only butterfly. It's tiny little head is a knot hidden down there by it's wing, so I made the antenna extra long. Thread spaces are usually so difficult for me to make even. The way this butterfly is made, though, the thread spaces are less critical. Its not blocked in any way -- just set on my new scanner (the old one gave up the ghost after 13 years of trusty service). It looks pretty good, if I do say so m'self. Not only that, I think the colors might be more true to life than on the old scanner.
This is my sister's dark and light rainbow on a size 30 DMC Cebelia base. It measures 1 3/4 inches (4.5 cm) across at it's widest point, and even though it doesn't look square, measures the same at it's tallest point.

One Last State Fair Post

This is our little corner at the Fair. The Bonneville Tatters are fortunate enough to have a wall space where we demonstrate tatting during the State Fair. Wendy is the secretary of our guild. She brought a large square doily to work on. That empty chair is mine. I was working on a bit of brightly colored edging. We were giving away the bookmarks on the corner of the table -- each one has a little scrap tatting (butterflies, caterpillars, flowers) glued (please pass the smelling salts!) to the paper.
Having bragged on my own tatting, I thought you'd like to see all the other tatting at the Fair this year (if there was more than this, they hid it!):

Unfortunately, the Fair people lost the crystal globe off the little red and white tatted lighthouse (they didn't seem to be too concerned about it either!)

I thought these bobbin lace covered ornaments were worth showing off. They almost makes me want to learn to fuss with all those bobbins! Aren't they pretty?!

The best of show in the needle arts this year was a beautiful knitted tablecloth. Okay, I can see why it got the best of show.

All you tatters out there: Find out where your county, regional, state or whatever fairs are held. Find out if you can enter your tatting! Get it out there in front of the public. Show off then brag about it!

State Fair and me

Yes! I did enter stuff at the State Fair. We've got to keep those tatting categories that exist and see if we can expand them! I entered seven things in the Home Arts Department. I was going to enter my table cloth, but didn't get it finished. I'll show it to you one of these first days. :) I mostly entered the same stuff I put in the County Fair, so you've seen all the pictures, but the ribbons are a little different. Here are my entries. The only things I hadn't entered in the County are the Valentine hanging decoration, and the cockerel bookmark -- the state tatting section had categories just for "other holidays" and "bookmark". When I didn't finish the tablecloth, I made the Valentine ornament and the bookmark. They didn't take very long. Other than a white instead of blue on the angel and a red instead of sweepstakes on the quilting-thread Cornelia I got the same ribbons as at the County Fair. If you look at the picture you can see a green and white ornament with red beads. Isn't it pretty? I've blocked out her tag so you don't get to see her name, but she's got a spiffy blue ribbon to go with her ornament. I didn't take pictures of the other tatting (very self centered of me!), but I'll be tatting at the Fair again on Saturday so I think I'll take my camera and show you what everyone else entered. Personally, I think there's not enough! Everybody needs to enter so people stop thinking tatting is a "lost art" -- we need to show them we've found it!
Oh, yes, I very nearly forgot -- probably lack of oxygen from being so high up on my soapbox. I also entered stuff in the Creative Arts division. My jewelry did well. I got a first for my pendant and earring set, and a second on my earrings. I can hardly wait until we pick everything up so I can read all the judges remarks and find out how to improve my work.

Finally, I had a very nice surprise in the Creative Arts building. You might remember the Fine Arts judge at the County Fair said I should have entered my 23rd Psalm illuminated calligraphy in Creative Arts. Okay, I did so. I forgot I'd entered it (too many things to remember) until Bonnie pointed it out. Oh, nice! There it was hanging in the corner reserved for Best of Show. I got a "big ribbon"!

State Fair and Bonnie

You all know what a talented sister I have when it comes to dye -- I think there should be a category at the Fair for hand-dyed thread, but so such luck. Bonnie does lots of other things, and does them well.
She entered four things in the sewing categories: a sleeveless, drop waist, green dress, a baby cap, a vest, and a large bag. Bonnie got blue ribbons on the first three and a red on her bag. The vest wasn't displayed so that one could tell it was made of a pair of jeans, a bandanna and a bit of lace. The jeans are turned upside down and the legs become the front and back of the vest, with the bandanna acting as a yoke. The waistband of the jeans is the waistband of the vest and the button is still there -- of course the zipper is gone (it would zip the wrong way anyway). Her bag is another pair of jeans with the legs cut off, it's also fully lined. The judges left it unbuttoned and with the fly open!!

Bonnie crochets (left handed, amazing to me!) and entered a washcloth and matching hanging towel set, a really,really long scarf, and a baby afghan. Two blues and a white on that lot. I think the baby afghan is really pretty, but I guess it must be too plain for the judges. Plain is good for babies because when they do those things babies do, it can go into the washer and into the dryer and still look just like new.

As I mentioned, Bonnie dyes things. The judges liked her tie-dye on this rayon caftan-shirt and showed it with a pretty blue ribbon. Me too -- I got some thread the same colors!

State Fair and the Family!

Don't look for any tatting here! These are things that my nieces and Dad entered in the fair. I belong to a talented family -- yeah, I really, really do.

Nicole, who's eight, entered her tie-dyed dress in the Creative Arts. She didn't make the dress, but did the fold and dye herself. She competes in the Junior category, which is up to age 14. She got a pretty red ribbon for her entry. She was disgusted that they never give the "big ribbons" to kids.

Allix entered her pottery in the Creative Arts section. Because she's 15 she has to compete with the adults. She got a first on her blue pinch pot vase (which looked purple under the lights at the Fair!), a second on both her coil/pinch pot and her sgraffito (at least I think that's what she called it) box. Her turtle pile sculpture, which got a first place in the County Fair, got a third place ribbon at the State Fair. All-in-all, she did really well.
Allix did get to compete in the junior section in the Home Arts, because that is up to age 17. She did this really nice cross-stitched bookmark. It's the first thing she's ever cross-stitched and she changed one of the books at the bottom so the spine read "Inkheart" which is what she happened to be reading at the time. She got a first place on it. Pretty impressive for a first piece!

Dad welds. He always welded, but before he retired it was for fixing and making useful things. When he retired, his welding became fanciful. Now he makes birds and dragons, and lizards and snakes (we don't mention the cat). This year he entered two pieces in Creative Arts, one in Over 18 Inches and one in Under 18 Inches. The Over 18 inches bird is about two feet tall and made of semi-truck parts, an old shovel, a piece of saw blade, washers, rebar, and ball bearings. He had some trouble with the paint sprayer, and this one was too big for the tiny brushes he uses on the little birds, so he left it. He got a second place ribbon on the big bird and a first place of the little bird, which is made of a spoon bowl, three spoon handles, little ball bearings and other odds and ends.

See? Aren't they a talented trio? Just say, "Yes!"

Learning a new Technique

Roll tatting seems to be all over the tatting blogs these days. That's means it's time to learn. I borrowed Mary Konior's book "Tatting Patterns" from a friend lucky enough to have it. One of her fragments patterns is called Almond. It's got roll tatting and bare threads. I started with a partially filled shuttle and it was going okay, until I ran out of thread. Drat. I wound on a bunch of thread and started again. Do you know it's very nearly impossible to unpick roll tatting (even if you cuss)? I had the ring partly open but broke the thread anyway. Okay. Start again. Ta-da! Not perfect, a little lumpy, but finished. Coincidentally, the thread worked out so both end rings are red and purple and the colors are on opposite sides. I thought that was really a nice touch. This is my sister's dark and light rainbow hand-dyed thread -- the Almond is small enough that it ended up being all dark rainbow! Makes it look like I very nearly know what I'm doing. Oh, and the magic threads worked a treat -- the ends just disappeared.
Thank you to all of the tatters who have gone before me and blazed the trail to roll tatting -- where I could see it. I learned a lot from them -- like the roll has to transfer just like the ds!

Ribbons from the Fair - part 16

One last entry -- this is my mini-doily. It's made with YLI machine quilting thread in a very subtle variegated blue/green/purple called "Alaskan Twilight". It measures just 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) across. I've posted this one before -- sometime in June. It was intended originally as an ornament cover -- but I took it traveling without the ornament and made too many repeats. It's Iris Niebach's "Beatrice" from Tatted Doilies. They have a category in the fair for "coasters" so I entered it there. It impressed someone because it also got a nice sweepstakes Big Ribbon.
The stuff that gets sweepstakes goes into the running for "Best of Show." You want to see what got best of show in the lace area? Of course you do! It's this beautiful piece of bobbin lace made in what looks like size zillion thread -- it's also framed by etched mirror with a clear center so the lace can show through. It's so covered with ribbons it's hard to see -- there's a blue, high blue, sweepstakes, judge's choice and best of show -- and the prize of a pottery casserole dish. Pretty nice, eh?
(Oh, that swirl on the tag is my doing -- I didn't think it was nice to show someone else's name without her permission -- even if I did show her work.)

Ribbons from the Fair - part 15

Back in early May I made this pendant (using ideas from Jon Yusoff) which I gave to my sister for her birthday. She never really nagged about matching earrings, but she did mention it ...oh... about forty-'leven times! There was a category for jewelry sets (two or more pieces and a pair of earrings counts as one piece) at the Fair. Good excuse to make those matching earrings. They are also made with the Oren Bayan multi-colored metallic thread and size 15 seed beads. They're supposed to look like leaves.

I don't know if the judges saw leaves, liked the color or exactly what -- but these got a sweepstakes ribbon. (wheeeee -- one of the Big Ribbons!) They're going to the State Fair, where they will compete against other multi-media jewelry, not with the tatting. It'll be interesting to see how they "fair" in that venue.

Ribbons from the Fair - part 14

Jubiloso* by Yarnplayer is an incredible pattern. It looks really complicated -- but it's rings and chains, and well within the beginner's grasp. It's the wonderful way she's put all those rings and chains together that makes this such a beautiful piece. I chose Lizbeth size 20 in Light and Medium Sea Green. This is what I worked on in the car while on vacation this July. No beads to fuss with, nothing so complicated I couldn't enjoy the scenery -- it was a pleasure to work on. My only beef with it is the dozen single motifs. Effective, very effective -- but all those thread ends! I used magic threads throughout, even going to far as to cut off part of one row and start over, because I'd forgotten to put them in. It turned out really well and just over 10 inches in diameter. It also got a high blue ribbon. I'm entering this one in the State Fair, too!

*Anyone interested in obtaining the pattern for Jubiloso should go to Yarnplayer's Etsy shop, and inquire of her if it still available for purchase.

Ribbons from the Fair - part 13

Thanks, Mark Myers! From a stalled bookmark to a successful baby wearable, Mark's pattern was just perfect. That pretty seahorse (without the seaweed, which I just could not get my head around) is the central decoration on this summer baby onsie. The two little fish I made up (three rings and a chain) when I was trying to figure out how to finish this off. I had thought about adding a bit of wavy blue chain above the seahorse or at the neck to represent water, but decided enough was enough. Apparently it was enough for the judges, too. This one got a blue ribbon, then was considered for sweepstakes, so it got a high blue ribbon, too.

I know three people having babies -- but they are all winter babies, so I guess I'll keep it around for a while. I can guarantee, it doesn't fit anyone in my family!

Ribbons from the Fair - part 12

I've shown this one before too -- it's Number 4 in my 25 Motif Challenge (this time around). It's modified from "Ice Crystal" from Blomqvist and Persson's Tatting Patterns and Designs. The blue ribbon on this one was a surprise -- a pleasant surprise. You see, I thought the other ornament would do better. Although I do like the red plastic ornaments better than the gold ones -- it's still a plastic ornament! It has to be the way the white really stands out on the red -- that and so many people have the idea that tatting should be white! I've decided it really IS pretty!