Sunday, October 17, 2010

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 Joƫlle 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.

10 comments:

Miranda said...

Those are some gorgeous shuttles! I'm jealous!

Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ Diane said...

Lovely shuttles! My recent purchase from La Cossette included a blackberry shuttle... we have so much in common! Yes, I do have one Pop-A-Bobbin, but I want another! My timing hasn't been as good as yours... I always get there too late! Of course I have Chris's tribute to Anne as well. I love the little Hi Marty on the post! David Reed Smith was the first shuttle maker I discovered, at least 15 years ago. Now I need to get one of those gorgeous little crochet hooks!

Cindy said...

Beautiful shuttles! I can see why you were sad about not bringing them with. I can't wait to collect some of these same shuttles . . .

Carol Schockling Lawecki said...

What a wonderful collection of shuttles. Thanks for showing them.

tattrldy said...

Lovely, lovely shuttles. I think I'll mark this post so I can come back and drool over your eye candy whenever I need a little something to perk up my day : ) Anne's dragon looks good on everything I think. Having a decoration on the Aero shuttle makes is look a lot different for some reason - much dressier. And the David Reed Smith shuttle and crochet hook - mmmm. Do yo ever just get lost holding and looking at any of these??

(Hope I don't jinx you - the work verification is 'curse' !! )

jackie said...

nice toys, sure glad they didn't try to fly through mexico. i'd be downtown with a protest sign at the embassy.

Unknown said...

The dragon shuttle sure is nice for all those dragon loving tatters out there! I think it's so neat that the Hinton's collaborated with Anne B on that design and the way they did the holes and stuff! So cool!

I am also a big fan of Joelle's of LaCossette and I am just showing off the shuttle I ordered from her today! It just arrived! Sadly it is overcast so I had poor lighting but I snapped some photos anyway! I plan on buying many more decoupaged shuttles from her! She does a fabulous job, doesn't she! You got a nice one from her as well!

Love your pop a bobbin! I got a couple, too!

Enjoy your new toys! You have a stylish box to store them in! :D

~TattingChic ♥

Martha said...

I love my La Cossette shuttles, but I might love them more with the "tails" left on like yours. With the decoupage covering on, do the bobbins still fit on the winding post? Do the bobbins wear off the design when you stick them on the post? I may have to ask her to make me some.

Lots of other lovely toys here too!

Marty said...

Martha, when she covered the shuttle she kept checking that the bobbin fit and even filed the winding post down a bit to keep it the right size. If you look closely you can see that the design doesn't cover the outer bit of the fins, just the inner curves. We agreed this would be the best way to handle the winding post. Because it's a fiddly thing to have to do, the shuttles WITH winding posts cost a tiny bit more. I don't know how it will wear over time, because I have only had it for a couple of weeks, but so far, so good!

Singtatter said...

Wow!! I'm green with envy!