County Fair

The County Fair was different this year -- like it was only half there. Fewer entries, fewer vendors, fewer animals...you get the idea. The database with previous exhibitor names and addresses was either lost or ignored, so nobody got a postcard reminder of the fair dates and entry times. The Fair was also held earlier than usual, by about a week. Apparently, the people in charge of the exhibitor areas (not animal exhibits) are not the people who have been in charge for the last fifteen years. Those people decided to retire. They apparently either didn't train the new bunch, or the newbies decided they had better ideas. (Nah, I don't think they were really better ideas.) There were no comment cards this year, either. I miss those! It's always good to know where someone thinks your work needs improvement.

Anyway, I entered ten items and received three second place red ribbons:

Konoir edging, Original pattern ornament, Morgan Mouse Bookmarks

and seven first place blue ribbons. 

Renulek's Spring Doily, Original Pattern Doily, Halloween Card, Flowergirl Headband, Time & Again Earrings

Baby Afghan

The little crocheted stuffed animals I made from  the book Edward's Menagerie (#edwardsmenagerie) also got a Judge's Choice ribbon.

Edward's Menagerie Elephant, Zebra, Rhino, and Hippo

Bit of Lace

Yes, a bit of lace from "Tatting With Visual Patterns" by Mary Konior. I made a mistake, so there's a picot missing. I was going to put this on a pillowcase. After making the mistake I decided it was a good thing. This is size 20 thread. I've remade the edging in size 40, which is much better for the purpose. I finished it and joined it together last night. Now I have to wash it. No matter how many times I wash my hands when I use white thread it just looks grubby to me. Once it's washed and dried I'll sew it on the pillowcase. This is a first for me. I don't actually know why anyone would want to put lace on a pillowcase. However, it's one of the categories for entry in the State Fair and one I've not entered before. This piece might be re-purposed into a headband for a flower girl, because "wedding item" is one of the categories in the County Fair. If I use the picots as attachment points and put little beads there, nobody is going to know there's one picot missing -- there will be a bead after all.

For those of you on galloping horses, okay, those who don't have the inclination to stare at every picot on this bit, here's the error:

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.

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.

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!

In Honor of Mary Konior

Mary Konior passed away last week, leaving a hole in the tatting world. Her books were an inspiration to those of us lucky enough to own them. Imagine how lucky are those who knew her personally!

In honor of Mary Konior, I am posting these earrings I made for my mother years ago. The pattern is Mary's rose doodle from "Tatting with Visual Patterns." I've got other earrings made from other doodles, but these mean the most to me.