Tag -- That's Me!

Last month at our regular meeting of Bonneville Tatters, we made name tags. I made one with my name and one with my real name (no, it's not Bizzilwix - it's also not a big secret). 

Mine is made from white Lizbeth size 20 thread. What? Oh, you've noticed that it doesn't look very white. No, it's not from dirty hands. My sister dyed that thread for me and I like using it (check out my pram, heart, and decoration) — rainbows are happy things. Besides, it will match everything. Yes, it will, even patterns — everything! 

I've got a plastic thingy with a magnet attachment that is supposed to go on the back of it, but I don't know the proper way to put it there yet. We are supposed to learn that next month. *sigh* I won't be at the meeting next month, so I will need remedial help in May, I suppose. 

It was such fun putting these little beads in the middle of split rings. I used Jane Eborall's method and it worked slicker than ...ummm... slick things. I tried doing it another way, using the thread from the second half of the split ring, but kept getting a weird lump and loose looking thread on top of the tatting, so I had to give that up. I know it works (because other people used it) but it had me baffled. However, Jane's method was so successful, I now want to put beads in the center of lots more split rings. I need to find a pattern with lots of them and put beads in — just because I can. ☺

Tat it and See Finished...

Thank you, Jane Eborall, for this year's TIAS. I love these things -- especially when people ask me what I'm making and I get to say, "I don't know. I'll find out when I'm finished." It just tickles me that they look so confused. If they don't ask for further information, I don't tell them about the TIAS and how it works. 

My sailboat is rather bright -- it must be running two spinnakers instead of real sails (due to be dumped in the drink). Keeping that mast painted turquoise must keep the crew busy full time, ya think? 

It's all Lizbeth size 20 thread, the sails are Rainbow Splash and the rest of the boat is ...um... not. I can't remember the name of the thread color but it was the remains of a ball of thread I got when Lizbeth first came out. Wow! That thread has improved.  This ball wanted to split, and twist and it had a little knot in one  ply that was miserable to get pulled through the ring. I was determined not to cut the thread as I was working on the mast by then.

Not just 2014 TIAS, but 2013 TIAS, as well:

Yup, I finally found my pram and the thread that matched the wheels at the same time and finished it, too. As you can see, I like to use bright colors for the TIAS! This is Lizbeth size 20 that my sister dyed in rainbow colors. It looks a lot different than the Rainbow Splash, doesn't it? The wheels and handle are a Manuela size 20 that I thought was red, but it certainly looks more hot pink than red!

Trees and some more trees

Trees from Jane Eborall's patterns: Christmas Tree on a Button and Christmas Tree - No Button.  The two green trees and the white one are all size 20 with nice big shirt buttons and decorative top buttons (I like the star buttons, but had a hard time finding any.)  The metallic trees are all made from Oren Bayan gold thread.  The red buttonless tree suffers from inattention to the pattern, but it still looks okay.  
The size 20 trees will probably join a few others as gifts for friends next year.  The smaller metallic trees are for my dad's little Christmas tree.  It's only about 2.5 feet tall so it needs little ornaments.  This is part of what I was doing during December.  
The rest of December's tatting is done and gone with no photos!  I made three pair of earrings for my bosses, one pair of earrings for my great aunt; two pair of earrings for my sister's co-workers and one pendant for my sister's co-worker who doesn't have pierced ears.  I didn't get a picture of any of those -- they were all too quickly wrapped and gone.
I also made a bunch of little hearts and butterflies to add to my give-away box.  One of these days I should dump some on the scanner and show off what a nice collection I have for the next fair.

More Halloween

Been making cats and bats but no things that go bump in the night (at least so far -- what IS it that goes bump in the night?).  They're all size 20, but that black stuff is thinner or something.  I think black dye eats part of the thread or compacts it. 

All the cats are Mark Myers' "Cat on a Broom" without the broom. It's a fun pattern, but I made the arched chain which forms the inside of the legs with double-double (or balanced double) stitches because I pull chains too tight and the legs of the first one I made don't arch, they circle!  {I just figured out that I'm doing half-double-double stitches, if that makes sense. I've been doubling the first half stitch, but not the second.  It worked for me, made the chain heavier and more stable, but it still curved instead of circled.} The orange cat was made with the what was left on the shuttles after making pumpkins, but I rather like it.

The bats are just something I thought about for a minute then tatted. After all, bats are a pretty basic shape if you just want simple ones. The first one is the one on the bottom.  After it was done, I decided the top of the wing needed more arch, so the next two have more stitches. They were also blocked and starched so the "fingers" and toes looked more claw-like instead of being rounded picots. My niece is afraid I am going to give them all away, and she wants one. I am going to give them away -- but, I'll make her one, as well.  If you want to make one, here's the pattern.  (Keep in mind, I DON'T write patterns, I did this without tatting it at the same time, and it's never been test tatted.  Hey, it's free -- you get what you pay for! -- Ahem, I have to amend that.  You get what you pay for when it's free from me.  You get much more than you pay for when it's free from really good pattern writers like Jane Eborall.  ;) )  
REALLY!  Goofy pattern.  I've removed it -- look at the next post, because I fixed it.

Speaking of Split Chains

You can't imagine the delight I felt in figuring out this split chain thing.  I could do them, but I didn't like it -- and only knew one way to make it work so sometimes half my chain was front side and the other half was back side (weird looking). 
I sat down with a shuttle and a bit of left-over thread and made this string of stuff all hooked together with split chains.  Then I hunted up a couple of other shuttles with more left-over thread and made this interesting little motif.  I was disgusted to run out of thread and not be able to find the ball of thread to add more (that pink and blue stuff is here somewhere!). 
Next, I wound on two colors of Sulky and started again.  I did more rows than the first one, but it lost it's definition and started to look very cramped.  I ran out of thread then. Very likely a good thing, because I'd tatted myself into a corner, so to speak, and the rounds were not ending in good places to start a new one.
Somewhere around here is another start but with changes which have, so far, left a bit more defined negative space.  I'll post that another time.  Maybe I could actually write down a pattern instead of just going around and around where ever the shuttles feel like going.  Nah, prob'ly not.  Hmmm...but maybe that second incarnation, as a single motif, would be possible.

Shuttlebirds Class

Actually I took five -- classes that is.  I learned something in all of them -- sometimes it was that I'm all thumbs or can't count or don't know what tension is or that I was wearing my brain backwards (apparently).  What fun! 
Sherry Pence is so patient -- she explained how to make Ruth Perry's mock hairpin lace strip a number of times, and in enough different ways that it finally sunk in.  Mine was just not working out.  Yup.  One of the non-counting moments.  Once I got down the 1 and two and 1 and 1 and two ... or was that three?  Whatever, count correctly, put the picot in the right place et voilà!  Putting the strip into a round shouldn't have been at difficult as I made it.  Again -- a non-counting moment -- I missed putting one of the down picots in the center tie.  Had to cut that out and re-tie it.  When I got it all finished, I decided I should probably have either loosened the tension on the outer round or made the picots a bit smaller.  This is as it came off the shuttles.  It might look better if I blocked it.  It's an interesting technique, so I've been thinking about another way to use it.  That's just in the thinking about it stage -- not the doing it stage. 


Krystledawne was such fun as a teacher.  She told us this was an embarrassingly easy pattern.  It turns out looking like something really complicated and so pretty!  I don't have the one I made in class.  It was pink and blue and made for my youngest niece.  Sometime between when I left home, spent a weekend in Spokane and arrived back home, she's gone from the pink phase to the purple one.  *sigh*  I cut all the pink and blue off and made this bracelet from her selected purple -- the same one I used for the mock hairpin lace.  Krystle also told us that picots or beads could be added for a little extra pizazz, so I added these size 11 purple beads so the sides for my niece.  I was lucky to wangle it away from her for the photograph.  She's in the kitchen doing her math homework right now -- and the bracelet is around her ankle.  :)

These little grapes were another real ah-ha! moment.  It couldn't really be that easy, could it?  Nah, it couldn't.  The concept is remarkably easy as Karey Solomon explained it.  She was using a size three thread to show how it worked.  Looked simple for her.  I started over once, and a couple of these are joined a bit oddly, but, I can't tell you how delighted I am with them.  They're grapes -- really! -- don't they look just like grapes?  I don't think I attached the leaf quite correctly, and it, too, might look better for a bit of blocking.  I can see all kinds of applications for this technique.  Isn't it interesting how one person can know making wheels and the alligator join and turn them into this and another person can know the same thing and never put that together?  Aren't we glad there are designers out there?


The fourth class I took was one of Dale Pomeroy's snowflake classes.  The first picture is the one I completed from class (another victim of a person who can't seem to count) and the second one I completed at home.  I really liked the look of this snowflake and wanted to play with those bugle beads.  There were interesting techniques used that I hadn't tried before -- like putting the beads on the thread and sliding them into place then working under the bead for a join that appeared to be a picot join, but which put the bead higher out of the tatting.  Just to see the difference, the one I did at home I did as a regular picot join with the bead added at the time of joining.  It's a very pretty snowflake -- and once, again, would benefit from blocking!

You can see the benefits of my last class with Jessica Spaulding:  Photographing Tatting.  Yup -- not a single one of these was thrown on the scanner and none were taken inside.  Outside in natural sunlight.  Jessica looked at my poor point-and-click camera and said I'd have to do the best I could on automatic.  No f-stop settings or whatever for me.  That's okay, it's what I can afford right now, and it does have a macro setting -- that was good.  She also showed us how to make a light box -- a really inexpensive one with a cardboard box, tissue paper and a piece of poster board.  I haven't done it yet because I'm waiting on a suitable box.  After Christmas we threw out all the spare boxes -- so we could start collecting new ones.  When a good one comes along, I'll save it from the recycling bin and be in business.

Whew!  I really had a great time and feel like I learned a lot of new stuff.  Y'all should come next year -- wouldnt' that be great?

New Motif

This is a pair of motifs I've been working on for a while.  I drew it all out on the computer first, then tatted it in size 10 thread.  By doing that, I found out there was one place where I had to change the direction of the chain, and a number of places I had to change the stitch count.

Tatted again in a size 20 I had on a pair of shuttles and found a couple of other tweaks needed.  Finally, I made this pair from two colors of Sulky blendables I had on the shuttles.  I would have done more, but I couldn't remember which colors they were!

Each motif builds from the center in one continuous round using split rings.  It could make a really handsome mat.  Maybe I should work on it some more -- in another color, or at least in colors I've written down!




 I think Jon is right about connecting two rings to join the motifs -- it would made a much stronger connection.  Once I got looking at that option, I thought maybe joining them across all the rings would be interesting.  This is what my computer thinks it would look like:

Sternenhimmel

This is one of the motifs I made on International Tatting Day -- and scanned tonight.  Nothing if not timely, eh?  It's the first "Sternenhimmel" pattern from Susanne Schwenke's book SpitzenKreationen.  

I have to admit my German isn't good enough to translate Sternenhimmel, but I don't feel too badly, because Google translate couldn't do it either.  Yahoo Babel Fish says it's "starlit sky"; Babylon says "the starry sky" and Microsoft says "sky".  I think they're stars (ones with 5 points) and snowflakes (the ones with 6 points).  They're all pretty though.

I've got others tatted, but they don't have all the spare threads tucked neatly away.  This one is made with size 10 Lizbeth "Wildflower" thread.  I think it works for stars -- stars are lots of colors.  I made three false starts on this one and I'm not telling how many times I unpicked various bits of it.  I like the look of the pattern, so I'll be making more.  I'll be paying better attention, though, and using not such wild thread.

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!

More than Fair

Hey, I've got bragging rights on this one! Some of you might remember this from Tatting Treasures from Trash in September 2007. I had the right side done as Summer and was going to finish all four quarters (two front and two back) as seasons of the year. I decided putting stuff on the back would be pointless because who would see it? Not only that, it would get rubbed against my clothes which mght mess up the tatting. So, in the middle of July [this year!] , I decided to make it Summer Day / Winter Night. I made a bunch of snowflakes to go with the pocket edging representing the moon. I do believe most of the snowflakes were from Jon Yusoff's Snowflake Collection, though there might be a couple of strays in there. This one got a blue ribbon, a high blue ribbon, a Home Arts Sweepstakes ribbon, and the tatting Judge's Choice ribbon. Pretty good, eh? Not that I'm feeling puffed up about myself -- but I very nearly had to sleep in the garage because that was the only place with a door big enough for my head.

Tat-it-and-See and Choose-your-own-pattern by Danni. There were three versions, but I did only two of them. This first one is version A. Completed, it turns out to be "A" for "Aigg" -- well, okay, egg. Too bad the "Desert Bloom" isn't very good Easter Egg color.

I was working on version A and C at the same time. I thought the pink and purple might be a better choice, but when I got version C done I just sat and looked at it in bewildered confusion. "What is this?." I asked my sister, holding it up. "I can't figure out what this little point is. I thought it might be two eggs, a big one and a little one, but not with that bump." She gave me the most disgusted look, reached out, and rotated it 90 degrees. "It's a chick, Marty...duh." Oh, yes, so it is. Darn -- I should have used the yellow!

Motif Diagram

There's no written pattern, but for anyone that can work from a diagram -- here ya go. Join to the next motif at the picots on the 8ds, p 4ds chains, at the small joining picots on the 2ds, p, 2ds, p, 4ds rings, and at the center picot (which is a larger picot than the other small joining picots) of the 4ds, p, 4ds, p 4ds, p, 4ds rings at the corners. I hope that is more clear than mud. Oh -- if you click on the image it should get you a larger size image. If it's not large enough to see, will someone flag me, please?

Better Thread

There. Yes, it does look better in a solid color. It might be okay in a multi-colored thread, but the thread would have to be very carefully selected. This is back to the rest of my DMC Cébélia size 30 stash for a nice plain purple. I like the spot where the motif's join, even though it is very dense (sometimes I am too, so that's okay). Next step is writing out the pattern for this one. I didn't do that. I like working off a made piece -- must be something I got from my Gramma. She crocheted beautiful things, but couldn't read a pattern. She just used made pieces and duplicated them. Still, if I'm going to share, I'll have to write it down. I just don't have time to make everyone a pattern piece to work from (as if "everyone" wants to make the same thing!). I thought about making this bigger, so I've left the joining picots on all the edges, and this is just lightly pressed, not really blocked or starched.
At any rate -- this was really a good lesson in being careful of the colors I pick!
I've been asked to share the pattern. I'm happy to do that, as soon as I get some time to actually make a pattern. Right now it's just the original motif that I keep following.

Thread Selection

This is my second homework motif worked into a little mat. It is 4 inches (about 10 cm) square. The thread is size 20 Lizbeth "Desert Bloom". I think the motif turned out really well and makes a very nice decorative mat. However...

The thread was a severe mistake -- especially for this piece. The colors are wrong and change in odd places worked in this pattern. Purple, orange, and gray-white might make something really pretty, but I can't think what. I do believe this thread was a mistake, for me, and I won't be buying any more of it. Of course, if I had picked a different pattern to make with it, I might be feeling better about the thread.

I need to try this motif in a nice solid color and see how the mat looks.

International Tatting Day

Here I am, sneaking in to say "HI!" for International Tatting Day.
Am I tatting? No. (I'm working -- yes, really, I am!)

However, I do have a picture of my original homework motif with some little computer assisted SCMR modifications suggested by Sharon Briggs. This would allow the motif to be connected to others of its kind to make a rather interesting looking mat.

Okay, I didn't tat today (YET!) but I have thought about it!

P.S. I DID tat at my niece's indoor soccer game. I made little blue butterflies and gave them away. There -- tatting in public, and giving it away -- that works for celebrating! :)

Varied Homework

I played with my homework motif based on some group suggestions. It turned out that I liked my original motif best, but created a whole new one that I like as well. If I add just a few joining picots, it will make a pretty mat. I tested it out using a computer rendition, but I might actually tat this one.

PS...I've started. I'm using a size 20 Lizbeth thread called Desert Bloom -- I'm not certain I care for the purple and orange together, but we'll see...

Back to School

I'm involved in Sharon Brigg's Design-Tat course, and am thoroughly enjoying it. We have homework! First time in my life I ever really, really liked homework. The first two lessons were back to rings and chains -- building blocks. How to get different configurations of rings and chains by changing the stitch count or where and how connecting picots are used. It's not something I consciously think about when working someone else's pattern -- but how essential to making one's own!
The third lesson was to take a round 8 ring and 8 chain center and build a second round with some interesting negative space connected to only 4 chains. All of this cream-colored Opera size 10 thread was just crouched under my bed waiting to grab an unwary ankle. I wrestled some into submission and wound it onto a couple of shuttles (that size 10 stuff is big and tough!) and came up with this:
Hey, I like it (but you should have seen what I threw out!). Today I had to go get the oil changed in my car so I took a bit of thread and a couple of shuttles (well, of course!). These bits of orange and blue ombre size 80 went meekly into my bag and onto the shuttles. It looks different in two colors, doesn't it?

Interesting scale as well. These pieces were scanned side-by-side. Maybe I should have posted them the same way -- or how about this:

Iris TIAS 5

Isn't it pretty? Iris Niebach's designs are always so complex to look at. Having her break this one down in small pieces made it seem easy. Not that I didn't do some unpicking and redoing, mind!
This is complete to the end of the "tat it and see", but I do believe I will finish it up to the 8-point doily. I might even see how it will look with fewer points wrapped around one of my satin-covered styrofoam ornaments. Not only that, but those little hearts are very pretty. I've been wondering what they would look like all by themselves. Wow, another thing to try!

Design Challenge 3

Late in January Sharon Briggs posted a new design challenge -- to make something based on a rose center. I've never made any of these rose motifs before. They always looked like a lot of bother. It surprised me to find they're not all that difficult or fiddly!
It took me this long to think up something. I'm not certain this is recognizable as a shamrock, because when my dad saw it on my lap desk he said he liked the "little green thing." Okay, it is a green thing and it measures 2.25 inches (5.5 cm) across which isn't very big. It's made with DMC Cébélia size 30 thread.
This is the first time I ever tried pearl tatting, too. I'm not certain I have it right, but if not, it was ...um... intentional, yes, that's it.

Starry, Starry Night

Motif number 36 from Tatting by Myra Piper is a star instead of a snowflake. Stars just cry out for gold metallic thread, don't they? It would be nice if gold metallic thread scanned as pretty as it looks -- instead of scanning as a weird mustard yellow. Still, the pattern is a pretty one and very simple.
I'm posting this because I've reached dither-point. There are too many things I want to do! I was having such a difficult time deciding that what I actually did was another "Cornelia" by Iris Niebach in KingTut quilting thread. I left out two repeats so that it curves around a satin-covered styrofoam ornament. Now, I'm trying to make something for the bottom that will match.
Once that's done, I've got an idea for Sharon Briggs' latest challenge...