Final Black Magic, and Hardy Orchid Flower

Still tatting. Though I don't have that much to show for it. But we'll get to it soon. As you may (or may not) have heard, Canada Post workers got sent back to work starting Monday. Mail started being delivered Tuesday, though all the mail I have received so far are just bills. Go figure. Anyway this means I can ship orders again. And naturally, I can order stuff again too. I placed an order for more Lizbeth, mostly the new colours that have come out recently, as well as some other stuff. As much as I didn't want to, I ordered from Handy Hands. As I've mentioned before, I do think they over charge for shipping. Well, maybe not over charge, they just choose to ship by Priority mail when it could ship by a cheaper rate-the other tatting suppliers offer cheaper rates. This is just my opinion however. Anyway, I noticed after I placed my order that DS9Designs is now offering the new Lizbeth colours. I could cancel my HH order, but there are some things I wanted that DS9Designs doesn't carry. Oh well. On to the tatting.

As the title suggests, I have tatted Mary Konior's Black Magic pattern in the form of a bookmark:

Personally, I like the way this one turned out. Better than the one I posted about last week. For this bookmark, I used a variegated thread, Lizbeth size 40 colour #147 Red Burst, and a solid, Lizbeth size 40 colour #656 Dark Wedgewood Blue. Now that I have three bookmarks worthy of being given away (and a way to send them!) I will be announcing my giveaway very soon. I am hoping on Friday, but depending on my work schedule, possibly on Monday. I do need to make the tassels and block them, but that shouldn't take too long; I might even get that done tonight yet. I think I'm just about done with Black Magic for now. I am working on one more bookmark, but it's purpose (if needed) will be revealed later.

Finally this evening, I want to share with you another orchid photo. This time, it's a type of hardy orchid:

This is Bletilla striata, the Chinese Ground Orchid, or just Hardy Orchid. I ordered a package of two tubers, but my order arrived at the time the company I ordered from (Veseys) was liquidating all spring bulbs and sent two packages (four tubers) instead. I planted them all in a 6 inch pot, though I may need to repot them into a larger pot if needed. In case you are wondering, these are growing under my florescent lights with some Phalaenopsis orchids and my Nepenthes Pitcher plants. They seem happy. I am hoping all the plants shown produce flowers. 

That's it for now. Hopefully, the next post you read from me is about my giveaway. Now that Canada Post is running again, I am hoping to get back to chainmaille too. Though this tatting break has been great. Till next time.

More Black Magic and an Unexpected Flower

Not one of my most creative titles, but it gets the job done. Nothing spectacular to report since my last post. If you haven't heard (and if you don't live in Canada, you probably haven't), Canada Post is currently on full strike/lockout since last Tuesday. No mail is moving within the country. And nothing is leaving or entering the country either. It really sucks, to put it bluntly. I'm getting mail envy watching some of you show off  what you've received in the mail. Not only do I have a couple packages sitting in some warehouse or something, the order I mentioned last time is also sitting in some warehouse too. I also have an order I can't ship right now, though I might stop at UPS or FedEx tommorow to see what they can do for me (though I'm not hopeful that they will be affordable-I tried their websites and wasn't impressed). I have still been tatting, so we'll move on to that.

As the title suggests, I am continuing with Mary Konior's Black Magic pattern. Again in the form of a bookmark:

I figured I'd try this with different thread types. Since I used solids the last time, I thought I'd try a variegated thread this time. I didn't really like it at first, but it has grown on me by the time it was finished. I do hope one of you like it. That brings me to why I am making them. I am planning on a giveaway, though I'm going to wait until the whole Canada Post thing is resolved before I announce anything. So stay tuned. Thread stats: Lizbeth size 40, Colour #100 Falling Leaves. The next bookmark is going to be tatted using two solids, or maybe a solid and a variegated thread. Well see.

Finally, I thought I show you an unexpected flower that has made an appearance. In my aquarium:

This flower is from one of my Anubias plants; I'm not sure which one. I have had an Anubias flower before (see here), but it is pretty rare though, for me anyway. I am quite pleased though, as it might mean that conditions in the aquarium are better than I think they are (I really need to do some work in the tank, cleaning, etc.). Of course it could mean that the plant is planning on dying and the flower is a last ditch attempt at survival. But we'll pretend that that can't happen, OK?

That's about it for now. I plan on working on the last Black Magic bookmark, hopefully work won't get in the way this week. We had one guy quit in my department last week, and I've been working extra to help pick up the slack. I'm not complaining; it is extra cash in my pocket which will be helpful once Canada Post is running again. Till next time.

Some Black Magic

Howdy all. Guess what?? I've been tatting all week. No foolin'! I'll get to it soon. As was expected, Canada Post workers are on strike, though it is a rotating strike. That is, every day one or more cities go on strike for a day or two, then go back to work. It's not supposed to disrupt the whole system, but I'm not sure about that. We'll see though. I decided to keep my shop open for now, and even had a sale earlier in the week. So hopefully the package got out of the country. I'm holding back on my own mail orders. I've been eying the new colours of Lizbeth, but I think I'll wait before ordering. But anyway, on to the tatting!

If you're familiar with Mary Konior's patterns, you probably have an idea of what pattern I've been tatting. If you don't, let me show you:

This is Black Magic, from Mary Konior's Tatting With Visual Patterns. As I always mention, this book is readily available from most, if not all the tatting suppliers. Unless you want a hard cover version, I don't advise buying from Amazon, eBay, etc. Anyway, I've always liked this pattern. Actually, the first bookmark I received in an exchange was made using this pattern. This is the first time I've made this pattern. Unfortunately, I didn't do it flawlessly. There is one minor error; you may be able to find it if you looked. It doesn't matter though, this one is mine. I guess. I made another bookmark:

I don't believe I made an error on this one. You may notice the ends haven't been dealt with. I hope to incorporate them into a tassel. We'll see if it works. Thread stats: top bookmark, Lizbeth size 40, colour #688 Dark Seagreen. Bottom bookmark, Lizbeth size 40 colour #660 Light Country Turquoise. In case you're wondering, both bookmarks haven't been blocked yet. I'm hoping to make two more bookmarks. Why, you may ask? You'll have to wait and see.

That's about it for now. Hopefully I can keep tatting, and not get distracted. Till next time.