Here Be Dragons, er, Dragon (Overrun again...)

You would think that since Canada has such a cold climate during this time of year, dragons would shy away from us. I was wrong. Again I am being overrun by dragons (er, dragon). Here is my latest dragon visitor:

This is Karey Solomon's Dragonet from her book Here Be Dragons. Karey's dragons are really cool. The large quantity of beads can make them a pain in the butt to tat, but they are definitely worth it. Laura posted her attempt at the pattern, which inspired me to give the pattern a go. I purchased the book several months earlier. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I didn't have any problems with the pattern. OK, the head and the wings don't look quite right (to me anyway) because I think I made a join between the wrong beads. As you can tell, I made a slight variation to the head. I had a thread break and it was necessary to reattach the thread. It just so happened that the break was in the right spot. Partly because I didn't want to hide the ends, I left those two at the lower jaw to give a dragon a beard, thing. I found the pattern relatively quick to make. This is probably due to all the beads in the centre of the body. I did most of the dragonet in a single evening; finishing it the next day or so. Unfortunately, this is the only bit of tatting I have accomplished since my last post. Karey's Dragonet is motif #20 of my Second 25 Motif Challenge. I used Flora size 20 thread in colour #219.

Since I have reached #20 on my Second 25 Motif Challenge, I have decided to work on some UFOs for my final motifs. I am starting to get several piling up, and I want to get them finished.

This past Wednesday (January 28) was my Birthday. I decided I was going to take a trip to a local knitting and needlework store after work (yes, I had to work on my Birthday). The store is called Prairie Lily Knitting and Needlework Shop. For such a small store, there is a lot of stuff packed into it. While I didn't have a lot of time to spend their, I did find a few threads that are suitable for tatting. And here they are:


These are, of course, pearl cotton. The top two are Valdani Pearl Cotton, size 12. I love the colours that the Valdani threads are available in. The bottom three are DMC Pearl Cotton. The first two are different shades of blue, and the third is a minty green colour. The two balls of DMC blue cotton were a given; the other three just spoke to me. I'm not sure what I will make with them, but I will find the perfect project.

These are DMC Pearlescent Effects embroidery floss. I really like using floss for small projects since they are available in a wide range of colours, textures, and fibers. The picture makes it hard to tell but the one on the right is a minty green while the one on the left is white.

My final purchase is a thread that I haven't used before. And here it is:

As you can see in the photo, this is Wildflowers thread by Caron. I haven't used this thread before, though I know some tatters just love this thread. This thread was not calling out to me; it was shouting. Very loudly, I might add. In case you're wondering, the thread colour is called "Nefertiti" (#008).

That's about it for now. I'm hoping to get some tatting done over the next week or so, but I somehow doubt that will happen. I recently bought a new crochet pattern book, and have been drooling over many of the designs. But I will post about it separately. Until next time.

Golden Celtic Snowflake & Beaded Christmas Tree Earrings

I redid Ruth's Celtic snowflake recently. I really like this version:


Sparkly, isn't it? For this snowflake I used Oren Bayan Metallic thread in Gold (#032). I love this metallic thread. I have tried many metallic threads over the years and this one is by far the best. This particular snowflake was tatted for someone very special and will be mailed to them today (hopefully). Who is this special person? I won't say, but I'm sure we will all hear about it when they get it. This is motif # 19 of my Second 25 Motif Challenge.

Finally, I am going to show another gift I made my mom for this past Christmas.


I thought these earrings were really cool and figured my mom would love them. I got the idea from my favourite bead store, Beadfx. While they don't have step by step instructions on how to make them, this page will give you a general idea. They aren't hard, actually. Here is a much better photo of them;


The top bead is a bit too big, but I used what I had. Well, that's it for now. I am working on another tatted project which should be complete by tonight. I'll post a picture of the completed motif in a day or so. Later.

Miniature Quantiesque Snowflake & a Crocheted Afghan

I made Jon's Quantiesque Snowflake again. Here it is:

I think it looks better than my first attempt, but I'm sure some of you may disagree with me. Obviously, you can't tell how big the snowflake is from this picture. How about from this picture:


The fancy coloured Canadian quarter is the same size as a US quarter. Bit of background info here: the coin is a circulation coin that the Canadian Mint released in 2004 to commemorate Canada's 117,000 war dead. Back to the tatting. For this snowflake, which went to my last Round Robin partner was tatted with size 80 thread. DMC size 80 thread to be exact, in colour numbers 93 (variegated blue) and 520 (white). Sorry Jane, I couldn't allow myself to tat the snowflake in one solid colour. Maybe the next time. Using size 80 thread is quite an accomplishment for me. In case you haven't noticed, I tend to use size 10-50 thread for the most part. I really don't like working with the really fine stuff. I think the biggest reasons why I don't like the really fine threads is that, 1) it can be difficult to see the individual double stitches, 2) it can be hard to hide the threads when done, or when new ones have to added in, & 3) retro-tatting can be very difficult, see #1. In order to hide the ends (and I had 7 to deal with, 4 in the outer round alone; don't ask, please), I either worked over the ends as I went, or used Magic Threads. But in the end, I am happy with how it came out. The second photo shows both Quantiesque snowflakes side-by-side. This is motif # 18 of my Second 25 Motif Challenge. This is not the last snowflake that you will see. January is still a snowflake tatting month. It's also my Birthday month; only 2 weeks to go!

One of the Christmas gifts that I made this past Christmas was a crocheted afghan for my Mom. Here it is:


Ahhhhhh! I don't know why blogger rotated this photo. It doesn't appear this way on my computer. Well, if you tilt your head to one side, it should be OK. Oh, and ignore the adorable black splotch that somehow got on the afghan. I spread the afghan out on my parents couch and left to get my camera. I was only gone for a minute or so. Every picture I took had this mysterious black splotch on the afghan. This one is the only one that would be rated G, the others are more like PG. I think I may be in enough trouble with Tattingchic with the mermaid and turtle fiasco to post the other pics. Those pictures showed the cat, um, grooming, um, himself. Let's leave it at that. Here is a closeup picture to show the texture of the aghan (I cropped out the black splotch):

The afghan is made from a pattern called "Speed Hook Shell Afghan" by Lion Brand yarn. Pattern located here. Please note, you need to be a member to get access to the free pattern. However, I recommend joining if you enjoy crocheting or knitting. The afghan is made with Lion Brand's Size S (19mm) "Speed Hook". This thing is huge. For reference, each 5 double crochet (treble crochet for my British audience) shell is about 4 inches across, and nearly 2 inches high. On my monitor, each shell in the full size photo is roughly life size. I believe it took about 7-8 hours to complete each afghan. I made two of these afghans; the one pictured used the Wool-Ease® Thick & Quick Yarn that was recommended in the pattern. The second afghan used two strands of a much cheaper worsted weight yarn (each strand was a different colour blue, this gave the afghan a denim look). The second afghan went to my grandmother. I, as usual, forgot to photograph it.

That's it for now. I have a few more non-tatting items to show you. Now that the Round Robin is coming to an end, I'll be able to work on other tatting items soon. Au revoir.

Tatted Snowflake, Crocheted Bookmarks, and an Orchid Photo

Before I begin, I hope everyone had a good New Year's. Mine was alright; I had to work New Year's Day, but it wasn't that bad. The store was fairly quiet, and I'm not complaining about getting double time pay for several hours of the day. I'm not one to make resolutions for New Year's. I mean, if I don't make them, I can't break them, right? However, I will try to get the patterns I designed (Male Betta, and the Venus Fly Tat) written out and diagrammed. Actually, the Betta is partially written, and the VFTat is diagrammed. I also would like to design more patterns. I have many ideas I'd like to see come into reality; some flora in nature, some piscine (the Betta needs more friends) and a special project. I would also like to mention that January 1 was the first anniversary of my blog. I really appreciate having all of you reading my blog, and especially everyone who leaves comments. Thank you so much for visiting.

Here is another snowflake made for the Snowflake Round Robin.

This is Lenore English's "January Reflections" snowflake. I love this pattern. It is probably my favourite snowflake of Lenore's, though the others are close behind. For this flake, I used DMC Cebelia size 30 thread in colour # 797. This is motif # 17 of my Second 25 Motif Challenge. Jon's snowflake from a few posts ago was # 16.

I didn't get any tatting done over Christmas. For several days before I was crocheting bookmarks like crazy. I wanted to make some different looking bookmarks and they had to clearly masculine for the guys and feminine for the ladies. For the guys I chose crocodiles:


And for the ladies, turtles:


I know, turtles can be masculine as well, but not as much as crocodiles. They are all made with size 10 crochet cotton in a variety of colours, brands, and ages. They are all lightly starched so they hold their shape. I'm sure you're wondering, "Where can I get these awesome patterns? I really need to know!". Well, they are from a talented crocheter from Australia called Crochetroo. You can buy the patterns from her Etsy shop. She has a number of patterns available, as well as some finished items. I highly recommend the patterns to all you crocheters out there.

Finally, I have an orchid photo for all you plant and orchid lovers out there.


This is Paphiopedilum spicerianum 'St. Albans' x self, HCC/AOS, a tropical Lady Slipper orchid. This is my first Paphiopedilum to flower. I was so excited to see the bud forming early in December. I can't wait for the other four Paphs to flower, whenever they decide to. Before a Paphiopedilum can flower, it must first grow an offset, since once a plant flowers it cannot grow anymore (the flower stalk comes out where the leaves usually grows). This plant grew two offsets within a couple months of me getting it. As long as each of these offsets grow their own offsets and so on, I could end up with a large plant sending up multiple flowers each year. I can't wait for that day to come.

That's about it for now. Oh, before I forget, I have a request from all of you who live in a warm climate. Could you send some of the heat up here? We are currently -40°C, -52 with the wind chill (that is, how cold it feels when the temperature is combined with the wind; a wind chill temperature doesn't have a C or an F behind it because it is calculated and not an actual measured temperature). I have more stuff to post, so it shouldn't be too long before I post again. Until next time.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and will get lots of tatting done.

I will try to have a regular post tomorrow, but who knows if it will happen. We have a snowfall warning right now, and that may affect tomorrows activities. Take care, and have a safe New Year.

Quantiesque Snowflake

Just a quick update; not ready to post anything else yet. I finally got around to tatting Jon's gorgeous Quantiesque snowflake. Here is my attempt:


My attempt at this pattern doesn't do it justice. This is one gorgeous flake (I think I said that already...). I can see why everyone has been tatting it for the last few days. The pattern is easy to follow, and doesn't use any difficult techniques. Highly recommended for all tatters to try. That is, if there are any left who hasn't tatted it already! For this flake, I used Valdani Pearl cotton size 12 in colour number M95: Mediterrana, and DMC Cordonnet size 30 in white. I love Valdani threads, but, I guess due to the the six cord thread and HDT I have be using lately, I wasn't used to how soft the thread is. I guess I'll have to start using it more often. I also think that the pearl cotton and DMC thread were not quite the same size as the the second section (the white part) seems a bit larger than it should be. I will make the snowflake again, using better matched threads. Perhaps in HDT.

That's about it for now. I will hopefully have my other pictures ready to post soon. I also have a few orchid photos to share; one new one (I know, I know) and one I've had for a while that recently had a opened flower. That's all for now. See ya.

Oh, I almost forgot. Jon, if you see this post, you have my permission to copy my photo of your snowflake to post on your blog.

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Now playing: The Grass Roots - Let's Live for Today
via FoxyTunes

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I'll post again in a few days once I recuperate from the holidays!

NB: I meant to have this post set as a scheduled post but I forgot about it.

Yarnplayer's Dream Pendant

After Yarnplayer (AKA Marilee) posted her variation on her own "Dream" necklace and earring pattern, I just had to try it. And here is my attempt:

The original pattern is pretty easy to make and Marilee's variation doesn't add much complexity to the pattern. For this pendant, I used some of Marilee's "Purple Punch" HDT along with some metallic purple size 8 seed beads, size 6 silver lined crystal seed beads, and some very light purple drop beads. With all this purple, this pendant will obviously be a Christmas gift for my mom. I may be able to make a couple more for gifts before Christmas. I'll have to see. This is motif #16 of my second 25 Motif Challenge. Till next time.

Presenting.... The Mermaids!

This blog entry is rated R.

Happy, Tattingchic? Just kidding.

Well, I've threatened to show them. And many of you wanted to see them. Here they are. Bring out the ladies:

These are Martha Ess's Block Tatted Mermaids, sometimes referred to as the Naughty Mermaids. I can't imagine why. Actually, I can think of a couple of reasons. VBG! By the way, this is a very guy friendly pattern. These three, in order of appearances, went to my dad, uncle, and brother last year for Christmas. I still need to make one for me. I will show her when I do. Did I hear someone say they wanted a closer look? You command and I obey:


I'm not sure if it is obvious, but these mermaids were made into bookmarks. In case your wondering, I used the following threads: DMC Cebelia 30 in colour # 754 (peach), 797 (blue), 666 (red), & 699 (green). The hair was made with Finca pearl cotton size 8 in colour #741. The sea weed was made with Finca pearl cotton size 8 in an unknown variegated green (unknown because I can't find the label!). I should mention (again) that these were made last year and are not part of my 25 Motif Challenge. I hope you have enjoyed this post, and fully recommend this pattern to other tatters. If you wish to make them more acceptable (Gasp!) you could use small shells to cover her, um, you know.

Disclaimer:

The above pattern was created by the brilliant Martha Ess, and only tatted by yours truly. The pattern was posted on Martha's website over a year ago. This proves that I did not introduce any indecency to the art of tatting.

Snowflakes, Turtles, and Snow

As with many other people, I have been busy working on Christmas gifts. I do have a few tatting related items to show. However, I would like to mention something first. Snow! I can't stand it! We didn't have any snow until recently. It started last week, and it seems that it is snowing nearly every day now. And (I'm not sure if this is just local, or if it happens everywhere), but after the first snowfall of the year, most drivers forget how to drive in the stuff. I think I got that out of my system right now. Be prepared to hear this again in January.

The first tatted motif I have to show is the third snowflake for the Snowflake Round Robin:

I should mention that this is not the snowflake I sent to my next partner. I was in a rush to get it mailed and I forgot to scan the thing. I heard that. I prepared this snowflake earlier for just such an emergency. OK, not really, I just really like this pattern. The snowflake is called "October Enchantment" by Lenore English. I used DMC Cordonnet size 30 thread to make the snowflake. This is motif # 12.

The next snowflake is one designed by Nancy Tracy:

I don't even remember seeing this snowflake of Nancy's. I'm not sure how I could have missed it. The snowflake was actually pretty quick to tat. I tatted the snowflake continously instead of cutting and tying each round. I used DMC Cordonnet thread size 30 (I think) for this snowflake. This snowflake was supposed to be used for the Snowflake RR, but at over 4 1/2 inches in diameter, it came out much too big. I'm going to use it for a Christmas gift instead. This is motif # 13.

The third (and final) snowflake is again a Ruth Perry design;

Again, this is Ruth's Celtic Snowflake 2008, this time done in some HDT. I used some of Yarnplayer's "Winter Blend" HDT in size 50. I just love this pattern, and Marilee's HDT. This snowflake is also going to be a Christmas gift. I currently have another one of these snowflakes in progress, but done in a different thread. The Winter Blend Celtic Snowflake is motif # 14 of my Second 25 Motif Challenge.

Finally, I made another one of Teri's turtles. This time, fully, cloth---er, shelled. Be warned Tattingchic, I will show the mermaids that I made from Martha's pattern. And you thought a naked turtle was bad!

This turtle was made using C-lon Micro thread. This is the thread that Teri recommends for her turtle patterns. It is quite nice to tat with, as long as you don't tat too tight. It does handle a little retro-tatting if necessary. And as a bonus, due to it's stiff nature, items made with it shouldn't need stiffening. BTW, this turtle is mine! I hope to make a few more yet before Christmas. This is motif # 15.

I think that is all for now. Besides another snowflake to make for the SRR, I may not get much tatting done. I have two afghans to crochet for Christmas gifts. That isn't as big a feat as you may think. I am using Super Bulky weight yarn and a size S (19mm) hook. Yes, you heard the size right; there is a hook available that is bigger than a Q! Till next time.

Update! Naked Turtle No Longer Naked

Due to recent insomnia, I worked on the turtle last night. And here is the final result:

The beading part of the pattern went pretty quickly (to my surprise). I couldn't find the beading needles that I had bought (for a purpose that I don't remember!), so I used the next best thing, a floss threader. Yup, I used a floss threader to do the bead work. It worked, but next time I will use an actual needle. Teri doesn't mention what she uses to do the beading. I really like how the turtle turned out and will make some more. I see some of these becoming Christmas gifts. Since the size 50 thread worked, I might try some HDT next time.

I never mentioned why I wanted to make this pattern. It's because there isn't very much tatted jewelry or wearables for men. Sure, Ruth Perry has a few patterns that she calls masculine as well as a few that could be made manly (the Celtic watchband in her new book for example). I'm sure there are others that could work. I don't wear much jewelry; only a chain with a Sterling silver dragon on it. I would love to wear some tatted items besides what can be sewn onto clothing but it has to be masculine looking. A tatted dragon would be nice, but most are too big for my purpose. Anyway, that's all I have right now, I'm starting to ramble. Later.

BTW Tattingchic, I almost choked on my Coke when I read your comment on the previous post! Should I have my blog rated R now?

Another Snowflake, Stone Discs, and a Naked Turtle

It's been a while since I last posted. I have been alternating between snowflakes for the Snowflake Round Robin (have a look at the gorgeous snowflakes that have arrived at their destinations, but remember to come back!), and working on Christmas gifts for various family members. These gifts are crocheted, but I will have pictures once they are done. Here is my next snowflake that I sent this past Friday:

This is "The Eighteenth Day of Christmas" by Lene Bjørn from her book "24 Snowflakes in Tatting". Again, for this snowflake I used DMC Cordonnet size 50 thread and Guttermann Metallic thread. I wanted to use this thread combination for all of the snowflakes I am making for the Round Robin, but I will probably run out of the size 50 thread before I am done, so I will have to use other threads as well. This snowflake is motif # 11 of my Second 25 Motif Challenge.

Like many people (I think, anyways), I am facinated by the tatted turtles that Teri Dusenbury makes. If you go to her blog (remember, come back when you are done!), and scroll down, you will see some of her turtles. She has the pattern available for a fairly simple version of her turtles. If you want it, go to her blog, and on the right side under Tatbits Tatting Patterns, select the Tatting: Turtles link. Once there, select the bottom pattern (Tatting Turtles Agile.......). I don't know if I should link directly there, so I won't. Anyway, for the turtle you need these small stone discs for the turtles shells. These discs look like this:

I know, discs are round and these are oval, but bear with me. The green discs are Jade and the others are Tiger's Eye. The small discs are the size that Teri calls for in the pattern, but I wanted to get a couple larger discs so I can try to scale up the pattern. I said try. I also ordered some of the thread that Teri calls for as well (I guess you could call four spools some).

While I am waiting for the thread to come, I decided to give the pattern a run through to see if I could even make the turtles. Here is where the naked turtle comes in! Presenting the naked turtle:

See? It has no shell; so it's naked! I guesstimated the thread size to be about a size 50, and I think that it is very close. Probably somewhere between a 40 and 50, but I may be able to add the shell. If you are unfamiliar with the pattern, the shell (ie: the stone discs or cabochons) are beaded onto the tatted turtle which encloses the disc in the process. I am planning on trying this real soon, though I don't know how well this will work. Teri waxes the thread heavily while working with it for both the tatting and bead work, and I don't have any "wax" (the product she uses isn't actually wax) to use so I will skip that step.

That is pretty much it for now. I'll try to post again soon. Until next time.

Snowflake Round Robin and Wooden Boxes

I think I mentioned earlier that I joined the Snowflake Round Robin that Sharon B. is running. Our first snowflakes have been made and sent, and a few lucky people have already received theirs. I know these things because I'm the Group Coordinator. Anyway, since I haven't received mine yet, I'll show you what I made for my first partner:


This is, again, Ruth Perry's Celtic Snowflake 2008. This time, I made the snowflake in DMC Cordonnet size 50 combined with Guttermann's Metallic Thread. This is the same thread I mentioned in a previous post. This combination works out to be equivalent to a size 30 thread. It is about 4 inches in diameter. The colours of the metallic thread really comes out in a larger sized piece of lace. I love this thread! I'm going to count this as motif #10 of my Second 25 Motif Challenge.

Inspired by Diane's recent find at Michaels, I decided to get one myself.

Yup. It's one of those Photo Treasure Boxes. I'm pretty sure it is slightly different from the one Diane found. But I guess that is to be expected; I'm sure each Michaels store has a slightly different inventory. I figured that the box would make a nice shuttle box to hold my small but growing shuttle collection. It is a little small for this purpose, at least for the way I envision it to be. You be the judge:


It only holds maybe 4-6 shuttles, depending on the size. Not to worry (I'm sure none of you will, but bear with me), while I was at Michaels I saw another box that looked suitable. I went back a few days later, armed with a 50% off coupon, and purchased the box. Here it is:

Michaels calls it a "Cigar Box", but to me it was screaming "Shuttle Box"! The approximate outer dimensions are as follows: 8 1/2" x 8 1/4" x 1 3/4". I think it will be very suitable. See for yourself:

See. I told you. Now, I need to finish the box to make it work. I was thinking of painting the box. What colour you ask? I was thinking of a nice glossy bl.................. black! What were you thinking? After it is painted, I will line the bottom with black felt. Finally, to hold the shuttles in place, I'll add some loops of elastic. This will probably wait for a while. I have a few crocheted gifts to make, and of course snowflakes for the Snowflake RR. That's all for now.
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Now playing: The Puddle Jumpers - Pay the Piper
via FoxyTunes

Rainbow Snowflakes: What a Difference Colour Makes

You knew it was coming. You had to. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I purchased some of Pamela's Rainbow HDT. Of course, I had to make a Rainbow snowflake. Here it is:

This is called "Kim's Snowflake" designed by Kim Millar. It is probably my favourite snowflake pattern. I have made this pattern in a variety of threads: regular cotton, metallic, glow-in-the-dark. And have used beads in combination with the above threads. Diane probably can make MK's Spinning Wheel in her sleep; I could do Kim's Snowflake in my sleep. As mentioned I used Rainbow HDT in size 60. The snowflake is about 2 inches in diameter. This is motif # 9 in my Second 25 Motif Challenge. I forgot to mention in the last post that the Invisible Tatted Layered Snowflake (ITLS) is motif #8.

I figured I should mention my attempts at blocking the ITLS last night. I tried ironing it. My iron has a "Nylon" setting which I figured should work. It didn't. The temperature seemed too low (I think you know where I'm going with this....). Being a man I turned the temperature up. And............

It didn't help. I didn't crank the temperature too high (just to be safe). You know, I think I would rather have a wavy snowflake than a melted one. Now I just have to find it ............

Oh, before I forget, the ITLS was featured today (Nov 4) on the Needlework News blog. You'll have to scroll down to find it. Pretty cool. That's all for now.

Invisible Snowflake, Adventures with Thread, New Toys, and a Mutated Orchid

I have continued playing with invisible thread. I finished the Tatted Layered Snowflake:


This, of course was designed by Nancy Tracy. As Diane mentioned last week, when I first posted about invisible thread tatting, the snowflake looks like it is made out of ice. I have to agree. Unfortunately, the snowflake is kind of wavy and uneven 'cause I haven't blocked it yet. Why not? I'm not sure how to block nylon thread. I highly doubt wetting and pinning it out like you would with cotton thread would work. If I remember right, the packaging the thread came in said the thread can be ironed. I may try that. Maybe. I figured I'd post a photo of the unblocked snowflake in case I end up with a puddle of nylon. Of course, I would need to layer it in between some fabric. Right? Anyway, in case anyone else is wanting to join Jane and me in the joys (???) of tatting with invisible thread, here is some info that may be useful. The thread I'm using is Coats Transparent Nylon thread, size 0.005 (not sure what unit of measure they are using). Four strands of this thread equals approximately a size 80-90 cotton thread. According to Jane, two strands of size 80 equals a size 20 (it does, by the way), so logically, the same would apply here. Eight strands of the thread should equal about a size 20 thread. I haven't tested this. If anyone wishing to try tatting with invisible thread has any questions, just ask.

Moving on. While at Wal*Mart the other day, I came across some really nice looking metallic thread. It's Guttermann's Metallic Thread (I don't recall the actual name if different). Here's a pic:

The scan doesn't do this thread justice. It is really nice looking thread. And it is really fine. I haven't attempted tatting with a single strand of it. I did try tatting with it combined with another thread. Here is a scan of that attempt:

You should be able to see the colours better here. For this sample, I used the metallic thread with DMC Cordonnet size 100 thread. Size equivalent of these two threads combined? Drum roll...... size 80! Approximately. I planned on using this thread with the invisible thread, but I think I will be using it for the snowflakes I am/will be making for the Snowflake Round Robin that I have joined. Of course you won't see them for a while.

I recently purchased a new monitor for my PC since my old monitor has bee acting funny, and basically threatening to die. I had to get an LCD monitor (like there was any other choice!), and it had to be bigger than the CRT monitor I had already (just a little quirk of mine, no real reason for a larger monitor). I had initially planned on purchasing a 20" LCD monitor, but when I got to Staples, that changed (it always does, doesn't it?). They had a 22" widescreen LCD monitor on sale. It was only $20 more that the 20" one I had decided on. So the 22" monitor ended coming home with me. It looks awesome! I've only used an LCD monitor a few times before, so I'm still getting used to it. I also got a new cellphone earlier this week. I haven't had a cellphone for a couple years now, but with winter coming (unfortunately!) I felt I should get one again. I've been lucky the last few years and haven't needed it when traveling, but you never know. And the best part about the phone I got is that it was free! When all is said and done it is, anyway. If it matters, I got a Motorola W385 phone. Out of the phones the carrier offered, it seemed to have the best user ratings at various opinion websites.

Finally, I wanted to show you a picture of what probably is my last new orchid till spring.

This is a Phalaenopsis, just like most of the others I posted, but something is different with this one. It has what I believe are Peloric flowers. That is, the two petals have mutated for some reason to look like the lip of the orchid. So the flower looks like it has three lips. Some people may not like the way it looks, but I think it's kinda cool. It was the reason I bought it after all. Apparently, the flowers can revert back to normal, depending on how stable the mutation is. So I'll have to wait and see what happens next year when it flowers again. I think that's everything right now. See ya later.

Snowflakes, BEANILE Lace, and Invisible Tatting

I had a pretty good time at my parents last weekend, though I didn't get much tatting done. Did some crocheting though. Unfortunately, I didn't see my aunt. So more lessons will have to wait until Christmas. Now on to the tatting. The first motif is Ruth Perry's Celtic Snowflake 2008:

I love Ruth's Celtic designs. For this snowflake I used DMC Cordonnet thread in size 20. Size 20 made a large snowflake. This one is approximately 5 inches from point to point. I will have to make this snowflake again in smaller thread, probably a HDT. For those of you interested, the pattern is available from Ruth's Celtic Tatting group. The actual tatting is easy with only a couple split rings. I used approximately 5.5 yards of thread on shuttle 1 and 7-8 yards of thread on shuttle 2. This is motif #6 for my Second 25 Motif Challenge.

My next motif is a BEANILE Lace pendant designed by Nina Libin:

The pendant is called BNL-162b and is from Nina's newest Lace of Beads book called "#15 Translating Ideas Into Lace". I love Nina's BEANILE (which stands for Beadwork by Nina Libin) lace designs, but threading on all the beads can take a loooooooooooong time. However, with this pendant, and some beads I purchased at Wal*Mart, I discovered a trick to load large amounts of beads. The beads I purchased were prestrung (which is important here). Basically, to transfer the beads from the temporary strand that the beads came on to your tatting thread, you simply tie the two threads together and slide the beads from one thread to the other. Now the beads need to be large enough to pass over the knot (which the beads I tried this with were; some of them were a size 11). Once enough beads are transferred , you can untie or cut the knot and wind your shuttles. Now that I know this, I have to buy more beads that are prestrung. This pendant is motif #7. The pendant was given to my Mom as part of her birthday gift. She loved it.

Finally, I finally tried tatting with Invisible thread. It was, interesting. Here's a picture:

Like I said, the results were interesting. Kind of ethereal looking. This is the centre of Nancy Tracy's Layered Tatted Snowflake, available here. I only wound enough thread to make the centre of the snowflake. Since the invisible thread is really fine, I used four strands together. If I decide to continue, I will probably need to get several more spools of the thread for ease of winding large amounts of thread. You probably don't want to know how I managed to get four strands of thread off of one spool, without dropping them. It wasn't that bad, but I don't think I could explain it. I still need to do some experimenting with the thread. I would like to make a sample to compare the size to other threads. I also had a thought of adding a single strand of metallic filament thread to the invisible thread. And if I could match the thread to a size 20 or 30 thread, the thread might look cool as the fins on my Betta. Now look at what you started Jane! Hopefully I will get some more tatting done. I got some of Pamela's Rainbow thread, so expect to see something made out of it. That's all for now.

Not Much To Show

I didn't get as much tatting done as I would have liked. Since my last post I managed to complete a pendant and one earring. I am also on day 8 of TIAS 4, but I'll print off the rest of instructions and will try to finish it. As I mentioned briefly in my last post, my workplace was set to strike, but fortunately it didn't happen, so I had to work (which isn't a bad thing; money=good). Because this weekend (Monday actually) is Canadian Thanksgiving, I will be going to my parent's house for the weekend; I'm leaving tomorrow after work. So I "should" get some tatting done over the next few days.

I may also get to see one of my aunts who is trying to learn how to tat. It's kinda hard to teach someone when you only see them a couple times a year. I've provided her with links to guides and videos to help her when I'm not there. The last time I saw her, she was having trouble with the flip. So, I got her a tatting needle, and will try needle tatting with her (if I see her that is). And I may even get to photograph the Bird of Paradise flower I made earlier. Now, I wonder if I could count it as part of my currant 25 Motif Challenge? Arrivederci, till next week.

Tatting, Canning, Ebook Reader, and Orchid Photos

Well, the title says it all. This is going to be a long post. I've been meaning to post but just haven't had time (heck, I barely managed to update the Challenge page yesterday). I'll start with the tatting since that is what my blog is mainly about.

Motif number 5 for me is a pair of earrings for my mom's birthday.

These earrings are Yarnplayer's (Marilee) Carnival Earrings. Pattern available on her website. For the earrings, I used some of Yarnplayer Purple Punch HDT, a couple light purple crystals, and metallic purple size 8 (I think) seed beads. Gee, I wonder what colour my mom's favourite is? Actually, that may be too much purple for me. Getting weak.......must see blue ..........

That's better. As you can see, I am retatting my Male Betta (in the thread from Sylvia). This time trying to write out the instructions. I wrote out the pattern for the body shortly after posting the finished motif, but the fins have been rather daunting to write out. I'm not 100% sure how to write out block tatting, so it is going to take time. Knowing me, it'll be 6-8 months. OK, maybe not that much time. Hopefully I can get back to working on him soon. I've also been working on the Lucky Clover doily, but won't post an update picture until it is done. I have been working on TIAS4 too, but I haven't scanned it yet. One of these days.

Now, the main reason I haven't been tatting is because I have been doing some canning this year. Since several grocery stores have apples on sale right now I have been focusing on them right now. So far I have made half a dozen pints of Apple Butter (and will probably make some more), half a dozen half-pints of Apple Jelly (the recipe said it will make 3 half-pints & I only made one batch; go figure), and I hope to make some applesauce after work tomorrow. I'm not going to mention the Mint Jelly; something didn't work out, and think it was me! This jelly has a consistency somewhere between rubber cement and regular cement. From what I've read, I'm pretty sure I overcooked it. Maybe it was for the best, since my mint must have been too old and the jelly had no mint taste; the plant has been flowering/trying to flower for the past month or so. I hope to make some pickled carrots as well; I just have to find some dill.

Now, next on my list is my new ebook reader. As I mentioned previously, I was saving up for one of Sony's Portable Reader System (PRS-505) ebook readers and I finally got it. Diane mentioned that her mom got one of Amazon's Kindles, but since the Kindle isn't available in Canada (or anywhere else except the USA) it wasn't an option. Since many fellow tatters are offering their books in PDF format (and due to the fact that I tend to print web pages and the like to PDF files) an ebook reader was quite logical for me. Here is a photo of the device displaying one of my newest ebook purchases:

Hopefully Linda won't mind me showing the cover of her new book. The photo show the text as being a bit blurry, but in reality, it isn't. If anyone is interested, ebooks available from Toni Storer, Nina Libin, and Linda Davies are readable on the Sony PRS-505 after being formatted for the reader's screen size. Some of the large diagrams in Toni's books may difficult to read by some people. But that is what the computer and/or a printed copy is for.

Finally, I'll finish this post with three orchids photos from the three orchids I purchased over the last couple months. All three are NOID Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchids), but they are still very pretty.


Not really much to say about these. Not like I needed anymore orchids, but I couldn't resist. I haven't purchased any orchids since. If you don't count the two Phalaenopsis species seedlings that I got off eBay. No, we won't count them since they are still small and won't flower for a couple years. I guess I should finish the Betta pattern, and the Venus Fly Tat so I can work on the tatted Phalaenopsis I have drawn out. Well, kinda drawn out; I created outlines of each flower part and just have to fill in. Something tells me that they would be great block tatting candidates.

I have more plant photos, but I'll leave them for another day. Since my mom's birthday is coming up and the possibility that my workplace may go on strike (which may give me more time), I will probably have other tatted items to show within a week or so. Stay tuned. That's all for now.

What Do You Do If Your Thread Bears Are Misbehaving?

Give up? Why, you make them into rugs of course!

OK. I didn't actually turn a miniature crochet thread bear into a rug. It was made that way. Isn't it cute? I was actually looking for something else when I found this pattern (located here). If you're interested I was looking for a pattern for a full sized crocheted bear rug. It does exist. I'm not crazy. Don't say it Jane! I did find a pattern in a copy of "Needlecraft for Today", but I can't find that issue. I don't know much about the magazine. All the issues I have (from my mom) are from the early '80's. It is similar to "Workbasket" but bigger in size. Some the issues did contain tatting patterns, which are mostly the issues I have. Anyway, I thought the bear rug would look good with my Zebra rug. I haven't showed you my Zebra rug? That won't do; here you go:

I found this pattern at ePatternsCentral.com. I don't know if it is still available (it's not, I just checked). The patterns change frequently. They had a bunch of tatting patterns, but those seem to be gone now too. Anyhoo, the Zebra rug was quite simple to make; it just took a long time. The white part is done like filet crochet. Then a lot of black chains are made. These are then used to create the stripes using techniques similar to needlepoint. I really love this rug, but it ended up MUCH larger that it should have. It is a little over 5 feet long and 3 feet wide when it should be somewhere around 3-4 feet long and 2-2.5 feet wide. I guess I should have checked my gauge!

Onward to tatting. I got the three dragons in my mug. It looks pretty good. Here are pictures of all three dragons (one at a time):

I used invisible thread to sew the dragons onto the plastic aida cloth. The invisible thread was a pain in the *** to use. I can't believe Jane uses it to tat with. She must have bionic eyes in order to see it. I think she doubles it first, but still. I have a confession though. The invisible thread I bought is some that Jane recommends for tatting with (it is a made in the USA kind) because, wait for it, I want to tat with it too! More on that when and if anything happens. Maybe I am insane ......

I haven't done much tatting otherwise. I am following Sherry's TIAS. I haven't the faintest idea what it is. I don't have pictures ready yet but I'll post them when I do. I could write more, but I have to work in the morning and I would like to shave and trim my goatee tonight before bed. Later.