Tatted Motif, New Shuttle, and Some Thoughts About Lizbeth

I did it again, didn't I. I can't seem to focus on anything lately. On top of that, I think my sleeping cycle has become misaligned, again. I fall asleep later, and later and wake up later and later. Which sucks when you have to get up in the morning to go to work. So more than once last week I had a nap attack after supper, which means I lose an hour or two of tatting time. However I did manage to finish one motif I've been working on. I also got to proof read Linda Davies newest book. If it's not on her website yet, it will be soon. And I must say the finished designs look awesome. The tie is still on  hold, but I WILL get back to it. I have to before I lose interest in it completely.

I'm sure one tatter (and new designer) will recognize the following motif:

This is Maeve by Fox. There should be a link to the pattern on Fox's blog. It's a very pretty motif, and pretty quick to tat. I only made one small change to the pattern. Since I used one colour of thread, I made one of the large rings on the third round a split ring so I could continue without cutting and tying. I'll have to try tatting the motif using three colours next time. I used Lizbeth size 20 thread in colour #611 Gold (nonmetallic). Thanks Fox, for sharing the pattern with the rest of us. I wonder what else you'll come up with.

I think it's about time I show off my newest Pop-a-Bobbin shuttle. I don't even remember when I bought it. Here it is:

And here it is with it's new mate (it goes really well with my ebony shuttle):

The shuttle is almost pure white. Not quite but close, a light cream colour perhaps. As I said above, it goes well with ebony. Which isn't surprising since both woods are traditionally used in making chess pieces. As you can see, it doesn't have a hook, but it's not a big problem. Now, I need another shuttle. A dark coloured one. What?! I like them in pairs.

I'll end with some thoughts about Lizbeth. I don't think any other thread has divided the tatting community as much as Lizbeth. Some love it, and some hate it. I fall in the former group. I love the thread. I haven't had any major problems with thread. A knot in the thread in a pain, but easy to fix if caught early enough. I know that doesn't happen all the time-I've tried closing a ring only to find a knot it it. Besides knots, I know some people were having problems with the thread splitting, though I haven't seen that in any of the balls I have. I think the problem with the thread being twisty was solved. Again, I haven't seen this; since I bought mine after the problem was fixed I didn't expect to see this. By now, I've used a fair amount of thread, and from quite a few balls. I figure I should have come across a bad ball by now, but I haven't. Maybe I'm just too accepting. Lucky perhaps? I don't know. Anyway, I'll keep buying it.

That's it for now. I'll try and post again soon. I think I'll try and alternate between tatting and chainmaille posts just so I can post something. I bought a new chainmaille book and discovered a new chainmaille supply company here in the city, so you'll probably be seeing new things on the chainmaille front. Till next time.

Not A Lot Goin' On, Tatting Wise, Anyway.

Yeah, I know. I disappeared from the face of the Earth again. I came down with a cold last weekend, and just haven't felt like tatting lately. I did manage another row, and a bit on my tie since my last post. I do hope to find time to work on my tie over the next two days. But we'll see. As you can probably see, my poll has finished. The "No's" have majority, though barely. So, I'm going to focus on my other tatting patterns for now. Perhaps I will release the pattern at another time, maybe once the tie is complete. I'll continue to take notes as I go, and keep track of what I am doing until that time. I haven't started on Jane's newest TIAS, and I don't know if I'll get to it now. It won't be fun if I rush to catch up. So I'll move on here to the non-tatting that I managed to do this past week and a bit.

I'm not sure why, but I got inspired to work on chainmaille this week. Sales have come to a standstill, so I've been working on some new weaves, trying to come up with some new products. A few items are promising, another few need some work (and by work, I mean I have no idea what I'm going to do with them).

The first item is a fairly simple bracelet:

This bracelet is made using a weave called Double Spiral. Like I said it is pretty easy to make, and I'm not sure why I haven't tried it yet. I need to get some proper photos of it (something I was supposed to do today) and get it listed. It is made out of stainless steel, though it should work in most metals.

The next item I made is just a quick sample of a new weave:

This one is called Captive Zen. It is one of those weaves that relies heavily on very specific rings sizes to work. There are four different sizes of rings used here. Since this photo was taken, I have made a bracelet using this weave. I haven't photographed it yet (again, one of today's tasks that didn't get done). Both the above sample and the unphotographed bracelet were made using bright aluminum rings. This is a pretty stiff weave (it has to be), and doesn't work well for really small wrists, though it apparently relaxes and loosens up over time. I really like the way this weave looks. I'm hoping to make a pair of earrings using this weave too.

Finally, we come to the weave in which I'm not sure how it will be used.

This is a scalemaille flower. The flower is pretty quick to make. The one above has been modified to use as a pendant; the additional rings needed aren't shown in the above photo. I had thought they could be used as earrings, but at 1.75 inches across, they may be a bit large. Since I don't wear earrings, I really don't know. This could be easily wired to a brooch pin too. And one could add a length of wire to back and display it in a vase. I could go on; there are many possibilities. I might just sell them unfinished, so to speak, and let people use them as they please. Both the scales and rings are bright aluminum.

That's it for now. Hopefully I'll get some tatting time in this week. I'm probably going to work some more chainmaille too. Since my birthday is next Friday, I don't know what my posting schedule will be like. I'll aim for mid week, but it will depend on what I get done that's worth posting. Till next time.

My Tatted Tie, Part 3 - Slowly Making Progress

I had hoped to post earlier, but I lost my groove late last week and haven't done much tatting. I also wasn't feeling well towards the end of the week which didn't help. But I have been working on the tie. Before I show the tie, I want to make sure everyone knows I have set up a poll. You can find in on the top of my left sidebar. Please vote (if you wish). I really want your opinion. My feelings won't be hurt or anything if there is little to no interest in a tatted tie pattern. That just means I can move on to diagram and write out some of my other patterns.

Anyway, here is the tie as of this evening:

Currently, the tie measures about 8.75 inches (22.2 cm) long. This is just about the half way point. Here is another photo of the tie, this time against a patterned (t)shirt:

Its kinda a crappy photo, but it gives you the idea. There were several good comments on my last post regarding the tie. One that I really liked was to attach the top of the tie to a narrow strip of fabric to make the tying of the tie easier. I like the idea (thanks Maureen!), except for one small problem. My sewing skills are rather lacking. Actually lacking is being generous. My sewing skills are almost non-existent. I mean, I've sewn the bottoms of my pant legs shut (on several occasions!!) while trying to hem them (don't ask). I have been thinking about this since the suggestion was made and may have a possible solution. I was thinking I could get a "real" tie that is similar in colour (this shouldn't be difficult: the real tie I am using as a guide is very close in colour) and use the narrow part of it for my tatted tie. Now, you may think that's wasteful, but I've got that covered too. I could use the leftover scraps of fabric to make the centre of a temari ball.This is more authentic than using styrofoam(and better for the environment).  Another suggestion was to have a fabric backing. It's a good suggestion (thanks Gina!) but I'm not sure about it yet. As I mentioned, sewing is an issue for me. This one will have to wait until the tie is basically finished. I'll perhaps photograph it against a number of shirts to see how it looks. I don't own any shirts that are heavily patterned so it may not be as big of an issue. But again, we shall see. If anyone else has anymore good ideas, feel free to share them.

I'll leave you with a photo of my Christmas cactus which began to flower late last week:

I noticed what I thought were the beginnings of numerous tiny buds late in December, so its not that far off in its timing. And I haven't killed it yet which is good. I got it last Christmas so I must be doing something right. I've been wanting a few more in different colours, so I really need to see if I can still get them.

That's about it for now. Hopefully I make some more progress on the tie. Jane is also starting another TIAS (tommorow, I believe) which I'd like to participate in. So I need to prepare for that. Till next time.

My Tatted Tie, Part 2 - It's Really Happening

I'm not sure why, but I began tatting my tatted tie. I know, right? I started winding one shuttle a while ago (I can't even remember, I'd have to check to see when I bought the Lizbeth), and it sat in the LCU for a while. Saturday night, after my last post, I wound the second shuttle and began tatting. The tatting went by pretty quickly. Here is the tie as of last night:

I have done more since this was taken, I just don't want to take a new photo right now. As you can see, I'm using two Tatsy shuttles to tat my tie. These things are HUGE! I don't think I have actually used them before now. They were a bit cumbersome to use at first, but they're not bad now. One advantage to using these shuttles is that the size 10 thread I'm using seems really, really small. For those of you not familiar with Tatsy shuttles, they are 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) long. The tie is about 5.5 inches long in the photo. It's also about 1.75 inches wide at narrow end. In case you're wondering (and so I have an online record of it) the tie should be about 18.5 inches long, and 4 inches wide at the widest part when finished. This is based on my calculations that each "four-ring square" (I think that is the common name for motif I am using) is about 0.5 inches square. In reality they are a little bigger, so the tie should be bigger. This is a good thing, since based on the "real" tie I am using a pattern/guideline the tie should be 20 inches long.

Speaking of a "real" tie, I have been thinking of making my tatted tie into a "real" tie. You know, one that you have to, um, tie. I diagrammed the full tie Sunday, and realized that I could easily extend the tie from the top to make a full sized, have to tie, tie. In case you were wondering, I was planning on making a fake knot and putting on the tie with a chain, just like my chainmaille tie. I think it should work, but I'm not sure how well the tatting will hold up. I mean, I don't want it to stretch substantially. I think I could outline that section with chains to add strength and reduce stretching. I'm not going to dwell on this issue right now. I will have to tat a test section to see.

I'll leave you with a final thought. Is anyone out there interested in a tatted tie pattern? I have the pattern all diagrammed out-all five (count 'em, five) pages of it. Four pages are 80-90% diagram. If there is interest, I would be willing neaten up the diagrams and perhaps a bit of guiding text (I am NOT going to write out the whole pattern; it'll be a book!). It's not a hard pattern, just lots (and lots) of rings, and lots (and lots!) of split rings. Some chains may be needed (see above paragraph) and lots (and lots-you get the idea) of joins, both regular and shuttle/lock joins. A fair amount of work went in to diagramming the pattern. I have mapped out the entire split ring pathway to tat the tie continuously. Realistically, I'm sure you'd have to add thread at least once maybe twice during the actual tatting. I will say it upfront, this won't be a free pattern, and I don't know what I would charge for it (advice is welcome on this too). Maybe I'll put up a poll.

That's all for now. Hopefully my progress on the tie continues at my current pace (I haven't touched the second Birdcage motif-my first UFO/WIP for 2011!). Till next time.

Happy New Years and Some Thoughts For 2011

Happy New Year's!!!!!!!

 I hope 2011 started well for everyone. I had to work today (and yesterday) but that's alright. It wasn't busy, and we closed early. It was still very cold this morning, though we are currently warming up, and snowing (apparently, its too dark to see). I have nothing tatting related to report. I should mention, that the Birdcage motif I posted about a few days ago is from Mary Konior's book Tatting In Lace. I will/have change(d) the post to include this omission.

I'm going to end this post with a list of things I'd like to accomplish for 2011, tatting/craft related anyway. I don't make resolutions and the common ones, weight loss, healthy living/eating are things I've been working on for a while now, so I don't need to promise myself that I'm going to do it. Anyway, here is what I've come up with so far (this list is not conclusive):

1. I am going to finish some of my UFOs and WIPs. 

2. I am going to write out and diagram some of my other patterns (I know I said that last year). As much as I'd like to offer them for free, a few may be for sale (my male Betta, for one), though this isn't set in stone.

3. Use up some of my HDTs, even though they are too pretty to use. I know. I know. They're thread and they're supposed to be used. But still.

4. Get more tatting time in. I don't seem to have the time to tat lately.

5. Blog more often. I don't like to write posts just for the sake of posting something. This one will be affected by #4 above. More tatting = more posting. 

6. I'd love to learn something new. Though since I don't seem to have the time for the arts/crafts I do now, this goal is going to be optional.

7. Well, actually the above six is all I can think of right now. I'll amend this list if/when I think of other goals.

That's all for now. Here's hoping for an awesome year for everyone! Till next time. 

Tatted Birdcage, Skate Pin, and Some Chainmaille

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I did. It was nice to get away from work for a several days and spend them with family. I had a good trip both ways in case you are wondering. I love my newish truck (though I could use a remote starter for these cold winter days). Anyway, I figured I should make a quick post before 2010 ends.

I didn't get much tatting done. But I did manage to tat this:

This is Mary Konior's Birdcage motif, from her book Tatting in Lace. I know, my post title is a bit misleading. I'm sure you were expecting something else. The motif was tatted with Lizbeth size 20 thread in colour number 109 Wild Flower. It's about 2 1/4 inches across. For the record, I don't know how often I will use this thread-I find it very girly. Sorry. Anyway, I found this motif very interesting and I don't honestly remember seeing it tatted before. My apologies if you have tatted and showed it off. I think the thing I like about it most is how the bare threads in the centre, from the four separate motifs, appear to be part of the design. My rendition doesn't count-the length and position of the thread, not to mention how my threads passed from from to back somehow (???). I did however make it in one round thanks to two split rings. I had to mentally shift the pattern around since my starting points were different than Mary's. I like the motif and am currently tatting another one. This time, I am using two solid colours (one for rings and one for chains: I believe numerous SLTs will be needed). And I am doing the centre using many split rings to eliminate the bare threads. I am thinking maybe I could add the bare threads after if I wanted-we'll see.

I also finished Sharon's Skate pin that I showed a few posts ago. Here is the finished pin:

I gave the finished pin to my mom as part of her Christmas gift. I think she liked it. Not much else to say that hasn't been said before, so, moving on.

Since I haven't done it for a while, I thought I'd show some chainmaille I'm working on/finished. The first one may be a bit late for the season but, meh, I'm going to show it anyway.

It's a snowflake! I'm sure you could have figured it out. It is made out of Bright Aluminum using a weave called Japanese 2 in 12. Like the European 4 in 1 (and others) I have showed, this weave was used in armour for the Japanese. It leads itself well to jewelry. The pendant above is ready to be listed, as soon as I can find the time, probably over the weekend. I still need to figure out a price for it. I should be able to make the pendant out of Stainless Steel as well. It's about 1 3/8 inches across, and I can make a larger version as well. That one would be about 2 1/2 inches across.

The next piece is one I started a while ago. I must have got bored or busy, not sure which.

This is about half of a bracelet called Hodo or Sidewalk (Hodo apparently is Japanese for sidewalk). This is also a variation of Japanese 2 in 12. This one is made using Stainless Steel. And I should be able to make it in Bright Aluminum too. Hopefully I will finish this one so it too can be listed. And it also needs to be priced out. A quick shop note (shameless self promotion). I will be ending free shipping probably Saturday sometime. So, um, feel free to stop by. And don't forget about the coupon code on my right sidebar. Shameless self promotion over.

That's about it for now. I hope to post again on January 1st, not promises. I'll leave you with a quick photo of the Monster (don't let her cuteness fool you):

Why a monster you say? Apparently balls of thread with tatting attached are fun to play with. I didn't think so. Really? You try winding a ball of thread that's been unwound all over the house. It's a good thing tatting doesn't unravel. Next trip on, I will be bringing the "Lizbeth Containment Unit", LCU for short:

Till next time.

Merry Christmas!

Merry

Christmas

 To One and All!

I hope everyone is having a very good Christmas this year. See you next week. This is a recording.

The poinsettias pictured are from last year. The one I bought this year decided it doesn't like me. It's been shedding since I got it.

Another Snowflake, Sharon's Skates and an Angel

I know. I've been kinda lacking in the posting department. I guess I've been busy. I am also going away Friday, so I wanted to post before leaving. I should be back next Monday. I have had a few more orders since the last time I posted which I have been working on. I still haven't listed the coloured Bicubix Blocks earrings, though I'll try tonight. I'm not sure if I'll keep the shop open while I'm gone, though I don't expect many (if any) orders this weekend.

Here is probably the last Angels in the Snow Snowflake for this year:

This one is tatted with one strand of DMC Cordonnet size 50 thread and one strand of Güttermann metallic filament thread in colour #143. I found this snowflake took forever to tat. I have the pattern memorized, and it's not difficult. The metallic filament broke a few times. I had to carefully retro-tat several times. I also had to do some cutting and retatting. But I finally got it done. I do like the way this one looks like. It has that hint of blue that snow sometimes has, though the ice crystals are clear.

I'm sure you've seen Sharon's skate pattern by now. Well, here is my tatted version:

I haven't made it into a pin yet. I still have to do that. This is going to be part of my mom's Christmas present this year. I'll have to get photos of the rest of it. I making the pin pretty much the same way Sharon did, except for the jingle bells. I'll have to lace them up yet, then assemble the whole thing. I made the holly leaves a little larger by using 3 ds instead of 2. Quite an interesting little pattern. I'll try to get a photo of the completed pin. I'll try anyway.

You may remember the crocheted dress I showed a few weeks ago.  A few of you easily guessed what I am making.

It is a clothespin angel. This is the only one I have made. Yeah, I know. I said I wanted to make five or six, but that never happened. Maybe another time.

That's about it for now. I don't know how many of you were aware, but there was a lunar eclipse last night. I took a quick photo before going to bed.

It's not the best photo, but it does show the beginning of the eclipse. If I didn't have to work today, I would have stayed up to see totality, which would have occurred shortly after 3 am (CST). It's actually kinda funny I didn't stay up to see the total eclipse. Some of you may be aware that Jane listed a number of shuttles on her Etsy shop. I actually set an alarm for 3 am (CST, of course) to be able to purchase a Holly wood Pop-a-Bobbin shuttle. Of course, I stayed in bed while purchasing the shuttle, and I didn't have to go outside in the -20 degrees C (-4 F) cold. I wonder if NATA (Nuts About Tatting Association) is still running. Getting up in the middle of the night to purchase tatting supplies must qualify. Anyone else see the eclipse?

That's it for now. I probably won't be posting until next week sometime. Till next time.

Quick Update

I figured I should do a small update. I made it to and from my parents house safely. I picked up my new(ish) truck, which is a 2006 GMC Sierra. It is similar to the Silverado that I used to have, which is nice 'cause I really liked that truck. On the tatting front, I still haven't done much. Hopefully I will have a few things to show in a few days. I've had a few sales through Etsy this week, so I've been busy remaking the sold items. I also hope to make a pendant using the Bicubix Blocks as well.  I still need to photograph the earrings I showed you last week. I forgot to mention last week as well, that my supplier has also started anodizing their gold coloured aluminum rings with their new process which makes them nice and shiny like brass or gold. Which is nice because you get the rich gold colour without the problem of turning green like with brass. Anyway, I have to get ready for bed. I'll leave you with a photo of my mom's new kitten, Grace. Till next time.

I Got Nothin'

Pretty much, anyway. I'm still working on the Angels In The Snow snowflake that I started before the last post. I had a couple of sales last weekend, and worked at remaking the items that sold. I ended up playing with the Bicubix Blocks earrings, seen below:

I played around with using some then all coloured rings, with some very pretty results. Though due to my work schedule, I can't get some decent photos (I prefer to photograph my items outside, temperatures permitting). I did get a few indoor photos, but they don't do the earrings justice.

They look waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better in person. The purple rings in the bottom pair are much darker. The blue rings in the top photo are absolutely gorgeous. See here (hopefully). And that still doesn't do them justice. My supplier started using a new anodizing technique to make these, and other ring colours. Unfortunately, it will be at least another week before I can get these listed, but we'll see.

On the truck front, my dad found me a new(ish) truck. It's a 2006 GMC something or other. He won't tell me exactly what it is. I will be going back to their place Saturday after work. I have to admit, I'm not really looking forward to the trip. I'll be careful. Promise. Till next time.

Another Angels In The Snow Snowflake. Plus Some Crochet

I have to admit, I haven't accomplished much tatting wise this week. Probably because I've been dealing with truck problems since last Wednesday. That would be the truck I'm currently driving. The one I rolled (still feels like a dream here, though I'm not dreaming about the accident anymore), has been declared a write off, though my dad needs/wants to show some documentation to see if he can increase the amount we can get back. We are currently looking into our options for a replacement truck for me- in all honesty, I've outgrown this truck. It's a Chevrolet S10, if you are familiar with this truck, you may be able to see why. If you haven't, the roof of the truck comes up to my chest; I'm 5' 8". I've seen cars that were bigger-OK, that might be a bit of a stretch. Oh, and if you're wondering, a dead/dying battery was the cause of my problems. Good thing I still had a month left on the 2 year free replacement warranty- thank you Canadian Tire, though it took what seemed like forever for them to give me the replacement. Anyway, I have a bit of tatting and crochet to show you. Enjoy!

As I mentioned during my last post,  I was working on another of Miranda's Angles in The Snow snowflake.

For this snowflake, I used one strand of DMC Cordonnet size 50 thread and one strand of Güttermann metallic filament thread in colour #36. I love using this combination of threads, using different colours of Güttermann thread. Though, the two threads equal about a size 20-30 thread. It measures 3 3/8 inches in diameter verses the 3 1/8 inches in diameter that the snowflakes in size 40 thread measure. I started another snowflake using the same threads in a different Güttermann colour. I'll show it the next time I post. I love this snowflake pattern! Thanks again Miranda.

Finally, I did manage a little bit of crochet this week. Here it is:

Hmmmmm. I wonder what it'll be. I had hoped to have photographed the dress before I crocheted the wings, but I didn't. This was among some stuff of my late grandmother's. I was one of the few that could and probably would make this kit. Yes, it is part of a kit, and it should make 12 of these (there are 5 different variations). I hope to make 5 or 6 of these at the very least. We'll see about the others.

That's it for now. Oh. I almost forgot. Some of you may be aware that Etsy has recently launched coupon codes for at least some shops right now. I get to try coupons so I have decided to give all of my tatting friends (and to those non-tatter followers of my blog) a coupon code for my shop. Just enter "JUSTFORTATTERS" (without the quotation marks) in the coupon field during checkout to receive 10% off everything in my shop. I'm also offering free North American shipping and reduced international shipping for the rest of the year. Just a note for anyone reading this now and those who may find this post months from now. While the coupon codes don't have expiry dates (right now, I'll update if needed) they can be deactivated by me at anytime. I'll keep it active for a while, but it won't last forever. Till next time.

Tatted Snowflakes, Mostly

First of all, I want to thank all of you who commented on my last post. Your comments were just what I needed to hear. And for those of you who mentioned it, don't worry. If I get up one morning in the next few weeks and something doesn't feel right, I will definitely go see a doctor. Now I just have to wait to see what will happen to the truck. I hope its fixable, but I'm not expecting it. But enough of this. I've got some tatting to show!

The first is three sets of earrings I was working on before going away.

These were made using Yarnplayer's Carnival Earring pattern, found here. I used Lizbeth size 20 thread in Red Burst #147, Black #604, and Silver #605, coordinating size 11 seed beads, and natural coloured glass pearls. I have been toying with the idea of purchasing some other colours of glass pearls.

Next, I finished the unfinished Ring A Ring O' Roses snowflake from an earlier post. Here it is:

I was able to get more thread from Umintsuru to complete this snowflake. In case you forgot, the snowflake was made using Coron size 40 variegated blues. I like the way this snowflake came out. Though it's still boring to tat.

The next two snowflakes were tatted using a fairly recent pattern. Miranda should recognize it.

It is her Angels In The Snow snowflake that she is offering for sale with the proceeds going to a charity. I love that idea, and was more than happy to purchase the pattern. For this snowflake I used Lizbeth size 40 thread in Denim Whisper #120. I love this colourway but still don't know why there is pink in it. I love this snowflake as well, so I tatted it again this past Saturday and Sunday:

This time, I used my favourite Lizbeth colourway (for this time of year, anyway). That would be Lizbeth size 40 Christmas Delight #116. I started another snowflake this afternoon. You'll have to wait to see that one; it's not done yet.

That's about it for now. Hopefully this week will be less interesting than the last. Till next time.

What a Week....And I'm Glad It's Over

You know, I think the scientists of the world should seriously look into making teleportation a reality. I mean, traveling would be much less of a hassle. And for those of us with winters with snow and ice, we would no longer have to worry about, oh I don't know, say hitting said ice and ultimately rolling our trucks. Yeah. You heard me right, unfortunately. It happened when I was coming back to the city on Tuesday. I'm fine physically, hardly a scratch on me. Mentally, I'm a wreck. Still in disbelief, numb (still mentally), upset, mad, a little scared, dreaming of the accident at night, I could go on. I'm currently playing phone tag with our insurance company (its a government agency, and they don't work weekends, apparently), and hoping this will be behind me soon. I keep wishing that this is some horrible dream and anytime now I'll wake up. Everyday that passes makes me think that's not going to happen.

I've been wanting to post for a few days now, and I have been unsure if I should even mention this whole thing. I'm hoping it will help. In the mean time, I managed to get caught up on reading blogs. I haven't felt like commenting, but I did read many of your blogs.  I finally sat down last night and picked up my tatting shuttles for the first time since Monday (I packed Tuesday morning, so no tatting before leaving). I finished the motif in question this afternoon. I'll post again in a day or two to show what I tatted while away, and what I have done since. Till next time.

This Weekend For Sure . . .

This weekend, I will finally get away. I had planned on going away last week, but a phone call early Sunday morning ruined my plans. Work called and I was asked to come in later in the afternoon (I couldn't say no, I already agreed to work), and my shift ended near midnight. I wouldn't be able to leave until morning, and that wasn't enough time for me. Since my plans were ruined already, I agreed to work a shift on Monday as well. I have a three day weekend this weekend. I will be going away. And a lot of tatting will be done. Hopefully.

Till next time.

Ripley The Ghost Pattern

I finally got the pattern done for Ripley the Ghost. The test tatters were very helpful, and they did find a few mistakes in the pattern. However, Marty not only tested the pattern, but found a better way of tatting him without cutting and tying between rounds. Her way also eliminates a rather tricky join and two alligator joins. Other than the six split rings, the pattern isn't as difficult as I initially thought. The link to download the pattern is on the left top sidebar of my blog in the "My Patterns" section. Hopefully there are no errors. I tatted it several times this evening after reworking it according to Marty's improvements. Let me know if you find any errors, and if you need some help feel free to email me. My email address is jwh4000ATgmailDOTcom. Remove the AT and the DOT and replace with the appropriate symbols. Enjoy!

That's all for now. If all goes well, I should be going away for a few days starting tomorrow after work. I hope to get lots of tatting done. I'll try to post when I get back. And before I forget, thanks to all of you who commented on my last post about the contacts. I really appreciate it. I am getting faster at putting them in, and they don't feel that bad now. Though I am pretty sure that I put them in inside out the first few days. My lenses are a soft type of lens, so it's pretty easy to do-especially if you can't see what you are doing without glasses on. I did buy a new pair of glasses though (as an employee, I get 50% off everything in Optical, well almost everything) since I can only wear the contacts for 12 hour maximum. Though 8-10 hours has been my limit right now.They have to come out when I get home from work.

Till next time.

Another Week Gone, Plus a Pretty Flower Photo

I think the title pretty much sums it up. I haven't really accomplished much over the past week. I did get my ghost pattern written up and diagrammed. It is in the hands of my test tatters (hopefully, there seems to be a few people who don't get my emails). I should have the pattern posted in a few days if there are no major errors, and the pattern is understandable. I mean, I don't consider the pattern a "beginner" pattern by no means, but if I am the only one who can tat it successfully, something may be wrong with my pattern writing/diagramming skills. I also finished the vest I started several months ago. Well, technically it is finished. I'm not 100% happy with the final result. It seems a bit "boxy". I might have made it a size too big, but I'll have to see if I can round off the arm holes, or sleeves, or something. I'll show a photo once complete.

Besides that, I haven't done much else. I kinda got into a bad mood Tuesday. It was like I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and then stayed that way for several days. Friday seemed a bit better. After work I went to our new Optical Centre (we got it when we did the major renovations earlier in the year- and no I don't work a Wal*Mart if anyone is wondering) to pick up and learn how to put in my new contact lenses. I've never had contacts before and have wanted to try them for a while. I finally got around to it recently, and got a trial pair to give them a go. I did have some trouble getting them in Friday, but did manage it Saturday after work, and (so far) every day since. It takes me a while to get them in, but I do like them so far. Obviously I am still getting used to them. Any other tatters out there with contacts? How do you like them?

Finally, I'm going to show you a photo of a recent plant acquisition. It is a Gardenia:

From what I've read, I may regret buying this plant, but it was only $10 (it's in a four inch pot). It came with one bud on it, and surprisingly it didn't drop the bud after I brought it home. Hopefully I can keep it alive, at least until spring so I can put it outside. If it doesn't die, I'll perhaps provide an update on it.

That's it for now. I wasn't able to go away as I had planned. So I plan on going away this coming weekend. I will be posting the pattern for Ripley sometime this week, so watch for that. I think I'm going to try to get some tatting done, and try not to look out the windows-it's snowing. Till next time.

New Design in The Works

Let me say one thing before I begin. I better not get sick again till, well, for awhile anyway. I was feeling better last Sunday. However I work up early (and I mean early) Monday morning with one heck of a sore back. I guess I must have done something to it while at work the previous week. So I haven't done much until a few days ago. My back is feeling better, its a little stiff right now. Anyway, I started work on a new tatted design.

But first, I wanted to provide a little information about the conductive thread I used last week. The thread is in fact thread. Specifically, it is silver plated nylon thread (apparently; I don't know how you plate nylon). It is about the same weight as sewing thread, maybe about a size 100. I used two threads together to tat the sample in the video. I also used four strands as a test, but I haven't compared it to see what size it is yet. Being a thread, it tatted quite well, not stiff like wire. More info can be found here. This project will probably be put on the back burner for a while;  I've got Hallowe'en and then Christmas tatting to start thinking about. This brings me to my newest design.

With Hallowe'en just around the corner, I figured I'd better get my next design finished. Without any further ado, here is (tentatively) Ripley the Ghost:

I say tentatively since I may change his name in the final draft. He began as a variant of my Sine Wave bookmark. However, I didn't like how the Sine Wave pattern worked with Ripley-so I really can't call him Sine Wave Ghost. I'm almost happy with how the design has turned out. I'm not happy with his ectoplasmic trail (not sure what else to call it; its the bottom thingy). I'll be refining the pattern over the next day or two. Then I have to write out the pattern. A few people volunteered to test tat my pattern on inTatters, so I should take them up on the offer, if they still want to. With any luck I'll have the pattern available for download early next week.

That's it for now. I plan on going to my parents house this weekend. So I probably won't post until I get back. Till next time.

Windmills Doily Progress and Special Thread

I had hoped to post earlier, but obviously that didn't happen. I ended up with a cold this week, and didn't feel like doing anything. I hardly touched my tatting this week. And I spent part of today working on a couple of bracelets that sold this weekend. Which is nice; sales have slowed right down lately. Anyway, I'll make this a short post. I'm still feeling kinda sick, and want to take it easy tonight.

This is the doily as of today. I am working on the seventh motif right now. Or rather, I've been working on the seventh motif for most of the past week. As you can see, the doily has become oval in shape (if you ignore the topmost motif). This is the same way I'll make the doily oval after this round in complete. Since I haven't received my order of thread yet, I'll have to move on to something else once I've finished the ball of thread. I probably won't show the doily again until the round in complete, but we'll see.
Speaking of moving on to something else, I want to mention my special thread. Actually, I'm not going to say much about it at all. Instead here is a video (assuming it works) showing what is special about the thread. By the way, this is actually tatted, no foolin':


Pretty cool, right? This is going to be a work in progress. I was playing with the thread. Due to the nature of the thread, I'll have to carefully plan out a motif to use the thread properly, and will have to use some cotton (or some other thread) to isolate different sections. And I'll need more LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes - a special kind of diode that emits light when electricity flows through it).

Before I go, I want to mention something. I was playing around with Blogger's settings, and discovered that I have the new editor after all. My blog was set to use the old one. So anyone who is using the new editor and wants to go back, check the Settings tab of your blog (it's visible in the new post and list of posts screens, and probably elsewhere) and see if you have an option to switch between the two editors. I've got my blog set to use the new editor so I can see what it's like.

That's it for now. Hopefully I'll get something accomplished this week. Before I go, I want to wish all my fellow Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. Due to my cold, I have opted to stay in the city until next weekend or the weekend after to go see family. Till next time.