The Monsterpiece Doily, Halfway Through Round 3

I'll try to make this quick; I got home from work about a half hour ago so I'm tired but not sleepy so I'll do a quick update. Here is the Masterpiece/Monster AKA the Monsterpiece Doily as was before I went to work:

As you can see I have round 2 and about half of round 3 completed. And surprisingly is seems to be staying flat. I guess I was worrying for nothing. I'll see for sure after round 3 in done, but the joining picot size might not be as important as I first thought. It might help to make them on the small size, it just isn't as critical. Thread stats: the thread used for round 2 (the cream coloured one) is Manuela no. 20 colour #a055. The thread used for round 3 (the light green one) is Manuela no. 20 colour #a044. I am really enjoying tatting this doily.

That's it for now. Don't expect another update until the weekend; I don't know how much tatting I'm going to get done over the next couple days. Till next time.

The End of Corona, and New Beginnings

I hope no one minds that I took an extra day between posts in order to finish the Corona Doily. I finished tatting it last night near the end of the movie I was watching; this time, I watched Home. Again I didn't get as much tatting done as I would have liked-my eyes kept getting all watery and stuff. Anyway here is the finished doily:

And when I say finished, I mean finished tatting. My blocking board isn't large enough to handle larger items. I will have to get something larger pretty soon. I'm sure I will need it for the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece Doily.  It measures about 9 inches in diameter. Since it's not blocked, that's not very exact. I'll post proper measurements after it's block. As per usual, I used Manuela no. 20 thread in colour number A058.

I started the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece Doily AKA The Monster Doily. Here is the first round:

I blocked it after I tatted it this afternoon. It was cupping a bit. Sadly, I fear this will be a constant problem-again. Since I don't read Polish, I don't know what Jan says about the pattern in the magazine. Using Google Translate on my phone didn't help much (the word garlic kept coming up). I did go back to one of his books and read about his method of tatting. He mentions making joining picots very small, "as small as possible", to make the pattern nice and stable. The centre flattens out nicely, but I don't know about the next rounds. I started the second round after the centre was dry and photographed, and while it's not cupping yet, it looks like it might after I have made several more repeats. How did everyone else who tatted this doily make out? Did you guys make your joining picots very small? Did all the rounds work out regardless of picot size (they were "average size", not too big)? Since I am right at the beginning I might restart the doily now and try smaller joining picots. It was a pretty quick tat. Since I foresee me working on this for a while, I don't want to  screw it up too badly now. I've had this issue with Jan's patterns in the past, and it is my main frustration with his patterns. And yes, I know I might be worrying about a nonissue here.  I would love people's thoughts on this though. I don't want to have to block every row before tatting the next one, especially once it's larger than a foot or so in diameter (remember it'll be over 30 inches in diameter once completed, give or take).  Oh, the thread is Manuela no. 20 in colour #a022. I'll be honest here, I really like this colour.

That's about it for now. I have to get ready for bed and I have a number deal with before I go to bed. Till next time.

Corona Doily Round 10, Almost

Well, I've been tatting since my last post. I really do want to keep tatting and blogging regularly. I haven't gotten as much tatted as I'd like, but does anybody? I should have gotten more done after my last post, but I think I spent more time watching the movie (Monsters University) instead of tatting. I've also done a lot of retro tatting. More than I'd like to admit. Anyway, here is the doily as of a few minutes ago:

I'm really enjoying tatting this. It's still a little wavy, but this final round is helping. I will block it when I'm done. Which should be by the end of the weekend. Hopefully. Not much else to say so I provide the customary thread stats. This is Manuela no. 20 thread in colour number A058.


Finally, I have chosen the colours I will be using for the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece doily! Here is a photo:

What do you think? I kinda copied Jane E. a little. These are all Manuela no. 20 thread. I not certain if these are the same size as size 20 Lizbeth or the Anchor Aida that Jane used. These have over 100 metres more thread per ball than Jane's thread but are the same weight-50g. They all say 400 metres. I'd love to hear peoples opinion on my colour choices. The colours look fairly accurate on my monitor. Anyway, till next time.

Corona Doily Rounds 8 & 9

You know, posting regularly gets easier every time.  Like Diane, I am finding I am tatting more often so I have something to blog about. Days off help too. I'm surprised at how much I have gotten done over the last few days, tatting wise anyway. I did manage to get other stuff done too. I have tomorrow off as well; I had to work last Sunday, so my long weekend is this weekend. Anyway, I managed to get not one, but two rows completed on the Corona Doily. Yes, you heard me correctly!

Here is the doily with round 8 completed. Yeah, I know, it probably doesn't look like anything new was added. There is, in fact, a round of just chains tatted since last time.

Now it looks different! Somewhat. Round 9 has been completed here. Nothing to report about these two rounds. They both went pretty quickly. In fact I had more than half of round 8 completed by the time I went to bed the same day I post about round 7. I figured I'd keep going onto round 9 instead of doing another post. Hope nobody minds! And again, as a reminder this is Manuela no. 20 thread in colour number A058.

That's it for now. I started working on round 10, which is the final round for the doily. I haven't made a full repeat yet, but since I'm going to watch a movie yet tonight, I hope to get several repeats completed before bed. Till next time.

Corona Doily Round 7

I had hoped to post an update last night, but it was a bit late when I finished tatting this round. It was pretty easy tatting but since I had to work the last several days, I didn't get as much tatted each night as I hoped. I'm off for a few days, so I should get more done. Anyway, here is the doily at the end of round 8:

I think it is looking pretty good. It is staying fairly flat, so it should only need a light blocking once it is done. I think one of the problems I have been having is that my joining picots are on the large size compared with Judith's. I am also using size 20 thread instead of size 40. That shouldn't be a problem in tatting though. As a reminder, to you and me, I am using Manuela no. 20 thread in colour number A058. This was one of the ones I purchased from DS9Designs earlier this year.

The next round should be fairly quick; it's just chains. It's funny. Like Diane, I am finding I am tatting more so I can have something to post. As I tat this doily, I am thinking about my next project. I am pretty sure it will be the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece doily. I am not sure what colour(s) I will use or if it will be white/ecru. I think I want a few colours, as I like how Jane E.'s is turning out. Since I'm sure it will take me awhile to complete, I have not plans for it at this time. It will be rather large as well; the pattern states 84 cm when done in size 10. I will probably use size 20 maximum. Anyway, till next time.

Corona Round 6

Here I am again! I've been faithfully working on the Corona Doily since my last post. Of course I had two days off from work during that time too, which probably helped. And since it's Labour Day here in Canada tomorrow, I have tomorrow off too which I plan on spending a fair amount of time tatting. I should be able to speed through the next round. Actually the next several rounds should be fairly easy to complete. I'm going to try and post at minimum every three days, give or take. This means you may see rounds/motifs in progress, and not just items finished weeks/months ago. But since many other tatters post tatting in progress, I can too. I'll try and mix in other stuff too.

So, here's the doily as of last night:

Surprisingly after I finished tatting this round, the doily is mostly flat. The centre rounds are little wavy, but it's not too bad. I wonder if my tension on the solid chain rounds are a little tight and that's why it turned out wavy. I am glad I didn't change the stitch count. I decided not to block it after round 7. As you can probably see, I chose to end the round with a split chain, so I could climb to the next round. As a reminder, the thread is Manuela no. 20 in colour number A058. I started round 8 before going to bed last night.

That's it for now. See you in a couple days. Let me know what you think. I am trying to respond to comments as well. Oh, and if I seem to disappear again for an unusually long time-more than a couple weeks, feel free to let me know. I really plan on posting regularly.

I'm Back!

I think I say that all the time. I really mean it this time. I plan on posting at least every couple of days for a while. I doubt I can do it daily. This is an, experiment. I want to see if it will help with my anxiety issues. It appears that I am suffering from an anxiety disorder not depression as I initially thought. Lots of tatting, and/or other crafts, arts, whatever you want to call it, and lots (in theory) of writing/blogging about it will part of my recovery. This will also include finally getting some of my own designs written out and made available to other tatters by some means-for sale or free, not sure really.

I have been doing some tatting in my absence. It is the doily I mention in my last post. The pattern I am working on is one of Judith Connors, from her book Contemporary Tatting New Designs from an Old Art. 

This is the centre of the doily Corona. I used Manuela no. 20 in colour number A058. It's a nice baby blue colour. I'm probably going to keep this doily for myself, but that might change depending on how it turns out. As you can see, it's fairly flat after a bit of blocking.

Since I have been working on the doily for the past few months, I can show more progress tonight.

You remember how I said the centre was mostly flat after blocking? Yeah, that changed after I tatted the next four rounds. I am wondering if I should have changed the stitch count a bit. I guess time will tell. I am currently tatting round 6, which joins all the triangle motifs together. So far this is round staying flat. I think I'm going to block the doily again when I am done tatting this round. I hope to have the round finished in a few days. I'll post an update in a few days.

I haven't decided what my next tatting project will be, but I think it may be Jan Stawasz's Masterpiece (Monster) doily. I purchased the magazine that contains the pattern back in June.  I will probably have to rewrite the pattern as I tat it much like Jane E. and I assume others.

Till next time.

Crocheted Torchon Lace, and Some Tatting

Where does the time go? I can't believe it's almost July. I keep meaning to post but never seemed to find the time. Fortunately I have been working on a some projects, surprisingly mainly tatting. As the title indicates, one of these projects is crocheted. I've even been working on some chainmaille.

I came across a pattern for a crocheted Torchon Lace edging in the May/June 2015 issue of Piecework Magazine, The Lace Issue, and had to try it. Torchon Lace is often made using bobbin lace techniques but can be made using other techniques, including crochet.

The pattern called for size 80 thread and a size 13 hook. There was no way I was going to try to crochet using size 80 thread. I'm sure it would look more like traditional Torchon Lace if I used that fine of thread. I used some size 20 Omega thread in colour #252. It measures about 2 inches wide. I would like to try the pattern again using a size 40 or 50 thread. Perhaps one day I'll try it in size 80 thread, but who knows if that will happen.

I finished the Japanese Doily at least a month ago. I worked on it quite regularly since my last post. It need some significant blocking, which I haven't done yet. I figured I'll share it anyway.

I haven't measured it and even if I did right now it probably won't be accurate. Technically there is supposed to be another round of interwoven chains and clovers, but since I found them painfully slow to tat, I don't want to tat that round. I actually like it this way. To me it looks finished, but I would love to know what other people think. Does it look finished or does it look like it's missing a round? The thread is Lizbeth 20, colour #602 Natural. I should point out that I almost ran out of thread by the end of the round. I have about a bobbins worth left. I bought another ball of this thread colour but they look significantly different. I'm not sure if it's because of a large dye lot difference or that the thread colour isn't #602 Natural. I lost the label from the ball.

Finally I'm going to give you guys a quick peek at what I'm currently working on, tatting wise.

This particular motif is part of the pattern I'm working on. I'll have to make 18 of them in total. Some (six) will be joined together, the rest used elsewhere in the patterns. And while it doesn't look it here, the colour is a pale baby blue.

That's about it for now. Since I doubt I'll post again for a few weeks, I'd like to wish my fellow Canadians a happy Canada Day tomorrow. And a happy Independence Day for my US followers. Till next time.

I'm Still Here!

I'm still around, just been too busy to post. Or tat. I've been pretty busy with work, and life and just general stuff. It's not super busy at work, but busy enough. I got a new cellphone at the end of January-an iPhone 6. I got it mainly for the Apple Health features; the phone itself tracks steps taken and flights of stairs climbed and with the help of apps you can add other health related info as well as calculate other stuff- ie: calories burned, etc. You can also buy hardware products that integrate into Apple Health to-I bought a new blood pressure meter that is compatible with Apple Health which is cool. With the phone, and hopefully one day using a compatible standalone fitness tracker, I've been motivated to try to exercise daily. Especially on my days off. I also taught myself Indian cooking thanks to a cookbook I bought. It's pretty good and many of the recipes can be frozen. That means I can cook on my days off and freeze serving size portions for days I don't or won't have time to cook. I also discovered why I haven't felt like tatting much.

I think the main reason I haven't done much tatting lately is basically pure laziness. I discovered this the other day when I wanted to tat, but having to dig out and then wind the shuttles, find a pattern,etc. It doesn't seem like a lot of work or time but it seems like it's enough for me to lose interest. I don't know; maybe I'm just not in the mood. I was motivated to tat mid February however. I wanted to make a bracelet for myself and thought I'd try to make one using interlocking rings.

As you can see, I didn't get the spacing quite right initially but I did figure it out near the end of the sample. Yeah, I didn't actually plan to make a sample since I didn't realize I'd have issues with bare thread showing and stuff. As you may be able to tell, one the of the threads broke while I was closing a ring. I'm not sure if it was me or the thread. I was using two of the Manuela threads I bought. Hopefully I'll get around to trying this again. Perhaps I'll try the pattern again using size 10 thread instead of size 20. Whenever that'll be. I keep thinking I should go back to a pattern I know that I could mindlessly tat, maybe the Windmills motif/doily. Of course I have to find the thread, and wind a shuttle and...yeah, I sense a cycle.

Anyways, we'll see what happens tatting wise over the next few weeks. Maybe I'll get inspired and get some tatting done. There was and orchid show last weekend that I went to. It was awesome! I've never been to one before so I was completely overwhelmed with it all. I bought several new orchids while I was there. I'll try to make a whole post of pictures (I did take a number of photos the second time I went). Hopefully it won't take me two months to do it. Till next time.

Happy International Tatting Day!

Chinese Dragon and Some New Thread

So, in my last post, I hinted at tatting a Martha Ess design. Well, here it is:

This is her Chinese Dragon from her newish book Flights of Fancy. It was very easy to tat-only two split rings for those of you who don't like tatting them, and as I mentioned earlier, I started it on a Saturday afternoon and finished it Sunday afternoon. Of the same weekend! I surprised myself on how quickly I tatted it. It might have been a fluke, but it doesn't matter. I'll have to make another one soon. As you can see, I didn't hide the threads when I finished as I don't know what I will do with it. It (or maybe they?) could end up sewn onto a t-shirt or perhaps mounted and framed. We'll see. Thread stats: Lizbeth size 20 in #404 Twirlz Mermaid Lagoon. I don't know about you, but I think this thread works for this pattern.

Finally, I want to show you guys some new threads that I bought fairly recently. Most of them are new to me.

If you can't tell from the picture, the four large balls are Manuela, the small blue ball is Flora, the copper coloured one is DMC Diamant, and the metallic blue is Razzle Dazzle. All were bought, again recently, from DS9Designs. For those of you who don't shop at this online store, the owner, Debbie purchased the remaining inventory of Catchpin Lacemaking Supplies after it shut down. She is slowly listing thread, books, and shuttles that she has. I actually have another order coming with more Manuela and Flora, as well as a book. I can't quite remember but I think the Manuela is supposed to be a good thread to tat with. I haven't tried it yet but will soon. I know the Flora is awesome and I'm sure many of you who have tried it will agree. It's the thread that Lizbeth replaced. As for the two metallic threads, well, I like shiny threads, and shiny things in general. I'll share how well they tat when I try them.

That's it for now. I haven't tatted much since my last post. I did some crocheting-but that was just another pair of slippers which you've seen already. I did get an order through my Etsy shop last night (first one of the year!) which will be easy to make; I plan on finishing the custom bracelet before bed. I also sold a sterling silver bracelet in the same order which is awesome as I've discounted them pretty severely in order to get rid of them as that product line wasn't doing great. Just two more to go and a pair of earrings. Till next time.

First Post of The Year. And With Tatting!

Hello 2015! Yeah I know the year started for most of us almost three weeks ago. I actually can't believe that 2014 is already over. Its probably just as well; it was definitely a weird year. I'm not sure what 2015 is going to bring but we'll find out whether we are ready or not. As always I didn't make any resolutions this year.You can't break'em if you don't make'em! All joking aside, if something's worth changing in your life, any time is a good time to start. I am actually planning on getting one thing in my life fixed. A problem I never really thought I may have. Between a few things happening at work recently and paying closer attention to my own feelings/emotions, I have concluded that I may be suffering from depression or something related. I think I have been for a number of years. I intend on seeing my doctor soon. I'm keeping track of my thoughts and emotions first so I can better talk to him about it. I guess I hope 2015 will be a year of change for me.

Now that that's out of the way we can get to the tatting. I have been tatting quite a bit lately. I don't know if it has been the wonky shifts at work again or what, but I managed to fit some in nearly every day. The main project I have been working on has been the doily from the Japanese book Tatting Lace by Sumi Fujishige. It's taking way too long to do, and it's not even that big. I guess it hasn't been a year yet since I started it, but it's still not done.

Here it is after four rounds. It measures about 7 1/2 inches in diameter. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue the pattern and make the final two rounds. I was thinking of just doing the next round only and not having the final round of intertwined chains with clovers. I really don't like having that round as the final one on the doily. I'll see after the next round. I case you forgot, 'cause I did, the thread is Lizbeth 20, colour #602 Natural. I probably should buy another ball of this thread if I don't have another one already.

The next bit of tatting I did was a pair of earrings tatted before Christmas. These were inspired by a pair Frivole tatted. The pattern is by Elizabeth Zipay and is available in her Etsy shop here.

The pattern is Tiny Tatted Snowflakes. There were very quick to tat-even for me! I made two pairs, one with beads and one without. I never took a photo of the one with beads. Elizabeth included a photo showing a number of bead related variation one can do with the pattern. I'm not sure if I used Lizbeth thread in white or DMC Cordonnet in white, the size was #20 though.

I also made a pendant pattern from Totusmel before Christmas as well.

This is Star Flower, available in Totusmel's Etsy shop, here. The inner green section was shuttle tatted in Lizbeth size 10, Christmas Green thread. The outer red section was needle tatted with Lizbeth size 20, Christmas Red thread. The thread sizes are correct. In order for the motif to look right when both shuttle and needle tatted I had to use two different sizes of thread. For me anyway, a shuttle tatted item comes out smaller than the same item that is needle tatted when using the same size thread. My tension is fairly tight with shuttle tatting. Since I don't needle tat often, my tension is fairly loose. Your mileage may vary.

Finally a quick photo of a new book I bought.

I thought the "quilts" looked cool, though I don't know if I will ever tat anything from the book. There are five patterns in the book, but as you can probably tell from the photo, there will be a lot of ends to deal with. For now, the book is mainly just for looking at; it wasn't really expensive so I don't feel too bad. I might try one of the simple patterns one day.

I think that's it for now. I started tatting a pattern from one of Martha Ess's books yesterday afternoon and miraculously finished it this afternoon. I amazed myself as I consider myself a pretty slow tatter with the attention span of a three year old. No foolin' there. But that will have to wait, as well as a new thread purchase. I have some thing for a new post without even trying! Now to find the time to write it...

Till next time.

Merry Christmas!

Well, I had hoped to post at least once before Christmas, but I ran out of time. I did get some tatting done though. I will have to blog about it after Christmas. It should be much quieter then. I've been pretty busy with work for the last month or so being in retail and all. I'm heading down to my parent's early tomorrow morning for several days. We'll see if I get anything accomplished. Till next time.

Merry Christmas!!!

Just a Few Snowflakes

I haven't really accomplished much since my last post. I did manage a few snowflakes, and have been playing a bit with needle tatting over the last few days. Mainly just practicing split rings and lock stitch chains; I've never done either one before in needle tatting. I think I've got the hang of both techniques, but I don't care for the constant un-threading and re-threading the needle in order to do a split ring. And needle tatted lock stitch chains take forever. In case you're wondering, I'm not switching to needle tatting. I've purchased a few of Totusmel's patterns over the past few months and while they seem very doable with a shuttle they should be much easier with a needle. The patterns I'm planning on tatting have interwoven rings/Celtic style tatting. I am thinking that I might try doing shuttle tatting for part of the motifs and needle tatting for the rest. I'll share the results once I'm done. I had to order some more thread today (yeah, I'm sure I really needed it; I needed other stuff too!) so once I get it, I can tat the patterns.

Anyway, as I said earlier, I manage to tat three snowflakes lately. All are from Jon Yusoff's book Tatted Snowflakes Collection.

This is Circle of Crowns, tatting with Lizbeth Twirlz size 20 colour #403. I have to say, I really like this thread. I had no issues with it. I know I read that some people found it twisty, but it didn't seem anymore twisty than any other thread I've used. Mind you I do drop my shuttle(s) periodically while tatting; I don't know if that made a difference or not.

This snowflake is called Oasis. This was tatted with the same thread as above. Fairly quick to tat. Its not block yet, as you might be able to see. I made the picots on the centre ring to long because I didn't read the pattern before tatting, and I thought they needed to be large because of the three rings that seemingly join to it. I might remake it if I have time/remember. I don't think anyone will notice, however.

This is The Twirly. It was fairly quick to tat. However it was a very bad thread colour choice on my part. This was tatted with Lizbeth Twirlz size 20 colour # 407. I thought it might work. Didn't think that choice through. It's looks like a muddy snowflake. I'll definitely have to remake this one.

That's it for now. I do plan on tatting more snowflakes and hopefully a few other motifs. I can't believe it's going to be December 1 tomorrow. I've got a few chainmaille items to make this week for gifts. Speaking of chainmaille, everything in my shop is 25% off for anyone interested. I've got items suitable for both men and women. The sale will end midnight Monday. Till next time.

The Windmills Doily and a Mouse

Finally, I can show you guys the Windmills doily as it is currently. I did hope to post this earlier in the week, but posting during the week just doesn't seem to work for me. I really haven't done as much tatting as I'd like, but I am hoping that will change soon. The temperatures have dropped quite a bit lately, and we've even gotten a little bit of snow. I do feel like tatting some snowflakes right now. I picked out a few designs to make and I bought a couple balls of the Lizbeth Twirlz thread to try. With some luck and free time, I'll have something to share regularly.

I think I'm done with the Windmills doily for now. I do plan on making it larger, just not right now.

Before I do any more tatting on it, I probably should block it. Because it has taken me so long to get to this point, my tension varies a bit with each tatting session. I'm not sure what I'll do with it when I start working on it again. I'll probably add more motifs to make it more round again, but we'll see. I forgot to measure it, but it is getting pretty big. DMC Cordonnet size 20 thread in white.

Finally, I want to share my first Bauble Tatted creature. The mouse:

He is from the Shuttle Brothers' book Tatting GR-8 Baubles, Bugs and Blossoms. This was fun to tat. I see why Jane E. likes to make them. Making the mouse means I am now a full member of Jane's Exclusive Tatting Club. Once you are familiar with the bauble tatting technique, the mouse wasn't too difficult to tat. I did mess up the first time, I think I got my stabilizer/rib threads mixed up near the beginning or it went inside out or something. My mouse looks smaller and rounder than the one in the book. Mine is about 1 1/4 inches long without the tail and about 3 inches long with the tail. The mouse is one of a couple in the book that do not include measurements so I'm not sure what size it should be. I'm pretty sure that I snugged all the stabilizer/rib threads too much compacting the mouse's body, that's why mine isn't as long as it should be. I do plan on making more bauble creatures (plant and animal) but I think I'll give them a rest for a while.

That's it for now. Hopefully I will get around to tatting some snowflakes this week. It is a short week because of Remembrance Day on Tuesday. Until next time.

Happy Hallowe'en!!

Just a quick update, I'll try to do a proper post later this weekend/early next week. Anyway, I dressed up for work again this year. I'm sure I mentioned it before but, I've never really cared for Hallowe'en. But dressing up for work, does seem to make it better. The leftover chocolate helps too. Anyway, here's a photo for those of you who haven't seen it yet on Facebook.

I am a little disappointed that there were only a handful of people who knew who I was dressed up as. I even wore a name tag with the characters name on it. I really got annoyed with the Smurf guesses very quickly. Towards the end of my shift, some of the more older kids were stopping at the store after school and there was some recognition from them. For those who don't know who I am, I'm Finn the Human from the TV show Adventure Time. I made Finn an adult, thus the beard. It think it looks better if Finn had a proper blond beard rather than my dark brown/black beard. It also hides most of my piercings, including one I never shared when I got it; that would be a labret. The eyebrow piercing which is normally hidden, I were a hat at work, is very prominent.

I am currently working on a bauble tatted project. I hope to finish it this weekend, if I can focus on it long enough. My book on bauble tatting arrived, and wow is it awesome. I'll share the Windmills doily at its current status at the same time. Till next time.

Has It Really Been That Long?

I didn't really plan to be away from blogging this long. I don't really know what happened. I guess I lost interest in the motif I was working on, like, almost instantly after my last post. As least it seems like it. I hadn't done much tatting since my last post. Actually I haven't done much of anything craft/art related since my last post. I partially blame in on the fact that I have to make nearly every I eat in order to keep my sodium intake down. In case anyone is wondering, my blood pressure seems to be under control. I had a few medication changes and one dosage change since this all started. I don't need to see the doctor till November, which is nice. The weekly visits really didn't help; it was always high when I went. He said I might be able to go off the medication one day. I did have to repeat one of the test I did in the hospital because of an "anomaly" but the doctor there doesn't think it will be an issue, so we'll see what happens there. Anyway, I did get inspired to finish the final motif I was working and getting it joined this past weekend. I haven't taken a picture yet, but I will soon. I do a have a few things I did this weekend as well.

I'm sure many of you have seen Jane's posts about bauble tatting and the book about them by the Shuttle Brothers (see here: http://www.gr-8shuttles.com/tatting_gr8_baubles.shtml). They looked so complicated that I convinced myself I probably couldn't tat them and didn't need the book. Of course Jane launched an Exclusive Club for people who make them and that made more people make them and more of the items from the book. I wanted the book then. When I saw that Bestitched added the book to their shop, I ordered it right away. While I'm waiting for the book to arrive (and all the other stuff I "needed" too), I figured I should practice. Here's my first attempt:

Apart from the beginning, I didn't do too bad. It took a few rounds for me to figure out how the bauble worked. It's basically a continuous spiral that is held in place by guy wires-they're thread but they do the same thing. Each round lays literally on of the previous round, and what is the outside of the bauble is the top of the row. Once I discovered this, they're pretty easy to do. I'm going to practice them for awhile and I might start experimenting with them on my own. I don't think there are many patterns using them yet. Feel free to post the comments if you know of any that aren't in the book. Oh, and I'm now an Associate Member of the Exclusive Tatting Club. I'll be a full member once I send in a bauble mouse from the book. Besides available directly from the Shuttle Brothers, many of the popular tatting stores online have the book as well.

Before I go, I wanted to share the new pair of slippers I crocheted Saturday. I know I've shown other slippers I made before but the particular fuzzy yarn I used gave them a kinda cool effect.

I'm pretty sure the fur is longer on this brand of yarn (Loops & Threads Fabulous Fur) and it spreads out a bit when my feet are on the floor. It kinda looks like I have wolf paws. Which is fitting because the colour is called "Wolf". Sorry, I thought is was cool and I've never seen any of the other slippers I've made do this.

That's it for now. I'm going to really try to post again more frequently. Hopefully the tatting bugs bite lasts for awhile with the bauble tatting inspiration. I'll share the updated photo of the Windmills doily once I get photo of it. Till next time.

An Interesting Few Weeks (And Some Tatting!)

I had planned to post near the beginning of the month. I really did. However something funny kinda happened. I ended up in the hospital two weeks ago yesterday. Yeah, wasn't really very funny, or fun for that matter. Went in to the hospital with vertigo, and found out that I had very high blood pressure. I was in the hospital for three and a half days. I had many tests and was put on medication while I was there. Nothing significant was found. I did go back to work for the rest of the week. The doctor told me to take the following week off when I next saw him (ie: last week; I went back to work yesterday). I didn't bring anything with me to do while I was in the hospital- I didn't think I would be hospitalized. And I didn't know how long I would be there; it was kinda one day at a time. However, I have been doing a fair amount since. I did a lot last week while resting.

Since I spent a fair amount of time lying in bed taking it easy, I wanted something easy to work on. I decided to work on the Windmills Doily. If you need to refresh you mind on what it looks like, or are new here, you see what it last looked like here. I continued making it oval shaped.

I'm actually further along than this. I am working on another "row" to make it longer. It looks more like the digitally altered version I made to show how it will look if I made it oval. You can see that version here. I am planning on adding a row to the top and bottom to make it wider. Probably won't get to that point during this tatting session. I am starting getting tired of it again. Thread stats: DMC Cordonnet size 20. I'll provide an update once I'm finished the current row- I have three more motifs to make.

Finally, I'll share another motif from New Tatting. This was the motif I planned on blogging about two weeks ago.

This is the Dahlia motif. It was quick and easy to tat. As with the first motif I shared in the my last post, I jumped from the first round to the second with a split chain and a split ring. This was tatted in Lizbeth size 20. I don't know the colour number right now. I'll update the post if/when I find the ball of thread. I don't remember where I put it two weeks ago.

That's about it for now. I'll try and post again soon. In case anyone is interested, I am also having a sale in my Etsy shop for the rest of the week.  Till next time.

Tatting From New Tatting

It's been a while again, hasn't it? Hopefully everyone is doing alright. Since my last post, spring has finally come. It was almost 30 degrees C today. It's clouded over now, so I wouldn't be surprised if it rained or even stormed tonight. Everything is growing. And I hate having to work inside. I'm so jealous of the people who work in the store's garden centre. I've been somewhat busy with new plants that arrived in the mail recently, as well as the ones that just have to come home with me from the local nurseries that I have to visit. Anyway, I did manage to get a bit of tatting done, which I will share.

The motif I am about to share is from a new tatting book, which, is called New Tatting, written by Tomoko Morimoko. Her mother, Teiko Fuijito, is a tatter as well.

 As I mentioned in a comment on Lace Lovin' Diane's blog, the book seems to be written for beginners. As a result, some more advanced tatters might not agree with some of the methods used. The main one would be using glue to finish the ends. Which, to me is fine as that is often the recommended method for finishing ends for beginning tatters. Many of them will probably learn better methods as their skills advance. Oh, and the book is in English.

This is Christmas Rose. It was quick and easy. It was supposed to be done in two rounds, but I used a split ring and two split chains to you can tat it with no cutting and tying between rounds. In case you're wondering, the second split chain is right at the top in the photo. I wanted the ends to come out in one of the small chains so I didn't have to hide them. I have to say, there are a number of interesting patterns. I'm sure you'll see more from this book. In case you're wondering, I bought the ebook version of the book. The photo of the cover is a screen capture of my iPad. If you're interested, you can buy the ebook and book directly from Interweave (the publisher) here.Thread stats: Lizbeth 20, colour #704.

That's it for now. I did find a snowflake I tatted a few months ago while sorting through my Pop-a-Bobbin shuttles. I'll have to save that for another post. I was wondering how many of them I have-I may have an addiction problem. I also may have bought another one this past Saturday when Jane offered more for sale in her shop. I didn't get the one I really wanted, so I'll be waiting for the new batch too. Till next time.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate!

I was hoping to have posted a while ago, but, unfortunately, an unscheduled tatting hiatus occurred shortly after my last post. I have hardly touched the doily since. I have done some tatting though. I am working on an exchange with Tattingchic, though I think I am running behind on that too. A couple of nice chainmaille order came though a few weeks ago as well, which was nice. So I've done some chainmaille since my last post.

In case you missed in, I was mentioned in an article by Georgia Seitz on BellaOnline. You can read it here. It's about tatting with Teneriffe lace. Gee, Teneriffe Lace is something I haven't done in a while either. I should try and make a few motifs when I have some time.

Since I don't have any tatting related photos to share, I guess it's time for an orchid photo! Here is a photo of an orchid I bought a few years ago that finally flowered:

This is Phalaenopsis parishii. It's one of my miniature Phalaenopsis orchids. The whole plant is aproxximately 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) from leaf tip to leaf tip. The flower is about 1/2 inch (1.8 cm) wide. It's mounted on a piece of bark and lives in a terrarium like environment.  A few other Phals bought at the same time are or have flowered recently. I don't have photos ready for them. It's always nice to see the plants flower. It's a good sign that they are being cared for properly.

That's it for now. Hopefully I'll get back to work on the Japanese doily soon. I'm still waiting for spring to stay here. The weather's been all over the place. It was nice for a while, then it got rather cold for a while. Then it'll try to snow, then get nice again. This weekend was pretty awful weatherwise. We had snow, then freezing rain, followed by more snow, then rain. When it's not snowing or raining it's just cloudy and cool. The forecast for tomorrow is plus 15 and sunny. Let's hope that's what it does. Till next time.

Japanese Doily, Take Two

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been working on a motif/doily from Tatting Lace by Sumi Fujishige. I made this motif earlier, back in November, 2012. You can see the post here.When I made it then, I was having trouble with the overlapping chains. I think I figured out how to make it, without unwinding bobbins and/or shuttles. Here's the centre or glass mat if you will:

It's not blocked yet, so it's a bit ruffly. This is the first two rounds of the doily. In order to get the shuttle to go through the interwoven chains, I used a narrower shuttle. Specifically, a Celtic shuttle. It works much better, apart from winding the thing seemingly all the time. The one I bought, a Lacis metal one, only holds about half as much as an Aero/Aerlit. I'm faily pleased with the result, and decided to continue tatting and make the next size doily. Oh, the thread is Lizbeth 20, colour #602 Natural.

And, like magic (and procrastination from blogging!) we have the third round finished:

It's still ruffled somewhat, but I think it will flatten out once blocked. This round was quick to tat. Probably because I was using a Pop-a-Bobbin shuttle for it. I am currently working the fourth round. It's an interwoven chain round, like the second round. It's slow going because I have to add thread every four or five clovers. Hopefully, I'll have it done by next weekend and I could do a quick post. I plan on making the largest version on the doily since rounds five and six are similar to three and four.

That's it for now. I have been making steady progress on round four, so I hope it won't take long to share it. I hope the weather is cooperating for everyone. We started warming up since my last post, and have had many days above freezing. Our high was 6 C today.  The snow is definitely melting, which is awesome to see. I just hope it keeps melting and doesn't snow anymore. It's been a long and cold winter. I'm looking forward to spring and summer. I have a lemon tree inside that has been flowering for the past few weeks. I've been pollinating the flowers as they open, so I'm hoping I may get a few lemons this year. Till next time.