Motifs 28, 29, 30, 31, 32

Not the best pic, but this is a tea towel with a cross stitch band where I sewed on a teapot from Pam Palmer's book Tatting Treats 3 and Anne Bruvold's Square Star.  The thread is size 12 Sulky Blendables.  I have blogged about this thread before.  The variegation repeats are subtle and frequent enough for a beautiful effect on small pieces, such as the Square Star.  The towel was a gift for my sister-in-law on her birthday.

Another Square Star earring set I made this summer.
Thread is also Sulky Blendables size 12.

This lovely vintage star doily pattern is from a 50's Workbasket I bought on Etsy.  The magazine paper is so crumbly that I took pix so that I don't lose the pattern.  I am making it in Lizbeth size 40 Rainbow Taffy with coordinating green.  I nearly finished it while on our Virginia vacation in August.  There are 8 rays of the star and I think I only have one left, but I took a break from all my doilies to work on Christmas ornaments.  After the first of the year, I'll take a picture of all my doily WIPs.  My goal is to finish all of them next year.  I can do that, no sweat!

 I found this amazing blended thread, cotton with a metallic twist, that is smooth and gorgeous to work with.   For some reason, the red is the best quality for tatting.  It is size 10 Garden Metallic by Nazli Gelin.  In the picture with my green/white quilt, the left snowflake is from Lene Bjorn's book 24 Snowflakes and the star on the right is from Monica Hahn's book.

I have found that red is horrible to photograph (at least on my cell phone), hence the two different pix below to try to show the color on the left and the metallic sparkle on the right.  Still doesn't do the thread justice.

The Lene Bjorn snowflake is such a beautiful piece!  It is all split rings and thrown rings, and I will not be doing another one for a few months due to a repetitive motion injury.  It just hurts too much to do split rings, more than a couple at a time.  I gave away or sold nearly all my snowflakes and stars but this one is MINE and is hanging on my knick knack shelf in my bedroom.

Above left, both snowflakes are from Jennifer Williams' snowflake book.  The yellow/gold snowflake is in Aunt Lydia's size 10 gold with a metallic twist in it, and the blue one is the Garden Metallic with a silver twist.  Above right, pattern is from Lene Bjorn's snowflake book and the thread is size 60 Sunlight Oro from Edda Guastalla's shoppe in Italy.  This is a delicate little piece that I am also not giving away.  :)

I have fallen in love with several of Edda's threads and must curb my habit!  The shipping is pretty high to the US but not exorbitant.  Here's the website.  It's in Italian but she speaks English and you can message her if you need help.  Use Google translate button to negotiate the site.

For the 2015 challenge I decided to only count my motifs the first time I made them to make it harder, so no counting any of the Square Stars or the Monica Hahn star.  I've made gazillions of both!

Thread Zapper and MORE MOTIFS! #25, 26, 27

So here's the thread zapper:









Thread Zap II by the BeadSmith

I leave the battery loosened when not in use.  It's fantastic for using on polyester thread.  I've been using it a lot lately working with my gorgeous metallic threads for tree ornaments.

New favorite Lizbeth thread size 40 Rainbow Taffy
Pattern is from Kersti Anear's blog.

Classic edgings in Lizbeth size 20, colors 696 and 655. Gifts for my aunts on our Virginia trip this summer.



Virginia was amazing.  Look at the collar I found at the Museum of the Confederacy.  The women smuggled these North to sell because there was no money in the South.

This tatted collar is single shuttle, rings only.  Very cool to see it in person!

Still more tatting--this is only up to August--to catch up on.  I hope to do more blogging tonight.

Catching up (motifs 21, 22, 23, 24)

Two beautiful crosses from Elaine P. Gan's book.  Instructions well written and great diagrams.  I highly recommend.  Thread on left cross is multicolor Range thread from Edda Guastalla's web store. Thread on left is size 40 Celery hand dyed by Marilee Rockley at her yarnplayer shop on Etsy.

This little edging is my own schematic--It's made continuously with split rings. Thinking about using it on a blouse with a boring neckline, but haven't gotten to it yet.  I do love it but it's a lot of work with the splits--makes my hands cramp up.

I started this vintage, out of print edging on the train from Utah to Sacramento.  Not the best 16 hour trip I've ever spent!  It's super fiddly but oh, so pretty.  This is done in Penny thread in Royal, size 30 I think, also from Edda's shop.

I bought the pattern from an Etsy shop.  I'm sure it's available somewhere for free.  I was thinking of it as another possibility for the boring neckline.

I have a bead/thread zapper that cleanly melts the ends so it doesn't ravel, as this thread is super slick, shiny polyester.  It is very durable and beautiful in jewelry, and I got a good bit of it in different colors, but it makes me cuss while I use it, so I haven't made any larger projects from it.  It's so lovely but it unwinds while using it--no friction.  The rings are hard to keep closed as well.  Something worth trying to master again, but not at this time.

Completed work: 18, 19, 20

More finished tatting!  I donated this Rocking Horse by Pam Palmer from the book Tatting Treats 2 to an online drawing.   I love the way the wall hanging turned out.

So here's another wall hanging!  The Enterprise, designed by Bat Tatter Carol Amich, pattern purchased on Etsy.  Gave to a dear Trekkie friend.

Here's the finished mystery doily from the Craftree tat-along.  Must post this onto the Craftree site and get my badge.

Doily and horse in size 40, and Enterprise size 20.

That's all for today.  Time to get back to work!

More motifs--I've been too busy to blog! Motif 13, 14, 15,16, 17

I finished this gorgeous Valentine doily from Land of Laces blog!

This is such a sweet piece!  The hearts in the center are repeated on the edge.  Tip:  Don't make 6 like I did.  Make only 5 in the center.  On rounds 4 and 5, don't be discouraged by rippling because it will all work out once you've finished both rows.  I have used size 20 Lizbeth for this doily.

 These cute earrings are made from a motif on Anne Brunvold's blog.  It is not in the English pattern section.  Go to the main blog and use the translate feature on Chrome.  I made several of these in different colors using Sulky Blendables, a new thread to me which I LOVE.  About 6 yards is required for 2 earrings.

I especially like the short repeat on the thread--perfect for jewelry!

This peach motif I made from a Russian website.  I apologize--I didn't record the site!

Pictured here:  Left, Mystery Doily from Craftree, Center top and right top, motif from Japanese book (pictured below) and center bottom and right bottom, heart motif from Lyn Morton's book (pictured below).

All these threads are size 40 Lizbeth except the purple one, which is size 20 Twirlz.  I like the tweed effect of the Twirlz, but it is hard to see the stitches while working it and you lose stitch definition when complete as well.

As always, I am not counting multiples of same motif in my count.  

Motifs 11 and 12, progress on LandofLaces doily

 These darling little earrings have been complete for some time, but I finally added the hardware.  Ruth's Tatted Heart, motif adapted from a Jan Stawasz pattern in Tatted Treasures, and orchid flower (adapted) by Jeanne Lugert.








Never Smile at a Crocodile by Jane Eborall. I couldn't wait to try this pattern when Jane posted it to her blog!  My sister already snatched it for a bookmark.


Below is 3 rows of LandofLaces heart doily.  She has canceled the 4-5 rows for now.  Eager for them to be redone!

I have several more goodies complete or in the works but no pix yet!  Love to see YOUR work too.

Tatting blahs! and more completed motifs (7, 8, 9,10)

UFOs: Jane E's TIAS scissors, Jan Stawasz's Robotki doily, Renulek's 2015 Spring doily, Renulek's 2014 Summer doily, and Land of Laces' Heart doily tat along.

I've made very little progress on the Jan doily since my last posting Jan 21.  I made some hearts etc in the meantime, but still...

Renulek started a new tat along doily, pictured above in green/ecru/apricot.  I haven't finished that round because the long chains are driving me nuts!  I am so tempted to cut the 4th round off and start it over, but I won't let myself, and thus, stalemate.

Pink variegated doily is Renulek's Summer 2014, and I am at a standstill after 9 months of having it folded in a drawer because I cannot find beads to match the ones I ran out of, and I want to look a bit more before cutting the crown row off and doing it over again.

Finally, pink and white is from the Land of Laces blog tat along, and so pretty!  The pink section is a single, very complex round.  Fun to tat.  The outer round has become monotonous--nearly done though.

The hubs was out of town for 4 days, so I tatted tons on the Renulek 2015 and the Land of Laces, alternating until I found myself....
SICK.  OF.  TATTING.

How could this happen?  I am flabbergasted!

I broke up the monotony of those 2 doilies with this:

from Yarnplayer's blog, a Celtic knot shamrock adapted from Ruth Perry's pattern.  I was super stuck at how to do the knot, having never done one before, but my tat friend LeQuita pointed me to a video demonstration and voila!

You will never meet someone more stubborn than I regarding doing my projects without tying knots and weaving in ends whenever possible.  I made the shamrock in one pass, starting at the little ring on the stem where my paperclip is hanging, then working all the way around to make the leaves in a single pass.  Size 8 perle cotton.  

This one was for practice while I wait for my green beads to arrive from Fire Mountain Gems.  Can't use the ones I got at JoAnn's as they randomly bleed on the thread.  

Cute red mitten in size 40 Lizbeth is from Nancy Tracy's bookmark publication, Tat's Where I Stopped.  I have made 2 and intend them for tree ornaments.


Such fabulous ideas in her book!

I have made hearts for Valentine's exchange as well though I'm late sending mine out.  Heart O' Daisies from Teri Dusenbury's book and Old Fashioned Heart design by Etha Schuette.  The daisy hearts are size 20 in white Lizbeth and size 10 Red Lizbeth.  The others are pink size 20 and red size 40.  I loved that pink so much that I made the Land of Laces doily center with it.  It's just beautiful!  Doily picture shows the color better.  I had to mess with lighting and such to get the hearts picture right--red tatting does not photograph well for some reason.  I have noticed this on other ladies' blogs and facebook pictures as well.

I am counting 2 hearts and the shamrock as motifs--not counting duplicates of the same motif.

Progress on the Robotke pattern by Jan Stawasz, new motifs (#6)

I am about 1/4 of the way around on Round 8, and I'm loving the look of the wide piece of lace created when R6, 7, and 8 are all done!  It amazes me that I made something so beautiful.

I borrowed Fox's idea of putting beads on top and bottom of the clover rings.  Mine are clear.  I started out with green ones, but they were of poor quality and bled onto my lace.  ANGRY!  Chop chop.

Tiny little ball of thread, size 70, Oren Bayan I got from Tatting Corner

Earrings I made with the Oren Bayan and silver Mill Hill beads.  The motif is taken from a larger piece in my Jan Stawasz book.

Motif #5 and TIAS

A Little Owl by Barbara Payne

Day 2 Jane's TIAS

Love these cute owl earrings I made for a friend--may make some for my sister too.  I got the pattern from the Palmetto Tatters CD, but you can also get it on Craftree for free.

I've never participated in TIAS before, so this is fun!  The shuttle on the right was decorated for me by Susan Fuller.

Keeping busy on the Stawasz Monster Doily too.

New year! 2015 Motifs 1, 2, 3 and 4

Featherline Snowflake, Jon Yusoff designer

This was tatted in size 20 white Lizbeth, from Jon Yusoff's blog.  It was a fiddly tat, but I'm glad I stuck with it.  Nice result, hanging on my new shelf DH built and gave me for Christmas.

Could be that the fiddly-ness was my own fault for doing it "my way" instead of following Jon's directions, but I was determined not to cut and tie. Success--made it all in one go!

I made this cute little doll (which has a treasure box in the bottom--opens across the belt to reveal hidden goodies) for my niece for Christmas.  We put some bracelets in the compartment, and my brother said she squealed when she opened it, so I guess I "done good" this time.

The kimono has tatted flowers  on it, tatted in size 80 Lizbeth Vineyard.

For some reason the spot right in front of the microwave was the only spot in the house I could get good light and get a clear picture of her.  haha

Jewelry box doll, crocheted from etsy pattern

I am going to count Chura's doll as a motif, because I came up with the adaptation for her cherry blossom flower myself.  :D  Super fun.  I hope when I get more experienced, I will be able to design things more often.

Pretty sure I executed Heart of Texas by Teresa Woods in one pass as well.  Sometimes this stubborn desire results in fiddly-ness, as I mentioned above, and I'm not sure happy with the cleft of the heart on final round, but I'll probably do it again to get it right, because OCD.  Completed in Lizbeth red size 40.

Teri Dusenbury's Forever Young pineapple doily

Please check out Teri's blog.  She has posted her lifetime's work on it, so generous!  Here's the link to Forever Young.

Used size 40 Lizbeth in purple marble.  I'm not entirely pleased with my result--I think the range of variegation detracts from the pattern, and the doily ended up very small, only about 6 inches across.  In addition, my own execution flaws made it super ripply.  I had to modify the final two rounds to get a semi-flat result.  Upon re-do, I would likely use a solid color to best show the pineapple design as well as a larger size thread to shoot for 8-10 inches in diameter.  I also have some stitch count variations in mind if I would have the same rippling problem.  

All the same, it's a lovely little piece and I would definitely try other of her pineapple pieces, which I think are primarily butterflies.  I also have Doretha Albee's Pineapple Heaven in the huge list of "stuff I want to tat."  :D