Merry Christmas

Wishing all my friends and acquaintances in tat/blogland a wonderful holiday, whichever one you choose to celebrate.
I am glad to know you all and hope for a peaceful, healthy and joyous New Year.
(does anyone know what an appropriate gift is for a Leprechaun?)

Eye Candy

I do really love the Ankars tatting method and know about a lot of those sites. This one is new to me so I thought some of you would like to visit it too. If you go to the site, at the bottom of the article there is a link to pictures of the tatted articles. The link is in Russian but it ends in mylovelybeads(dot)com click on that and the tatted/beaded pictures will show.
Ps. for those who don't already know Google will automatically translate whole web pages.

Enjoy!
link to site:
http://tinyurl.com/yf3neu2

Monday Mondo Giveaway

Run don't walk to LadyShuttleMaker's Blog
Enter,follow,post a comment on your blog. Sherry is an incredibly talented artist (I'd say that even if she wasn't giving things away) Her shuttles, pottery,photography, tatting patterns and HDT are beautiful each and everyone. I own several of her hand dyed threads and they are awesome to work with and to look at.
I'd own one of her shuttles too if I didn't have issues with my shuttles flying out of my hand and across the room. My shuttles need to be made of rubber.
Thank you Sherry, just one more reason to be happy it's Monday

The color purple

Many of the tatters online seem to favor purple.

This edging was tatted and sewn on an organza bag for an exchange,and yes, those are M&M's

in the bag.

Have you tried the new limited edition coconut m&m's. Deeeeeeeelicious.

I'll post where the pattern was from as soon as I feel like standing up and looking for it.

Tatting adorned tights

If you have seen these you spend way too much time on the web.

But,would you wear them?

If so here's the link to the store

http://brooklynfox.com/products/bebaroque_tatting

I won !

I won, I won, Iwon!
This is my first time ever to win a blog giveaway.
Tarnished Tatter had a contest and I correctly guessed that the tatted items she
posted were for a new book.
And the prize is the book!
I have one of Heather's books and I like it very much, I can't wait to see this one.
Thank you Heather.

I got it!

Both HandyHands and Lacis have the new japanese tatting book. It's title (now that I have it and can see it properly) Is Tatting & Beads Graceful Jewelry. It is chock full of necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and a strap(cell phone or scissors striver type thingy) The thing I didn't expect, that is a great concept, is that the tatting motif is used mostly as a bead. Add the motif bead to other beads and you get very pretty and delicate jewelry.
I would recommend this book. There are more than 30 designs in this book. Plenty of diagrams. NO English. (well very little english)

What I received in the Tea Towel Exchange.

I didn't open my package until I was sure my partner had received her's. I didn't think that was fair. I still don't know who sent me mine because the note was signed D.N. and no one on the exchange list that was posted has those initials. Whomever it was it is lovely and I like it very much and the chocolates are wonderful too.

Thank you D.N. whoever you are. Here's a picture.

MOTIF 4 & 5

I'd like this edging (attached upside down so it would look like hearts) and heart to count as motifs 4 and 5.

The edging is from an old Workbasket and the heart is Betsey Evans (with a join in the wrong place.)

More Valentine exchange pictures. From me to Jeanne H.

Tardy Valentines Post

Wait until you see how long it takes me to post for ST.Patty's day.

This is a bead I included in my very late Valentines exchange to Jeanne H.

I fell in love with this heart shaped chicken.

WooHoo Sucess

My e-mail to HandyHands went through and as usual Barbara Foster and Staff have gone out of their way. They are attempting to get this book and I will post if they are successful.

I Want It

How can I get this book? I was surfing the net using japanese characters for tatting. (Thanks alot Trayna, LOL) and this book came up. I WANT IT! (sorry for yelling) All I can see is the publishers name. I tried to send this picture to Handy Hands but the email wouldn't go through. Boo Hoo Hoo

P.S. if you search for international web sites and don't speak the language try an image search instead.

Do you recognize this?

I'd love to know who made this print. Wouldn't it look great on a tote or t-shirt or card. I meant to write to the auctioneer on ebay and didn't remember to in time.
If this is yours or you know who did it please contact me.

Finian's Coming!!!

Lest anyone forget that I have received the magnificent gift of my very own Leprechaun, who is precious to me for many reasons, I wanted to remind everyone that Master Finian (YES,of the rainbow fame) will soon be making an appearance on this and the Lep's very own blog. My apologies to you all for the long delay but many things, happy and sad, have kept me from showing him off. I will tell you however that he is busy getting together some gifts as he comes across appropriate items for his fellow colonists.

Motif 3 (25 motif challenge)

This is the third exchange I participated in and it was Tatting Goddess's SS exchange. What fun. My exchange partner was Heidi H.
This design is from Tatting For Today motif #19. The thread is Ricky Tim's Razzle Dazzle and I added pale blue clear seed beads to the picots on the outer edge.
Except for the thread being a little thick, I liked how it turned out.
If you would like to purchase some of this thread that comes in many colors, may I suggest Deb of this site http://www.ds9designs.com/ She is a fellow tatter and wonderful person and she carries 25 colors of this thread.

For Your Consideration

I will be posting some things under this heading, that I find while surfing the net or hanging out in bead,yarn,craft,or hardware stores, that I think others may find interesting. The inclusion of these items don't necessarily mean I've tried or endorse them. It just means I've noticed the item and felt they might be useful in the pursuit of our tatting craft.
The first item is called New Metallics thread. It is beautiful,comes in many colors, is strong and 2 ply. It is available in 100 meter spools and 25 yard cards. I found mine at a bead show and I have tatted a few knots with it. The thread seems suitable for tatting and is made for beading and reviews of it state that the thread can be used for lacemaking,tatting,crochet,knitting and beading.
Here is a link to a provider.http://www.7beads.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=MT
Again I haven't used this provider and only post it here for the curious. If you have tatted any of Nina L.'s jewelry and would like to tat with colors of metallic thread without splitting the dmc metallic floss skeins, this thread will accommodate size 15 delicas through it twice.
The second item for your consideration is this spiral eye needle.
A what? you say. Well if you sew your ends in a la Jennifer Williams' illustration on Jane E.'s site, you need to have a needle that will accommodate a large thread without having a large eye. How do you get large thread to pass through a slender eye you say?
Well without divine intervention you don't. You use a french or calyx needle otherwise known as a self threading needle. Pam Turner the inventor of the spiral eye needle has a web site here
http://www.spiraleyeneedles.com/ and she just may have built a better mouse trap. The author of this site has reviewed them for us http://www.needlenthread.com/2008/10/spiral-eye-needles-for-embroidery-and.html
I plan to get me some. Oh Yes,I forgot to mention, these needles do not have a nickel coating so if you have metal allergies this may be something that interests you.

Wow I'm overwhelmed with the great response and all the nice comments you all have left.
Now I think I'm going to be a comment junkie.
Is there a 12 step program for that?
More pictures tomorrow.

Not an exchange piece but I wanted to post this in contrast to the butterfly that I tatted last April. I have learned how to tell what side of the piece I'm on. (I leave breadcrumbs) I have learned how to sew in ends. I have learned how to tat over tails. Thank You Jane E. for that lesson and hands on demo. I have learned how to block and properly starch a piece. Thank You Bonnie G. of Palmetto Tatters Guild for that learning experience. I still however have not learned the cure for inattention and followers of Mary Konior will recognize this as Small Cross and will note the incorrect stitch count and extra picot in the center chains.

Fans of Pamela of Tatsakoolchallenge will recognize this beautiful HDT as Rainbow Brite and I was so excited to discover this thread. I used it to tat the cross because it was a gift for my Significant Other's children's Mother. She is a lover of all things rainbow and is active in her church. I knew she would appreciate the work I put into this. She did love it and Pamela's thread made it a joy to tat.

My second exchange was for HBT's Christmas in July 08

My recipient was to be Karey Solomon. Her tatting is innovative and she is a veteran tatter along with her finesse with other fiber arts. (As soon as I find my way around this blog and I receive permission from the persons involved I will add links to blogs and websites as appropriate.)

I "knew" Karey from the Web and finally met her at Palmetto's Tat Days in 2007. At last years Hector gathering I noted dragons seemed to be a favorite theme for Karey and everyone knows her favorite color to be purple. I googled the words fabric and dragon and searched images. This fabric by Henry Alexander called "Tatsu" (Yes Really, it is Japanese for dragon) seemed fated to be the One. I had a pattern for this bag, called a humbug bag, in my stash.So I sewed it up and outline quilted the dragon. I then went shopping for a thread to tat the trim and fringe. Amazingly, Yarnplayer's SummerTrail was an exact match for this fabric. I added beads, blocked the tatting and sewed in the ends. A bit of an improvement over my first exchange.

Many other little trinkets went into the package and I felt good upon receiving Karey's enthusiastic praise of her secret santa parcel.

The designer of the butterfly I tatted for Sherry is, Christel Wutzman copyright 2000.

Just before I went to the Hector Tatting Weekend last year, Sherry T. and I corresponded. She suggested we exchange butterflies. With trepidation I agreed, my tatting skills I felt, were meager and despite knowing how to tat for 35 years I had never sucessfully hidden my ends. Notorious for thowing caution to the wind I promptly picked out a pattern that not only was not in English but also contained clunies and I begin this daunting project 2 nights before driving 6 hours to Hector, NY. Obviously I discarded the clunies immediately. I made the effort to use front side/ back side tatting and belatedly learned One should always know what side one is on. Hence the left side of the B'fly is tatted in reverse. I followed Linda Davies instructions for adding beads to picots for this piece, laptop on lap watching her video and tatting at the same time. Sherry very graciously hid the ends for me and it is painfully obvious that I did not block this piece. At the Hector gathering Karey very graciously demonstrated how to sew in ends.

This is the butterfly I received in exchange. This is in impossibly fine thread and I certainly feel I got the better end of the deal. Thank You Sherry for inviting me to trade tatting. I believe I have gotten better at it. Next post I'll share my 2nd exchange.

This is my first post to my blog. I hope that it will be enjoyed by many. I am inspired by many wonderful tatting bloggers. I would like to see my blog be as interesting and as well read as the blogs that have inspired me.
I am currently working on a Valentines Exchange started by Karey Solomon.
The first photos I will be posting will be of my very first exchanged item and the two that followed that soon after.