I'm back!

Hello everyone! Long time, no blog. I needed time to refresh my hands. Besides tatting, I also like to crochet. A co-worker of mine asked if I could make a christening set for her newest grandchild. Thinking that said grandchild wasn't making her debut in the very near future, I said, "Sure, I'll make one for you." At which time she said, "The christening is Saturday, June 21." What?! That gives me a whole six days to get this thing done. Oh crap. With such a short amount of time, I wasn't going to do a very fancy one, I told her. She had no problem with that and we agreed on a price. I delivered, she and her daughter were extremely pleased, but my hands hated me. I think they still do! The baby is just an teeny little thing, so the gown is a short one in size 0-6 months.Without furher delay, here is the object of all my pain and suffering:

Gown



Cap and Booties



Even though I wasn't up to tatting, I was up to shopping! I have lots to show, but the camera needs batteries so I'll have more to show later. I purchased some of Marilee's 'Summer Trail' and Sherry's 'Marina'. Out in the northern rural part of Macomb County, the local governments have been turning old abandoned railroad tracks into hiking/biking trails. The program is called 'Rails to Trails'. I absolutely love to go out there and walk them in the summer. Lots of small creeks and wildlife, it's very peaceful. I love it and can't get enough.Well, the first time I saw Marilee's 'Summer Trail', I had to have it. I could just smell all of the wildflowers on the trails.

Last night, I felt up to tatting some. So here is one of my favorite patterns. It's a fan that makes a great bookmark. I've made it many times for gifts. I lost the original, so I just went by memory. Tatted with 'Summer Trail', size 40.

Aaaachoo!

A cold. In the summer. I hate it. I'd much prefer them to come in the winter when I can hide under a blanket and block out the world. But no, the slimy little virus has to hit when it's nice and I want to do nothing more than sit on the balcony, drink some ice tea, tat or read a book. OK, enough of that.

Since I was laid up all weekend being ill, I tatted up the Tat-A-long pretty doily started by Melissa and TattingChic on eTatters. It's not blocked and I'm sure there are some mistakes, but it is a pretty doily and it was easy! My fever ravaged brain couldn't have handled anything more.

After doing this, I remembered why I stay away from perle cotton. It's a pain in the butt to work with and the stitches don't lay as nice and straight as they would with 6-cord. It's enough to give me gray hair, I'm tellin' ya.

Tatted with Finca No. 12 in color #4379.

Tatting and tornados

Tornados and thunderstorms with 70 mph winds blew through my area this afternoon. One minute it was a nice HOT Sunday afternoon, the next black skies, lightning bolts, and tornado sirens screaming. While cowering in the basement, I tatted up the little petal doily that has been making the blog rounds lately. Mine is done with DMC Perle cotton 5. Why I chose to use something that big to tat with is beyond me. I had to use a lot of tension to make the stitches look even. Now my hands feel a little achy. Nothing an Aleve can't take care of.

I'm going to tat this one again in something finer. As you can see, I had a bit of a problem with the chains that make the petals.

I've been meaning to post a picture of the finished 'Eleonora'. So here it is:


Not too shabby! I'm going to order Iris' book "Tatting Together Square Motifs". I've seen some of the motifs done by other tatters, and I think there's something in there that would be perfect for a dresser scarf I'd like to make.

OK, the jackpot ( lots of pictures!)

I love to hit yard sales. My favorite things to look for are vintage crochet or tatting items. Funny thing is, the one thing I almost never find is shuttles.On the weekends, I jump in my truck and head out to the country because I love riding dirt roads. The old houses and barns, the animals, the overall peacefulness are something I can't get enough of. So, with a full tank of gas and cash in my pocket, I was off!

First I stopped at a barn sale in the village of Cottrellsville. That is where I found these:
Two dollars for the whole batch. I was in heaven!

Next, I was out near Algonac and stopped at a yard sale there. After some digging, I unearthed this in a bag:
I don't have any children, but I love love love to crochet baby items. They're always a big seller at craft shows and for baby shower gifts. This batch cost $1.50.

After stopping for some lunch, I was off again. Just wandering aimlessly, I followed a dirt road to another yard sale at an old schoolhouse that someone converted to a home. So much stuff, lots of pottery (another weakness of mine), so I limited myself to $30. I got these:

They were a keeper! $2 each. When I got them home, I realized each issue included a tatting pattern by Myrtle Hamilton. Then, at the same sale I found this:
FULL


EMPTY

Three more dollars. OK, deal!

Just as I was leaving my eyes spied these on a little rickety bookshelf:

A measly $1.25 for the bunch. Excellent!

And I was on the road again. One last stop for the day at an antiques shop in Marine City turned up this:
A Kiwi tatting book! I had to have it. Here's some eye candy...


Edgings...


A dressing table set...


And a beaded veil...


That one cost $6, but it was well worth it. There's also more edgings, another veil, additional pieces to the one shown on the cover and some doily patterns. I think it's one of the best books from the 1940s I have ever come across. Finding this one was the icing on the cake of a great day.

Seafood anyone?

Just wanted to share a little something I tatted up before class tonight. This is from Deb Arnold at DS9 Designs. Isn't he cute?

I went garage/yard/barn sale-ing this weekend and hit the jackpot! When I have a bit more time, I'll post everything for you all to see. The pics probably will be up tomorrow afternoon. I'm off to work now. Have a nice night!

One finished and one not so finished...

Hi everyone! I haven't had much to post about lately because next week is Final Exams week and there were some class projects to be completed before then. I'm so glad this semester is over. Two very boring subjects (computer programming) and the instructors weren't very lively themselves. So, anyway. After getting all that stuff completed, the last thing I wanted to do was sit in front of the computer for more than a minute or two!

OK, on to the important stuff... I finished my Teri Dusenbury's Vanishing Heart doily. I used Oren Bayan No. 50 thread. At one point, my brain or maybe my fingers got confused because I had to cut out the motif I was working on six times. I kept joining in the wrong place or just do it plain wrong. A lot of thread ended up wasted, but the results are nice. Not nice as Teri's, but not too shabby.

I also tried my hand at one of Lenore English's snowflakes. This one is called September Serenade. This was the first piece I've ever tatted that involved weaving one round around another. You can see some of the fabric stiffener I applied. I'm going to hang it in my window. Looking back, I should have added some glass beads. Then it would really be a sun catcher. I'll just make another one....

Since I had yesterday afternoon all to myself, I decided to try one of Iris Niebach's patterns. This is 'Eleonora' from her book 'Tatted Doilies'. It's tatted in Olympus No. 40, Color M10. I scanned this piece, so the colors look a little harsh. They're actually very soft. The little bit you see here took me ALL DAY to do. Hahaha! I'm a slooooww tatter as it is, but it was snail speed on this one. Iris' designs are beautiful, but (to me) her patterns are kind of tricky. I guess I'm just used to someone telling me to switch shuttles and reverse my work. I'm glad I finally got the nerve to tackle it, though. I feel like I've learned a lot about how to interpret a pattern and will be a better tatter because of it.

Wow, do these pictures look like crap. I need to get a new camera. I'm off to do some garage sale-ing. Have a nice Sunday, all!