Happy Annual Egg Toss, everyone!

And by egg toss, I do mean egg toss:

I have several things to show today, and most of them are in progress shots, mainly because I can't wait to share any more, so this post may get a little long. Sorry for that!

First off, a big, BIG thank-you to both Lace-Loving Librarian and Crazy Mom. While I'm not quite back to "normal" I am getting there, and both of your comments made me smile. Thank-you, ladies!

This past week has been filled with many things, so I'm going to try to take them one at a time. First off is attempt 1:

I couldn't really get a good picture of this, as I took it while I was at work. Anyone see why it's attempt 1? Well, silly me forgot a picot and 5 stitches on the first chain outside the knot, and by the time I found it I had already gotten three and a half arms done. See the beads, though? They are Delcias! Which reminds me..

Late last month, I had taken some time out while visiting M to run a few errends. There's a bead shop not far from his house, and look what I found:

All in all it wasn't too bad. Spent $20 on two tubes of beads and the Bead and Button magazine that has Yarn Player's tutorial in it! I went there looking for it, as I haven't been able to find it at all anywhere else (though to be truthful, I didn't go to B&N.. I woulnd't have been able to buy the magizine for buying books! lol). Right inside the door was the magizine rack and there it was! I squealed, which amused the shop keeper.

Just before I left his house, I found out that I had gotten the promotion that I had been trying for since my birthday last year. As I was coming home, the lighting was beautiful outside and I snapped these pictures:

 Inspiration! ;)

The first one was taken right outside my house, and the second was at the end of the road looking towards the south. While I was on the side of the road, I had a gentleman slow down to make sure everything was alright.

I have another tatting project that I'm working on, but I'll have to share later as I didn't take any pictures of it earlier.

Happy Easter, all!

I'll have a blue Christmas..

With a slice of lemon cake and baked apple pie. Yum!

My mom needed to make something for her co-workers for Christmas, and after quite a few debates decided to make Christmas bath salts. Abby measured, I mixed, and she filled, and this is how they turned out -- aren't they pretty?

The pink ornaments smell like apple pie, and the blue smells like lemon cake. I tried out the blue ones, and they worked great!

I haven't been doing that much crafting at all the past few months (hence the silence since Halloween), but I'm hoping that I can get something done. I have some plans that I want to finish, but until Christmas, I don't know how much time I'll have for crafting.

I'm still here, still alive, and I'm kinda lurking and reading everyone's blogs that they've posted. Will post when I have more to show -- perhaps the snowflakes from 24 Snowflakes in Tatting? Hmm..

Christmas Angel

Thoughts?

I'd like to try and come up with tatted wings, as they'd be both prettier and easier to make. Hmm. Need to start designing!

Holiday Wishes

Wishing all of you happy and joyous holiday season!

I'm still on hiatus, but I will be returning in the next few weeks with some new tatting, dying, and other craftyness!

Continuing on..

Continuing on from my last post about blocking, I thought I'd share my progress with everyone.

This is the snowflake in question. It hasn't even been wet blocked before this picture was taken, so it looks a little strange.


And blocking..


I cut some Elmer's washable school glue with a good helping of water (in a ratio that is somewhere along the lines of 20/80, with more water than glue), and it is now drying. Haven't steamed this, and I don't think I will. Also, yes, that is some unfinished thread. I'm going to be using it to cover a ring to hang it on the tree.
Also, it has been cold, wet, and drizzly here the past few days. While we had about an hour of nice sunshine, I snapped some pictures. This is completely un-edited, so you can't see all the detail.

Isn't it pretty? My sister planted these flowers five years ago, and they randomly bloom. So pretty!

Also, a sneak peak..

It's really hard to get pictures in focus when the object you want to capture is tiny!

Happy Tatting, y'all! ^^

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Hope everyone has a safe time trick or treating with the little ones!

Now that this holiday is here, I'm finding it crunch time for crafty gifts for Christmas. After some thoughts (and tatting while at M's house), I think I'm going to try to make snowflakes and cards for everyone out of state that I know, and finish up the knitted projects that I have going. Oh, and making snowflakes and ornaments to go on my own tree, as well.

I've changed the colors of my tree from Technicolor to black, purple, and silver. M thinks it will look gothic, but I don't think it will.

I've started making the snowflakes, using glass beads to add sparkle. Here's my first two:

The purple is Sharons Merry Christmas Snowflake, and the white is Jon's Hearts in a Snowflake. Both are now finished, but the white needs blocking and stiffening.

Will add both to the 25 motif challenge when I get some better pictures. I don't have an SD card, so I can't take pics with anything but my camera!

And a question. How should one go about stiffening lace? I want to keep the white flake as white as I can for years, but I don't know how.. Should I use glue mixed with water? Starch? Or should I use a spray sealant?

Tatting Supplies

Hmm.. Wonder what these are going to be used for?

Size 20 and 80 threads, beading needles, and three beads in black, clear, and purple, all 11/0.

More tomorrow...

New Years Revisited And Birthday Gifts!

Several items to touch on in this post, and most of them are text-only (sorry!). First off, I wanted to show these off:


Yes, more fiber from SlimChicken. I treated myself to these because the colors were so pretty in the pictures on the listings, and they did not disappoint! I had four different colors in mind, and ended up with these two. Both are four ounces of superwash, the same as my others, but these are super soft!

This is Twilight, and it really does remind me of how it looks around here when the sun goes down. The blues are so vivid in this! Can't wait to spin it and see how it turns out!


And this one is Victorian Rose. It's a bit more pink than this picture shows. Normaly I don't like pinks, but I do like the softness of them. I think this will become a Valentine shawl at some point; it's being put away while I work on some other projects.

I don't have much to show in the crafting world at the moment. Been at work for most of the last few weeks or getting ready for Christmas. I -finally- decided on the color scheme I want for my tree, and hope to have some pictures of it when I get my ornaments made. I'm hoping to make at least ten different snowflakes and some other tatted ornaments. Getting started on those in the next week, but got to find the patterns I like first.

What patterns do y'all like to make this time of year? I'm still new to this; last year I was still learning how to tat..

So, now on to the fun part of the post..

How many people do New Year's Resolutions? I made some this year for crafting, and I thought I'd share my progress.

Just to recap, these were them:

• Learn to crochet
• Make everyone a scarf, and have them done by September
• Learn how to:
  Cluny Tat
  Split Chains
• Get my dye supplies organized
• Finish writing out the pattens to my motifs
• Design at least one motif a month
• Finish the 25 Motif Challenge

Taking it from the top, I finally learned how to crochet. Thank heavens for youtube! When my mom and roommate weren't around or couldn't figure out the pattern I was trying, I was able to find the tutorial on there!

The scarves, on the other hand.. Well, I have several started, but none finished. I'm hoping to get at least a few done in time for Christmas, but it looks like everyone's getting store bought gifts this year!

Tatting-wise, I still need to learn split chains. I've tried them a few times, but all I manage to do is make a twisted knot that I can't undo! This may be an ongoing project for me into next year, but I will get it! I have managed to get the basics of Clunys down, but don't have anything to show for it. Will post some later, when I get my ornaments done!

I'm also this close to finishing the 25 Motif Challenge. I have an edging that I'm working on at the moment to add, then they'll only be one more to finish, and that'll be complete!

I haven't finished the patterns, nor have I designed every month. I can and will finish the patterns, but for designing, I may be able to make some later on.

How's everyone doing on their resolutions?

Also went to the Botanical Gardens last week, and snapped a few pictures, so I'll leave you with my (and everyone else's!) favorite.


Happy Fall, everyone! ^^

Quick Links (and lists)

Just so I can keep up with everything for Christmas this year!

Sending up North:

• Asling Cable Scarf (35% done, Caron Country, Silver Service)
• Dancing Crane Stole (Caron Country, Light Green, but making a scarf instead of a stole)
  
• Column of Leaves Scarf (Caron Country, Deep Purple)
• His Scarf (x 2.. not sure on the colors)
• Her Scarf (color suggestions, anyone?)

Home (friends):

• His Scarf (again.. Caron Country, Heather Gray)
• Mega Cabled Scarf (green Lions Brand Chunky Yarn)

Family patterns are still under consideration.. Not 100% sure about those yet!

More to come -- I have my hands full!

Edit: Some more links to

• Wave Stitch Scarf
• Fan Shawl
• Mother of Pearl Scarf
  

New Year and Post-Christmas Crafts?

I hope everyone is having a safe New Year, and that their holidays were filled with laughter and family!

After Christmas, it is a family tradition (mostly) to go out and shop. This year, I had some money that I wasn't expecting and spent it on ornaments. This was my second year in my own home, and as such I didn't have many ornaments to begin with.

I also got some to craft on, but that is another post.

Here are some of the ornaments that I scored at Dollar General:

One of the things I hate most about glittered ornaments is the fact that they seem to shed their glitter all over everything! My childhood is filled with memories of this glitter covering the floor and sticking to my hands and hair for weeks after the holiday was over. This time, I got a little smart and decided to seal it on and, with some help from Krista (thank-you!) I decided to do it outside on my clothesline., and thought I would share with others.


It would otherwise be unused this time of year, since it is too cold to do my laundry outside.

I've got another day before I can touch them to bring them back inside, but I think it will be worth the wait!

I also got a kit to make Japanese paper dolls, as well as a whole stack of origami paper. I've made three dolls, and two of them have been turned into cards:


My mom loved them so much she's keeping them and taking them to work!

Christmas Gifts, Crafts, and Cookies!!

These are my latest in the world of tatting. There's four of each, and I will be joining them together with jump rings when they are fully starched and blocked:

I joined the 25 Motif Challenge this last week, so I will say that these are four different motifs. They're not fully finished, but they will be the first in my go at the challenge!

These were all tatted in a size 20 of HDT from Lady Shuttlemaker, "Icicle." I used two different patterns, one was the December pattern from Georgia Seitz site for beginner tatters, located here. The next one up was the same pattern, just doubled and taking out a ring/chain and joining to one picot in the center. The third was a crochet pattern that was translated into tatting, however I've lost the pattern. I'll see if I can find it before my next post..

Since I have gotten confirmation on some of my threads getting through the mail, I feel its alright for me to post what the cards looked like before being put in the envelope:

I had the origami paper sitting around from about three Christmases ago when I made a tree that was completely decorated with nothing but origami cranes. Wow, that was a while back.. I was still in school at ITT..

The envelope is made the same way that Katie did over at Katie's Tatting Khronicles, though I think I may have made mine before she did, except she made them way better than mine!

It may not seem like much of a Christmas craft, however I am working on M's Christmas present at the moment:



He's getting a nice journal; parchment, 200 total write-able pages (or 50 sheets folded in half) and bound with some thread that I need to dye tonight so it will be ready in the morning. I'm using tea for this one, which will be a new experience for me. It's going to be bound in a Japanese stab-binding style, mostly because I like the stitch and it's easier than some of the other styles. I'll try to post some pictures of the entire process -- this is a really good way for re-binding books that are loosing their spine or have been passed down.

I also got bored when I was taking the pictures of the parchment, and decided to share with everyone one of my orchids before the blooms fall off:



This is my newest addition to the growing plant life of my home. I'm surprised that the blooms have lasted this long.. Maybe it's because I'm keeping the temperature the same constant 73 degrees?

Holiday Thread Exchange, and other Holiday things!

As promised, here are some pictures of my latest thread dying exploits. The yarn took around three rinsing before they were fully dye-free, and the thread twice (but only for the darker colors. I didn't realize it took so much to get the brown out!!)

Size 10 Bamboo
Colors:
Orchid Blossom
Grape Vine
Orchid Blush
Chocolate-Strawberry Swirl
Black Friday

Size 10
Colors:
Grape Vine
Chocolate-Strawberry Swirl
Arctic Slushie
Flames
Orchid Blossom
Peach
Rose-Pink
Black Friday
Size 20
Colors:
Flames
Chocolate-Strawberry Swirl
Black Friday
Grape Vine
Peach

Size 30
Colors:
Black Friday
Orchid Blush
Arctic Slushie
Chocolate-Strawberry Swirl
Rose-Pink
Grape Vine
Orchid Blossom

I now have more thread than I know what to do with.. But that's alright. :) If anyone wants to try some of this out, send me a comment and I'll respond.

There's a Holiday Shop in my local strip mall. They come every year, but the best thing about them this year is that I found two books for tatting!


Anyone know where to find a "crochet tatting hook"? This book calls for one, but I have no idea where to find one! I think I can re-work the patterns to use a shuttle, but I'm not too sure... Crochet is not my forte, it's more of my mothers. and she seems interested in this book (I asked her if she could figure it out and teach me.. It's a good trade -- I teach her needle tatting and she teaches me this!). All I need is to do is get some hooks and I'm set!

Also, Kelly gave me a nice $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Yay! Now I can go crazy again! I've found a few books/pamphlets that I really want to get, but will need to see if I can have them shipped to the store. I'm not too fond of waiting for anything to come to my mailbox, especially since it's a tiny thing! lol I guess I need to figure out which books I want!

I'll be sending out my parts in a thread exchange tomorrow. It's kind of funny -- I didn't realize that two of my partners are from my home state! And one is in an area that I go to frequently! Weird..

Also, another note on the Christmas shopping woes.. I managed to get my sister a gift that I know she will like (since I don't have the time to get hers made..), only to bungle it up and have her see the box it was in! This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that it was from one of the stores that she loves.. And that the smell of the tea she wanted me to get her is currently filling my house with it's candy sweetness!

Dye Again!

I'll try to post pics when I get home, but I've finally took the time to dye more thread (and also some yarn!) the way I wanted. All that's left is to rinse everything (and in some cases, again!!) and let them dry. I've came up with some new color combinations, and did away with some of my others.

Now, I just need to build my skeining machine and I'll be off to the races! ^^

I am seriously thinking about sending some of these out to be test-tatted, since I won't have time to make something out of every color combination. Any takers?

.. Well, I guess that would have to wait until I get the pictures posted, yeah? lol

It's done! It's done!!

And tomorrow, I'm off to the state fair!

Christmas List!!

Keeping track of everything has been a bit weird lately. I ended up dropping a class from school because I had taken on too much. Math seems as if it will be the bane of my existence until I get it over with or get out of school. Not sure which yet, though.

So, in order for me to remember what I need to be doing to keep on-track, this is my Christmas List for this year:

1. Mack - scarf, green. Have the yarn and am about a 1/2 way through the first skein.
2. Kelly - Scarf, again, but in black. Need to choose the yarn.
3. M - not sure what he's getting yet...
4. M's family - Preserves, jams, jellies, etc. Also a few tatted ornaments, possibly scarves? (need to get on the ball with this.. Nana is already down for the wedding!!)

My immediate family does some weird Christmas traditions, so I haven't decided on them just yet, although I am thinking about making a doily for my gran on dad's side. Nan I'm not to sure about, since her china cabinet is full and overflowing!!

Also, I'm finding that the bamboo yarn I chose for Mack is actually kind of gorgeous. I'm going to have to go stock up on it -- it's easy to work with and is very soft. Well worth the $4.99 price tag, let me tell you!

Threads!!

I'm really kicking myself at the moment -- Hobby Lobby had all their Lizbeth thread on sale for $2.66/ball. I managed to get two, however I didn't make it back in time to get some other colors. Ces't la vie, right?

Went to Michael's yesterday with my mom, and got a few new threads and thought that I would share what I have at the moment:


The colors/makes are:
Lizbeth size 20:

• Dark Purple
• Bright Turquoise
• Country Turquoise
• Antique Violet
• Harvest Orange

Royale Fashion Crochet Thread size 3

• Plum

And last but not least, DMC Baroque size 10, White.

The skein of white is too large for me to handle, so I've wound some on a floss holder, as I have with several other colors that I've been using lately. This is also a partial list with the majority of my threads. All my HDT's are at home, but they have already been pictured on a previous post, as well as Lizabeth Caribbean thread which I have misplaced at the moment..

This is what I've been working on, though I've been pushing it to the side to work on other things.


M has an aunt who is from Ireland and is a really, really sweet lady. I spent some time up with her as well as some other wonderful woman this past June, back when I had first started to tat. I
decided that I'm going to tat up some ornaments for these ladies, and right now I'm getting in some practice with weaving some celtic knots. This pattern can be found here: http://tatcal.wordpress.com/page/8/

Still trying to decide what all to send in the giftbaskets of Southern goodness, but I do know that some sort of jelly will be involved. Need to get the baskets and get shipping rates as well -- kinda need to know that so I'll know how much I can send!

Also, ran in to some problems with the ornament that I was working on and decided to re-start with a smaller thread:


DMC size 80, with the smallest needle that I have. The stitches aren't laying right, but I suppose I will be able to fix this when I block it.

Not only is the first half too large, but I cut the threads without hiding them too short and it's starting to come unravled on the third round. Since the Christmas things haven't gone on sale at Hobby Lobby yet, I am trying this at a smaller scale (which looks to fit currently, however that could change at row 3). More pictures up of the orniments when I get the chance!

I've aslo got a few finished snowflakes to add:

Both need to be blocked. The second one has some minor mistakes, and I will be making a new one sometime soon. The patterns are both in my book, however I don't have the link for the first one with me at the moment. The second one is located at:

http://tatsaway-patterns.blogspot.com/2008/12/quantiesque-snowflake.html

I learned how to read a chart from Jon's page, though I had a bit of trouble with the Quantiesque because I was using a single needle instead of two shuttles.

More later!

Out of Town!!

But not taking a break from tatting, it seems.

We left this morning around seven-thirty, eight o'clock, and my mom decided to ask me to bring my tatting things. I've been trying to help her learn how to do this -- my great-grandmother tried to teach her while she was a child but all she could make were knots!

Good thing my workspace is so portable, otherwise I may go crazy trying to keep up with it all!!

Also designing in my office/craft space to get ready for this Christmas. I'm hoping that on the way home we can stop again at the flea market we stopped at before lunch and get some baskets -- M's family are all getting some good ol' southern goodness for Christmas this year!! I'm hoping to get some snowflakes tatted up for them to go with everything.. I've got a lot to do before then!!

Also learned a new way to knit, so everyone may be getting hats/scarves as well. Just need to get the yarn and I'll be good to go!^^