Today is all about organ. I know it’s a change, but the news is too good.

cover of April issue of the magazine for AGO members

This is the organ that went in last fall. It’s about 5 miles from my home. I’ve had the pleasure of playing it several times now. It’s a gem! If you’re in the area, please consider taking the time to hear it, or even play the instrument. The next in the recital series is April 10 at 4 PM. Angela Kraft Cross will be sharing part of her Widor project.

The magazine is gratis to members of the AGO. Usually, they put select articles from the magazine on their website. I hope they do. I’ll let you know with a link if they post this one.

Thinking outside the round

Perhaps it’s because music is typically printed in square or rectangular format, but I’ve always been drawn to square shapes in tatting. No, I guess that can’t be the reason. Could be I’m just all angles and points. Regardless, when a friend showed me a copy of Workbasket from the 70’s, I had to try this from the tatting page:

Tatted Scarf Square from Workbasket

I thought that the onion ring corners might turn out better than my previous attempts at onion rings. The picots joining to the chains help. I rather like the negative space with the long picots from the center ring. I have a list of possibilities to dress that area up: beads, twisting, complex chains, maybe even daisy picot style wrapping. I left the square unblocked so that I could remember the issues working through the pattern easier. The center ring was a bit difficult to keep from twisting around as I tat the DS separated by so many picots. The chains forming the onion layers tended to wander away from where they were supposed to be due to the picots joining. Overall, I do like the basic structure. I’ll be writing up my notes and practicing making diagrams with this little bit.

Could that be a doily pattern?

If you read my ramblings for long, you know I love a good sunrise. There’s nothing like a cup of tea or coffee while watching the sky light up! The colors can be spectacular, the play of light always delivers.

branch on pine tree with cones forming

The other day, the sunrise wasn’t very colorful. Not a cloud in the sky. Not even a contrail from a jet. Nada. Rien. Nicht. Normally the sun has been between the huge pine trees. The position of the sun at this time of year is behind a massive Live Oak tree. Love the name of that tree! Sorry, squirrel moment. 

I couldn’t even see the sun crest the horizon over the Santa Cruz hills.

That’s when I noticed how the shape of the tree looked circular….like a doily.

As the light grew brighter, more detail came visible. I began to see a pattern in the leaves….like a ring and chain combination.

Just a bit of aha to start the day. Of course, I had to browse the Dover reprint books I have for a doily pattern like my Sunrise through the Oak Leaves. Several fit the bill. Now I have to decide to drop the flag and start a monster doily (rewritten off course), or to stay on task. Tough choice for me! Squirrel!

Butterfly! Butterfly!

Celtic Knot Butterfly by Rozella F Linden

Well, I proved I could. I can needle tat passibly. This is the Celtic Knot Butterfly pattern from Rozella F. Linden’s book Celtic Tatting Knots & Patterns published in 2004 by Handy Hands.

We discovered in the Tatting Study Group that there were some errors corrected in my copy. I guess I have a later printing than the other ladies. So, much of time last Tuesday was spent proofing for pattern errors. I must say, that has to be the part of designing I absolutely detest! My eyes start to cross very quickly!

Anyway, I’m not entirely happy with my work on this butterfly. It has nothing to do with the pattern, nor using needle rather than shuttle. I chose the wrong size thread for the outer round of black. It just doesn’t work for the pattern. I may try again; after I work up a square motif that was shared with me at the last Carmel Craft Guild meeting. Thank you Nancy!

Celtic Knot Picot

Here’s my sample of Celtic picots.

This continues the trend of combining projects/classes:

OnLine class on 3-14-2016

Tatting Tuesday study group with Carmel Crafts Guild members

Using up the left overs on shuttles.

Well, the last isn’t an official project, but it does keep things a bit more tidy!

Repurposing? no, just Combining!

I was able to complete a sample of an edging for this scarf: 

edging on silk scarf

This combined a few projects/classes into 1 item:

Indigo dye program with Carmel Craft Guild

Nellie Hall Youngburg project with OnLine Tatting class

Demonstrating fiber arts to students at CSU Monterey Bay

I love it when a plan comes together!

And the next challenge is.......

Being able to meet with local tatters is a newer experience for me. I had the pleasure of getting to know a few tatters at the Lace Museumin Sunnyvale, but the meeting time was awkward for me and their main challenge project was frustrating for me. Don’t get me wrong, they are lovely ladies and very dedicated. I just wasn’t getting the whole ornament ball cover thing at that time.

Susan's first celtic tatting

The Tatting Tuesday group here in Monterey is a different story. About the same numbers of tatters come to the get-togethers. There is a wide range of experience and skill level and interest. The current challenge is “celtic” tatting. That’s the term applied to patterns that come out looking like a celtic knot. Typically, elements are interwoven; usually chains. Here’s a sample submitted by a newbie tatter:

And yes, that's a Tinker Toy that she repurposed as a shuttle.Smart lady!

I plan to start my sample today; after I get back from demonstrating weaving at CSU Monterey Bay. More on that later too.  

I played looking at the otter pup

I have little to show for a few days of work. Partly because I was working on other projects, and partly because I took a day off to walk down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to watch the newborn otter. Well worth the time and energy. But, nothing new to show for the new design…... And no projects completed.

I’ll get back to it just as soon as the curtains are all ironed, hemmed and dressed.  Funny word that. My sense of humor wants to know if windows without several layers of curtains are “naked” or “undressed” or just fine!

Tatting Tuesday with tea in Monterey

It has been my pleasure to start a Tatting Tuesday group. When the Study Group was proposed, I agreed to host and mentor and teach as needed. Tuesday was chosen as a good day. Interest was expressed by a half dozen people. We were off and tatting.

I realized after meeting for the month of February that Tatting Tuesday groups is somewhat of a tradition. It seems that there are several such groups across the world. What I didn’t know is that one must have tea available for the enjoyment of the lace makers. Now I do. So, each Tuesday afternoon, a few tatters gather in my studio, pull out their lace, listen and discuss what they have discovered, and generally enjoy the journey.

Some of the ladies have been tatting for quite a long time. Some are just discovering the world of lace. Each week, someone has brought something to show-and-tell or share. Last week, we browsed a collection of Dover reprint books, Russian and Japanese volumes, and of course chocolate!

One of these weeks, we’ll have a shuttle envy hour. Perhaps another we’ll have a romp through a new technique or two. At the very least, it will be a pleasurable afternoon of Tatting Tuesday with tea! 

Another sketch

Here’s the next “sketch” for the design class:

sketch around star

I see where I can improve. Now to find enough hours in the day to try out solutions!

On another note, I have sheers up in the study. I’m liking all the light without the sun blasting the piano. Of course the ready-made are not the correct length, so it’s time to get the sewing machine out. I know I should let them hang for a while before marking them. I guess I’ll just have to distract myself with tatting!