GIft giving season

 For me, Christmas time is not just a time to give gifts, but a time to share lots and lots of music. So, in October and November I usually practice a lot. So, I have no pictures to share of tatting. All the tatting time is taken with finishing up gifts. Kinda hard to photograph practice time. If you’re local, keep an eye out in the paper and your email for all the fun starting in a week or so.

It's time again

 It’s time again

It’s that time of year again. We’re planting new plants to take advantage of the rain that will fall. The days are getting shorter so we’re turning on the window lights. Christmas music is almost nailed down. Easter and Holy Week are next. Oh, and Christmas gifts are just about finished.
It’s also time for our semi-annual peep hole rainbow. Our front door faces (nominally) East, so as the sun rises, we enjoy a colorful circle moving around each day. Today, it fell off the post and hit the wall. I found it at the bottom of the framed print.

Where will it be tomorrow?

Adding beads

 I like tatting because you can put your own spin on the lace. A designer (perhaps you!) creates a pattern. Thread is dyed (in so many colors!), spun and plied. You can add bling or beads or jewelry findings. So many options!!

I love adding beads to my tatting. Sometimes I’ll add just a few. Sometimes a handful get scattered through the pattern. Sometimes I add hundreds to jazz it up. For my designs based on music, beads can help draw attention to instrumentation, melodic themes, dynamics, or rhythm. Beads can help add complexity while providing continuity.

Adding beads is a necessary skill for the tatter. Come join me on this adventure!!

Using eggs

 I’ve been trying, without much success, to keep organized in 2025. I have just a few more weeks to go. It’s not looking good for accomplishing my goal. No, I haven’t been trying to accomplish those tasks by using eggs. Although a good breakfast generally helps.

I have been working on how to store my tatting samples. That makes it easier to show people what tatting can be. One of the hardest types of samples to keep at hand is my tatting around eggs and ornament balls. They deserve to be seen. I have some windows that I can use. So far, so good. There’s the mantle in my creating room. The shelving has been taken over with books and supplies that don’t fit in the cupboards. I do enjoy this side of creating lace (displaying) and I really must do better (where is that display hook).

The other day I found myself looking at eggs with embroidery on them. This post started it all. They’re pretty. I see lots of potential. And also, I like the way lace can accent shape as it creates more shapes to see. I’ve several sketches to work on now! Perhaps by the time spring rolls around I will have some concrete ideas to work up.

Another one

 

I’ve started another snowflake in yarn. This one is Dec. 21 in the Lene Bjorn book. The Josephine Knots were a puzzle at first, but I did manage them. Now on to the outer round.

Finished with stitching

 

I finished the stitching on the Hardanger project. It’s not a great example. I know I didn’t follow directions well enough. I learned a lot. The use of negative space in the overall design still fascinates me. I see lots of potential in combining tatting and Hardanger.

Negative space explored

 I love working with the negative space in lace. It’s fun to design with that element so prominent. I like paying attention to the silence in music also. A well-placed rest can bring a melody to life.

When we pulled up stakes and moved a decade ago, I found a wonderful group of fiber crafters and artists in my new town. Several meet once a month to explore all things Embroidery as part of a chapter in the Embroiderer’s Guild of America. I’ve learned a huge amount about thread and design and finishing and creativity from this group. Our October meeting explored a simple Hardanger project. Here’s what I have so far: