Ugh....wrong....sigh....

 

I made my decision on what “mistakes” to keep and what “corrections” to make. All was going fairly well. Not too much to change with round 2. However….

After cleaning up where the roof leaked (The crew building the gutters are here today!), I wasn’t careful enough…..

After the trees are decorated I’ll look at correcting that.

What do I see????

 

I’ve been working sporadically on my new hair bun holder. Overall, I think most of the choices I’ve made work. But…..

As I worked on this last round, the lace is ruffling badly. What did I do? Will it lay flat after I finish this round?

As I worked on this post, I spotted not 1 but 3 “mistakes” that I made. Now they’re mistakes only because I didn’t really plan to tat this piece that way. So, now I must decide, do I like the “variation” or should I start over?

Simple gift

 I am very aware that I have been given many, many gifts. I am talented. I experience great privilege, I enjoy abundant (enough) resources. This awareness makes gift giving tricky. Simple gifts from the heart are usually good goals. But, what is a simple gift and what is a simplistic gift? Can a simplistic gift be turned into a simple gift?

As I gather my gifts to give this Holiday season, I will ponder that question. In the meantime, here’s one of my favorite gifts to give:

Ornament with tatted covering:

CR: 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 . MP

Round 1

S/R 6/6. BTS

LR: 3 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 3. RW BTS

|| :  SR: 6 + 6 .  RW BTS Join to picot of CR.

LR: 3 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 3 . RW BTS  : || for a total of 6 SR. Final LR worked as a S/R.

S/R: 3 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 / 1 – 1 – 3 .      

Ornament Cover CT & Rd 1

Round 2    

S/R: 3 – 1 – 1 + 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 / 1 – 1 – 3 . RW BTS

|| :   SR: 6 – 6 . RW BTS

LR: 3 – 1 – 1 + 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 + 1 – 1 – 3 . RW BTS : || for a total of 6 LR.

S/R: 6 / 6. Final SR can be worked as a S/R.

The pattern is not new. Many designers have adapted edgings to create a beautiful embellishment. It can be accomplished using shuttle or needle to tat. I like to use smaller balls as many of my friends and family have small tress to decorate. It’s easier to enjoy a smaller ornament year-round. I like to use metallic thread and/or beads. Tip: Green thread disappears when hung on a green tree. Go for contrast and catch the light. The photo is of a 1.2” ball with Frappe color of thread. All Central Ring picots are about 3 DS wide, all BTS are about ¼” in length. 

A simple blocking with fingers can help the picots lay nicely on ball. Use the tails to tie tatting onto ornament by threading the tails through the picots of the SR and tying together. It takes me about 4 hours to load shuttles, tat lace, block and sew on tatting, and wrap it to give. (I don't completely block the lace just dampen it with my finger dipped in water.)

If you need more information than this quick note, please comment with your email address and I’ll send a PDF of the pattern. I haven’t finished the diagram with round 2 but may soon!

Enjoy gift-giving!!!!

I like this so far

 

This is the center of the bun holder I’m working on. The bead choice is pretty dull. The quilt thread makes it interesting. I hope I don’t make a mistake joining and have to open a ring!

Loading up

 I worked retail for quite a few years. Spending Black Friday at stores is NOT something I’ve wanted to do. My mental health is worth a bit of money. It means I don’t have as big a travel budget. It means I don’t have stories to tell. It means I usually have a more relaxed Thanksgiving weekend.

This year I will be spending my time getting organized and figuring out what’s important to do and setting up a way to get to that end. For my togo tatting project I will be loading beads for the bun holder I’d like to wear with my newest pair of earrings.

After a walk by the Bay…….

I'm overwhelmed

Just temporarily I assure you. The work on the house continues. So far, everything is going well except for it taking a very long time. I’m used to work being done at a snail’s pace. My usual handyman is very good, and very slow. His price is right too! The work didn’t cause that many leaks during the rain last weekend. That water snuck in through a different part of the roofing. Sigh! Of course, the rain came at night, so we were serenaded with “plink, plink, plink” while trying to sleep. Yawn! I think it’s safe to wash the towels we used…..I think.

I’m still sampling for the bright color bun holder. I’m still setting up the ticking project. I’ve begun to take care of tasks for the Holidays. I’ve been busy and just a bit temporarily overwhelmed. Perhaps pictures after this week.

I felt like working with bright colors

 It’s time to tat a new hair bun holder. I have favorites I wear, but not something with bright colors. Growing up, I favored pastels due to the combination of skin and hair coloring. Now, with greyer hair and a more “mature” skin tone, I’m venturing into brighter colors. That’s my story for the new pair of Loopy earrings and I’m sticking to it. So, what to do for a tatted piece to wear in my hair???

After a rummage through my box of smaller thread sizes, I didn’t see anything that grabbed my fancy. Turning to the box of quilt/sewing thread I’ve used for previous projects, I spied some King Tut thread in bright colors. Aha!

Next step, ask for some color guidance from my resident designer. Nothing for it but to sample. So, here’s the first sample:

The color is listed on the Superior website as Pharoah’s Tale. That brought a smile to my face!