I conquered the second bootie syndrome!

 

Finally finished the second bootie. I would like to revisit the transition between the toe medallion and the side. It looks OK. It will handle a ribbon to keep the bootie on the baby’s foot. It just doesn’t seem intuitive in the tatting sequence to me.

So, I will set these aside after creating the pattern file and see what a break will tell me.

Trial of a silk thread

 I received two skeins of hand dyed silk thread by Z-twist Dye Works recently. They were just sample lengths. I spent quite a bit of time feeling the thread, thinking of ways to use it, and then sifting through those ideas. There were so many to choose from!

I finally settled on using the 18/3 pale sage thread testing out a motif from a book a student passed on to me. This is a motif for pearl earrings in Beaded Tatting LaceAccessories. It’s essentially mignonette style pattern of all rings with 3 different sizes of beads. My test showed me that I can use the bead spacer in the shape of a flower for the center, the low-quality pearl beads I chose needed to have the hole drilled larger, and the poor-quality peach beads lost their coloring with the thread abrading. Sigh!

I still like the motif. I like the thread. Ztwist has so much to choose from. And she does custom dyeing. I think this would work for a pendant. It’s too large for me for earrings. But, I do like how the sheen of the thread complements the beads.

A busy day equals little tatting

 Even though I spent the morning in doctor's offices, I don't have much to show for tatting. I found a mistake and spent the time explaining tatting and trying to open a ring in size 80. 

Even though I spent a portion of the afternoon listening to an excellent Conference in a Zoom room, I didn't get much tatting done. Just lots of thinking about how to do things better. 

I'm encouraged because several people actually used their phones to look at my website while we were talking at the doctor's office. The material shared by a presenter include a "hub" for managing what you do at the keyboard. I see great potential for managing my tatting/music interface.

More after teaching, a walk, and more conference presentations.

How do you learn best?

I am primarily a visual learner. The fastest way for me to learn my spelling list and vocabulary is to write the words.  If I don’t see a nametag, the introduction doesn’t stay in my short-term memory. If I don’t write out the theme for my improvisation, I stray too far in my tonal meanderings. If I don’t have a diagram of a pattern, little mistakes tend to creep in as I tat.

Yes, saying words and names out loud helps a bit, but not much. Closing my eyes and visualizing what I would write helps. A photograph of the finished lace can decipher where to join.

I learn best using visual cues.

Next week I have my second cataract surgery scheduled. I’ll be able to see better. So, I should be able to learn better, right?

In the meantime, I’ve received excellent care at a local medical center for Mammography and Ultrasounds. I used beads from my stash and thread to blend in with their décor. I’ll be working on creating a diagram for the pattern so that I can get the first few joins correct next time.

Ahem!

Visual cues really make a difference for me.

So, my question for those who learn best aurally: how can we help you tat better?

Another reset

It seems after I feel like I make progress and learn something, I find I need to reset. Cause and effect? Natural progression of creative inertia? Can you tell I never passed Sociology?

My schedule has been adjusted yet again by medical appointments. Nothing new. It will happen again. I will continue to create.

So, what’s on the shuttles? An Awareness Ribbon for the staff at the Breast Care Center (They looked like they needed a reminder of their purpose for coming to work.), the second bootie, the latest hair bunholder, Renulek’s Wiosna 2025, and a few other ideas.

What am I motivated to do? Practice music to use with the Orgelkids instrument, finish attaching the applique for the Elephant, walk along the Bay.

All for a reset.

Sampling can teach

 Maybe it’s because I work as a musician. 

As I approach rehearsing a piece after practicing, I try to spend time in practice testing out different interpretations. Switching up the registration often helps me to decide how an organ piece will sound.

I added to my pile of samples for the snood. I finished off the bottom part of a vintage pattern. There are parts of the pattern I like and will use, parts I think need to be changed.

Sampling taught me.

Clean up time

Yesterday was spent organizing. I know it’s an important task. I really do try to stay ahead of the dirt and occasionally actually dust. But getting files into appropriate folders just never seems to get done. I bought a different computer a year ago. I really should have been better at organizing those files. I won’t promise to do better. Because that would take the time I’d rather spend tatting or practicing.

On a different train of thought, I went walking with friends yesterday. Fog was forecast, but the sun was out where we were. The fog decided to stay way offshore. San Francisco has a name for the fog: Karl. I figure if Monterey Bay named the fog, it would be a nod to Adobes and fishing.

Which way do I tat?

This post is all about mignonette patterns. You know, the ones with Bare Thread Spaces between itty bitty rings? Yeah, those. My idea for the snood involves such a pattern with rings of 10 DS. (R:5+5. BTS)

I ran into a problem while watching a mystery in a language I don’t know with subtitles and tatting my trial piece:

I confused where I needed to join.

I found myself reversing my direction of tatting so that I joined in the BTS I just formed rather than the previous row. After making the mistake 3 times and pulling open those rings to correct it, I grumbled, “There has to be a way!”

There is

It doesn’t involve what knitters do: Only stop at the end of a row. A row will take too long in the snood idea.

It doesn’t involve holding the previous rings in a special way. At least not for the first few rows.

It does involve a marker thread passed through the previous row’s BTS. That’s the darker thread in the picture. As I join to the BTS, I unweave the marker thread. Every few rings I pause to install the marker thread in more BTS so that I don’t pull it out completely.

I’m ready to test out this idea watching the rest of the mystery!

Testing out an idea

 Remember this request for a snood? I’ve been testing out various pattern parts. Here’s an idea taken from a vintage pattern for a small bag. I like the idea of using Victorian sets for the petals of each motif. I think it will enhance the piece.

Afterglow missing

That’s because the Fair brought new opportunities. Last weekend I supported a new tatter at a pop-up shop. It was a great experience. Some new tatters are overwhelmed very easily. That’s where they’re at. Often patience and gentle repetition clear the fog and then the shuttle or needle produces quite nice lace. Some new tatters seem to catch the concepts quickly and find the movements awkward. Often just breaking things down for movements and guiding the thought process is enough. Some new tatters seem to get it all so fast. Those are the new tatters I struggle with giving just enough focusing on where they can learn more. I get carried away very quickly.

I’m continuing working on the Orgelkids material. I don’t know if it will help. I know I would use it, but that’s the way I work. The participants never sit at a large organ. I hope my efforts will preserve organs for the future, inspire just one person to take lessons, or sell tickets to a concert. I’m sure there are workshops and classes designed to help people be more effective in these efforts. IF I could find them and squeeze in the time!

Right after I fix the error I made tatting during the movie yesterday evening.

And what will today hold?

 Well, that was an interesting day.

Readers of this blog may not know the extent to which I work to find and mentor new organists. Many years ago I hung up my concert organ shoes. I tried to turn my back on playing the organ. Afterall, I didn’t have a church job, I had no organ in my home, and when I did play, things hurt. Why should I spend time trying to do something that doesn’t bring me (or other people) joy? Gues what? At my core I’m an organist. I couldn’t do it! I found joy in listening to others, explaining the instrument to people who showed (or maybe didn’t show) interest, and doing my best to support those who play the organ.

Thus, my new role as an organist: find a way to help new organists find joy in this instrument.

Yesterday, I had an interesting day.

I’m a member of the San Jose chapter of the American Guild of Organists. The chapter, along with the Palo Alto/Peninsula and the San Francisco chapters, owns a demonstration organ. It is a working instrument built in such a way that it can be stored in 2 Pelican Cases, assembled, played, and repacked for use in a different location.

Yesterday I gave a demonstration and answered questions at the Carmel Bach Festival office. Judging by the grins I witnessed, they had fun! Good questions were asked and now we’ll be working together getting this out into the community.

An interesting day.

But wait! There’s more…..

Just after I settled in to provide information for a proposal, I received another request from a small school in San Jose. They want to schedule a time for 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th graders to work with the Orgelkids instrument.

Today will be busy getting things in line to take advantage of those opportunities. Probably not much tatting will get done. That’s OK. We’re in the midst of a heat wave here. I don’t like to tat when my hands are so sweaty. It’s impossible to clean the thread once I get it dirty with perspiration.

 

Another Fair

 Another Fair is done. Everyone I saw was having a good time. It felt like an old-time Fair this year.

Let me remind you all that Fair judging is always subjective. We have opinions about our entries. Some of us are a bit more competitive than others. What the judge thinks is their opinion. Yes, they are asked to rank entries and to give feedback at times. I would never argue with a judge. It’s their opinion.

This little bootie set won Best of Show for Tatting. Really. Despite it being a prototype and not tatted with the best technique. The judge liked it. Ok. My opinion: there were lots of good tatting entered.

I want to thank all the tatters who entered lace to be judged. Please keep on tatting. Your lace is your lace. The judge has their opinion. The world needs more lace!

Teeny tiny bag

I finished a sample in my quest for a netting pattern. This is from Nina Libin’s BENILE series. The spool of thread is normal size. The smaller spool is from the center of a vintage size 80 ball of thread. 

I was skeptical of how the fabric would drape. With the beads and how the joins are designed, it does quite well. I think it’s a bit heavy to use for the netting idea, but it’s cute and sparkly. Just what a young lace lover might enjoy!

I have my "demo" projects ready

 I have my bag packed for sitting at the table during the Fair. There's a shuttle filled with fun thread for butterflies. There's the revision of the booties. There's the last little bit of the hair bun holder. I'm ready!!

Another puzzle to solve

A friend asked for a tatted hair holder for her dressage helmet. Logical as I wear my hair bun holders a lot and she liked how they looked. So, I’ve been researching, trying out ideas, and generally being creative.

Here are two ideas for netting. The top one doesn’t look like a good possibility. The bottom one could work. I’ll need to work in beads. And it needs to be able to attach to the helmet in some way. I’ll be testing out another idea today.

What do you do in your "time off"

 Well, it seems I can’t sit still. I’ve turned in my items to be judged in the Monterey County Fair, traveled to San Francisco to have time with the Ruffatti organ at New St. Mary’s, and sifted through some of the design notes I made during Carmel Bach Festival.

I hope you “rest” better than I do!

Tatted flag ready to go

 

I completed the mounting and lacing of the flag. I’m OK with how it came out. I would find a different way to do some of the project, but it will do for the Fair. I will likely frame this to hang in the entry of my house.

On another note….. I’ve begun the journey to better vision with the first of two cataract surgeries. Ove the next few months, I’ll be living with transition vision. It will take awhile for everything to recover and adjust in my eyes, so I’m not sure how productive I will be. I plan on just taking one day at a time and work to full recovery.

How to finish tatting

 As the Fair gets closer, it’s time to finish entries. Logically, I know the item will be judged on technique of stitching, tatting, or similar technique. But how you finish it makes a difference. By finish I mean mount on fabric, starch, frame, or otherwise prepare for display.

So, tatted lace. How to “finish” a tatted item?????

First off: blocking. Here's a video that I mostly follow.

Let me say most of the time all I do is block with plain water. No pins, no ironing, no starching. I've found these grids from Stephanie Cervi Designs handy. If the lace has a lot of beads, I may block it twice. If picots are a part of the design I may spend time adjusting picots with a pin while damp. If I do starch my lace, I wash the starch out before storing. But for the most part, I don’t “finish” my tatting.

And most of what I’ve learned about finishing has been at the EGA chapter meetings. I’ve learned to mount my lace on fabric, lace that fabric over a piece of foam core, and attach a cord to the edge to complete a project. I don’t trust myself to frame anything. I’ve never been able to cut a straight line. I ask for help with that! I value a good “finisher” for my big projects. It does make a difference.

Are you a deadline tatter?

I am.

I can’t seem to get projects done unless there’s a deadline. Usually, those deadlines need to be made by someone other than me. Current Deadline: County Fair entries. Due in 10 days.

Most of the tatting is done. Just need to finish the lace and get 4 projects ready for judging.

Dreaming of beads

I’ve finished Round 6 of Wiosna 2025 by Renulek. I’m a bit embarrassed at how long I’ve been tatting this piece. But now, I’d like to begin adding beads. I’ll be getting out my colored pencils, printing another copy of the picture of the complete doily. And dreaming……

Not quite what I need

I started sewing stars on my flag yesterday. I’ve never been able to just “eyeball” things. I have to measure and calculate everything. So, I grabbed my ruler and did the math. Stitched some stars on and discovered I miscalculated. Sigh!

I’ll be grabbing my scissors and ruler and pencil and needle and THEN sew on the stars. It may turn out to look a bit like this:

Not always the best

I tried out one more earring idea. I decided this isn’t the best idea. I like some facets, but it just isn't jelling for me.

It went into the bag of trial samples. I plan to use them when teaching to stimulate discussion of how to choose thread and beads for your take on a design.

Not at idle

My shuttles are back in motion. Here’s what came off them:

Earrings for Kelly designed by Nina Libin

I tweaked the bead placement just a bit for this pair:

Idling

I feel like my shuttles are idling. I’ve enjoyed all the concerts, talks and masterclasses. I have so many good design ideas. It’s been fun talking to people about my Art of Music piece. But I really haven’t been tatting much. Just projects I can work on without thinking too much.

I did finish a bootie that I would like to enter into the Fair. Just have to get the second one started now. I’m still working on getting a pair of earrings finished. I keep making silly mistakes. Ones that I can’t really correct. Between 5 or 6 earrings I should have a pair I can wear! I have added a couple of squares to my shawl in bamboo.

The Festival ends the day after tomorrow. I should be able to get back into a better schedule next week. Idling will be turned into production.

Inspiration

 How do you seek inspiration? I confess that I seek inspiration in many ways. Sometimes I find new ways to tat by just tatting. Sometimes I discover new designs by tatting published patterns. Sometimes I think up new designs by experiencing nature and music.

Just yesterday I was listening to someone else play an organ piece I’ve played many, many times. There is a pattern in the harmony that occurs over and over again. I thought of how the notes look on the page.  I thought of a way to represent those patterns in beads. And a new pattern took shape in my mind, I sketched out an idea in my sketchbook, now I can’t wait to put into thread.

Right after I finish my Fair entries, complete some earrings, get a pattern written down, and manage those chores!

In the Gallery

The Festival has begun. The music is filling the air. I’m so excited!!

I hope lots of tickets end up in the box under my piece Melody in Mauve.

Which one to choose

Most of these are made using patterns by Nina Libin. I enjoy how she combines thread and beads in her designs. Once I understood the principles she uses, I could understand how to tat the patterns. Now comes the hard part. Choosing which pattern to use.

 You can easily spot me at a concert. I’m the one scribbling in the journal as the music inspires design ideas. 

Here’s a few I’ve had recently:

I’m excited for the Carmel Bach Festival main concerts to begin this weekend. The Music Director, Grete Pedersen, was quoted in an article that appeared in our local paper. She always thinks about what color music is. I think about how to put music into shapes in lace.

Come to the party!

 Tonight’s the night!! Starting at 5:30 PM and finishing when the open rehearsal starts.

Art of Music Opening Reception

Sunset Center

Carmel, CA

Be there!!!

Listening time

It’s that time of year. I’ll be spending quite a bit of time listening over the next month. The Carmel Bach Festival started yesterday with a free concert. Today is another Masterclass. Tomorrow is more Masterclass discoveries. I’ll be the one tatting in the corner with my idea book open to a fresh page to capture thoughts for future designs.

Experimenting

Every once in awhile I let myself experiment. I’m always imagining how a thread or yarn will tat up. Recently, I was given a bit of “yarn” leftover from an amigurumi project. Just enough to create a flower using the tatting hooks. It came out OK. I disliked working with the “yarn” as it is a polyester sleeve over polyester core. Softish and spongy and just not pleasant. The flower turned out well enough to use as a patch or embellishment. The color reminds me of Cheetos snack. I think I’ll pass on tatting more with it.

Turn in time

I always get excited when it comes to turning in my pieces. Whether it’s the Fair, a Show, or a Fundraiser. Tomorrow, I turn in Melody in Mauve to the Carmel Bach Festival for their Art of Music raffle. I can’t wait to see what other artists have created! I hope people buy lots of tickets!!

Shawl questions

I started out wanting to tat a shawl. I’ve experimented with yarn. I found some bamboo yarn I like. Browsing through the books I have gave me plenty of ideas. Here’s what a square of 4 motifs looks like. 

I think this will do. Now to figure out the edging. It’ll be a heavy shawl. Just perfect for when the fog rolls in!

Getting to the final round

No, not a sports tournament. My latest hair bun holder!!

I like how it’s shaping up. I’ll be able to finish this soon.

I hope you find something to enjoy today!

Another find

Most of my tatting projects are in the not-ready-for-camera-lens stage. My piece for the Carmel Bach Festival Art of Music fundraiser is at the framer’s. My hair bun lace is close to being done, but not quite. My booties are still in the 2^nd sock syndrome stage. I’m in the process of tatting the Revers piece in a smaller thread.

I spent some time recently looking through all my WIP and deciding which ones I needed to work on first. Then, I went on a hike and saw this:

We were on the trail at Ano Nuevo State Park. Yes, there were seals. Yes, there were small lizards sunning themselves and birds galore. At one point, we were watching a flock of brown pelicans. There must have been 50 or so in the meadow! There were turkey vultures doing their thing keeping the beach clear of carrion. It wasn’t until a friend trained his rather professional type of camera at the tree that we realized the bird in the picture above wasn’t a hawk or turkey vulture. Those white feathers really are that dramatic. Even against the foggy sky. We were thrilled to see a Bald Eagle up close! We were able to get within a few feet of the tree (staying on the trail) and were so in awe. You never know what you will see in our parks around here. It makes walking for exercise that much more thrilling!

I was able to finish the last of the stars I've been tatting for Starfish Fibers. Whew! What will today hold????

A Treasure completed

 This is a project the EGA chapter worked on. It’s taken me a while to get the stitching done. I think it was designed by Elizabeth Almond. I like her designs. Now I must decide how to finish it. I don’t think I’ll frame it. I think I’ll back it so that I can use it on a table. Some place that needs a bit of brightening.

Lacing time

 I’ve reached the point in my Melody in Mauve piece where I’m lacing the fabric around the foam core for framing. This is an easier task in my mind. I could ask the framing shop to do the lacing. But, I always fear the piece will end up upside down in the frame. Or the fabric will be pulled too tight for how I’ve tacked down around beads. 

So, I’m threading up my needle with a long, long, long length of thread that I’ll spend quite a bit of time adjusting before pronouncing it good. I may even leave things overnight to let the fabric settle.

I'm taking more time

 Sewing the beaded frame onto the fabric is taking longer than I thought. That’s OK because I want it to look good for a long time. I’ve also been working in walks each day. Yesterday’s walk was nice. Until I made it to the beach where the harbor seals pup. (NB This post shows a beach to the South of where I walk.) There were no seals. Odd. Then, I noticed there was a beached whale in the shallows. No wonder. I’m sad but understand such is way of nature.

I’ll finish the sewing today and get the piece to the framers.

I answered the call

 The siren call of the outdoors.

Yesterday I didn’t spend the day working on inside tasks. I spent most of the day outdoors. It wasn’t particularly sunny. I just decided I needed a day moving around the yard, walking by the sea, enjoying watching the waves.

Now back to work!

Still working

I finished the yellow star. I think. I’ve paused before hiding ends and clipping just to make sure there isn’t another mistake. In the light of a rainy day, I’ll take care of that.

I plan to spend a good bit of time sewing the frame onto my Melody in Mauve piece. I can’t wait to see the reaction at the show!

Stages of pattern familiarity

 When I’m teaching music, I do talk about stages of learning. I see several distinct stages to learning a piece well:

Mastering the technical demands of the composition.

Understanding how the piece fits into the literature and what the composer intended with the composition.

Polishing the piece for use in the future.

Performing the piece.

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The same consideration can be given to tatting.

To create lace, we must go through a similar process as musicians do with music. We must master a technique the designer, even if that’s ourselves, calls for. We must consider the use of the lace. We tat and finish the pattern to create lace.

Right now, I’ve made quite a few of these Star Snowflakes by Vida Sunderman. I can execute the individual techniques used in the pattern. I have a clear idea of how the finished lace will look and how I will use it. I’ve even tatted a couple of stars that turned out quite nice. I’m now in the phase of polishing the tatting.

This can be a frustrating phase. I make silly mistakes. My concentration lapses. I’ll often take twice as long tatting due to un-tatting every few rings or chains. I know I will get there. I just need to do the thing.

Without more mistakes, please!

Derailed a bit

I caught a nasty cold earlier this week. I’m spending all my energy getting healthy. I hope to be back by the end of the weekend.

Here’s what I got so far

The Revers pattern was fairly straight forward. It uses 5 different starts. That's a lot of ends to hide. It also uses a downward picot between chains used for joins to 2 rings. Not necessarily tricky as the photo is clear. 

I used up bits of thread from other projects. The white is Aunt Lydia cotton size 20 and the beige and multi- variegated is Lizbeth size 20.

Next try is in size 80 thread.

Que peux tu revers?

 That’s a poor translation into French of what I think it says. In the current Handy Hands Newsletter there is a pattern for a Rever; a piece of lace intended to decorate a lapel of a jacket or dress. I see an earring. With beads……lots of beads…….

Ready to block

I finished the tatting of the frame. Now to block.

I do not pin or starch to block my lace. Especially if I’ll be mounting the lace on fabric to frame behind glass. I don’t pin the picots. I don’t use a rolling pin to flatten the lace. I just give a good soak for a few minutes in plain water and then lay it out on a clean napkin or tea towel. Occasionally, I'll finger press things in place to dry. 

For this piece, I chose to move it to the grid once it dried for a few minutes. Then I gently pressed all the beads into place so that everything will lay flat for sewing it on the fabric. 

Turning a ..........

Corner.

Like many new tatters, I tackled edgings. I found patterns that were easier to follow. Then, I tried to come up with my own edging pattern. I thought I would be clever and adapt a bookmark pattern I enjoyed tatting. That worked until the corner.

That proved a bit more difficult than I expected. So, I did what I always do in music and asked more experienced tatters for tips. The best tip: consider how the straight part of the edging looks with a mirror set at a 45-degree angle. Most of the time, I could come up with a suitable solution. Most of the time.

Sometimes a browse through vintage books will solve the problem. Sometimes you just gotta sample, sample, sample.

Kinda like practice, practice, practice.

Fortunately for the frame I’m working on, the pattern is pretty easy to turn a corner with.

Both are good options

 Work on the frame is continuing. I’ve completed a round using this:

Plan is to build on that idea for this:

No progress can be good

I didn’t make a bit of progress on any of my projects. I went for a challenging hike instead. That took 5 hours of my time, but it was so worth it. I’m very hopeful that I have recovered from my brush with cardiac issues. I’ve learned how to adjust, and I have had a great deal of help.

Now back to the projects……

Continuing with projects

I have another star on the shuttles. This one is green in size 5. The last one I completed was in size 80. A huge difference in how I hold the shuttle, how I set up the thread for rings. Etc. I hope to have a photo of the set soon.

Another sample finished

 This is tatted in a popular colorway. I seldom reach for it as the patterns I like to use for snowflakes don’t always work for variegated thread. This pattern works nicely. I like the way the colors pool.

Sampling done

 

Ready to load beads. Lots and lots of beads. The frame will need to be no more than 7 inches square at the outer edge. We’ll see how that works out.

How much thread to use?

That question comes up a lot. With just about every pattern I do, I try to estimate how much thread I’ll need to wind on the shuttle, if I should use a ball or wind thread on a second shuttle. And if I’m using a needle or the hooks, there’s more questions: what size to use and how much thread to reserve for chains and such.

So, as I tat up these samples for Starfish Fiber, I’m getting answers to the questions. Short answers: Use 2 shuttles and for size 10, I need 7 yards wound on each shuttle. If you look carefully, you can see where I had to add thread…..to both shuttles! (awkward!!)

I’ll be tatting the pattern using size 80 next. I doubt I’ll need 7 yards on either shuttle. Care to guess how much I will end up needing on either shuttle?

And for those that are sitting on the edge of their chair, I estimate by wrapping around my hand the number of times I’ll be tatting rings, then adding a bit more for chains and then 18” or so for comfortable movement of shuttle etc. Not scientific and when I’m doing a pattern repeatedly or for a class, I make more exact notes. The devil is in the details.

Exploring gift ideas

I belong to a chapter of the EGA. Most of the projects are a bit beyond my stitching skill level. I try, but I don’t produce heirloom quality stitching. I started getting involved so that I could learn how to add tatting to more things. I’ve learned a lot.

This is a little sachet with Cross-stitch and Stem stitch. I did my best, but I think I missed the mark. I didn’t get the chance to examine what other people did close up. I hope to see more of them in the future.

 I decided to tat something “thistley” up to sew on the back. I kludged together a couple of patterns. I think this hit the mark.