Earring challenge

Remember this challenge? 

Well, an earring a week was just a bit too much for my tat-load (workload of tatting projects). But, I’m thinking an earring a month will work. I decided that when I found a list of earring patterns I made a couple of years ago. There’s 9 on that list. Add to that the patterns I’ve discovered in the last year or so. And voila! An earring a month!

To motivate myself and convince myself I can actually meet this challenge, I’ve created this display.

Most of these entries were finished by the time summer began. Several were in the “because I can” stage when I registered to enter. Two entries weren’t finished in time. Two pieces I entered weren’t really finished either. I’ll be reorganizing my tatting display items next week.

Progress with crotat Carmel doily

Here’s my progress on figuring out this doily:

I’ve noticed some fundamental design differences between the two doilies I’ve attempted using Cro-tatting techniques:

The doily in pastels fills every chain with some crochet edging stitches. The doily in white/cream leaves the chains bare. I may have also misinterpreted the cream section. It’s just too difficult to tell. The tatter in me thinks this section may just be picots between every stitch then crochet into the picots to create the chain effect. 

Mmmmmmm must experiment some more. 

Anyone else game? A normal crochet hook can work, but the tool I'm using has a smaller hook section. Tatting thread is easier to draw through the stitches to close rings than crochet cotton. It’s a pleasant puzzle to work.

Post Fest glow

            After a wonderful month of activities, the Carmel Bach Festival is finished. The art donated for the Raffle has been carefully distributed to the lucky winners. Those who win a piece of art are encouraged to write a thank you note to the artist. I happily wrote my note for the book I won. It’s an exquisite handmade paper book with two quotations. I love paper making, so this beauty is now displayed on the ledge in the windows by the harpsichord.

I wonder where my bookmark has landed? I count the whole Festival Raffle experience a resounding success!

            Before I go, I’ll share a bit of my success with the cro-tat technique: 

 This yarn is marketed for baby things, so it has a bit tighter twist. It’s also 4 ply which helps also. For this pattern the color way actually works too.

 Mmmmm beginner’s luck?

Cro-tat progress

This cro-tat technique is growing on me. I like the thought that I could collaborate with someone accomplished in crochet. Here’s the best of what I worked on Tuesday:

The sample on the bottom in both pictures has some crochet stitches between rings. The sample on the top in both pictures is shown with top side and bottom side. The one document I found on line suggests using rings with the bottom side up as the picots look better. I think that’s because the rings in that pattern were to represent flowers.

I used some thread left over from a previous project. I think it was tatting to put on a card. The leaf color reminds me of that series. It’s Cotton Perle in size 8. I used the cro-tat hook that I was gifted. I think it was sourced from Annie’s Attic, but not sure.

I’m going to continue to play with this.

Fair Prep begins

Remember this post ? Well, the Monterey County Fair has created a division for Cro-Tat work. When I was gifted the tool 5 years ago, there wasn’t much available for information on Cro-tatting. Georgia does have a tutorial from a 1869 publication http://www.georgiaseitz.com/classes2/crotat.html and reviews books distributed by Annie’s Attic. https://www.anniescatalog.com/list.html?q=cro-tat

And then there’s the doily I found in a resale shop:

The crazy thing about that doily is how it matches a doily my Italian tatting friend, Ninetta, found in a small shop near her home! So, how is this done? O_o? (confused face)

My crochet skills are abysmal. I hope to convince a friend to collaborate with me to create a cro-tat something to enter in the fair. 

In the meantime, I've finished another stripe of the flag and am ready for Round 5 of my Wisona 2017 doily. Whew!!! 

TIAS Day 6 and Hope

The sunrise was lovely again today. The fog cleared over us, but stayed in the hills. As the sun crested the Eastern hills, everything lit up! Sigh!! It was lovely to watch as I finished my cuppa.

Then, I finished Day 6 of Jane’s TIAS.

TIAS Day 6

I'm thinking legs of something with a square body. But, there are those two beads rattling around on the shuttle. Don't have any better idea to what I am making. Such a fun game!

I have been mulling an idea for a pattern. The background: I support the Prayer Shawl Ministry at my church, St. Andrew’s Episcopal, Saratoga. We as a parish also support seminarians. One in particular with a wonderful bass voice has been working with the Veteran’s Hospital near here. He expressed an interest in having something to leave with those struggling with PTSD. As he spoke of the female patients, my mind’s ear remembered his singing “My Hope is Built”.  Shelve that tune for a moment and back to the Prayer Shawl meeting. I ended up with a bit of left over yarn and a cro-tat tool that was given to the group. In looking for a pattern to try it all out, I picked up my copy of Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. Her patterns are always an inspiration to me. I tried out her Hope pattern.

Hope by Mary Konior using Cro-tat and yarn

Not that successful, but good enough not to “bin” after a scan. I had tatted that pattern in size 10 and really liked how it worked out. If I had a ton, and I mean a ton, of the yarn, I might try to cro-tat something for the group by joining the motifs together. My quick estimate is 16 yards for each motif. That’s a ton of yarn!

Back to Solid Rock (the tune for the hymn). The meter for the hymn is listed as 8.8.8.8 with refrain of 8.8.8.8 for a total of 8 syllables for 8 lines. Some of you are already seeing where this is going. I’m going to try to play around in my graphic program before picking up the shuttle to see if it will work. I may just get impatient and start tatting……

More on this later