"Quantiesque" Snowflake

Well I am spending the Christmas holidays fighting pneumonia and a sinus infection so I am not getting a lot accomplished but I did manage to tat this delightful snowflake. My latest adventure with HDT is Jon Yusoff's "Quantiesque" Snowflake tatted in Marilee's (YarnPlayer's) Fern HDT size 50. I love this snowflake for a couple of reasons, the Celtic knot twisting between rows 1 and 2 and I love how the picots line up to present themselves as accents to the rings and the way the chains in the middle of the snowflake look like a flower. If you have not tried tatting this snowflake yet I would highly recommend it. Although it may look complicated Jon has provided excellent directions and they are very easy to follow so do not be afraid to try it.

Celtic Snowflakes and a Gift

Well I am finally at home and Gregg's Dad is well on his way to recovering from his surgery. It is so nice to finally be home, but now the rush is on for Christmas.
I finally have a chance to post some of the tatting I have been doing and let you know about a present I received.

This is a spinning wheel coaster that Laura (Tattycat) tatted for me and sent as a nice surprise in the mail. It is made of Fern HDT by YarnPlayer. There is something special about receiving a gift of tatting especially when you know how much work went into it.

These are a bunch of Celtic Snowflakes that I tatted using Ruth Perry's design. One is done in Apple Blossom HDT, size 50 and the other ones are made with opera size 20 in red. Well on to tatting more gifts.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Unfortunately I am unable to post pictures as I am temporarily located at my partners Dad's house where I am looking after him for a couple of weeks as he recuperates from knee replacement surgery. I am Keeping busy in the tatting world tatting Ruth Perry's Celtic Snowflake in Apple Blossom HDT. It makes nice bright snowflakes for the Christmas tree. I am now trying to decide what colour to tat the remaining snowflakes I need to make and it is a toss up between burgundy and variegated yellow. What do you think?

A New Family Member

Well just when you think your family is complete and things are going along smoothly life likes to surprise you and change things up a bit. Our home can sound as if you are in the middle of a jungle when the birds decide they want to let us know they have voices.I thought our bird room was full but Gregg has managed to squeeze in one more cage and we are now the proud parents of a Rainbow Lory.

As you can see she is a very colourful bird and she is different for us in that she is not a seed eater she eats nectar. She has a funny looking tongue that sticks out past her beak with a little brush on the end to collect pollen. She is a very busy bird and is enjoying her cage full of toys. Her name is Tiki.

Tis The Season

I remember reading a few months ago some tatting members posts that said they did not gift their tatting as it was not appreciated. Now I can understand how awful it would feel to gift a piece of tatting to someone and for them to not appreciate it. I mean what a waste of time and effort and there are a lot of people who would be more than happy to receive a piece of tatting as a gift. Luckily for me I have 8 people on my gift list who are only to happy to receive a piece of tatting for a Christmas gift. They all appreciate the time and effort that goes into making there gift and they treasure them each year. I enjoy making there gifts as it means more to me than just going out to the mall and purchasing something and it gives me a chance to share a bit of me. The bonus this year is that with the way the economy is, homemade gifts are going to be a lot more common.

In case you were wondering this years gift is Ruth Perry's Celtic Snowflake which I know everyone will love.

The Seasons are Changeing

We have a special maple tree in our backyard that is very pretty. It is a Celtic Maple and the leaves are changing colour and are falling off. It is a very rare tree and I have not seen one anywhere else. Here is a picture of the leaves as they fall from the tree.

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On to a completely different topic. With all the talk of acid rain, pollution and global warming I think we are in for some big changes. One thing that is going to change that I do not think people have thought of is that the colour of snowflakes is going to change. As it passes through the sky it is going to pick up pollution and I think it is going to look something like this.

Of course the Celtic part is just wishful thinking and I must thank Ruth Perry for that and the colour inspiration is Marilee's (YarnPlayer) Knitty Gritty size 30. Actually snow might not be so bad if it was this pretty

Hand Dyed Thread Heaven

Anyone who follows my blog knows that I am addicted to Hand Dyed Thread. I firmly believe that it is impossible to have to much HDT and I get excited every-time I come up with a reason to order more. It is so much fun to open the mail when it arrives and marvel at how the thread shines and how the colour jumps from the thread, there is nothing like it.

Now imagine how happy I was when I decided that I was going to make a set of doilies for 3 antique lamps that we have and that I was going to make them out of Marilee's (YarnPlayer) HDT, Tourmaline. I placed an order for 12 skeins and this is how they arrived.

Now these are not your regular skeins. These ones each contain 200 yards of wonderful Tourmaline HDT. Well I think I now have enough HDT to keep me busy for a while although I am sure a new reason to purchase more HDT is just around the corner. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HDT heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celtic Snowflake

Here is another great design by Ruth Perry. This one is for a Celtic Snowflake and it uses the same weaving pattern as the Celtic Maple Leaf.

It is my understanding that Ruth will be posting the directions for the Celtic Snowflake in the next couple of days and I would highly recommend that everyone give it a try. The directions are well explained and pretty easy to follow and what a pretty snowflake you have when you are finished. Happy Tatting.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all in Canada. It is that time of the year again when I like to set aside some time and ponder about what I am thankful for this past year. I find that if I think of all the positive things that have happened over the year they out weigh the negative and there are many things to be thankful for.

1. I am thankful for my two wonderful children who continue to make me proud by what they do.

2. I am thankful for a partner who is supportive and caring and fun to be around with.

3.I am thankful that I don't have to go to bed hungry at night as so many people in this world do.

4.I am thankful for the tatting community that shares ideas and patterns and are always happy to provide assistance when needed.

5. I am thankful for the friendships that I have made in the tatting community.

6. Most of all I am thankful for the small things in life which bring me joy like HDT, a new shuttle, blooming flowers, good food and a bottle of wine.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and take a few minutes to think about what you are thankful for.

Celtic Maple Leaf

One of the classes that was offered at the Fringe Element Tat Days last weekend was for a Celtic Maple Leaf designed and taught by Ruth Perry also known as Rozella Linden. The design is not to complicated and was a lot of fun to tat. The Celtic Knot part of the leaf has now been used in a snowflake which you can see here. This Celtic Maple Leaf is made with Sugar Maple Hand Dyed Thread from Marilee (Yarnplayer) size 20

Beautiful Flowers

I don't know about others but to me it is a feel good moment when I receive a thank you card for something I have done for someone.

What makes it even more special is when you receive one that looks like this.

Every thank you card is special but when it is a card that is hand made just for me it makes me feel real special. This card is a thank you card that I received from Linda Davies for test tatting her Starburst Doily. When I test tat patterns for other tatters I do not expect anything in exchange, I am just happy to help out but Linda sent this card along with a couple of goodies that made my day. The flower arrangement on the front of the card is exquisite and is surely a labour of love. Each flower is a work of art and together they make a treasure. This is one item of tatting that I will deffinately be framing. Thank You Linda!

A Great Tatting Day

The Fringe Element Tatting Days where a big success. I attended the Saturday events and had a wonderful time. It was so nice to get together with a bunch of tatters and be able to talk about what you are doing and everyone understands. I attended a workshop led by Ruth Perry and she taught us a Celtic maple leaf. I will show a picture when I make one with the HDT I am expecting from Marilee. (YarnPlayer) Ruth was a great teacher with lots of patience and an easy going manner that made everyone comfortable and confident in there tatting. Lots of other classes where offered and when we first arrived we received a wonderful goodie bag. The facilitators also where prepared and had chocolate available at every table. ( a must for tatting ) There where lots of vendors and raffles and an auction. All in all it was a wonderful day.

Followers and Tatting Days

I have added a new feature to my blog that keeps track of what they call followers. If you enjoy reading this blog please consider joining the list all you have to do is click on the link to the right. I would really find it interesting to find out who enjoys this blog.
The excitement is building. This weekend is the Fringe Elements Tatting Days. I cannot wait to get together with a lot of other tatters and learn some new techniques and be with people that understand tatting talk. It is always fun putting faces to some of the names that you see on the Internet. Ah yes, being around people that all they want to do is talk and do tatting. What a great way to spend a weekend.
I consider myself one of the lucky tatters in that I live close enough to a tatting conference that I am able to attend one. For those that do not live close enough I would highly recommend that you save your pennies and make the trip to a tatting conference as there is no experience like it and who knows with more people taking up the art of tatting I think we will see more conference locations in the future. Happy tatting everyone.

Remembering to Appreciate

It is funny how in the hustle and bustle of life we forget to appreciate things that go on around us until something happens to bring it to our attention. It is to bad that we need a reminder to be thankful for all the people who help us in our lives. The event that brought this to my attention was three weeks ago my partner broke his ankle and is not allowed to put weight on it for six weeks. This limits greatly the chores he can do around the house. We share the chores around the house and just take it for granted that we each do our share. My having to do extra has made me realize that we need to recognize each other for the jobs we do around the house and how they contribute to a happy home. We need to thank each other for the tasks that we each do that allow us more free time to enjoy the hobbies that we have.
We also need to be thankful for the thoughtful strangers who are part of our life each day.The ones that wave us to go ahead of them at a four way stop, or who let us go ahead of them at the cashier, hold a door open for us and greet us with a cheerful high in the morning. There are many things that happen in our lives each day that are made better by the small things that others do for us. Let's pay special attention to them today and make sure we thank them for special way they improve our day.

I Love Your Blog Award

I have received the I Love your Blog Award from Grizzly Mountain Arts. It is always a special honour to receive an award from a fellow blogger. To share the joy of receiving an award I am passing this award to:

How about orange...

YarnPlayer Arts

Laura's Tatting

Tattingchic

Lady ShuttleMaker

TatMan

These are the rules..

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog;

2. Link the person you received your award from;

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;

4. Put links of those blogs on yours; and

5. Leave a message on the blogs that you’ve nominated

Male Roles Versus Female Roles

This past week has proven to me once again that society has a long way to go before we can consider ourselves open minded and accepting. Last week my partner broke his ankle and required surgery to implant a steel plate and screws to hold it together. Needless to say I have spent a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms. Like other tatters I tried to use some of the time to tat and take my mind off of his surgery ect. While tatting I encountered three types of people 1) those who were impressed that there are still people around that know how to tat. Especially a male. 2) Those who thought tatting was nice, but that it was a weird thing for a male to do and 3) I was a weird male because I was tatting.
I find it funny how people judge what a male should do and not do. If I cook at home I am a wimp but if I cook a banquet for 1000 then I am a chef. If I know how to sew I am a wimp yet if I get very good at it I am one of the worlds top clothing designers. It is like this in many areas of life. Sometimes it would be nice if people would just think about these things before they judge what I am doing. It would be nice if both males and females could do whatever jobs or hobbies they wished and not be judged because of it. Yes I know I am wishing for a perfect world.

This was the doily I was doing for the tatting Olympics but I am going to get a DNF ( did not finish ) on it as I am going to take a break from it and test tat a doily for Linda called Starburst. The doily that I was working on was Party Time Doily from Traditional Tatting Patterns edited by Rita Weiss and is being made with Tourmaline Hand Dyed Thread from Yarnplayer size 80. This is my favorite thread that she makes so far.

Well here is an aerial view of the Turtle Mosaic Sculpture to give you a better view of the detail that makes up the sculpture. The thousands of plants have grown and been trimmed and now form a solid pattern. I think you will agree that it is pretty amazing what you can do with plants.

A Gift of Tatting
My partner's dad who is in his 80's and his cousin who is 87 came to visit us this week. They came to see our gardens and the cousin wanted to see my tatting as she used to tat when she was a bit younger ( as she put it ). When I showed her my collection of tatting all she could do was gasp and say she had never seen anything so beautiful. She was used to the basic tatting done in larger size thread and could not believe how fine the thread I use is. I took the opportunity to show her some of the techniques like the split ring and double picot and she was just amazed, but the best part for me was the look on her face when I gave her a doily to take home with her and the way it made her face glow with happiness. She said to me no one appreciates the gift of tatting like someone who knows how to tat. I was glad to be able to make her day.

Test Tatting a Joy, Pleasure and Honour

I was asked two weeks ago to test tat a pattern for a fellow tatter and I must say that it has made me feel a few things joy, pleasure and honour. To be asked to test tat a pattern is a honour for me, as I know what a big thing it is to ask a fellow tatter to test tat a pattern. The designer has worked hard to develop a new pattern and now they are sending it out to a fellow tatter to test. To see if it makes sense, is interesting and/or challenging enough to interest other tatters and to see what the finished project looks like when made by a fellow tatter. ( This is kind of scary. I know as I have done it myself. ) It is a honour to be asked as you are being shown by the designer that they value your opinion as a tatter and also value your skills and tatting knowledge. It brings me joy in kind of a selfish way in knowing that I am the first person to tat this pattern besides this designer. It makes me feel special. Lastly and maybe most importantly it brings me great pleasure to know that I have helped out a fellow tatter and because of that I feel a little better about myself today and am just that much more grateful that I am a Tatter.

Mosaic Sculpture

Just for something completely different and something that you will not see anywhere else. My partner has spent the past month planting this giant mosaic sculpture ( 3D plant sculpture) You start off with a metal frame, cover it in landscape fabric, stuff with soil, poke holes in it and plant thousands and thousands of plants. This turtle measures 27 feet from the head to the tip of the tail and is 13 feet wide across the middle of the shell. To maintain this sculpture it needs to be trimmed by hand once a week till the winter at which time it is taken all apart till next year.

Tatting and Community

I don't know about all the other tatters in the world but I feel blessed to belong to a group who is not only carrying on a great tradition but also developing it into even a greater form of art. Before I found tatting on the Internet and specifically tatting groups I thought tatting consisted solely of rings, chains and picots. After finding tatting on the Internet I was introduced to a host of new tatting techniques such as split rings and chains, double rings, block tatting and a list of others. Not only was I introduced but fellow tatters where kind enough to post pictures and videos to show and explain how to accomplish these new ideas.

In this day and age of the me generation where people are only concerned about themselves or what they can get out of a situation, where there really is no sense of community or helping others I am happy to say that I belong to the tatting community which is nothing like this.

I find the tatting community to be a refreshing change from the every day life as here is a group that goes out of its way to make you feel welcome, showers you with praise about what you are able to do no matter what level of tatter you may be and is always there to answer any question you may have no matter how great or small. All members appreciate the effort you put into the piece of tatting you have accomplished and all members are there to support you when times are going rough.

Yes the tatting community holds a special place in my heart as it is always a place I can turn to for a little sunshine on a grey day. I challenge each member of the tatting community to not only share the art of tatting with others but to try and share a bit of the tatting community sunshine as well if possible. Just think of how much better the world would be.

Clyde

a proud member of the tatting community.

Heirloom Doily

I was asked by a fellow tatter if I could take a picture of the doily with a common item to give a better perspective as to the size of the doily. I am happy to oblige. The pencil in the picture is a new , standard soft lead pencil and I hope this gives everyone a better perspective as to how big the doily is. My daughter is down to visit for a week and she got her first look at the doily and she is very pleased with it. Now she just has to wait for it to be passed down to her.

Heirloom Doily

Following some helpful advice from Sharon I have taken a new photo of the doily that gives it much better representation. I don't know why I didn't think to photograph it on a white background, it sure makes a big difference. Now you can see the true colours of the thread and better detail.

The Making of a Heirloom

I am a firm believer in the value of the strengths that we need to pass on to our children to help them grow up to be well rounded adults. One of those strengths is that they know that they are loved and are reminded of it often. This is the reason that I wanted to make this heirloom doily for my daughter so that when I am no longer around she will have a reminder that her Dad loves her.

This doily is made from the pattern available from the online classroom here and is made with YarnPlayers Fern Hand Dyed Thread size 80. The doily is 17 inches across and took 11 skeins of HDT to make. It was a big project to work on but after seeing it done, it was well worth it. My daughter is coming home for a visit this weekend and I can't wait for her to see the doily. Now my son has asked when I am making one for him but he wants a rectangle shape.

Here is a peek at the final row of the large doily I am making. The progress is slow but I am taking my time and working on it in a relaxed manner and not trying to hurry it along as I find when I do that I break the thread when I close the rings. I am really looking forward to getting this done and being able to post the picture of the finished project for all to see. Soon.

Grizzly Mountain Arts has bestowed the " Arte Y Pico" Award upon me. This is my first award and I am very honoured. The award is passed from one artist to another to honor their creativity. To keep the karma flowing and to share this good fortune I am honouring a few fellow artists with this award.

Tattycat/ Laura's Tatting Muse
A tatting friend who has joined the designers world and shows great creativity with shuttle and thread.

Marilee/ YarnPlayer
An inspiration to all of us who adore her Hand Dyed Threads. Wonderfully talented at jewelry making. Recognized and published by "Belle Armoire" magazine.

Mark/ Tatman
A multi-talented tatter who generously shares his wisdom with all tatters. Thank you for your website Mark it has helped a lot of us.

Thank you again Grizzly Mountain Arts for giving me this award today.

We have finally finished planting our gardens and I wanted to give everyone a view of what our backyard looks like when it is first planted. Keep in mind that we are under snow for 5 to 6 months a year and I think you will be amazed at the tropical getaway that we create for ourselves to enjoy each year. All the palms are real. For more pictures click here. I hope you enjoy the view and when the gardens come into full bloom I will post new photos.

These two wonderful shuttles arrived today from David Reed Smith. His handmade shuttles are made from exotic woods and are very light, smooth and a joy to tat with. They also hold a ton of thread and are available in a variety of sizes with or without a hook or pick. The lighter one is made from Tulip wood and the darker one is made from Purple heart wood. They are a welcome addition to my collection and as the saying goes you can never have to many shuttles.

Well I have finished two more rows and they set up the foundation for the FINAL ROW. Yes I am very excited as this major project is coming to an end. I know there are a lot of people who are not crazy about doilies but I think there is something special about a large piece of tatting like this that we can pass down to our children or someone special. There are few things left in this world that are special and are still handmade I say lets carry on the tradition before it disappears in this made by machine society.

Hurray Progress
I finally finished the row that seemed it would never end. I don't know why but this row just seemed to take forever and it was not fun to do which is unusual for me. I am looking forward to finishing this doily but there is still a ways to go so I have to remember patience, patience. I am really happy with the progress so far and it is going to be one heck of a doily.

Many Things To Be Happy About

We are finally starting to get some warm weather. Yesterday was the first day where you could go out and really enjoy the weather. It has been a long time coming. As readers who are familiar with my partners and I garden know we do not like your typical plants for example there are not to many people in Southern Ontario with Palm trees in there backyard during the summer. Well our latest find is a Gardenia standard that is 4 1/2 feet tall. The above picture is a bloom that has just opened on it and it is 3 inches across and the scent of the flower is totally intoxicating, one of natures marvels. It is a big deal here as they only sell small potted Gardenias for inside so this was a real find and will look wonderful in the gardens. Other good news is that I have ordered myself 2 shuttles from David Reed Smith if you have not seen his shuttles I suggest you take a look they are gorgeous and I cant wait for them to arrive. Lastly I am happy because the doily is at a point again where I am enjoying tatting it. There where a period of 2 weeks where not much got done because it just did not feel like fun but that has passed and I should be posting an update photo by the end of the week I hope. Happy Tatting everyone.

Yes I am still working on the doily. I just had to design a part of a motif for it as the center that the pattern called for did not look nice when I tatted it so I changed it and am much happier with the one I designed. Now about my thread problem. Thankfully Marilee (YarnPlayer) has offered to dye a batch of thread to match the Fern that I am using so I will have enough thread to finish my doily. It is by no means a small undertaking as I think I will use about 14 to 15 skeins of HDT which is a big investment but it is worth it as it is an heirloom to be passed on to my daughter.

Now for other news. We have a new member in our family. She is a 2 1/2 year old Indian Ringneck Parrot named Kiwi. She is settling in very well and is already playing favorites with Gregg. Our home is starting to sound like a jungle at times.

I am presently working on a very large heritage doily and was sure I had enough Hand Dyed Thread to finish the project but was sadly mistaken. If anyone has Yarnplayers Fern size 80 thread in there stash that they would be willing to sell me or trade for a different colour could they please contact me off list or I will not be able to finish this doily properly. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Clyde
I can be reached at cepage1ca@yahoo.ca

A number of months ago there where a few people who where posting a Pay it Forward Challenge on there blogs and I signed up for the one posted on Laura's. ( Tattycat ) I had forgotten all about it until yesterday when I was surprised with a package in the mail that contained a thoughtful note and two items that she had tatted. The first was a beautiful square doily done in two shades of mauve size 80 and the second was a really cute cross that is about 1 3/4 inches tall, done in mauve and lime green variegated thread. Thank you very much Laura as I don't know about other tatters but the gift of tatting is special to me as I appreciate all the work and time that goes into it and I know how hard it is to gift a piece of tatting.

The doily is progressing but it is going very slowly right now. The row I am working on is another row of motifs and though they are not hard they are time consuming and I have not had much time for tatting lately. I have been suffering through a bad bunch of migraines the past 2 weeks and they have left me unable to do anything. I am hoping that this bad spell of them lets up soon. My next project will not be near this big. I think it may be time for some HDT bookmarks.

Well the doily continues to make slow progress but that is okay. I have promised myself that I will not work on any other tatting until it is done. I am the type of tatter that only likes to have one project on the go at a time and finish the job before I start a new one. I am really surprised that even though I am using size 80 thread this is going to turn out to be a big doily. Well back to my tatting.

Well spring is trying to break through and the first true sign of spring as far as the parks go is my partners' creation of the pansy tree. It is nice to see such a colourful and unique display to start the garden season. This year I am looking forward to mosaic sculptures of a peacock and a turtle. I will be sure to post pictures for those who may be interested.

Well this doily has now reached the point where it is to big for the scanner and I still have 5 more rows to go. It is going to be large and I am loving it. So far I have used 3 skeins of Yarnplayers Fern Hand Dyed Thread size 80 and it is making for a very fine lace doily. I am really happy with the way the colours flow throughout the doily. When this is done it will definitely be a heirloom for one of my kids.

A while ago I think it was Sherry that mentioned she got a headlamp for bike riding but she was using it for tatting. Well I must say thank you for the idea. I don't know how many fellow tatters have difficulty seeing there thread that they are working with when it is dark out and they are using a fine thread and you just have the light of a lamp near you but this has been something that has been a nuisance for me. I decided to try the headlamp idea and it works amazingly well. It is so much easier to see your work and the individual knots it is amazing.If you consider buying one I would recommend the Garrity model posted above the big reasons are that you can select the brightness of the light and you can adjust the angle of the light so that it points to your work without you having to move your head. The battery life is good at 135 hours for 3 AAA batteries. I bought mine at Lowes for $20. Definitely a recommended purchase for all tatters.

These two orchid blooms where just to pretty not to post a picture of. They are from a miniature cattleya orchid called Hawaiian Sunrise and the blooms are about 1 1/2 inches across. They come from our collection of over 30 orchids.

This is the start to the large doily that I am in the process of creating. I am using Yarnplayers, Fern size 80 HDT. The doily will be about 18 inches when done. The pattern comes from Needlecraft, February 1925 and can be found at http://www.georgiaseitz.com/books/nc/ncfeb25pg20.jpg . I would have posted a picture sooner but after I finished 4 rows I noticed an error in a previous row so it was back to the beginning.

Happy International Tatting Day

Well I have decided to celebrate tatting day in a big way. I am using the day to start a 18 inch doily in size 80 Hand Dyed Thread. I think the tatting crazies have set in. I will post updates on my blog so those that are interested will be able to follow my progress. Well it is time to get back to the tatting and chocolate.

Ray Of Hope

This is the third in a series of doilies that I am designing with the hope of publishing someday. This doily measures 13 inches across and is made from Altin Basak size 50 colour 356 and it took most of a 20 gram ball. This doily almost never happened as when I finished the center motif which I thought looked like a sun I did not like it as it was to wobbly and unmanageable but I decided to give it a chance and add one more row and see if it changed my mind. I am happy I did as I am pleased with the finished product and I think it makes a nice addition to my designer series. One thing with designing you just never know what you are going to end up with, at least that is the way I design.

Pay It Forward
I found this on Laura's blog, and I think it's a wonderful idea!
As a condition for participation, I need to post this pledge:
My Pay it Forward Pledge
“I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”
Don't be shy folk's this should be a lot of fun.

Come on Spring

My partner grew these daffodils and they are really pretty. They are miniatures that stand about five inches tall and make me wish it was spring. I have seen my first robin which is usually a sign that Spring is just around the corner, but the weatherman says we are in for six more weeks of winter. I sure hope he is wrong. I have not been getting a lot of tatting done do to a large amount of horrible migraines but I am working on doily number three. I am really happy with the way it is coming together and hope to have it finished and a picture posted within a week. Happy Easter Everyone.

How to Unwind a Skein of Hand Dyed Thread

I have noticed in the emails a few people who have expressed concerns about how to handle a skein of thread without it ending in a pile of knots so I thought I would share what works for me everytime and I think it is pretty easy and well worth the effort. This method was developed to be done by one person as I always find when it is time to start a skein no one is around to help.
1. Remove lable from skein and keep in safe place for future reference.
2. Untwist skein untill you are left with a circle of threads that are tied together in a couple of spots.
3. I usually tat with my feet up on a foot stool so I place the circle of threads around my 2 feet about one third of the way down my foot then slightly tilt my feet toes out to tighten the thread. Place the knot that joins the start and end of the thread towards you.
4. Remove the loops of thread that are tied to hold all the threads together.
5. Cut out knot that holds the beginning and end of thread together and let them go.
6. Grasp one of the thread ends and pull it around your feet and after a couple of times it starts to come off easy to wind on a shuttle, bobbin or a piece of cardboard. Remember to keep slight tension with your feet. If you are winding onto a piece of cardboard make a slit in each end of the cardboard, place start of thread in one slit and end of thread in slit at other end.
7. Plan ahead and plan on winding the whole skein of thread in one sitting and what ever you do donot answer the phone or door or the nasty knot fairy's will visit.
I hope this will help those who are afraid to try Hand Dyed Thread because it comes in skeins. Any questions contact me at cepage1ca at yahoo.ca Hope this helps.

I had some of the Tourmaline thread from Marilee (Yarnplayer) left on my shuttle so I decided to make a treat for myself. Pictured here is a bookmark and coaster that I made from an adapted pattern from Tatting Patterns and Designs by Gun Blomqvist and Elwy Persson. I have really enjoyed tatting with this thread and I think it is one hand dyed thread that would look great with any project. I recommend that you keep an eye on Yarnplayers blog to find out when she does another batch of this thread I can guarantee it will go fast.

SUNLIGHT

This Doily is made from a pattern from The Tatter's Treasure Chest By Mary Carolyn Waldrep. It is made from Hand Dyed Thread from Marilee (Yarnplayer) called Tourmaline in size 50. This colour blend is my favorite HDT so far. If you decide to make this doily take note that there is a huge amount of picots to do and the last row requires a lot of blocking.

It is always nice to get surprise packages in the mail but when they focus on tatting it just makes them that much more special. It is always nice when a fellow tatter shares some of there hard work with you but they get the pleasure of knowing that it will be truly appreciated. Laura surprised me with this beautiful butterfly in wonderful colours and a snowflake with beads. Laura you do very nice tatting and thank you very much for the surprise.

Sunlight

This is the start of a doily from a pattern from the book The Tatter's Treasure Chest by Carolyn Waldrep. I decided to use a pattern because the thread that I am using is Marilee's (Yarnplayer) tourmaline, size 50 and I think it is the nicest HDT that she makes. I just love the colours so I wanted to make something that I knew I was going to like the look of and not waste the thread. Thanks Marilee for once again creating a HDT that is almost to nice to be real.

SUNLITE

This is number 2 in the series of doilies that I am designing. I am happy with how it turned out except the outer rings are woven picots and they do not work to well with the fine thread. I think the woven picots will turn out nicer with a thicker thread. The doily is 6 inches across and is made of Marilee's (Yarnplayer) Tiger Eye Hand Dyed Thread size 80 and I used about 35 yards of thread.

Waves,
I was playing around with the pattern for the waves doily and came up with some numbers that may be of interest to a few people. This doily was made from size 80 thread and measures 8 inches across. It consists of the following elements 280 joins, 2,104 matching picots and finally 10,040 double stitches. No wonder these things take so long to make.

WAVES,

Well it is now finished and has a name. It has taken a while but I am happy with the result and it is the first finished pattern of many that I am working on. It feels good to finally get one down on paper and tatted and believe it or not the second one is already on the way it seems the creative juices are flowing so I will work on patterns till I tire of them and then go about tatting them in different size thread to see how they work out. It is exciting to know that you designed it yourself and it turned out okay.