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.