Friday, January 27, 2012

Romp with Regency

Regency Doily, that is, designed by Karey Solomon.

57-100 Motif Challenge
Thread is Lizbeth #40 and 
Tatskool's gorgeous Ginger and Clove  HDT #40 
from her Spice collection. 
Thanks Suneeti!

The pattern for this motif, which measures just under five inches in diameter when tatted in #40 thread, appears in the February 2011 issue of Tatting Times. It has taken about a week to tat, most of it having been completed while in NYC.

My eldest Grand (nearly 7) loved this and requested one like it, but with another layer attached on the top!  Imagine that!

Once again, I used restraint in adding beads, and am pleased with the results, though I do notice where I could have utilized a wee bit of glamour in the centre, with a controlled application of ochre or terra cotta Delicas.

With the remaining thread I pulled out this book:


This is the pattern I chose: 

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Manhattan Tats


You see, I may have had an unusual reaction to the travelling...
I mean, the kids are active and I didi not get much sleep, but, really....

Had a great time.
It always goes by too quickly.



When I arrived home, I found this in my mailbox.  


Thank you, umintsuru!  
Again, you have been the catalyst to my enlarging 
a burgeoning bookshelf!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Hearts, Minds and a Certain Ring

Definitely hearts in my mind!

I remembered I designed a heart in honour of Misha last year, and now that I have been tatting the TIAS  pattern - thanks to Margaret - I have had an epiphany!

I think I can actually re-create this pattern:

1
Here is my Misha pattern:


2
Here is my TIAS tatting to date:


3
I would like to fiddle with the pattern and incorporate that middle circle into the Misha pattern and remove the finding... I think it will work!

Then I have to figure a way to get the blasted diagram done!  I do NOT find EasyDraw very easy!

ᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇᡇ

TIAS - tat it and see -  is a wonderful opportunity to learn new tatting techniques in a fun way following Jane's ingenious programme.  I highly recommend looking into it if you have not done so.  Took me three years, but I finally am participating.  Thank you, Jane!

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888
I will be in New York Monday, and not posting,
so an early and hearty
 GONG XI FA CHAI
to all those celebrating Chinese New Year!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Follow Your Heart

...or yet another heart pattern.  Here it is again.  Irene Woo's heart in one colour. A few beads are in there too. I could not resist.  Really, just a few.

The ones on the bottom are the beads my mom saved from some vintage piece last year for me.

#56-100 Motif Challenge

I had leftover thread so:
#57-100 Motif Challenge
Celtic Pattern by Rosemary Peel
HDT by Karey Solomon

More loose ends. Searching for the next tatting challenge...

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Depending on Your Perspective...

#54 and #55-100 Motif Challenge
Pattern by Irene Woo
HDT by Karey Solomon - #30

Frivole has diagrammed Iren's pattern beautifully - here. I had never seen this lovely pattern before, but since I relentlessly follow Frivole's blog and am enamoured with her design work and her amazing tatting, I didn't miss this post!

Isn't it interesting how colour can so completely change the feeling of a design?

I take this for granted most of the time and do not even think about it, but when I re-experience this truism, it is like learning something for the very first time.

It was fun tatting these.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Fiddling With Findings

#53-100 Motif Challenge
#60 or #80 HDT by Jess

Findings fascinate, frustrate and are financially foolish for me to buy.  They sit there, taunting me for I seem unable to design anything for them.

Yesterday, I had had enough of feeling badly about this, so I plucked one I bought because I love the shape, grabbed some leftover thread and...