Broken Heart - Mended!

Getting better...

Thank you, Gina!

Anon,

Congratulations!

***RAYANNA***

Yup, you won the Milward!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Number 2 and Number 3 are: 

**Paula C** and **TypsTatting**!

I need you all to email me your addresses, and I will send the packages off to you on Friday morning.  They are packed up and ready to go!

Because we are all in different countries, the mail may be slow, so let me know, please, when your mail  has arrived.  : )

My email is on my profile page.

Thank you to all those in Tat-land who were willing to throw their hat into the ring and play my little game. Everyone who commented was included in the draw, whether they had a blog or not.  It was difficult to sit here with the number generator and know that there was only one little Milward and a lot of eager, hopeful tatters out there!  I know!  I've been there often!

Anon,

Broken Heart

 I just had a look at the most beautiful motif: Liyarra's, posted to-day.  It is wonderful.

Even though this heart, designed by Gina and on Georgia's site, should not even be mentioned anywhere near the above-mentioned beauty, I am posting it because I have learned that only by really looking at the boo-boo, and living with it do I get better!  (Seems to apply to real life as well!)

Here is the poor thing.  The Tatting Goddess used #20 and I used#40, so mine had too many stitches resulting in cupping and a misshapen centre. Also, the new Lisbeth I used seemed a bit twisty. I must add that I missed a join which really was the undoing, so to speak, of the entire misadventure!

 #18/25 Motif Challenge

I will re-do it tonight.  Maybe!

Anon,

Rescued by the Random Number Generator

 I had not thought about how I was going to perform the draw - until now!

Gads, there are too many names to begin cutting up little circles or squares, so I searched and found this:

This has been quite the little learning experience!

No tatting tonight to show, as the heart I was working on all night and actually completed is in rough shape. I left out a major join and I am so disappointed.  Ah well.

These are done, however.  The Boss will be pleased.

Socks keep me grounded. : )

Anon,

Am Having WAY Too Much Fun! Update!

 I can't seem to leave it alone!  I went on a thorough hunt - at work and at home for anything else that could be  included in tomorrow's draw.... Have your name in by tomorrow at 10 p.m. Eastern time.

: ))

Anon,
 

Anxiety Means More Winners

I must be thick-headed, or barring that, unable to be rational at one in the morning!

Of COURSE there are folks out there who lust after that Milward shuttle, as I did when I  bid for it!  That is why no one is as keen to speak for the black shuttles, in the "A" group.

So, since there are quite a few people  in for the draw, I thought it might be better to have a few more people have a "win", even if it is not the Milward.

I have divided the shuttles into three groups, and of course, the first winner will have the Milward, plus an old white shuttle and an Inox, which I have added,  and three others will have  two old shuttles, one black, one white and one Clover each.  To me, this seems more equitable.

I have been fretting all day about fairness as I have never done this before and want to do it well.  This solution seems the right way to go, but if you have a wee frown on your face, please let me know!

If all is well, I will announce the winners on Thursday morning.

Anon,

Are You a Collector of Shuttles?

 I am not.  I am a minimalist. It seems that in my life I keep only what I use and hopefully those items will also be objects of beauty.

Remember I received the lovely old shuttles from a woman named Mary?  She had graciously responded to my request for old shuttles, as I often used to ask customers about what happened to the old, family shuttles, unused and tucked away.

 I inherited Mary's and have now had the experience of using them, plus a Milward and an English Aero, that I won on eBay.  You can see I am currently using one of Mary's, the bottom white one that has the thread attached.

The English Aero is the only old shuttles that I will keep - and it  will not be used frequently, as you have seen what happened to the English shuttle's ill-fated German cousin....  but we won't speak of that unfortunate incident.

Since discovering tatting, I have tried many threads and shuttles and other bits and pieces of useful tatting paraphernalia and have slowly learned what works for me. The rest I have given away or  traded as I am happy when things are happily used and appreciated.

The shuttles above I have held on to, as I did not want to be ungrateful; however, it is time for these old dears to move on.

So, if you are a collector and would like  either (A) or (B) or both,  leave me a message. If there are many responses  I will have to have a draw.  The cut-off date is Wednesday the 27th.

Anon,

Remembering Mary Konior

 Although I have been a citizen of Tat-land for just over a year, and  my shuttles are newish, I have all of Mary Konior's books.  I was influenced by her work from the start and have read those books over and over again.  Such a wellspring of inspiration.

With her life in my mind, I tatted up one of her patterns using Yarnplayer's Garden Afternoon and Cébélia #20 in green. Her considerable talent may have been in my thoughts, but there was a sorry lack of proficiency  in my fingers! There was a lot of retro-tatting, cursing, missed beads and foul language - you know what I mean!

The end result looks pretty, but is full of errors and alas, lacks finesse.  All of that aside, the design is so very lovely; so ... Mary Konior,

Anon,

Hooks Off to Procrastination

It is one o'clock in the morning and I have just finished the patternI have been working on for over a week for TAT. It was a big one and  I am really pleased with what I have accomplished. I am also more than a little puzzled at my behaviour as I neared the end of the exercise.

It is this late because I decided that before I finished the piece, I really needed, NEEDED, to get out the Aero shuttle that I don't ever use.  I figured I might be able to make it usable with a few minor modifications..

The above is what ensued.

Before I got to that part, just look at the havoc I managed to wreak.

Actually, the idea was good, but the shuttle is toast; I did not have the right file for the plastic, so aside from the guillotined hook, the shortened end is very rough and uneven, a result of maltreatment with a nail file.

Why, when I only had about an hour left, did I even think of doing this, let alone, actually carrying out my ill-conceived plan?  Fear of endings? Self-sabotage?

Oh well; I am content with my finished tatted exercise,, and whatever THAT was about, I will not be repeating the bizarre ritual, as I have no more Aeros to mutilate!  I do not plan on acquiring these shuttles again.  Good thing.  Good night.

Anon,

MISTAKE ALERT

First, I must apologize to Tatskool for my MISTAKE!  Her lovely Vanilla Sky, pictured in the middle of the picture of the last post, was wrongly called Corsage, which is actually another of Yarnplayer's  HDTs.  I misread the labels of my stash.

Now, I want to thank all of you who replied to my question about this topic!  I love the forthrightness of your responses and the thoughtfulness of your comments.

I realize I, too, am happy to hear criticism from a source like TAT, or as a response to a request from me for input, but I am also my own hardest critic. Unbidden  reactions might cause over-reaction and .... well, misery!

That being said, I also welcome constructive criticism  - always have.  Maybe I am just a masochist!  So, after all that, I remain ambivalent.

Lastly, I will be contacting your therapists later on today.

♥ Thanks for participating! ♥
Anon,

I Have Been Bad

I have been in touch with 
Tatskool and Yarnplayer.....  

   Marilee's Celery and Sugar Maple 
Tatskool's Rainbow Bright, ChocoLime and Vanilla Sky.

Ah, so beautiful!

Just what I needed!  Bad, bad  and more bad!  I think I am giving myself little goodies as I struggle with the last part of the TAT course.  I haven't even posted the book that came in the mail this week.  I will have to post that later or I will feel over the top bad!

The TAT piece I am working on now is large, and is taking quite a lot of time.  Also, I am trying to complete a pair of socks for The Boss, ( Yes, Carla, we do indeed follow their commands!) so she won't feel slighted because her little brother got his already!

What Do You Think?

In the last post, M and JB brought this up: Would you want people to point out errors in tatting on your blogs?  M said she doesn't  know if she should point out a flaw on someone's blog and JB asked M to point out any flaws that might appear on her work. What would you want?  I am ambivalent.

I don't know if I have ever seen comments pointing out flaws.  Have you?  I don't believe this is a common thing for tatters to do. Tat-land seems to be a mostly polite and supportive place, steering away from problematic or worrisome topics. Any thoughts?

One last thing; Sally asked what I was going to do with the motif I corrected.  'Frame it?' she asked. I have a box full of tatted items and those I like to look at go up on 'The Lamp', to which I have subjected you  in the past.  Here it is in its present splendorous array! 

 Anon,

P.S. THE LAMP:  For you who have not seen it before, is a simple, old, painted floor lamp with a white cloth shade that has sloping sides - very, inexpensive, both.

When I finish a motif that I like I place it on The Lamp.  Nothing is attached.  The motifs stay put on the cloth and remain until they are ousted from their position of glory, replaced by my newest, most beautiful achievement!  : )

I Didn't See the Forest for the Trees

 I was. as my Gram used to say, pleased as punch, with this motif and took it proudly to work for 'show and tell! One eagle-eyed colleague, said it was very nice, but she wondered if I knew a piece was missing.

WHAT?   I  was aghast!
WHERE?

She had to point out the missing bar.  Yup.  There was a gap and no green bar and picot.  I had looked and looked at this little motif, very lovingly; I might add, as I really admire the design.  I did not see the missing stitches till they were pointed out.

Can you see the problem in the first picture?

Wheel of Nine Rings

from

Christmas Angels and Other Tatting  by Monica Hahn

I thought about that blasted mistake all day long!  I cannot believe how I could not jettison thoughts of THE FLAW from my mind.  It lurked around in there till I got home and had barely taken off my coat, when I realized I had to fix it right away.  Before my dinner.  Before the cat's dinner. 

Ahhhh.  Here it is.  Complete.  I ate in peace.
So did my cat!

Krystle' s HDT, the darker green, brewed up in an experimental batch 

by Dr. Von Threadmore.... and Yarnplayer's Rhubarb Pie.   Both #20.

Another lesson. I fought with myself about whether to fix it or to leave it, and on and on and on...  Easier to just realize that I will correct the mistake and there doesn't have to be a good reason to do so.  It is just for my own satisfaction to attain a sense of completion.  It took three minutes - no kidding - to fix.  No big deal and certainly not worth the useless mind chatter that erupted in my noggin all day about should I or shouldn't I fix the darn thing!

Tatting presents a multitude of life lessons if I pay attention.  Microcosms in a double stitch.

I'm glad I got lost in the woods.

Anon,

No Tatting for The Boss's Bro!

Taking a bit if a break.  I was going to post the photo of that gorgeous motif I was working on, but I got sidetracked and will show you that tomorrow! It is finished!  : )

In the meantime, I have finished these, at long last,  for my grandbaby.  As the Boss's brother, he gets the short end of the stick!

Don't these remind you of Tigger from Pooh?  They are little, which you can't see, as the wee lad is a mere 8 months old.

As to today's tatting adventure, it went like this:

I was in Kensington Market - a central cluster of streets of vegetable shops, old clothing stores, ethnic restaurants, all thrown together in old, close-together buildings built at the beginning of the last century.  The streets are one-way and narrow and there are bargains to be found everywhere.

You have to brave the congestion, the smells and the traffic, but it is a fun place to find 'the deal', which leads me to my confession....

 

...  as if I NEEDED this.

That the whole lot was less than $10.00 does not absolve me of the GUILT.  I do not need any more thread - especially this kind!  WHAT was I thinking?  Now I am buying embroidery thread to see how it tats!  Gads!  What is happeneing to me?

But the BEADS,  ah, the lovely, shiny, smooth, colourful beads.... are they not beeeeuuutiful......?

Anon,

PS.
Don't forget to check it out!

LadyShuttleMaker's New Giveaway!

Progress!

 Thank goodness!  I'm liking it a lot!

Tried the SCMR for the last ring, but surprisingly found it very awkward in this pattern, so I am going to use the regular rings for the remainder.  Points for trying it, though!

This brings my Motif Challenge to 16, since November. Who would have thought...!

 Anon,

Without Fail....

 Not sure why this always seems to happen, but it always does. Sigh.

Here -

- a book I really like and inside what I thought would be a fun tat, something with which to take a break from T.A.T. as I have been zooming along and need a wee break.

Also, I can't share any of my TAT experiences, but there is so much I have accomplished that I am fairly bursting to show someone,  for I have little that is available to post on the blog.

Really, this is the best course to learn tatting in a cumulative and progressive fashion. It is challenging, rewarding and frustrating all at once.  I am loving it.  But I must love it alone!

So.... a little something to take the edge off, thought I  - a small pattern with those clever onion-shaped thingies that I seem drawn
 to  - a  subject for a blog post tonignt.


WRONG.  All I managed was this:

Using bits of leftover HDT, I wound two shuttles and started to tat.  Very quickly I realized this was going to be a long drawn out affair... This is a fiddly pattern.  Pretty though.

Anon,

Do I Have A Year for the 25?

 This is #15 of the 25 Motif Challenge - IF the Challenge is not from January to January, but for twelve months. I am not sure how it works, but relying on something Chiclet said somewhere, I am assuming I can use my November 2009 to November 2010 time-line as my  Challenge time.  Is this correct?

 

At any rate, I made this in about an hour, yesterday,  for a friend I had lunch with today, who is so appreciative that it is a joy to give her a little motif!

There was thread on the shuttle left over from the wreath motif, and I surprised myself by tatting this up so very fast.  Wow - last year, at this time, I would never have believed that would be possible! I also seem to be using a lot of beads in my "me-time".

 I have another question.  I have a whole lot of Cébélia thread.  In the past few months, I have become very picky about the thread I use, and am wondering if I will ever touch this stuff again.  Anyone else in Tat-land know what I am talking about?  Whatever are you to do with a bin of thread you will never use up?
Anon,

What, No One Noticed?

I worked for hours - really, hours on the new look.  Changed my original, eight-month-old newbie, profile pic, updated the blog in all respects.  Such a lot of time - some would say - wasted!  Me, I love playing around with the computer when I have the time.  So, do you like it?  It matters not for I am pleased. : )

Now, I am going back to tat the rest of the gift motif!

Anon,

This One's For Me!

"Tatted Christmas Wreath" by Samantha Melnychuk

 ...and the one I am working on, exactly the same,  is a gift for someone I am trying to encourage to pick up the shuttle!

This is my all-time  favourite colour of HDT so far.  It is Karey Solomon's size #30 3 ply.  It is a bit soft, but works up well and is not bad as far as retro-tatting.  I love it.

Because I have finished half of the course for T.A.T.,( yah, HALF!) I thought I'd take some me-tat-time and so I did the socks for Mini-Boss and then this repeat of the wreath I did in yellow last month. Such fun!
Anon,