Paw Prints

So now you've heard a bit about my sister. If you meet her feel free to introduce yourself as one of "my people". It'll be funny to see what she does.

Despite the "My People" teasing she has an appreciation for both craftiness and seniors (runs a retirement home). Jessica is also able to poke fun at herself. She's 9 months pregnant and in the last month Mom started crocheting baby stuff at an astronomical speed. Jessica is now referring to Mom as her " personal baby clothes sweat shop". A comment more aimed at making fun of Jessica's greed for baby clothes than my Mom.

Unfortunately Jessica had to put her dog down 2 weeks ago. She's very upset since Magic has been with our family for over 15 years. Magic showed up at our house one day and never left.

I've decided to make her something to put on her key chain and there's only one pattern that fits- Paw Prints on My Heart by Heather. So I went to Etsy and purchased the pattern. I found the pattern easy to follow and made a few paw prints the other night. Color isn't showing up very well in this picture but I used Lady Shuttlemaker's Middle Earth in silk. It looks yellow in the picture but is actually shades of brown. I'm sure she's going to love it! I think I'll make a few to sew onto a onsie (onesie?). Thanks Heather for the great pattern.

MY PEOPLE!!!!

You can't know this but I often start posts about the quirks in my family and then never actually post them. Mostly because you may not find it as funny as I do or you may think that I'm being mean. But this time I sitting here in another office downtown giggling to myself and I've really got to share this story.

There's a certain amount of teasing and torture that goes on between family members- especially sisters. Also crafters in general have a certain reputation. When you mention being a crafter there's an image that immediately comes to people's mind that gets worse when you mention that you do lace.

Playing on this particular Stereotype my sister has starting referring to tatters as "My People". When I go to a seminar I'm visiting "My People", if someone is driving slow (usually a senior) on the way to these seminars then they are "One of My People". She has gone so far has to start picking out people on the street and referring them to as "One of Your(my) People".

Let me tell you that's she's not picking anyone that remotely resembles any tatter that I know and most look like they've escaped from the Royal Ottawa (Mental health Institute) or the local Nursing Home! Somehow she knows it hits that mark and I cringe silently inside each time she does it. Sisters just know these things.

So there you are- a story about sisters, stereotypes and a little benign torture on the family scale. That's whats making me laugh all by myself in this big office.

****Sisters have not been named in this post for their protection****

Still Whinning

Since I've spent most of the last couple posts whining I thought "why ruin the trend?" I have located my camera, camera cord and a tatting needle (under my deck) so what else could be going wrong?

I've lost my very important and special crochet hook that fits through seed beads. I broke my smallest crochet hook a couple of months ago and now I've lost the next size up! Once again I'm sure its in a very safe place but I'm be *#!* if I know where that is.

Most of the time I add beads as I go along using a crochet hook. Do you have any idea how tedious it is to add beads without a crochet hook? Very slow. So no beads on my tatting until I either find my beloved crochet hook OR purchase another. Lets not talk about the tatting I've lost along with the crochet hook.

I'm proof that organization doesn't always help!

Thread size note about the bear heart

Just a quick note that I remade the bear heart with size 20 thread (a couple different brands) and everything worked out just fine. So you don't have to use the DMC thread. I've added size 20 thread as a possibility on the pattern. Also, Lady Picot was able to use a different bead and everything turned out just fine, so don't feel you need to use a bear bead just something similar in size.

So sketchy...

My posting has been sketchy I admit it. I would like to blame someone else but its my fault. I keep leaving my stuff all over the place. Just as I realise that I have a slot for my photo card on my laptop and don't need my camera cord (lost but found) I misplace my camera. After 2 weeks of searching the house I finally find it at the clinic... in the last place I looked. You know how I feel about posts with no pictures so I've been immobilized too afraid to post without a picture!


So good news I have a picture and a pattern to post. Its a pattern based around a bead so you'll need to stick pretty close to the original thread size. I used DMC size 8 thread which is ridiculously easy to find and comes in a lot of colors (my sister bought a crap load at a bizarre). I'm thinking you can probably use size 20 tatting thread.


Bear Heart
Vicki Clarke 2010 victats@gmail.com
(click on title for hyperlink to word document)

Materials

bear bead (you can buy this bead by the 100's at a dollar store)
DMC size 8 thread wound CTM with 1 yard on shuttle. Size 20 tatting thread will work as well
ls- lock stitch
lj- lock join
DNRW- do not reverse work

Instructions
Start by pulling thread from top to bottom through bear bead and hold loop using a paperclip.

Ch1 ls 3-4-4-4 lj (to space held by paperclip) 4-4-4-4 lj (to beginning just under the lock stitch)

Round 2
Ch 8
R 3 + (to 1st p of Ch1) 3
Ch 12
R 3 + (to 2nd p of Ch1) 3
Ch 6
R 3 + (to 3rd p of Ch 1) 3 DNRW
Ch 8
R 3 - 3
Ch 8 DNRW
R 3 + (to 4th p of Ch1) 3
Ch 6
R 3 + (to 5th p of Ch1) 3
Ch 12
R 3 + (to 6th p of Ch1) 3
Ch 8 join back to beginning, cut and tie

If you have any questions or feedback about the pattern please let me know at victats@gmail.com. I'm working on making friends with Adobe so I can give you patterns in a better format but I'm computer dumb. It may take awhile.