My morning and some pictures

On the way into work this morning I realised that I had not brushed my teeth. So I ran to the drug store before going to the clinic. I felt much better once my teeth were clean and thought I would share some Christmas pictures with you.

My decorated Christmas tree.  I must have been hungry because most of the ornaments are deserts of some type!



Cake send to Mosque for a bake sale.




My Secret Santa package that I sent out.  I haven't taken a picture of the one I received yet.



Pink snowflakes I made for my sister and mom to give as gifts. I put them together in different shapes to see how they joined together.  Kinda like playing with wooden blocks


 

18 Tatting days till Christmas???????

What?  I read somewhere that there are only 18 more days until Christmas.  Time is running out.  I still have to finish a few snowflakes and some tulle tutus for my sister.  Otherwise I'm pretty much set or as good as it gets until the last minute.  There's always last minute stuff.
On a happier note I have a pattern to share.  I wrote it a couple of years ago but never had a good picture to go with it.  I hate trying to tat a pattern with no pictures.  Also, a big thanks to Sherong who told me how to make pdf documents.

Holly Jolly X-mas Tree

Click on tittle for link

Still Dancing

Guess where I was Saturday night?  At the PRINCE concert...Squeeeeeeeeeee!  And it was so fabulous, better than imagined.  That man that needed no opening act to warm up the crowd- he just came out and played.   It was everthing you expect from Prince, his band and his singers.  Better in concert than on the radio.
In case you're wondering what Prince has to do with tatting I used my thread money for this ticket.  No new threads for me.

Found!

My siblings and I are always having a "Who's most like Grandma" contest.  Don't get us wrong, we love her but she has some definite habits.  I think I've just won!
Almost a year ago I drove to my Mom's house and took along a pattern I was working on.  I was using a lovely hand dyed thread that inspired the pattern.  Some time during that weekend I lost the doily and have been looking for it ever since!  I looked in my house, in my mom's house and in my car.  No dice.  In fact, when my mom's basement flooded this fall I took the opportunity to look for it again. 
Well, I finally found it in a bag of flannel in a drawer.   I was going to use the flannel to make a receiving blanket but never did.  Grandma always bought material with the intention of making something and she always shoved things into bags.  When ever she sent something home it was in a bag, in a bag and in a bag (3 bags).  So there's the doily in a random bag, shoved into a bag. Hmmm.


missing doily pinned flat after a year spent rolled up in a ball.



National Button Day

According to some this is National Button Day.  So in celebration of the thing that keeps our pants from falling off I'm posting this button snowflake pattern.  The link is on the right.

This fabulous blue button was purchased at the Baptist Church in Campbellford, Ontario.  Every Friday and Saturday in the summer they have a yard sale in the small barn at the corner of their parking lot.  I'm not ashamed to say that I've gotten quite a few neat things from there including this blue button.  Actually I got a box of several hundred blue buttons for $1.  A bag of 100 buttons went to my mom and 100 went to my 4 year old niece.  My brother claimed she didn't need them but really she did.  Buttons make everyone happy.  I still have LOTS of blue buttons.

I've been trying to make a blue button angel but things aren't quite working out.  The proportions are wonky.  The one on the left has wings that are too big and a skirt that's too small.  The one on the right has wings that are kinda stubby.  I think the head needs to be bigger as well.  I like the blue outline.  I worked on those in the summer then got a headache and set them aside.  It'll come to me eventually. 



Shoe stuff

Balloon Patch- makes room for toes that hit the top of the shoe.  I cut off the original material and sewed on a stretchier material using a special sewing machine.

I took off the outsole and cut a line through the shoe to stick in some extra material.  This widens the sole if you have feet that are different sizes or have a really wide foot in one area

The blue plug looking thing is called and excavation.  The blue material is really soft so you can cushion a sore area under the foot. 

We took off the outsole and added more height to the shoe which helps people who have one leg longer than the other.  Its pretty neat, we just glue EVA (rubber) to the shoe and then use a grinder to take off excess.  You always add more than you need and then grind off the extra.

Added Velcro straps.  I got to use another type of sewing machine.

I didn't share pictures from my shoe adventures yet.  Shoe modifications involve a few basic skills- cut and paste, sewing and finally grinding (sanding).   Its really important to make friends with the grinder.  This also helped me to understand why glue doesn't always stick.   Its really important to rough up a surface before gluing and to let the glue set a bit before adhering things together.
Good news, I passed the course. 

I will never buy another...

 

I will never buy another pillow with tassels!  The picture on the left is the pillow full of tassels and the picture on the right is the pile of thread that came off that pillow this week alone.   It looks pretty but what a mess.  The tassels are getting shaved off!

Halloween is done, now onto Christmas... unless you're American then its onto Thanksgiving

 

I had a great Halloween!  I love giving out the candy and my neighbours really get into it.  Mark and Melissa gave out whole chocolate bars and changed their backyard into a spooky witches haven.  I'm a little less imaginative and just gave lots of candy.  Everyone likes candy!

Well, onto the next season!  I was at the Dollarama and they are just getting their Christmas stock.  Every year there's some new and really neat stuff.  I found this star and silver snowflake.  I changed the crystal on the snowflake to pink and used pink organza for the loop hanger for my sister's Christmas tree.  She's been doing a pink and silver theme for the last few years.  It looks pretty cool.  The star I didn't alter but I was really happy on how nice it looked once I got it home.  You never know at the dollar store if something is junk or nice until you get it home.

My sister saw these tulle skirts at a craft booth and asked me to make a few.  It's a no-sew project which makes it really easy.  This one is for my friend's daughter.  I thought it needed to be super pretty so I added the crystals and pearls by hand.  If you are thinking about making a skirt, make your life easy by buying the tulle on the rolls.  That way you have the width you want.  I bought years of tulle and then had to spend time cutting.  Fortunately I have a rotary cutter and mat so I was able to cut 2 inch strips pretty quick... but it was still a pain in the butt.

Just a quick note that I've added the snail pattern from the Hector Tatting Seminar this sring to the side bar.  The butterfly still needs some corrections.  I also added a leaf pattern that I added to keep and share last fall but never linked to this blog?  Weird.   In case you were wondering the peep pattern by Karey Solomon I showed in the spring it is from the Tatting Times Volume 19, Issue 1, February.  Be careful- its very addictive. 

Teddybear Pumpkin Zipper Pull

I meant to put this up in September but time got away from me.  The teddy bear bead used for the center can be found at Dollarstores or bead stores.  Its a very common bead but you can use a 6mm bead instead.  Really its just what you have handy.  I used DMC thread because I have a crap load of it but I think that size 20 tatting thread is a good substitue.  I made the pattern last year so I can't remember what other threads I tried at the time. 

Teddy Bear Pumpkin Zipper Pull

Vicki Clarke 2010 victats@gmail.com

Materials
2 yards DMC size 8 orange thread
Bear Bead ( or substitute a 6 mm bead)
Wind 1/2 yard on shuttle CTM with ball
Split ring finding (if making a necklace or zipper pul)
Green sequin (optional or substitute a green bead)
LS- lock stitch
lj- lock join

Instructions:
Pull thread through bear bead from bottom to top and hold loop using paperclip

Round 1
Ch1 LS 3 p 4 p 4 p 4 lj (to space held by paperclip) 4 p 4 p 4 p 4 lj (to beginning just under the lock stitch)

Round 2
Ch2 6
R 3+ (1st p of ch1) 3
Ch3 10
R 3+ (2nd p of ch1) 3
Ch4 8
R 3+ (3rd p of ch1) 3
Ch5 12 lj (to space above 1st lj on ch1)/ ball join to sequin and split ring finding (when pulling up the thread leave it slightly loose so the split ring can turn easily)
Ch6 12
R 3+ (4th p of ch1) 3
Ch7 8
R 3+ (5th p of ch1) 3
Ch8 10
R 3+ (6th p of ch1) 3
Ch9  6 join back to beginning. Cut and hide ends

Guess what I got to do this morning!

I got to make shoes!   Okay, not actually a shoe from scratch but I got to tear apart a shoe and start adding stuff to it...kinda like remodelling a house.  I'm taking a course on foot wear and one of the things we get to do is modify a shoe.  So today I got to sew a sew, rip the bottom off a pair of shoes and glue...lots of glue.  I go in on Saturday and will take my camera with me so I can take a few pictures.

Pumpkin Patch



All 3 together


I keep seeing altered pumpkins when checking out the early Halloween decorators.  I've kinda grown attached to those crazy pumpkins and decided to try tatting an altered pumpkin brooch using beads.  I guess its kinda interpretational but I like what I turned out.  I find its challenging to take pictures of tatting when there's crystals involved.  I find I get one aspect really good and compromise another.  Either the beads or the tatting, rarely both at once.

You can't see the stone very well but the tatting really shows up



The stone and crystals show up but not so much the stitching



All 3 again but the black ones don't show up very well.  I thought the black looked better than the orange. 

Busy weekend

I had a busy weekend.  Me and a few other suckers..oops I mean leaders took a bunch of Brownies and Sparks camping.  We went to Camp Woolsey which is close to Ottawa.  It rocked!  Even though the weather was cold and a little windy the girls all cooked their own hot dogs and s'mores over the fire.  Pretty exciting for a 5-8 year old!  I'm not sure who suffered more- the leaders in the cabin with the girls waiting to cook their lunch or the ones outside in the wind.  I guess its a draw.

The girls did the clean up afterwards and had duties that they had to do after each meal.  As a reward they got this wonderful duty roster pin for on their hats!  Isn't it great?

You know the best part about this camp?  We all shared the planning.  All of the groups in the area pooled resources and we got together to plan the weekend.  A few people picked up the groceries and a few did the crafts.  BEST CAMP EVER! 

Until I locked my keys in the cabin and had to commit a felony in order to drive home.

Waiting for pictures...

Every time there's a tatting seminar I look for pictures.  While I feel a bit like a stalker looking for the pictures I want the 2nd hand experience the pictures provide.  Last weekend there were 2 great events going on so I'm looking forward to hearing about the mayhem.  Its sad to miss out on a gathering of tatters.  What do you call a group of tatters?

I made up for missing out on tatting by attending the Annual Gem and Mineral show here in Ottawa.  I got a great deal on some beads but regretted not buying more.  When there's a big selection I always feel like I bought the wrong stuff no matter what I buy.   The same happens when buying threads during a seminar.  I get home and wonder what I was thinking and why didn't I buy the other colors!  I could solve that problem by having an unlimited amount of money so I could buy everything...but unfortunately that's not reality. 

I felt much better about my choices once I started to make stuff.  I ended up finally making a bracelet I've had in my head for awhile.  I had the clasp ready and waiting I've just never had the right time and right stones.  Although I didn't use a pattern I think that both Kaye Judt and Yarnplayer Marilee Rockley sell a pattern very similar.  The picture really isn't great and it doesn't show up the shades of white-grey-black in the stones. The amulet on the left I made with the center stone in the tatting and then sewed moonstones on afterwards.  The picture is crappy but its pretty.

Going to go check the blogs for more projects and pictures from the weekend....

busy summer?

This is the longest I've ever gone without posting. I've started a few posts but haven' finished any. Its been a very busy year...I'm not sure where the time has gone.  I think I've completely missed summer.

Well, I kinda know. At the beginning of September in 2010 a Chiropractor in Stittsville hurt her wrist and asked for an emergency replacement to see her patients. A few of us pitched in to help and I ended up working alot of extra hours. Unfortunately it turns out she really blew out her wrist and it wasn't a common injury. In health care you want to have a common injury otherwise no-one really knows what to do...so it was a wait and see game for a long time. I had no idea how long she would be injured and when she started working again she had to do it gradually. Chiropractors can't work without their hands. Finally in the last week of August she went back to full time work.  So now I'll have a little more time.

Last night I almost had a catastrophe when I accidentally send ALL of my photos into the trash.  I'm not sure how I did it and it took me awhile to figure out what I did.   Maybe I should back up my pictures and files eh?

This is a picture of some of the stuff I've been working on.  Hopefully a kit for the snowflake with the button is winging its way to SC right now.  I sent out a package through USPS on Sept 4th and it hasn't arrived yet.  I'm screwed because I didn't keep the receipt so I don't have a tracking number.  The lady at USPS customer service assures me that there is no way for them to find that number. I can't believe that I'm the only person in history that has lost a receipt and this hasn't come up before. Since the lady on the phone couldn't help me I'm just waiting to see what happens...

Finished projects from Finger Lakes

I have been working on finishing projects from the Finger Lakes weekend.  One of which is a garden newt which I didn't take as a class but I couldn't resist tatting the pattern.  I haven't had a chance to do the garden spider but its next.

As mentioned in my last post I'm addicted to making peeps.   There was a copy of The Tatting Times which is published by Karey Solomon in the grab bag.  I love her patterns and this one is lots of fun!  This is one of many.  I've done a few where the center flower is in a contrasting color.  I purchased more thread when I was at the Finger Lakes seminar so I have plenty of choices.  I did something annoying and didn't check the sizes so I ended up with 3 balls of size 40 Lizbeth instead of size 20.  Fortunately the colors match and I'll still be able to use the thread.  Still, I'm irritated with myself.

Great time at the Finger Lakes tatting seminar!

A big thanks to the organizers of the seminar.  I had a great time and can't wait for the next one.  You really have to appreciate the people that put these events together.  Its nice to be around people who understand what that string thing is and don't consider it a personality flaw. 

Unfortunately, I'm not one for taking pictures but check out crunchybanana for some fun pictures of projects.  I've completed a few things and will share them when I find my camera.  I made a garden next, earings and a peep!  The peep had nothing to do with the event but was from a copy of Tatting Times was in the grab bags.  I started to laugh when I saw the pattern because a week before I was thinking how cool a tatted peep would be.  So I had to make it ASAP.  Its awfully cute!

I have an evil plan to make the garden spider this weekend!

Love my Kindle

As indicated in the title I purchased a kindle (e-reader) and absolutely love it!  Its so much easier to read and I never would have believed it until I tried it.  Unfortunately I hit a glitch when I found out its the only e-reader that's not compatible with e-books our local library carries.  So I'm very sad- that's the main reason I got it.   I talked to a few people and there's a way around this issue.  Basically I have to download to my computer first and then convert the books.  So I'm going to try a few things. 

I was also told that many books are available for free if you find the right site.  I'm not talking about the ones that are in the public domain either.   Apparently new books can be found.  I'm not comfortable with doing that, I expect to get paid when I work and I think that writers and publishers should get paid for their work.  Project Gutenberg is a site that shares books that are in the public domain.   So there's lots of opportunity for free reading without hurting modern day writers.

The other thing I really like about the kindle is that books aren't taking up space in my house.   Its all in one little container and available anywhere I take my kindle.  No commitments to reading just one book!

Just one question though, will this be the end of the bookmark?

Happy St. Patty's day

Happy St Patty's Day!!

As you can see I've had some fun making Shamrocks.  The ones in the back are Tatting Goddess's and the from Sharen Morgan.  Thanks to you both for sharing the patterns, they were just right for the day.  I threw the shamrocks into my pocket for no particular reason.  My friend Salima took Sharen's shamrock and pinned it to her shirt.  She got lots of compliments. 

Roses are red...

Ever since I got my own laptop I've been lazy about posts.  You would think that it would be easier to use my own computer instead of the one at work.  The catch is that I don't own a scanner and I'm an indifferent photographer.   I end up with no photos to go with the posts and you can't see what I'm talking about.  Of course I can just randomly write whatever is on my mind but I like photos. 

So today I looked for stuff to share that you haven't already seen and found this picture on my laptop.  I meant to post it in February and ask what that did they look like to you?  I was trying for roses but wasn't sure if I was delusional.  In addition, I was trying to figure out a way to make the roses into a doily without losing the rose in the pattern.   I don't think I needed to be so concerned...Pier One Imports wasn't worried about losing the rose in the design when they did their rose placemat.  

The roses really show off  Yarnplayer's hand dyed thread and the color changes.  The one on the right is done using Olde Rose and the smaller rose is done using Pizazz.  I've yet to try the pattern with a solid color so I guess that's the next step.  I have a vague picture in my head for a doily but I don't have the right colors in Lizbeth thread right now.   That means its on the shelf until I go on a purchasing spree for greens and rose like colors at the Finger Lakes Tatting Group seminar.  I have to start compiling a list of needs now so I won't miss anything.

Finally A Head!

Poor dragon lost his head and
has to hide until it regenerates!

I've been tatting Anne Bruvold's Norwegian Dragon pattern for the last 2 weeks.  It met with early disaster when I missed a ring and then horrors of horrors ran out of thread doing the head.  Poor dragon had his head cut off for a week!



finally finished!

I persevered and finally found him a head.  I was really tempted at one time to pretend it was a side profile and skip the other wing.  During the process I learned I never have to worry about SSSRs coming undone, they are pretty hard to cut apart.  I'm thinking in a regular pattern that ends with a ring you could substitute a SSSR and just cut the thread where it comes out.    I used Yarnplayer's Pizazz thread and I love the vivid colors.  I think I might try doing Anne's Sea Horse Dragon next.  You find this pattern and a bunch of others at: http://nuperelle.net/Sammensatt/HjerterEng.htm. 



Rainy Day

There's so much rain comming down in Ottawa that a rain warning is in effect.  Anyone with half a brain is at home worrying about their basements flooding.  I'm not because I'm having a case of house phobia.  All my friends are too busy to come out and play but I'm bored.  Normally I can find lots to keep myself occupied at home but today I'm reluctant to hang at the house.  No reason, just feeling confined.  The cleaning that desparately needs to be done might be playing into my phobia.  I also need to do the laundry.  You would be amazed at how much laundry one person can generate or at least the amount I produce. 
So far I've ate lunch out with friends, gone to the wool shop, bead store and a very noisy Starbucks.  Since anymore shopping therapy will require a stop at the mall I'm thinking that I'll just go home and clean.

Stats

You need to clean the kitty litter...

Why haven't you cleaned the kitty litter?   !

Just to let everyone know that I've posted the dagger heart pattern at the side.  Click on the picture at the side to get the pattern.  Lace Loving Librarian pointed out the new feature on blogger that allows you to see the number of visits to you page.  I'm not sure if its all that accurate because it has Threads of a Tatting Goddess as the number one source of all visits.  I've contaminated that count because I use Tatting Goddess's blog list for finding blogs and often use it to find my own.  So I suspect that most of those visits are actually me. 

Completely Missed Valentine's Day

I completely missed Valentine's Day.  It wasn't on purpose, I truly love any day that allows you to wear pink and red together.  Sadly, I was informed in 6th grade by the fashion police that they don't match.  That might be true but sometimes pink and red do go together!  
Cameras and taking pictures is the bane of my blogging.  I have a few pictures to share but they're at home in my camera and not on my computer.  I wanted to share the dagger heart pattern but I don't have a good picture of the heart in progress.  I think pictures will help make the directions clearer. 
I always read the comments on blogs.  Its interesting to see what people say.  Yarnplayer's blog has 161 comments/entries for her latest give-away so far today.   Which means that there's alot of people who are usually quiet.  I have to confess that I've been too lazy to leave any comments lately.  Sometimes its more trouble than its worth but I'm going to get back in the habit.  I like comments because its nice to know that someone visits your blog.  I made the mistake of not putting a visitor counter when I started blogging so I have no clue how many people actually visit. 

Housekeeping

Sunday was a day of cleaning up and finishing stuff.  I cleared out a bunch of pictures from the photo gallery on my computer.  To get one decent picture you take quite a few and there were lots of redundant photos on my computer.  So I erased ones I don't need and hope that I don't regret erasing them.  I also fiddled around a bit and made a few more snails.  Its interesting how different color combinations can completely change a pattern.  I think the snail with the blue body is better than the brown I used in the last post.  I plan on adding another twist to the pattern but haven't tried it out yet. 

I've also spent the last few weeks obsessed with a particular motif in tatting.  In my head I call it a dagger because its made of a series of rings and chains that get smaller until it comes to a point.  I was working on a pattern before Christmas that involved this motif but lost the doily and thread somewhere between Ottawa and Campbellford.  I worry that it fell out of my car.   Last weekend I started playing with it again and ended up with these hearts and a square doily that's slowly forming.  The heart at the top is done in Tat's Kool's mango chocolate.  I love the shading in this thread from brown to yellow, unfortunately that doesn't show up in the picture.  The 2 a the bottom  and the square doily are done in Lady Shuttlemaker's (Sherry Pence) silk thread.   I lucked out this week because Sherry sent some thread as a Thank-you for some thing I sent for Picadilly.  Sherry was too generous and I feel like I should send a thank-you for the thank-you.  

I'm going to use Sherry's thread to continue a few more rounds.  I've had to stop and take a break because I was getting stiff but the doily is currently 61/2 inches.  The nice thing about silk thread is its ability to slide which means decreased friction while tatting.  You don't notice this until you go back to a cotton thread and then you feel the drag.  I can tat more with the silk thread before my hands start to stiffen from overuse.   

Hector Tatting Seminar

Its an exciting time of year with all the Spring Tatting Seminars being posted.  The seminar closest to me (relative term since its a 4-5 hour drive) is the Hector Tatting Seminar.  The drive is sooo worth it!  Its fun to get together with other tatters and hang out, take a few classes, eat great food and get a few tatting supplies. 

If you're in the area the seminar is on April 2-3/2011 for more information you can email Karey Solomon at threads@empacc.net.  There's some great classes being taught including one taught by me called Garden Critters!  Its hard to pick what classes to take from the description so I thought I would help by posting a picture of the snail and butterfly I'm teaching.   The fun part is that you should be able to finish the butterfly in class then start same pattern again with a few twists to create the snail and a more slightly more blinged butterfly.  So you get a chance to add a little complexity to the pattern.  If you haven't done 2 shuttle work this is an easy start.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year to everyone!  I know I'm a little late in my New Year's wishes but I've been in mood of quiet contemplation.  Okay...not really. I've been reading instead of tatting.  At least once a year I spend a week or 2 in a glut of reading.  Not that I'm reading anything too impressive, just a bunch of trashy novels (but only the best trashy novels). 

The funniest thing happened the other morning.  I came downstairs and my 2nd cat couldn't be found.  For a second I thought she had died because she's always at the bottom of the stairs 1st thing in the morning.  After looking around for her I finally found her.  You can't tell from the photo but she's sitting on top of my satellite receiver.  It puts out more heat than you realise and when I left it on over night she discovered a nice, warm perch!