Elcie and the Hippocampus

Hey everyone, here are a couple of motifs I've finished.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #618 and #644 . Motif #4 of my second challenge.

This motif pattern is Elcie by Wanda Salmans. It was an easy pattern to follow, and I like how it looks in these colors.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #647 , #686 , and #688 . Motif #5 of my second challenge.

This Hippocampus pattern is another one of the things I've been working on recently. I love mythical creatures, and am always looking for new tatting patterns featuring them. When I can't find a pattern, I think about trying to make one up myself.
I like how the hippocampus turned out, though the tail took a couple of drafts to get right.
Thus far, I've been focusing on making up patterns for mythical creatures that are hybrids.
What kind of patterns do you like?
For those of you who design patterns, what kind of process do you go through when making a new pattern?

Late Christmas Tatting

I had meant to post these right after Christmas, but got busy with other things. Anyway, here is the tatting I did for Christmas 2014.

Done in Lizbeth size 80, #601, #638, and #671. Motif #21.

I love how this one turned out! It's the December 2013 Snowflake, by Sharon. When I was looking at the pattern, I thought it would look nice if done in three colors. This is a pattern that I would definitely do again.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #152 and #671. Motif #22.

I really enjoyed the Design Tutorial Snowflake, by Robin Perfetti, It is a pretty pattern that reminds me of a wreath (hence my color choices).

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #152.

This Snowflake 2 is another of Sharon's patterns. This was an easy pattern to tat, which is quite nice to do in between more difficult patterns.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #152 and # 671. Motif #23.

The Celtic Style Christmas Wreath pattern is by Birgit Phelps. I haven't done much Celtic style tatting patterns, but I might look into more now that I've done this pattern. I tatted the full pattern, and then tatted some without the final row.

Celtic style wreath, without the last row.

Why did I tat some without the final row? Because I thought they looked nice both ways.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #151.

The Five-Pointed Star is from the book Christmas Angels and Other Tatting Patterns, by Monica Hahn. Whenever I look at this pattern, I'm reminded of starfish.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #152.  Motif #24.

The Star of Leaves pattern is also from Christmas Angels and Other Tatting Patterns, by Monica Hahn. This was probably one of the more difficult patterns for me. I don't use a gauge to measure the bare thread (or picot lengths, for that matter) so the bare thread between each level of the points had me a bit nervous.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #152.

Now, the name I have for this pattern is Snowflake 16. Unfortunately, the pattern I have saved only has some pictures and the pattern, not who designed it. So if anyone recognizes where this is from, I would love to know. It's a pretty pattern, and enjoyed how all of the rings came together.

Done in size 10.

This angel is from a Nativity pattern by Jenni Sherriff. I plan on doing the rest of this pattern at a later date.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #633, #640, and #647.  Motif #25.

I love how this Tea Cup and Saucer pattern turned out. This is a pattern that I've been wanting to do for a long time, and one that I would do again and again. I didn't connect the tea cup to the saucer, so you lift the tea cup up.
It's just an adorable pattern.
And with it, my first 25 Motif Challenge is completed! It was an exciting challenge, which allowed me to tat twenty-five patterns I had never done before. I've enjoyed the challenge, and am going to begin my second challenge immediately.

Letters done in Lizbeth size 20, #656, and #657. Roses done in DMC size 30, yellow. Sewn onto muslin.

This was the big project. My family drew names for Christmas, and I got my Grandfather. I decided to tat letters to spell Families are Forever, and then frame it. I used the letter patterns from The Tatters' Paradise again, and then tatted some roses using Vicki Clarke's Roses are Red pattern. The most time consuming part of this project was the sewing.
I do not like sewing.
But it was worth the effort, because my Grandfather loved it.

Snails and letters

Well, I've been moving at about the same pace as these pretty snails from Tatting Animals, by Inga Madsen.

Guess what, we're going to be inside letters! Motif #13.

These lovely critters were done in Lizbeth size 20, #620 as the body, and #121, #124, #131, and #135 for the shells. The two on the left have a bead, while the two on the right do not.

While I was tatting these, I also noticed a difference between the diagram pattern and the example picture in the shell. A single chain that in the diagram is six double stitches long; while in the example picture it is three double stitches, picot, then three double stitches, and the picot is used to join a ring later on. That ring also is altered slightly, depending on if you need to use it for that join.

So the two snails on the left are tatted according to the diagram, while the two on the right follow the example picture.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #115 and #680.

This doily was for my Uncle's birthday, and is the Pinwheel doily pattern from Be-Stitched. At first I wasn't sure if he would like it, but when I gave it to him, he appeared to quite happy to receive it.

I did make the long chains of row four too loose at first, but I was able to manipulate the core thread so that I could spread the excess into nearby chains and rings. It took some extra time, but it made the final piece look so much better.

Look! I think it's trying to spell something in size 10 thread!

For my cousin's birthday, I tatted his nickname. He seemed to like it, which is what I always hope for when I give someone a piece of tatting.

The patterns came from The Tatters' Paradise, and other then accidentally tatting the second O in size 8 at first, everything went quite quickly.

Remember when I said that I was learning to knit? Well, I have a couple of knitted pieces to show once I take pictures of them.

Something pretty cool happened when I went to a craft store to get a pair of size 8 knitting needles. I was walking past an endcap in the yarn section, when something hanging underneath a clearance sign caught my eye.

Six balls of size 20 Lizbeth thread, for fifty cents each!

I was quite ecstatic with this find, and quickly collected them.

I'm not quite sure why they were on clearance, but they appear just fine and are all colors that I like (two balls of #100, one of #134, and three of #142, in case you were wondering).

Have you ever stumbled upon an amazing deal?

If so, please fill free to share your experience.

Bookmarks and a doily

Things are starting to finally slow down, so I'm taking this moment to show some of the things I've been tatting.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #671 and #119, #657 and #122, #618 and #124, #688 and #686. Motif  #12.

I did these back in June, when things were really busy. They were gifts for a get to know you activity with the other leaders up at Girls Camp. The pattern is LaRae Mikulecky's Lacy Bookmark. I enjoyed tatting these, although the one on the far right decided that it wanted to be curvy and longer then the others.
The leaders who were in my group for the activity really liked the bookmarks, and one of them knew what tatting was!

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #688 and #686.

This doily was done in July, during the last bit of camp business. The pattern is the Jasmine bread and butter plate doily from The Tatter's Treasure Chest by Mary Carolyn Waldrep. This was made for my Grandmother's birthday, and she was quite pleased when she received it.
I think that this is the best doily that I've tatted thus far, in terms of its ability to lie flat without much manipulation.
In addition, I also tatted four "Miss Caroline, the Crinoline Bell" by Martha Ess, but I forgot to take pictures of them before sending out the letters that they graced the front of. They were done in two colors of size 10, a light blue and a cream.

I've gotten pretty good at sewing in the ends with size 10 and size 20 threads.
I have some other projects that are completed or nearly completed that I need to take pictures of, so hopefully those will be put up soon.

So until next time, good luck with your own projects!

The dragon and the roses

I meant to post these half a week ago, after my niece's birthday.
I suppose this does count as after, so let's get to the hair clips!

Done in size 10, in my niece's favorite colors.

These were a surprising amount of work. The pattern is Tatted Rose, by Linda S Davies.
Now, the main reason that these were on the more difficult side for me is that I decided to sew the petals together instead of gluing them. I thought that since they were going to an energetic little girl, the sturdier they were, the better.
Besides, it meant that I had to practice my sewing ability (which although not horrible, is incredibly slow and tiresome).
My niece seemed to like them, so that's what counts.


Another thing I've been meaning to post is motif number two for the the 25 Motif Challenge!

I am the jade dragon! Motif #2, done in size 10.

Now this fellow was interesting. The Chinese Dragon by Anne Bruvold is another pattern that I've had sitting in a file for quite some time. I'm not sure that I'll be tatting this particular pattern again for at least a few months; since I found it to be strangely monotonous. But I am pleased to have finished it, and enjoyed the self closing mock rings in the pattern.
This dragon was also my first attempt at hiding the ends by weaving them through the stitches. It took some time, but I like how the tatting looks without an obvious knot marking where I ended.
I think I'll continue hiding the ends using this method, despite the time it takes.
I'm going to try and have each motif for the challenge be something I haven't tatted before. It is an extra little challenge, but I think it will add to the fun!

Float among the clouds

Well, I've finished another excess thread project.
This one is pretty cool, and used up most of my excess size ten thread.

See that basket? It was going to be a ring box.

The balloon was made with a single ring and a bunch of chains. I stuffed it with some stuffing so that it would maintain its shape.

The seam color of the balloon changes five times. It was also excess thread. 

I used some clear plastic cord to connect the basket to the balloon. That way from a distance the basket would appear to be floating under the balloon.

The balloon is really soft and fun to squeeze.

The order of the thread color is based on when I tied it to my excess thread ball. The thread at the bottom of the balloon is younger then that at the top, while the thread used on the basket is the youngest.

What's really neat is how the hot air balloon's shadow really does look like a hot air balloon.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post. Good luck on your own projects!

I Am Dreamcatcher Four

Now this dreamcatcher is really cool.

Done in size 20 Lizbeth. Colors 656 (Wedgewood Dk) and 657 (Ocean Turquoise Dk).

Now you might be wondering why I think this one is cool. Well, that's because it is the first piece of tatting I've made that gets to call the state of New York home!
It was made for a friend of the family, as something for him to give his wife for Christmas.

Lots of chains were tatted in this pattern. And look, split chains! That are not extremely noticeable!

The pattern for the main body is a slightly edited version of the Basket of Clover pattern from Janet Carroll's book Elegant Tatting Patterns. The last two rows of the pattern were omitted, while the sixth row was repeated once. The reasoning for this was so that the doily pattern would fit within the seven inch dreamcatcher hoop; as the full pattern would have been too large.
The bit of tatting to hang the dreamcatcher by was based off of the cloverleaf in the second row (near the center of the main body, it is the three rings connected to each other).

Chicken feathers again. From three different hens.

The hanging motif was also based off of the cloverleaf used in the pattern.
I did four split chains in this motif! I'm excited about that because before this project I did not really know how to successfully tat a split chain. It was a weird technique I couldn't quite grasp. But not anymore! I have finally figured out the split chain!

Now that I've abused the exclamation point a bit, let get to the reason why I'm posting this now, instead of waiting until after Christmas. When the package containing this dreamcatcher arrived to the family friend, his wife was wearing a shirt with similar colors to the thread I had tatted this with. So he decided to give it to her as an early present.
Suffice it to say, they both liked the dreamcatcher.
Which was something that I was very happy to hear.

Could someone pass me a birthday?

Happy birthday to my cousin!
As you might have figured out, most of the projects I complete are birthday gifts. Today we have a lovely handkerchief edging out of The Tatter's Treasure Chest by Mary Carolyn Waldrep. The pattern is number 8132, which is a cool number name.

That isn't marble, but tissue paper. Done in size 20 Lizbeth #142.

I consider handkerchiefs to be a good present for guys. It allows me to give them something dainty without wounding their masculinity too much. I wouldn't want to give one of my guy cousins a doily and have him think: "Gee, thanks. What am I suppose to do with this frilly thing?"
So I try to keep the decorative picots small whenever I make something for a guy.

But whenever a pattern has three picots right next to each other, I can't resist making the middle one the tallest.

I really like a cloverleaf edging for guys. It allows for some cuteness without being overwhelmingly frilly or intricate. I like having both rings and chains. It makes the edging much more interesting.


For any tatters out there, what are your opinions when it comes to tatting something for a guy?

Belated birthday post

Well, at least this is only belated in posting, not in actually giving it the person.
This was meant to be posted way back in July, but I kept forgetting about it.
But no more!
Behold, the combined powers of crocheting and tatting!

It reminds me of the ocean. If the ocean was a cute little basket. And not, you know, wet.

I know. The tatting is just a simple edging along the top of the basket. But that crocheting was made by me! Without the use of a pattern! I was pretty excited about this.

Look! You can see through it! A little bit...

I might not like crocheting as much as tatting, but it does have its moments.

Look into the depths of the yarn. What do you see?

My tension with crocheting has been described as "really tight." But I think this turned out pretty well.

I could be a jellyfish, if my tatting was longer...

Through it may have been delayed, here is the crocheted basket with a tatted edging.

The path through a book is long. Remember to bring a friend.

And to finish this post off, here is the other part of her present. A tatted bookmark!
You didn't think that crocheting was going to be the star of this post, did you?

Dreamcatcher III: The Search for Thread

Well, its time for another birthday!
Today was my Aunt's birthday. To help her celebrate, I made a dreamcatcher.

Done in size #20 Lizbeth thread, Tropical Punch.

The base for the center is the Occasional Doily pattern from the book Tatting Doilies & Edgings, edited by Rita Weiss. I then added three rows to make it fit within the ring.

I thought that my aunt would like this pattern because it looks like flowers.

This was my first time tatting this pattern. I quite enjoyed it, and will likely tat part of it again if i ever need to make flowers.

No peacocks were harmed in the gathering of these down feathers.

I tatted an extra flower from the doily pattern to the the hanging motif. I like how the bead is connected the the motif. I decided to use two peacock feathers I had instead of chickens feathers for this dreamcatcher because the fluffiness of them reminded me of this aunt. These feathers are extremely soft.

When I gave the dreamcatcher to my aunt, she was very happy. I'm really glad that she liked it.

Can you pass me another birthday?

Today is my cousin's birthday! To help him celebrate, I tatted him a soda can cozy.

Split rings! Done in size 10.

It fits snugly onto a normal size soda can, and should help to keep the drink cold.

I did it in a dark red and dark blue, so that any spills shouldn't be as noticeable.

Depending on which way he put's it on, it can appear more red then blue when looking from an angle, or the opposite.
Done in all split rings, except for the first and last ring, which are normal rings.
Each ring is 3-3-3-3 or 3-3/3-3, with joins thrown in where appropriate.

A birthday is not something you sneeze on

Today is my uncle's birthday, so I tatted a handkerchief edging for him.

He's a Denver Broncos fan, so I tried to use thread that matched the team's colors. The thread is about size 20.

The pattern is edging number 8822 from the book The Tatter's Treasure Chest, edited by Mary Carolyn Waldrep.

This was tatted using my new Starlit Shuttle, whom I have given the name Narwhal.

Narwhal is quite sparkly.

Narwhal is larger then the Clover shuttles I normally use, which came in handy while tatting the edging; as that meant I could hold more thread at one time. The larger size did throw me off a little at first, but overall the Starlit shuttle seems to work alright.

Dreamcatcher Episode II: Attack of the Shuttles

Today is my aunt's birthday! To be specific, she is the aunt I mentioned in the Snowflake extravaganza.
For her birthday, I made another dreamcatcher!

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread. The colors are Mocha Brown Med. and Ecru.

The center of the body is a pattern called the Cobweb doily, from the book Tatting Doilies & Edgings edited by Rita Weiss. I added two additional rows to make the doily fit within the metal ring properly.

I tried to make the additions similar to the doily pattern.

I chose these colors because my aunt seemed to really like them. I think that they go pretty well together.

No chickens were harmed in the collecting of these feathers.

Once again, I was able to get some pretty feathers from the family chickens. There are six beige feathers and two of the reddish brown feathers. They are really soft. I decided to connect the feather to the dreamcatcher using split rings and a bead.
My aunt really liked it, so I am calling this dreamcatcher a success!

Snowflake extravaganza

It's about time I show you a little of what I've been working on this past month.

Eight little snowflakes, sitting on a tree...

Snowflakes! Each pattern and color was selected by my aunt, who is my biggest fan when it comes to my tatting. All of the patterns came from the book Tatted Snowflakes, by Vida Sunderman. This was my first time tatting each of these snowflakes, so it took a bit of trial and error.

Unique Snowflake. Done in size 10 gold.

The Unique Snowflake was interesting to tat because I had to leave space between each ring.

Flower Snowflake. Done in size 80 Lizbeth thread Christmas Green and Victorian Red.

The Flower Snowflake gave me some difficulty, do in part to my not being accustom to working with size 80.

Jingle Bell Snowflake. Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread  Mocha Brown Med.

The Jingle Bell Snowflake was fun, though I kind of wish that I had been able to find a smaller bell for it.

Ruffled Snowflake. Done in size 10 white.

The Ruffled Snowflake was interesting, because in the book it tells you to weave a ribbon through the outer rings. A red ribbon, to be exact.

Swirl Snowflake. Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread Mountain Breeze.

I think that the Swirl Snowflake pretty fun to tat. I like doing three picots right next to each other.

Ruffle-Edged Snowflake. Done in size 10 white.

This was probably one the the easiest to tat, since I've done other snowflakes similar to the Ruffled-Edged Snowflake.

Star-Shaped Snowflake. Done in size 10 white.

The Star-Shaped Snowflake was another easy one for me to tat. The first snowflake I ever tatted also had trefoils (the three rings that make up each point) as part of the pattern.

3-Dimensional Snowflake #1. Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, Mocha Brown Med. and Ecru.

The 3-Dimensional Snowflake is actually made from three snowflakes combined.

Part of how you get it to be 3-dimensional is by folding two of the snowflakes into a V while they are stiffening.

The center snowflake is stiffened flat. I swapped the ring and chain colors for the center snowflake.

The 3-Dimensional Snowflake #1 was the main challenge. I had never tatted a 3-dimensional snowflake before, and wanted to make sure that it looked nice. The book said to use glue to connect the three snowflakes, but I decided to sew them together instead. I had also tatted a snowflake of this pattern that variegated between the two colors after every ring, but it was a bit too crazy to become part of the snowflake.
Well, that's the end of the snowflake extravaganza!
I hope you enjoyed it!