Tatting fun and some knitting finally done!

 Well, I have a backlog of photos that I've been meaning to post. I hope that you enjoy them.

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread,  #601, #603, #604, and #691. Motif #16 of my second challenge.

This puppy is from Inga Madsen's Tatted Animals. I gave this to my cousin for his birthday, and based the colors off of our puppy, who loves my cousin very much.

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, #656 and #694. Motif #17 of my second challenge.

This is Kersti's Tatted Bookmark pattern. I made it for my uncle's birthday. He is a Denver Broncos fan, so I thought I would try and make the pattern look like their colors. I really like how it turned out. The pattern itself was easy to follow, and allowed me to switch colors without much fuss.
Now, you may be wondering why it doesn't have a tassel.
The answer? I don't really care for tassels, either for making them or for using bookmarks that have them.

Done in size 80 Lizbeth thread, #138, #670, and #671 .

I made Aislyn's bookmark, by Carrie Neahring for my great aunt's birthday. She loved it! I really enjoyed making it. The pattern was easy to follow, and the design is lovely. I did lengthen it a little, but that's just because I prefer long bookmarks.

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, #620 and #621.

Another friend of mine had a baby, so I tatted her little girl's name. I'm not sure how many times I can gush about these patterns (from The Tatter's Paradise) until I start boring people, but they are my go to for tatting letters

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, #618, #625, and #680. Motif #18 of my second challenge.

When I was looking for a motif to put on some letters, this design was just what I wanted. It is Star No. 4 from Tatting Patterns and Designs by Gun Blomqvist and Elwy Persson. When I first saw it in the book, I thought it would look pretty cool if done in three colors.

So do you remember the cousin that I tatted Jane Eborall's Fandango bookmark for earlier this year? Well, she asked if I'd be willing to tat her five more bookmarks for her and her sisters (okay, technically she is my cousin-in-law, but that is a bit of a mouthful).

They were done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, #146 and #603, #132 and #620, #184 and #657, #124 and #684, #122 and #633.

I said sure, and so had a Fandango bookmark making spree. I actually made seven bookmarks, but two of them were chewed up by our new puppy (the same puppy I mentioned earlier, in fact). This is a fun pattern though, and my cousin was happy when I gave them to her.

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, #124. Motif #19 of my second challenge.

I made some Beaded Butterflies from Tatting Patterns by Lyn Morton for some other letters was mailing. I think that motifs are a wonderful addition to almost any letter. They're easy to make, and add an extra personal touch.
Now, you may have noticed that I have a tendency to omit beads from patterns that call for them. It's not that I don't like beads, I usually just don't think about finding the right beads for the project until after I've already tatted it.
What do you think about using beads in tatting?

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, #100 and #638 .

This is Tatslife's Two Round Bookmark. I made it for my brother-in-law's birthday. This is another of those patterns that I've held onto for a while without tatting, so I'm happy to have finally tatted it. The pattern was fun, and I really like how the rings at the top of the bookmark turned out.

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, #132 and #680 .

This is Carolyn Groves's Simple Straight Bookmark. I made it for my aunt's birthday. This pattern is really cute. I like how the chains weave around the rings.

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, #163. Motif #20 of my second challenge.

This is Ruth Perry's Snowflake 2008. I made it for my aunt as a thank you for her giving me a few skeins of Lizbeth thread, one of which was the color I used for this snowflake. Now, I didn't realize until after I was looking at this picture, but I completely omitted a ring and chain off of each point. I feel silly about not catching that mistake, but I do think the snowflake still looks nice.
And at least I was consistent and made that mistake on each point!
Anyway, I loved the Celtic twist in this pattern. It was really fun to make, and my aunt loved it.

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread.

This is the Coaster or Centre for Main Pattern from Tatting Patterns by Lyn Morton. I used some excess thread from other projects for this. It was a fun break from making bookmarks.

Done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, #138 and #694. Motif #21 of my second challenge.

This is Penolopy Bulnick's Tatted Pumpkin Earrings pattern. Now, the pattern was actually written for needle tatting. It was interesting to see how needle tatting patterns are written slightly differently than shuttle tatting patterns. I made some pumpkins on their own, and then I decided to make a pair into earrings for myself.
I think they turned out really cute.

For the colors, I pulled some skeins of yarn out of our stockpile.

Now this beast is something that I've been working on for about a year.
A knitted blanket.
My sister taught me how to knit. I like knitting. It is kind of relaxing. I don't know a lot about knitting yet, but my sister said that I used a stockinette stitch and a reverse stockinette stitch.
I just thought it would be cool to make squares.
I used size 8 circular needles.