Highly Commended

My first Christmas Ball for 2008

Here is my first Christmas Ball for 2008 (the dark blue one) together
with a few from Christmases past.

Ta-da! - Finished!

My large centrepiece is finished at last! I haven't yet done anything about the colour difference in the balls of thread used, but I will get around to it.

It took a long time and gazillions of pins to block it out, and it still isn't 100% right. However in the interest of retaining my equilibrium and poise, and also
the need to get started on my Christmas tatting, I eventually invoked the "man on a galloping horse" rule. I am not sure of the exact wording of that rule, but its
meaning is not to fuss over a detail that will not be apparent to others.

The finished piece is 51cm or 20 inches at the widest point. It was tatted in
60 Coats light ecru cotton from a picture on the net.

A little progress, a little disappointment

I have been working solidly on this table centrepiece for a few months now. I haven't put any pressure on myself, saying that I will finish it when I finish
it, but the aim was to put it in one of the shows - whichever is closest to when
I finish it. So I have been ambling on, enjoying the project, and being satisfied with how it was coming along. I last blocked it out when I did a progress blog.

To work it, I chose to use two balls of light ecru Coats 60 from my late mother's
crochet stash, and I made very sure that the colour number and the dyelot number
was the same on the two balls. Imagine my disappointment when I took it to our regular Neighbourhood House tatting group, when I put it on the white table under a powerful light, to see that where I had run out of thread and commenced tatting with thread from the second ball, that there was a discernable difference.

Taking it out of my bag and working on it during the evening, I hadn't noticed any
difference, indeed in some lights there is no difference, but I wouldn't now submit
it to a show. I really felt like flinging it into the realms of UFO's - so much
work has gone into it, but the group suggested I press on and finish it, then soak it in a coffee solution. I can't imagine how this could have happened. Certainly the thread had been in Mum's stash for a few years, and I have had it for a while, but both balls still had their plastic protective covers so it couldn't be exposure to the air.

That excited impetus has somewhat abated and I am now just plugging on with my eye
on finishing.

40th Wedding Anniversary

Tomorrow, 31st August, is the 40th wedding anniversary of DH and me. Every year he has sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, but being on a Sunday this year, I have received them a day earlier. They are glorious, and will be more so as the days go by as there are a number of unopened deep red rosebuds. Looking at our wedding photos and then in the mirror, the years have certainly left their mark, but we have a son and a daughter and three lovely grandchildren, so we are blessed. How quickly 40 years go!

I have been tatting steadily through the Olympics (the paras start on 6th September!) but I am on the outer edges of my centre, and there is not a lot of progress to show. Better that I wait till the next lot of motifs is finished. I like doing large pieces, but this one seems to be taking forever, possibly because I have this week received my copy of Jon's Snowflake Collection, and I'm itching to get into doing some of them.

Olympic Viewing Project

Rather than commence any new projects for "Tatting Olympics", I opted to press on with my current project.

However, the on/off nature of my concentration took its toll, and I had to snip off
a whole row of work. It was only in a small section, so theoretically I could have
got away with it by just re-doing these small parts, but it would have meant 8 x starts/ends to hide, so I opted to snip the lot. I am back on track again, and hope
to be close to the end of the project at the end of the Olympics. No more mistakes, though!

Sunflower Collar & Cuffs

The Sunflower Collar & Cuffs is from the DMC book
"Tatting for Today".

Scalloped Tablecloth Edging

This partly embroidered tablecloth (52" or 132 cm square) was given
to me. I had fun tatting the edging, but now the embroidery needs
to be done

Milo the Snugglepuss

I have been stalking Milo with the camera hoping to get a better pic, but no
luck, so I will have to go with what I already have. Milo arrived at our place
about 2 years ago, stray, and very, very thin; very suspicious, and we think
abused by someone. All attempts by us and the ranger to trap Milo were unsucessful. We caught other cats from the area, but not Milo, who absolutely
refused to come anywhere near the cage once he saw other cats trapped.

Finally admitting defeat, and refusing to use starvation as a means of
entrapment, we decided to let Milo stay. From a semi-feral cat upon arrival,
Milo almost runs the place! Everything is on his terms! I may not pick him up
or put him on my lap, but he can hop on whenever he likes - so he thinks. I
have learned to stare fixedly at my work, and say firmly "No! Mummy's tatting!"

This week that is working. The minute I look into those blue eyes, that is taken

as permission to hop up - or is it that he hypnotises me? I know one thing - shuttles, thread, lace and cats don't mix!

Doiley Project Progress

It's a good feeling when a stage of a project is completed.

Although I tried to concentrate really hard, there was

still much cutting off of motifs joined in the wrong place!

This piece is destined for one of the shows, not to win

(there are infinitely better tatters in our Guild), but to

support the section, which will be cancelled if there are

not enough entries. Hopefully, the tatting bug will be

buzzing around somewhere, and there will also be new

tatters!

Motif Mat

The pattern for this mat was in a country newspaper

and the photo was very indistinct. I like to have a

nice clear photo to assure myself that I am going

o.k., so this one was the first one I had worked

"blind" so to speak. It was interesting to see what

the finished effect would be.

Place Mat (Folded)

I was rather slow in doing these (set of 6), and by the time I finished,the intended recipient had moved to a small unit, & no longer had her dining table, so they await someone who has one, and would like a nice set of place mats for a special occasion.

Stars and Flakes

I searched everywhere for these last Christmas and have just

found that the flat box containing these and others had

fallen behind a book-case!

Tatting Corner

My tools: Shuttles, scissors, hook, bunny thread

holder and pincushion.

Sadie's Doiley

This is a doiley I did for my friend Sadie.

Collar

This a design by Ethel Whetton, a member of

the Ring of Tatters

Mum's Dressing Table Set

Done very early in my tatting career. Mum

left it on the card so it was easier to show

around!

Current Project

So far, so good. Now comes the tricky part!

Patience and persistence - that's what's

needed

Bridesmaid Edging

This is Mary Konior's Bridesmaid edging, which is beautifully named, as it makes a lovely gift for a bridesmaid.

Bluebird Supper Cloth

Just add pretty tea-set and two-tiered cake tray filled with patty cakes and you have a lovely

afternoon tea.

Cheval Runner

This is from the Anchor Book "Learn to Tat.

Coffee Table Cloth

This embroidered cloth was rescued from an opportunity shop. It had torn machine-made lace

on it, so I gave it a nice tatted one.

Flower Doiley

I think I would choose different colours if I worked this pattern again.

Handkerchiefs

Fun to do and always welcome as gifts.

Orr doiley

I think most tatters like the challenge of this piece.

My Favourite Centre

I think this is the prettiest centre I have done.

Guild Motif Challenge

Recently our Guild had a motif challenge, where members were given a basic motif, and asked

to produce any item using that motif. I am always amazed at the inventiveness of tatters, and

two of the entries were a chess set, mounted under glass, and complete with small glass chess

pieces, and the winner, a particularly gorgeous beaded tree ornament.

Each member was given two chocolate eclairs (for voting) upon arrival. A bowl was placed

beside each entry, and the entry which received the most eclairs won! I just made a mat

using the motif.

Benporath Doiley

I did this many years ago from a very yellow page of an old magazine given to me. I found it complicated, but think it is worth the effort

Humble Beginning

I am not a tatting "master", but would like to blog my humble efforts: