Carats?

He he he. 

This is for my boss.  It's her birthday tomorrow.  Guess what significant birthday it is . . .

I may not be getting a raise this year!

Motif #6

Whew!  It's been a busy couple of weeks here - a crummy snow/ice storm, some car trouble for the English Major and some long work hours resulting in tired eyes.  Not much tatting getting done!  A lot of planning is going on though - and I received some new supplies to keep me motivated.


First of all, here is Motif #6 of the 25-Motif Challenge.  (Wow, 6 in one month - I've surpassed my goal!) This is a motif by Iris Niebach found here.     

This was a good pattern for me to work on - slow but sure - as I found the pattern interesting to follow.  It made me pay attention to which thread I was working on, and what side I was on to make sure I was frontside or backside tatting.  My purpose in joining the challenge was to really practice my tatting, and try to work motif patterns that will help me to see the stitches and joins and direction of my tatting.  I didn't do everything right on this motif, but I am pleased with how it turned out.  I know I have some twisted joins and maybe didn't work on the correct threads for each repeat, but this pattern really helped me to "see" some important steps.  The pattern itself has different colors so you can see what thread you should be using (at least that is how I am understanding it).  I find different pattern designers very hard to figure out - I don't know where to start a pattern and I am not sure when to switch shuttles.  These are things I hope to pick up as I practice, and to keep in mind when I find that I can work on some designs of my own.  Designing may be a LONG time coming at this rate!

I used to wonder why everyone made motifs.  What good are they and what the heck do you do with them?  Right now I am using them to practice my tatting, and beyond that I will just block them and store them until a bright idea hits me. This question came up on InTatters recently also, and some of the ideas there included covering stains on clothes (!), adding to scrapbooking, making a mobile, adding to scarves, bags, etc.  I have placed small butterflies here and there in a card - one Aunt was funny after receiving a butterfly from me - she placed it up high on a picture frame, and after it gathered a little dust she called me one day to tell me the darned thing had spun a cocoon!


Since my eyes were too exhausted to get much tatting done, they took a little vacation and went shopping.  I was lucky to get in on some of Krysteldawne's "oops" thread, and also got the books "Festive Snowflakes and Ornaments" and "Tatting Patterns for One Shuttle", and some Lizbeth thread from HandyHands. (The Lizbeth thread that, by the way, JoAnn Etc. now carries and I found out AFTER I received my order!)  I now have plenty to work on when my eyes return from their little trip.  I am still hoping to make things to enter in the county fair.  I don't feel like my tatting is quite good enough for that, but considering there were NO tatting entries of any kind last year, I should be able to submit just about anything! However,  I want my entries to be worthy of a ribbon even if they are the only entries.  Must. Keep. Practicing.


I have also been planning some more sewing - I am going to try some hemstitching on flannel to make receiving blankets with a crocheted edge. Maybe a tatted edge someday?  More on that when I actually try it.  I  picked up the flannel and a wing needle - now I just have to DO it.  Oh, the things I could accomplish if I only had more time :)  So many goals, ideas, & plans - but I have to (gasp!) WORK to support my habits.

Motifs 2, 3, 4 and 5

Are we really to the middle of January already?  This past couple of weeks has flown by being back to work after all the holiday time off.  I work a flex schedule, so some weeks I work long hours, and other weeks seem more human.  After a busy week of each schedule, I'm relieved to have a long weekend with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday.  Monday is also my Dad's birthday, so I will be able to meet my folks for a birthday lunch.  I love having those government holidays off :)

I've managed to complete a few more motifs for the 25 Motif Challenge.  First, I wanted to make a little snowflake with the Altin Basak thread I got from Fox.  She sent this beautiful thread back when she helped me out with learning that "pesky final join".  The thread is such a pretty aqua color with a metallic thread in it, that I immediately thought it would be perfect for a snowflake.  And Minnesota is snow country, after all!  (And, by the way, anyone else having trouble with that pesky joining first ring to last, Ann has a great tutorial here.)

(Sorry - my photos are terrible - I really need to get my scanner connected properly again so I can try to scan my work instead.)  This is Motif #2, with Altin Basak thread size 50.  I found this thread to be soft and easily broken if I wasn't careful, so there are some nasty little spots of bunched up metallic thread where I tugged a bit too hard.  The pattern is the MHC Snowflake by Sally Magill found here with other "quick" snowflake patterns.

#2

 I thought it would be just the right size for some small greeting cards, and decided that now might be a good time to make a few Valentines also.  So, Motif #3, #4 and #5 are hearts.


Motif #3 is made with thread I received from my coworker that she brought to me from India - crochet cotton size 20.  I tried the Peacock heart by Birgit Phelps found here.  This thread is wonderful to work with, though I still need some work on hiding those ends - especially with these variegated threads.

#3

Motif #4 is Birgit Phelps Sweetheart pattern found here, in Lizbeth Denim Whisper size 20.  I've done this one before, and I love this pattern because it's so easy to work up, and lays so nice and flat without even blocking it.  I like the way I can really see the stitches on this one.  

 

#4

Motif #5 is from the February 1988 Workbasket magazine.  I used Lizbeth thread, Red Burst, size 20.  I think I will do a couple more of these frilly little hearts - this was an easy pattern and I like the way it looks for a Valentine.
 

#5

I haven't had time to work on my Gerbera Doily - hopefully I can get back to that next week, and get the final round started.   I have a hard time staying with a project that takes very long to finish without needing a diversion.  I have to take breaks and bake, sew,  or tat a small item so I can feel like I really did accomplish SOMETHING.  Ha ha.  I'm such a goof that way.  No wonder I have a million projects going.  (OK, maybe only twenty projects.) 

That Minnesota snow I mentioned is melting fast today.  It's a whopping 38 degrees F outside - unseasonably warm for January, but definitely welcome for getting the streets and driveways back to being bare.  It's great to see the bright sunshine - keeps everyone smiling!

Happy Long Weekend :)

Bags, bags, bags!

I love, love, love bags.  You could call me a bag lady. (Some people probably do!)  I make tote bags, drawstring bags, and now - tatting bags.  I certainly don't need any more bags, but I just love to make them. They are a quick, easy crafting fix for me - a kind of stress relief, I think.  I am working on a simple laptop bag/sleeve for the English Major at the moment with fabric from the stash.

I whipped up some simple drawstring bags for hubby to put his things in to haul when he goes ice fishing.  A little protection for the weather radio, GPS and binoculars.  Nothing fancy, just practical convenience.  This is an easy to whip-up pattern for a lined drawstring bag.

I also saw this "sock sack" for carrying needles & yarn for knitting socks.  I thought it would make a good tatting bag, so I made some of these for Secret Santa gifts, and a couple for myself too.

Sometimes I just try to figure out a pattern on my own.  Not with any intention of hurting anyone's pattern business - it's just a good challenge for me - sort of like figuring out a puzzle or something.  I bought a little jewelry bag many years ago, and decided it would make a great tatting bag if it was just a bit larger.   So, I made myself a tatting bag and added some tatting to the top edge.  I made another of these for a Christmas gift for a friend.  I now see that these bags are sold as tatting bags, so I wasn't as original as I thought I was.  (Always a day late, I am.  Not to mention a dollar short!) Anyway, I still love this bag - one could use it for many things.  I will probably make more :)

A visit to a MN Lace Society meeting last spring introduced me to Arlene Linton - someone that doesn't make any lace - she paints it.  She had designed some fabric with her painted lace on it, and I picked up a few fat quarters that she was selling.  Perfect!

This picture shows the "painted lace" fabric - wish I could get more of that.  It is such pretty fabric, and is great for tatting bags.  I wanted to make all the Secret Santa bags from this fabric, but didn't have enough.

Now, if I could just design some tatting patterns as easily.  Maybe that will come someday :) 

New Doily for a New Year

During my week off between Christmas and New Year's, I decided to start work on this Gerbera doily pattern.   This is a good pattern with basic rings and chains - good for me to practice my tatting and work on accomplishing something a little larger than what I've done so far.  And BIG it will be!  I thought I'd use the Lizbeth thread I received from a Secret Santa - size 20 - so once I started, I realized that it is going to turn out fairly large.  That's OK - I think it will be pretty!

As I thought about the pattern and which thread to use, I decided to join in the 25-motif challenge in 2010 to motivate myself to keep practicing my tatting.  I'm a little unsure of keeping up, but I love a good challenge!  I am determined to stick with it and continue to learn tatting techniques - and get working on that T.A.T. Artisan Phase II.  

So, I'll count the center flower motif as #1 in the challenge.  (Since it took me 3 tries to get ONE done correctly, I could probably count my attempts as #1 through 3.  But I won't ruin the challenge right off the bat!)

I am using the Lizbeth "Jelly Bean" thread with white, with a round of Lizbeth "Spring Green" in there.

I'm not sure if this would be a good doily to enter, but last summer I noticed our county fair had ZERO tatted entries.  I am going to try to enter something in each category, mainly to keep the tatting from being eliminated from the categories altogether, and maybe it will stir up some renewed interest as well.  I'm hoping to get a couple of doilies made so that I can choose one I think will be worthy of an entry.  For now, I guess I better finish this one first :)

Be Resolute!

Have you made your resolutions yet? Plan well - 2010 is almost here!

This year, I resolve to be resolute!
[Resolute = marked by firm determination]

It appears that many of us make resolutions and then let them fall by the wayside by about April or May. I am guilty of dropping the proverbial ball on my resolutions almost every year. Oh, I start out with good intentions, but the determination seems to wane almost as rapidly as the list is put in the drawer.

We make resolutions in an effort to make the coming year a better one than the last. A resolution is typically defined as a promise or commitment people make to themselves to complete a project or alter a habit. Why make a promise to yourself and not keep it? (There are enough other people that disappoint us, we don't have to do it to ourselves!) I have succeeded at accomplishing and maintaining only ONE huge resolution in my whole life that I remember - quitting smoking. It's been 11 years since I made that commitment to myself. Talk about firm determination. (I know it's in there!)

As I ponder my resolutions for the coming year, I am focusing on these tips to help myself stay resolute:

1) Make an attainable resolution. If it's unrealistic, it's likely you will fail.

2) Focus on just one or two major resolutions. We try to do too much in too short a time.

3) Have a plan to achieve the goal in small steps. Set smaller goals on the path to achieving the main goal, and reward yourself for steps accomplished.

4) Don't fuss over failures - discover what caused the diversion and regroup.

5) Remind yourself of your resolution commitment - keep it out in the open on the fridge, the mirror, on top of your crafting supplies . . .

6) Remind yourself the benefits of succeeding.

7) Remember that it takes TIME to make changes to old habits. Resolutions take work and are not magically an overnight success!

I'm off to pare down my list of resolutions. That could take awhile :)

Best Wishes for a Safe, Happy, Healthy New Year! Boy, Twenty-Ten is going to be weird to say.

Just in the St. Nick of Time!

Finally. Got the lefse made, shopping and crafting done, and gifts wrapped.  I'm never this late - usually done by Thanksgiving, but the 'usual' routine has been a bit UNusual this year with hubby out of work. However, being out of sync has its way of putting things into perspective.  We've been more conscious of the donations we make and how they might affect others, and have put more thought into what is truly important in our lives.  It's easy to say 'family comes first' or 'the giving is more important than the receiving', but to really live those sayings opens not only your eyes, but your heart as well.  My 'Plan Ahead' nature has been forced to wing it a few times!  Here's to being able to roll with the punches and still be ready for St. Nick :)

The girls and I made the Christmas lefse Saturday.  We make it every year for my Dad's side of the family.  My cousin and I asked my Grandma to teach us how to make lefse a few years before she passed away.  That day is a great memory.  Boy, did we laugh a lot that day!  Grandma had the potatoes all ready when we arrived, and when we asked her how you prepare the potatoes, she didn't really have a recipe.  "You just mix in the flour until it feels glue-y" she said.  We got her to write a recipe down, and while she wrote, we rolled the lefse out thin.  (Or rather, we tried to roll it thin.)  The trick is to roll out the dough as thin as you can with as little flour as possible. (Remember, you are literally rolling out mashed potatoes!) We had dough stuck on the pin, on the counter, you name it.  Flour everywhere, and Grandma reminding us not to use any more flour.  Our attempts were hilarious, but we've provided the Christmas lefse every year since.  She would be proud!  And to think she helped her mother make it each Christmas Eve, on a wood stove.  (It's hard enough on a griddle with a control to set the temperature!)

We usually have a plate of lefse rolled up with butter and sugar on Christmas Eve.  We also usually have ham for dinner, so some of us like ham rolled up in plain or buttered lefse.  The girls and I like the 'mistakes' we make when making the lefse the best - hot off the griddle!  We have a picture of Grandma in a little frame that the girls pretend is watching us make the lefse.  They call her "Triple G" - Great-Grandma-Grace.  Grandma liked lutefisk with her lefse as a Christmas treat, but we have never carried on THAT tradition. 

I also make homemade turtles every year.  I get really good milk chocolate and caramel from a candy supply store, and use my cute little turtle molds to make the turtles.  Ted is allergic to nuts, so I always make some turtles without nuts.  See the one in the pink wrapper on the left?  There are several pink turtles in with the rest to note which ones don't have nuts.  They are the girl turtles.

We also made some krumkake, and some mint-wich cookies.  Enough!  My hips are screaming already.  No more goodie-baking this year.

Sunday, the English Major and I went downtown on the new Northstar Commuter Train.  Great way to go downtown and not have to fight the one-ways and parking - we just hope the train is popular enough to add some more departures/arrivals.  There are only 3 trips down and 3 trips back on the weekend days for now.

Downtown Minneapolis is where Mary Tyler Moore lived - remember that oldie?  Here's the landmark statue in front of Macy's.  We visited Macy's to see the 8th Floor Auditorium Display of "A Day in the Life of an Elf".  Very elaborate displays for children - little rooms showing the elves bunkhouse, the kitchen with their breakfast being prepared, the North Pole animals in the forest decorating the tree, the overloaded mail room, etc.  There were, of course, tons of children there with us.  Wide eyes and excitement bouncing off the walls, let me tell ya!  At the end of the display tour, which takes about 15-20 minutes, there is a line to see Santa.  (Make that a horrendously LONG line.)  So, many of those wide-eyed children had their Christmas best on too.  I would have loved to have taken pictures of all these kids faces, but their moms and dads were doing a good job of that already.

So, on top of the Christmas baking and shopping and wrapping, we squeezed in a little seasonal enjoyment.  Christmas music, shining kids' faces and beautifully decorated storefront windows.  Sounds like some snow will be falling on Christmas Eve here - and could be quite an accumulation.  And so it goes.  Christmas is definitely here.

Whatever the traditions, I hope everyone has a wonderful, Merry Christmas.