New shuttles and some tatting

I'm back to tatting.

I'm still knitting, but I have been diverted into the tatting realm now.

And I bought some new custom shuttles! Woo-hoo!

I made two crosses for ministerial staff at my church. These are tatted in Lizbeth size 20 in the Mary Konior pattern Large Cross from Tatting With Visual Patterns. I love this pattern and I love this book.

You see one of my new shuttles - I bought this one on Etsy from NamiArt. She is in Poland but is Ukraini. I am happy to support someone from Ukraine - Slava Ukraini!

I love cats - this shuttle has a cat done in blue enamel on copper alloy. Tats well!

Another shuttle was bought from TheKnottedVine on Etsy. 

This shuttle is made of copper with a protective epoxy resin coating them. smooth and well balanced.

I liked this shuttle so much I bought 2 more from TheKnottedVine!

One is blue with a cat and the other is actually purplish - hard to tell, but it is. The top one is called Cool Cat, the bottom one is called The Miss Violet. They are both lovely to work with and tat very well.

I am well - just very very busy both with work and personal things. But I'm well and happy!

Palmetto Tat Days 2013 - part one

A good time was had this year at Tat Days. If you are a tatter and you have never been to a tatting convention, find your closest one and sign up for it as soon as possible. It is SO worth it!

OK - now on to the fun.

Since I live in Hotlanta, I'm usually designated to head to the airport and retrieve some folks from out of town. I'm happy to do this, and I get to have a great visit on the way up to Toccoa GA (the site for Tat Days). This year I picked up Nina and Vicki. Nina came from the Big Apple, and Vicki flew in from Ottowa, Ontario. That would be in Canada, eh.

We stopped at The Varsity, naturally. Moe was very jealous when I told him about it later. He loves Varsity food. Yum!

Nina was very good and had a chicken salad - but that didn't stop her from requesting - and receiving - some of my yummy home-made onion rings. Nom nom nom.

Vicki had me order for her. "I'll eat anything you order!" she declared. So I got her 2 chili slaw dogs, onion rings, and an FO. That's a kind of milkshake flavored like an orange creamsicle. And she ate every bite.

So we headed up the hill and got there in time for the teacher's meeting (all of us taught), and then time to  meet and greet all our friends.

And folks, this is one of the very BEST things about a tatting convention. The people you meet are so wonderful. You make lifelong friends. You think I'm exaggerating, but it's the God's truth.

Another great thing about a tatting convention is Vending. Yessiree, being able to lay hands on thread and shuttles and books and all the great stuff you need - there's nothing like it. And no shipping charges! Here's an overview of vending. Zig-Zag Corner was our main commercial vendor.

And some oh-so-yummy-delicious hand dyed thread sent by the talented Jess of Tat-ilicious. Can't you just taste those colors?

And here's a spread of hand made shuttles, all made by the GR-8 Shuttle Brothers. And Randy was there teaching classes too!

Another fun thing about these conventions is you usually see a display of tatting people had done. This time, it was a competition with a number of categories, like most creative. Here you go....

Love this Godzilla!

 
Gorgeous doilies and snowflakes.

A great collar and more.

More doilies. This was quite large and beautiful.

And this lovely dragon, knight, and fair maiden, all tatted by the lovely and talented Martha Ess! You can tat this if you get her latest book!

But wait! There's more - in the next installment!

Lazy wet days of summer

I've been tatting the Crown motif earrings a bunch.

This is part of a pair I made for a work friend. Note that I tat with whatever I can find. Earrings don't take much thread, just a bit - and these need two shuttles. So I'm using a large paperclip as a second shuttle.

Here's the finished pair. My friend was very pleased.

I was driving home a few weeks ago and spied the Google Street View car driving past Centennial Park in Hotlanta. The car has a big round camera on top (see read arrow) that is constantly taking pictures at all angles. I guess I'll be visible on Street View sometime in the near future! Did you know that these cars are generally driverless? Strange but true!

It's been VERY rainy and humid here this summer. So rainy that we've already had more rain in 2013 than we got in all of 2012! Neighbor's yards have mushrooms growing in them. Parents are stir-crazy with kids that can't run around outside. Moe and I are trying to get to the neighborhood pool for exercise as often as possible, but with this weather it's hard to manage. Some sun would be a good thing....

Cisco and Lily are enjoying lolling about. Happy tatting...

The Mailman Cometh

The postie has come, and I have some goodies to show.

First off, I ordered  and have received a number of books. I love Abe Books, which is Da Bomb. Cheap, and you can find free shipping often. I got two used DMC books: Tatting for Today #15209, and Festive Tatting #15218. Both are by Marion T. Leyds, and have great patterns. These books are great additions to my library.

I also acquired two new books. One is Marilee Rockley's great Tatted Jewelry. The illustrations are really lovely in this book, and Marilee's patterns are terrific. And I love tatting jewelry for me! The other new book is Tatting Collage by Lindsay Rogers. I really love the format of the book - it's spiral bound inside a hard cover, and the pages lie flat! Lots of small patterns with a number of techniques used, great illustrations, plus a history of tatting at the beginning.

Now to the mystery item I received, via Mr. Postman. ("Mr. Postman, send me a dream....")

Some very, very nice tatter commissioned The Shuttle Shop to make my own personal shuttle! I don't know who this might be, but I surely thank you, O Magic Shuttle Fairy Godmother. Ain't it grand?

Even DH was impressed. He thought it was very well made and beautifully done. I love it!

It's nice to have a Tatting Fairy Godmother. Every tatter should have one.



Larry has continued making Toy Tableaus. This time, it's a poker game. He made the deck of cards himself - they're very tiny! - and dealt and played several hands until he got it right. I asked him who won this hand. Why, the tiny robot, of course.

Double Decked Felines. They can sleep anywhere.

UFBS project

Not a UFO - a UFBS! An Unfinished Blinged Shuttle project!

You may remember that a sub-set of the Palmetto Tat Gals has gotten together for an overnight or two to tat and chat and giggle and other things. (Like eat.) And you may remember the occasion when we blinged shuttles. Note - this was also the event which resulted in The Lamp Shade Photo.

Well, when I returned home after said outing, my stash of partially blinged shuttles was put into a bag. Where they stayed for months and months. Unfinished. Sad, really. A waste of good shuttles.

This past week, those six sad unfinished shuttles were found. And they are sad no more. For I broke out the Mod-Podge and my x-acto knife and finished those suckers!

I trimmed up the edges and slapped 2 coats on Mod-Podge on both sides. They're all shiny and cute now! If you look (click on the picture), you'll see that the middle one on the right has a teeny-tiny Stumpy on it. Most are embellished with paper, but the one on the bottom right is cloth.

And here are the reverse sides. Some have sparkles too. I'm happy with these! I'm not ready to sell any, but I'm perfectly happy to use these myself. And I have no UFBS projects left. For now...

I did tat a little something, earrings for my friend SC's birthday. She was delighted....

Lookie what the post brought!

Today I feel like a lucky lady.

Because today I received a prize package! Containing one of the elusive, much desired, hand made by "i'm in the garage", Pop-A-Bobbin shuttles!

(Feel free to envy me. To be honest, I don't deserve such goodness.  But it's so much fun!)

Some time ago, Sally from Tat's Heaven had a contest. And I won!  How cool is that?  I didn't bribe Sally or anything, I promise.  She was having a 100th blog post give-away, and all I had to do was comment.  Hmm, I think that's in my limited skill set!  I was astonished to see that I had won.  She's a nice lady, that Sally.

So when I got home today, I found a lovely package waiting me, with English post marks.  I dug right in.  Woo-hoo!

Not just the gorgeous Pop-A-Bobbin, but a wonderful handmade box covered in Sally's tatting.  And a delightful card congratulating me on winning.  Sally, you have exceptionally fine manners.  I should be sending YOU a card.

I opened the box, and found my Pop-A-Bobbin, made from cedar.  Isn't it pretty?  And I was able to pop the bobbin post right out, no problem.  (Moe got in on the action - he had to do it too.  He liked it!)  Isn't the box nifty?  And look at the lovely heart Sally tatted for me - makes me feel loved and all snuggly just looking at it, like a big hug.

Sally, you are too generous.  Thank you so much.  I can't wait to try out the Pop-A-Bobbin shuttle.

But that's not all the post brought.

Earlier this week, I received some thread as part of The Thread Exchange.  Melissa sent me some pretty Lizbeth and Anchor variegated thread, both size 40. Mmmm, makes me kind of salivate thinking about it.  What can I make?

The bad kitten got in on the act too....

They have moved my cousin into hospice care, a lovely facility.  My mother went to see her today, but I haven't heard from her.  Folks say my cousin just looks like she's sleeping and will wake any moment.  And we pray that she does.

Who knows what tomorrow's post will bring?

The postman cometh

I got home yesterday and found the postman had brought a package. For ME!

A few weeks ago I won a contest, one done by the lovely Mme. Fox. She had a wonderful English Aero shuttle which she gave away by random drawing - and I lucked out as the winner!

And here is the shuttle - if you look carefully, you can see that it says AERO on top and ENGLAND below. It's very nice. I didn't have an Aero shuttle before. I know many folks swear by them, so I'll have to try it out.

But that's not all the postman brought me. (I typed brang. Really. Oops.) Because I received a lovely package, the contents of which were all wrapped up and tied with a blue bow. And when I unwrapped everything, I was astounded.

Do you see why?

Sweet Fox has sent me a multitude, an abundance, a plethora of goodies, far more than I deserve. In addition to the Aero shuttle, this is what I got:

• A Canadian key chain in the shape of a key, with hearts and a maple leaf on it. (Moe started singing "O Canada" when he saw it.)
• Two vials loaded with beads. These beads are begging to be made immediately into Jane Eberol's Winsome Drop earrings.
• 5 plastics rings to be tatted over - earrings and a pendant, perhaps?
• Six, count 'em, SIX thread samples of variegated Lizbeth thread in size 20. And not piddling amounts of any of them. Probably at least 20 yards of each.
• A lovely embroidered burgundy bag to put goodies in, or to use as a gift bag.
• And, last but certainly not least, some of Fox's exquisite tatting. A gorgeous round motive, and a beaded heart one. Ms. Fox. you do very fine work.

Aren't I a lucky lady? Thank you, thank you, thank you to my dear Fox!

Switching gears....

Moe told me a terrible joke, which I'll share.

A kid was dressed as a pirate on Halloween, with sword, hat, fake parrot, the works. So he went to a house for Halloween goodies.

"Ahoy matie!" said the homeowner. "Great costume! And where are your buccaneers?"

"Under my buckin' hat!" replied the kid.

Until later....