Motifs 11, 12, and 13 plus cat

I apologize here and now for the following pictures. I took them with my phone as my camera is currently staying at Mom's house. I got a fair bit of tatting done. But no pressing or blocking. The first motif doesn't really have a name, but it is one I had in the past tried repeatedly to tat. Never could get it. Then I read up on how to do rings on chains, something I had never heard of the first 10 or so attempts to tat this motif and I learned more of the principle behind the shoelace trick, and voila! My first attempt in my second tatting life turned out a completed motif! The pattern can be found here. It is by Lisa Trumble of This 'n' Tat. (Sorry for my fingers in the pictures) Here is Motif 11.
This next motif is number 12 and it is Trefoil Snowflake from Vida Sunderman's Tatted Snowflakes. It was tatted in size 20 Carousel by Lizbeth instead of the called for size 10 white. I'm kind of liking my multi-colored snow-flakes.
Motif 13 is also from Ms. Sunderman's book Tatted Snowflakes. It is the Glitter Snowflake tatted in size 5 instead of size 30. It is plenty small in size 5 thread.
And just because I found it on the phone, here is an 'awww' picture of Leo taken around Christmas time. Talk about one relaxed kitty. He is sleeping on my double wedding ring quilt that is taking me forever to quilt. I really need to quit finding new crafty things to try out and finish up all my WISPs and UFOs. Oh well, some year.

Crafting happened, but where are the pictures?

Hi all,
I was so excited, Mom switched from dial-up internet to broadband, so I could just go to her house, visit and do my blog entries there. I am in the dark ages and don't even have dial up at my house. I've been doing my blogging from work, but off work hours. Well, I may be back to that. Mom's computer seems to be lacking in USB ports, so uploading pictures is a problem. I'm going to mess with my USB sticks, and her USB ports and maybe get both of us an external USB docking thingie so we can use all the peripherals easier. You can tell I am really up to date with all the computer lingo and such. Oh well, as long as my tolerant salesperson at the computer place can understand what I am asking for.

So anyway I haven't done much in the way of stitching or tatting, and I have pictures that I cannot upload of what little I have accomplished. The reason being, I got the rest of the DVDs for my favorite anime series. I had been putting off purchasing them as DVDs are expensive and I didn't want to spend the money. BUT, therightstuff.com had a great sale on all 8 that I didn't have yet, so I ordered them. Well once they came in I had to watch them. Plus I watch TV, and Movies almost exclusively in the language they are created in, and I am pretty mono-lingual so no hand work just reading subtitles. Anyway it was an after work and weekend marathon for the last 2 weeks. The anime in question is Saiyuki -- all three series plus the one movie that I can find commercially available in the United States. That is 101 episodes at about 23 minutes each, plus the movie, don't remember running time on it. The first 50 episodes I have seen often enough that I can stitch through them, and I even remember enough Japanese that I sometimes argue with the translations. The last 51 episodes I still have to just watch. Now if I can just get a hold of the other movie and the 2 OVAs I can loose more stitching time.

I did get another ornament tatted, and some cross stitching done on a couple of pieces. I have pictures taken, but alas will not be uploading on this post. I hope to get the pictures up soon.

My first Tatting Tea Tuesday

Just dropping by to report on my first official Tatting Tea Tuesday. I'm on lunch so this will be a quick post.

I did get some tatting done last night, but don't have a picture to show yet. I worked on an ornament from Vida Sunderman's book, and am just over half-way done. I was at a friends hanging with the cats while said friend is hanging with her family on vacation. I tatted while there, then when I got home I was too hot to do any crafting, so after doing dishes and fixing dinner and today's lunch I just sat like a slug. I hope to finish off the ornament/snowflake tonight while hanging with the cats again. We'll see. Now, it is back to work.

Good Bye Que, and some x-stitching

Sorry I missed out on posting last week. It has been hectic for people around me. An old room-mate got a septic infection in her arm. She is now home from the hospital and recovering nicely. There were car problems, and there were emergency runs to the grocery store for those without a car. Then most unfortunately there was a sudden hospitalization and then death, complete with visitation and funeral. A beautiful gracious lady, and mother/mother-in-law to some of my longest time friends died. She was a truly wonderful lady who made everyone she met feel welcome. Her last words to her son were "God is love" as she was wheeled into surgery. I did get to the hospital in time to say goodbye, but she was unconscious. I have to believe that she heard all our I love you's and we'll miss you's. She never met a stranger and had that rare and wonderful gift of making everyone feel special. I love you Que, and I'll miss you.

Now, enough of my reasons for not posting and on to stitching:
Not much has been happening in the way of
tatting lately. I have been crafting though. I only have pictures of cross stitch. To the right are some Christmas ornaments that I finally put in their little frames and finished off. I believe they had been waiting around for finishing for 2 years. Sorry they are so washed out. I think the camera flash must be reflecting off of the little plastic protectors. I have 2 more ornaments that are waiting to get finished off, I think they will be too big for these ornaments so I will have to think of something else, and lost in my land of UFOs and WISPs are 9 ladies dancing and a partridge in a pear tree.

Next up is the fingertip towel that I listed in my goals as wanting to finish. I cannot find the colors of thread that I was using to finish all the back stitching. I will be using this myself, it isn't a gift or to sell, so I declared it done and crossed it off my list. So here are 2 items that can be crossed off that long list of goals for this year.

While I was looking for items that were on my 2010 goal list I came across a 'door bow'. It is a long piece of aida cloth with edges all finished. You just cross stitch 4 designs on different parts of it, then make that long swatch into a bow. The cross stitches are all done on the first motif/decoration. You are supposed to save all the back stitching for last, after all 4 designs are cross stitched. I may not wait that long as I can easily get bogged down and not finish a project that has just back stitching to do. Witness the fingertip towel above!



Here is where I started up again. It is the second
motif/design on the bow. I have (since this pic was taken) finished all the cross stitching on to this section and started on the 3rd design area. I do need to get more photos to show the progress.

Then in addition to my huge list of projects, I almost have another MarBek Angel kitted out to start, and I started a x-stitch that is a sampler style. I must admit that since I do regular embroidery in addition to cross stitch, I find it a bit hard to call the cross stitch pieces actual samplers. Some of them do have a variety of stitches though, so those do count.

Now as it is tatting tea Tuesday, I am off. I will tat tonight. I have had tea here at work and will not have anymore today as the caffeine would keep me awake. But there has been tea, there will be tatting, and I will try to get more pictures to show soon. And all my friends and relatives have been put on notice that they have to stay happy and healthy! And remember Que's words "God is love"

Pictures finally!

Sorry for such blurry pictures, but blurry or not
I've been promising pictures of what has been
tatted and so here they are.

This first picture is the circle in a square motif
designed by Rozella F. Linden the pattern is in her book "Easy Tatting". I tatted it in size 10 ecru cebelia. It is motif #7 in the 25 motif challenge.

Here is a re-do of Jon Yusof's foldover bookmark.
I used Lizbeth Vinyard Harvest again for this bookmark. I tend to tat while watching television and so in addition to plain old needing practice to get things even, I need less TV time and more attention as I tat to keep things even. This is motif # 8.

I didn't have any patterns with me at the time so I just started re-tatting this book mark cross from Rebecca Jones' book "Complete book of tatting" This is done in cebelia size 80. I don't know the name of the colorway. This makes Motif #9. Oh, and the book, It was given to my by my Aunt on my 7th birthday. It was embossed with her name and I don't know for what occasion she received it. The book is just a few years older than I am. I thought the little cross bookmark was too small to use as a bookmark, then I remembered it would be perfect for this prayer book!

And last is motif #10. The
Entertainment Doily by Celtess whose website I cannot find to link you to the pattern. It is done in size 20 Lizbeth Jellybean. Not only did I tat most of this in front of the TV, I was watching shows with subtitles so even less attention than normal was paid to the tatting as I tried to read fast enough to keep up with the shows. The very inner ring was done without distractions and you can certainly tell the difference between that ring and the 3 outer ones. Oh well, I doubt I will quit crafting in front of the television anytime soon. And since I don't plan to sell these they don't have to be perfect. It is hobby time.

Now to go on a bit more from the previous post on goals. I said I was going to list ten things to finish off this year, and then proceeded to list 16. Well, I was going to just commit to 10, but as I looked I upped it to 17. Right now I am working on the Yo-yo coverlet and will continue to Tat. I hope to get at least one motif tatted per week. As for all the items on the list, they may change as mood/whimsy strikes me, but I do intend to finish off either these 16 items, or some like items rummaged from my hidden supply of UFOs and WISPs.

Now I have the weekend off, I will be away from the computer and I wish any browsers a wonderful weekend!

Some Goals

I have been reading through a co-workers needlework blog. She does beautiful work, but she has the same problem I have. She loves stash. She and I agreed that we both have SABLE. I don't know if she is still doing it (I started at the beginning and am only into 2006) but for a while anyway she was setting goals to try to finish off WISPs, limit new starts and slow the growth of stash. It seems a wonderful idea. So, I took a look at my UFOs, WISPS, and the fact that I am in a challenge to create 25 tatted items in a year. Then I took a deep breath and forgave myself (I may need to drink a bottle of nice wine to help forgive myself, but don't have any in the house.)

My confession. Counting the 15 tatted items left to do, I have over 100 started projects. Next problem, I have no children to leave these treasures too. If I did they probably wouldn't want them anyway. What's a girl to do? Maybe go buy that bottle of wine? nope, that probably won't solve the problem. Well then, let's set some goals. Finish the 25 motif's for tatting (15 left, I'll get the next 4 posted after work) then, I will try to finish off at least 10 more projects by December 31. So I made a list of things I would like to have finished. Since there are only 6 months left out of this year, many of the things I choose are almost finished, some are completely stitched and just need some sort of finishing. So hear, in no particular order is my goal list of crafts I want to finish by the end of 2010.

1. 25 motif challenge (15 left)
2. Noro yarn sweater. (just need to hem sleeves and body of sweater) WISP
3. Yo-yo coverlet. (I have enough yo-yos to make a lap size coverlet) UFO
4. Sampler (just need to finish the border and stitch my initials and date) WISP
5. Fingertip towel (just need to back stitch the cross stitching) UFO
6. Coat sweater (most of this still needs to get knitted, but the yarn is in my living room easy to get to and it is super bulky yarn so should knit up fast)
7. Cape Cod needlepoint. (A small 4x4 or so picture that just needs the finishing details added, then finishing off) UFO
8. Chrysanthemum pillow (needlepoint pillow that just needs to be assembled-I have everything but the stuffing) UFO
9. Seashell Pillow - all stitched UFO
10. Country Cottage (cross stitch picture that just needs framing) UFO
11. Christmas Angel (cross stitch that I will turn into a pillow) UFO
12. Star Angel (cross stitch that I will turn into a pillow) UFO
13. Praying Angels (cross stitch that I will turn into a pillow) UFO
Numbers 9, 11-12 need fabric backing and stuffing but are all stitched awaiting finishing
14. Hummel cross stitch. Frame or turn into pillow? If it becomes a pillow I'll finish it with the others, if it needs framing I need to save up and pay cash for the framing. UFO
15. Finish off cross stitch Christmas ornaments. WISP
16. Tuck in loose ends, starch and create hangers for tatting that will become Christmas ornaments.
17. Sachets. (all crocheted, just need to stitch up bags for scents, find scents and add finishing.) UFO

The list looks VERY ambitious to me, but I think some of the finishing can be done in batches and that will go quickly.

Anyone else make lists or goals?