TTT and fleas :-(

Today is tatting tea Tuesday. No tea for me tonight didn't have any during the day either. No beer for tatting beer Tuesday, I think it will be tatting milk or tatting water Tuesday in my neck of the woods. I hope to get some tatting done. I discovered last night that my cats have fleas. Major bummer. I'll be stopping by the vets and picking up remedies on my way home from work. Hopefully I'll have a little bit of tatting to tell you about tomorrow, but if not it will be because I have to comfort traumatized kitties.

poor furbabies.

Another quick check in

Tried working in yard without neighbor. Forgot gloves. Hands and arms ripped to shreds on weeds, it aint pretty. Don't know if I can get any crafting done till this heals up. Hands are also stained, I've tried soap, a soft facial pore brush and rubbing alcohol to get them clean. I think they are clean even though they look filthy, and the fingers are really rough from the small cuts and abrassions. I'm afraid I will stain fabrics/threads or snag them with these poor hard working hands of mine. I have my gloves right under my clippers for working in yard tonight. I'll see if someone can get a picture of them to remind me to never ever ever forget gloves to garden in ever again.

oh, and somehow through all the damage to the skin, I didn't break any nails. Whatever.

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?

excuses excuses

Just stopping in for a bit to apologize for lack of pictures and lack of posts. I think I have one project completed and ready to scan/photograph and another two that are almost there. Allergens are pretty bad in this part of the country right now, and when you combine that while watching anime in Japanese with the subtitles since I've forgotten what little Japanese I knew not much tatting has happened. And it seems I have had to cut out almost as much as I have tatted. Plus my delightful orange tabby helper has been around to taste and tangle the threads. I will try to get some pictures to post soon though. Not sure if it will happen tonight as I need to run errands and mow the rest of the lawn, and housework. All these things I should be doing but it just cuts in too much to the tatting time. Well, it is time for work, everyone have a wonderful day.

On no crafts and a lot of reading

Egads, it has been over a year since I posted. I cannot promise that I will post more regularly but I will try.

Last year I was looking at a challenge to finish off projects in progress. I finally have access to a digital camera, I've started taking pictures of the projects in progress, and now I need to delve into my craft room. There I will organize the projects, clean, and get pics of the projects. These projects cross crafting disciplines. I have embroidery, crewel embroidery, counted cross stitch, knitting, crochet, quilting, clothing, tatting and I have no idea what else. Plus I just learned a new technique called locker hooking. Just what I needed, to learn a new technique. Ah well, I plan to spend the weekend, and possibly longer, getting things organized and photographed. I expect there will be several blog posts just covering the different projects.

To slow things down on the crafting front I have been on a reading jag. 20+ books for January '09. I'm slowing down on the reading and crafting is picking up again. I'm trying checking out audio books from the library so I can listen to my books while I craft. Maybe this way I can get some literature in me while I craft.

Vacation Week and Challenge news

Okay, Sharon B. who has the In a Minute Ago blog has announced her challenge for next year. It is the Take in Further Challenge. Please feel go check out the post to get more details. She also welcomed people to talk about their de-stashing, so my hopes of working on projects and de-stashing should fit in with her challenges.

I got little done during my vacation. I worked on a Sampler that was started 20 plus years ago, and started a Crazy Quilt square. I also started another needle tatting motif. Much of the time I had planned to work on organizing my crafting and/or crafting was spent and my Mom's house. She had borrowed a copy of "The Barchester Chronicles" from her friend and my former boss. It is a 7 episode series, each episode about 50 minutes long. We watched it in it's entirety 2 days in a row. I probably could have watched in again, but that didn't happen. So instead of tatting, or doing anything else, I sat curled up on a couch, wrapped in a quilt, watching Alan Rickman ooze slimy charm. The show is a delightful little soap opera of politics and intrigue in a small 19th century town. I highly recommend it.

UFOs

For the subject of this post, UFOs are UnFinished Objects, maybe someday I'll write about the other kind, but not today. Sharon B from In A Minute Ago suggested a possible challenge for next year. {This year she has run the Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge. I only found out about it in September and that was too late, at least in my mind to join in.} Anyway for next year she suggested a de-stashing project, of finishing up UFOs, WIPs(works in progress) and WISPs(works in slow progress). I don't know if that is what the final challenge will be or not. However I decided to make it mine whether or not she runs an official challenge. I started writing down my UFOs on break. I'm not sure I want to admit to how many I have. I am trying to get them organized however, and I'm dividing my supples into; what is in progress and I definitely want to finish, supplies for projects that haven't been started but I want to do, supples for projects that haven't been started and I want to divert to other projects, then just the odds and ends that I had to have because they are pretty, and the odds and ends that are leftover.

I will definitely finish off the 25 motif challenge, and perhaps start it over again as it is just plain fun, motifs don't take a whole lot of time to complete, and they use up stash - which puts it squarely in the realm of the de-stashing part of the new challenge.

I also plan to start CQing. More UFOs? Yes I'm sure there will be, but at the same time it will give me a place to use my motifs, both crocheted and tatted. It will certainly destash fabric and embroidery floss, and bits and bobs that have accumulated.

I will be on vacation next week and plan to get my UFOs and Stash somewhat organized. At least enough to make a list, and a game plan. Also I have no internet at home so I will probably be out of the loop for a whole 9 days.

To all of you who happen to stop by, have a lovely Thanksgiving. I hope you get to share it with family or friends or both. And if you live someplace where you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, have a lovely week and I hope you get to share it with people you love.

Blog Roll

Okay, my blogroll is probably a weird thing to blog, but what the heck. At this point, these are all the blogs that I subscribe too. I use the Bloglines service for this. I check bloglines every morning, and they have done a search and let me know which blogs have been updated, and they provide the postings, either partial or in full -- your choice. Then I can go to the individual sites and browse around, read or leave comments, and see what blogs other people have linked too. It is a wonderful service. If you are forgetful like me, or just plain busy it is a wonderful tool.

The crafting sites: Embroidery, Tatting, and Crazy Quilting these sites are loaded with patterns and or inspiration.

Other Blogs: Well, just that, other blogs.

• The Criss Library is where I work, information that is a must have for any of us in the Criss Library who work a public service desk. If you don't work there, you probably don't care.
• The Pump Handle, because I am woefully uninformed about the goings on in the world. This is one way I can at least get the headlines on a topic I care about, my fellow human beings.
• Horror Movie a Day. Hard to explain, not the blog, but why I read it. The blogger watches a horror movie every day, then talks about it, like he is talking to a friend. It isn't a review it is more of a conversation. I don't even watch many horror movies, but I love this blog. Warning-He uses rough language.
• My other blog, is where I blog on non-craft things, probably where this entry should go but oh well, the lines between the two are so blurred now anyway that there is probably no hope.
• Any other blogs there at this point are friends, virtual or real-world that have blogs. Not that those who write the crafting blogs are not friends and potential friends, they just have a more focused blog.
  

Cats and Quilts

Cats are attracted to quilts. I've never met a cat who wasn't. I don't know the reason, but I'm sure there should be a universal law about it. Once upon a time I was embroidering white flour sack dishcloths. I was told that the embroidery was too pretty and ornate to be dishcloths, I should make it a quilt. Then as I dutifully did as I was told and started making a quilt I was told that it should be a queen-sized quilt, because then it would work as a bed spread for my double bed. Seeking approval I embroidered enough squares for a queen-sized quilt. 24 squares, plus borders. Only 4 squares are quilted. I dug it out of it's box too have a look, that's more quilting than I thought I had done. I'm rather wishing now I had not been so easily led, and such an approval seeker, but it will make a pretty quilt if I ever get it done.

So anyway, I spread it out on my living room floor to have a good look at it. My living room is almost empty because I'm working slowly on finishing that room. Finishing off the ceiling, painting and wall papering, so the furniture is all in my dining room. Lots of room on the living room floor. I sit down on the love seat (that is in the dining room, blocking any use of my dining table) to have a good look at it. The cats find the quilt. One promptly sits on it to have a bath, the other two circle around it for a bit. Suddenly the quilt becomes a mat or a ring, and the cat version of WWW occurs in my living room on that quilt. All the kitty wrestling must happen on the quilt. If a cat leaves the quilt for any reason the wrestling stops. It was quite entertaining, and I watched for some time thinking I was justified in not having cable.

And as I look over this blog and think about all the craft work I have, all those UFOs, and all the possibilities for more UFOs I'm thinking maybe the blog name should change from Catherine's Tatting Attempts to Catherine's Crafting Attempts. I'll think about it, I'll only change it if the addy can stay the same.

Halloween

Another Halloween has come and gone. I did not dress up this year, and neither did my cat. Banichi sometimes dresses up as a spider and helps me hand out candy. He is usually as big a hit as the candy. I just didn't want to deal with that this year. I had somewhere between 50 and 75 trick or treaters come by, before I decided to call it quits. I got chilled, the neighbors were starting to close up and turn out lights so I did too. I didn't think I was ever going to warm up.

While handing out candy I worked on my embroidery sampler. I actually got a fair amount done. There were many nice complements on the colors and several little girls commented that they liked to embroider. I was saddened though when one girl asked if I was knitting. Here was this nice curious little girl who had never been exposed to needle crafts. A fair amount of my history is tied up in craft work -- not to mention a huge amount of space in my house. My mother taught me to embroider. My grandmother gave me my first knitting needles and yarn. My mother made me clothes, taught me to make clothes, she sewed and knitted Barbie doll clothes for me, I learned to needlepoint by watching her; she and I learned to quilt together, she on quilt tops made by her grandmother, and me using up scraps from cloth mom and I had made clothes out of. Then there is the hours of fun and enjoyment of learning new crafts with friends, and the new friends I have made simply by knowing some needlework and getting involved with groups in person or online who also practice needlework. I do hope that, that little girl who didn't know the difference between knitting and embroidery has some other memories with her parents, some other hobbies that will be as pleasing and rewarding to her as needlework has been and continues to be for me.

No Piccies yet

Hi, I didn't get any scans made, but I got some Tatting done! I am rather excited about that, plus I have a general invite for tea and homemade cookies if I offer tatting lessons to my co-workers at my part time job. Over the weekend they were looking at my work and talking about the dying art. I assured them it wasn't dying. Then i got to thinking that that is the wrong response. I will now ask people if they would like to help keep it from dying, and thus try to recruit new tatters. Then once they are committed (yeah right) I can spring on them the plethora of web sights and blogs, all the wonderful vibrant and living people out there with their innovations and new creations that are breathing life into this far from dead art form.

But back to the piccies part. I finished the tat-along motif, it was number 2, and did a very amateur job of it, uneven tension twisted picots and who knows what else. I'll still starch it and turn in into a Christmas Tree ornament, I'll just put it at the back of the tree. I also made Mark's aka Tatman's Bat, and the little x from the Cecelia doily. Hopefully pictures tomorrow.

Asking Permission

Hi all,
I have started adding more to my blog. Specifically links to other blogs. I don't know all the netiquette on this, like is it proper to ask permission to have the links. To be on the safe side, I am asking for permission, after the fact, but I can remove links if the owners wish. I have been blessed to have a few of you come back on a regular basis, and so I am asking here for permission to link to your blogs. I will try to go to each individual to ask, but some of you I cannot leave comments for. Clyde P. yours is one I cannot leave a comment on, so if you read this and want me to remove your link from my page I will respect your wishes. If I do not hear from you I will assume it is okay to keep the link. Now, I am off to leave comments/permission requests on the blogs I have posted.

False Starts and Finishes and Cats

Well, I was quite disjointed last night and feel like not a lot got done on anything. I did a bit of laundry, some dishes, heated up leftovers, tried to start practicing a few embroidery stitches, tried to finish a video game, and then tried to tat. I'm not sure if I'm going to rip out that last bit of tatting or not. My uneven tension came back, big time. I was just too tired to be doing anything right. When I get home from work I'll look at it with fresh eyes and see if it is as bad or worse than I currently think it is. At least the really bad part is where I stopped so there won't be a whole lot of lost time if I rip it out. Also, one of the joys of needle tatting over shuttle tatting, is that it is a lot easier to rip out mistakes, well if you catch them soon enough anyway. I still hate to loose the time spent, but at least the motif is not a waste like it is when I have a big goof in shuttle tatting.
Anyway, just because here are some pictures of my furbabies. This is Banichi at about 6 months old. He's 3 1/2 now. He has that wonderfully regal granting an audience look to him here.



This is Motoko and Leo when they were about 4 months old. This is from the weekend I adopted them a little over a year ago. Leo is the orange kitty, and Motoko is the Gray one. Isn't that a sweet expression on her face.














And these are my favorite pictures of Leo and Motoko. This was last Holloween. They had to stay inside while Banichi and I were on the porch handing out candy. As you can see, they were not pleased with that arrangement. I need to get new pictures of all three of them.









They are also great craft helpers, they make sure that the threads taste good, and that there are lots of knots and tangles to keep me busy.

Still nothing new

I am really enthusiastic about learning to tat right now. Perhaps this enthusiasm is partly how little time I am having. I got called into my second job on Tuesday, attempts to tat between jobs resulted in failure. Wednesday I donated platelets at the Red Cross and was hoping to tat afterwards. After all you are supposed to avoid heavy lifting or anything strenuous for several hours afterwards, but it left me too wiped out to tat, so only more tatting failures. Tonight is errand night, then dinner with my folks, and tomorrow night I get to see Thoroughly Modern Millie at the playhouse. I love that musical. I'll have to try to find a stupidly simple edging that I can practice on, and make myself work slowly and precisely. It may not get me another motif done, but it would be practice, and if I do it right, I'm hoping to edge some pillow cases. If it doesn't go well, I may put away the shuttles and dig out the tatting needles in order to accomplish a simple piece - though for me that also has a high failure rate right now. Oh, the joys of learning something new. The good thing is I do have a project in mind that will make use of all my failures and left-over ends.

Random thoughts

I stopped by the craft store last night to get 2 new shuttles. I'm going to try plastic as I'm still clumsy with the shuttles and the metal shuttles tend to fray my threads. I have been getting better, but still not as good as I would like. I also went looking for definition of terms and instructions. There are several patterns I want to try, but they contain techniques that I am not familiar with -- not too surprising since I am such a beginner. I was all gung ho to tat when I got my errands finished, but my allergies would not permit anything but sleep. Maybe tonight.

Reason for this Blog

This blog is coming about because I wish to join a 25 motif challenge. The challenge is to create 25 tatted motifs in one year. They like when you can post your pictures to your own blog and I didn't want any tatters to need to bother with my main site if they didn't want, nor did I want the non-tatters to have to go through tatting pictures. I do link back in forth in case any possible readers I may have are that curious.

Anyway, here is the 25 Motif Challenge Blog Spot. Get ready to drool, there are some really talented people posting here. I just hope that my journey and challenge makes my tatting somewhat acceptable.