hmmm. Well. my life has been pretty...boring. The kids got out of school last week. I have been battling a headache for just as long. Finally its starting to ease up, after drinking a ton of OJ, and taking headache meds. Hopefully i can keep it at bay for a couple days. It sounds weird, but i like my headaches...they make me thankful for the days i don't have then. I love being grateful. So. I haven't seen my sister, so I don't know how her tatting is going, but I have been tatting a bit. I have been tatting a necklace. Its suppose to be a necklace, or edging...but i think its going to be a necklace. Its fleur de lis. its a really nice pattern. I also ordered Julie Pattersons books...i think i told you all that last time. well i was flipping through and i found this center of a cross. it was just too cool to pass up.

Some tatters stray away from crosses because of personal beliefs but. you can take a cross and dissect it. the long arm can be extended for an edging, bracelet or necklace. The arms can be shortened to become a motif. Crosses can also inspire. Personally i don't think you should limit your self. Especially if your an artist. You could be missing out. But...anyway.

 I think i told you. i love orange. this is a great color orange. and thats girly girl...i have a confession. I found out that i really don't like variegated threads. its weird. I have tried a bit of variegated but i just really am a solids kind of girl. I was even the one who sent in the suggestion for this colorway. I love seeing it on the ball. but i don't like tatting with it. Here is another example...Caribbean. I love the colors but i get tired of the going back and forth...and its so weird. But that is a bookmark.Next up is a bracelet i made my mom for mothers day. I think its just soooo pretty.

ok. so i think that's all for updates...TTYL!

What i have been up to.

Well. As of right now my two boys have no more homework from school. I am a mean mom, so i need to make that difference shown, they are gonna learn during the summer. Practice is important to me. So we are going to work on reading, and math, and writing. not a lot but enough to keep them sharp. I have been tatting!

On the tatting front. I taught my sister to tat. I was so proud of her. Honestly she hasn't tried so hard on something for so long. The last time she made this much of an effort was to read harry potter. I kept telling her how awesome it was, and she wanted so badly to read it too. but alas she couldn't concentrate. But thats ok. So she is now tatting over at her house...my niece is probably confused off her butt...she only sees me tatting. But thats ok too. because tatting is something that sticks with you. So...Tatting. I have been test tatting for Sue over here. I love love love her patterns. I wish i could post a photo of the latest ones, because they are genius. but i can't. And since i have been looking on etsy, i have tried a couple times to mime the tatting on there...FAIL. But thats ok. I bought a set of three books. THEY ARE SO AWESOME. I feel as if her and i were meant to be tatting buddies. She is so totally like me. Shes straight to the point. She has great patterns. She works with her kids. She is just so cool. All of this and i don't even know her. I wish she would do some more books. ok, so the books are Just Making Tome, Knots and Crosses, and More Crosses than you can bear.

Now, if you knew me personally, you would know i am soooo not the most religious person, or spiritual. BUT I do love tatting. And for some strange reason, i have been wanting to make crosses. even before i got my books. So here's a picture i CAN show you. Right this minute, I am also experimenting with my scanner. This was scanned at 600 dpi. I scanned it again at 1200...apparently i can't upload it to here...so i am going to try flickr. I don't know if i can tell the difference. (I tried and it didn't work. poo on that!)

I have also been checking out tatting books at the library. I love tatting, and i love the work put into it. And the people who choose to make a tatting book are good. But occasionally i run across some sloppy tatting. And i know that sounds mean, but if your going to put an effort into compiling patterns and knowledge, and photos of your work...at the very least make sure the tatting looks good... And yes, I know...miss opinionated, if your such an expert, why don't you make a whole book.

I don't know about you, but i love a pattern that sits flat on its own...unless it's supposed  to be 3D. or curled. The patterns are clearly meant to be flat. but it looks like if i tried to tat it, that it would take a lot of fighting with it to get it flat. AND frankly, i am not into fighting. AND thats what i like about the books i bought. They state in the beginning the picot length and tension to be used...ALL just right there. So regardless the tatter, they will get the same result. Its a thing of beauty. I wonder why all tatting authors don't do this. Which is funny. because with the patterns i posted, i don't do that... HOW LAME!

SO do i have anything else to add...no. I don't think so. I am so excited about tat days. I am not going but the pattern cd looks like its going to be good.

Can anyone tell me why my fliggin crosses are all curved??? I think i might need to pin them down for a spell.

Have you ever had a ball of thread that you didn't think much of, but as you are nearing the end, you come to find that its your most used color? Thats the way i felt about the green and pink cross. I bought that color green awhile ago, my reaction was ehh, maybe i will find something to tat with it. And its the color that has gone the quickest! Its really pretty with pink...its very springy.. So now i think thats it...yep. thats it...ok. so...bye.

kudos

Before Easter (i believe) Jess from Tat-ilicious wrote a post about squinkies at McDonalds and how you can use the ball for holding lizbeth thread. WELL i found one better. For Easter i bought each of my kids a large egg...two were full of temporary tattoos, and the other was a tiny Dora ballerina. They are larger than the squinkies, and they hold still. Heres the pictures of my tatting eggs!

a full size 20 ball of lizbeth

So thank you Jess for the great eye opener!

Not really a lesson, but something interesting

I don't think i have expressed how much i like the vance pattern. Its very simple and i could do it for years. this is the basic pattern

vance edging as a bracelet

My boys started getting tutoring which meant 2 hours, three days a week at the library. And so I took tatting and the first pattern that came to mind was vance. So i did 9 repeats cornered went back down the side and finished that corner. Now this is relevent because at the corner, i saw a very pretty thing. The possiblity of a vance motif. The corner is a simple 3 repeat. If i added a fourth it would be a diamond. So i started thinking on how i would make it. These are the ways i came up with.
1. Regular motif, follow the pattern times four.

2.start with split rings then go around with the rest of the pattern

3.split rings with rings thrown off, 2nd round is just chains.

Whats your "go to" pattern. Do you ever think of different ways to mess around with edgings?

later on....

So today the kids have tutoring. I have been planning a blog post about tatting techniques and i think i will get around to it later on today. So in the mean time...happy tatting

Understanding.

Today has been a weird sort of day. I have finally understood something that i have failed to understand. Why are people upset by people dying. Now please understand, i have never had someone really close to me die. So i haven't really understood. I, of course rationalize...they will never see that person again...talk...ect. And i understand its very sorrowful. But it hit me today when i heard that an internet buddy died. I was in shock. Then i checked her blog to see if it was true. the last post was the 4th. It was about a challenge she was going through. stitching. I got really sad. No more blog posts. She will never type again. Her blog is there, but she isn't. Its weird. Then I got to thinking. Well she was in the middle of that challenge. She'll never finish. What happens to her work she has yet to finish. Its sad. She was a wonderful woman, who had a great heart. She helped a lot of people. Sadly enough that it was her death that taught me the compassion for people mourning their loved ones and friends. I appreciate it. I wish it was a lesson that got put off. 

Thank you Gina. For making me a better person.

Happy Valentines day. 

To all, even those who don't celebrate it, i hope you have a bit of love in your lives :)

doing some butterflies

Recently on facebook, Georgia Seitz put out the word for some butterflies. I have  been wanting to send tatting in for the palmetto even for some time. Last year was wonderful. I didn't get to go to palmetto, but there was a chat set up, tatters were trying to break the record for the most tatters tatting at the same time. Needless to say, in a world where you might come across 1 tatter in real life, it was so nice to see so many. To hear their voices...it was wonderful.

So i actually have to go put dinner in the crock, be back in a minute...ok. i'm back. i am making enchilada casserole. its WAY nummy. HERES THE LINK TO IT... anyway.

Butterflies. I have some favorites.

1st. this is a butterfly that is a variation in technique. typically this pattern is done as a SCMR (self closing mock ring.) BUT this one is done with just a single shuttle.

2. Yarn players butterfly. you can also do this with a single shuttle. just by pulling out like a yard of thread and starting your ring there.

3. simple butterfly. basically 4 rings.

4. MY FAVORITE FAVORITE is a pattern that i made. I don't know if i have seen it anywhere but i know one day i just did it. If anyone has seen it somewhere let me know, so i don't feel like a fool for saying that i designed it first. :)

You start with a chain. making sure you put in a paperclip. tat 20ds, then RW and make a ring...3-3+3-3. you join to the paperclip ...keep it there. chain 12 ds LJ to paperclip. chain 12 more. another ring, then finish with another 20 ds. join to the paperclip again. tie  a knot to secure. clip the ends  (antenna)

ch 20 rw
r 3-3+3-3
ch 12 LJ 12
r 3-3+3-3
ch 20.

It is so cute and playful. SO I hope that this inspires you to also send in some butterflies.

Tatting update!

 So, like i said a while ago, my camera is really irritating me. Today is a tatting blog day. I finally got it to import the pictures, so here is some tatting i have been working on....I made an alphabet super simple, I still need to make my H. Further down you will notice a Fleur De Lis-ish pattern. It was an antique one, but it didn't lay nice for me, so i modified it, and i think it's better :)...Ok bloggers layout sucks, description of the photo is gonna be under the pictures :)

Antique fleur de lis, left is original, center is first mod, and third is the final

top part of a tatted hot air balloon

bottom of hot air balloon. stopped here because next row deals with "sets" which i hate

Jane Ebroalls 2004 snowflake

 

I love the center, i thought that it needed a close up.

a flower by jennifer williams

a heart also by jennifer williams, i love this heart!

 

 

So CURRENTLY i am working on a doily from this blog -------> HERE the pattern is through out the blog. such beautiful work!

last meme of the year!

Sunday Stealing: The 2011 Year End  Meme

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
  I finally spoke my mind to my sister and my mom. we paid off a vehicle
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did not make a resolution last year, but this year, i am resolute about dancing more, and practicing my tatting,
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
no
4. Did anyone close to you die?
no, thank god!
5. What countries did you visit?
just mine.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
material wise, i want a sewing machine, a serger, material, patterns. i think thats it.

relationship wise, i want to be happier, for that anthony needs to put in effort.

 parental wise, i want to be a better parent, that means having patience
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
dates...? probably december 7th, i finally remember my nieces birthday! for sure
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
teaching my kids to write, then tatting techniques,
9. What was your biggest failure?
no matter how hard i try, my two boys are having trouble talking right. i consider that a fail.
10. What was the best thing you bought?
my van, its so good to me :)
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
all three of my kids, they are doing great in school
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted?
my boyfriends, lying over stupid things, doing stupid things, being headstrong for the wrong reasons
13. What song will always remind you of 2011?
its a toss up for party rock anthem, and i'm sexy and i know it.
14. What do you wish you’d done more of?
i wish i cuddled more, i wish that i had tatted more, i wish i had done more with my SWAGBUCKS i could have had so much more
15. What do you wish you’d done less of?
yelling, i hate yelling
16. Did you fall in love in 2011?
no :( but i surely wish to have my love back in 2012
17. What was your favorite new TV program?
terra nova! I love that show..also once upon a time,
18. What was the best book you read?
i read the help and it was a good book, but i didn't like the movie
19. What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying?
anthony listening to me, not just when i yell, but when i just am talking to him. him listening to me would make me ecstatic.
20. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
huh?
21. What kept you sane?
my tatting groups, not only do they help with tatting, they help with life. their experiences that they share are invaluable! thank you guys.
22. Who did you miss?
i miss the anthony, anthony used to be.
23. Who was the best new person you met?
i didn't met anyone new
24. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2011?
kids are great when raised by someone who is great
25. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

i don't know. i have had alot of songs in my head.

Well. I finally got around to checking my mail. To my surprise, I had a package. A Card, 2 flat wooden shuttles wound with lizbeth thread (2 colors i didn't have), A silver snowflake and floss threaders. In case you are a new tatter and don't really understand the threaders...I'll explain. They are great for adding beads to tatting and also a great tool for hiding ends (magic thread trick). I am also going to post this over on intatters (cause that's where the exchange went down :)) But I thought that I could brag over here. About...the shuttles. I am not really a flat shuttle kind of gal....but man are these nice! they are sooooo smooth and soft, I have never felt anything like it. So what i am thinking i am going to do, is to make a necklace out of one. So I can have a shuttle ANY where i go. Also so i have something to pet...I am not joking when I say they are smooth, my favorite is the one with green. Its like satin. The snowflake is already on my tree. It came in perfect time! We decorate the Christmas tree the day after thanksgiving...which would be today...So its on my tree and matches perfectly. My ornaments are silver, frosted silver, bronze-ish gold, with a peppermint garland...so silver, gold, and red. the colors of that snowflake...tell me thats not meant to be. 

close up of the shuttles

the snowflake

a horrible picture of the tree half done.

Have i mentioned that i don't like the blogger layout...its hard to put the pictures where i want...oh well . Ok, well I think that I should take the kids outside for a bit...talk to y'all later!