Secret Santa Tatting

 

These are the pictures of the tatting that I received from Tatskool in my Secret Santa package.

The variegated pink doily is nearly five inches accross.

The white snowflake measures 2 1/4 inches accross.

They are both so pretty, I am so pleased that Tatskool was chosen as my Secret Santa.

Secret Santa

 On the Tatting Goddess List we have a Secret Santa swap.  This is what I received from Tatskool.  Here is it when I eventually opened it on Christmas morning.  I was warned not to open it before Christmas, when I received it, as it was from Ireland and it could have been enchanted and turn to ashes in my hands...  So I waited.                                       

 

Imagine my joy, when I opened all the separate packages... So much...
3 pairs of gorgeously thick socks
a lovely 5 piece manicure set
a pretty small pink rose soap
a sparkly silver candle
6 tasty pieces of chocolate, yum yum
a large silver coated chocolate euro
2 vanilla flavoured teas
Flora 20 tatting thread in a smashing dark red/maroon
a spool of silver thread Oya Dentel? something new to try
A beautiful little doily in variegated pinks and reds 

a fantastic white snowflake with silver beads   

AND  
last and best of all a new friend .......  Lorcan the Leprechaun.

He is so cute and  will definitely help me with my designing and tatting in the future.  I have seen some of his friends on other blogs, but never thought in a million years that a Leprechaun would want to come and live with me. He is meticulously dressed in yellow, red and green. A red belt with some fine green tatting tucked into it and holding a lucky euro.  He is settling in quite well and I hope, will be with me for many years to come.
ooh and I forgot... he came carrying some beautiful HDT 'rainbow bright' thread over his arm.

Star of David

 
When I tatted the triangles, each in a different colour, the change was obviously right.  The centre has the 6 sided shape clearly shown.  It is such a simple design, I wonder if it has been tatted before, if so please let me know and I will remove my copywrite.  It is probably too late for Hanukkah this year, but in plenty of time for next.

Star of David Snowflake

I have been trying to design a Star of David and although it looked fine on paper, when tatted it turned into an ordinary snowflake, the middle losing the distinctive 6 sided shape.  After  several attempts,  I quite like this version, but only as a snowflake.

Tatted Christmas Cake Band

This is my Christmas cake... The icing didn't go as well as previous years, it was cracked when it came out of the box!!

I tatted the band a few years ago, and use it every year, with a different theme for the top.  This year my daughter Mandy made Christmas trees from icing and mazipan cut into stars, with 2 snowmen.  The tatting is from Rosemarie Peel's Yuletide Tatting.

What do you do with your leftovers

Whenever I finish a piece of tatting, there is always some thread left on the shuttle.  Too much to throw away but not enough to bother winding back on the ball.  So I make butterflies or flowers, and use them for cards or simply putting in the envelope when sending something.

Bordered Split Ring Cross

I tatted this cross in 2 colours. This shows how colours can be used in split rings. I used Flora 20 in gold for the body of the cross and the outside purple is Lizbeth.  The Lizbeth is slightly finer that the Flora, so the outside half of the split rings has worked up smaller. The purple border is not so prominent as it would be with the smae thread.   I think the next one I tat I will use the same make of thread and see the difference. I have now completed the instruction diagram and have put a pdf on my website on the Tatting page.

Split Ring Cross

This is a little cross I designed, consisting mainly of Split rings, hence the name.  It measures just 2 inches long, worked in Flora 20

If you are good at split rings, it is quite quick to tat.  If you are not, it is a very good way to practice them.

Christmas Snowflake

This one I tatted with a slightly different stitch count.   As you can see, it has changed the shape.   Also it is in Christmas colours.     Flora 20.
It will be in the Christmas Swap on the Crafts Forum America.

Variegated Snowflake

While working on the instruction diagram, I tried tatting the snowflake in different colours ...

This is the 4 ring snowflake tatted in variegated Flora 20.  I think it looks quite different.

4 Ring Snowflake

This is my latest design, a snowflake.   The rings in the very centre are all split rings.  The rest are straightforward rings and chains.   It is tatted in Twilleys no.20 crochet cotton.  I have now finished working on the instruction diagram and have posted it on my website on the Tatting page.

Lace & Threads Fair

Last Saturday I drove to Tonbridge School where the Lace & Threads Fair, organised by Tonbridge Lacemakers was being held.  There were many stalls, mostly bobbin lace oriented, but amongst them was Roseground.  They had brought threads along including Lizbeth and some shuttles.  I bought this one.  It is so pretty.  The refreshments were wonderful too.  Well worth a visit . Next Fair is on 24th October 2010

Another Tatter !! part 2

I went to the Knit and Natter afternoon today, and Pat was there again. She hadn't brought her shuttles, but guess what, I just happened to have a pair wound ......  I got her to make a ring and then showed her how to do a split ring.  She found it quite difficult to begin with ... all those years of flipping ... but got it in the end and made one.  She said she will practice at home, now she understands how to do it.  Trouble is, she starts work next week after a spell at home, so doesn't think she will have much time to tat, but at least I have shown her a new technique.

Sharon's Rose Mat

Now I can show you what I have been tatting for the last few weeks.  This is a design by Sharon Briggs for her new book   Marvellous Motifs.  She designed the rose and plain motif but wanted to see what they would look like as a mat.  There are nine in all.   Five of the rose, four plain. The thread I used is Flora 20 in a variegated green.   The roses are also Flora in three different gold/yellow colours.  The edging I tatted in the same colour as the basic rose.

How Do you Wind Your Shuttles?

I get arthritis in my hands, and found that by the time I had wound a post shuttle, my thumb hurt too much to tat !!  I bought a shuttle winder from Tatting & Design and it has made a great difference to my hobby.  The cream jam jar type lid screws off and the shuttle opens, when slid in the hole in the middle. When screwed back on, it can be turned by the knarled nob at the other end of the spindle and the thread winds on the shuttle.  It has certainly helped me.

Another Tatter !!

A friend organised a Knit and Natter afternoon, yesterday, in the next village.  I went along with my tatting, and guess what, there was another tatter there.  Pat, who I know in the village hadn't tatted since the 70's, and knew nothing about split rings or chains.  So when I can go again in a couple of weeks, she will take her shuttles and I will attempt to bring her up to date with some new techniques.  I can't believe I have been living a mile from another tatter for years and not known it.

Look, look, look, new threads

I have been busy tatting a design for Sharon's new book and it wouldn't be fair to show it to you until she has finished it.

I can, however, show you these wonderful Lizbeth threads that Jane brought me back from Palmetto... the Tatting event in America.  Aren't the colours amazing.  I want more....

Clover Bookmark

I copied the clover design I had created for the Clover Doily to make these bookmarks. The pink thread is size 20, but the white, although purporting to be 20, is much finer, and so the bookmark is smaller.

White Clover Snowflake

I thought Snowflakes should be white, so I tatted another one. I used thread that was labelled as 20 but it worked up smaller than the pink 20.

Clover Snowflake

The next piece of homework we were set, was to design a snowflake from a centre that Sharon gave us. Using clovers again, I designed the pink snowflake. I liked the way the clovers pointed inward and then by adding another ring on the outside, there is another clover pointing outwards.

Jane's Snowflake / Heart

One of our challenges was to to take a snowflake that someone else had designed, and make a heart shape out of it. I chose one of Jane Eborall's designs, and this is the result.

Clover Doily

In the next design project, Sharon gave us a centre of rings and chains and we had to design the next round. By this time I was in love with Clovers, so here is my Clover Doily. In fact I designed another 2 rounds, using split rings to take the thread out to each succeeding one.

Clover Heart

Our next lesson involved looking at a picture of a snowflake that Sharon gave us, and making a design from it. As we were designing it in segments, mine sort of stopped at a heart. I used lots of split rings and by the time I had tatted several versions to test the stitch count, I was quite good at them. I love clovers and called this Clover Heart

Squared Circle ... my first design.

Having tatted for most of my adult life, I decided it was about time I had a go at designing my own patterns, so I joined an on-line Tatting Design course. This was my first design.
We were challenged to design from a centre piece creating negative space. I called mine 'Squared Circle'

This is my new blog... Tatting to follow....