#5 of 25 Motif Challenge and Tatting Round Robin

These are my flowers for Stephanie for the Tatting Round Robin. I really had a hard time finding flowers where I could make the stems green as she has requested.

I tried many different patterns, but I haven't learned to use 3 shuttles of thread yet so when the flowers had chains I had to do the shoelace trick to keep the green out of the flower. It just didn't look right. So I adapted a pattern from Kersti (I can not get this site to come up right now so I can't show you the exact pattern), I ended up making 2 seperate pieces and tied them together in the back. They were kind of obsessive though and I have started a few more which I will use to dress up the front of plain note cards.

Happy Tatting,

Bonnie

PS I waited a couple of hours before I posted this to see if I could get the pattern site to come up but I am still unable to access it. Once I get it I will update this specific post.

Introducing My GUF & Other Important Family Members

Last week I received a very nice note from my GUF (Great Uncle Francis) and his wife GA Myrtle (GAM). In my Jan 13th post I spoke about GUF and how he is the person primarily responsible for my tatting obsession. He is 94 years old and still actively tats! I have been sending them pieces of my work as well as pictures of some of the others. I was happy to get this picture so I could introduce them to you .

Standing from left to right is my Mother, GAM, and my Father. Seated is GUF. GAM is my Maternal Grandmother's sister.

This second picture is of my GU Leonard (GUL) with his sister, GAM. GUL is my maternal Grandmother's brother. My parents and GUL live in ND and GUF and GAM live in OK. These pictures were taken when my parents took GUL to visit his sister and brother-in-law for his 84th birthday last October.

#4 for 25 Motif Challenge and Tatting Round Robin

Happy March Everyone,

I'm just now getting over the sickness I had. According to the dr it was a form of the flu although it seemed like a cold. For the last 3 weeks I've been exhausted by the time I got home from my daily commitments so I haven't done much tatting.

Before I got sick I had started Jane's Flowery SCMR Bookmark in order to learn the SR and the SCMR. I made it in size 20 Flora thread. It was for the my first part of our Tatting Round Robin, which had to be in the mail by Feb 25th. (I sent to Connie.) I was hoping to get the 8 sections done like in Jane's pattern, but I could tell I was running out of time, so I stopped at 6 sections and added the green leaf part. I will definately make this one again.

Because I was unsure of the SR, I didn't participate in Jane's Tat it and See, but when I had it down I started her Hippopotamus. Because I have the whole pattern I haven't been doing it in day sections as most of you did, but I am currently on the Day 8 part, the neck sections. Hopefully I will have that done for next week's blog post.

I should explain the Tatting Round Robin. We each made our first piece and sent it along with what type of motif we were looking to get back from the others in our group. In the end we will receive our original piece back and an item from each of the other individuals in our group. Friday I received Stephanie's Tatting Round Robin. She made these beautiful purple flowers with green leaves and long green stems. I wish I could figure out how she made it, it's so pretty I'd like to give it a try.

She asked for flowers to put on a hat or bandana. So I am searching threw a friend's old Workbasket magazines looking for flowers. Can anyone help me find a beginner's flower pattern?

Happy Tatting,

Bonnie

SR and SCMR & There Goes My Tatting Time

I did this post last Sunday but because I had a non-tatting related item in it, I debated over if I should actually post it. Then I decided I was going to revamp it and never did. Since I have a horrible cold and I didn't do much tatting this week, I'm going to post last week's in it's original form. I hope it makes you smile.

Happy Tatting and Stay Well!

Bonnie

Originally written Sunday, February, 10, 2008

Greetings,

It really didn't take me long to figure out the SR (split ring) but it took considerable time to learn the SCMR (self closing mock ring.) What happened was I was trying to actually make a ring rather than have the second shuttle be the core of the SCMR.

Once I realized SCMR isn't a ring but a mock ring it was quite easy. I hope to have it finished in time to post next week.

Non-Tatting related, but a funny story.

My avid body building - every day gym going husband called me at work last week to tell me he got me a present. A present, yeah!, what is it? "A gym membership." How thoughtful! *sigh* Okay so I say "I'm game to a trial membership." To which he replied "I got you a year membership, we have alot to do and a little time to do it in."

"WE" ?!?!?! Wonder who "we" is!

(January 2009 we will celebrate our 25th Anni. For almost 2 years now we have been planning a cruise for Jan 09 with our very good friends, Kris and Nicole, who will celebrate their 10th Anni around the same time. )

Isn't he the greatest? Now mind you I was furious at the time, hung up on him in fact, but I know he loves me and since he isn't very romantic, this is his way of saying that he wants me to be healthy and grow old with him.

And I know that I need to do this for myself, so I started a week ago today. 4 times a week, just cardio for now, a hour and a half a day. Today was the first day of week #2, weigh in day, the first day of the new week, I lost 5 lbs! I rush to tell DH "5 lbs!" to which he replys "I told you the first few would come right off, don't get over confident." Feel the love?? :-)

Does anyone know if it's possible to tat while on a treadmill?

Happy Tatting,

Bonnie

#3 for 25 Motif Challenge

True to my word, I worked on a project using my HDT. The pattern is "Celtic Flower" from Celtic Tatting by Rozella F Linden.

The HDT is from Marilee's "Peace" HDT batch. It is done in size 30. I used a small portion of a skein of "Peace" and since I had to redo the second round (the long peach colored spikes in the middle) I used almost all of a skein of "Peach". Also I didn't leave the beginning picots on round one (the multi color) long enough, which then meant the final rows of that round weren't .......... I guess I'll say .... high enough, so I had to slightly modify the third/final round (the final peach.) I felt the directions were lacking for that final round, I had to untat in order to get the over/under celtic weave working. It didn't explain that in the directions, although it was reflected in the picture, which I missed because I was to busy reading the directions, go figure. LOL. Regardless I think it turned out pretty good.

I feel bad that I missed out on Jane's Tat It And See. I started it but got worried when I came to the first split ring (SR). I know what a SR is but haven't practiced it enough to put it into a project. I didn't want to start off with messing up the project right off the bat. So this week I am going to spend practicing the SR and the SCMR (self closing mock ring.) I hope to have that down by the end of the week. I'm sure the Tat It And See was alot of work, but I hope Jane does another one. It looks like everyone had alot of fun and I'd like to be in on it. As your aware I haven't been tatting long, but I can already tell how much time Jane spends helping out the tatting world, just check out her pattern page. Thank you, Jane.

Please allow me to say unless something wonderful happens in my tatting world during the week, I am only going to update my blog on the weekends.

Happy Tatting,

Bonnie