Thursday, May 29, 2008

TIAS 3 - Day 5

Did Jane mention that the picot on Ring 9 is meant to join to another ring with a bead ? Well, either she has not mentioned it or I have missed it, and my picot is not long enough to take the bead, so I had to re-tat Ring 9. And my 2nd JR is tighter than the 1st. Other than that, so far so good, but not anywhere wiser on what we are tatting!

I just received some new sewing tools and stationery that I bought from Cynthia from the States, and quite excited about them. More about them later.

Monday, May 26, 2008

TIAS 3 - Day 4 and a New Heart on a Paper Clip

For Josephine Ring (JR), I can manage the thread twisting, but I hate to count the number of stitches done if I lose count of it. Like most, Jane's suggested alternative way to tat up the JR is new to me. I managed to tat it this new way, but had to try a few times before I get it, and my JR is not looking its best.

Now, I'm fantasizing that we might be tatting an animal - the button's the head, ring 7 with the 3 bead's the tail, and the JR's the leg! Are we tatting more JR, Jane ?


I was meddling with a variegated coloured crochet thread like a size 10, and came up with this heart on a paper clip. It's such a small one, I wouldn't count it for the 25-Motif Challenge yet until I have time to develop further on the heart and/or tatting it on the paper clip.

Friday, May 23, 2008

TIAS 3 - Day 3

I loaded the 6 beads on the shuttle with pink thread, but forgot to use it as S1. Got to unwind the green thread from the shuttle and load the 6 beads in. Here's the main reason why I like to use bobbin shuttle - winding and unwinding don't take more than seconds!

Back to the tatting. What can this be ?

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

TIAS 3 - Day 2

Day 2 is a breeze, all done in a whiz!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Jane Eborall's TIAS 3 - Day 1


I didn't follow the previous 2 TIAS, no way I can miss this current one! Here's my Day 1 done. I hid the threads differently from Jane's method, I did what I do normally.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Motif No. 8/25 - Bookmark "Dancing Kristine"


Motif No. 8/25 - Bookmark "Dancing Kristine"


I'm still working on the animal for Hanna (sorry, Hanna, I'm so late with it, but by now, I can tell I'm still not up to the mark to design animals, but I'll finish it up ASAP). Anyway, my girl, Kristine, is attending Shichida class, my attention was wandering as I sat behind her in her class. Not sure if this looks similar to anyone's earlier pattern, but I came up with it inside the classroom without referring to anything. After tatting out the piece, I attempted to draw the diagram out. I didn't test-proof it again, so if anyone does tat it and spot any mistake, let me know! Although this uses 2 shuttles, I think this is the simplest of the 8 designs so far.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Pattern for Motif No. 1/25 Heart Destiny


Managed to write out (yes, literally handwritten) the pattern for Motif No. 1/25 - Heart Destiny. Hope my handwriting is legible and the instructions make sense!


And watch out for the next Motif No. 8/25 coming very soon. It will be a simple bookmark, and I will try to type out the pattern with drawing.

Monday, May 12, 2008

New Shuttles and CQ Blocks

Decided it is time to get more GR8 shuttles after I got my 2nd set of 3 shuttles in 2005. This time round, I went for small and simple ones, no extra word or picture, just my initials. The shuttles came just in time for a Mother's Day treat, and better than the crab and lobster seafood dinner we had on Sat.

The shuttles are a gem! The photos I took don't do enough justice to the beauty of the shuttles and the woods. The bookmark at the side is a pattern from one of the Japanese books, tatted using Sherry's HDT, during the outing for the dinner. This is the first time I use HDT, luckily I didn't mess up the thread when I untwisted it in the car to wind into the shuttle bobbin.
Randy has etched my initials into the dzalam wood (middle shuttle), inlayed red coral into the tulipwood (topmost shuttle), and inlayed turquoise into the double bobbin shuttle (bottom shuttle). Thanks, Randy, a fantastic job done as usual!

That brings my collection of GR8 shuttles to 9. So far, I have not used the arcadia wood (with the fairy inlay) and the caribou antler (with the Merlion and my Chinese surname scrimshawed). They are too precious to me to use them. I use the other 4 GR8 regularly.
The bottom 6 are GR8 shuttles, and the top 4 are the Silent Tatters.
And special thanks to Diane! She sent me 2 CQ blocks for me to try embellishing them. How I wish to start on them now, but I have to finish up the tatting for my round robin partners first. Already running behind time...

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Pattern for Motif No. 7/25 Lucky Sequin Clover

Despites the busy schedules doing up the TIAS and everything, Jane Eborall is such a dear helpful soul to help with the diagrams. The pattern for the Lucky Sequin Clover is now up on Jane's website http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~nickeb/index.htm under the Guest Designers, together with another sequin pattern by Tine Vedder. The direct link is here http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~nickeb/LaiEllen.htm

Thanks, Jane!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Postcards Received from Meme

One of my round-robin partners, Meme, sent another mail to me, with postcards and bill, and more info on Chile. Now I know more about her country. I love collecting postcards! Thanks, Meme!