Merry Christmas & Happy Tatting :)

Just popping by to wish you all a Merry Christmas, or whatever you may celebrate :) Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Don't have much tatting to show right now, because I've been crocheting a lot lately, making Christmas presents for most of the family. I did manage to squeeze in a little tatting, though, I made this little bookmark for one of my boyfriend's sisters:

The pattern is one of the flower fragments from Mary Konior's A Pattern Book of Tatting (which, by the way, was my grandmother's Christmas present for me that I bought earlier this fall). The thread is Lizbeth 20 in Dark Boysenberry and Medium Leaf Green. The tassel is the variegated Leafy Greens. Also I made the "Grand Aura" pendant from Yarnplayer's book in black Lizbeth 40 with red beads:

The stitch count didn't exactly match the beads I used, so I had to improvise a little. Fewer picots around the center and I changed the top rings of the pendant. This was a last minute gift for a cousin. I haven't heard any reactions yet, but I hope she likes it! I sure do :)

My boyfriend's mother and I gave some tatting stuff to another of my bf's sisters (this is getting complicated!), and I've spent the evening tonight trying to teach her tatting. She got the flip fairly quickly and made a few rings and chains, and even a join! Despite the bad teacher... *ehum* Tomorrow we will try some simple patterns, and there will possibly be pictures :) Another tatter in the world, yay!

Enjoy the rest of the holiday :)

Christmas came early this year!

I'm sure many you know about the fabulous give-away at Yarnplayer's blog a while ago, which I won! With so many entries (well over a hundred!) I never expected to win, because my luck abandoned me several years ago. When I was little I always won something at lotteries, but not anymore... Well, I certainly won't complain again! :)

I was barely awake this morning when the doorbell rang, so I didn't bother to get up. My mother-in-law answered the door, and shortly after my boyfriend came in carrying a big box. That got me up in a hurry! I sat on the bed and unpacked all the things and squeaked like a child at Christmas! I've been doing the happy dance all week since last Friday :)

Here's what was in the package:

Marilee's latest book Up and Tat 'Em. I've been drooling over this for a long time and can't wait to try the patterns in it, especially the Atom pendant. Ooh, and the book is signed, too! I love it when my craft books are signed, it makes them extra special :)

A toy dump truck! I'm giving it away to a couple who are expecting a baby boy in March, even though he probably won't play with it for a while yet :)

Thread! Lots and lots :) Ten 50 yard skeins of her hand dyed thread: "Bluegreen Pastel"(40 yard skein) size 10, "Corsage" sizes 10 & 20, "Pizazz" size 20, "Summer Trail" sizes 20 & 80 (eek!), "Nectarine" size 30, "Peace" size 20 + corresponding solids in Light Pink and Light Yellow. A most awsome collection of colors! :)

Two new Clover shuttles and two steel crochet hooks, sizes 0.4mm and 1mm (12). The largest hook will be part of a Christmas present for someone who wants to learn tatting. I won't mention any names, in case people should read this blog by accident :)

And she even sent a Christmas card! With camels! My favorite animals in the world (after hedgehogs, of course!) :) Thank you so much for this wonderful gift, Marilee, I love it!

Now I only need to find something to tat with all this lovely thread! It has to be something special. What can you make with 50 yards of size 20 thread? Does the thread last longer in the smaller sizes? I'd hate to start something that I couldn't finish... Any suggestions? :)

Two Christmas presents :)

Wow! Can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post on this blog! November just flew by... I haven't really tatted much during that time, because I've been busy crocheting and making some patterns for the holidays that I wanted done before the beginning of December:

Well, life calmed down a bit when these Dudes were finished, and I've had time to make a few Christmas presents :) First I made a cell phone bling for my mother. She loves pink and purple, so I made a butterfly with Lizbeth 20 "Sea Shell" (#114) and added some pink beads for sparkle:

Haven't quite figured out what's the best way to attach the butterfly to the phone yet, so I have left the antennae uncut in case that works best. I'll have to see what I can find in the craft store tomorrow... The pattern is "Birte" from Adelheid Dangela's Tatted Butterflies.

One of my aunts said she wanted a beaded angel to hang in the window of their new cabin, but I couldn't find a pattern that made an angel large enough (and for which I didn't have to buy loads of expensive new beads), so I decided to tat one and add as many beads as possible:

I need to weave in the ends, but it is done. I may need to stiffen it with some glue to make it hang straight, because it's quite heavy with all those beads.  The pattern is Marjorie's Angel by Martha Ess, and the thread is Puppets Eldorado (size 10-20) in white. I strung the clear beads on the thread and tatted them in, while all the blue beads were added for the joins.  I decided to make some changes to the head and halo to avoid doing split rings. A couple more ends fo hide, but worth it! I'm quite pleased with how it came out, and I hope my aunt will like it too :)