I Aten't Dead......

Hi all!  Seeing as it's been almost two years since my last post, I thought I'd better check in.  =)

I've been wracking my memory to try and figure out where the last two years have gone...

What I HAVE been doing...

- working
- toddler wrangling
- getting addicted to geneaology
- knitting (with not a lot to show for it)
- crocheting (with marginally more to show for it)
- starting more ufos

What I HAVEN'T been doing....
- sleeping
- winning any lotteries
- finishing UFOs

I'm starting to think I should  rename this blog "Unfinished Fibrous Objects" as I'm just as bad at finishing knitted and crocheted stuff as the tatting....
Anyway, if I only show you the finished stuff, this post would hardly be worth looking at.  So I've bitten the bullet and catalogued the true horrific volume of my unfinished stuff as well (at least the stuff that didn't get chopped off and chucked out anyway.)   I think some of it's going to be declared "as finished as it's ever going to get", because

(a) it's so old my tension is probably completely different by now
(b) I can't remember/find the pattern
(c) all of the above.

And of course I've done my usual trick of giving stuff away without taking pics.  Considering they were probably snowflakes, you're not missing much.  =)


So on to the quick stuff first - STUFF I'VE FINISHED!!!!!

Just a note on the photography - in the interests of getting this done in a night and not a week, I resorted  to blocking stuff on the ironing board and taking pics with my phone.  Hopefully I'll be able to fight my way through to the scanner for better pics when (if) they're actually finished.  (Except the ones that won't fit!)

This is a Jan Stawasz pattern, but can't remember if this is from his first or second book.....

I should get double brownie points for this one, as I made two of these - the first was larger (size 10 cotton), for a cousin's wedding gift.  Had to make another for me.  =)

This is my first ever crocheted baby blanket, made for my hubby's nephew.  The pattern is called "Tumbling Teddies" but by whom and from which magazine is lost in the mists of time and my Mum's memory.  ( I realllly wish all craft mags would put their name and edition in the footer of their pages!)

As you can see, Greebo approved.  =)

I've recently embarked on a second one ..... Nothing like a bit of creative procrastination to stop me from finishing off more UFOs.  =)

On the down side, in the last two years, we have become catless, with Greebo's kidneys giving up last year.  Waiting for DS#2 to grow up a bit before embarking on pet ownership again.

I can't help but think that although Greebo tolerated being crashtackled and treated as a pillow by DS#2 with incredibly good grace, (a) it wouldn't be kind to a kitten, and (b) it may not have done Greebo's kidneys much good!

.... And now on to the stuff I HAVEN'T finished, which is much more numerous and varied.  =)

I was going to order these, but I'll be all night, so I'll just go with the order they uploaded in..... Many of these are from Prehistory ( B.C. - before children. )

If you think reading this will completely depress you and convince you of my inability to finish things, go and have a look at the "Doilies" tab, it's got lots of finished stuff from my old site.  =)

1) Fairly sure this is from the last half decade.....So near and yet so far...... It looks like it could be finished just like that, but......

.... something went wrong on that last side...... I either stuffed up the stitch count, picked it up after a while with a different tension, or both...... Either way, the size of the tatting changed, and there's nothing for it but scissors somewhere back around the last corner.... Arrrrgh!

2) Memory fails me.  Possibly B.C.  It's a stalled attempt on a tatted waist coat.  Forget improved health, if there was less of me to get around this would have a greater chance of being finished..... The pattern's from "Tatting with Burda"... I think....

3) Another possible BC project.  From "Occhi".  As nights are peak tatting time now, alas night time and small thread don't go together as well for me as they once did.  ( Yep.  Admitted defeat and got reading glasses.  Struggling to read the back of a Panadol bottle at 2am convinced me. )

 4) Almost certainly BC.  Found out that this DMC colour had been discontinued, so I was going to blow it all in one go.  Then I accumulated quite a bit MORE of it, and ..... well.  I think this is "as finished as it's getting."  Out of Judith Connors first book.

5)  A Mary Konior pattern (Tatting with Visual Patterns).  Definitely BC.  I struggle a bit with this one, I love it in the book, but my versions never look as good.  Think it's stopping here.

      6) This is relatively recent.  Just requires me to find the pattern again.... Can't remember if it's an edging pattern, or a straight edge I just decided I could get to go around a corner.... Someday.

7)  Another waistcoat false start.  This might morph into a rectangular doiley........

8) Fairly recent (last year or two?)  Another Jan Stawasz pattern.

9)  I think it's BC, but not sure.... It's from a Coats pattern book, remember that much.  Think I was finding the onion rings a bit annoying.  It will be finished! One day.

10)  Not sure why this one stalled.  It's size 40 Coats (which is now unavailable) and I think I ratted the white for something else.... I'm sure I've still got some, just need to find it (and the pattern) .....

...

 11)  This is BC.  Can't quite remember which book, but it's one of the ones with reprinted early 1900s patterns.  This was in horribly hard to follow longhand, so I diagrammed it with a stitch count..... One more row to go (once I find where I stashed it).... will make a great collar/necklace..... Don't ask where I'll wear it though, bit over the top for work.  =)

12)  From a dover book.  Fairly recent, just felt like doing something that went round and round and round at the time.  I stall on motifs sometimes.

13)  A definite "Someday".  Pretty sure it's BC.  It's "A Tatted Charm" from the Tatter's Treasure Chest (Dover) - I think.  My one and only ball of size 200 cotton (that's not a typo)..... I wasn't too sure how far the ball would get me, so a hanky died to make the centre - it's about a quarter the size of the usual ladies hanky.  Hopefully if it ever sees the light of day, people will be looking at the tatting and not my imperfect hemstitching.

 Definitely a daytime project, hence not much progress lately! 

14) Another Dover pattern.  Either I'll track it down, or this will be designated a very ornate snowflake and stop here.  I think option B is the most likely.

15) Fairly recent. A "Tatting with Muriel" pattern from a 1970something "Old Time Needlework".  Some interesting things in those mags if you see them.  =)
This is a rather large project, and really needs a picot gauge to be sure of getting it right.  I've probably misplaced the one I started with. so might have to start again.....

.

16)  Last but definitely not least.... In fact my largest UFO.... Another Jan Stawasz pattern, doing it in size 10 so it's the size it's meant to be.  Still got a few more rows to go yet, and dwarfs the ironing board....

 Well, that's it for UFOs.  Next time a new pattern or crisp new ball of cotton tempts me, I must look at this page first!!

Any votes on what I should finish first?? =)

Happy Tatting!