And now for THIS year's post...

Hello world!

Can't really say what I've been doing with my time for the last year or so.... Crocheting, knitting, not a lot of tatting, working, child taming..... All the usual stuff.

So once again, it's time for a camera cleanout!  Hopefully I'll find a few things I'd forgotten about!

Working backwards... I finished (yes, FINISHED) this a couple of weeks ago.... Have been meeting up with some tatters in town lately, and one has been hand dyeing threads!

So this is what I made with my first purchase...... Lovely thread makes tatting a joy, so this one got finished in weeks instead of years.  If you want to look up Alenalea Tatting on FB, she's got some luuuuurvley threads....

The pattern is from the "Renulka Frywolitki" blog and starts here.... http://renulkowy.blox.pl/html/1310721,262146,169.html?3 

This is a hanky edge I did for my MILs birthday last year.... I think this is out of Mary Konior's "Tatting with Visual Patterns" book.

Last year's show entry.... It's out of a french pattern book (can't remember the name just now, I think I've mentioned it in a previous post somewhere).

Some random earrings.  They've got plastic rice beads in the centre of the rings.

A tatted poppy.  The pattern isn't mine, but I've lost it in the mists of facebook.  Google "tatted poppy patterns" and I'm sure it'll show up.  =)

A bookmark I should call "The boomerang" - because it came back.  I made it for Dad's 70th birthday several years ago.  Unfortunately he passed away not long ago.  I found this again going through his books.  I believe this was in a Phantom comic omnibus.  =)  

I've given it to my eldest son, he's very pleased to have it.  I think I mangled an edging pattern for this, but whose escapes me.

I'm currently working on this year's show entry.... So I may finish TWO (!!!) doilies this year!!

As well as this, I've got another "must tat" pattern stashed, but I have a baby blanket, another baby gift (undecided as yet) and a "proof tat" pattern to do for a friend first.... Blog updating possibilities abound.  =)

I've joined a few FB tatting groups this year, and there's quite a few patterns get posted (especially on Just-Tatting), so I'm getting a bit inspired again.... Especially now I've got a supplier of reeeeally nice threads fairly local...... 

And no, the baby blanket is not for me.... but I'm sure my kids would like some more blankies anyway.  We're big on blankies here.  =)

I went slightly mad last Christmas and decorated my dogbox at work with tatting.  

And me being me, it's August and they're still there..... It's fffffreezing right now,, so snowflakes are somewhat appropriate at the moment.

It does cause some double takes, as I'm next to a walkway.  Beats the pants off the giant fluffy black fake spider that hangs over a workspace upstairs.  (Used to be my hubby's.  A friend now has it.  Very easy to locate him, just look for the giant spider! )

And although it's not something I've produced, I've got to give a special mention to my lovely recently acquired cousin Kate (aka "Cuz"), who made this lovely quilted tatting holdall for me..... Did a trade of a couple of hours of tatting lessons for it.  I live in hope of swelling the tatting ranks!  

If you like your "quilty pleasures" pop on over to https://talltalesfromchiconia.wordpress.com/ and say hi.  Kate is a prolific quilter, crafter, and much more prolific blogger than me.  =)

Well, that's it for now, back when I've finished something else.  I may be a while.  =)

Shuttle page!

Hi all!

I'm slowly (very slowly) getting the images from my old site up onto this one.  So now there's a shiny new "Shuttles" tab on this page.

Most of them you'll have seen before from the old one, but once the old stuff is up I can start putting up the new(er) stuff.  (It's been a few years since I've put any up).

Enjoy!

Happy 2014!

Hi all!

As you can see, my blog's had a slight makeover.  Apart from the colour scheme, there's also now a tab called "doilies", which is old stuff I've completed previously.

These are from my old homepage (http://home.vicnet.net.au/~castats/), which unfortunately will be defunct in a week or so, as vicnet is dropping their free webhosting for personal/hobby pages. (Waaaah!)

So I'll be adding a few new tabs here to hold all my old stuff.  Still got snowflakes, hankies and shuttles to go...... May take a while.

So what did I get finished in 2013?? Not a lot.  But here's a couple I forgot to show you.  These were my entries for the 2013 Royal Melbourne Show.  I got a "commended" for one of them, but can't remember which one.

"Doily XIV" from "Tatted Treasures" by Jan Stawasz

"Doily Set" from "Tatting Theory and Patterns" by Jan Stawasz

So sad that Jan has now passed away, his books will become tatting classics I'm sure.

So now to pick what to finish for this year's show...... =)

Have a great year!

~ Cas.

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!

Camera cleanout

Hi all!

Well, I'm glad I take photos of (most) of my finished stuff, as otherwise I'd forget what I've done! Especially the stuff that goes to good homes. =)

Not quite sure what I've been doing since my last post.... We had visitors for 3 weeks, bubs got his first cold (which he generously shared with the rest of us....), and he and I are now fighting off a new and more interesting virus.

Honestly, this blog seems turning into a virus diary more than a tatting blog. Probably shows that when I'm well I'd rather be tatting. =)

Speaking of which, I *have* actually done some tatting since my last post.

There would be a lot more tatting to show, but I got bitten by the knitting bug sometime in May. I'm not a very skillful knitter ( really only do basic stuff ), but if I'm ever going to get better I need to practice. However, I already have a lot of knitted children's stuff from generous others, so what to do? Saw an ad for a seasonal charity that gives donated knitted items to charity, so that's what I've been doing. I'm getting lots of tension practice making scarves and beanies, which don't look too bad, and will at least keep someone warm. 3 scarves, 1.5 beanies done so far. ( I should say 0.5 beanies, as DS#1 took a liking to and appropriated the first beanie. So can't have been too bad.)

See http://spotlight.com.au/community-support/2011-guardian-angel-knitting-program/ for more details.

Back to the tatting. I will try to go oldest to most recent, but the memory's a bit fuzzy.

1) Necklace and earring set.

This was for a friend's birthday. She'd gone through my Jan Stawasz book and dribbled over the jewellery, so I thought I'd have a go. The pendant is the "Christmas Ornament" from Jan's book (with an extra-long beaded picot added to thread it on the necklet), the earrings are a one-off from me. The beads are only plastic, but they look nice and irridescent.

2) This is "Lace No.12" from "Tatted Handkerchiefs by Kirstine and Inge Linse Nikolajsen.

This is a long-standing UFO that's finally been finished. Yay! The photography's not great unfortunately, but at least it's done!



3) This is the "Eternity Rings" edging from "Tatting with Visual Patterns" by Mary Konior.

This was a birthday present for a dear tatting friend who also doubles as our baby-sitter. (Earthly Sainthood ain't in it.)

I haven't made much progress on my french doily, the thread kept twisting on me, so I ditched it and started again. Maybe by Christmas (but which year??)

It's July, and I can hear the snowflake patterns starting to beckon..... And yes, I've entered Jon Yusoff's giveaway for her latest book. Love her snowflakes. =)

Happy tatting all!