Fair Entries, Invisible Tatting, Snowflakes and Ghosts

I have missed visiting all of the blogs and seeing what everyone has been up to, but in my absence Clyde, Laura, Aileen and Jeff, The Challenge Team volunteers have been doing a wonderful job. Three cheers for our marvelous volunteers!!

The Guidelines

1. Permission to copy. When a participant joins they are authorizing us to copy their pictures to be shown on the challenge blog.
2. There is no need to advise the Challenge Team to let let us know when you've added things to your blog. We check all of the blogs when we do an update.
3. We can't keep track of how many motifs each person does. You may post articles of tatting that you don't plan on including in your 25, or you may post a pair of earrings and count each earring as a separate motif. We don't read minds, so it's up to each participant to tell us when they have reached their goal of 25.
4. We know from past experience that the challenge is addictive. If you finish and plan on doing it again let us know so that we continue to check your blog on a regular basis.
5. Whenever you get a chance don't just view the pictures here, take the time to click on the links to people's blogs and read all about what they are doing, instead of just getting the snippets of it here. People like it when you take the time to visit their blog and comment on their work. A lot of the fun of the challenge is that we get to know each other and encourage one another to try new things.

Alan shows us more of his state fair entries that earned him 16 blue ribbons. The Collar is a design taken from Jan Stawasz' book that he shortened because it was too wide for his wife done in size 10. The negative space makes lovely heart shapes. The runner is an adaptation of several motifs he had found on the net, also in size 10. The Linen napkin was entered in the edging category done in size 20 Flora.He's working on a set of 12 for his niece. The handkerchief was entered in the hemstitch category and was done in #20, Flora.
Happy Halloween from Eva.
Bev has completed Pamela's Tumbling Star motif in Flora size 20 red with 4mm crystal beads on each arm. She has also done one in HDT (Pamela's) Rainbow Bright and she says it looks wonderfully happy.
If you tat a snowflake with invisible thread, does it make an invisible snowflake? Now that it's complete Jeff is wondering how to block it. Water won't change it's shape and ironing nylon thread promises to make a melted mess. Guttermann's Metallic Thread is a bear to tat with by itself, but when combined with DMC Cordonnet size 100 thread it worked out to about a size 80 and made an interesting snowflake.
Diane has mounted Lyn Morton's "Judith" done in size 20 HDT colour "Tie Dye Blue" from LadyShuttleMaker on a treasure box. These will make beautiful little gifts but they're also making Diane's tatting work list grow.
Gina has some thought provoking opinions on tatting books and shuttles.
Jon's Knot Garden doily done in Marilee's Fern and Golden Glow is a lovely blending of HDT in a pattern suited to colour shifts.
Laura has done Mary Konior's Spinning Wheel glass mat in 2 sizes of Rhubarb crisp HDT.
Marilee introduces "Nicobar Pigeon" HDT and her "Ruffled Orbit" necklace was included in "Treasury West" on Etsy.
Mark has completed a tatted fern leaf for his niece's wedding dress.
Riet had a look through the attic and found a forgotten tatting book. There are lots of interesting designs in here. Maybe one will show up in a waistcoat.
Sherry shows us a birthday gift she received from Diane.
Snowy finished "Beatrice", after Sherry found some more "Peach Pandeora" thread. Then she used the silk thread, "Royalty", to make "Judith" and a motif, from Blomqvist and Persson's book, was made in ordinary machine embroidery thread from Gutermann.