Bookmarks, Butterflies, Fish and Snowflakes

Welcome to all of our new participants. We have had quite a few new members recently. Don't forget to check on the links provided and read the full account of what people are doing and make comments on their blogs. Everyone likes to know that people are stopping by and admiring their work. Note that there has been a new challenge posted to the Design Challenge blog. Everyone is welcome to participate and this one is a fairly easy challenge. Book authors, if you haven't sent me your email address, yet please do, the Tatting Book blog will only be useful to the tatting community if everyone is represented.

Krystle joins the challenge. She's been having success with tatting bookmarks tatting one by Sandy Scales from "Tatted Bookmarks"shuttle tatted with Flora size 20. Then on to the two colored bookmark adapted by Gina Brummett from an edging in Tatting Doilies & Edgings. With those successes under her belt she tackled Iris Niebach's "Delia" where she hit a few snags trying to tat a 2 shuttle pattern with one shuttle and then trying to do an SCMR instead of a thrown off ring..... Mastering new patterns when over tired is never a good idea.
Connie Angeline, (we have another Connie) is another new participant. She shows us a butterfly that she did for an exchange last year. The pattern is Christel Wutzman's. In contrast, Mary Konior's Small Cross is a new piece, where she's learned to tell which side of the piece she's on by leaving breadcrumbs...no not really, she just gained experience, and she even learned how to hide her ends, tat over tails, block and starch her tatting. We won't mention the stitch count and extra picot in the center chains, they're just design adaptations.The thread is, of course, Pamela's Rainbow Brite HDT.
Charlotte had a flurry (as in sudden burst of activity) that produced 2 snowflakes, both from Samantha Melnychuk's A Veritable Tatted Blizzard, tatted in number 20 Anchor thread. She's whipping right through this book and looking for some more patterns to tat. Try here, this page will keep you out of trouble for a while. Kyoung-mi was given a tatted fish designed by Sherry. This is her version of it with a pearl bead for the eye.
Angie has tatted Tir-Heart by Susan B. Taliaferro in size 30 Omega thread. The variegated thread turned out beautiful.
Ancolie shows us her homework from the online class which is a pattern from Ellen Lai, Hearts on a Paper Clip.
Claudia was in the online classroom and has been experimenting with over crocheted picots and interlaced picots. She thinks it looks like a pansy. The pink one has been turned into a hair clip. The class went on to cover the single shuttle split ring, with a cute example to tat, a micro dragon form Anne Bruvold.
Heather has rearranged her blog so that her patterns are easier to find.
Alan has been tatting a blizzard of snowflakes since Christmas using patterns by Tina Frauberger, Jan Stawasz and Teri Dusenbury all done in Flora #20. The snowflakes have been blocked, stiffened, and sprinkled with micro glitter.
Eva is tatting Quantiesque again, this time in variegated yellow. It's amazing how a different colour for the interlacing row gives a whole new look to this snowflake.
Wally announced that for her fourth run through the challenge that she is going to do butterflies, but somehow we missed showing you the picture of these quickies she did with sequins. I think I've got her on a sequin binge. Just call me an enabler, or is that a tatting pusher?

Paperclip hearts, hearts and sequins, a butterfly and doiley and SHUTTLES

Wanda's tatting away at baby booties for one of her grandchildren. She's using a pattern from Workbasket using DMC 30. Go girl go!


Ellen's received her new year pack from Usha. Isn't she a lucky girl! Just look at those lovely crochetted flowers. She also reveals that she's contributing to the online tatting class - her wonderful paperclip tats! Just look at how lovely they are.



I've done antoher Donna's Butterfly by Marlene Lewis this time in turquoise thread. I think this is my favourite butterfly pattern. I've also decided to stop at round 6 of a doiley pattern from Yusai's book.



Eva is working on antoher Quantiesque Snowflake this time without picots. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product!

Wally's been busy! She's just celebrated her 39th birthday - Happy Birthday Wally! She's been tatting up lovely sequined hearts. Not to mentioned a lovely button heart from Inga Kristernsen. She's also caught on to Ellen's paperclip tats and tried a few hearts of her own. Not to mentioned she's done lovely sequined butterflies that look absolutely gorgeous - I can see just them dancing on a little girl's dress. She also shows us her shuttle collection - aren't we all jealous!

ANNOUNCING

Yes I'm shouting! We have a new blog, check out the link on the right for Tatting Books. We have just started to get our tatting authors to enter the information on their books so that you will be able to find all of the new books coming out and maybe some old ones that you didn't know about. Our pattern publishers will show you their books with all the information on where you can get your own copy.

If you are a tatting author and you have a book for sale, please email me: sharon at gagechek dot com so that you can get added to our wonderful group of talented authors. The blog is open to anyone who has written a tatting book. This will give a central location for authors to show their work and a central location for tatters to find just the right book.

As always, questions and comments are welcome.

Snowflakes, Hearts and Maltese Teapot

Charlotte tatted the Winter Crystal Snowflake from Samantha Melnychuk's A Veritable Tatted Blizzard, then she paused to learn how to tat a split ring. Seeing a video of another tatter was a real eye opener for someone who is self taught. Welcome to the club we all tat a little bit different all we all enjoy what we do.
Kelly has been tatting with size 80 thread and it's really tiny compared to what she is used to it's a Rachel Jackson pattern called Celtic Valentine Heart Earrings. Then she tatted it in Altin Basak.The doily is called "That Medallion Again" which goes back to the first medallion she learned when she first started to tat.
Jill tatted Jon's "Quantiesque" snowflake again this time using a solid colour Manuela size 20 blue 05 and variegated 202 on the second round. She really likes how it turned out and may mount it in a coaster. The tiny bear is one of Patti Duff's Mini Tats which was perfect for using up left over thread.
Angie tatted Immortal Heart by tatmom and she thinks she put in an extra picot but can't see it in the picture. She has also made her very own Ringtrim from Anne's pattern.
Ancolie tatted a flower with beads which she found challenging to do, The she tried a pattern from Judith Connors Creative Tatting with Beads, Shuttle and Needle. They both look beautiful to me.
Caroline tatted Kira's Star by Birgit Phelps in size 20 thread and it's 3 3/4" diameter
TattingChic was sent photos of some exquisite tatting and she shares them on her blog. She also shows a beautiful altered art journal she received ans show how she plans to use it to keep her tatting bits in it.
Nita is experimenting with interlaced picots and came up with this little flower. It's adorable.
Bonnie tatted one of Jon's bookmarks, called "Bookmark with Overlapping Chains" using Pamela aka Tatskool's size 40 Rainbow Bright HDT. She is contemplating attending the Hector event, but she's not sure about going when she may not know anyone there.
Anne had a lot of pink and green thread left from making tatting videos and she tested a motif. It's a pretty motif and an even prettier doily.
Bev tatted an adaptation of "Baskets Full of Posies" a design by Karey Solomon from her book, Make Many Merrily. Then she tatted this heart named ``Heartfelt`` in pink Flora size 20.
Carol tatted Wanda`s tree and bell and added them to some Christmas cards. She received some cream coloured gloves fro Christmas and thought they would look good with some navy tatting. The edging is from a Dover book "Tatting Doilies & Edgings" by Rita Weiss. She used Oren Bayan 50 color #747 Navy with silver lined crystal beads. The motif on the top of the glove is from Patty Duff's "Mini Tats Book" Mofif #21. Isn't it wonderful how a bit of tatting can add such glamour to plain gloves? Heather spent some much needed time relaxing and came up with this lovely tatted flower.
Margaret attended the London Lacers meeting and learned how to do the cloth stitch in bobbin lace before finishing needle tatting a blue motif in Altin Basak # 50. Then when she got home she finished the same motif done in wool on a wool tatting needle. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a wool tatting needle.
Martha shows us the lovely Maltese Teapot which is the project for the class she will be teaching at Hector. Doesn't it make you want to run right out and sign up?
Wally decided liked the sequin necklace I did and used the same idea to create a sequin heart. . The white thread is DMC Petra #8 and the pink is El Beida and the sequins are a deep fuchsia. Then she tweaked the pattern a little and she`s not sure if she should write out both variations or just one. The button heart pattern is by Inga Kristersen from Denmark. Her next heart Ellen's design for January which she uses to decorate paper clips to use as bookmarks. Wally did it again with beads in Iris Niebach`s style. Then she had an idea and tatted it for these darling interwoven hearts. That finishes her challenge again. Time to start another one.