It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

You will have noticed that the postings have become less frequent. That's because with nearly 50 tatters joined in the challenge it gets harder to keep up with everything, especially when the various servers are really slow. Some of the people who wished to participate have yet to post their first piece and others due to work, family, and health problems have not posted anything for months. To save time, I'm going to stop checking those blogs until the folks are back to tatting and posting.

Ruth shows us her favourite one round snowflake which works equally well as a doll house doily. A hanging cluny gives light to the celtic letter "I" to create this awesome menorah. We know this one is a bit of a cheat having been created graphically from the first candle, but it can be done in thread, it will just take longer. By the way, for those of you that don't know Rozella Linden is Ruth's pen name.

Mark posts a picture of the surprise package Wally sent him of lovely threads he can't get in the States.

Donna wanted to tat a really big snowflake with beads and then stiffen it to hang in her window. She used Patons Grace thread and the snowflake came out 5 inches across which is a nice size, but the thread is too soft to hold it's shape especially with beads added. Maybe it would be easier to needle tat. I wonder if a solution of white glue and water would stiffen it enough to hold it's shape?

Marilee re-did the Chill snowflake in variegated thread and notes that it's wobbly until it's blocked.

Laura has tatted one of Ruth's simple celtic cross patterns from the net in a variegated thread. Laura has also tatted Julie Patterson's candy cane pattern, another celtic-like design.

LaRae shares a picture of Mrs Yolanda Snowman. No tatting, but really cute. By the way, I missed posting about some of the pictures of past Christmas trees decorated in lace. Check them out, they're all stunningly beautiful. I especially like the angel done in mignonette tatting.

Finally Sue Hanson joins the challenge. Sue reminds us often that she doesn't do big, so we can look for lots of little motives showing up on her blog. She begins the challenge with some beaded Christmas tree earrings complete with what looks like a jingle bell pot for the tree to stand in.

Delightful Designs

Ruth posts a picture of her hand made Christmas decorations and some useful hints on making your own. She has also added a celtic twist to the purple snowflake she shared previously.

Clyde shows us why he hasn't got much tatting done recently. Ali has been "helping" Clyde do his tatting.

Jon has created a motif by joining together several daisies. Now she's wondering if she should go with it or add more to it. Sometimes a design just feels complete and when you add to it, it just messes it up. On the other hand, sometimes thinking outside the box, and going in a totally different direction helps.

A new variegated lilac motif from Barbara. This one is done with an Anchor thread in size 20.

Marilee has added a snowflake with a twisted picot to her blog. For those of you linking to the various blogs, please note that Marilee has changed her blog address.

Laura has tatted the celtic motif that Janet shared with us earlier.

Dawn has completed a butterfly from Martha Ess' site.

Snowflakes, Wreath, Angels and Heart Seahorse

The motif Wally has posted, called Winter Wonderland uses onion rings. This design is in her book Dreamy Winter.

Ruth has posted a holly wreath that is a variation of the celtic letter "O" with the addition of a garland of hanging cluny holly leaves and red berry josephine knots. How very orginal!

Arlene has tatted a grouping of angels in glow in the dark thread. Just imagine how pretty they will be glowing on the Christmas tree.

Laura has posted a motif from DMC's book of Charted Designs. She has plans to work this pattern in a friendship doily.

LaRae has added tatting to a purchased ornament for a really special effect.

Martha has added some new motives to her blog, Wally's Thankful heart and Deb Arnold's seahorse.

Dawn has tatted a celtic cross but was unable to upload the picture.

Snowflake, Angel, Butterfly

Ruth posts a purple snowflake.

Lynda finished her angel design based on one of Monca Hahn's patterns. An emergency trip to the hospital for her husband provided the time to complete her variation. Emergency surgery isn't fun and our prayers are with your husband.

Marilee has moved her blog and her new address is:
http://www.geocities.com/yarnplayer/blog.html

Dawn has completed a butterfly, one of Ruth's celtic motives.

The laces I missed and some new tatting

My apologies, I missed listing some entries yesterday. I usually check each of the blogs and write notes about what's new, then transfer the notes and pictures to the challenge blog. I got interrupted and hadn't gone through all of the blogs yesterday, so here they are now.

Note: Several people have commented on the tatting lists that the blogs with black backgrounds are hard to read, as are the blogs that have lighter colour, matching text. You can change your template, but if you do remember to save your links list first as it will be erased. If you do have trouble reading the text on a blog, you can often make it more visible by highlighting it.

Laura has been suffering from migraines and hasn't been tatting.

LaRae had a jointed doll body and matched it up with a pattern from a magazine called Crafting Traditions that she modified to fit the doll body. The addition of some strategically placed beads and a little halo created an adorable angel.











Bhavani has ventured into celtic tatting and given it her own twist by adding beads.


Dawn has added several new motives to her collection. There's Julie Patterson's candy cane needle tatted in size 8 perle cotton. She also did Samantha Melnychuk's Christmas Wreath. She didn't have any red beads so she used green. Dawn notes that the thread got frayed a lot needle tatting with beads, so she thinks she'll switch to shuttle tatting if she does more bead work. Her latest motif is a simple celtic tatted wreath.




Ruth is wishing the Red Hat Lacers Merry Christmas with her celtic "R","H" and "L". She has also posted a clear diagram for a celtic snowflake which makes it really easy follow.

Four calling birds, Three sets of earrings and a tatted Christmas ball cover

OK, so the title doesn't fit the subject or the melody, but at least I'm back and can update the challenge page.

Ruth has been busy since the last update. Snowflake earrings, a rainbow tatted fish, a Poinsettia tatted with hanging clunys, a Christmas mushroom, and 4 calling birds. A real feast for the eyes so you have to check out her page to see it all.

Janet has been busy doing Christmas tatting. Flower earrings, and a sweet bracelet and earring set.

Sharol has replaced an ugly flower with a much prettier one on her pink hat. She went on to tat a purple butterfly with a red button for one of her Red Hat friends. She has also done some adorable Pink Hat earrings.

Mark's leisure time is taken up with raking leaves, so he hasn't been doing much lacemaking recently.

Jon has created a clever medallion that makes use of SCMRs to allow an inner row of rings. Beautiful.

Fani is back to tatting again and she shares with us a lovely Christmas ball cover.

Snowy has 7 new motives to show. She's been using an assortment of new threads she received and she's showing us lots of new laces in beautiful colours. The gorgeous threads are Valdani and King Tut and I can see how your fingers would be itching to work with them all.

Marilee has created a wonderful necklace she calls Vision done from a pattern she wrote out last year.

Tatting for Christmas

Things are going to be a bit busy for a while so there may not be any new posts until next week
Eva has done a little block tatting billy goat for a Christmas card. Is there some significance to a goat, or was it just appropriate for the person it's being sent to?







Clyde is making more progress on his tablecloth.




LaRae posts more tree pictures. Isn't it lovely? I think I want one too.

Dawn joins the challenge with 2 needle tatted motives. She has been shuttle tatting for a while but she decided to give needle tatting a try.

Snowflake, Necklace and a Tree

Ruth posts a simple yet elegant snowflake motif.

Wow! Marilee has created a marvelous necklace to match the earrings she did with side hole polymer clay beads.

LaRae shares more pictures of the marvelous Christmas tree. Snowflakes and hearts; teddy bears and angels, doesn't t make you want to tat one of your own?

Look at all of the wonderful clever ideas

Ruth is working on more hanging clunys.

Janet hasn't been able to sit up, but she has been tatting. A lovely little beaded tree and a rose centred motif in honour of her grandfather.

Jon has created a clever one shuttle heart. I think Mickey's hiding in there.

No tatting for Laura today, just happy grand kid pics.

Can you imagine a Christmas tree covered in nothing but tiny lights an white lace? You don't have to imagine, LaRae has posted pictures of the tree in the Victorian Dodge house.

Bhavani has done her motif replacing the chains with tiny beads. What a novel idea.

Lace for Edgings, Weddings, and Rememberance

Ruth has been experimenting again. Double cluny, a hanging cluny edging and a whole lot of snowflakes, stars, and a Christmas star-cross for the LGGKC project.

Janet has been tatting in and out of the hospital, finishing up projects and trying our some new ones that didn't quite work the first time so she had another go outside of the hospital. These look great.

Riet has taken a rest from tatting motives and she has tatted some special flowers for a candle holder to commemorate her son who died last year. The flowers and leaves are wonderful. What a beautiful gesture.

Laura thinks she has her final design done for the wedding hanky.

Bhavani is working on an older design and modifying it so that it can be done in one round by using split rings.

Peppermint Flakes and Lacy Pumpkins

You may have noticed that some of the blogs associated with the challenge seem to have stalled. Several of our participants have had different situations arise that leave them with little opportunity for tatting. Work, sickness and a busy schedule are just a few of the obstacles that people have been dealing with. That's all right that's why it's nice that we have a year to work on our motives. They'll post their pictures when they get a chance.




Wally has done a delicate looking snowflake alternating "normal" and "direct" (unflipped) stitches which creates a chain that is similar to zig zag or ric rac tatting. This variation, if done in 2 colours results in bands of alternating colours. Originally done in red and white it looked like peppermint candy. Very clever.


Jeanne's entry for today gave me the giggles. Imagine a teeny, tiny, white pumpkin crowned with black lace and orange beads, topped with an orange bow. Not typical, but still very Halloween.




Laura is taking a break from tatting to knit a poncho for her mother in law. The colour of the yarn is wonderful, too bad you can't tat with it.