The Results are in, TIAS is a HIPPO

Sylvia has completed Harriet the Hippo from the TIAS challenge. Now it's time to do a darker version for Henry. Tami has finished her TIAS as well, but she thinks hers looks more like a weird bulldog. Mrs John has tatted this pink centred motif for her mother's bathroom. The design from Annie's Attic "Ultimate Book of Tatted Doilies" was square, but Mrs John has adapted it to be round. The butterfly is from from "Aunt Ellen's Tatting Handbook" and with the application of some small magnets will be a nice fridge magnet for her SIL.

Bonnie has succumbed to the lure of hand dyed threads and eagerly watches Marilee's and Sherry's blogs to see what new colour combinations they come up with.

Gina worked on the TIAS challenge but when she went to add the eye bead in the thread snarled, frayed and broke. She has 3 more motives completed but this book has so many mistakes in it she's glad she hasn't recommended it to a beginner.

Clyde tatted the Filigree bookmark from Christmas Angels and Other Tatting Patterns by Monica Hahn for his daughter using Oren Bayan Perle 12. Laura has completed the TIAS challenge and her pink hippo is now wearing a tutu. Did you know that hippos in the sun do actually turn pink? I didn't until I watched one of those educational shows on hippos. Marty left her TIAS at home and had to start another one in a different colour. She found the lock stitch chain interesting and she wonders how Jane came up with the idea and what else she's used it on. The main reason Sherry created the colour "Vickie"s Lilacs" was so that she could make another necklace. Sherry has tatted Jane's hippos in her coffee and cream thread and her free patterns have now successfully been converted to PDF.

Hearts and Edgings, TIAS and Podcasts

Riet has joined the TIAS challenge and it has been twice as challenging because she is translating Jane's page into Dutch for her guild.She has been with other things for her guild too, but she won't post it to her blog because some of her guild speak English too.

Connie has been busy crocheting and working on her international tatting exchange project. Her husband brought home 2 tatting books last week and 3 more this week. Sounds like our kind of guy.

Sapna's father has been ill and consequently she spent a lot of time at the hospital with him. His blood circulation was a bit slow when compared to others but it can be cured by medicine, for which the family is thankful. Fortunately she had her tatting with her and she was able to make all of these coasters. She has decided to used her hand dyed thread to make bookmarks. Bookmarks are quick and easy to do and make great gifts and besides, as Sapna puts it, using the hand dyed threads means that she can buy more of them.

Bob shows us a picture of the glasses case he uses to hold all his tatting equipment and the heart that is his 15th motif. Bob's daughter is out of the hospital although not back to normal yet. We'll keep praying.

Bev has posted all of her first 16 completed motives. Bev's daughter, Lori Elayne, is in the hospital with pneumonia, please pray.

Debbie is using the steps suggested by Rose Deguara in the HBT email list to reduce her UFOs. She's having a hard time finishing this piece and she keeps putting it aside to tat other things.

Jeff has been working on some more Tenneriffe lace and Jane's TIAS project. He also tatted a Pocket Angel using C-Lon thread that he estimates is about a size 10 and we can expect to see more hand dyed threads being used as he has just received his latest order from Marilee.

Aileen is working on a card pouch using a vibrant turquoise Omega thread with matching beads. It's looking beautiful. After the thread breaking experience she re-tatted the TIAS critter and she admits having a serious craving for another hand made wooden shuttle. She's working on a heart for the heart exchange in Opera thread and thinking that everyone else is using the same pattern. Probably not, there are a lot of terrific heart patterns available now like the one's from Martha's new book "Tat's Amore".
C4G is working on this Star of David pattern and practicing split rings. She thinks they will help minimize the cut and ties from the antique patterns. (Will they ever!) She made a wonderful tatting thread find in the second hand store and is really pleased with her discoveries. Bonnie was taught to finish off her work by tying the ends sealing them with fray check. She's wondering how other people finish off their work.

Gina has her rendition of Jane's TIAS done in a thread that took a while to tame.Diane found this heart that had been forgotten on her blocking board. There are things about it that she's not pleased with, but she's decided to use it somewhere anyhow. Don't forget the Tatting Treasures from Trash challenge. You can always add pieces that you aren't thrilled with to a tatted bag and use other bits of tatting to cover up the things you don't like. Pamela has been working on her TIAS challenge and now she's thinking that maybe it's some kind of fork lift truck…

Ruth's second podcast is up, but I don't think I mentioned it before.

Arlene's second podcast is up now. Isn't this wonderful, having these podcasts about tatting?

Mark's brother has been staying with him while they get things sorted out after the flood. While waiting for his brother at the Red Cross relief centre, Mark had the opportunity to design 2 new one shuttle edgings and a cross. Do you like the matter of fact way he puts things, "I got some tatting done"? Meanwhile he has designed 2 awesome edgings and an adorable cross. We should all get some tatting done like this. Don't forget to add Mark's family to your prayer list.

Nothing much happening in my little world except picking up some threads to tat with. I do have an intriguing idea I'm working on.

Snowy, after some trepidation, decided to order Mary Konior's book "Tatting With Visual Patterns" and she's finding out why we all recommend it. In case you aren't familiar with the book, it's in full colour and has a wealth of lovely designs, the book is also chock full of useful tatting tips and tricks. There aren't any split rings or split chains or any more modern techniques, but the book is well worth the $20.00 plus shipping price from Lacis.

Anyone for second helping of "Rhubarb Pie"? Marilee has another 70 skeins of it in her Etsy shop.

Laura has tried out the finer hand dyed threads from New Zealand that Clyde was using and she loves it. Now she's not afraid to order the finer threads form Marilee and Sherry. It's amazing the difference GOOD thread makes.

This is Sherry's Valentine heart pattern and she will have the pattern PDF available as soon as she can find a PDF hosting site. Her "Cirque de Couleur" thread is gone, but she has 2 new colours "Vickie's Lilacs" and "Icicles".

Earrings, Hankies and Valentine Hearts

Bev is working on lots of hearts for a Valentine's exchange and as decoration for a denim bag. Lots of little red hearts are being tatting as the bag needs 32 of them for the bag straps. Bev is working on the TIAS challenge and she thinks she knows what it is, but she's not telling.

Aileen is working on heart for an exchange but she doesn't want to show any pictures until it's complete. The thread broke on the TIAS piece she was working on and it's very distressing. Cheer up, it's also an opportunity to learn how to fix a break, un-tat a few rings and chains, add in some new thread. Lots of things you can try. Not knowing what it is, you have the consolation that it isn't a piece that you planned to give away or to use in a project and there was no deadline you were working toward. It could be sooo much worse.

Joyce received earrings that Valerie tatted for her in blue thread with silver beads that really sparkle. The hanky was made for the tatted hanky exchange using a variegated #12 perle cotton. The heart is Birgit Phelps Li’l Heart. The edging is a series of split rings and Joyce used 3 7/7 rings between joins to the hanky but says it would have to be adjusted to fit each handkerchief.

Arlene has another podcast ready which should be up tomorrow. Pictures of her heart exchanges have to wait until the partners receive them.

Clyde's doily has found a permanent position under a large piece of calcite. They appear to be made for each other their colours blend well and the textures are a perfect contrast.

This is my display hanky, not because it's particularly pretty or impressive, but for what you can't see.

Earrings, Flowers, 3D shapes, Doily and Butterflies

Elizabeth admits she finally had to use a magnifying glass to see the fine black thread these earrings are made in. The thread is an Anchor thread labelled 80 but it seems more like 90-100. It seems to me that all of the Anchor threads are a touch finer than the DMC counterparts.The first pair is Rosemarie Peel's "Celtic Motif" and the second is based on a pattern called "beaded teardrop" by Betty Goetgeluck.
Sylvia tatted this little flower from an Ecru Hakelgarn no. 20 crochet thread sent to her by Jon in a thread exchange and it's a lovely thread to work with. Betsy Evans sent her Altin Basak thread in a variegated pink, white and blue along with a pattern called Small Tatted Heart that she designed in 1998.
Tami did Jane's Celtic Motif and she's still working on TIAS. C4G has made her shuttles and spent time browsing through one of the books from the antique pattern library. She's working on the "waist set" for a hurricane lamp and she has learned how to do split rings. Gina has 3 more motives done. The first one was done with a fine variegated thread that she thinks she must have dyed because it bled when she blocked it and a picot broke when she was hiding ends. The thread on the second one also broke, but the 3rd done in white remained intact. Ruth has tatted a Celtic Rosebud, Heart, and vines as a doodle for now. The cube and triangle are something she created with what she calls a "BDS or Balanced Double Stitch". Look, a new term for a new technique.
Clyde's doily has reached the size he wants without the last 7 rows and he thinks it will be 24 inches across if he does them. The doily is gorgeous as it is.

I haven't been able to access Mark's web site for several days, but I know he has posted some new patterns on his project page so make sure you take a look at them.

Marilee's sweetheart earrings are a sweetheart of a design. Simple and elegant.
Laura finally caught up with the TIAS challenge.

Marty has posted the visual pattern for another of her wonderful butterflies. The drawing looks perfect to me.
Melissa has added some embellishment to the tatted fan she made. Then she tatted a cross from Mark's site in size 80 thread for CQ friend. Sherry plans on being at the Shuttlebirds tatting convention and she's been busy dyeing threads to take with her so that she'll have a good selection of threads and shuttles for sale.

Wally's latest flower made with variegated Valdani thread and and cram Miquita. Wally plans on posting the pattern for it later and needs help with naming it.