Knots o' Grace

Relax... Just do it...

2012-01-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

I was up by five o'clock in the morning yesterday. Don't ask me why; I just couldn't go back to sleep.

You'd think that would indicate that I got a lot done. On the contrary, it left me lethargic and quite cranky all day long. It probably didn't help that the first thing I did in the morning was untat the split ring I'd messed up the night before in my TIAS project --very discouraging.

So, I decided to tat one of those Heritage crosses that I've tatted over twenty times. Of course, the shuttle I'd wound way too much thread on for something else emptied before I even finished the first portion of it. That led to me doing a few stitches of finger tatting, just to try it, and then I moved on with my life.

At that point, I was hoping sitting on the couch rather than pouting in bed, would make me sleepy enough to snooze. Instead, I saw this cross sitting beside me: (LizBeth, Country Side, Size 20).

The next few hours of my life were spent tatting and untatting to create another cross, this one with shuttle and ball:

I chose LizBeth Carousel and the supposedly matching Antique Blue Med because I figured that I'd mess it all up and I don't mind 'wasting' Carousel. Surprising, I actually completed the cross!

The Pattern is Gina B's Basic Ring-Chain Cross Bookmark .

I learned plenty while tatting this cross, including that I could be just as relaxed by and while tatting with the shuttle as I am with the needle.

Now, I just need to start learning how much thread I should put on the shuttle for project (how it's estimated, etc...). Methinks I'll try a few patterns which include the amount to be wound.

Love and Happy Tatting to all!

♥,
Stephanie Grace

I Blame Jane.

2012-01-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

While learning tatting, I've learned that it's a continual learning process. Perhaps we like it so much because it's a constant challenge or because we're always learning something new. Either way, The Wonderful Jane mentioned me comparing my experiences with needle and shuttle in the current TIAS in an e-mail and it led me to this...

Adventures of a Self-Indulgent Mock Tatter

While I am still learning both methods (are we ever truly done learning?) and especially just learning shuttle tatting, I've decided to make a new blog to note the differences and hopefully help beginners by sharing what I wish I would have been told when I was starting out. Those that have or have had a relative that tats or tatted may find it of little use, but that wasn't the case for me so I know that there must be others in the same situation. With all the changes this world has undergone in the past few decades (and especially centuries), less and less is handed down in such a way. We may not have blood ties, but that doesn't mean we can't be family; even if you've only been tatting for a day, please, go visit my new blog and let's share our experiences. If you've been tatting from the womb, then you should be there to guide our trembling hands! ;-)

Okay, that's enough from me for today (or is it?). I'm going to debate the next entry for the new blog... and hope that I don't wake up to a bunch of tatters outside of door with pitchforks and torches!

Love and Happy Tatting to all!

♥,

Stephanie Grace

TIAS (Finally, pictures!)

2012-01-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

My scanner is working again ... ya know, for now. Hopefully, when I turn it off it won't make me go through all sorts of stuff again to make it cooperate...

Anywho, I'm enjoying being a part of TIAS this time. I really don't know why I didn't participate before now. It's challenging, especially since this is the first time I'm doing more than just playing around with the shuttles. Some random thoughts:

SCMRs bite! I don't know why they don't like me and my needle, but they don't. They just don't. And I don't like them either, so there! :-P
SCMRs aren't all that bad! Something that has rarely worked for me in my nearly two years of needle tatting worked fine for me on my second try with the shuttles. Go figure.
Split Rings are so simple! With needles, the worst part about SRs is having to un-thread and re-thread the needle. Other than that, they're simple and just like any other ring.
Split Rings bite! Okay, so maybe not right now, but by golly did they make me want to throw a full-on tantrum! Something so simple with the needle led to much cussing, un-tatting, and YouTube video watching. I found three different ways to do it. Dead Spider rocks. If you're new to shuttle tatting, don't listen to any instructions that don't have you flip your hand up like a dead spider! I can't say it made it work for me the first time, but it came together eventually. SRs and I aren't best friends, but we managed to make nice-nice.

Now, for the pictures. Both are done in LizBeth threads, size 20.

The one on the left is light turquoise and some thread with spring in the title, I think. (I'm too lazy to get and grab the color card.) The one on the right is Pink Cocoa (that I constantly want to call Pink Mocha) and is done with a needle. It seems so bulky in comparison! (Hmm.. will this experience turn me against my needles? I think not, but I'm going to love if I can get to a point where I can choose which to use depending upon the pattern...).

Of course, when you charge right into something instead of actually learning what you're doing beforehand, there's got to be a casualty, right?

That was my first attempt with the shuttles. Don't ask me what happened... You know full well thread has a mind of its own! ;-)

Love and happy tatting to all!

♥,
Stephanie Grace

TIAS Day 2 (No pictures yet)

2012-01-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

My computer is finally giving a scan option, so I'll catch up with all of that after I tackle some of my To Do list (which may or may not include rearranging my bedroom...).

Anywho, Jane posted Day 2 so I jumped on that right after my tea (okay, during). While this isn't a major thing to share, the decision I made yesterday might be... I decided to climb out on a limp (the one without a net under it) and do the TIAS twice --one with needle and one with shuttles! My rings still aren't closing right on the shuttle and I'm not very neat yet, but I figured this would be great practice and, hopefully, by the end I'll be better. :-) It's a good theory, right?

Okay, going to finish watching Millionaire and then tackle the chores. I'll be back later with some pictures --Or it'll be the first thing I do tomorrow! :-*

Love and happy tatting to all!

♥,
Stephanie Grace

TIAS (No Pictures)

2012-01-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

No pictures, but Day One got tatted yesterday --ya know, once I got all happy because I realized that it was the tenth ... and the realized I lost a day somewhere! LOL.. Ooops.

Love and happy tatting to all!

♥,
Stephanie Grace

Printer/Scanner hates me!

2012-01-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

I was doin' pretty good with the whole new post each morning thing, right? I thought so. Then, my stinkin' printer/scanner decided that it no longer wanted to let me print or scan through WiFi. Then, it didn't want to connect via USB to my desktop.

Without pictures, I figured there was no point in a post, but how am I supposed to get used to a schedule if I don't go through the motions, right?

Well, yesterday, I tried using the webcam. Note that I haven't used one in probably ten years (at least), didn't play with settings, and am an incredibly shaky person.

On Saturday, I received my copy of Ms. Marilee Rockley's Tatted Jewelry! (Did I mention she SIGNED it? Eeee!!!). I was in the middle of doing something and wouldn't let myself open it until I finished --good idea because I got lost for several hours after I ripped open the envelope!

I dove right in and started making things right away. Here are the three.

These are "Keyed Up" on page 23 done in LizBeth 662 and 605, both include size 11/0 Czech glass seed beads.
(The green one that you see half of is in 144).

This one is in Color 109 --and wanted to jump off of the paper and lid that I'd laid it on for the picture! LOL.

Those that have the book may notice that I omitted the top ring. Personally, I like how they look better without it --until a jump ring is added. Oops. I knew it was there for a reason! LOL. I already have more of these to shows and I don't think I'll be stopped with this pattern any time soon. Perhaps because, when ordering the book, I was drawn to this pattern and almost ordered it at the same time in PDF format?

Well, hopefully I'll get the stupid printer/scanner (Stephanie, insulting it won't get it to work for you...) to work for me later --And actually scan at the right size which has long been a problem for me. It appears, though, that I'm not the only one with this problem. I'm thinking of blaming Epson, but I'd rather blame Windows.

Enough rambling... If I want to add that to my list, I need to get started like yesterday! ;-)

Love and happy tatting to all!

♥,
Stephanie Grace

Freestyle...

2012-01-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

I think I've become addicted to just tatting without patterns! New threads came yesterday and I dove right in and just started tatting. I'm not sure if this is just to see where I end up or just to test the threads to see how I really feel about the colors, but I enjoy it nonetheless. :-)

First to be played with was Color 625 (LizBeth).

Just a little, bitty thing. When I set it down as it is in the scan, I saw the top of a lady's head with a flower at her hairline, and then I saw the eyes... The bottom ring is a mouth should be... Do you see it too? Either way, this all ended up putting Little Guitars by Van Halen in my head, so I'm calling it the Senorita doodle. LOL. I might toy with her more at some point... Maybe?

Then, I opened up Color 665 and began freestylin' again...

Definitely needs to be played with, but I kind of like it.

The last thing I have to show is from two days ago...

It's an atrocious scan, sorry. This is Flopsy the butterfly. {e:laugh} She's done in LizBeth 20, Color 135. The pattern is designed by the wonderfully talented Jane. It's a surprisingly simple pattern, though I did somehow leave out a picot on the center ring. >.< I didn't notice that until the end, so I just went through a stitch --no way as I starting over for such a menial reason! LOL. Poor Flopsy is all sorts of out of shape from being crumpled up in my hand as I tatted! I was so afraid of the bead's weight stretching the thread, that she spent her birthing all bunched up in a ball. Methinks I may venture into stiffening to see if I can't restore some of her dignity! Another thing is that the backsides of both wing sets are facing each other. I don't think that's how it's supposed to be, but I don't know what I did wrong either. LOL. Oh well, Maybe when I make a sister for Flopsy (Will it be trite if I call her 'Mopsy'?) I'll get it right. ...And now I'm thinking I should follow that with two rabbits named Cottontail and Peter. :-D Oh, how I love Beatrix Potter!!!

Well, that's all I have for now. We went to a fundraiser breakfast in support of a No Kill animal shelter, so my belly feels full which means I feel sleepy. ;-) Pancakes = Belly sinkers!

Love and happy tatting to all!

♥,
Stephanie Grace
P.S. Eliz, thank you!!! Not only for your constant encouragement and support, but for your feedback on the anchor. Another friend thought maybe I should lengthen the longer chain. I'm definitely going to be toying with that and making several versions. Since they'll all at least somewhat resemble anchors, at least they can all decorate cards! LOL. :-) ♥

TIAS?

2012-01-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

I'm sure that everyone knows that Mrs. Jane Eborall has announced the next Tat it and See. I have a tendency to sit out, usually terrified of a technique shared before it starts. Well, I'm sick of missing out! Once again, Mrs. Eborall put up a technique to practice prior to TIAS starting and, once again, I felt sad because she only gives instructions for shuttles (I understand that completely and I don't mean that in a negative way. LOL).

I looked at it, though, and thought, If I'm not afraid to try older shuttle techniques and figure them out for the needle, why should this be any different? So, I grabbed a needle.

I'm not incredibly sure that it's done right, but this is what I ended up with. It's done in LizBeth 20, color 144. So, here's what I did:

My brain already translates shuttle thread as needle thread and ball thread as ball thread (see how smart I can be? LOL), so I brought the ball thread UP through the picot and then simply ran the needle through. Repeat for the other picots and you're done.

Here's a closer look:

Again, I'm not sure if this is right. It appears to be right to me so I'm sharing it. If it's wrong or Mrs. Eborall would like me to take this down for any reason, just let me know. :-) If it is right, I'm hoping it will encourage at least one needle tatter to tackle a shuttle trick today! (Or tackle a shuttle!). ;-)

Other than that, I haven't anything to show. I don't know where my day went yesterday and, since I have nothing to show for it, I'm pretty sure it never happened. ;-)

♥,
Stephanie Grace

Two posts in one day? Wow...

2012-01-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

I was going to let this sit around until tomorrow, but I just couldn't wait. LOL. I played more with the doodle that made me think of an anchor... I still need to play with it more, but I can't figure out what's bothering me about it... Have you any thoughts about what it could be? Perhaps a bigger bottom? I just don't know...

Well, here it is with one of the cards I mentioned earlier. I didn't attach it and it decided to put itself at more of an angle when I flipped it onto the scanner, but you get the gist... I hope. ;-)

Hmm... You look silly tilting your head like that... Perhaps I should scan it straight? LOL. ;-)

Love and happy tatting to all!

<3,
Stephanie Grace

Here's Goes Nothin'...

2012-01-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

The new modem arrived yesterday, so I'm hoping to get things on track. (With the old modem, it wouldn't cooperate with my wireless router and to go from laptop to desktop, I'd have to plug in which one I wanted and call ... then call again when I went back to the first one. It was irritating as anything!).

Back to tatting... I've been just toying around. All the patterns I have and nothing was screaming out, so I grabbed threads that I don't care much for and just had fun...

The navy blue one is designed by Mary Konior. It's around page 70, I think, in Tatting With Visual Patterns. I want to say Masquerade, but I could be wrong (okay; new goal... write down the pattern information when it's complete in case I'm feeling lazy when I blog about it. LOL). The final chain got twisted, of course, but when I did it again in obnoxious green, it came out fine, so go figure...

The pink with the heart is just a simple little thing to help me be sure I was adding a bead on the right way. ;-) I kind of like the tiny little fella...

The other pink is just there because I wasn't sure how the color would be changed in the tiny one and wanted something to show the color.

The bright green was me just letting the thread go where it wanted to. I think it looks like an anchor; do you see it to? I think I might actually toy with it some more and make the bottom part bigger. I have some nautical-themed note cards that an anchor might work well with. ;-)

This was another of me just playing around. Of course, the stinkin' snowflake is facing the backside of the main ring. >.< I kept on truckin' though ...then a chain didn't want to tighten enough, so I gave in and cut it off the ball. When I went to scan it, though, I realized that I like it a lot, so I just might have to make another attempt at this one. I like how, in the scan, the snowflake points look like they're attached to the ring --they're not, it just sits as though it is which makes me happy. LOL.

Well, time to move on with my day. I have a new book of patterns arriving today, so hopefully that will inspire some more playing around.

Oh! I'm also working on another project using the bright green Mary Konior motif, so maybe I'll have that to show tomorrow? (I got smart with that one and, since other bits are being repeated, I scanned and planned out the positioning on the computer before tatting... I'm scaring myself with all of this playing around! I'm too meek and mild for this stuff! LOL).

Love and happy tats to all!

<3,
Stephanie Grace

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season! I am so glad that's it all over and done with and now I can relax and work on trying to figure out my health situation (nothing serious).

Most of my tatting in the last few weeks were these:

I included one with every Christmas card that went out (even poked a hole in each card so just the snowflake was incorporated into the awesome New York Giants/winter field scene...). ;-)

I was pretty distracted after the first batch since I'd gotten that flip figured out and the amazingly generous Ms. Fox sent me Clovers, plastic bobbins, and some Finca thread!!!! :-* Thank you! THANK YOU! THANK YOU MS. FOX!!!! The Clovers are a delight and feel much more comfortable than the metal shuttle I was using --especially since I was terrified about cutting myself removing and replacing the bobbin! It feels so sharp to me! :-/ So, yes, I am still shuttling too! :-) Most of my rings still don't seem to want to close properly (completely, I mean), but I'm gettin' there!!

Of course, I am still playing with my needles as well! Even venturing into tatting without a pattern or just letting the thread tell me how it wants to be shaped. Yup... I want to "design" at least one thing in 2012.

Aside from all that, thanks to Ms. Diane's sharing of her beautiful creations, I've been looking into Romanian Point Lace. That might just be another 2012 thing to be accomplished. ;-)

Well, this is getting long so I'm just going to post it. My new modem should be here tomorrow so I'm going to try and post more frequently... I'm getting myself on a schedule in life (which is VERY good) and the modem will hopefully let my laptop online which will make blogging more frequently much easier for me, I think... We shall see, right?

Love to you all!

<3,
Stephanie Grace

Facebook Status

2011-11-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

I just posted this as my Facebook status and realized that, while shouting in from the Facebook rooftops is lovely, this is better shared here:

I swear that the tatting community (not tattoos, LOL) is the best community in the world filled with the most caring, generous people! They are all so wonderful! As if creating pretty things isn't rewarding enough, being part of such an awesome community is certainly well worth the hours and hours of frustration endured in learning and untangling threads! :-) Surely, there is no better community in the whole of the universe and beyond!

Thank you all for the inspiration both in tatting and otherwise. You are all amazing and I cannot tell you how fortunate I feel that I was lucky enough to find my way to the world of tatting. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Love to all,
Stephanie Grace

Flippin' Out!

2011-11-26T20:21:00.000-08:00

I did it! I did it! I finally got the 'flip' down!

See that? Those sloppy rings and chains that got tighter as I went along? They're done with a shuttle! FINALLY! :-D I was ecstatic yesterday after I'd done a bunch of stitches so, first thing today, I picked up the shuttle once again. There are other little rings I made, but I think you get the point, LOL. I'm getting there! I think the "BOYE" shuttle I used may be a bit too big for me or something, but I couldn't find my other one, so I just went for it. :-) The pink thread seems to be a bit dry-rotted from being in storage too long at my A.C. Mom, but it worked well enough for me to start getting the hang of it. Of course, now I'm itching to buy a different shuttle to try, but I don't think Hubby will go for that since I just put in an order a few weeks ago with Handy Hands, went to Bingo tonight, and still have to order turtle food. :-/ Oh well, I'll work with what I have and then, if I find a shuttle I'm more comfortable with, it should seem like a breeze, right?

I am absolutely THRILLED that I finally managed to get the flip down. I could never figure out what I was doing wrong and, well, not sure if it means much to anyone, but I think the wrapping around the pinky finger kept getting skipped. When I read that little detail again, I got the flip right away. LOL. Oops...

I've tatted more things than just this (with needle, of course) and even worked out two-color split rings which I'd never tried before.

WARNING: Stephanie Grace is getting brave.

We should all be vewy, vewy afwaid and proceed with caution from this moment forward. LOL

Love and Happy Tatting to All,

Stephanie Grace

Scan-happy... :-)

2011-11-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

I got new ink today! Yay! (It's the off-market stuff... I used points from Swagbucks and got a Amazon card, so I figured I"d take my chances on this since it was only going to cost me a dollar for 6 cartridges). Anywho, this means I can scan again!!! It also kind of made me realize that I didn't have much to scan... :-/

Monday, my beloved UPS man showed up with new threads and new books from Handy Hands! Oh, how I love that man -always brings me packages and doesn't nag or expect dinner! Perfect! :-) One of the books is Celtic Tatting Knots and Patterns by Rozella Linden.

I tried my luck with the Celtic Cross Bookmark:

I think I should have gone with my original plan for black on the outer round, but I'm happy to just have completed it! :-) It scared me, LOL. The first round is a ring of split rings that starts with a regular ring and then cut and tie. There's a note, however that says advanced tatters could just do a split ring there too... So I did! Don't I realize that I'm not advanced? LOL. I think I made the picots too big --and the space after closing that initial SR was definitely funky, but it was my first time, so I'm not bothered. ;-) On my cross, you might also notice that little diamond-shape in the center in the first photo... yeah... that's supposed to be round. Ooops... *blushes*

Then I decided to do a scan of the full bracelet since my photograph was blurry:

And, finally, a bookmark. "Wave" by Sandy Scales from Tatted Bookmarks edited by Barbara Foster, done it LizBeth's Country Side in size 20. :-)

I also tatted a snowflake but, by golly that thing is fiddly! I need to learn to make bigger picots once in a while! It's definitely not suitable for viewing without being blocked!!!

Well, hope all is well with you and yours!

Love to all,
Stephanie Grace

Frustration, Crankiness, and a dash of smile.

2011-11-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

I finish Round One of Mary Konoir's Small Cross, but just couldn't wrap my head around how to tackle Round Two. I tried and failed three times then walked away.

I started tatting a snowflake. I left too much space between rings on Round One, but kept going... Then made a wrong join in Round Two and didn't notice it until I was well past the untat-and-still-be-semi-sane point, so I cut off Round Two and will go tackle Round Two another day...

Then, I decided to try out an edging that I think would make a lovely choker... Well, either I did something wrong or the directions were wrong --I swear I read everything three times before doing anything! >.<

At that point, I figured today just wasn't a good day for tatting in my world. I logged onto Facebook and saw that a friend of mine is feeling sick and cranky, so I commanded her to feel better and then looked at my beads. Figuring that I've become so good at chain-after-chain, I thought a simple R3-3-3 C6 pattern with some nice oil-stain-colored beads (I love oil-stain colors!). I started... I got to the last ring and realized, UH OH! I didn't think about doing it in one pass... I didn't change it enough to do that! I finished it off, did the final chain and stared at it while realizing that I'd just put myself in the same situation I was in hours prior with the small cross pattern... :-/

I got it! Somehow, my brain figured out what to do and I even gained the confidence I needed to possibly tackle the cross again (tomorrow ... maybe).

Still feeling like I wanted to do something, but not wanting to make a big project of anything, I decided to just play and try something with the little glass disc beads I bought recently...

It's pretty close to actual size in that photo (I cannot wait for my ink to arrive so I can scan again!). LizBeth 20 in black and just me playing around, LOL. It definitely needs work and is nothing like what I had in my head, but at least it's something, right? And I even finished it, even after realizing that it wasn't going to be "right"... Watch out; I'm gettin' brave! LOL.

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!

Love to all,

Stephanie Grace

When Did That Happen?

2011-11-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

Can someone tell me when the internet got so boring? Seriously... I check my Facebook, look at my e-mails, read the blogs and then... I'm just staring at the screen waiting for something to entertain me. *sigh* I think it's definitely that I'm just not trying hard enough to MAKE it entertaining. Maybe?

Anywho, all of that boredom led me to realize that, while I'd posted this on my Facebook page, I never posted it here!

You look silly tilting your head like that, ya know... ;-) The battery is a AA that was on my desk, so I put it in for size comparison. LOL.

Pattern: Rose Ornament

Book: Christmas Angels and Other Tatting Patterns, Monica Hahn

Thread: LizBeth 20, Victorian Red and Christmas Green

Yup.. I got a bit hooked on chain after chain once I figured it out. :-) (Just join with the needle thread, duhhhh). I made another ornament but I didn't take a picture (scanner doesn't work when you're out of black ink apparently.. Grrr). Either way, yay! I've tackled another pattern that scared me! :-) I am so proud! ROFL.

I didn't do a large picot for hanging, but maybe next time... This one will just have to deal with ribbon or a wire hanger (I'm thinking I might weave some ribbon in and out of the green outer row. I just need thinner ribbon...).

Hope you're all doing well!

With love,

Stephanie Grace

Two days in a row... Whoa!!!

2011-11-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

I'm going to mark today as fairly productive! Yay!!! :-) Sure, no tea, but there was tatting! (I was too busy tatting to get up and make myself tea, LOL.).

So, what did I make?

WARNING: These pictures are blurry and from my phone. I'll take better ones later in the week. ;-)

Three little crosses and one little flower. Both patterns are from Tatting Jewellery by Lyn Morton. The crosses measure 1 1/2". :-) They are done in LizBeth Size 20 in Ecru, Boysenberry Dark, and Victorian Red. The pearly beads are some pretty little shiny things I picked up at a Yard Sale. ;-) The flower is also in LizBeth 20, in Dust Rose Lt... I made it to decorate a card. ;-)

Closer look at the Ecru Cross (My favorite):

I did the huge picot to make an ornament... Aren't you proud? ;-)

Then, I went with the same Christmas Tree I've tatted twice before (which was done in the same exact thread and ended up completely different sizes! But, that's another story... LOL).

Again, huge picot at the top (and this one is REALLY huge, LOL). Bead is a yellow glass bead that's circular, but semi-flat... I liked it. :-P Done in LizBeth 638, Christmas Green. Pattern is from Christmas Angels and Other Tatting Patterns by Monica Hahn.

And, finally, (well, actually this was started yesterday and the first thing I did when I woke up, LOL) another bracelet!!!

The pattern is "Design 14" from Tatting by Christel Weidmann. The thread is LizBeth, size 20, Boysenberry Dk.... Which I regret because I really like this bracelet and which I'd done it in a color I like too... :-/ There shall be more! ;-) The bead is Tibetan silver and the the closure is two nickel plated hooks and eyes (from same aforementioned yard sale, actually...). I chose to cross the picots into X's which led me to calling this the 'Stitches Bracelet' as I tatted it. I can't believe what I drew on my napkin actually worked! LOL. I figured I'd mess that up COMPLETELY.... but I didn't.... Again, aren't you proud?

So, do we see anything that all of these have in common???

They all have chain after chain! I squashed that little devil in my head that was telling me I couldn't do chain after chain!!!

Once again, aren't you proud? LOL. I am.

Well, happy tatting to all and to all a good night! :-*

Love to all,
Stephanie Grace

Being a Good Girl ...and Name Change?

2011-10-31T17:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to be a good girl and do a post! :-) I figured that, since I mentioned the blanket/bed cover, I should share a picture...

That was a few weeks ago... I'm nearly finished with the second row (I've been thinking in blocks of nine... 35 blocks sounds a lot less daunting than 315 motifs...). Of course, I got bored. I think mainly because of stopping to hide ends. *rolls eyes* the pile of 'stuff' in the background are our comforters (we don't share... we're both cover-hogs). I needed them out of my way and I was hoping they'd dull down the light a bit...

Anyway, here's a closer picture of the motifs:

I'm using Caron Simply Soft yarn in Soft Blue and Grey Heather and, of course, one of my Rosewood tatting needles from Lacis! :-D The pattern is "Rosebud Refreshment Set" from The Tatter's Treasure Chest Edited by Mary Carolyn Waldrep. Yup, you might see coasters, I saw a blanket. LOL. (It was actually my second choice of pattern... the first didn't work with the yarns I bought so I ended up using the colors I'd bought for a scarf for myself... Grr... No scarf for me, it seems. LOL.).

Now, the name change thing... I'm probably going to change the name of this blog to 'Sapphire & Grace' as that's the name of my Facebook page. :-) They should match, right? Just lettin' you gals and guys(?) know now. :-)

Well, I'm working on a bracelet that I want to see finished (I love it in y head, LOL). Happy tatting to all an to all a good night! ;-)

With love,

Stephanie Grace

Still here.... :-)

2011-10-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am still here ... and still tatting! I stopped with the crosses at like 22 or something and went onto other things --I just couldn't handle the redundancy anymore, I guess... :-/

Anywho, I promise a real post soon, but I wanted to post this link so I don't lost it... Has anyone tried this??? I would LOVE to know how this works with tatting! LOL. :-)

http://greenupgrader.com/2138/handspun-recycled-newspaper-yarn/

BTW, I'm working with my rosewood tatting needles!!! :-) Trying out a blanket for Hubby --He says blanket, I say decorative afghan. I know that it'll get destroyed when he uses it and won't be very warm, but if he keeps him from complaining about me tatting too much, I'm willing to give it a go! LOL. ;-)

Love to all and Happy Tatting!!!

-Stephanie Grace
P.S. Don't think my lack of posting is lack of reading; I'm much better at staying up-to-date with YOUR blogs than I am my own! *blushes*

Remembering the Bracelet Pattern....

2011-08-18T19:13:00.001-07:00

I found the pattern from which I created my first bracelet!!! (The red and black one):

http://web.archive.org/web/20010219044727/http://www.domesticarts.com/Patterns/simple.html

Ohh... New Round; First 4 motifs of 25! :-)

2011-07-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

Yup, still around --and still tatting! :-D For my second round of the 25 Motif Challenge, I decided to go with 25 Heritage Crosses by Dee Powell from Tatted Bookmarks Needle and Shuttle edited by Barbara Foster.

I really love this pattern. I think it's probably because it's a steady 5-count all the way through... everything is either 5-5 or 5+5 and, well, for a person with a "numbers quirk" like me, that well-rounded 5 makes it a happy pattern! LOL. ;-)

The final two rings and chains continue to trip me up a bit, but I've been working right through that... (Well, except for the last one that's still waiting to be completed...).

I've made 7 so far and set a goal for all 25 to be done by the end of July. Should be easy, right? *rolls eyes*

Left: Motif #2. Lizbeth 651, Size 20.
Right: Motif #1, LizBeth Gold, Size 20.

Left: Motif #3. Lizbeth Seashells, Size 20.
Right: Motif #4. Lizbeth Peacock Blues, Size 20.

And, here is #4 with some added decor! :-)

She'll be heading out to Hawaii in the coming days! I really hope it holds up and doesn't fall apart... *worries*

Well, I hope that all is well with everyone... Hubby busted a blood vessel in his eye, so I've been living with a man that looks like something for a horror movie!!! No really....

Lovely, right?

Happy tatting and love to you all! :-*

-Stephanie Grace

Motif #25/25! I did it! :-D

2011-06-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

Definitely planning on starting up a new 25 Motif Challenge but I want it to be more focused (all crosses, maybe?)... Anywho, here's today's tatting.

This is one motif from the "Wild Rose Tray Mat/ Luncheon Set" on pp. 55-56 of The Tatter's Treasure Chest edited by Mary Carolyn Waldrep. It's done (predictably) in Lizbeth size 20. The center is color 644, Boysenberry Dk; the outer round is 131, Vineyard Harvest. I was happy for a while that it had a pretty uniform look, then the last two went completely off of that *rolls eyes* (Look at the chains that connect to the middle... left side.). It measures 5" unblocked.

I'd been looking at this pattern and had a bookmark in it since I got the book, but I don't really like the look of the motifs attached... I wanted to see how just one would look... Ya know, pretty decoration or glass mat. ;-) I think this would also make a lovely snowflake! I'm already thinking about grabbing some white thread and pearly beads and seeing where it leads me. :-)

Sooo... tomorrow (if not tonight), I'll start working on my next 25 ...just need to think of what to do...

Thank you all so much for reading! :-* Love, hugs, and happy tatting to you all!

-Stephanie Grace

Motifs 23 & 24 /25

2011-06-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Ya know, I started a "large" project and decided not to count the motifs of that toward my count... Now, I'm wishing I had! I'd be at 25! LOL. But, methinks that project will end up taking forever and possible being 25 motifs all on its own!

First, I want to thank everyone for their comments and support! I'm horrible with actually remembering to respond to e-mail which is horrible, I know... but I read every one! *blushes* On top of that, I opted to take a day away from the computer yesterday --which I enjoyed much more than I'd ever imagined I could! :-)

I remembered what I forgot in the last post:

It's another "Heritage Cross" by Dee Powell from Tatted Bookmarks Needle and Shuttle edited by Barbara Foster. This one is done in Lizbeth, Size 20, Color 131, Vineyard Harvest. It's been sitting around for a bit (balled up at some points), so it drastically needs to be pinned, but I wanted to share it. LOL. I'm leaving it without a tassel for now just in case it gets used in a different way...

I went on a little spree of finishing things that I'd left with only a ring or chain to go and then started hiding ends. (Facing fears is a good thing, right?). In the process, I found myself hiding the ends of this doily... Guess what happened next...

I decided to revisit the pattern! :-) It's "Small Round #11" by Kenna Prior from Ultimate Book of Tatted Doilies. It's tatted in Lizbeth Size 20, Color 157. Raspberry Frappe. I was pleasantly surprised that the actually thread gives off a more pink appearance than purple. It didn't scan very well --and I had to put paper behind it. I definitely need to adjust something on my scanner. Blah.

I really can't believe I'm actually hiding ends! LOL. I'm pretty sure everything will fall apart rather easily, but at least I'm finishing, right? LOL.

I had something else to say and it's gone now... I hate when that happens! *rolls eyes*

Hope all is well with you and yours! :-*

-Stephanie Grace

Oh! I remember! I was surprised to see the similar size of today's doily and the older one. There's very little difference even though that one was DMC Cebelia size 30 --which going with my theory that there's not much difference in size between that and Lizbeth 20...

Peacock Blues meet Starry Night? Hmm... (Motifs 21&22 /25)

2011-06-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

As soon as I opened up the window to create a new post, my brain automatically started screaming that I have more to post than what I'm about to, but I can't think of what it is... Oh well. I'm sure it'll come to me later... (Maybe. LOL).

So, here's the long, boring story: I wore the red and black bracelet that I made on Sunday (and it held up!!!). My cousin saw it and asked me to make one for her. I had some tatting stuff with me so, while I didn't plan to make a whole bracelet sitting in the middle of a park, I figured I'd just show her how it's done. Of course, I go to show her off the ball and the thread knots. So, I cut it and decided I'd just make up a quick ring to show off, LOL. Well, we left before I finished, but I came home, finished half of that ring and decided I wanted to make another one. (Oh! It's the Remembrance Ring from... Yarnplayer? I'll check in a bit).

So, I did... It's done in Lizbeth Size 20, Color 149, Peacock Blues with two colors of size 11 Czech glass seed beads and one li'l Hematite star (I love hematite!). I went with the nine ring that the pattern suggestions ...definitely much too big for my hands... :-/

Yesterday, I sat down and started tatting with the same thread, the same beads (plus one somewhat larger hematite star) and went with the same stitch count... This is what happened:

A bracelet for Kathy! :-) It measures 7 1/2" with Lobster claw clasp included in that. Scans don't show the beauty of hematite, so I had to whip out my phone and take more pictures... I still need to hide the ends, but it's done! :-D

Well, hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

-Stephanie Grace

Flowers and Flowers and stuffs... Oh My! (Motifs #19&20/25)

2011-05-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

So, I just might be the most redundant tatter in all the land... That whole "getting stuck on a pattern" thing got a bit extreme last week. Well... for a few days.

See, I was talking to friends and trying to get them to start tatting. To show them how easy it is, I posted TotusMel's wonderful video on my Facebook page for them. I watched the video and... BAM! I start wondering if I can even remember how to tat off the ball. I've gotten so used to a cut thread AND a ball that, between her video and the lady at the bead sale a few weeks back, I was scared that I might not be able to do it anymore... Naturally, I grabbed a ball and needle and had it... again... and again... and, well... By flower four or five I'd decided to challenge myself to get 25 flowers done by the end of the week... It didn't take early that long, of course, but I did it! 25 flowers! :-D All were tatting with LizBeth size 20, different colors and --and different tensions as became very apparent quite quickly.

Two got added to a bookmark for a friend:

My first time adding a chain, etc... It actually looks complete! Did I actually finish something? Hmmm...

And then there were the others...

I don't have scans of all 25 and, well, some ended up in a framed present for my mom for her birthday so I used them before I even got the chance.

End result: Why, yes, I can -somewhat- still tat off the ball. I went back and forth between off the ball and my usual way, but I'm still truckin' with the off the ball and going back and forth. I think it's good for me to continue to do both since some patterns might tat better with one method and another pattern might come out best with the other... Does that make any sense to anyone but me? LOL

Lastly... The two motifs...

I did a random flower and then decided to add more to it... I'm not completely happy with it, mainly because I should have given more thought to it being added to a necklace BEFORE I finished it, but it's my first go at a pendant-type-thing --and without a pattern at all, so.. yeah... live and learn, trial and error, right? Tatted in LizBeth, Size 20, Victorian Red.

The final motif is being subbed the "Obnoxious Summertime Bracelet". No, not because it was a bother to tat or because I had any trouble with tatting it, but just because of the colors, LOL. I'm not a "bright color" kinda gal... It's made up of LizBeth size 20 in Juicy Watermelon and Lime Green.

Well, this is a very long post... Oops.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and prayers. It's nice to know that I'm not alone and that there are more prayers going to my family than I could ever manage alone. THANK YOU! They're so appreciated --and needed! :-* Happy, Love, and Prayers to you all!

-Stephanie Grace

Update.

2011-05-19T18:34:00.001-07:00

I try to keep this blog purely about tatting, but I wanted to add a quick note from the personal side: My sister-in-law passed away on Saturday, May 14th. Please send some prayers to my brother, their children, and our families. Thank you! :-*

-Stephanie Grace
P.S. I HAVE been tatting, but I'll save that for a later post...

Bracelet (Motif #18/25)

2011-05-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, there was an edging pattern or something that I wanted to try as a bracelet. I started it, got maybe six rings in and stopped. Those rings, no longer connected to a ball of thread or anything have been on an end table taunting me... So, I cut some new thread, grabbed a ball of thread and decided it was time to try it again. I decided to do the starting ring and chain differently and will have to add a few more stitches to the first chain if I do this again, but it's DONE!

It's tatted in LizBeth Victorian Red and Black, both size 20.

As an added touch, it's also got some pearly white size 11 glass seed beads. :-)

I went with a lobster claw clasp and just a tatted ring for the closure for the bracelet. (The tattoo is the Virgo symbol, LOL... I needed my right hand to put the bracelet on, so it had to go on my left wrist which meant the tattoo creeping into the picture... LOL).

And, finally, there's the bracelet with my tatting buddy --EEYORE! :-D He's a little mini-purse so there's a knitted, stuffed ball inside the zipper (I could never stab a stuffed Eeyore!) which holds my needle while I pull thread --much better than the days when I'd just stab the needle into my couch! LOL. As an added note: There's also some sand in him from the shore since he wasn't heavy enough to stay put in the breeze when I went to the beach last year, LOL... For some reason, I've let him keep the weight. :-)

Well, now all that's left is figuring out that whole hiding threads issue... *rolls eyes*

Oh! An e-mail conversation led me to a question to ask: Has anyone tried singing (as in singe... nothing with vocal chords, LOL) the ends or knots in tatting? I saw a contraption at a bead sale and it made me wonder... It also made me wish I'd had one when my shoelaces frayed and I loved my laces! LOL.

So, hugs to you all! Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

-Stephanie Grace

Happy Anniversary! (Motif #17/25)

2011-05-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe it's no one's anniversary [that I know of], but that doesn't make this post any less happy! :-P

The set-up: Me, returning home, well after 11pm last night. Tired. Feeling blah. Hubby goes to bed. Of course, I need some unwind time and I'd start tatting earlier in the day, so why not finish what I started before bed, right?

Yup.. Anniversary Motif from page 80 of Mary Konoir's Tatting with Visual Patterns.

Honestly, this thing terrified me ...or maybe it was just the chain after chain thing that I was afraid of... Either way, after tatting, un-tatting, and tatting the last chain about ten times, I finally got it done! It's not perfect, but I really don't care. LOL. If you haven't noticed, the mission is to just show myself that I'm capable. We can work on that perfection thing later ...right?

I want to try this pattern again. I think it would make a wonderful element to frame a picture and many other things. :-) this also gave me a better idea of how the pattern would look in two colors. From the given picture in the book, I really wasn't sure how I'd like it without it being solid, but I think I do! :-D

Ohh! It's done using LizBeth size 20 in #127 (Butterfly Breeze --which I surprisingly bought at a bead sale last week --I never liked this thread in the catalog!) and #614 (Lemon Lt.).

What d'ya think? I'm gettin' there, right? (Wherever "there" is...) ;-)

(((Hugs)))

-Stephanie Grace

Sea Horse (Motif 16/25)

2011-05-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

Last night, I started tatting a motif that has scared me for months. It just looked like something that would be far beyond my tatting capabilities. I, however, am me. Bowing down like that wouldn't exactly fit with my beliefs and life. ;-) I ended up distracted and messed up ear the end, but that's okay since I didn't think I had enough thread cut to do it anyway. :-D It made me realize that even though a pattern may seem scary, I'll never learn if I hide from it (or hide it from me...). The pattern, as it turns out, is quite simple! I'll definitely be giving it another go ...or two ...or three.

Anywho, with my new found ...um... bravery ;-) I decided today to tackle a pattern that, though it looked pretty simple, I was sure I'd mess up. It didn't come out perfectly (I hate the way the long part sticking out of the muzzle (Hmmm... is it called that when it's a seahorse?) but I finished anyway. A few months ago, that would have made me stop and cut my thread losses.).

The pattern is written by Debbie Arnold. I did it in Lizbeth silver and gold (my favorite fashion faux pas! LOL), size 20. As always, it still has it's threads hanging on and it's not blocked. I really must get the ....bravery to do that. LOL. I just know that I'll mess things up if I start trying to hide ends and block them... One day...

Okay, I'm off to... Tat some more? Maybe. :-D

Hope all is well with you and yours! (((Hugs)))

-Stephanie Grace

Candle Bookmark (Motif #15/25)

2011-05-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

My sister told me she wanted a bookmark. She chose "Candle" by Dee Powell from "Tatted Bookmarks Needle & Shuttle" edited by Barbara Foster. For thread, she picked Country Side (117) and the corresponding Blue Med (651), bot LizBeth size 20.

It needs some serious blocking, LOL. It's been done for days... not sure why I didn't post it before now.

So, my notes on this bookmark:

-This isn't my least favorite pattern from the book, but I did scrunch my nose at it... It just doesn't appeal to me.
-It tats up easily enough. This is also the first time I've managed to be successful with chain after chain --something that just seems like it would be so much easier with shuttle.
-At least the pretty colors made me like it a little bit more! LOL.

Well, hope all it tatting up well for all of you out their in TatLand! :-*

-Stephanie Grace

Another Cross. (Motif #14/25)

2011-04-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

Made for a friend. Same pattern as before but, this time, in LizBeth Lemon Lt and LizBeth Leafy Greens, both Size 20.

I've got dishes to do, but I wanted to post this before I started that evil chore... LOL.

Oh! I also set up a board so I can get some blocking done tonight. Anyone have any tips before I mess up everything I've created thus far? LOL.

-Stephanie Grace

More bookmarks! :-) (Motifs 12&13 / 25).

2011-04-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

Yup... I fell off the face of the earth again... I really should stop doing that, but I just seem to get distracted and then I end up busy, busy, busy. I kind of have a job now, but it's unpredictable so that's taking up some time too. I'm thinking that I MUST master the shuttle so that I can actually take tatting along with me when I go anywhere...

Anywho, I went to scan the cross that I tatted today and I found this on my scanner! LOL. It was a nice surprise.... Apparently, I scanned it on March 8th and never posted it --and forgot all about it. Oops. Well, at least I can now say that March wasn't a complete waste! ;-)

It's "Beginner's Choice" (page 23) from Tatted Bookmarks Needle & Shuttle edited by Barbara Foster done it LizBeth Country Side (117) and Blue Med (651). Yup... that's right, I ordered the right thread to match Country Side... and they DO match! LOL.

Now, today's cross that led to my discovery, LOL...
Pattern: "Heritage Cross" by Dee Powell
Book: Tatted Bookmarks Needle and Shuttle edited by Barbara Foster
Thread: LizBeth, Gold (611), Size 20.

It needs to be blocked, definitely... and I'm still debating about the tassel that's supposed to go at the top... But, it's done... and I didn't mess it up! LOL.

Well, I hope all is well with everyone. I plan to have more to show soon. :-) I've missed tatting SO much!!!!

With Love,
Stephanie Grace

A Moment To Share.

2011-02-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

Well, no tatting to show, but I had a moment today that I want to share with you. I decided that today's project would be the Adrienne Glass Mat. I grabbed some Blue and Gold from Lady Dusty Rose's Etsy shop and started.

Not very long into the second round, I stopped and just looked at what was in my hand. Even with the ends and strings all handing from it, I though, That's beautiful. In that moment, not only could I not believe that I was creating something that beautiful, but it made me realize why I started tatting in the first place, why I wanted to start, and why I love it so much.

I wonder how often tatters feel that way. We all gripe and complain and get frustrated by knotty threads and twisted picots, but how many times do YOU just look and think that, for sure, someone else must've made what you're holding because it's just so beautiful?

The one year anniversary of when I began tatting is approaching. This moment couldn't have come at a better time; I can't believe how far I've come in just one year!

Love to all,
Stephanie Grace

Yup, Still Goin' Strong... (Motif #11/25)

2011-02-25T16:52:00.000-08:00

Since discovering the mismatch of the turquoise thread with Countryside, I've been baffled as to what to do with the turquoise thread (Other than matching it with the gold which still screams Bollywood to me when paired...). It's not a bad color or anything, just... not "me". I just can't seem to pair it with anything --neither threadwise nor patternwise. I know I will eventually. I tried it with LizBeth's silver today...

I was maybe five rings in when I realized that I didn't like it, but had to finish because there's always someone who will, right?

Then, I decided to tackle the glass mat in the Winter 2011 Handy Hands Newsletter since I've been wanting to do it. I had no clue what color to use, though, so I decided to start with the leftover turquoise from the bookmark... Guess what happened next...

Yup... I got distracted and wanted to know what just to centers would look like together... Now, I just have to decide what I'll do with this next... I thought that, maybe, I'll use the silver thread and just do from split rings and Victorian sets on either side for a chain to make a necklace or bracelet, but I'm not sure yet ...and I'm still toying with the idea of just plain adding more of the center motif to make something else... So many choices!!!

Love to you all,
Stephanie Grace

A Twist On Redundancy! (Motifs #9 and 10 /25)

2011-02-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

So, of course, I'm still stuck on these simple bookmarks. I like them, though! :-P Well, today I decided to try it in LizBeth #156, Juicy Watermelon since I hadn't even touched the thread yet. Well, there was something I didn't like (I don't remember what), so I decided to add a button. I thought it would sit nicely at the top of the book (as long as I add a dot of glue for added security)... Then... I thought about something ...The button fits into the opposite end of the bookmark! Voila! 'Tis a summery bracelet for some vibrant little girl! Maybe tomorrow I'll add a few more rings and chains and see if I can't make one of these for myself --or maybe an adult with normal-sized wrists? LOL.

I didn't stop there, though... Saw the plastic bobbin full o' Fairy Dance from LadyDustyRoses's Shop and couldn't resist...

Normally, I don't like using variegated as both needle and ball thread, but I went outside of my little box today and, ya know what? It didn't end up as badly as I expected!

-Stephanie Grace

Redundancy? (Motifs #7 and 8/25)

2011-02-23T15:49:00.000-08:00

Anyone remember me saying I get on a pattern and just keep doing it over and over again? Well, it still rings true! LOL. Another bookmark... This time done in LizBeth Black and LizBeth #626; Shell Pink Lt. (The one that doesn't match Seashells... LOL).

What's that you say? Where's the usual rambling? Okay, okay... I'll try to appease you... ;-)

When I first started tatting and hunting down patterns on the internet (last year, LOL!), one of the firsts that I couldn't resist trying was "Rememberance" Ring by the amazingly talented Yarnplayer. Well, of course I tried it... and tried ...and tried it. Somehow, I always messed up or only did the first half and gave up... Not today!!! I had some of that Shell Pink Lt. still on my needle, so I gave it a go...

I did it! I did it! Sure, it's not the neatest work in the world, but I got it done!!! :-D I'm thrilled! I can't wait to do it again ...and again ...and again. LOL.

-Stephanie Grace

...Again? (Motif #6/25)

2011-02-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

Since I started tatting, I've eyed up LizBeth Color #117, Country Side. When I made my last order for threads, I got it. :-) Of course, I also ordered the matching solid blue...

Needless to say, I am NOT happy with the "matching." Well, while typing this message, I looked up the threads for the numbers. I ordered the wrong solid!!! :-( I ordered 661 instead of 651. That explains it this time, though I'm still angry about the Seashells fiasco. LOL.

Oh well... At least I finished the bookmark, right?

Hope you are all doing well!

-Stephanie Grace

Grrr....

2011-01-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

I got these beautiful beads from Running Springs (eBay shop) and I've been dying to use them, but couldn't find the right project for them.

Since yesterday's threads also included LizBeth 20 #661, I thought they'd go well together. I also wanted to try the gold thread (also LB 20). I also wanted to try a bracelet from the bookmark pattern since I kept putting the bookmarks on my wrist and thinking it would be pretty...

Well... it was going to be "The Bollywood Bracelet" since that's what I kept thinking while tatting, but...

...That didn't work for me. The thread split and my hand go sweaty and... ugh. I'm going to attempt un-tatting even more than I already did, sewing in some ends and adding more thread... it'll be my first time doing that.

The colors don't seem as vivid on the scan, but it was actually the vivid colors that made me think Bollywood. LOL.

Well, I hope you all had a better tatting day... :-*

With Love,
Stephanie Grace

She Reads Books At the Seashore (Motif #5/25)

2011-01-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

What'd you think she does; sell seashells? :-D

So, I got some new threads (all LizBeth, 20) in the mail today!!! *HUGE smile* I couldn't figure out ones to play with first and ended up going with Seashells (114) and the supposedly matching Shell Pink lt (626). I like the color of Shell Pink Lt, but I don't like it with Seashells... it doesn't match ANYWHERE near as well as I expected.

...If I would have known that Seashells would look so bad with the solid, I would NOT have ordered it. It doesn't have the "antique" look that I was expecting... much brighter. I am NOT happy with it. :-/ ...That's what I get for having high expectations for something with purple in it, I guess. Blah. Well, at least I have a ball of thread that I won't mind wasting now. :-) If I can find a color that looks better with it, maybe I'll just make a whole bunch of bookmarks with it so I can be done with it. ;-)

So, has anyone else ordered these two threads and noticed that the Shell Pink Lt. has a much more "antique" coloring than the pink in Seashells? THAT'S the pink I wanted to see... Not what I got... :-/ Oh well. Live and learn, right? ;-)

Well, that's enough of my complaining and rambling! :-)

With love,
Stephanie Grace

A Mark for a Spot (Motif #4/25)

2011-01-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

Having finished my first doily, I realized that I never really did a complete bookmark with tatting. We couldn't stand for that, could we? ;-)

I joined swap-bot.com and found a swap for bookmarks. Of course, I figured this would be the perfect time to tat my first complete bookmark.

I used HDTs Caribbean Waters and Hosta Leaves, both size 30 from LadyDustyRose, formerly my beloved trappedinabead.com.

I wasn't sure about the combination, but I actually really love the way this came out. It's the "Easy Bookmark" pattern from "Learn to Tat" by Janette Baker (I needle tatted it, but I bought the book with DVD in hopes of learning the shuttle....).

I might just have to keep this for myself. LOL. It's not blocked or anything, but I REALLY love how the colors lined up (or didn't, LOL). Even with all the picots, this has a more masculine feel than most tatted bookmarks because of the colors.

I think that Kermit the Frog would be in love with this one! ;-) And I am too!!!

With love and a ribbit or two,
Stephanie Grace

**After seeing this post, I realized that the colors are darker than they actually are.... Hopefully, this scan with a black background will give you a better idea....

To me, it does seem more true to the colors, but neither one really matches.... I'm going to have to play with the settings of my scanner, aren't I? :-/

Doily Time! (Motif #3 / 25)

2011-01-15T11:28:00.000-08:00

I finally got the last round done today! :-D I sewed in the ends for the first round, but it's time to do the dishes and I just couldn't wait to show that I finished something! *blushes*

This is "Small Round #11" from Annie's Attic Ultimate Book of Tatted Doilies done in DMC Cebelia 712, size 30. 5 1/2" round.

It's not as spiderweb-looking as I was expecting (which is good) and the picture is darker than it actually is, but it's finished!!! :-)

With love,

Stephanie Grace

...And Again!

2011-01-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

Might I just say: Hrrrrrmmmmmpppphhh!!!!!! Growl!!! Grrr! Argh!!! Blahh!!!!

As the saying goes, those who do not learn from history...

...are doomed to repeat it.

Really, I don't know why I can't get this right. To make matters worse, I feel myself becoming a bit obsessed with mastering it. I love the pattern and want to see it with just the first two rounds. I think I'd love it that way... Really, I wanted to cry when I messed it up AGAIN!!!

To make myself feel better, I started on a different pattern. I'm not too fond of the doily it makes, but maybe I'll like it more when I see it "in the flesh"?

I'm trying not to let this get the best of me and trying hard not to feel discouraged, this is truly depressing the poop out of me!!!

With love and tears,
Stephanie Grace

If at first...

2011-01-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

Yup... It's just like "they" say... If at first you don't succeed,

Try...

And Try...

And try again...

Well, those are four out of my five or six attempts to do the first round of "Four Point #16" from Ultimate Book of Tatted Doilies. *screams* With the last one, I even tried going back to off the ball instead of working with a strand and a ball. This is just plain craziness!!! How many times can I keep trying the same pattern before I give up?

I think that it's time to step away from it, try a different pattern (or at least tat another heart since I know I can manage those, LOL) and maybe try this one again another day... *rolls eyes*

Well, hopefully, I'll have SOMETHING to show for the day later... :-/ (Oh, let me not fail to mention that, aside from this pattern, me attempting hairpin lace, once again, ended in miserable failure ...as did me trying the shuttle again --even with the darn DVD!). It's been a very frustrating 36-48 hours... GRRRRRRRRR.....

With love and lots o' growls,
Stephanie Grace

Gothic Elegance? (Motif #2 /25)

2011-01-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

First off, thank you all for your comments yesterday! :-* I got some great ideas and really can't thank you all enough for your encouragement. I have an on-line "to do" list about five miles long, but, hopefully, I'll get to send some responses tonight. :-* Thank you!!!

So, what do I have for show today? Another fan! ;-) By the time I got the third round done, my brain was a bit stuck on calling this one "Gothic Elegance". It's rather sloppy, but I'm glad I got it done! :-) It's done in LizBeth black and 670 with Cebelia white, all in size 20 (and I think I'm right in my thought that Cebelia 30 looks better with LizBeth 20...).

I couldn't figure out a color for the background, so you get your choice.

Currently [unblocked], it measures around 4" by 4".

One more I thing that I think deserves a mention: Notice the ends! There's less than half of what I had yesterday!!! :-D Why, you ask? LOL. Well, a while back, I tried to "tat over" my ends when starting them. It worked, but I figured that there was a good reason I never saw it any instructions or anything. Then, I was reading Lady Shuttermaker's Blog the other day and she said "tat over tail". Of course, this delighted me and, well, I went back to it. :-D I also sewed in some ends --my first time!!! I'll sew in the rest tomorrow, maybe ...or when I figure out what in the world I'm going to do with this fan! LOL. I definitely think these make better wall decorations than doilies ...Could just be me.

Well, that's enough of my rambling! Hope you are all happy, safe, and having fun! :-*

With Love,
Stephanie Grace

Happy New Year!!! (And Motif #1)

2011-01-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, my darling bloggy friends! :-* May this year bring you much happiness, love, and thread! ;-) (I figure if 2011 is as good as 2010 was bad, then Hubby and I should I be millionaires by my birthday! LOL).

Okay, on to the tatting... I lost count for my 25 Motif Challenge. Instead of going back and figuring it all out, I've decided to just wipe the slate clean and start fresh. This also made me want to go bigger. I mean, how many little hearts and butterflies can a girl tat before the idea creeps in that maybe she really can tat? ;-)

So, I grabbed my copy of Annie's Attic; Ultimate Book of Tatted Doilies and looked at the pretty pictures. Then, I finally went for the one I've been scared of since I got this book early last year... I haven't "cleaned it up" yet, but I'm so thrilled that I finished it that I just couldn't wait to post!!!

It's "Fan #10" (page 17). I royally messed up the first round (the center), but I kept going anyway. It's done in DMC Cebelia #223 in size 30 and, before blocking, measures 3 1/2" wide and 3" long. Quite peacock looking in my mind! LOL. Yes, I realize that there's an extreme amount of ends to be dealt with. LOL. I'll take care of them as soon as I figure out what I'm going to do with it ...I'm thinking that it might end up on some silly little plaque or something, but not sure...

Of course, as soon as I finished it, I was so proud that I had to give the pattern another go. This time, we're going with Lizbeth size 20 with black for the "handle" part, a dark red for the the fan, and, I think, white for the rings of the final, outer round. Once I started this one, my brain kept thinking of the little pearly beads I have ...perhaps a third one will be created once I figure out where I'd want the beads???

Well, that's all for tonight. :-* Also, if you know about lace, etc...., please read the preceding post. If you can help or have any ideas/thoughts, PLEASE, let me know. :-* THANK YOU!!!!

With love and a new fan "doily",
Stephanie Grace

A question for lacemakers....

2010-12-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine has a beautiful wedding gown from her marriage nearly 49 years ago! Unfortunately, a mouse got into the storage bag at some point. Since I know that some of you out there are absolutely lace geniuses, I was wondering if any of you could tell me if there's any chance of repairing it in any way --or if you know where she could turn to have it repaired.

Please, let me know if you can help at all! THANK YOU!!!

(If you need any further details, please, just ask and I'll be happy to ask her. Thank you!!!)

Love, Hugs, and a Million Thanks,
Stephanie Grace

Bad Mojo?

2010-12-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

I gave the heart another go today... Cut off six yards of Twilight HDT, grabbed a ball of black and a needle and went for it...

Yup... you got it! It did it to me AGAIN! I spent around half of an hour trying to get out a knot with a size 14 crochet hook and sheer determination and... SNAP! *cries* I just needed to close that ring, do a chain, one more ring, on more chain and it would've been done! I was... 24 ds away from completion.

After that, I decided I'd just make a simple all-rings flower with what was left of the cut thread... Second ring and, BAM! Knot. Tried and tried and tried and... Snap.

I think the thread hates me! I wonder if maybe I'm creating some kind of bad mojo when I pick it up because my thoughts go to "Twilight" the movie and I instantly want to roll my eyes. Horrible trash in my opinion...

The Twilight Karma Gods are definitely out to get me via that wonderful thread... So sad... *pouts*

To make up for this (and a whole lot more), I was able to click "order" on my Amazon cart tonight... and did the one-month trial of Prime for the free two day shipping... FOUR new tatting books are heading my way! *squeals* One includes a DVD so that, hopefully, I'll finally be able to get the shuttles to cooperate with me so I can do needle or shuttle depending on the pattern. :-D ...and some new tatting needles, of course! (I'm starting to learn that I'm just as hard on them as I am on cell phones...).

Hopefully, everything will go as planned and everything will be here on Friday. ...If that happens, maybe I'll finish the bell I started way back so I can truly "ring" in the new with tatting. ;-)

Peace, Love, and lots and thread,
Stephanie Grace
P.S. That reminds me... I need new threads. I realized that I don't have any blues which is just..blasphemy. So, what are YOUR favorite threads and/or brands?

Twlight HDT = trouble for December 28th...

2010-12-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

Since I saw this thread ("Twilight" from trappedinabead.com), I've been trying to think of a perfect pattern for it... Well, last night I decided that I just *had* to try it with the heart pattern... So, I tried that today. I was goin' strong, then, BAM! I realize that I added an extra ring. Of course, I kept going then the thread knotted and I just gave up (the result is on the bottom of the picture below).

But, I didn't want to waste the thread, so I "emptied my needle" with a cute li'l motif that proved, yeah, I like this thread with black. :-D I've got a few ideas for the plain-looking motif, but we'll see what happens. My main focus is finishing something that was meant to be done for Christmas. *blushes*

Love and hugs,
Stephanie Grace

Hearts, Hearts, Hearts...

2010-12-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know how I got so hooked on these. LOL. (It seems like that's how a majority of my tatting happens; I find a little pattern and just keep doing it over and over and over and then I move on to the next one and... same things. LOL).

The one on top is DMC Cebelia, Size 30, in Victorian Rose (223) and Ivory (712). I also used "Rose Glow" beads (size 11/0) from Running Springs Beads. To add the beads, I changed the first chain to B3p4B3 and the last to 3B4j(through bead)3B; All other chains I changed to 3B4B3.

The one with the green border was done with two HDTs from trappedinabead.com which is apparently no longer available. *cries* Remind me to e-mail the woman and make sure that she's okay...

The pink-bordered heart was done with LizBeth, size 20, in Denim Whisper (from an exchange... yay!!!) and Dust Rose Lt.

Now, I just have to figure out what to do with all these hearts! *laughs*

Well, hope you all had a wonderful day --and, if you in my neck of the woods, had a great cup of hot cocoa while watching people shovel! ;-)

With love and hugs,
Stephanie Grace

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

Sure, I'm a few days late, but Happy Holidays to you all! :-* I hope that you all had wonderful holidays and got everything you wanted! :-*

I finally got the snow that I wanted yesterday into today. We're in the 20-30 inch area. :-D The winds are scary, but the snow is so pretty! (Thank goodness I don't have to go outside for any reason, LOL... Pretty to see, not so pretty be out in).

So, while today was supposed to be dedicated to playing catch up at writing.com, I'm thinking that this day calls for my comfy blanky, a cup of hot cocoa (or tea if I don't have the kind of cocoa I'm wanting, LOL), and some tatting. :-D Now, let's just hope there's a good movie on demand or something so I can really have a nice, quiet, peaceful day (until Hubby gets back...).

Well, that's about all for now. Oh...wait... There are a few things that I could post so that y'all see I haven't been completely idle lately...

The hearts are L'il Heart by Brigit Phelps.
The wreaths are from... I don't remember. Handy Hands page maybe? Finally, the "flowers" are from the book "Christmas Angels and Other Tatting Patterns" by Monica Hahn, though I know the pattern was actually originally by someone else (too lazy to go look though...).

Love and hugs to you all,
Stephanie Grace

No Tatting To Show... :-(

2010-12-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

So, no, there's nothing to speak of in the way of me tatting... Well, there are tiny things, but nothing that I know I can mention... There may be a multi-medium project coming shortly with tatting though... ;-)

I have not been idle, though... I've been working on rediscovering my love of clay. For the last few days, I've been making thing and after with clay... I'm fairly certain that knowing the exact number of petals I've done would make me sick, LOL. I'm hoping to keep at it and improve and get to where I was a few years ago so that, maybe, I can see a pendant or something someday... Someday....

Here are two of the creations... There's plenty more, LOL, and plenty more to be finished and even more to be made...

This one is baked, painted, and on a black leather cord necklace. Just needs a quick coat of finish, but I can't do that here, so it's got to wait until Wednesday...

Here's one without painting, straight from the oven:

Same one, after painting... Again, still needs a coat of finish.

There is a lot more for me to do, but I wanted to check in... Any thoughts or tips??

Love and Miss you all,

Stephanie Grace

R.I.P. Aunt Grace

2010-11-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

I haven't felt ready to post this, but I realize that I'm neglecting my blog again... I'm going to make this brief and I will, hopefully, post again tomorrow or later this week. Here's why I haven't been here:

Saturday, October 23, Aunt Grace turned 71.

Tuesday, October 26th, she went in for stents. Things, well... let's just say things went horribly wrong.

Grace passed away on Saturday, October 30th.

I'm still not over it, but I'm healing. I wish I had put that bear together for her... I wish I still had time to teach her to tat like she wanted me to. I wish I could give her one more hug or call her one more time. I love you, Aunt Grace.

-Stephanie Grace

Has it really been THAT long???

2010-10-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

I'm still here... well, I will be. ;-)

I haven't been tatting. I realized how much other things were getting backed up and somehow got lost in all of that...

On the upside, the major distraction was a writing contest at writing.com (My home for the last going-on seven years...). It was a multi-round contest that ran from September 13th to October 2... The good news: I took third overall and first in the poetry category! :-D I was shocked beyond shocked! I've NEVER finished a multi-round contest and never in a million years did I think I would place for anything --especially not overall! :-D

Now that the contest is over, I'm planning on getting on track. I need to make a plan so that I can tat, write, and read everyday. Wish me luck with that!

Well, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive and that I have intention of coming back full force ASAP.

I've miss you all very much; how is everything, my darlings??? Great, I hope!

-Stephanie Grace

Happy Labor Day! What a weekend!

2010-09-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

First of all, I would like to thank Susan and Wanda for the wonderful exchanges! I meant to scan everything once I got my end out but, well, I never seem to get anything done on that wonderful "I Want To Do" list... Maybe next time one of you can send me a dirty dish so it can be cross-over onto the daily To Do list? :-D Both exchanges were amazing and I can't thank either one of you enough. Seeing your tatting made me think that maybe I am really doing this right! THANK YOU!!!

Thursday, I received the print and cards that I won from Fishing and Wishing (click the button on the right and go check them out! It's awesome!). I'm in love with it all and can't wait to post pictures of what I received --I will tomorrow, I swear. I hope. It's all gorgeous!!!

Friday was a BIG disappointment. No mail! There should be laws against me not getting mail on my birthday!

Then, Saturday came and I got a WONDERFUL surprise when I opened my parents' mailbox and found my threads from Roberta over at http://www.trappedinabead.com (work in progress)!!! I was way too giddy over threads... or so say those that don't understand! Then, I rushed home in time to get my package from http://www.be-stitchedstore.com!!! Sure, I'm disappointed that my black solid wasn't in there, but I'll survive. YAY me!!! :-D Such a wonderful day!

Of course, my other package (the one from LACIS with my rosewood needles) got close on the same day, but won't be here tomorrow due to Sunday and Labor Day. Ugh. Why can't we have the option to get mail everyday???

So, that's all the really GREAT stuff that's happened... And Mom getting out of the hospital on the fourth, of course! Right in time to join us for our barbecue! :-D

There's more to come and, yeah, I tatted another butterfly, but not much else --I started Queen of Hearts again, but I don't like the color combination, so I stopped that and then tatted another butterfly since I got the Size 15 and 16 crochet hooks that allowed me to FINALLY use my Czech 11/0 seed beads! :-D Picture to come.

Well, that's me checking in. Tomorrow should bring plenty o' pictures for everyone. :-D I'm also thinking of starting another blog so that this one can focus strictly on tatting and the other can be for all rambling of everything else... Just can't think of a name for it... Then again, I also want to give this one a new name... Any thoughts?

-Stephanie Grace

I did... WHAT?

2010-09-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

The plan was to order threads... And, of course, I did! I ordered hand-dyed from a very lovely woman and I cannot WAIT to tat with it (more on that when I get the thread) and then I ordered a few solids (not enough, in my world) and new needles... So, yes, happy birthday to me... But what did I do?? I couldn't resist... I ordered the Rosewood tatting needles from LACIS... They were so pretty I couldn't help myself!!! You KNOW what I mean! :-P Just hoping my card went through as Better Homes & Gardens didn't want to let me order Ozzy food with it. :-P to them! (Needles, threads, and turtle food for my birthday... I'm so special!!! LOL). Yeah, yeah, it's not until the third, but, Hubby brought home the card from his grandmother --whom I need to call tomorrow and thank profusely!

Now, if I had just been home to tat all day today, that would have been nice. Instead, Mommy's "same day" surgery turned into an overnight stay. Nothing major, she'll be home tomorrow --well, today, at this point, but me taking her meant getting up with Hubby at 6:15ish (and we can see how late I'm usually up) and then TRYING to nap, but had to get her to the hospital for 8, so that didn't happen. Tried when I got back my parents' house and still no luck... I just can't sleep once I'm awake. So, I waited around until she called at ten to one in the afternoon to give me the overnight news and update and then I went to the grocery store (I hate shopping) and then the pool store (I felt like an idiot; I haven't paid attention to or taken care of that pool in years!). I was going to make meatballs and spaghetti for Daddy et al tonight, but Sis took him out for dinner, so I made the meatballs and will give him some to heat up tomorrow --errr... today.

How and why I'm still awake, I have no clue. I do know, though, that I need to get off my rear, make Hubby's sandwich for tomorrow and get some shut-eye! Oh... but I wanted to figure out ordering beads... I guess that shall wait until tomorrow (otherwise Hubby isn't getting his sandwich which will mean him waking me up at that ungodly hour again to make it... Ever sliced a tomato half-asleep? It's never fun! LOL).

Well, that's all I have to say for now... and while my corny brain wanted to say "tat's all", that reminds me... I need to rename this blog. Tomorrow... Err... today is another day, right? Maybe I'll dream something up.

Oh! And I didn't take the sewing machine... grr... Glad I have this blog here to remind me of such things! LOL. Must get sewing machine.... Or, no, I guess not yet... not until I get the new threads, one of which I'm hoping will match the bandanna coloring so I can do an edging eventually for it...

{i}ENOUGH, Stephanie Grace! GO TO SLEEP!!!{/i}

Yeah... You're right. Sweet dreams, all! :-*

-Stephanie Grace

Queen of Broken Hearts

2010-08-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to tat Mary Konior's "Queen of Hearts" as a gift for someone. Since said person likes purple, I went for it. BIG MISTAKE! Every time I touch purple, it twists, tangles, and knots itself into submission! I go two rings and three chains in and then the thread decided that it wanted to hate me. I set it down and, after three days of fighting with the same knot, I think I've given up. It means not having enough purple to finish, but I'm pretty sure I'll get over it. I just can't get this stinkin' knot out no matter what I try. Frustrated? Oh yes, I am! I'm going to give it a go in another thread, even if it's not favored colors. I can always do purple another time. Right? Right. (Not that I'll ever buy purple, but variegated with a touch of purple, sure...).

I have to get bookmarks done and I want to work on edging the plain bath towels that fill my bathroom when my favored towels are getting washed. I also still need to finish that bear (yes, I know I'm horrible... I'm just intimidated by it) and I finally found these really pretty bandannas that I bought a few years back to make a pillow with. Of course, they're red and don't match... no, red matches my blue couches, right? Right. (It's also just about the same print as my bath towels, but those are black...).

Okay, less rambling, more tatting...
See y'all later!

-Stephanie Grace

How does it work?

2010-08-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

So, I won't "sell" anything because I haven't designed it and I've gotten offers from people. Here's the question of the week: What if you buy a book and the pattern is from said book? If you're not mass-marketing, but get a monetary offer from a friend to compensate for time and thread, is that okay?

I mean, I've actually refused money offerings because the design I used was created by a member of the tatting community and the pattern was free. I've directed them to the designs, but so many don't even know what tatting is or don't want to make it for themselves and then, if the designer doesn't have that pattern for sale... I mean, I actually feel bad for telling people, "No, you cannot buy it." And I really can't afford to just keep tatting and giving things for free, so I'm just wondering what YOUR take is on this whole copyright situation.

As an added note: I would NEVER offer anything for sale that I didn't design myself... I'm just talking about people asking, "How much do you want for that?" If you make it and share a picture and someone asks, just for that one thing, and you'll only be getting, say a buck for it to cover shipping and thread, is that really so wrong? I'm asking before doing because I hate that I have people wanting things that I just have lying around... ALSO, what if you use a free pattern for a different project? I mean, say it's offered online for free, but you're using for embellishment of a different project, possibly a completely different medium... What then?

Yeah, yeah, me with the questions. ALWAYS. I like to know what I can before I do anything to avoid any "bad" that could arise... So, what are YOUR thoughts?

-Stephanie Grace

Ugh. Argh. Grr.

2010-08-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that I am incredibly blonde? Sure my hair isn't the platinum blonde of my young years anymore, but my brain is SO there! :-/

The other day, I was tatting in my bedroom. (I'm a good wifeypoo and opted to watch television in there so the hubby could watching television and listen to his radio in the living room... Silly me...). I came out to go on the computer and got a bit lost. Hubby kept complaining about my tatting stuff being all over the bed (well, it was his side...), so, in a huff, I went in, grabbed it all, and brought it back to the living room. I MUST learn not to do things "in a huff"!

Fast forward to the following morning. I awake thinking, "Ow... It felt like something poked me." I laugh it off, figuring I'm still half-dreaming (so not true that you don't feel pain in dreams --I feel it all the time --and never wake up when I actually get hurt while sleeping). Of course, I make the same motion I made the first time... Ow! It feels like something poked me! This time, I get up... and then I see it... A thread. My heart sinks and I dare not touch it... but I must.

Yup, you guessed it, I pulled the thread and, at the end, was my finest tatting needle! :-O It was embedded so deeply into my blanket, that, had there not been string attached, I would have had a VERY hard time getting it out... Needless to say, it's bent beyond recognition. I tried several ways to straighten it and, well... No such luck. Thank God my birthday is on the third and I'll be able to get new needles! :-D

Since that dreadful day, my tatting seems to have come to a standstill. It's not even the needle I use most often (it's in second place, though), but, for some reason, since that happened, I just haven't sat down and really concentrated on my tatting. :'-( Tomorrow, I need to get reviews done over at the writing website (writing.com) since my membership runs out at the end of the month and I don't want that to happen, but I swear to tat at least SOMETHING! I still have more cards to do, so maybe I'll work on that --but I'm so incredibly sick of butterflies and flowers right now! LOL. I need to make bookmarks for someone, so perhaps I should try and figure that out. I've never even completed a bookmark --Tried, but never cut enough thread. :-( Yes, at least one bookmark tomorrow. Maybe I'll take out the paints and cardstock and use them as well as tatting...? Hmmm....

Well, I hope everyone out there is having a lovely day! I know my days are getting better. :-) Thank God football has started! (Okay, so only pre-season, but, still... it's football! LOL).

-Stephanie Grace

Not Tatting Related by SO PRETTY!!!

2010-08-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Going with my theory that life gets better once Football starts has really changed my life! Giants (my team) played their first preseason game last night and since then:

I saved around $66 on an order from Snapfish, gettign 67 4x6 prints, 1 8x10 collage print, 1 8x10 print, and two photo books of 20 pages and around 95 photos all for $10.98. Yes, happiness...
Giants beat the Jets! (Yes, I know it's meaningless, but I still get to brag to Daddy whose a Jets fan! LOL).
I got an e-mail telling me that I WON a giveaway over at Fishing and Wishing!!! I won a matted photo print from Lisa Caesar Photography!!! I was stunned... Really, I turned into some bubbly, happy maniac at that point. LOL. I never win such things!!!
Got a call of warning and planning early in the day from someone who LOVES to wait until last minute to tell me things... Yes, the Full Moon is only a few days away. LOL.
Got another call about something VERY good happening. More details will come later, maybe... it's not anything to do with tatting or anything, but happiness nonetheless. :-)
Our finances may even be a touch better now... No, not through anything big, but we'll now make it to the end of January without too much strain (i.e. We can keep our lights and food! LOL).

Now, what could I be posting about? How about this: I WON from Fishing and Wishing and I want you to as well! The latest giveaway, Framed Photo and Matching Cards, is just amazing! The print and cards are from Blue Boat Photo and really made me want to jump through the computer and hug the woman who makes these amazing things --and of course the woman who does the giveaways.

Just looks at Vintage Twinkle!!! How can anyone not fall in love that image??? I WANT IT!!! LOL.

My suggestion: Head over to Fishing and Wishing and get yourself a chance to win this amazing offer!!! Sure, it'll make it harder for me to win, but what are my chances of winning two such beauties in such a short span of time anyway? LOL.

Well, that's all for now. I may post again later, though. I didn't tat anything today, but I did dream up something that I want to try... ;-)

-Stephanie Grace

Glue

2010-08-15T17:30:00.001-07:00

Another after-thought post. LOL. When you dot your knots with glue, what do YOU use? Also, when adding tatting to something else, do you use the same glue or a different glue?

Thank you!!!

-Stephanie Grace

Revealed.

2010-08-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

Since the cards that are going out in the mail tomorrow are already inside their envelopes and ready to do and this is going to a friend that doesn't tat (I thought it might, LOL), I figured I'd share with you all what I've done... :-D

I messed up with the flower on her headband... It was dark and I didn't realize that it was a different thread than what I'd used on this card.

So, here's more about it: The tatting is done in an unknown LizBeth size 40 thread and LizBeth white size 40. ;-) My friend sent me a whole bunch of Cicely Mary Barker cards a few years ago. Well, I haven't mailed stuff out like I did then (i.e. stopped pen-palling... THAT's a lost art form, not tatting!) Anywho, when a beautiful soul sent me this thread, I immediately thought of this card... I think it matches SO well! I really could not resist putting them together. A BIG thank you to Wanda for inspiring this and to Roni and "R" for providing the materials that made this come together. Yeah, sure, it may not be perfect, but I actually like it! LOL. Now, I just need to make some more and find threads to match the other cards! LOL. :-D (I have two more with this fairy going right now... have to tat more flowers for them, then I think I have three or four of this one.... And a bunch of others! YAY!!!).

Yeah, yeah, it's not much but I'm just so pleased to see my tatting being somewhat useful! (My mom wants one like this to give to a neighbor for a thank you card...).

-Stephanie Grace

Thread?

2010-08-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

While I have it on my mind, I have a question: Anyone know of variegated threads which do not take forever to get from one color to the next? I know I read something somewhere about LizBeth shortening the length between colors, but I'm curious.... With my birthday coming, I plan on getting some supplies since I'll *gasp* have a little money (I doubt that; by that time, I'm sure any money I get will be needed for a bill, but a girl can dream, can't she?). I also need to really decide if I like 20 or 40 better, but I think it depends on what I'm doing....

Tentative list (so I don't forget):

Notebooks (hey; it's back to school time and supplies get cheap... It's the one perk to having your birthday around Labor Day, LOL.... A "writer's" dream!
Pens/Pencils (even though I have a million and one, I always need more).
Glue
More Tatting needles (so I can go ahead and bend them to the comfort of my hand via hours of tatting, LOL).
More tatting thread; especially variegated threads.
Black tatting thread --it's a must and I'm getting fearful on my stock! LOL.
Green threads --sure, I'm not fond of the color, but I can't make flowers without stems and leaves forever, can I?
One of them there plastic boxes to organize threads that are on the classic cardboard/plastic flat spools... (My mom is using one for beads that I used for beads when I was probably 6 or 7. LOL. It has my name written on it, fading, and she's not givin' it up. LOL.)
Cardstock.
Maybe a metal bookmark or two to adding tatting to?

Yeah, pretty sure that list is way above any amount of money I'll obtain, but, oh well... I'll put on my frugal hat and make it work! LOL.

So, after all that, here's a question: As a tatter, what's your thread preference? Do you have an absolute favorite?

-Stephanie Grace

I'm still here... I swear

2010-08-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'm still here. ;-) Just...yeah... Another sick family member (she's still in hospital... we're praying for her... I'd give more details, but this is the more private side of the family and I know I wouldn't appreciate people blogging about me without my knowledge, so I'll leave it at that.). ;-)

In tatting news: Yes, I have been tatting. :-D I also learned that tatting on the beach on a breezy day is a HORRIBLE idea! LOL... Especially when a seagull (which we named Todd) decided to taunt me and set my "ornithophobia" into a frenzy. LOL. Not fun.

I'd love to show what I've done, but I cannot. Not until I get two things in the mail and have the arrive at their respective homes... Then, I'll post away. :-)

I'm thinking, though, that I may take a break tomorrow from this "project" and do something else. Making the same patterns over and over is starting to get boring. LOL. Maybe I'll sit down tonight and design something else to tat tomorrow... Just one thing different and then I'll get back to "work". (Which isn't a lie as I was offered the possibility of selling what I'm making! Yes, someone wants to PAY me for tatting! I'm flabbergasted! And, since I didn't get the pattern from a book or the internet or anything, I have no qualms with this. LOL. This is why I need to design things myself: So many people ask how much I would sell something for when I post a pic, but I can't sell something that someone else designed without permission and I don't want to have to obtain it for fear of being a nuisance... or maybe because I'm just plain shy? :-)

Well, I'd say that's enough rambling from me. I'm going to either go tat, go start trying to sketch something to tat, or get lost in some dumb Facebook game, LOL... Or maybe get lost going through all of the blogs that I follow and haven't been on to keep up with? Sounds like a good choice to me. :-)

-Stephanie Grace

A lot of this and a little of tat.

2010-08-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

So, here's the quick update of why I have not been here:

Thursday, July 22, morning: Found out that my Daddy needed surgery on his neck.
Thursday, July 22, night: Found out that the surgery actually meant them cutting open his throat, moving his esophagus and larynx, and then putting some marrow from his hip into his neck. SCARY!

Friday, July 23: Found out that the surgery would be that Monday.

Monday, July 26: Daddy's surgery went fine and this Daddy's Girl was on Cloud Nine knowing that Daddy would be fine.

Tuesday, July 27: Woke up to a call from my mom telling me that Jersey died. Jersey was a beautiful Rott/Shepherd mix that my brother brought home from Colorado in 2002. He was the BEST dog... a gentle giant and a beautiful soul. It's torn up the heart of every family member. Same day, we picked up Daddy and had to tell him that his best friend wouldn't be there when he got home. Too much to handle, for me. My heart shattered right there and is still nothing but slivers.

Today: Daddy is fine and we are all healing. Poor Daddy cannot leave the upstairs of the house since that's where the bathroom is, so he's going stir-crazy, but he's okay. (When he got home, I put a one-cup coffee maker in his room, gave him bottles of water, his mug, his tea bags, bottle of honey, two spoons, a soup mug, and packets of oatmeal. LOL... Then, I gave him my little netbook thingy and my brother hooked it up to his television and gave him a wireless keyboard and mouse --I'd be in HEaven if I was him! LOL.).

So, that's all, in a nutshell. And, now, a few little butterflies:

Just something to share

2010-07-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

How adorable is this? Yes, I realize I'm a bad blogger. :-P I still feel like I'm tatting like crazy with nothing to show... Well, some things I *could* show, but I can't... Not until the recipients see them first. LOL. Anywho, isn't this perfect?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50905904/emery-pincushion-felt-cup-of-hot-tea

La La La....

2010-07-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have been tatting nonstop for days and have nothing to show for it. Tonight, though, I WILL post some kind of something to show you all. :-)

I want to thank everyone who responded to my last post. Your e-mails have really brightened my tatting spirit everyday since I posted. :-) THANK YOU!

Okay, back to tatting, just wanted to check in.

-Stephanie Grace

What's Tatting?

2010-07-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

So, I started tatting a pattern and messed up. Big disappointment as I was using the thread that gave me mucho problemos last night. GRRR... The mess up was my fault, though, as I J-ed to the wrong P in petal six. Argh! Life, though, shall carry on. I'm just not sure that I'll be tatting any more tonight. I had a full day and feel a little blah, I guess.

So, I know have only 16 followers, not all tatters, but I was wondering if any of my "followers" (what is this, a cult? ROFL) would be open to a small exchange of some sort. I realized that I've never actually touched, held, or seen in person, a piece of tatting other than when I tat. I wonder if actually holding even a ring tatted by someone else could give me more insight into what I'm doing and what the final outcome should really feel like, etc... This, of course, will require me to tat something small for an exchange, but... Anyone interested? Even if it's just a simple little flower, I'll be happy as a pig in slop --and can easily tat a 4-8-8-4, [4+8-8-4]3x, 4+8-8+4 flower. LOL. (Pattern from memory, I believe it's the medium flower from "Flower and Spray" from the Beeton book? ...It's one of the intatters.com Need Photo patterns. I don't have green thread to do the whole thing, so I've been practicing with flowers.).

Okay, enough rambling from me. Maybe I should try my hand at tatting again tonight...

-Stephanie Grace

Yesterday's Tatting

2010-07-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

So, I've decided not to post any of these to the Motif Challenge until I stiffen something. I'm determined to actually be able to say that something is fully complete. :-)

Anywho, I saw this really pretty edging and thought that it would make a nice choker and/or bracelet. In my brain, I thought just three repeats might make a nice pendant for a necklace... I was thinking black ribbon for the necklace part... Well, I'm me and went and messed it up, but the basic idea is there... (The worst part is I couldn't figure out how I messed it up last night; I woke up this morning, looked at it and went, "Duh! That's what I did!". I'm thinking of trying it again... I know I don't have enough thread for a full choker, at least I don't think I do, not in 20 anyway, but maybe another three-repeat pendant attempt? Or do we think that's a bad idea? Hmmm....

Here 'tis, done in LizBeth Black and Red Burst, both in size 20, I think.

Oh! I still need to respond to comments for yesterday and the day before, I think... It never occurred to me that I should click into my settings and look for e-mail notification options so that I could actually respond to everyone. Good thinkin'... I'll do that now. LOL.

-Stephanie Grace

Stiffy Situation....

2010-07-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

So, I really want to finally finish something... By that, I mean actually cut the threads and stiffen it, but I'm afraid. Is anyone on that has any tips? I'm going to start with the cross with the pink button, but I'm afraid that I'm going to mess it up.

Okay, I get it: Tip #1: Don't be afraid to mess it up.

Anyone want to say anything? LOL. Or, can anyone explain why I'm so afraid to do it? LOL... I'm also wondering what to do with these crosses. The one that I made today (not posted yet) is small enough to be a pendant, but the others... I don't know --and I'm afraid to the extra threads because what if they'd be useful for the final outcome?

Someone, please, help! *blushes*

Thank you,
Stephanie Grace

Another Cross; Motif #2 of 25!

2010-07-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

I finally gathered my courage and decided to join The 25 Motif Challenge Aren't you proud of me? LOL.

Now, the tatting of today --so far. I made another cross. The extra picots bothered me, so I changed the pattern a bit and then I decided I wanted to use these pretty beads from a necklace that I took apart a while back. Here's the final product:

I also used a bigger button, the thread just kind of outlines it when it's sitting right --which I could NOT for the life of me get it to do for scanning... every time I flipped it over to scan it, it moved... GRRRRR... It is now sitting on my ironing board and, hopefully, I'll gather the courage to do some stiffening this weekend. Maybe tonight after I grow some "beer balls"? LOL.

I may also have another person or two to teach... Here I am still learning and I'm gathering "students" left and right. LOL. This will bring the count to three, possibly four. For #3, I must thank TotusMel whose designs inspired my thirteen-year-old niece's friend to learn to tat. :-) A tatting pool party will be held on Wednesday while I'm doing laundry. It seemed best that way so I can just handle one person at a time. I don't want to be answering three people's questions all at once. :-) I'm not like that. LOL. No patience in me for stuff like that.

Wow... I wrote all of that two hours ago! LOL... Sending now and then hoping to tat something else tonight!

-Stephanie Grace

July 8, 2010

2010-07-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

I spent, well, all day tatting but only have one "finished" piece to show for it. I revisited Brigit's Button Cross --found at http://brigitstatting.blogspot.com

It's not blocked not have the final strings been cut --Can you tell I'm intimidated by all of that?

Hubby agreed that I've definitely gotten better. Not quite "there" yet, but this is definitely an improvement over my last attempts at this pattern. I have a few ideas in my head I'd like to try, too. I wrote one out the other night and realized that it wouldn't work as I wanted it to, so I'm going to try again. If it works it *might* be really cute, but I think I'm going to re-do the design a bit... and I got inspired for something else too with tatting. :-) I have not found or seen the ideas in my head anywhere online, so I'm really hoping that they work so I can feel an added pride and confidence...

Well, I hope that you're all having a wonderful week filled with plenty of air conditioning! The heat has been BRUTAL here this week! *makes sick face* Disgusting, that's the only way I can think to describe it.

-Stephanie Grace

Pendant

2010-07-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

After fighting to thread needles and arguing with thread that apparently felt a deep hatred for me, I became determined to get at least the pendant part of this pattern done. Naturally, I messed up and skipped a ring, but I just kept on going and skipped the same ring on the other side. ;-)

I did it in purple since I'd failed with LizBeth Red Burst and my "Natural" color. I figured I was just going to mess up again, so purple was the only choice (I don't mind messing up with purple, but God Forbid I waste an inch of any blue color! LOL.).

Well, here is the end result. It's not blocked nor have the strings been cut down yet (I need to look up how to use magic strings... Hmm...). I'm definitely going to attempt this again with a better color. ;-)

-Stephanie Grace

Rock and Roller?

2010-07-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

So, I tried the "walk away from it" theory with shuttle tatting. Yesterday, I picked up a shuttle again and, again, ended up with knots (which led a great laugh today while browsing patterns online and kept finding instructions on how to make knots... I definitely got that part down pat --now, if I could master actual stitches, that'd be great! LOL).

Today, I picked up the shuttle again and... to my great delight, I actually made a few stitches! Watching a video yesterday, I noticed the woman was putting the shuttle "under" the thread between index and ring finger. I tried that theory and, when it came to the relaxing of the middle finger, it worked much better for me. :-) After several stitches, I decided to close it into a ring and be proud. LOL. Apparently, I didn't put it enough and thought I'd messed up, so I cut it off and came back to the computer.

THEN, I tried again... and learned something about myself: I just might truly be a rock and roller through and through --moreso than I thought! LOL. How do I mean? Well, after the first few mess-ups, I finally got a few stitches done...and then realized that my left hand had completely changed position. Instead of holding the stitches between thumb and forefinger, I was holding them with thumb and middle, my index finger and pinky straight up in the air --yes, the classic devil horns position! LMAO. I don't know if it's good or bad that happened, but I found it MUCH more comfortable and my stitches were actual stitches! I think it lessened the strain on my wrist too, which is always welcomed as I don't really want to have to put my brace on and be out of commission with this for a few days.

Well, that's quite enough rambling for one post... I'm going back to my shuttle and thread! LOL. ;-)

-Stephanie Grace

Yay!!!

2010-06-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am constantly thanking people and, to me, that's not a bad thing. It shows that I have been in contact THE MOST AMAZING people in this world. Tonight is no different! A BIG BIG BIG thank you goes to Ms. Eborall for lighting a fire beneath my butt... It took me a long while, but I actually got the scanner working! (Funny; I ended up getting it working from instructions completely in Spanish --I don't know Spanish. LOL).

Without further ado, here's the first scan that I did. It's a Beeton Edging, though without the crocheted part. To me, it looks like moths; what do you think? LOL. It's done in Perle (Pearl?) Cotton in what I think is Size 8.

Hopefully, I'll have more scans for you soon, and maybe even this one straighter, but I think I exhausted my energy fighting to get the scanner installed, LOL... Let me not fail to mention that I also went bed probably 2-3am and was up at 6:30am and it's now 10:46pm. LOL. It might just be bed time for me tonight... :-/

-Stephanie Grace

Camera Wos #2. LOL.

2010-06-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Call me lazy, but I didn't take the pictures... How is this being lazy? Well, because I keep looking at the camera and just not wanting to go into the other room and get batteries... Oops.

As per Ms. Eborall's comment to the last post, I'm going to try and hook up my printer/scanner --another lazy thing waiting to happen. LOL. I know it won't print (It ran out of Cyan, so I bought it Cyan... Got it home, put it in, and it told me then that it was out of Magenta too...) but I'm hoping that I'll get it to scan. This will require some research, too, since I'll have to get it to work with my Linux OS. I never installed it after my switch from Windows since I doubt I'll ever get ink. *rolls eyes*

Okay, okay... going to try it. Not to mention, I have a few more little "flutterbys" to add to this chain.... Still have to do the crochet part of the first edging attempt too... And still have that bear to put together. What the heck have I been doing with my time? LOL.

-Stephanie Grace

Camera Woes

2010-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't quite mastered the shuttle yet, but I *have* been tatting. I tatted a bit of edging found on inTatters?KNOTS --yes, one of the "photo needed" patterns. ;-)

It reminded me of flowers, so I chose white for the rings and green for the chains... Of course, it doesn't look like flowers. I put it down with the rings on the bottom and laughed... It looks like a string of moths! Determined not to be discouraged, I decided to try my hand at the same edging, but with, a better visual, I chose what I hope to be better colors. The rings are now being done in a white-yellow-orange variegated thread and the chains shall be black. Yes, that's right... It shall be a chain of butterflies! Well, I hope it will resemble that to someone other than me anyway. LOL.

I wanted to post pictures of these, as well as something else, but, of course, no such luck. Apparently, the flash on the borrowed digital camera that I have as well as the one on my cell phone, is too bright for any color to be seen... Not to mention how many pictures end up just being all white. :-( I was hoping to take them today while the sun was out, but, of course, 'twas laundry day so I wasn't home and it's been too dark ever since I returned. Hopefully, I'll get to take them tomorrow. If not, or if I feel so inclined, perhaps I'll just ask my mom if I can borrow her camera and have Hubby pick it up on his way home... I need stuffing from her to finish the bear anyway. ;-)

So, it might be late, but anyone want to encourage me and say, "Yes"? LOL. I've been sitting on the fence about joining the 25 Motif Challenge. I really want to, but I also have a hard time finding things to tat. I want smaller things to practice with, but I also want them to be useful --or, at least, something that I like... While at the parents' house today, I looked at the books I'd handed off to my mom and, well, I didn't see anything I liked in them. I have a bunch saved on my computer, but a lot I'm just plain not ready for yet and I keep seeing things like that all over. Add to that that SOOOOO MANY patterns are flowers. They're all so pretty, but I only have green in the way think thread that I started with and in Perle Cotton (Size 8?) from the aforementioned incredibly generous woman who sent me threads to work with.

Okay, okay... I'm ending this entry. Enough rambling already! LOL.

-Stephanie Grace

Can we say, "Duh!"?

2010-06-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes we can --all of us. So, I picked up the shuttle and started again. Guess what? I think I figured out my problem: I think I've been doing it right and thinking it was wrong --Then, when I was actually doing it wrong, I thought it was right. Perhaps it's just the blonde in me? LOL. I am now going to attempt to make a ring and then, maybe, I'll even try to make a clover. LOL. Slowly, slowly...

In light of this observation, the bear will remain waiting for a little longer...

-Stephanie Grace

Done with hooking! :-)

2010-06-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

The bear is hooked. :-)

Doesn't it look just lovely? LOL. Now, I just have to cut out all of these pieces and put them together to somehow create a 14" bear... This is the part that I was least looking forward to. The blob in the bottom left of the picture is the center and right of the head that I put together... Perhaps not correctly as they can bite me with the stitch they wanted me to use, but they're together and that's all that matters. LOL.

So, after my drama of running out of yarn and having to call the company and have them send me more, I was nearing the end and realized that AGAIN, I was going to run out... Thankfully, I'd kept three pieces from the last time...Got to the end and then realized that I actually had a few extra because I'd added an extra piece in each of the rows for the back of one arm (That's what I get for doing both backs at the same time since I just wanted to finish. LOL). I thought I was going to scream! 640 pieces of yarn seemed like plenty to finish. LOL. As it turns out, it was basically just enough... Ugh.

I picked up the shuttle again today and went to make another attempt. Naturally, all of my foul-ups, however, left me with very little string on it and, while unwinding some to begin, it emptied the thing completely... Now, I'm debating which thread I wind onto it to try with next. I also have to look up how to handle the metal shuttle. The plastic ones that I was given were easy to wind, but I'm not sure about this metal one that keeps laughing at me while the plastic ones are taunting me. I swear they are... They keep chanting, "You can do it, Stephanie... I'll help you... Just try me," and then they crack up laughing when I end up with a knot and just go, "Psych!" Plastic can be so childish sometimes...

Now that the bear is hooked, I'm a bit more relaxed and thinking that I may take the night off to tat and put this thing together tomorrow. I should probably try writing something too since I haven't been doing any writing. So much to do and so little time in the day. I need to come up with a routine that squeezes all of this into twenty four hours without disrupting things like cleaning and cooking. LOL.

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! I can't wait for Monday to come; I may need a divorce if Hubby is home any longer! LOL. I'd like to smack the person that approved his vacation! He's been driving me crazy all week --but at least we didn't fight. :-)

-Stephanie Grace

Still here. :-)

2010-06-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts; things got a little crazy here.

My aunt asked me to finish a latch hook project for her, so two days also went to that --two days which ended with a very angry Stephanie as I realized that there wasn't enough yarn in the stinkin' kit. Called them up and got the yarn today, so I'll finish the hooking tomorrow and then will come the very fun part --putting this thing together. It's a bear; not a picture of a bear, but an actual bear. :-/ How much do you want to bet that I mess up cutting the pieces out or in constructing the thing after all the hours of hooking? Pray for me! :-*

As far as tatting is concerned. Yes, I have been tatting. :-) Nothing to show off, but I've been doing it, I swear! Thanks to a woman incredible generosity, I even got some proper threads to play with! :-) Thank you, incredibly generous woman! ;-) She also sent me shuttles, so I've been getting frustrated with those. It seems like I'm doing it right, but I can't move the thread to get more nor can I move the stitches on the string. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting the "flip" right. :-( I was really hoping to learn it quickly since it seems so much better for times when I'm in a car. LOL. I don't like the idea of playing with a needle in the car... just doesn't seem safe. LOL.

I sat down with the shuttles, a book of needlecrafts (it has about 5 pages for tatting -shuttle. LOL), the computer, and string and still got frustrated. Hmm... maybe I'll try it again tonight... Or maybe I'll just grab a needle and tat something. LOL.

OKay, enough rambling. Time for me to try and get into my InTatters account which for some reason doesn't want to let me in! :-(

I shall be back later --hopefully with something to show for my time!

-Stephanie Grace

My problem?

2010-06-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

So, other than just plain being new to tatting and using wrong threads, LOL, I think I have figured out another reason why I don't like anything I tat: The thread. It seems like a lot of the prettiest things are done in either multi-color thread or just in pretty colors --That explains a lot to me and has made me re-think my "To Tat" list. :-/ Ugh.

Okay, maybe an update later. I kind of feel like tatting right now. LOL. ;-)

-Stephanie Grace

A 3D button flower?

2010-05-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to attempt Ms. Jane Eborall's Button flower which you can find here: http://janeeborall.blogspot.com/2010/05/earwigs.html

Well, I haven't cut the strings off yet, but I wanted to post this since I'm just proud to have finished one! :-D Here are the pictures:

I want to try it again as more of a Lily Pad thing, but I don't have the right colors... Wait... I might in my embroidery floss. I'm going to have to check. LOL. (Great; If I get lost in cross stitch, I'll scream. LOL).

-Stephanie Grace

So, not a tatting post, but something else to share!

2010-05-29T12:42:00.001-07:00

Look! Look! Yes, that's right... Click this link and let your jaw drop! I've been shaking since I got the e-mail!!!

http://www.withpaintedwords.com/home.php

-Stephanie Grace

A bookmark?

2010-05-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

I finally got ribbon from my mom. I sat down with, stared at the colors and then came up with a plan. Wrote down a tatting pattern and I was utterly shocked when the written pattern actually worked! :-D Needs some tweaking, but this is as I wrote it, so I was happy. Then, I grabbed my handy-dandy dollar store sewing kit (which was purchased primarily for its needle threader that I broke already... go figure) and came up with how I wanted the ribbon. Here is the final product:

I'm going to block and stiffen the "flower" part later or tomorrow --As well as glue the knots a kit and cut off that extra string that I'm keeping for security. LOL. (I'm a little knot obsessed. I realize this). Oh! The end with the big flower also has a loop since, if I use it, I'd like it to hold a pen, I think. ;-)

So, not that anyone actually reads this, but, if you do; Any thoughts?

-Stephanie Grace

Not Tatting; Recipe finally written out.

2010-05-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

I'm told it's good, even with me having to change from my normal way of doing this --someone even asked for the recipe the next day --after having to reheat the meat; I've never heard of anyone liking reheated London Broil before, LOL... I'm still flattered...

**I will adapt this later once I get the actual times, but my oven is electric so it's funky. I'd say that 13-15 minutes would be safe for all stoves, especially since you WILL let the meat rest before cutting into it. ;-) Why let your cutting board have all the juices? LOL. Rest your meat! LOL.

LONDON BROIL MARINADE
12 oz. Beer (1 can)
½ tablespoon of each:
     Onion Powder
     Garlic Powder
     Italian Seasoning
     Oregano
     Seasoned Salt
     Paprika
     Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
     Chili Powder
1-2 Bay Leaves, depending on size of cut
1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on size of cut

Pour beer, slowly, into bowl. Add spices and whisk until only a few bubbles remain (if any).

Remove skin from garlic clove(s) and slice or sliver garlic.

Puncture meat with paring knife and insert slivers or slices of garlic.

Put frozen meat into 1-gallon zip-top bag. Pour in beer/spice mixture. Add Bay Leaf(ves).

Set in refrigerator overnight, turning every few hours as convenient for you.

COOKING:

Take meat out several hours before dinner to allow for it to reach room temperature before cooking. Set oven to broil and allow to preheat (Usually 10-15 minutes). Save liquid for "basting". Place meat on cookie sheet sprinkled with olive oil (or broiler pan, upon preference and appliance). Use spoon to drizzle liquid over meant. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Turn meat over, spoon liquid over meat, and cook an additional 10-15 minutes (before turning, I usually give a little sprinkle of pepper). Remove from oven and cover with foil. ALLOW TO REST FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES. Remove Garlic slivers [unless you enjoy biting into chunks o' garlic], slice and enjoy!

A necklace?

2010-05-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

So, I did the "pendant" part the other night and thought it would end up as part of a bookmark (as a "tassel" of sorts). Instead, I picked it up today and this is what happened:

The last picture is just to show the "twisted" detail of the necklace part... I haven't cut all the strings off and I am currently testing fabric stiffener on this string, so the "pendant" isn't fully shaped yet... So, any thoughts from anyone? Right now, it measures 14" in length... I can add more "twist" to make it longer, but I'm not sure yet... Since I'll probably never wear it, I don't think it matters. LOL. It can sit at that length until I figure out what to do with it... ;-)

-Stephanie Grace

More Tatting Fun! :-)

2010-05-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I've definitely been enjoying tatting lately. :-) While I'm getting better at following patterns, though, I'm realizing that I may just be better doing what I want to do. *laughs* Well, here are the latest pictures...

Yes, that's right, I tried Brigit's Cross again. Sloppy, unblocked, and pinned to a pillow, it's waiting for me to contrive a way to make it look less...yucky. LOL. I think I'm getting better, though...

Those are all the same thing --something that I just tatted while playing around with some thread (I was too lazy to go to the computer and look for a pattern to write down. LOL). I kind of like it and may use it for a necklace at some point --MAYBE. I still don't know, though, if I like it better laid out flat or attached at the top as in the last two photographs...

I might use these for a bracelet, though I'm not sure about the one in the middle yet. The ends are more of my just playing around. I wanted to try something, so I did... I think I like them better a bit more elongated (stretched out) though...

And, finally, just some sloppy little flowers and tiny tats that came from boredom, mistakes, and learning! LOL. (Practice, practice, practice; Right?)

The second one is my first journey into using two colors. Is it a little flower or a pathetic bunch of grapes? LOL.

-Stephanie Grace

Today's Tatting Adventures...

2010-05-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

So, here's what I did today:
1. A "3D" flower that looks like a flower, but not the rose it was supposed to be. OOps... I still think it's pretty though! :-P

2. A little design that may have turned into a flower, but I stopped at four "petals".

3. A simple design that I wrote out and then decided to try; I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it again and they'll go on either side of #2 as a bracelet or something.

4. Gave up on a necklace that I thought I'd like but that got me frustrated.

5. Finally learned split rings! So simple... I can't believe I didn't even bother looking up how to do it before today! I can now try my hand at more patterns that I've been closing due to SR abbreviations! LOL.

Well, that's about it, I think... Oh! And I realized that I'm plain intimidated by even medium-sized projects. I like ones that I can get done quickly or in different parts --quite afraid of getting near the end and messing up and having to waste the whole thing. :-/

-Stephanie Grace

May 20th Post. LOL.

2010-05-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

Pattern for cross: Brigit's Tatting - Cross
See... I remembered! (I love how I type like anyone actually reads this! LOL).

Anywho, today, I tried my hand at the ring again. Came out pretty crappy again, but I used smaller thread and made it in black and like it much better, even if it is sloppy! :-P I'm thinking that I may actually do the top/bottom half for it this time... Maybe.

What else? I went to do a pattern and got a wee bit stuck, so I ended up with a light purple clover that I decided to play with and add a light green "chain" to it... I don't know if it's a three-petal flower or a pathetic bunch of grapes! :-D If I find a use for it, I'll figure that part out then. LOL.

Oh! And decided to start trying a necklace pattern. Didn't get very far, but it's still attached to the ball of thread with a Post-It note on the top reminding me what I was doing. Ah... I love my Post Its! ;-)

Well, Tat's all... Wow... How corny am I?

-Stephanie Grace

Rat a Tat Tat

2010-05-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make these smaller, but I suddenly have a few other things to do (all at once), LOL. So, here are some quick photos of that I've been up to:

The cross is made from Brigit's pattern --I will link later. It's whiter here than in real life and sloppy, I know... It is not blocked or anything and I'm still new at this, so be kind, please.

The star is created with just square knots (Marcame) using embroidery floss (again, three strands rather than six). It is pinned into shape since I have not stiffened it yet. It has a longer tail --more square knots, so that it can be a book thong someday. ;-)

Simple green ring. It's not complete as far as the pattern that I have, but it's actually a ring! :-D

Okay, time for me to get started with everything else. Ugh....

-Stephanie Grace

Not Tatted, but....

2010-05-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make a bookmark, LOL, so I did. I used a Macrame pattern for a belt and worked out how to order the colors for what I wanted to try. The pattern: http://www.friendship-bracelets.net/macrame/tutorial.php?id=7

I used regular embroidery floss, but separated it to three strand instead of using all six. Here's the result, please, be kind, LOL.

-Stephanie Grace

Day One, Continued.

2010-04-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the picture of the red flower from the previous post with my attempt at greenery, as well as my black flower and off-white clover. The colors are off in the picture, but the general idea is still there, I guess... I still have much to learn.

The black was done from memory of the red one, in a pathetic attempt to recreate the flower properly... I ended up with something that I like, I think (maybe once it's "blocked"?). The white one in the picture was me going with the same pattern in my head, but I forgot to join, so I ended up with more of a clover as I gave up once I noticed my mistake....

-Stephanie Grace

Day One.

2010-04-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten my mind set on Tatting.

Needles -Check.
Thread -Check.
Time    -Check.
Patience-Err... We'll see.

About a month ago, I bought some tatting supplies and decided that I would learn how to do it no matter what. I was ecstatic when my supplies showed up and was overjoyed when I made my first ring. Two days later, life changed and we moved for the second time within two weeks.

Last night, finally, I decided to take out the supplies and get down to business. I made two flowers! Not very good flowers, but they look like flowers, I think...

The gold one came first. I was following a patten found on the internet (Flower and Butterfly Bookmark by Sharon Albers). I then realized that I was following the pattern for one flower while looking at another. So, I tried again, this time with the right patten-to-picture match... And, so, the red one was created. Both were created using embroidery floss, six strands, since I got tired of wasting all of the tatting thread that I have not found to be so readily available in my area.

Today, I attempted adding a leaf to the red flower... Mind you, without a clue as to HOW to do it. It didn't come out very well, but I may post a picture later anyway...

Other "doodles" in tatting today: A flower in black, using size 20 thread and an off-white clover in size 30... which was actually supposed to be a flower, but I messed up.

So, what do we have? A bunch of little rings EVERYWHERE! I will get this right... Won't I?

-Stephanie Grace