Flippin' Out!

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... :-)

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.

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?

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!!!

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?

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.... :-)

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*