Now that the presents are opened...

Both of my parents have birthdays the same week as Christmas, so December tends to be a busy month. I always get each of them an individual birthday present, and often a joint Christmas present for both of them. Now I can finally show the things I've made recently.

First, my dad's birthday present:

Yeah, another selfie, but again it was the best way to photograph the hat. I used this pattern, which was my first project with cables. I'm really quite proud of how it came out. It's pretty big on me, obviously, but that's because I made the men's size. It fits my dad just right.

For my mom's birthday present, I made the Jeweled Waterfall pendant in her favorite colors, purple and pink.

The threads are Lizbeth size 40 in colors 177 Elderberry Jam and 619 Baby Pink. The pink beads are from a necklace I bought at a yard sale a couple of years ago and dismantled; the color turned out to be a perfect match for the pink thread. There are also purple delica seed beads that go well with the purple thread, some round silver seed beads, and of course the purple teardrop. And then it turned out I also had some pink ribbon in my stash that was just the right shade as well. Actually, every single component of this necklace came from my stash. Never let it be said that I don't use what I have (even though I do keep buying more).

Finally, although I did get them a larger Christmas present as well, I decided to tat something using one of the brass rings left over from the creamer bag project.

This is Jane Eborall's "Snowflake 1 on Ring", although I know Jane would be the first to say it's a star, not a snowflake. Well, you know, a rose by any other name and all that. (And Jane does come from the same town as the guy who wrote that, too. And I worked last night and haven't been to bed yet today, so I am rambling.) Anyway, whatever you call it, it's a lovely pattern, and very quick and easy to work. For a new tatter, it would make an excellent first project with beads. I used delicas in gold and white, and I simply ran the hanging thread through the bead at the very top. The thread is DMC size 20 in white. I really like the elegant simplicity of the white and gold.

I was going to tat my sister something, too, but I ran out of time so I bought her some New Mexican food instead-- a couple of jars of red and green chile and a box of biscochitos (New Mexican sugar cookies flavored with cinnamon and anise). She lived here for several years, too. Once you've lived in NM, no matter where else you go, the chile addiction never quite goes away, and you can't get New Mexican style chile-- especially green-- anywhere else. I'll do the tatting project for her birthday instead.

Having successfully completed one knitting project with cables, I have now embarked on a cable and rib sweater for myself. I've made a pretty decent start on the back of it, but I'm too tired to photograph it just now. It's looking good, though, and I'll show it to you in the next post.

Creamer Bag Revised

My coffee creamer friend didn't work Sunday night, which gave me time to make some minor adjustments to the bag. I felt that the solution I came up with on Sunday, while functional, wasn't quite as elegant as I had been hoping for. What it boiled down to was that once I had learned that the pointed flap coming over the front wasn't going to work as a locking mechanism, any other mechanism I came up with wasn't going to look right with that point.

So I unraveled that whole section and bound it off straight. There's still a flap that comes up from the back of the bag over the top, but it now stops flush with the top of the front. I added a few more brass rings all around the opening and adjusted the length of the chain.

That's a bit better, I think. It's easier to see the difference in real life where you can view it from all angles. I kind of like how you can see exactly what's in there, but you can't get to it without the key. There's something in me that enjoys taunting would-be thieves.

Finally, since anything in the fridge at work is supposed to have some sort of identification of the owner (not that this stops people from taking things, obviously), I added a set of tatted initials.

The thread is Lizbeth 622 Medium Pink, size 40. The patterns for the letters are from The Tatter's Paradise by Gillian Buchanan.

If you look at the scan of the letters alone, and look at the pattern, you can see from the thread ends (left long for sewing on the bag) that I started the S in a different place than the pattern calls for. By starting in the middle instead of at one end, I was able to avoid split rings and cutting and tying, and make the whole thing in one go using just a ball and shuttle. The trick is, when I got to the chain opposite the ring that I started with, I put a piece of scrap thread across the core thread to make a downward-facing joining picot. That one little trick allowed me to simply ring-and-chain my way around the whole letter without stopping. The V, of course, was perfectly straightforward.

I gave the bag to my co-worker last night, and she gave me a huge hug.

Coffee Creamer Security

Most people who work nights develop a very special relationship with caffeine. This is particularly true of one of my co-workers who prefers her coffee with a flavored creamer. She brings in her bottle of creamer and stores it in the fridge at work-- and when she comes back the next night, she invariably finds that the people on day shift have used up half her bottle. This is despite the fact the she writes "Please do not use" all over it. This is particularly irksome because people on day shift don't need caffeine in the same way that night workers do, and they have access to the on-site coffee shop which is not open at night. The people who use it never bring in their own creamer, either. My friend is frequently quite enraged about the whole thing.

I decided there had to be a way to make a lockable bag to put the creamer in. It had to have a flat bottom so the bottle could stand up in the fridge. So I knitted two identical squares, stacked them on top of each other, rotated so that the grains of the two pieces ran at 90 degree angles to each other, then sandwiched a piece of felt in between them, and finally whip-stitched around the edges, going through all three layers. Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of this in progress, but it made a stable, non-stretchy, flat bottom for the bag. Then I picked up the whip-stitches along each side and knitted four sides for the bag.

The bottom pieces are in garter stitch. The front and back sides are in this eyelet pattern, because I wanted to try something new. The other two sides are in plain stockinette to make it go faster. The back is longer than the other sides so that it folds over the top. Finally, I blocked it...

...sewed up the sides to make a bag...

...and added two brass rings to which a padlock can be attached.

Now there's just one problem, which is that it doesn't actually work. A thief can simply do this:

But I still think my friend will get a kick out of it, and it does reinforce the message that she really doesn't want people taking her creamer. There is a way I can easily cinch up the sides to make it really secure, but that would require three separate locks, which does seem a bit excessive for coffee creamer. I really doubt my friend wants to unlock three locks just to get a cup of coffee. But if the problem continues and she wants me to do it, I will; it would be easy enough.

What it really needs is a zipper all around the opening, with the zipper being locked like a suitcase. However, the idea of me successfully installing a zipper is laughable, so this is what I've got.

The yarn is a cotton-acrylic blend that can just be tossed in the wash if creamer gets spilled on it. And now I have a whole packet of little brass rings to attach tatting to!

UPDATE: Problem solved, thanks to the very first comment I received! "Chain," says Caseymini. "Why, I've got chain in my stash!" says I. Well, duh, when you want to secure something, you chain it up, right? So a few more brass rings and a short length of chain later...

 
...and I give you the Fort Knox of coffee creamer.

I simply sewed brass rings to each top corner of the bag, and the front corners of the flap, and ran a length of chain through them. At one end, the chain is attached to the brass ring by a split ring jewelry finding. I put another split ring at the other end of the chain but left that end free to be pulled in and out; the padlock goes through this split ring and the brass ring a the back corner of the bag. The key was to keep the chain very short so the mouth of the bag get pulled up smaller than the bottle.

Thank you, Caseymini!

3/4 Done

The knitting is about 3/4 done-- actually a bit more, because I've done a little more work since taking this picture. Then a bit of blocking and finishing, and you'll be able to see where I'm going with this. And the next project will be tatting, I promise.

Just Checking In

Just a quickie post to let you know that I am actually working on stuff.

More on what it is and what it's for after I finish it. I'm still hoping it will work the way I'm planning for it to...

And I have actually completed a couple of other things that I can't post yet, including some tatting.

Hat Finished-- With Tatting!

There's nothing classier than taking a picture of yourself in the mirror and posting it online, right? It was the best way I could come up with to show off the hat, though; putting it over a kitchen canister just wasn't going to work.

The pattern is the Barrymore Slouch Hat by Lisa Shroyer. The yarn is Mirasol Sulka in colors 211 Black Pepper and 242 Blackberry, and it feels fabulous!

One thing I really like about the pattern is it has hidden internal ear flaps. These are a bit challenging for a beginner to make, but who hasn't wished for an extra layer over the ears on a windy day? I did deviate from the pattern this time around by not making the button band, but that was only because I didn't have enough of the black yarn left.

And of course, instead of a decorative button, I made a tatted flower.

It looks a little bit messy here because I didn't trim the stamens till after I had it sewn onto the hat. The pattern is Jane Eborall's Lotus on a Button. This was a fun pattern to make, but I'd say definitely for experienced tatters. The tatting itself is easy, just rings and chains, but the way it joins to the button is kind of tricky.

I made the flower using a silk thread from the local yarn store. This thread is intended for needlepoint, and is in fact not that nice for tatting. It's more like a raw silk, not the nice shiny smooth stuff; it's a very loosely twisted, slightly fuzzy 2-ply, similar to a perle cotton. But of course I could see all that before I bought it, and actually I wanted that slightly looser, coarser look for this particular piece, to go better with the yarn. The brand is called Vineyard Silk; the colors are C-101 Chalk Violet (inner petals), C-001 Petal (outer petals), T-811 Landscape (leaves), and S-535 Tinsel (stamens).

The button I used was a purply-gray mother-of-pearl button that happens to go nicely with the colors of the hat and the flower; I used it because it was what I had in my stash that was the right size and shape for the pattern, but really a plastic button would have done just as well since you can't see it by the time all the tatting is attached.

Because the thread is so coarse, ordinary seed beads as per the pattern didn't work. Instead, I used 3mm beads pre-strung on the thread and 2mm beads on the joining picots. Since I had to use larger beads, I also used fewer of them than the pattern called for.

Here it is up close on the hat. I love the way it turned out!

Much to Squijum's delight, I recently invested in a swift and ball winder. I haven't had a chance to try the ball winder yet, but I used the swift to wind the skeins of silk thread onto floss bobbins. It is way easier than looping the thread over the back of a chair, once you get the cat out of the room! Yes, I do have the audacity to think this is a tool for me instead of a toy for His Lordship. I don't know where such thoughts come from.

And I don't need to hear about the dust on my bookshelves, or my unmade bed, thank you.

Besides, this is what His Lordship does when I try to make the bed.

Appropriate Use of Time

So, Christmas is coming in just a few weeks. I have things I need to tat for presents. I have things I need to knit for presents. I also need to finish the Kirsten butterfly (even though there's no deadline on that one). So what do I do? I start a hat for myself.

A few weeks ago, I made this hat for a friend. I said at the time that I enjoyed the pattern so much I wanted to make another for myself. I guess I just couldn't wait.

I decided to splurge on the yarn this time, too. It's a merino/ alpaca/ silk blend, and is quite possibly the softest thing I've ever felt in my life.

You may notice I'm using double point needles here. I prefer a circular needle for knitting in the round; I find it far more efficient and easier to control my tension. I generally don't switch to double points until I've decreased to the point where I have no choice. (Yes, I know about the magic loop trick, and I've watched videos, but it frankly boggles my mind.) So anyway, I had started this hat on a circular needle like I always do. Then the other day, my sweet, adorable little boy...

...pulled it out of my knitting bag and was playing with it. I was in a hurry to get to work and didn't look too closely; at the time I thought all he had managed to do was pull a little yarn off the ball. I just stuffed it back in the bag and left.

When I got home from work this morning and got it out to work on, I found that he had actually been far more interested in the needle.

Strong jaws he's got. Hence the double points even though I haven't started decreasing yet.

Apologies to all my tatting friends who don't knit; I know your eyes must be glazing over. I promise a tatting post soon. Although I can't post everything I tat right now either, since I will also soon be using my time more appropriately to make presents.

What to Do?

So, all you knitters out there, what do you do when you've finished a project and you have this much yarn left?

It's just enough that I'd hate to waste it, but what can I possibly make with it?

And no, you don't get to see what I made-- at least not till after Christmas.

Jellyfish

Well, no, it's the start of the next butterfly wing, but with all the ends hanging down, it looks kind of like a jellyfish.

With most patterns I work the ends in as I go so I don't have to deal with them all at the end. The third round of the butterfly wing, though, consists of separate groups of 4-ring clusters. Since each little bit is so small, I found it more efficient to do all the tatting first, then all the sewing. It does seem annoying to have so many ends to hide, but if you think about it, each pair only takes a couple of minutes to sew in, so it's not that bad.

I can't believe Squijum slept through having this many loose threads dangling.

Just so you know, in addition to the ongoing butterfly, I will be starting my Christmas presents in the next day or two, so I may have fewer posts over the next few weeks. It doesn't mean I'm not crafting, it just means I can't show everything I make!

Sad Butterfly

Sad because it only has one wing. It will get better, but I have to say, it is taking longer than I expected.

I am happy with the way this wing turned out, even if it did take a while. Part of the reason it took so long was because in the last mignonette round, I noticed that I had joined one ring in the wrong place and had to unpick a couple of other rings to get to it. By the time I had done this, I had handled the thread so much that parts of it were becoming discolored-- yes, my hands were clean! Even some of the previous round was discolored, so I ended up cutting out the whole mignonette section and redoing it. Between that and having numerous ends to hide, this is a project that is requiring great patience. Only three wings to go!

In DMC size 60, this is about 3 1/4 inches across so far. Since the top wings will be slightly wider, this means the finished butterfly will measure more than 6 1/2 inches across.

I really like the lacy look of it in all white. I've also seen a really stunning version that somebody did in colors. (Would the person who made that one please speak up? I'd love to have another look at it, and give a link.) When I first started this, I had visions of making a second one in color, but I'm not so sure now. I haven't ruled it out, but it won't be any time soon. By the time I finish this one, I will be ready to move on.

Oh yeah, the pattern is "Kirsten" from the book Tatted Butterflies by Adelheid Dangela.

UPDATE:  I found the colored version mentioned above. It was made about three and a half years ago by Steph. Go check it out!

All Green

Today's post is brought to you by the color green.

First Jan Sawasz's Flower Pot II, tatted in ecru and mounted on a green fabric.

I already showed the tatting a few days ago, before it was mounted, so I won't spend a lot of time on this one, except to say that I think the ecru and dark green go really well together.

Then I did another Jeweled Waterfall Pendant.

This is Lizbeth color 681 Pistachio Green Light, with purple beads (yes, those are purple, although they look pretty blue on my monitor). Would you believe I never thought of doing it in a single solid color thread until I saw the lovely pink version Martha tatted during the test phase? As soon as I saw that, I immediately started thinking of other solid colors that would look nice by themselves. It turns out I thought of a lot of them, although I may not have time to make as many as I would like. It's kind of an addictive pattern, but there are so many other things I want to tat and knit right now....

One thing I am finding is that if you choose to use a bicone bead at the bottom instead of a teardrop, it is helpful to add an extra pair of seed beads on that same picot to give it a little more dangle. It just hangs better that way.

I've also made a little bit of progress on the butterfly I started in San Francisco, but not enough to show yet.

The Big Announcement

Here it is... the moment you've all been waiting for... (of course you have)... the winner of the pendant naming contest!

And the winner is Eve, who suggested the name "Jeweled Waterfall". Eve said, "It is as Beautiful as a wonderful Waterfall out in South Dakota named Bridal Veil Falls that is in the midst of the Black Hills of SD. That falls is surrounded by color the year round Not just the normal spring summer and winter and fall colors but the unique colors of the rocks of the Black Hills that sparkle like gold and silver in the sunshine." Well, this makes me want to visit South Dakota!

There were lots of wonderful names submitted, and I had a really hard time choosing. Every time a new suggestion came in, I thought, "Oh yes, that's what it looks like!" In the end I chose "Jeweled Waterfall" because it suggests the cascading shape of the pendant, and because the jewels can refer to both the beads and the possibility of making it in all kinds of color combinations-- and, of course, because it is simply a beautiful name. It makes me think of the spray off a waterfall catching the sun and making a rainbow.

So congratulations, Eve, and thank you for submitting such a beautiful title!

And here is the most recent one I made.

This is Lizbeth color 180 Honey Drizzle, with findings in antique copper and beads in blue and antique bronze. The color combination was inspired by Umi & Tsuru, who made a similar colored pendant here. I really like the way the Honey Drizzle looks with the blue; the two colors set each other off perfectly.

Now that the pattern is complete with title, it will be available for sale for $4 US. I will get the PayPal button set up on my pattern page shortly; if it's not there when you look, just check back soon. It will definitely go up today.

Tatting While Traveling

I haven't posted for several days because I've been out of town. We had a big family gathering in northern California. It was fun, but I am glad to be back home.

I started this a few days before I left and finished it while flying/ waiting in airports.

It is, of course, the Flower Pot II again from Tatted Treasures by Jan Stawasz. I hope to get it stitched down onto some fabric in the next day or two. I really liked the all white version of the Flower Pot I that I made. The colored pictures are fun and pretty, but I really think that tatting it all in one color enhances the lacy effect much better. For this one I used ecru, and I'll probably put it on a dark green background.

I just threw this on the scanner with a piece of construction paper behind it so you can see it. One thing about these flower pot designs is the stems just kind of flop around till you sew them down, so laying it on the scanner like this doesn't always make for the best layout. I'll spread the flowers out more as I stitch it down.

You may notice that I changed some of the flowers. I mentioned when I tatted the color version of this that a couple of the flowers, while they looked OK in colored threads, did not appeal to me in monochrome. Therefore, I replaced them with other flowers from the book and rearranged the order in which they are placed.

I also made a very slight change to the vase. I lengthened the chains that lead down to the bottom section by several stitches, and I think it lies much better this way. When I made it using the original stitch count, I had to tug on those chains pretty hard and sew them extremely carefully to make the bottom row of rings lie in a straight line.

Most of my family spent a large part of this vacation doing wine-tastings in Sonoma County. This gave me a fair amount of tatting time. As far as I'm concerned, all forms of alcohol taste equally vile, and there's no reason to keep tasting it. Instead, I got a fair start on a butterfly.

This is going to be "Kirsten" from Adelheid Dangela's book Tatted Butterflies. I've got three rounds left on this wing, then three more wings to make. It's a pattern I've always thought was really beautiful, but I was put off by the long unworked thread spaces and the number of cut and ties. But sometimes you have to do that to achieve the look you want, so I decided to go for it. I also changed the antennae; I'll explain about that when I post the finished butterfly.

You still have a few days to submit names for the new pendant. I'll be announcing the winner on Friday.

Side Project

I'm still working on Jan Stawasz's flower pots, but I got momentarily distracted by a knitting project. I had actually promised a friend of mine a hat late last winter, but I didn't have time to make it before the cold weather was over. I figured now would be a good time to get it done, so she can actually wear it this year!

This is a slouchy style hat; I've got it displayed on a larger sized kitchen canister so it doesn't flop over itself in the photo, but it actually will be... not floppy, but just looser... on the head.

The pattern is the Barrymore Slouch Hat by Lisa Shroyer. It was quite fun to make, although it took a little longer than I was expecting. Every time you change from the light color to the dark color, you do one row of sl 1 kn 1, followed by a row of purl. This creates those neat little color blips and makes those rows stick out just a little bit from the surface of the hat. At the bottom of the ribbing, you add a row of single crochet. I've never crocheted anything in my life, so this was a new technique for me. Now that I know how, I'll probably use it to attach tatted edgings to things-- much faster than sewing!

In fact, I like this hat so much, I think I might make another one for myself. I'd probably put a 3D tatted flower on it instead of the buttons.

I finished Sherry's TIAS, too. It just needs a little blocking.

And please keep those suggestions coming for what to name the pendant. I've got some great ones so far!

The Necklace Needs a Name

Remember this pendant?

With the help of two wonderful test tatters, Jeanne Lugert and Martha Ess, I have written the pattern for it. I will soon post it to my pattern page, where I will sell it and donate all the revenue to the New Mexico Brain Injury Alliance, just as I do with Angels in the Snow.

But first it needs a name, and that's where you come in. All my readers are invited to suggest a name for this pendant. You may suggest as many names as you can think of. I will select my favorite and announce the winner on November 1.

The winner will receive the following:

1. A free copy of the pattern
2. Two sets of the findings needed to make it (one in silver and one in gold)
3. A size 15 (0.5 mm) crochet hook, perfect for making a join with a seed bead
4. A packet of flexible beading needles, perfect for stringing beads onto tatting thread
5. A gift certificate to Artbeads, one of my favorite suppliers of jewelry-making supplies

Here are a couple of tips for suggesting a good title. First, it should be something creative, pretty, and descriptive that will grab people's attention. "Angels in the Snow", the title of my snowflake given to me by Linda Mageske, is a perfect example of this; just don't suggest something like "Tatted Pendant"-- that's boring. Second, don't send in color-based suggestions like "Blue Pendant"; I don't care for titles that imply a piece should be tatted in a certain color.

Make your suggestion by leaving a comment on THIS post. Remember to include a way for me to contact you if you're the winner. If your Blogger profile includes your e-mail address, that's good enough. Otherwise, please include your e-mail in the comment; you can format it as "yourname at e-mailprovider dot com" so the spammers don't pick it up.

Anyone is welcome to enter. As the suggestions come in, I will make a list of the titles separate from who suggested them to make sure my close friends don't get special consideration.

Here are a few others I've made:

And here's Jeanne's:

And Martha's:

As you can see, there are all sorts of possibilities for playing with color in this design. And in case you're not the winner, don't worry-- information on where to buy the specialized findings is included in the pattern.

So get cracking and send me some names!

***UPDATE***

Just to let you know, it may take me a little longer than usual to publish your suggestions. I normally use my phone to publish comments when I'm away from the computer. I'm not doing that with this post, because I'm copying all suggestions into a Word document as they come in, so it's easier to approve them only from the computer. Don't worry, it will be published eventually.

And PLEASE remember to include a way for me to contact you!!! If I can't get in touch with you, you can't be the winner, no matter how good your suggestion is!

TIAS Day 9

It is definitely looking more and more train-like. Perhaps it will be a toy train for Christmas, and that's why Sherry said my color choice would be so great.

Fall Flowers Finished

Flower Pot I from the book Tatted Treasures by Jan Stawasz. Thread colors listed in previous posts.

Happy as I am with this outcome, I do have to say that those double picots are a right pig to sew down. You want a single stitch to hold the thread in place-- not too loose or it won't work, not too tight or it will pucker; not too large or it will be visible, not too small or it will make a compressed spot in the tatting thread; and in just the right place so it doesn't pull the picot out of its natural shape. I have to admit, I don't bother sewing down the inner strand of the double picot; I figure it's going to end up behind glass in a frame, so I'm not too worried about it being dislodged. I also don't bother sewing down the regular picots in a piece like this, for the same reason. If I were sewing the tatting to a garment or household item that would subjected to a lot of laundering, it would be a different story, but for something that is going to be protected in a frame, just a few stitches to hold the whole piece in place are sufficient.

Here's day 8 of the TIAS, which I posted on the TIAS blog a few days ago but haven't put here yet.

From this angle, it's a hair dryer, but that seems like a less likely guess than cuttlefish was. Or it could possibly be a ray gun or a megaphone.

Rotated this way, it's the shoe that the old lady lived in.

However, I think the most likely guess so far is, as several people have suggested, a steam locomotive. The tall part is the smokestack, and we have now started the front end. One person even specifically suggested The Little Engine That Could; that individual happens to be tatting in a light blue thread, just like the color of the engine in the book.

Then again, I was convinced for a very long time that Jane's goat was going to be a locomotive, so what do I know?

Autumn Flowers

I never seem to be able to put anything on the scanner straight, but here it is. I did the stems in Lizbeth 138 Leafy Greens. All the other colors are listed in the last post. I'm planning to mount this one on an off-white background fabric.

Flowers and TIAS

I finally had time to make the flowers of my current Jan Stawasz project. All that remains is the stems.

From left to right, the flowers are made from Lizbeth color 100 Falling Leaves; 694 Harvest Orange, 673 Terra Cotta (the same color as the vase), and 613 Golden Yellow Medium; and 612 Golden Yellow Light and 169 Autumn Apple Pie.

I think my double picots came out a little better this time around. A picot gauge would make them perfectly even, but I think they're close enough.

I've also got day 7 of the TIAS done.

All I can think of at this point is a cuttlefish, with tentacles to be added later. I do notice a couple of points that may be telling, except they're not actually telling me anything. The way this most recent part joins to the round section does not quite match the way the first chain came off of the round section, so we're definitely making something asymmetrical. And the only joining picot available at this point is the one on the last chain we made. Although we could also join at the bases of the rings, this does seem to indicate that the most likely direction for the next section will be down (in the perspective of this picture). Still, it doesn't really give me any clues as to what it is.

TIAS Day 6

I'm starting to see things in it now. It all depends on how you rotate it.

Dachshund. Those two remaining picots on the round bit will be used to join the long part of the face.

Gingerbread boy. The picots on the round part will be for a lopsided hat.

Something with pointy ears on top-- either Hello Kitty or Batman (with a flower in his hair?).

Holly leaf with berry. Additional leaves to be joined to those two pesky picots.

Then again, Sherry said this colorway would be great. Unless she was being ironic (which I wouldn't put past her), a rainbow thread wouldn't seem to work very well for any of these-- although I think it would be hilarious to see a rainbow-colored flower-bedecked tatted Batman.