Give-away Winner!

The winner of the magazines is sherrya! Please contact me to claim your prize.

Mary Konior's Rockingham Cross

Sometime late last year I made this series of crosses. The pattern is "Rockingham" in Mary Konior's Tatting in Lace. First I made the solid version above. The pattern is written in 2 parts, but I figured out how to make it all in one pass, using a split chain and a split ring to move into the last section on the bottom. So far, so good.

Next I worked it in this variegated thread I got from the Thread Exchange. This is a size 10 rayon thread. I ran out of thread on both shuttles too soon, so I ended up making it in 2 parts anyway. Even though rayon thread is usually slippery, it was oddly hard to close rings completely. The ring where I worked in the ends stretched out of shape. I've got a little of that thread left. I keep meaning to rework that bottom part, but you know how that goes. After doing a solid and a variegate version, my next project was to make the pattern with both types of thread. Still stinging from running out of thread the previous time, I wound plenty onto both shuttles. About halfway through, it occurred to me that I couldn't work it in one pass anyway, because the split chain would show the wrong color. Or could I? I remembered Jane had shown a new technique for a Single Shuttle Split Chain. It was something I had looked at and decided I would probably never use since I was satisfied with my split chain ability with the traditional method. However, it was just what I needed to preserve the color scheme here. Did it work? Yes. Was is more time consuming than just working the cut & tie & hiding ends? Well, maybe. Still, it's one more technique in my "tatting toolbox." (Note I also used the color-hiding single shuttle split ring trick that Tatting Chic and I worked out.)

I've been neglecting my 25 Motif Challenge. My goal this time was to count only motifs from books. I think this is only motif #3. I really am behind....

Mary's Book Update

I've been getting a lot of questions about the travelling book. Yes, it is now in route. I looked at my list of people, and came up with a geographical scheme. The book will take the longest trip first, and then a series of short hops across North America. (Late-comers will be tacked on at the end.)

Here is the list:

Jon

Marie

Diane

Deborah

Karrieann

Sandra

Mary

Katie

Sarah

Carol

Kelly

Jeanne

**Robert**

Sherry

Brigitte

Ann

Bree

Karen

Connie

Shannon

Michelle

Julie

Laura

Ronda

Linda

Deb

Roberta

Nancy

Leah

Meriem

Martha

Coretta

Another Giveaway

I've got too much stuff, and I'm trying to thin it out before I move. So, here for one lucky winner is a set of magazines with at least one tatting pattern each. I have 2 Popular Needlework (Sep 68, Apr 69), 2 Old Time Crochet (Spring 95, Spring 99), and 3 Needlecraft (Sep 22, Feb 23, and Aug 24). Two of the Needlecrafts are missing their covers and the other is a little beat up, but still so much fun to look at.

To enter the give-away, simply leave a comment on this post, just once please. The deadline to enter is midnight, Sunday April 3. I can cover domestic postage, but I would ask anyone outside the US to cover part of the mailing expense. (The package will weigh almost 2 pounds.)

Good luck to everyone.

Shameless personal plug: I have a lot of non-tatting craft books & magazines on ebay, see them here.

Meditative Tatting

When you feel all tensed up, with too much to do, or too much on your mind, sometimes the best thing to do is let it all go, and pick up a piece of simple tatting. Working easy repetitions lets you empty your mind and find a quiet place to get away from it all for a little while. Just when I needed something like this, I was lucky to have such a pattern appear in my inbox, courtesy of Nancy Tracy's Bestitched newsletter. You can see her pattern here, and while you are there, you can look around her site for many more nice patterns, or shop for supplies.

She saw this medallion as a spring flower, but since it had six petals, I worked it in white to use for the new Palmetto fundraiser. Yes, there is to be another group project quilt. This time, instead of quilt blocks, they are asking for white snowflakes in all sizes. See Georgia's site here for all the details.

Not too Late to Sign up for Mary's Travelling Book

I've had a goodly number of people sign up for Mary's Travelling Book. Oddly enough, some of those totally innocent emails turned up in my spam filter. If you have tried to contact me about the book, and have not received an email in return, please try again.

Introducing Mary's Traveling Book

Mary Konior was one of the greatest tatting designers of all time. Her book Tatting with Visual Patterns is available from several online tatting shops. (If you don’t own a copy, you should get one.) Her earlier books are out of print and becoming increasingly rare and expensive.

Since these books may be beyond the reach of many tatters, and inspired by Fox’s generosity in offering Angeline’s Traveling Book, I propose to launch Mary’s Traveling Book, using her Tatting in Lace. I will send this out on loan, for each person to use for up to a month and then mail to the next person. Before mailing, I ask that you contact the next person in line to confirm their mailing address. Since I am moving soon myself, I am somewhat preoccupied with the notion of changing addresses :)

If you would like to be included, please email me with your mailing address. If the link won't work, just send to essm at bellsouth dot net


By the way, I think I have remembered the origin of the little heart motif from the last post. (I have a mind like a steel seive.) Back around 2001, I participated in a tatted heart round robin, one of many organized by Maus. For each member, I designed a heart motif and a pair of coordinating earrings. These patterns eventually made their way into my book, Tat's Amoré, except for one set. The month I had surgery, I did not design a heart from scratch, but rather made one adapted from Mary Konior's Maid of Honour edging. I think this little heart was a draft for the accompanying earrings. So, mystery solved, and everyone who was reminded of Mary Konior was correct.