Motif Seventeen--More Tiny Thread

Here is another teapot, this one worked with King Tut quilting thread. I wish I had measured it or put something else in the picture to give an indication of size before I gave it away. It's probably 2 1/2" wide. This thread isn't quite as forgiving as the cordonette for retro-tatting, but it is still a great thread to work with.

Tatting with tiny thread isn't as hard as you might think. (I remember my trepidation the first time I decided to try size 30 after learning how with size 10.) For these tiny threads, I need my reading glasses to count the stitches, but, heck, I need them for most "average" threads now too. Joining into a tiny space like a lock join requires a very small crochet hook, but for routine joins into picots, the hook on the Aero works fine. For making your tatting, you are working around the thread wound over your left hand, so that part is the same no matter what the thread size. It's much easier than crochet with small thread, with trying to stick the hook into each tiny stitch. If you can work with size 30, you can probably work with size 70 too, and if you can work with that, then the size 100 and quilting threads shouldn't be any problem either. Try gradually stepping down in size and see what you can do.

I got my King Tut from Deb Arnold at DS-9 Designs: http://www.ds9designs.com/index.html

Motif Sixteen--If I Only Had a Brain...

It all started when a friend wished her boss had some brains. I mean, she wanted... oh never mind. After that, lots of people wanted some brains, or knew someone who needed some. To make sure there are enough brains to go around, I added the pattern to my website here: http://my.att.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=87&subpageid=325260&ck=

(My homepage is http://home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-tatsamore )

Motif Fifteen--Anne's Dragon

If you've been browsing blogs, you know this is probably the most popular pattern on the web right now. I think it's great too. This is by Anne Nuperelle. Her blog is here: http://nuperelle.blogspot.com/ and her website with the pattern is here: http://www.nuperelle.net/index.htm Thank you so much to Anne for sharing the pattern.

I used two varigated size 8 pearl cottons. The color choice wasn't a complete success, but I've been wondering a long time how these threads would work together, and now I know.

Motif Fourteen--Maltese Teapot

It took me nine tries to get this one right. Since I knew this would be the last one (no matter what), I worked it in size 100 thread just to see if I could. I went to bed that night (er, um, morning) a tired, but happy, tatter.

Motif Thirteen-Winter's Day Snowflake

This snowflake is from "Big Book of Tatting" by Darlene Polachic. I like it because it reminds me of vintage patterns that are mostly single shuttle ring only, with just a few chains. My thread spaces and picots are a little bigger than the photo in the book, and therefore, I had to add a few extra stitches in the outer round. This was size 50 Cordonette, a joy to work with.

HBT Christmas in July Exchange

My Christmas in July package was sent by Amie Cleghorn. She sent an assortment of 7 snowflakes, a little angel, 4 wreaths, a bookmark, and a handkerchief with a tattedflower spray stitched on. The ornaments are all nice-hang-on-the-tree size. And that's not all. There is a box of crochet patterns on heavy cards. There's a ball of some Coat's size 30 varigated thread in a color combination I love, and a ball of brown perle cotton that will be great for critters. There is a packet of dainty beads, some earring hooks, and a bag of heart charms. A big thank you to Amie!

BoB's Bike, or Sequins Aren't Just For Snowflakes Anymore

My "send to" partner in the recent Here-Be-Tatter's exchange was BoB the Bike, so I made.....a bike!

The wheels are none other than Jane Eborall's covered sequins.

This was a fun challenge to do.

PS. Motif 12