Tatted Christmas Tree first draft

Here are two pictures of my tree that I decorated today with all of my tatted pieces. I need more! (Or a smaller tree.) I will probably fill in with my crocheted stockings that I have been making for about 30 years! They are soaking right now so they will be nice and clean.

I am putting several more pictures in Flickr, but didn't want to crowd them in here.

I really like the way the new snowflakes look. I didn't think the rose and green one would be pretty on the tree, but it is. I think I will tat a couple more colored ones to add to it.

Some many things to tat, and not enough tatting time in the world!

Autumn Leaf #8

I had to go back and tat one more of Sherry's Autumn Leaves. This is Marilee's thread "Autumn Treasure." I just knew it would be perfect for tatting leaves, and I was right!

This is the first time I have used Marilee's (Yarnplayer's) hand dyed thread, but it certainly won't be the last. I have 2 skeins of "Rhubarb Crisp" that I am going to use to tat a doily.

Now, back to snowflakes and other Christmas related endeavors.

Snowflake Rose #5

I tatted this one in the same Flora thread as the others, size 20. Denise' instructions for block tatting were different than the way I learned and I couldn't understand them. So, I just did them the way I knew. The tatting doesn't look the same as her's, but it's still pretty.

One more snowflake on the pile!

I think I am going to tat Sherry's leaf again with some thread I got from Marilee.

Leaves carved by my dad Robert Slaughter

My dad carved these for me years. Somehow they had gotten packed away and I just found them. I guess there is something to be said for cleaning house. Did I really just say that? LOL

I hope you can tell how talented he was and how proud I am of him and his legacy. I can't carve much anymore for several health reasons. I guess that's why I loved tatting the leaves so much.

Snowflake Rose #9

Hard as I try, I can't make it snow. Not outside anyway! I tatted this snowflake last night in about three hours! With all of them using the same middle, it makes tatting them much faster.

I wonder how many more I can tat before Christmas?

Snowflake Rose #1

I tatted this design from Denise Munoz in size 20 Flora, both the green and the pink. All three of the ones I have tatted from this book work up very smoothly and quickly, once you get the hang of the center medallion.

Tatting is such a job in my life and gives me a great purpose in an otherwise confined environment. I am very thankful for my internet tatting friends!

Scans of Snowflakes #3 and #4

Courtesy of Karl, here are the scans of the last two snowflakes until I get the next one finished! We have spent the morning cleaning out the attic! Ugh!!! Now, I have to finish cleaning up the mess we made in the house whilst cleaning out said attic, vacuum, mop, dust, clean bathrooms, and further get ready for our family Thanksgiving meal tomorrow evening. Anybody care to bet whether I take time to finish that snowflake?

While going thru boxes that DH handed down from the attic, I found some treasures. I've got to clean and sort and then take and post pictures! Keep watching.

Snowflake Rose #3

I'll have to ask Karl to scan this one in for me tomorrow. This picture in no way does it justice. Denise Munoz, wherever you are, thank you for these lovely designs.

T think this one is particularly lovely. You probably can't tell in the photo, but I somehow got two different threads tatted in this one. I don't know if it is two different lots of Flora white size 20 or one Flora and the other DMC. The center is a little less white from the picot row out to the points. I kind of like it. It seems to have more depth. Maybe a mix up for the good.

I might tat the next one in a rose color with green points. We'll see!

Dendrobium Orchid Rewards

After about five years of trying, this orchid I purchased last year has rewarded me with my first blooms for which I am responsible. (Except for a tiny jewel orchid that bloomed last year.) There are three blooms open and 9 more buds. Now, if I can get the one that is five years old to bloom, I will be extraordinarily happy!

The last picture has the best true color of the blooms. I made that picture without a flash.

This is not a break from tatting. I have already completed the center of another rose snowflake and should have it ready tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Even if you are not celebrating our American Thanksgiving, we all have so much for which to be thankful!

Snowflake Rose #4

This is from my new book "Snowflake Roses" by Denise Munoz copyright 2002. I just received it yesterday from Handy Hands and couldn't wait to start tatting. It was real easy and fast, obviously. There are nine snowflakes and they all use the same center. I hope to tat another one tomorrow.

I used Flora size 20 for this one. I already had it on the shuttle. I will probably make all of them in Flora so they will match.

Thanks for the lovely designs Denise.

Flutterflake (pattern by Emma Crew, 2001

I couldn't decide which background I liked better, so here are two from which to choose. The butterflies are DMC size 80 and the white is DMC size 20 Cebelia. It was a challenge to make everything fit together. I still think the space for the butterflies should have been a little bigger. I need to trim the antenna also. The butterflies are a snap to make, but I kept messing up on the snowflake part and having to cut out and redo. I finally finished it last night and blocked it.

Thanks to Emma for putting the pattern on geocities where I found it and to Karl for the scans.

New Snowflake

I thought I would have at least one new tatted snowflake to show off today, but I've hit some snags. (Mostly from watching tv or talking and not paying attention while trying to tat.) I hate to "untat". I've also started another cap for Isaac. Maybe I can make this one small enough. It is so small that I am doing the whole thing on double point needles and it is hurting my hands! I guess he is worth it!

I've also been doing a lot of work towards cleaning out some more "stuff" from this over crowded house. Between eBay and our local internet free ads, maybe we can move some of it out.

Candace is doing much better and offers her sincere thanks for all of the prayers you have been sending up on her behalf.

Blue Snowflake Jane Eborall's pattern

Thanks to Jane Eborall for Snowflake #1 pattern. I don't know what I would do without all of you designers.

I had so much fun tatting this snowflake. If they were all this easy, it would definitely be snowing in Alabama by now. This was my first tatting where I put 3 beads up and one down, or any other combination.

The thread is DMC Cebelia size 20. I am working on snowflake #2 now with a size 20 white and a silver matallic on the shuttle together and the same beads as these. We'll see if I finish it. I just don't do well with more than one thread, it seems. Oh, the beads are irridescent seed beads that I have had more than 25 or 30 years!

As with the others, Karl scanned this in for me. Thanks Karl.

Daisy Picot Snowflake #2 scanned

Jon's tatting snowflake again! I knew if I didn't make another right away, I would completely forget the technique. Believe it or not, I still had forgotten and had to sit in front of the computer to look at her instructions! And Jane thinks she is daft!

Both threads are DMC Cebelia size 20. Thanks again Jon.

Mama's Crochet

Remember when I made Jon's rose doily and I said it reminded me of my grandmother's crochet? Well, I finally found a piece of it to show you and compare. It is very old and I was afraid to wash and press it, so just take it as you see it.

I put it next to Jon's doily and I am very pleased with the comparison. Both of my grandmothers tatted, but it was the normal tatting for their time - edgings and inserts. I know my dad's mom made one tatted doily, but I can't find it. I wish they could both see how much tatting has changed and how many wonderful colors and textures of thread there are now. What fun they would have!

Take 5 Snowflake

This snowflake was designed by Emma Crew in Mark 2001 for the first snowflake round robin. It is one of the snowflakes that Jon tatted. She so inspired me with all of those lovely pieces that I had to see if I can make it snow in Alabama!

It is tatted with DMC Cebelia size 20 with seed beads that are purple/blue. My friend Kark scanned it in for me with Madeline helping him with backgrounds. I chose these two views to post.

Thanks to Emma Crew for designing and sharing the pattern, to Jon for inspiring me, and to Karl and Madeline for the scans!

Blue Knitted Hat

I knitted this hat for Isaac. However, it somehow turned out to be almost big enough for me. I think I will list it on Etsy and see if it will sell. This is the first thing I have ever done using double point needles and I enjoyed it very much. I am going to start over with a smaller size pattern. I don't know what happened as I knit quite tightly, but we'll see. The next one is going to be red with little, black trains going around it. (I hope.) I'm just going to draw simple ones on graph paper and see if it will work.

I think I will take time out for another tatted snowflake first!

Daisy Picot Snowflake scanned

Wow! My friend Karl, of Karl and Madeline's Reminiscence and Recreation, scanned this and emailed it to me. I can't believe the difference! All of this time I thought my tatting didn't look as good as everyone else's, and I was wrong. Well, a lot look better, but not all! LOL

I think Santa needs to bring me a scanner!

My first daisy picots!

I am probably more pleased with this snowflake than anything I have done in quite a while. I finally made myself learn to do a daisy picot, thanks to Jon's tatting. This is her pattern and I followed her very good instructions from her blog to learn daisy picots. She has pictures of her hands as she is doing them. I never could have done it without her! She says Riet taught her. Thanks to both of you! It is by no means perfect, but I think pretty darn good for a start.

The purple is DMC Cebelia size 20 and the green is Flora size 20. I wish I could give you a color number on the green. It is the softest, most subtle variegated thread with which I have ever tatted. I think the combination is so nice. I might have to redo my bedroom from green, white and pink to green, white and purple!

I wish I had a scanner so the pictures would be better. I used two backgrounds trying to get the best contrast.

Autumn Leaf #7

This is probably the last leaf I will tat for now. I need to get back to my snowflakes and I want to tat Jane's pig and frog. I tatted this leaf with DMC size 80. It is the cutest little thing!