Where have I been?

OYE! I almost don't have time for the internet anymore...except on snow days. I took the last snow day and spent it making those tutorials I had planned to do weeks ago. But as I explain in one, life has just been a wild ride since the new year.

My job at the yarn shop has really taken off and I love it.

My poor Birdie Merlin is dying. She seems to be hangin on for my sake, but I told her today she has my permission to leave for the Summer Lands. I will miss her, but her suffering is saddening me so much. I look after her and am spending as much time with her as possible and this usually means multi-tasking. Right now she is sitting on my bellay as I type. She has no chirp anymore, just a small squeak. She is weakening further everyday. *sigh* She is 6 years old and she has had a good run.

I went to Target today and purchased the HP All-in-One printer/copier/scanner I have been eyeballin for a while. Our old hand-me-down HP printer was on it's last leg. I love it and now I am able to scan in my tatted pieces! Trying to photograph them was becoming a real beatch. Check out the completed Floral bookmark! Snazy!

I am dived into the World of Warcraft online. I am totally workin out the 10 day trial. I'm not sure if I am gonna pay $30 for 60 days of "Service" or not...we'll have to see about that.

I added a Donation button to the top of the blog on the left side for those Youtubers who wish to make donations for my tutorial efforts. One lady said she would at least like to buy me a beer. Sweeet!! So that is what that there button is sittin there for. I will be keeping the donations exclusively for puter repair, updating, and up-keep for future tutorial makins.

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

T-t-t-tattin along with a Shadow visiter & giftings

I finally got around to blocking, stiffening and mounting the "star of david" in a hoop. It looks more like a snowflake to me. I really need a scanner. We'll have to see what payday brings next week. Target has a nice HP printer, scanner, copier for $80- that I have had my eyes on for a while & the ink replacements are reasonable for it. I cannot even find the color catridge for our hand-me-down HP printer anymore. We are stuck with black only.

The Angel & Leaves pattern that I have been trying to rewrite is just too fiddly for my inexperience. This one is getting put aside for later. It kept curving around & I don't want that. I wonder if it is the thread (Omega matalics)?

I finally got started on the Floral bookmark that I saw on etatters & liked so much. I tried doing it with needle tatting but that proved to be too much of a pain-in-the-ass for color work. Blah! This one I am doing in Classic crochet thread (black) and Omega thread (antique gold/yellow).

Last but not least is Shadow Kitty. I was tattin away one sunny, wintery day last week when I looked over to the patio and saw a Shadow that resembled a kitty. Must be the protector of our patio doors. :) Can you see the Shadow Kitty?

A friend of mine gave me a whole skien of Cherry Tree Hill Oceania arn in the Sugar Maple color way over the weekend. I tis a beautiful yarn that has a string of matallic gold running through it. I have been wanting that for so long but it was just too much for my budget! I am one lucky gal! I totally want to knit the Swing long Coat out of it!

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

Antique Mall finds & Scrumble swap

I did my scrumble last night and I love the way it turned out! I wanted to show the yarn off a bit so I used a bobble stitch to do so with. It turned out FANtastic! LOL I am actually a day behind as this was supposed to be mailed out to the next person in the round-robin but time flew last week! Before I knew what happened...the week had ended and I had done no scrumble! ACK! Well it is about 5 inches across and that exceeds the minimun of 4.

We went to the Columbus Antique Mall today, my mission was to find tatting shuttles. I didn't find any...but the place is flippin HUGE so I may have not gotten around to where one may have been. But I found four old magazines that feature tatting and a set of "vintage" buttons.

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

Tatting that star

I am doing this "Star of David" tatted project to learn and practice split rings & chains as suggested on the online tatting class pages. I am liking it so far and I am starting to understand how this may work for that antique pattern I wanna do without constantly cutting and reattaching. *shutter!* What tedious work crafters went through in the old days!

I went to the second hand store today and found more thread for tatting! EEEEEEEEEEEEEe!! Not only that but I found a felting needle handle that holds 5 needles for $.50!! Ye-ah!!

After going over to my co-workers place to fix her puter and optimize it, she took me out for lunch as "payment" for the work I did. She says I really should go learn more on fixing puters through the local MATC because I have a talant that is going to waist. *shrugs* I picked it all up from the BF over the years. Nothin special about that.

The issue with the slipcover from ebay is on it's way to being resolved. The seller, despite the no return policy they have posted, offered a refund after the recieve the slipcover return...postage paid! I dunno if I should say something to ebay or not because after I mentioned I would contact ebay if we could not agree on an exchange for the right color, they were all like "we not want to cause you trouble, we give you refund". That's oober suspicious!! We'll keep our fingers crossed for that refund. I think I will just shop locally for a stretch to fit slipcover which is what I should have done in the first place. Ebay is okay for small things; beads, thread, shuttles...once in a while books...but larger things like this...no way. Never again.

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

I learned "Split-Ring"!!

I got the split ring down...now how do I switch colors without getting a kink in the line? I tried the shoe-lace method, & I tried it without it & I still got kinked. *Okay, mind-out-of-the-gutter!*

The top shuttle is Buffalo Bone and the bottom one is one I made from polymer clay. Neat, aye?

Until next time...

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Several Projects lined up...

I love holidays! They give me time to do what I want. The slide show is a list of projects I found in Dewitt's Tatting book DeWitt, Jessie M., ed. The Priscilla Tatting Book, Selections of Useful Articles from The Modern Priscilla, with Beautiful Designs Never Before Published from the online Antique Pattern Library . It's a perfect day to tat. It's been snowing all day.

The fourth photo is called "Waist Set" (page 31) that would look great around a hurrican lamp I have. I'm setting to work on that one as soon as I get dinner going.

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

OMG I must make one!

I found these loverly flower bookmarks at SapxTat's blog (found via the 25 Motif Challenge Blog). I must make one! I love the sunflower colored one! I think, from looking at the photo, that I can figure out how to make it without a pattern. SWOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

This n Tat...

I decided to add my tatted flower to the box I found at a second hand store for $1.50 after reading about how to use tatting creatively on Bella Online. I have also decided to tat some trim for around the edges to hide the scratches and dents from this well loved box that now holds my tattin' supplies. Has anyone ever used cross-stitch floss to tat with?

Then I found this wonderful small beaded tatted heart online and made earrings from them. The thread is more maroon than pink-red as the camera has captured it. The beads are Swarovski 4MM AB coated bi-cones that I bought from Hobby Lobby while they were half-price. The thread is size 10 Classic Crochet thread.
I used to feel that all the hub-bub over the Swarovski crystals were just that, hub-bub. Well I have grown to love the sparkle they produce. HA! I must have Swarovski! I cannot say the name properly so I say Sworskivorski. The bead shop I shop at the most knows what I mean and she doesn't mind my goofy name for them. She'll correct me and I'll just agree "Yeah-yeah, those crazy things!" LMAO!!


Maven over on Ravelry invited me to participate in a "Scrumble" round-robin. A Scrumble, as she describes it is free-form crochet (sometimes knit). I said why not. She invited me to swap so I'll give it a go. It'll give me an excuse to crochet as I have not done so in a very long time (talking many years here).

I am almost done with a caplet I am knitting for a demo for the yarn-shop. In-between tatting, beading, and other creative activities it is going slower than it would have otherwise. That is okay though.

I have an idea on how to MAKE a shuttle. I've looked online and others who make them and I have plenty of polymer (fimo) clay around so I am gonna take a gander and see what I can come up with. Poly clay may be too flexible so I may end up having to make a "skeleton" out of shrinki-dink plastic (of which I also have plenty of from my days of being a rubber stampaholic). I am also still working on a basic spinning tutorial for the fans of you tube. I am having issues with getting the right angle, coupled with not a whole lotta time to record in = longer than expected production time. Sorry! I'd rather have a GOOD tutorial than a half-ass one. I'm sure you'd agree. Speaking of video making, those RAM chips we rain-checked from Best Buy are FINALLY in. However, the money I gave Mike so he could stop by on the way home from work to purchase them with, has used the money...for gas I suspect. SOoooooooooooo it has to wait till next Friday. I am just a but annoyed at him because he said he was gonna take it out of his account so he would not spend it. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

And now...to the Craft Cave!! *Cue retro batman theme....Craft Cave!, Craft Cave!, Craft Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave! do-de-do-de-do-de-do-deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

Get blocked.

Snowflake Blocking
Originally uploaded by crafting4goddess.

Tee-hee-hee!!
Here is my first tatted snowflake...all loppy and unsymetrical. Just like any first large project should be! All freshly sprayed with linen smellin starch (MMMmmmMMMmmm...reminds me of home) it'll be ready to hand in no time!

I will be working on making this tiny tatted heart while I watch my favorite programs tonight. Moonlight is on tonight. SQUEEEEEEeeeeeeee!!! I squeel at the moon instead of howl. Okay...I am a little goofy tonight!

My back is better, but now my neck is stiff. Oye. I can't win!

Free digital vintage Tatting books and patterns

This is not a commercial. Seriously! This is a public announcement! LOL

I was looking at another tatting blog today and found a vintage book of tatting patterns that I would not mind having. Then I went to ebay. One seller was selling a digital collection of PUBLIC DOMAIN material. Can you say "Rip-Off"?? If it is public domain it is free to the public.

I am not sure how I found this site, but I love it. It is a public digital library collection of old vintage tatting pattern books whose copyrights have expired. Click on catalog on the right hand side to access what they have available. I have downloaded three complete books so far. They even have a yahoo group that you can join. They send out announcements when they add new books for downloading. I've already spotted several I am going to do & one that I am gonna modify into a pendent/pin to wear for St Patties day.

Don't get ripped off purchasing digital downloads of public domain material! Get it for free! Books and patterns that were published before 1923 are considered public domain now. Knowledge is power.

I really must stop looking online at tatting patterns and actually do some of them!! LMAO! Look at this pattern I found from the digitized book Corticelli Lessons in Tatting ! Who'da thunk!! I so want to do this! And there are also tatted baskets! BASKETS! OMG it is a treasure trove of digital goodness...13MB & 58 pages of digital goodness!! Oh dear...I really must stop drooling all over the keyboard...

I think I figured out my dilemma from yesterday on how to attach the long picot loop to the ring. I did two half hitches and then tatted the rest of the loop in under the knots. Then I decided to make a beaded picot to hang a charm from. It's almost done then I'll have a photo ready. Does this count towards the 25 motif count??

Oye, my back is still hurtin me today. I went and bought those stick on instant hot pads by Icy-Hot. It has helped in relaxing that area on my back...OOOO yeah that feels niiiiiiiiiiiice. Now I just have to find time to meditate and concentrate on healing that area so it gets better faster.

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

What to do?!

Does anyone have the book Contemporary Tatting: New Designs from an Old Art by Judith Connors that can help me out? I cannot figure out a part of one of the patterns. The pattern is for the Gemini beaded earrings on page 27. The authors instructions for the Dora Young knot was just atrocious and it took me two days to figure it out with help from various websites. Anyhoo when the pattern brings you to the bottom of the hoop that you are covering in thread, it says to string beads onto an extra-extra large picot and then "...link this to the ring..." but the author fails to instruct the reader on HOW to do this. I tried setting it under the knots, but it was easily pulled out. I tried tying it on by knotting through the picot, but that left one thread of the picot out of place and it didn't look neat to me. Any ideas on how to do this "linking" thing?

We are up for another Winter Storm warning tomorrow here in south-central Wisconsin. They say it will be a doozy but we know how those predictions go. Usually never as bad as they say...either that or they are a whole lot worse than they predict! LMAO!!

Somehow I picked a nerve in my lower back just above my butt bone (fancy term for tail-bone) yesterday when I was trying to practice doubling up my kicks. OWE. My back is better today but I am still stiff and sore around the butt-bone.

Now if I could just figure out this joining thing...I could make LOTS of these earrings to give away. MMMmmm....in the meantime

Here is a Celtic knot heart I tried to do from the book Celtic Tatting. It kinda looks like a heart, I think. It was a real beotch to weave the string of knots to make the center. The white one is what it is supposed to look like. Mine kinda sorta looks like the picture....kinda...sorta...

My heart has been through the wringer...literally. HA! HA-HA-HAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

I like puns. :P

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

Okay...I'm addicted...big time...

I finished my first second tatted piece in two days time.

It is actually supposed to be a six petal flower but ended up being five because I misunderstood that the "very large picot" really did mean VERY LARGE. I could only fit five petals in, but hey! It looks swell none-the-less! I love it! I think it would look great on a barrette.

I have been browsing the variety of tatting shuttles out there and my-OH-my how tempting it is! I've purchased two sets of Buffalo bone shuttles hand made by craftsmen in India. The seller says "These are not mass produced. They are each made individually by craftsmen in India. The buffalo are domestically raised and the skin and meat are also consumed." Yeah! Way to support the small farmer aye?

I am currently working on a snowflake from the book Easy Tatting:

It is a bit of a challenge with all the turns it has. I have found when I am working the self-closing rings that I run out of threat. I have a hard time drawing more through the stitches because the thread has an iridescent strand that likes to get caught on everything. So, to solve this small issue, I take a lot of thread of the shuttle so that I have more than enough thread to finish the ring. I wrap the extra thread around my pinky like I do when making a chain.

My co-worker took me to one of the local thrift stores and I found some green crochet thread (I wanna make clovers for St. Patties day) and a "Clark's Big Ball" of #20 purple & white variegated thread. This will make pretty hearts for earrings! I also found a pretty & small sewing box to keep my extra shuttles and tatting supplies in.

While I was out today, I stopped by the bead shop on the east side and picked up some coin shell beads to make a pair of earrings. I have been planning on making these with coin pearls but I cannot seem to find them anywhere at the moment and the bead shop down the street (Bonjour Beads) is closed till February. The owner is taking a "hiatus" from running the shop. Always when I want beads for a project I tell yeah! LOL So I will have to wait till she reopens for those and I hope she has them still. The other bead shop that I would have gone to closed last summer. The rock shop might have them but they charge too much. My other option is purchasing online, but that can get expensive too!

Then I took the 40% Internet coupon for Hobby Lobby and bought a Carnivorous plant growing kit. The bowl of dirt with seeds sprinkled on top has to sit in the fridge for six weeks, and then germination could take upwards of 4 weeks. They should start growing just in time for spring!!

I had a lady on Ravelry beg me to do a basic spinning tutorial video so I will be working on that this weekend. I had planned on going to an intensive this weekend, but I did not get paid from both jobs because of winter break so I do not have the money to spare for this one this time. I have plenty to keep me busy here anyways!!

Karate has been kicking my butt. Trying to get back into the habit of going twice a week (three times a week for the next 4 weeks however to make up for 4 missed classes). Mr. Shaub has worked us hard! Yesterday we did crunches, push-ups, sit-ups, lunches, jumps....OOOOooo do I hurt!! I didn't sleep well because every toss I made I was in pain. WHEW!!

Well that about sums up the last week. Back to tatting!

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

Tatted Goddess

Tatted Goddess
Originally uploaded by crafting4goddess.

I got the Tatting Bug! I finally figured out the knot-flop and I went to town doing different things and techniques. As I progress I began to see a Goddess being born! Tatting Goddess? It is about 2 inches long and about an inch wide, perfect as a charm but how would I protect it? Any ideas?

I had thought about encasing it in some polymer casting...but I dunno about that. What do you think?

Until next time...

Tatting!

OMG! Why did I not think of this sooner! I checked youtube.com for videos on tatting & low and behold...it has been demystified! It looks like micro-macrame! I so want to go pick up a shuttle from HOB-LOB now!

Check out these wonderful tatting tutorials by folks on youtube.com (just like me!!)

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***