Tit for Tat

Not everything comes easily to me. No, not at all.  Once again I'm relearning how to tat. My mom loved to tat. And about once a year I try to master it. So I found two shuttles and spent the better part of the day tying my red thread into knots. Any plan I had of tatting a gift for the Christmas party pretty much flew out the window. Late in the day I suddenly remembered how to wrap the working thread around my hand.

Part of the problem is a lot of the Youtube tutorials are for needle tatting, not shuttle tatting. I lost my tatting needles before I moved. And I can't remember if I ever learned how to use those in the first place.  When I taught crafts at Michael's, my boss taught needle tatting, but I never got around to taking her class. Pity. Anyway I want to carry on my mom's legacy, especially since as far as I know, none of my other family members tat. If they do, it's a secret.

Tatting a Pendant

I wish I knew where my tatting needles were so I could try this flower pendant. It looks so much easier than using a shuttle. I'm amazed at how fast she goes.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73luorqg8v4&feature=player_embedded#!

Colored Knitting and Some Tatting

I saw an interesting knitting demo on TV which lead me to grab my book on stitch patterns and getting to work on a multicolored bit of knitting. With any luck I'll be able to use my swatch for a hat or something when I'm done. I like it so far but as it's getting late and my eyes are tired I set it down for another day.

Today consisted of cleaning and shopping for our camping trip this weekend but I did manage to get some tatting done.

I also got started on a green and gold cord with the Japanese braiding. I hope to take that camping with me. I may take my knitting loom as well. I'll never get a book written on loom knitting if I don't get some more projects designed. Every time I see a book on loom knitting I can't help thinking that could have been my book.

shuttle tatting

spiral cordage

Tatting, Japanese cord weaving and Illumination

The first spiral cordage I made with the Japanese braid weaving circle.

Working on my illumination skills. The pyramids on the far right are the finished ones.

The rest haven't been shaded yet.

Tatting with pale green crochet thread.

Me holding the scroll.

The portable Japanese disk for cord braiding.

It's 2:20 AM and it's been raining for a couple of hours now.

Today I worked on illumination for about 2 hours trying to paint little pyramids on a scroll. That can make me pretty batty so 2 hours is about all I'm good for.

Later in the day I worked on some tatting in a pale green. My muscles still aren't used to that motion so I don't really have a flow yet. Hope springs eternal. I just need to do it more consistantly and I'm sure my skills will improve. I can't really make cool stuff until I get better. Other than a chain of daisies I don't really know how to make anything else yet.

Oh and I started on another Japanese braiding project in gold and green. I should take it camping with me this weekend. I can do it at the craft booth between customers.

Is it Knitted? Is it Crocheted? Does Anybody Care?

Today I almost finished the olive hat I'm knitting. For a while there it looked like it would be too small for an adult, but now that I'm about 2/3's done it does look like it will have enough stretch to fit an average sized adult.

I'm always trying to get people to be aware that knitting and crocheting are not the same thing and to be able to recognize the difference before they make a purchase. So I'm a bit dismayed that some Etsians have chosen a shop name with the word Knitting in it when in fact they sell Crochet. When I asked one of them about it she said the word 'knit' has a better ring to it.  I'll have to agree it's hard to find a word that rhymes with Crochet. Maybe two words like 'crochet all day' or "crochet for pay". At any rate, as needlecrafters, let's not add to the confusion. I don't know what other knitters and crocheters are doing, but I know it takes me a lot longer to knit something than to crochet it, and that is reflected in the price of the item.

I'm sure a lot of people don't care if a hat is knitted, crocheted, macrame'd or netted, but it makes a big difference to me, both historically and by the way it looks. The Create TV show, which should know better, has a commercial where a carpenter is holding up a quilt and saying how he really loves Create TV because he's getting the hang of quilting. Only it's not a quilt he's holding up, it's a crocheted afghan.

Why do I want to Tat?

My mom loved to tat. She passed away of lung cancer. As far as I know I'm the only one of her four daughters that has even tried to tat. My older sister might have, but she may be dead too. So I feel I want to carry on the legacy from my mother. Sadly, her estate was dispatched haphazardly and I didn't get a single sample of any of her tatting or needlework. I remember she liked the Workbasket magazine because it always had at least one tatting pattern per issue.

Here is a tatting blog: http://tattingchic.blogspot.com/ in case you don't know what tatting is.

Tatting

I gathered the supplies together so I can refresh my memory on tatting. But it's not on today's schedule. Today is clean-up day as it's getting hard to walk in here. Crafts have a way of taking over your life.