It's been quite a journey

I'm FINALLY finished with this doily.  It took me 4 full days just to get around the next to last round.  But it's completely worth it, don't you think?

I don't know where I'll use it but I'm thrilled at how it came out.  I can't wait to start a new project.  The thread I used was Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread in Extra Fine size 30.  It's the first time I've used it and it worked great for tatting.  Not all crochet thread is great for tatting because it's not always plied tightly enough but this worked great.  It's a nice size and feels great.

 

On the big next to last round, it took 4 full bobbins to get all the way around.  The easiest thing to do was to wind the bobbins from a second ball and keep the first ball attached.  That way I only had the one end to work in as I went.  This is definitely the largest tatting project I've ever attempted.  Now I'm going to my Work Basket magazines for another!

5th times the charm...apparently

Tatting is beautiful.  I love tatting.  I love to look at tatting.  Tatting is pretty hard - at least when you're distracted while you're tatting.  At least when you're me and you're distracted while you're tatting.

I took on this beautiful oval tatted doily from The DMC Book of Charted Tatting Designs.  Absolutely nothing wrong with the instructions, clear as a bell.  Nothing wrong with the photo accompanying said instructions.  Ditto.  But with the round I just finished, I've had re-start it 3 times, cut out about 4 repeats, redo rings 3-6 times.  I finally thought I'd finished the round last night when my spidey senses warned me to lay it out and double check before I close up that last ring and finish.  Here's what I saw on the last repeat of this brutal round:

On the last repeat of the round, I discovered that I'd attached the ring to the wrong place.  Fortunately, I had not closed the ring so, once again, I took the stitches out, poked myself with the sharp end of the tatting shuttle twice and fixed it.  Now it looks like this:

Very satisfying.

Until I look at the pattern.  I have to finish this easy round and do one more round like this, simple ring/chain.  Then I have another round of the killer pattern.  The previous round had 20 repeats, the next one has 40 repeats.  I may be here yet awhile.

At the auction

While I'm sitting at a day-long auction at Patricia Doyle's Auctions, I have had to entertain myself through the stuff I don't care about so here's what I've been doing:

This is going to end up being quite a large oval doily since I'm using size 10 crochet cotton.  I've worked my shuttle thread out and they've gotten to the furniture I'm interested in so I've set it aside but I think it's going to be beautiful.

I did find a cool bed this morning at an antique show being hosted by a local historic farm home.  It's a wooden spiral frame, in great shape at a great price.  I haven't gotten it, though, because it measures 51 inches wide so it's between the 3/4 and the full bed shape.  It wouldn't matter but it has side rails so I'll really need to get a mat-tress that will fit or some way to jigger something.  But the seller is in the area so I'll be able to follow up with him.  I wish I'd thought to get a photo of it but I was too busy sweating and hoping not to have to use the PortaPottie!

Here's the piece I wish I had room for:

Not a great photo but it's a magnificent burled walnut bed with 8 accompanying pieces.  So grand!  It will be interesting to see if it even sells.  Everything so far is selling way beyond what I'm willing to do but it's kind of fun to see how things go.  So far the most expensive thing of the day has been a paintin sold for $7,000!



Long lost blogger

I can hardly believe it's been so long since I've posted.  There just seems to be less and less time to spend.  Hopefully things will slow down a little this summer. (hahahahahahahaha)

OK, I'm back.

One of the reasons I haven't posted is time.  The other is the fact that the project I've been working on was for a friend that visits the blog from time to time and I didn't want to give it away before I gave it away...to her.  You know what I mean?

Well, it's been duly given and so I present here.........

.....the Victorian Lady.

This is a bobbin lace piece that I worked from the Yusai Fukuyama book, "100 New Bobbin Lace Patterns."  I'd never done any pictorial projects before but when I was preparing for the bobbin lace class back in March, I pulled this book out and started playing around.  As soon as I saw this project, I knew I wanted to do it and I knew exactly who I wanted to do it for. 

I got everything prepared and started working in April and it was going well.  It was going well until I had baby knitting interruptus.  You know how that goes.  A baby needs knitting and all things fall away until that need gets satisfied.  Once I got started back, it worked lickety split and viola, as they say. 

I was absolutely thrilled with it and had to give it to her quick before I could talk myself into keeping it!  Now I've got the second project in mind and will try to get it started this weekend.

At least I hope I can get it started.  The intermediate tatting class I'm teaching as part of the LACE group's Lace Day is coming up quickly and I need to finish preparations for it.  June 8th is the day.  If you're anywhere near the Chicagoland area, stop by and take a class or shop at the vendor booths or just come hang out and find out about bobbin lace making.

Wish this was how we always roll

I had a couple of things I wanted to get accomplished this weekend.  Normally how we roll around here is that I have things to accomplish and then end up doing everything but.

Not this weekend, though.  I actually got everything done that I wanted to do.

1. Finish my handmade roller pillow.  A while back, a friend at work was able to score me half a bale of straw to make a roller pillow from her father-in-law.  I had no idea how much straw it would actually take so I got a bin and started preparing the straw.  But then we had tons and tons of rain and I had to travel.  I was waiting for a day with sun and without wind.  That day was today. 
   
    

 See the tub?  See the pillow in the tub?  There is 2 1/2 times the amount of straw that filled the tub in the pillow.  You see, the secret is in getting it as dense as possible so it will hold the pins properly as you work.  Like this...

2.    I wanted to finish the baby sweater I've been making.  I finally got the knitting finished but it needed something to finish it off.  I finally found just the right button but I still couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with the bodice.  I tried embroidering flowers as I'd planned.  No good.  I thought about sewing a pretty ribbon around that section.  No good.  Finally I decided to go with a crocheted edging.

I haven't sewn the edging on yet until the sweater dries but I this this is going to be the perfect finish.

3.  Although not on the initial list, I've had some Shetland wool on the wheel started but not very far along.  I've been spinning it woolen long draw.  Long draw has never been a strength of mine but this fiber changed all that.  Where cormo is just a tease with a promise of pretty wool only to be maddeningly hard to spin, this Shetland wool is a dream and has really just spun itself.  I had 8 ounces to spin of this color and I've just got half a bobbin to go to have all the singles done.  I always think the plying is going to go much faster than it does but I can't wait to get it done and show it off.  Then I just have 3 more colors to spin for the fair isle project I had planned for this yarn.  Stay tuned.

Getting closer

I don't know if it's going to be too big but it's definitely too cute!

I'm thinking it may be a bit too wide but I think I can fix that with the ribbon I'm going to run through the top of the skirt.  The band of green under the cable is going to get embroidered flowers and then there will be 2 ribbon ties, kimono style.  I haven't blocked the lace section yet but I don't think I'm going to block it very hard.  Really it just needs a hot press and that will open the lace up a bit.

There are a bunch of ends to work in so I won't finish tonight but I love how it's coming out.  Next I need to use heavier yarn and larger needles and see if I can't work out an adult version.

Bobbins in action

I decided to try out my new bobbins tonight so I wound them up and started working. I just love the look of them and I was hoping that they would be functional as well.

So I wound the thread, and the first note is that on the next ones, I think I'll make the thread holding area needs to be a little longer.  Not much, just a little.

I think I will also add a bead half-way up the handle section.

But all in all, they worked great and having the open area allows you to tension them the a single finger.  They'll take a little getting used to but I think I can say they are a huge success!  I do have some glass beads bought for the purpose of the bobbins but not at hand when I sat down to work.

Now for a little experimenting!  hehe