PDF ebook versions of both my books

Okay, entering the eBook era now. By popular demand, both of my own tatting pattern books, "Boutique Tatting", and "Up and Tat 'Em", are now available in my Etsy shop as PDF eBooks.

It took me a while to figure out how to get an entire book into one file.

July 5 edit: With Kersti's help, the files have been reduced to a much smaller size, which is easier to download. Yay!

More "Purple Glory"

 

Inspired by the bright pink to dark violet colors of a purple variety of Morning Glory flowers (Grandpa Ott). I had the flowers growing in my back yard last year. They re-seeded themselves, and are now growing again. But, this year I have a plan for when they get too high, because last year they were climbing their way up to the roof! Gorgeous when blooming, but when winter comes what is left is dried mess where it can't be reached. So, this year I will be smart and prune them!

Done and shipped

Well, I got the big "secret project" done at last and shipped it off somewhere...can't say where just yet. I'll tell you as soon as a few "loose ends" get tied up :)
In the meanwhile I'll get back to hand dyeing thread - Purple Glory coming up next. My Etsy business has suffered just a bit while I devoted a great deal of time to the big "secret project", but it should all be well worth it - I hope!

The Fab Five of Tatting

Do we look like we're having fun?
From left to right, Sue Anna, Diane, Barbara, me, and Gina. We visited, admired the lace on display, and shopped the vendors at the L.A.C.E. Day at Downer's Grove, Illinois.

Trying to get my "Celeste" design to be easier

1st side with Alligator Join

1st side with modified Alligator Join

Currently I am in the process of tweaking my "Celeste" necklace design. My first attempts are shown on this post from last October. Originally, I tatted the center motif in 2 halves, which meant more ends to hide. When I got the design out again after several months, it occurred to me that the center motif should be easy enough to tat in one piece. Well, maybe not easy - but possible!

But, then I ran into issues with the joins. On one side, considering the direction the threads were going, it seemed logical to do an "Alligator Join", which resulted in a smooth curve around the central beaded ring. But, when I reached the other side, my only option there was a Lock Join, which breaks the curve. The 2 sides don't match - that's unacceptable!

I experimented some more, and discovered that a regular Lock Join at the 1st side just looks messy. So then I tried doing the 1st half of an Alligator Join, followed by the 2nd half of a double stitch unflipped, to lock the curve. The 2nd photo shows how this makes the 1st join look more like a regular Lock Join, while keeping the tatting going in the direction that I want for the design.

Well, I've now re-read this post and it all sounds very tedious! Maybe I'll go back to tatting it in 2 halves, after all.

Tatted "Compass"

No, it doesn't really point North - but I think it's sort of cool, anyway.

It took me quite some time to work out this design, and now I'm working on writing it out, along with some of my other designs which I never did get around to writing down. Writing out patterns is work!

Other things I'm doing include preparing for teaching my tatting class which will be June 13, and I plan on attending the L.A.C.E. day at Downer's Grove, Illinois on June 18 along with some tatting friends.