Weaving and Sugar Maple

 

Occasionally I weave, on an 8 shaft table loom. I recently signed up for a membership in Wisconsin Handweavers and hope to eventually get to a meeting. The towels I'm currently weaving are based on a pattern found in Handwoven Magazine May 2003.

I finished hand dyeing a batch of my favorite autumn colors called "Sugar Maple" and listed them in my Etsy shop.

Back side of the "Primal" necklace.

Someone asked to see the back side of my Primal necklace, so the photo above shows the back side.

I also decided to list the green/brown Primal necklace for sale in my Etsy shop.

Autumn glory at Greenfield park in Milwaukee County

Goimagine is shutting down

 

Goimagine closing announcement

The Goimagine website has announced that it is shutting down soon. No worries, I will gradually move all my listings from there into my Etsy shop, which is staying open! 

Meanwhile, I have been trying to come up with a Monstera leaf design in tatting. Nothing to show yet, but I'll keep trying :-)

Project in progress: here's a photo of my loom which I managed to get "dressed" last week. I'm doing a weaving pattern found in a May 2003 issue of Handwoven magazine (but in colors of my own choosing).

Dragon and flower and towels and more

 

It was fun making this dragon bookmark designed by GaliciaBee! Her bobbin lace patterns are beginner friendly and are an excellent way to learn basic bobbin lace techniques.

Because I still need step-by-step guidance with bobbin lace, I also purchased GaliciaBee's Dragon 1 Video Course and followed her demonstration while making my dragon. 

Wow, wow, wow!!! I love the tatted flower pattern "Broosh Karen" from FairyLace. I chose colors that remind me of springtime for my brooch. It's a challenging pattern for advanced tatters. This project certainly provides plenty of practice with using a picot gauge. 

These colorful tea towels (aka bar mops, artsy rags) were all woven from the same warp. Finished after 2 years on the loom, since I don't weave very often.

An example showing 2 different brands of thread that were both labeled "size 10". Yes, both in the same pattern (my own "Duchess" necklace from "Boutique Tatting". The green was Hakelgarn brand, the black is Lizbeth. Well, fortunately the pattern still works with the larger thread, though I replaced the 2mm beads with large hole rondelles.

Finished a bracelet from my own "Heart Aglow" pattern in hand dyed thread. This item has been listed for sale in my Etsy shop here.

Knit sweater progress and CWJ thinking

The sweater has reached the stage of stitch holders for the front sections while continuing to knit the back. In the photo it's with some new fabric that I purchased to sew a skirt. Included is the Shell Pendant from my Craftsy class and here's the reason I have it out (other than it coincidently does look good with the future ensemble!)

Someone asked for instructions on tatting the shell so that it would face the opposite way. Well, the easiest is simply to tat it as written, then turn it over - but then it's back side up (which most people wouldn't really notice) but we tatters do notice the details, do we not?

So mostly, "back side" up tatting means making the double stitches in reverse order (2nd half first, 1st half second) but then we reach the Catherine Wheel Joins (CWJ) on the smooth outer curve. A recent search of the Internet didn't turn up instructions for tatting CWJ from the back side, so I guess I'll need to do a video of it myself. Let me know if someone else does have a tutorial for "Back side" CWJ! Anyway, it's been added to the to-do list.

Weaving has not progressed very far but here's a photo for those interested.

It's quite jazzy with all the colors and pattern jumbled up together; I like it! Also it's giving me more ideas!

On an unrelated note - literally a music note - I just found out the musician's concert seating for the December 1st concert of the community orchestra I play cello in. I've been assigned to first stand! (The first row of cellos nearest the conductor.) So, it means I had better not skimp on the practicing!!! Ah well, all this excitement keeps my mind occupied with good things.

Weaving and knitting projects started

 

How long ago was the last time I prepared a warp for weaving? According to Google photos it was May, 2017, and it stayed on for 3 years. Well, since I only weave out of curiosity, there's no rush to finish, the discovery of "what happens if" is enjoyable in itself. I have not woven with Cottolin yarn (a blend of cotton and linen) before, but I love the bright colors, so this should be fun!

For those interested the loom I'm using is relatively small, a 24 inch wide 8 shaft table loom on a stand. I'm threading a pattern from page 39 in "A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns" edited by Carol Strickler.  

Also I have started knitting a sweater, for myself. It's an open front cardigan with knitted lace edging designed by Bronagh Miskelly. The pattern is "Spring Leaf" found in Knitting Magazine, April 2017. The yarn I'm using is luxuriously soft, spun from Tibetan Yak hair. My first time using this fiber and I'm loving it! The color is Hokkaido, which is also the name of an island in the north of Japan. To me it looks like a medium toned, muted grayish purple.

Exploring other crafts is refreshing, and can spark new ideas for tatting, also. So do not worry that my tatting or hand dyeing will be neglected. In fact, I have a large batch of skeins already prepared for dyeing next week. The colorway will be "Stardate".

My 2020 Tatting (and Weaving and Micro Macramé and Wire Wrapping)

In spite of the relentless chaos of the past year, joy was found in staying creative. Some of my favorite projects of 2020:

My design "Flutterby Heart"

My design "Petal Portal"

Zipper pull gifts

Handwoven towels all from the same warp

From a tutorial by Macramé Tita

From a tutorial by Macramé Tita

From a tutorial by Macramé Tita

My design "Flat Carnation"

My design Double Flower Celtic

Same vintage pattern tatted 40 years apart

Designing the "Daylily Dance" pattern in progress

My design, "Daylily Dance"

My jacket with tatting, still a work in progress

My design "Dissent" collar, inspired by a collar worn by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

An example of wire wrapping combined with tatting

My last tatted project of 2020

Just Working Quietly

Staying in, doing a little handweaving from time to time. Also, I'm in the process of writing up a new tatting pattern for a pendant and earring set. Not showing the picture here yet! Keeping it a surprise.

Speaking of surprises, I was very much surprised to receive this lovely dishtowel machine embroidered with tatting shuttle designs! A friend in the community orchestra (that I play cello in) gave it to me. This was about 2 weeks ago. Since then, orchestra has been cancelled until next fall, to comply with "social distancing" so as to help us avoid the coronavirus.

Spring is still coming along, very slowly as is usual here in Wisconsin. I'm very happy that the Snow Crocus is blooming. A glimmer of hope!

Handweaving

There's been a warp on my 24 inch wide, 8 shaft table loom since 2017, mostly ignored! I think what may have turned me off of it at the start was that I noticed a threading error, tried to correct it, but just couldn't fix it. 

Well, I've finally come to accept the flaw as a "design element" and to have fun with the patterns and colors that are emerging! The result will be beautiful towels.

I'm using a mix of 8/2 unmercerized cotton and 10/2 mercerized cotton in the towels. I wonder why the weaving yarn companies don't make the matte cotton and the shiny cotton to match in size exactly, but oh well, I'm using them together anyway. 

Currently, I have 3 towels almost done, and there may be enough warp to weave a fourth towel.

Just chillin'

Teaching the Tatting Basics class at Bead&Button Show.

A pattern is emerging on the weaving loom.

 No tatting to show on this blog just now, but I've been teaching tatting. Still to come this week is the "Meet the Teachers" event at Bead&Button where I'll have a table display, and another class to teach on June 11.

This is not tatting, but it is lace, and it's given me an idea. I think it would be a fun thing to do on a t-shirt. Cut the shoulder and sleeve apart, finish the raw edges, then insert a piece of tatted lace. I've gotten as far as the idea and buying a t-shirt. Run with this if you want! You'll be done before me :) I'm feeling a bit tired, so just chillin' for now.

Projects looming and new cello

I've started warping my loom. This is a project that won't be finished at the "speed of the Internet". 
I actually prepared the warp months ago!       

The heddles on the loom shafts being threaded. The pattern will be an 8 shaft turned twill, for fancy dish towels. I've done a similar project, years ago! It's not that hard, just slow paced. Good for when you only want to relax, yet see some results...eventually!

That's me on the left, Ana on the right. We were tatting together at the mall.

The project that I was working on at the mall, all finished. It's a variation on the Celtic Triangle pattern that I teach in my Next Steps In Shuttle Tatting class on Craftsy. My affiliate link about that class: http://craftsy.me/2navHdI 

The finished necklace is listed in my Etsy shop.

The most exciting thing happened while I was still writing this blog post. My new cello that I ordered from luisandclark.com arrived! I have been wanting a carbon fiber cello for ages, and I'm very happy to finally own one! 

I'm enjoying my new cello on a beautiful spring day!