Tatting and Tea on Tuesday...

The girls and I had a little tea on Mother's Day...just for the fun of it!  These are pictures from Sunday's tea...

We shared a nice pot of lemon tea, some chicken salad on heart shaped home made bread, fruit, and some tea biscuits. We used some of our pretty tea things...

A lovely teapot my Mother gave me years ago, a set of luncheon dishes from my Grandmother, some silver "tea" spoons and cream and sugar set we found this past summer. It was a fun time with my two girls.

Today, I had tea again with my littlest one...this time a pot of golden monkey black tea...and I tatted while she nibbled her tea biscuits and fruit...so of course I was too busy to take pictures today!  It truely takes a concerted effort to tat with a three year old who feels she must be a part of everything.  One must keep her supplied in tea and munchies, coloring pages, stickers, bits of thread to "tat" with, or what ever else it takes...and fit in 2 or 3 rings or chains in between each request.  I am learning to manage it though...

Here is what I tatted today...

This is Mary Konior's Small Cross from Tatting with Visual Patterns.  The thread is vintage size 70ish Star Tatting thread in shades 129 (the Red) and 122 (the Blue). 

The colors are the recipient-to-be's favorites, blue and red (KU colors ~ she comes from a family of dedicated KU fans). I think they combine to make a very pretty cross that I hope she will treasure.  She had her first communion Sunday before last, so I am a little late with this, but she is the daughter of a good friend and I really wanted to send her a cross to celebrate the occasion.

I've tatted the pattern before as written, so as is my usual, I played a bit with it this time, fiddling around with the outside round a bit, joining the center picot of each ring...I think it gives it a somewhat crown like effect on the edge.  I rather like it, though I like the original version as well. 

The photos are imperfect, having been taken this evening after the girls were put to bed and I had time to sew in the ends and give it a quick tweak with the steam iron.  The first photo shows the colors more precisely...but the flash hides the stitches, so the second one shows the stitches to somewhat better effect. 

This goes in the mail in the morning, I wanted to share it before it traveled to other hands.  There is much I have wanted to share, but it seems the limitations of time require that I have to choose between doing the tatting and other handwork or blogging about it...so I have been doing it but not sharing about it!  The school year is winding down, so I hope that will change with the advent of summer.

I have another cross to tat in the next few days as well...this one for my older daughter's teacher.  An end of school year gift...entirely acceptable and very appropriate as she attends a Catholic school.  I want to get started on that while I still have a bit of time...so I will leave you until the next time (hopefully sooner than the last!!!)