St. Patrick's Cross...

St. Patrick's cross perhaps...well, probably not, but this is a lovely pattern by Mary Konior called Mark My Words. (23/25 motif challenge). I enjoy tatting this one periodically...over the past three days this is what has fallen off the shuttles...these first two are some of the same size 10 threads I used on the recent stumpy bookmarks.  I really need to put threads away, or I tend to use whatever is next to my chair rather than something new and different...

 

In the background, you can see my two shamrock plants...I have been enjoying them a great deal this past little while.  I found a green and a purple oxolis to purchase...O. occidentalis/latifolia and O. triangularia I believe.  They are quite lovely and I am hoping they will flourish...

 

 

Once I put the threads away and went in search of something new to play with, I got out this pretty yellow DMC Cebelia thread in a size 20).  The color is just a touch lighter than the yellow clover shuttle in the picture.  The colors are drastically off...but it's dark and it's the best I can do at the moment.

 

 

I hope your St. Patrick's day was lovely and enjoyable...we tried to have a bit of fun here with the day and did a number of things...

 

Set up a leprechaun trap which did not capture a wee one, but did entice one and gave him enough of a scare that he dropped a number of coins from his pockets.

 

Made golden smoothies (mango, pineapple, 1 can coconut milk, 1 orange, a couple tbsp sugar, and some vanilla extract), pratie oaten and a hearty Irish skillet scramble for breakfast.

 

Had a lovely dinner of  corned beef, cabbage, and Irish Soda Bread. 

 

It was a great deal of fun to try some different recipes and things for the holiday...really enjoyed the pratie oaten.  They are an oat and potato cake that is fried in a skillet, quite good actually...I think I will save that recipe to make again another day!

 

...with that I will leave you with one last Irish Blessing:

 

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

 

Monet afghan...

This is for my Rosie Posie, it feels that it is taking ages...but really it has only been a month since I started it. The colors are lovely, like something out of one of Monet's waterlily paintings...and definitely the little one's favorites.  The variegated is actually called Monet and I chose the rest to coordinate...emphasizing the purple and blue that my Rosie Posie loves.

Crocheting afghans is something I once loved but no longer enjoy as much.  I will be finishing this one and then making one for older daughter when "the" yarn is found.  I feel that each girl should have one from me, but then I won't be making another for a long time...maybe when I have a Grandbaby in 15 years or so!  They just are too big, I like a smaller project these days!

I wanted to let you all know what I was up to, just busy with my hook and not my shuttle! 

Purple Flowers, Pink Buttons...

Not much tatting happened around here today...just lots of plain flat out busy.  I did take a few moments to finish up these little hair clips.  I have never done centers for them in this manner before, but thought the buttons just looked right on this set...

Dust of snow...

 

As I tatted this last night, I couldn't help but be reminded of this poem called Dust of Snow by Robert Frost...
 

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

 

Somehow, tatting this little flake in this gorgeous thread (by Jess!) made the ending of what had been a seemingly long day become spectacularly peaceful and changed my mood entirely.

 

 

The pattern is Layered Tatted Snowflake by Be-Stitched, I saw it on Fox's blog the other day and she termed it simply satisfying.  It was. (22/25 motif challenge)

A Little Merriment...

 Finished the cross that I was tatting this weekend.  This is, again, Mary Konior's Large Cross from her Tatting with Visual Patterns book.  I love this thread, love this pattern, and loved tatting this cross...the perfect thread and pattern make for tatting happiness, that is for sure!

 

 

I also managed to complete a project that I had set aside and not finished some months ago, all that was left was 2 chains and 4 rings...but I set it aside.  This photo does not do Jess!'s beautiful thread justice.  The lavender and blue colors in this thread are gorgeous.  The pattern is Jon's Merriment Doily.  It is a beautifully designed pattern...lays perfectly without any need for pressing.  I did press this a bit, but I don't think it made any difference really...it was perfect straight off the shuttles...a true mark of a well designed pattern. (21/25 motif challenge)

 

 

Another pattern, but this same thread from Jess! is calling my name...so I am off to play for a bit and drink a cup of Chai tea before my pillow calls instead... 

Shamrock by Jon...

Finished another couple of shamrocks tonight, terrible indoor with flash photos this evening...but I wanted to share anyway...no photo opportunities during the day today and probably not tomorrow either, we are getting a snow storm at present!

 

 

This is Shamrock by Jon and the pattern can be found here.  (20/25 motif challenge) It looks much better in person, the harsh light of the flash makes the roughness of that thread really stand out!  I also did another of the Lucky Seven Shamrock's by Gina Brummett...and sewed the ends in this time.  Really did not like how it looked without doing so.  That's okay though, I will use the other on a card or some such.

 

 

Here is the majority of my tatting time over the weekend.  I needed small and portable.  I wound the shuttle on the way out to our fishing location on Saturday. The tatting itself constitutes 2 hours of "chaparone" type time at the 4-H dance on Saturday night, 1.5 hours at Church Sunday (I focus better if my hands are busy and no one seems to mind), and another .5 hour while waiting to pick up daughter from youth group Sunday evening.  Do take a look at that thread though...I just had grabbed a ball from the stash I was given from my Grandmother based on color, but this is delicious thread.  I really need to see if there is more of this DMC Dentilles thread in her stash and hoard use it carefully.  I don't believe I have ever tatted with a nicer thread...my stitches look perfect, just a gorgeous color too! 

 

In other news...I acquired a new toy...

 

 

 

I saw one of these fascinating little yardage counter's on Frivole's blog a few weeks ago...saw one at Wal*Mart recently, and it just sort of hopped into the basket and came home with me...don't know how that happened...

 

I did check the price against amazon and it seemed reasonable when one considers shipping and having to wait to play with the new toy...

   

 

It was over by their very limited selection of embroidery/crochet/knitting supplies.  I often find it necessary to take a "short cut" through that aisle...

 

Here it is out of the package...

 

 

Nifty little suction cup feet on the back as well.  I have yet to try this little tool, but thought you all might be interested in it as well.  I have the hardest time determining yardage, I always under or over estimate what I am putting on the bobbin...I think this will be very useful.

 

...and finally, since I really enjoy the lovely old Irish blessings this time of year, here is one for today (modified just a smidge)...

 

May there always be work tatting for your hands to do.

May your purse always hold a coin or two.

May the sun always shine on your windowpane.

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.

May the hand of a friend always be near you.

May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

 

 

Frilly Shamrock...

Just one shamrock to share today, this is Frilly Shamrock by Susan Taliaferro.  (19/25 motif challenge) I like it a lot, worth tatting for sure!  I have started another pattern as well, but tatting time is a bit limited this weekend with the girls both home and husband off today.  We went fishing this morning, caught our limits, came home and had a lovely trout dinner for lunch...and now I need to leave for the 4-H carnival shortly!

 

In continuation of the "theme" this month...

 

May the blessing of the rain be on you—

the soft sweet rain.
May it fall upon your spirit
so that all the little flowers may spring up,
and shed their sweetness on the air.
May the blessing of the great rains be on you,
may they beat upon your spirit
and wash it fair and clean,
and leave there many a shining pool
where the blue of heaven shines,
and sometimes a star.

 

Until we meet again...may your shuttles be blessed!

The finishes...

 Here are better photos of the recent finishes...

 

 

The three stumpy bookmarks by Kirsti Anear.  (11, 12, 13/25 motif challenge) The purple thread is a DMC Cabelia in size 10, the other 2 threads are size 10, but have no labels.  Love that dusty rose in the middle...just a beautiful color!

 

 

More hair clips.  (14 & 15/25 motif challenge) These I make up as I go along, something different nearly everytime.  Really depends on the thread left on the shuttles. These are always fun to make, a lovely way to empty shuttles, and a great gift for little girls.   

 

 

Two more of Mary Konior's Large Cross from her book Tatting With Visual Patterns. (16 & 17/25 motif challenge) Both of these are done in vintage size 70 threads, neither had a label on them.  The black/silver/white is gorgeous!

 

 

Finally, the Norma Benporath lace mat.  (18/25 motif challenge) I did finish this back on January 2nd, but it has been sitting here waiting to be dampened and lightly pressed since...silly really.  But there you go...gorgeous pattern, loved tatting it! 

 

Beginning with some Green...

 

I thought it would be enjoyable to begin the month of March with a little bit of green...

 

The little shuttle winder loaded my shuttle with green last night, her choice as we had been pulling out the St. Patrick's Day decorations yesterday.  Once she finished, I played...

 

 

This first one was Mariya Davydova's Clover pattern from last year.  (8/25 motif challenge) Then, still having thread on the shuttle, I proceeded on...

 

 

A couple of old favorites.  These are Gina Brummett's patterns from two years ago, some of the first I tatted.  They are Lucky Seven and Bloomin' Shamrock (9&10/25 motif challenge).  There are links to both patterns on the left side of her blog here.  She was a lovely lady and I miss her comments and encouragement.

 

Having said that these were old favorites, I thought I would also share that I have entered into my 3rd year of tatting as of the 15th of this past month.  I don't know wether time has improved my method or not...but here are a couple of photos of some of my shamrocks from that first year...

 

 

Above, are Bloomin' Shamrock, Lucky Seven, and another favorite...Sharren Morgan's Irish for a Day.  I remember learning SCMRs (Self-Closing Mock Rings) in order to tat this one...a great deal of fun!  I definitely need to tat that one again...TODAY!

 

 

...and another favorite.  This is Marilee Rockley's Celtic knot shamrock.  It's a lovely little shamrock and pattern.  I think I must have tatted one of these for just about everyone I know...and turned them into bookmarks as seen above. These look terribly messy to me now,  I will have to have another go at this one too...likely still in size 10. 

 

These patterns are quite tiny done in anything smaller and I like them a bit bigger so tend to use the larger thread for these.  None of the above threads have a label...so I can't tell you the type or color, they are just ones I have picked up here and there over the years.

 

Well, on the blogging front, the photos are better...taken in daylight today, but blogger wants to do what blogger wants to do...and today the photos are all turned oddly.  I think I can live with that.

 

Maybe my little shuttle winder will load another one or two for me...I wonder where that pretty green variagated thread is!

 

I will leave you with this...

 

May your day be touched

by a bit of Irish luck,

brightened by a song in your heart,

and warmed by the smiles

of the people you love.

 

...and I will add...

 

May your shuttles be full and your fingers nimble,

and may the day always bless you with time for your tatting!