Tatting at the beach...

I did a little tatting tonight...

 

 

At the beach, while listening to some music...

 

 

Camille Coldeen and Gus Reeves, they play this kind of stuff...and are more generally in the Portland area than up here, but were visiting the island.

 

 

It was a gorgeous night...immensely enjoyable in all respects...

 

 

I got a good bit done and finished a Stumpy bookmark (pattern by Kristi Anear) except for sewing in the ends as I had no needle with me.

 

 

Then, rewound the shuttle with a new thread and started a pretty butterfly pattern before it got too dark to tat...more on that soon, hopefully. 

Lael Morgan via Grandma and Teri Dusenbury...

 I know, I know, It's been a LOOOOOOOONG time and I should really post something exciting like a big project or even a little something I have been tatting...but perhaps a post at all is better than nothing, and I got really excited today when I read TATtle TALES post about Lael Morgan, simply because this is something I recognized from what I have from my Grandmother Stella...so I went digging, just to be sure and...

 

Here they are...

 

 

Both the book, and the shuttle were a part of her stash!  So exciting to learn more about them both.  I have found Teri Dusenbury's posts to be intriguing and interesting and enlightening...I am appreciative of her efforts to share her knowledge of tatting and it's history and thought that perhaps I should say THANK YOU!!! 

Granny's pretties...

 Here are a couple of pretties I saw at Granny's Attic (the local thrift store) this past Saturday that I just had to share with you all...

 

This one is really lovely with the pale silvery blue on the hankie...

 

 

...and this one was gorgeous with the double layer of lace...

 

 

$5 each though, I was feeling a little reluctant to spent that, but maybe if they are still there the next time...

 

There was another too...I brought that one home and will try to share it later! 

Two more flakes...and thats all!

 Again, a long time between posts...but there is a bit of a story behind that.  These two flakes I gave to my sister in mid December.  I took a photo of them before we hung them with the others I have gifted to her, even loaded the pic here to post later...

 

 

These are a continuation of Diane's snowflakes, I think doodle #5 and the snow crystal.  There were other's, but I know not where they are, nor if I have any pictures...

 

So I will just tell a bit of the story...

 

 

I tatted these at a point where life was deceptively quiet, the kind of quiet before a storm...that peaceful lull when you know something is coming and even a little about what it holds...

 

and then...life got really busy.

 

We moved...

nearly 1500 miles to Vashon Island, Washington

from our previous home in Pueblo, Colorado.

 

We bought a business,

and a home.

 

Packing the whole entirety of our lives took 10 days,

we are still unpacking...

 

We have our own 12.2 acres of wooded paradise to explore,

The girls have new schools and new friends to make.

 

We have much to learn and more to do than we are capable of each day...

but we do what we can and get up the next day and do more.

 

Life is full and blessed and amazing...

 

...and I hope to fill my quiet moments again with the click click sound of my shuttles and the graceful movements of the hand and the peace and grace that tatting brings to my life.

 

Green and Gold Cross by Grandma...

Meant to post this earlier today...this is another cross Grandma Stella tatted.  The thread is likely size 30, in a pretty mint green and gold.  This is one that was given to my husband some time ago...and I spied it in his Bible today and thought to share it with all of you...

She did many many variations on this cross, slightly different centers, stitch counts, etc.  Like the one here that I posted about previously.  It was definitely something she tatted over and over again...and her tatted crosses are the thing I value most and the reason I stepped back into the "ring" and finally really learned to tat nearly 3 years ago.

Snow is still falling...

This is also by Sharon Briggs...her 2009 Merry Christmas Snowflake.  I had started this one last year...and it was tucked in the clear cover I keep over the pattern, shuttles and all.  Had to finish this pretty thing...

A very pretty little tat, I enjoyed this design.  This was finished on the 3rd of December.

Grandma's simple bookmark...

I knew I had this tucked away somewhere...

Sometime back, after Grandma passed away in 2000, I was given this by my sister with the thought that this was simple enough that I might be able to tat it...

But, I had a small baby and little time and my single shuttle lay idle for the most part...for a good 10 more years.  It is pretty to see...and examine.  You can see that Grandma did simply cut and tie.  I am still not convinced that this is not quite an adequate way of going about things.  I frequently feel that if it was good enough for Grandma...well...

At any rate, this is not a difficult little bookmark to replicate...though I do like this one of her's that I copied and attempted writing out a pattern for (way back in my second month of really tatting) a bit better.

I am afraid that I have been tempted away from the snowflakes for an evening to play with this little pattern...