Friday, September 30, 2011

Yes U can update...

I was just about to start on the next row of this challenge and suddenly remembered that I hadn't scanned my progress so far... so here is my version thus far:
I've decided to use Lizbeth size 40 Blue Ice or color number 163 :o) and it's sitting on a navy blue leather bible, but on my screen the bible looks kind of green.

My baby girl is just too cute

So I'll post a little later on today about my tatting updates, but i was just looking at my baby girl's school pictures and just had to blog about it. lol She is such a cutie! She is so delightful too. I tell people she's borderline angelic :o)  So... here's is my Livi (Olivia):

And I feel bad about putting the proof copies... just because copyright laws are so insane these days, but I've also added their information, so maybe that makes it better in some ways. But isn't she adorable?

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

"Yes U Can doily"

Thank you Lace-lovin' Librarian-Diane for directing my attention to this challenge with your post about it. I'm excited about the challenge. To help others that are going to attempt it, but are having trouble seeing the stitch counts, I have broken out my usb microscope and took a couple of close up pictures (using a print out) of some of the "repeating units".  I hope this helps, because I was hurting my eyes trying to look at them.  However, my little microscope does have its limits though, so they aren't the best "quality"



Here is a close up of one of the 12 rings from the center of the doily



Here is a closeup of part of the flower medallions that repeat  in what I would assume is a row

Here's the botton portion of the outside row's repeating units

And this part of the outside portion of that  the above picture.


Here is a closeup of the rings that  connect the outside row to the flower medallions

And here is a closeup of the connection between  the outside pieces.

If you would like to see a close up of any other portion, try to explain where it's located, or take a picture of the portion circled and I'll try to get a good picture of it as well :o)

Monday, September 26, 2011

Figured it out...

Well, I solved my scanner issues... I don't know how, but the important thing is it's working now.  So, here on some pieces I would have liked to included in yesterday's post:
Here is Lizbeth size 40 Tropical Fruit. This is the first little motif I did with the same general design that I showed yesterday.  I meant to only do six repeating units, but forgot to do a join so I went ahead and did seven.

Here is Lizbeth size 80 Grape Splash. This is the same one from yesterday's post, just a better quality picture :o)

And here is what I've worked on so far today.  I quite like it.  Again, it's same general pattern, but with 4 units. When I started it I thought it might end up like a butterfly but, it really just looks like a flower I think :o)


Tonight I have to study for a Microbiology test that I have tomorrow, BUT I also have my first "craft date" with one of my best friends, we've been friends even since we were tiny tots (like 5 years old or so).   So hopefully I'll have some pictures tomorrow of the things we create tonight! I'm so excited.  My babygirl Livi is excited too, because my friend Mandy has a little boy, Alex. So Livi and Alex will have their own playdate while Mandy and I have ours.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Scanner problems...

So, I wanted to post some pictures of this motif that I came up with that I've been somewhat obsessed with, just "perfecting" it I guess.  Here is a picture I took of it in Lizbeth size 80 Grape Spash.  (One of the new colors... I love it, the photo does not do it justice) Unfortunately my scanner has decided to not work today, so I took the picture using my webcam... so, I'm sorry that quality is not so great.
I've done it in some other colors and other sizes as well.... once I can figure out what I'm doing wrong with my scanner, I'll post some pictures.
The general pattern however is:
2 shuttles
R1: 6-4-4-6
Ch1: 6-6
RoCh1: 6-6-6
Ch2:6-6
R2(shuttle 1): 6 + (to R1) 4-4-6
R3(shuttle 2): 6+(to Ch2) 6+(To RoCh1)6-6-6-6
Ch3: 6+ (to R3) 6
RoCh2: 6+ (to R3) 6-6
Ch4: 6-6
R4: 6+ (to R2) 6-6
Ch5: 3-3
R1: 6+ (to R4) 4-4-6

What do you think about it?  I think's it's cute... but I'd like to hear some feedback from others.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Posts seem boring without pictures...

Today I went in Hobby Lobby and to my amazement.... Lizbeth (size 20 since that's all they carry) was on sale for $2.66 a ball. (For those of you who don't do dollars, they are usually $3.99 a ball) Then you figure in that I live in Tennessee so, we have 9.25% sales tax... and a ball of Lizbeth from Hobby Lobby cost ~4.50.  So, I bought a few (or more than just a few).
I've been working a new "pattern".  I don't like to say that I design just because I don't feel like I know enough to effectively do that.  Plus, when I have come up with these "patterns", it's usually when I'm just playing around and I know that there tatters out there that are WAY more talented than myself, that actually sit and work hard at coming up with designs.... and my process does not do given any justice to the design process.  Does that make sense or am I just rambling?
My sweet daughter is asleep in the room that has the scanner, so after she has a good nap I'll put up some pictures. She's been sick lately. She started preschool week before last, and all you mothers already know what happens at the beginning of every school year. It's like all summer they were stashing away germs just so they could swap them when school started back up.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Hello Again

Hello World! This is just going to be a quick update because I have a BioOrganic test on Tuesday that needs my immediate attention.


So, I know just about everyone has seen this pattern, but if you haven't it's Jon's Merriment Doily/Coaster
I love it. I think it's beautiful! (Which is why I tatted it twice) The top one is Lizbeth size 40 Confetti and the bottom one is Lizbeth size 40 Denim whisper. Which reminds, I read somewhere that someone didn't understand why denim whisper had pink in it, but that didn't bother me since I actually had a pair of jeans that color. lol Also, after tatting these, I fell in love with size 40 thread. So I order 5 more colors from Handy Hands.  I plan to make my next 5 motifs in the 5 new colors. :o)

Here's another little diddy I did a few weeks ago. it's size 20 Lizbeth I don't remember the colors though.
For this one, I was out of town and didn't have any access to internet, so I just kept tatting hoping that the two ends would get close enough to close. So, you can see from the high number of rings in the middle that it took a while. 
Being a Biology person, I have a digital microscope next to my computer. I actually tried to get a microscopic few of this motif/ medallion but for some reason it's acting up and wouldn't take a picture. When I have more time to work though, I'll share some pictures of a microscopic few of the tatting.  It will probably end up showing the importance of washing your work after handling it. It's amazing the amount of oils and other particles that end up on things that are handled a lot.... or even just left to lay out. I'm taking microbiology this semester (along with 5 other classes), so I am now even more aware of these things.
One more thing... when i first started tatting, I was of course using larger threads. BUT, I just happened to go in Hancock Fabrics and while looking over their clearance section I found this:
Tatting thread on clearance for 30 cents. They had 4 balls, so even though at the time I knew it was too small for me to use, I went ahead and got all four of them. In retrospect, I should have also gotten the couple of balls of white that they had for $1, but I didn't know what the regular price of a ball was, and when I returned to pick those up as well they were gone.  Now I scan clearance sections at such stores secretly hoping to come across little treasure finds like this one :o) This also means that if you see a lot of my work in this thread, it's not because I necessarily love the colors.... I just have a lot of it.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

So... introductions are in order...

Hello! My name is "Jess!". I adopted this name ~ 8-9 years ago when I got tired of Jessi and also tired of Jessica. Jessica is just a mouth full and when I think of Jessica, I think of Jessica Rabbit.... which is not how I see myself. So, I decided to flip the i and be Jess! :o) I even sign my name with the heart of the "i" on the bottom on all my legal documents that it is can be informally legit. lol
A few weeks ago I was a FedEx employee working nights, while trying to manage school and my beautiful 4 year old during the day.  As you can probably imagine, sleep was not a regular thing for me.  But, I am blessed with a wonderful parents who said that they would support me if I quit my job to attend school full time.  I jumped at the opportunity.  So, now I am the mother of a 4 year old princess and I attend school full time.  I study Biology and Chemistry at the University of Memphis, and I'm technically a senior but due to reasons I don't feel like going into... it looks like it may be 2 years before I can graduate.  My goal however is go to pharmacy school so that I may one day be Dr. Jess! :o)
So... that is my background.... but if you found my blog from a tatting site, you are probably more interested in that than me.  Since I started back in school in 2008, during every break from classes, my brain just seeked some form of stimulation which has led me to learn to knit and try to learn embroidery and also led me draw some pretty neat Sharpie pictures... but never failed... once the new semester started up and I started focusing on school and work... my crafts stopped. Until now however, which may be for a few reasons... but I'll get to that.  So after this past spring semester, I went to Hobby Lobby and I was looking for a way to release some of my creative juices and while looking embroidery floss, I saw a pack of tatting shuttles beside a whole bunch of really pretty threads (Lizbeth) which in the description said something about tatting.  So my interest was peaked.  I had never heard of tatting and still don't know any tatters in person (anyway) and have only seen and held my tatting in person.  So I bought a bobbin shuttle (because it was cheaper than the rest) and a ball of yarn and went home determined to learn something. I took me a few days of actually trying to finally get the "pop" or "flip"... but once I got that.... I was hooked. Since then I have laid the bobbin shuttle down (it was the Susan Bates variety) and my discovery of clover tatting shuttles has just contributed to my love of this art.  I'm very much a beginner or novice.... and I hope some of you more experienced tatters can give me some pointers because I have lots to learn :o)
Since I am going to school full time, I may not update this blog as much as I would like, but that doesn't mean I'm not tatting.  In fact, between classes, I love to take out my shuttles and tat to let my mind kind of cool down and catch up.... because since I haven't mentioned yet, I'm also ADD..... so focusing on school takes a lot of conscious effort and literally drains me. BUT! Because of that fact, it makes me all the more proud of how far I've come and how well I've been done! :o)

The photo up there is a bookmark I tatted while still working at FedEx. I'm proud of it, even though looking at a big scan of it, I feel the perfectionist in me pointing out every little thing. But then I try to calmly remind myself that you live and learn. For instance, I started is book mark doing the top row, then the middle and then 3rd I just copied what I had done on the first row. The problem with that is that I had no plan for a second or third row when I did the first row.  If I were to do this bookmark again, I would start with the middle row and then do the outside rows, that way the chains wouldn't look all out of whack. :o) Overall I'm pleased though, and because of this particular piece I decided to join the 25 motif challenge, which I am really excited about! So I guess that would be motif #1.