Messy Jess!-y's

Both are size 40 Tat-ilicious HDT left: "A Messy Jess!-y" and right: "Sunrise"

First, some tatting.  I did these on the 4th.  Since I was just relaxing at the "in-loves", I just made up the pattern along the way.  But, if you really like it, I used 4 ds in between each picot.  Easy Peezy, shuttle and ball. 

Now, "Messy Jess!-y", do you remember this post: http://jess-tats.blogspot.com/2012/01/whats-in-title-that-which-we-call-post.html ?
Well, I have decided to embrace the Messy Jess!-y idea.  The purple motif above is a special "Messy Jess!-y".  These two are different batches that I've dyed up.  Don't they look so pretty?
Now, one thing that is pretty important is that a Messy Jess!-y skein doesn't necessarily need a name, because it will unique, original, and most importantly.... non reproducible! However, I did come up with a way to make sure that the skeins in these batches were the same.  I will not guarantee that I will be able to do that every time.  It took more work to do it that way. But the results look wonderful.

Now, I haven't decided whether to put some of these in my shop or just save them for Tat Days.
They are REALLY fun to tat with though!

LOOK WHAT I FINALLY got dyed up the right way!!!

Harvest! 

Apparently for this colorway, the third attempt was the charm. 

I did lots of winding last night and have gotten lots of dyeing done today.  That means I'll have lots to show tomorrow!! :o)

It's official (Tat Days)

Livi and I are registered for Tat Days!  AND I sent in my consignment agreement.  So, it's official.  I will be a vendor at this year's Tat Days!  I am so super excited!!

For those of you who will be there this year, are there any of my colorways that may have sold out or look like they might sell out before September that you would like to see at Tat Days?

Friendly Fox Furnishes the Fabulous Faithfully...

Title explanation... I love how Fox comes up with the best titles that often include clever alliterations. :o)

Yesterday, I posted that I had a gorgeous nameless colorway... Fox came to the rescue.
Fox has been so very helpful with helping me name colorways.  When it comes to this dyeing business:
I really love the dyeing part, and the coming up with new combinations part... but the naming part.. not so much.
(So I very much appreciate the wonderful names that have been suggested by anyone that has ever offered them.)

This is what Fox emailed me yesterday.  I think it is perfect!

So, the once nameless colorway is now "Key-Lime Raspberry Parfait"

Thank you Fox!

ALSO... a few weeks ago, Fox sent me a fun package will some beads and some of her Valdani thread that she'd been playing with.  The note that she included explained that she thought that they three colors together would make a "terrific HDT called Calliope"

So, I gave some serious thought to it, wanting to make sure that I did it right. 

And here is the outcome:

Fox has the best eye for color.  I honestly believe it!

I have added both of these colorways to both my Etsy and my Storenvy shops. 

If you prefer one store to the other, but they are sold out, I can move them.

When I get enough thread in the Storenvy shop, I will set up some sort of promotion/ discount.

These promotions can and will include things like

"Buy 3 and get 1 free"

Or, maybe "Spend $21 and get free shipping"

That sort of thing. 

Should be fun!

Extension Completion

Woohoo!

I actually finished it!  Breaking it up into bits helped a lot with the "avoiding boredom" issue.

 I think this successfully proves that this motif could be extended to a great extent.  It would be pretty neat to see how much it spirals if you were to extend it even further.  

The smaller one is the original version and they are both in size 40.  So, those extra 2 and 4 rings really do make a difference.  

Pretty neat if you ask me!

Now, on to some hdt announcements:

Here is Kaleidoscope

When I tried to dye Ladytats suggestion for Kaleidoscope before, it was not a very pretty outcome.
But this time, I think it looks pretty good.

Here is a reminder of what the previous attempt looked like:

And if you don't remember, the name "Kaleidoscope" is from the Kaleidoscope Butterfly Bush.

Now, I also got another colorway dyed up:

However, I don't know what to call it just yet 

Also, has anyone had any experience with Storenvy?

I am thinking about selling my hdt there and if it works out may move there all together. 

They don't charge fees like Etsy does, so that would be nice.

**UPDATE** I have added a link to my very primative Storenvy, right now there are only two colorways (Havana and Kaleidoscope)  Check it out though, and tell me what you think about the site in general.

Extending Mary Konior's Spinning Wheel Glass Mat and Havana

So, in my last post, I showed my abbreviated Spinning Wheel Glass Mat designed by Mary Konior.
It sparked the question of extension, which I've been wanting to do but never had the will power to finish.

So I devised a slight different way to go about it:

I have decided that instead of doing the whole thing in one run and one color, I would do each "arm" in a different color.  Of course, they are each my own HDT, in size 40. 

Not only am I doing each arm separately, I am also extending the arms out.  The regular version has a row of  3 and a row of 6.  This version has a row of 5 and a row 10.  

So, since the 1 and 2 version that I posted yesterday didn't even resemble much of a spiral, I imagine that spiral will be even more pronounced on this one.  I am really excited about it. 

Now, here is an example of my newest colorway:

"Havana"

This heart is "The  Heart within" by Frivole
I adore this pattern.  Don't look to closely at my tatting on this one though.  I didn't that I had loaded enough thread to do the outside and the inside.  So, at first I did the outside and then since I did have enough thread, I tried to inside as an after thought.  It still looks okay, but not as good as it would have.

Regarding "Havana" however, at first I thought that "Havana" looked very similar to my "Peacock", (which is sold out except for some size 80.  It's one that I plan to redye though before Tat Days)
However, you can see from the photo that "Havana" has a more overall "green" cast to it, where as "Peacock" has a reddish brown and a bright yellow.

I added "Havana" to the shop yesterday.  I only have size 20 and 40 of right now.  But if you ever want a colorway in a different size, I can make it happen.  I have skeins of size 80 already wound up. I also have a ball of size 10 that I can dye.

Finally, a bit of tatting

So, I haven't showed much tatting lately.  The reason is that I haven't had time to sew in the ends, and I didn't want to show pieces with ends hanging out.
But I did get the ends in on this one:

Tat-ilicious size 40 "Fireflies"

The pattern?  Why... can't you tell?

It's MK Spinning Glass mat.... of course lol

As you might have noticed, I have a tendency to abbreviate patterns.  You could call it lazy, or resourceful, or you could just say it's my way of dealing with the fact that if a pattern takes too long.. it won't get finished.

If it's abbreviated however.. I tend to push through and finish.

:o)

I have LOTS of unfinished motifs.  I bought a twin size sheet the other day though and I am thinking about doing a crazy quilt.  Before I start, I will get myself used to the idea that it will take me forever to get it done. That way it won't be rushed and look horrid.  In fact, because I also don't sew and don't even have a clue as to how to work a sewing machine.  I am planning to do this by working small pieces of fabric (which will be coming from old clothes that Livi and I don't wear anymore. ) and then tacking my little tatted bits to the small bits of fabric. Then those pieces are going to be stitched onto the sheet.  It may look messy, but that's the whole charm of a crazy quilt right??

I started to do something similar a few years ago, (a year or so after Livi was born) with baby blankets and such, but I was trying to do it by hand stitching all the little pieces to one another.  It didn't go far. But, since I did it, I may include it some how in my crazy quilt.  Why not right?

I REALLY REALLY need to get Livi's old keepsake clothes out of our attic.  That is for sure.  Our air conditioner in the house went out a few days ago.  Turns out that we have roof rats. So, all those things that were tucked up there for safe keeping are at risk of being rat nibbled.  Not cool if you ask me!

On a brighter and way less gross note:

Do you remember a few weeks ago I posted about this yarn:

I had dyed this yarn and sent it to a crocheter in Alaska, so that she could crochet me an elephant.  

Well, I got my elephant back... isn't it darling!!!!

The yarn looks phenomenal too!  Anyone else thinking what I'm thinking... that these colors would look fabulous in thread?  I think I can safely say that there will be some in the Tat-ilicious future. :o)

Since then, it has come to my attention that some of you crochet.  Why I didn't think to ask one of y'all to crochet me this elephant... I don't know.  

BUT I absolutely love these little crocheted critters. SO, if any of you like making these and would like set up some kind of barter.  I could get more yarn and dye it.  Livi really loves this little elephant.  so I know she'd like more of them. 

Or if you would just like for me to dye up some yarn.... I don't know what the going price is for hand dyed yarn, but I'm sure we could work something out. 

This however is a sneak peak of the next entrant to the Tat-ilicious Etsy Store.

Super Yum!!! Right?

I have more details to share about this particular colorway, but I'll save it for another day. ;o)

OH.... can I get a "WOOT WOOT" for having sold my 200th skein the other day!

WOOT WOOT!!

I'm so excited folks!  Only a month nd a half ago did I announce that I was at the 100 skein milestone.

:o)

Now, I also have a plastic bin of more than a hundred skeins.

How about, when I hit the 300th milestone.... a "big" giveaway.

I did get some more thread in the shop...

So, today and tomorrow, (or rather yesterday and today depending on what time zone you are in)
I have been dog sitting over at my friend's house.  Now, I love dogs and cats.  However, I am extremely allergic.  Not, the kind of allergic like my throat swells and I am going to die.  No... more like the just really annoying kind of allergic.  So, right now I am typing up this post with only one eye, because the other swollen shut. Also, I know have a toothache because my sinuses are telling my teeth to get my attention (or something along those lines)

BUT I did get some more threads listed!  I have three colorways that were listed today.
The first, Fireflies... you've already seen.

Then I got some "Delicately Delicious" listed.
Now, "Delicately Delicious" is actually just a temporary name as I am waiting to hear from Bri from Bree's Way.  Since this colorway was inspired by her, I figure I'll give her a shot at naming it.
But in the meantime it will be referred to as "Delicately Delicious"

Now, this one is really friggin funny if you ask me.

If you been following for a little while, then you will know that I have tried Martha Ess's suggestion for "Harvest" once before.  But, it's didn't turn out too great, because my chocolate dye was very grey next to a not red dye.  

So, I actually bought a dark brown and dark red dye so that I could do the "Harvest" because I envision it to be a wonderful colorway.

But, I got a little ahead of myself last night.  I wanted to try a slightly different way of dyeing.  A way that would allow the colors to blend together evenly more smoothly.  Well, I took a couple of wrong turns... 

Once I realized that I was doing it all wrong, I just started smooshing all the dye together.  At that point, I was just really glad that I didn't do many skeins. lol

But as I was doing that, I realized that this would be end up being perfectly chocolately... in a very gooey kind of way.

So.... I present the extremely small batch of 

"Chocolate Ooey Gooey"!!

I still want to do an actual "Chocoholic" colorway like was suggested by a couple of people, but this one is just dark browns, with a reddish overtone.  It really looks phenominal.

If it proves to be popular, I can try to do up some more in the same fashion. :o)

I have only sizes 20 and 80 right now.

But, I swear Stephanie Grace, this is not Horse Manure! 

For those who don't know what I am talking about, 

Stephanie Grace commented on my other posts asking me to promise no browns for a farm inspired colorway because it would only remind her of cow dung and horse manure. 

Too funny.

Too bad one of my favorite colors to work with is brown. Eeekk!