Crafting and Tatting on a Saturday Night

Saturday evening I found myself alone with a bunch of random crafty stuff I'd picked up from the scrapbook section of Hobby Lobby here and there over the past few months. I went in looking for a beginning tatting book the other day, but the one they usually have and been purchased by some one else. Guess I'll just have to wait until they get it back in stock.

There was also some caffeinated beverage and sugar available. Oh, and some various types of glue, but I see that I've failed to take a picture of that.

So I sat and glued and made four little hair clips and two needle minders.

Only one of the alligator clips got glued to the flowers. The other clips I was using to hold the felt circle and the flower together while the glue dried. I think my favorite clip is the dusky pink one with the white bead in the middle. I'm a little bummed about the needle minder with the dark ribbon flower and little crocheted flower. It's too many layers between the magnet and the needle, so it doesn't hold a needle at all. *pouty face* Oh well, it's cute. I can use it as a chart holder instead of a needle minder.

After this, I dug out all of my Mom's old tatting stuff. I read through her beginning book and the pictures just were not making any sense to me. So I hit YouTube to find some videos of beginning tatting. I found one that was good, the basic stitch was demonstrated at a slow rate, and I felt that I understood what she was telling me to do. So I got out the shuttle and away we went.

My first attempt is the green and white sort of loopy thing to the upper right.  Not quite even, and I was struggling to follow along.  My second attempt is the blue ring.  See how nice and neat and even my stitches are?  Well, they're all on the wrong thread.  I didn't figure that one out until I watched a couple other videos and one gal was demonstrating the stitching with two very distinct colors of thread.  So I rummaged around Mom's tatting stuff some more and tried again.  The straight blue set of knots is my third attempt.  Not quite as even or as beautiful, but they're on the right thread.  I'm having trouble maintaining an even tension, and dropping the tension when needed.  I'm starting to think I need a big rock to set on the table and run my ball thread under to help with my tension issues.

I found that there is a little group of tatters that meets at a local quilt shop on the second Saturday of the month.  I'm thinking of wandering in and seeing what help they can offer me.  It won't be until July that I can wander in, though, since the second Saturday in June is already booked.  It's something to look forward to, and something to play with as I try to figure this thing out.

Hugs and Stitches,
Kay