This might come in handy

I haven't been able to do much tatting this winter, I had something wrong in the base of the back of my left hand near my wrist.  A pinched nerve or something.  The Chiropractor said there was some kind of calcium deposit or something, but it is fixed now and I can get some tatting done.

The first thing I have done is Jane Eborall's TIAS pattern 
The threads are both size 20 in Lizbeth Rainbow Taffy and DMC Babylo in orange

You will note that I have an extra ring at the top of the mast.  I needed an easy way to hide my final ends so used a SSSR to do so.  Works like a charm. Thanks Jane for the fun pattern.

With the weather this past several days, we may need a boat.  We have gotten over 2" in the past 3 days, but several miles from here they have had almost 4".  All the whole month of April we didn't get any and now it is coming at once.  Only good thing, it should finally get the frost out of the ground.  The farmguy and other farmers around here are chaffing at the bit.

Have a really great May day on Thursday.

Toot! Toot!

Sherry's TIAS was fun to do and the directions were easy to follow.  Her Picadilly Express is cute, and if you have finished her TIAS, there is a Bonus pattern for 2 more cars to pull behind the engine.

Thanks Sherry for a fun pattern.
This is the blog Sherry set up for us to post our trains in the same place.
You can still join the TIAS and make this pattern.  You can find all the day to day pattern pieces on Sherry's ladyshuttlemaker blog.

Miranda from TattingFool  very kindly asked me to test her Pendant pattern.  It was a nice pattern to follow.  While you did need to cut and tie after each section, it was not difficult. 

Miranda is holding a contest to name this Pendant pattern.  You can learn about it here.

Good night everyone

TIAS Days 4&5, a surprise in the mail & canning

After I finished tatting Day 3, my motif cupped.  Sherry posted in response to several tatters that the motif should lay flat. I considered starting over, but was able to stretch the chains enough so the flower shape laid flat.
Tonight I was able to sit and catch up with Days 4 & 5

I have no idea yet what this is, but it sure is an interesting shape. 

Several weeks ago a package showed up in the mail, I wasn't expecting anything and when I opened it, a dear friend had sent me a very nice linen square with a pretty Prairie Rose embroidered on it.  The Prairie Rose is the state flower of North Dakota.  They grow wild in places on our farm and in uncultivated areas all over the state. 

As you can see it is about 8" square with raw edges.  I need to decide how to hem it, a plain hem, or one done with what is called Hem stitching, so there are holes to join to.  Also, do I leave it square, or trim it round or oval.

The thread in the corner is Perfect Quilter Prairie Sage

I think it is the perfect color for an edging, but what edging? simple and narrow? or intricate and wide?  Any and all opinions are welcome as to shape for the linen piece and also the type of edging.

what have a been doing this week?, not much tatting, but this is how I have spent my evenings.


Sunday night I started an 18qrt roaster of tomatoes, while that got started, I peeled and chopped 20 onions and 20 cloves of garlic added that to the roaster along with some parsley and basil.  I let it cook all night long.  I also had enough cucumbers picked to pack 4 half gal jars of refrigerator dill pickles.  I now have 5 half gal jars in my fridge.

Monday night I cubed 6lbs of venison and beef and browned the meat. I then ran all the tomato mix through a sieve to remove the skins. I put about 7 qrts of the tomato pulp/juice in with the meat and some more spices and let it cook for about 3 hours ~ Chili.  The rest of the tomatoes - 6 qrts went in the fridge to make tomato soup.

Tuesday night I canned 7 qrts of chili and put 2 qrts in the fridge for eating.  Farmguy had some for both noon meal and supper and said it was good. Yeah!

Tonight I canned 14 pints of Tomato soup base.  This is a really nice recipe from my grandmother. It is condensed and thickened so when you want to have tomato soup you heat a pint up to a boil, add 2 cups milk, then heat again to serving temp. 

This coming Sunday I will be demonstrating Tatting at Uff Da dayz in Rutland ND again. Eveyone is welcome to come and experience some good food, good crafts, sillyness - there are pig races - a parade and good times. The nearby Coteau des Prairies Lodge nearby is a wonderful place to stay.

Speaking of this coming Sunday the weather service has predicted a low of 30 degrees over night. If that is the case, and how can the National Weather Service be trusted when the gov has shut down??? But if they are telling the truth, then we will have to cover the tomatoes.  They have been bearing and ripening quite well this year as opposed to last year, so I don't think we will be putting up the hoop house.

Sherry's TIAS

I have joined Sherry's TIAS 




For those who do not know, Tat It And See is a fun tat a long where the designer releases a small part of their pattern every few days.  She doesn't tell you what you are tatting, you get to try guessing as you go. They are really fun.


Sherry has set up a blog just for posting your efforts at her TIAS 
 
The thread I am using is a Manuela, the label is gone, so no idea of color # however, the thread is no longer being produced.
Here is my Day 1

And Day 2

I thought about using a joining technique to minimize the color blips, but decided to let them be.

What I did this weekend instead of tatting

I have been tatting, really I have.  I have finished a test tat doily, am involved in another test tat, and have finished 3 motifs for my veil.  The veil motifs are the only ones I can show at the moment, but because of the very dark color, I need really good sunlight to take the photos, and that has been lacking lately.

This weekend we decided to dig some of the carrots in the garden, The neighbors who garden with us and we decided that too many were getting too big and splitting when it rained, so we were going to dig the bigger ones, well, we ended up digging 3 of the 5 rows.  This was a great year for carrots, not so great for other crops, but carrots did very well.

So, we ended up with 4 big dishpans full.  The neighbor gal took one and I had the other 3. 
A nice little gal came and gave me a hand with the scrubbing saturday, and this is what we ended up with.

Overflowing dish drainer

13qrt mixing bowl

As you can see some of the carrots are very large. 
They were all colors,  White, Yellow, Orange & Purple.  They do taste a bit different, the white and yellow are milder and the purple is slightly different then the orange.  The purple are only skin deep and they will bleed out when you cook it, The center is a very bright yellow green, surrounded by light orange with a purple skin.  The big one you see on the top of the dish drainer is a yellow one.  The white ones usually stayed slimmer, but grew tall out of the ground so they have green tops,  you can see one in the lower left corner of the drainer.  it is actually odd shaped.  It grew is a stair step fashion.  Some of the yellow ones have a bit of green on the top as well, but not as much as the white.

Sunday after church I started slicing, I ended up with this

13qrt bowl

 I filled this, put 7 qrt jars in the canner,  filled it again, then filled the roaster you can see beside it.

I put 5 batches through the canner yesterday.  I took the last ones out at 1 this morning.
This is what my table looked like

14 qrts of plain carrots
36 pints of plain carrots
3 pints of dilled carrots
3 pints of dill pickled carrots

The white lids are the Tattler reusable brand.  They have been showing up in the Fleet Farm stores in the nearby towns, so they aren't just on the internet.  I like them.

A close up of the jars

The look pretty good don't they. 

Well, I am sneaking the time to do this at work.  So gotta run and get back to it.  Have a really great day everyone and please join in Sherry P's TIAS.   Here is Day 1.

I hope to get some tatting done tonight.

Final for the 2013 TIAS

It's a pram!!

The 2013 is a baby carriage as we say on this side of the pond. 

I have had fun with this, and taken longer then I should have to finish my TIAS version. But it is done.

I used size 20 threads in Lizbeth Ocean Sunset and Boysenberry Dark  and Manuela Gold.

I know, I haven't yet posted all the snowflakes I made for Christmas presents yet.  I will try to get that done before Christmas comes again.

But I am still tatting on unfinished projects.  I will post when I have something to show.

wishing all of you a happy tatting weekend.  Take care, stay out of the snow and off the icy roads.

Day 8 and a Beta

I got a bit of tatting done today on the TIAS Day 8.
No clue as to what it is.

I was also privileged to test Jeff Hamilton's new pattern for a Beta Fish

This pattern was not hard to do.  I have done block tatting many times, but never this much in a pattern, so I was very careful to check off each row as I did it so I could keep my place.
Jeff's pattern is not complicated.  Thanks Jeff for allowing me to test your pattern.  Please keep an eye on Jeff's blog, he will let you know when it is available.

I also started a set of doodad earrings from a pattern posted by Marie from West Pine Creations on Facebook

Day 7

I almost forgot to post this. 
I have sent it to Jane with no guess, I still have no idea what this is.

 

We got some more snow today, another inch or so.  Last night it was -24 but tonight is is only supposed to get down to about -10 I think. But the next several days are all forecast to be above zero day and night.  Yeah! a heat wave.  

TIAS Day 6 & Snow!

Here is my day 6 for Jane E's TIAS.
I still have no clue about this one, usually I can see something, but not this year, you are mysterious Jane.  The link to participate which you can do at any time, if you haven't started, but are intrigued, is here.       Jane posts small bits of the pattern every few days, so it is easy to do in a small amount of time. She also doesn't tell us what we are making, we have to guess, which is part of the fun. 

And I am including for your pleasure a picture of the 10 inches of snow we got last night. there was no wind so it piled up on the trees and roads, schools are 2 hours late, and roads are slick because we had freezing drizzle before the snow yesterday.


This picture is in our yard, that is an Apricot tree, and some Chokecherry bushes.

This pine tree is holding big puffy loads of the snow.

Well, have to get to work here at home so once the roads are clear, I can get to work.
Have a very good tatting day, stay safe and warm and have a good cup of tea.

TIAS day 5

Here is day 5 of the TIAS.

I have been using the intrepid version of directions, and also using Lark's head Picot Joins and Catherine Wheel Joins

I have been using Krystle's  LHPJ as this is varigated thread and I didn't want the color blips, but I couldn't figure out how to do that on the 2nd side of the split ring #25, so I have a color blip of teal in a raspberry ring. 

Does anyone know the technique to do this?

Day 12

I have finished Jane's TIAS This was a lot of fun as always.

thanks Jane.

did some other tatting last night too, but after 45 minutes, 5 rings and 4 chains discovered that I have goofed. So spent another hour unpicking 4 rings and 3 chains back to the goof. so didn't accomplish much.  I really need to get it done, it was supposed to be a Christmas gift.  the gal knows I am working on it, and that it isn't finished. but really, february???????   at this rate it might not be done until Easter, and I have one more to do as well.  I really need to get on the stick, stop doing other stuff and finish.
Anyone got any extra stick-to-it they can give me?

Day 11

got this done last night about 9:00 pm. 
it was just too dark last night, I think I need to change all the florescent bulbs in the house, They are supposed to be so great, but the light isn't as good as incandescent. so I needed to wait for daylight to take the picture.
am on pins and needles for tomorrow's final step.

if you haven't given any thought to the Tat-along hosted by Umi & Tsuru, I suggest that you at least take a look

http://umintsuru.blogspot.com/2012/02/tat-along-challenge-tischband-by-ruth.html

I hadn't planned on participating as I have several projects piled up that need to be completed, but may have to give this a try as well because the pattern she is using is by Ruth Scharf, and we know Ruth's patterns are very pretty.

Ruth has given her permission to post the pattern for those of us who don't have her books. Thanks Ruth  here http://umintsuru.blogspot.com/2012/02/tischband-tat-along-blute-1-pattern.html 

Hoarfrost in sun and day 10

The sun came out today.  I went back to some of the pictures that I took yesterday in the foggy weather, and took them again, or close to it.

and here is my Day 10 for the TIAS

Billy need some sun after the last few dreary days, so here he is on my blocking board in the window.   he will be pleased to have his front legs in the next few days.

Day 9

I have finished Day 9 of Jane's TIAS 
it really looks like a goat today with chin wiskers.

if you haven't already started tatting this, you can still pick up the installments and give it a go.  it is all basic simply techniques.

2012 TIAS Day 8

After a long day at work, and making a big pot of chili for tomorrow, I finally had the time to sit down and tat today's installment of the TIAS .

to me it looks like this will be a goat.

Day 7

my Granddaughter Lily has guessed that it is the back end of a dog or other animal. (stand on your head to see it. he he he)

was able to flip the picture in PicassaWeb, so here you have it right side up,  maybe.

Day 5 and other TIASs

 Here is my day 5
if we had added a bead in or near the large center ring, then this would resemble an elephant's trunk, however since we didn't, I am nonplussed.

Sherry over at Tatting Tales ~ All thing Tatting  mentioned that she had previously hosted a TIAS. 
I thought I would show you what her pattern turned out to be.

Lighthouse Bookmark

There was another TIAS hosted by Dani in the spring around Easter. this is what we tatted. 

Dani had 2 options for her TIAS, you could stop when what you had looked like an Easter Egg, or continue on to see what you tatted in the end.  I have a granddaughter who loves this little chick.

we ended up with 70lbs of venison sausage rings, that go to the smoker tomorrow, 8 lbs of bulk sausage in the freezer and 18lbs of ground venison for jerky.  6lbs of which are busy marinating in the fridge and will be set to dry later this afternoon.  the rest will be done in the next couple of days.

2 football games this afternoon.  time for lots of tatting.,  but not with beads,  to many chances for getting involved with the game, and no way do I want to try to get beads out of the carpet. even with a stocking over the vacuum cleaner. not good. 

Day 4 and stuff

I have completed Day 4 of the TIAS.

had a rough afternoon at work.  my computer started to act up and it took me about 2 hours of constant restarts and fiddling to get it to work again.  turned out I had to switch out my keyboard. 
a couple days ago, and again today I had tipped my travel mug of water onto my desk.  Neither time did I think any water got in my keyboard, but apparently it did.  must have shorted it out over time as I used my computer for several hours after spilling the water.  but once it dawned on me that maybe ..... so unhooked it and got a different one, and voila! it worked. 

by 3:30 I was the only one left in the building and by the time I got it all working again,  it was time to get home.  so didn't get anything more accomplished.

Tomorrow is sausage making day.  we should end up with 100 lbs of venison sausage by the time we are done. 

we will grind the venison and pork once, reserve enough for jerky, then mix in the spices and grind again, then stuff the casings. we are going back to pork casing this year.  last year we tried beef casings, they were easier to stuff, and the rings were plumper, but the casing was tougher, and the sausage didn't seem to smoke as well.  also the casing needed to be removed when you ate the sausage, with pork you didn't need to do that.

Then the cleanup.  the big electric grinder and the stuffer.  takes forever to clean those tiny holes in the grinder plates.  The sausage will be smoked by a friend of ours on monday.  then we will need to get all of it vacuum packed  and in the freezer ~ lots of good stuff to eat this year. 

So early to bed tonight so I have enough energy to get it all done. 

DAY 3

here is my Day 3,

the other tatting I have been doing I can't show yet.

Day 2

Here is Day 2 of Jane's TIAS
I had fun babysitting grandkids this past weekend.  3 of them for 3 days.