step 9 and hdtv

just a short quick note.
I have changed my title above, I used the website http://glowtxt.com/ to format the font for the title.
hope you like it. Gina introduced it on her blog.

I haven't posted lately as I have been quite busy with non-tatting items and a very big tatting project that I can't show or talk about as it is meant for someone who reads this blog from time to time.

The non-tatting items, include bowling on Monday nights, Tuesday working on the lesson that I taught on Wednesday to the CCD class of 8th graders. I was able to tat a bit tonight and hopefully catch up the TIAS tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday will be taken up with normal housework and getting my tatting display and other items ready for the tatting demonstration at Rutland's Uff Dah dayz on Sunday.

Here is step 9 for the TIAS 4, it is still a puzzle.

on the subject of HDTV, the new antenna came today.

DH is busy combining beans, and the crew that will erect the new bin was here late today prepping the site to pour concrete tomorrow. So I don't know if we will be getting the antenna up right away.

Happy tatting

Ladytats

steps 7&8 and more hdtv saga

In my previous post I mentioned that I was getting behind.
Ladyshuttlemaker had already decided to take the weekend off to allow everyone to catch up. Which was really nice of her, but I realize it was actually for my benifit. Go Sherry.
What really helped me was the Presidential debate tonight.
I was able to start and finish step 7

and to start and finish step 8 as well.

I have changed Sherry's pattern twice now. not in any appreciable way, but I didn't like the color dot that occured when doing a lock join with the yellow core thread when doing the pink chains, so I used a Catherine wheel join to eliminate them. I used the Catherne Wheel join in the previous step where the color dot would have shown as well. I like the CW join and it works well is certain situations. If you are un familiar with a CW join, it is the same stitch you use when doing a split chain. You can find the directions on the snowgoose lace shop website http://www.snowgoose.cc/friv/cath_wheel.htm

on another note, we have ordered the multi-directional tv antenna that promises to reach more then 70 miles (it better reach 82 miles) to the tv stations that are considered "local" in our area.
I will let you know how it turns out.

Happy tatting
Ladytats

step 5, today's doily and HDTV saga

I have been able to keep up with T.I.A.S #4 and here is step 5. I have emailed a guess to Sherry, will see how I do.





Today, DH, another couple & myself traveled 4 hours to the Metrodome and watched the Vikings get their first win of the season. YEAH!





During the drive I had plenty of tatting time, so here is the 1st & 2nd rounds of a doily. The thread is size 10 Picasso (a 8 cord thread) in Ladyshuttlemaker's Peach Pandorea. It looks a bit "messy" as I hide the thread ends but do not cut them until I am done. This is a nice thread to use, it works up well and handles well. the only drawback that I can see is that it is a loosely twisted thread, so you need to be careful to catch all of the thread when joining or retro-tatting. I counted ds and there are approximately the same #ds in the rings and in the chains, the only difference are the picots in the chains. I was able to wind around 5yds on each bobbin for the shuttle that I used today. I used 2 bobbins for these 7 motifs. That tells me that I have used about 20yds of thread for ds and some additional for the picots. Since the skein of thread contained about 50yds, I should have enough thread to add a 3rd round of 6 motifs to this doily. As to pattern, it is a simple 6 ring & chain flower motif. I don't know if there is a pattern, and I certainly will not claim this as mine. The rings are 8-8 and the chains are 2ds(-2ds)X7 motifs are joined to the 4th picot in the chain of the corresponding motif based on your layout.





Now on to the Saga of HDTV.


If you have read the previous posts, you will know that we have been able to receive a much greater variety of stations on the HDTV channels. Unfortunately, they fade in and out a lot. So DH went to town on Friday, talked to the local appliance dealer and bought a different antenna. This one cost about $200 and didn't really look any different then our 20yr old original antenna. We went up the roof on Friday night, and took down the $60 antenna from the farm supply store in the nearest big city and installed the expensive one.
Reception was worse.
Saturday morning I went back on the Internet to see what other information I could find. I found a very informative article on this site http://tinyurl.com/3s7n3h newly updated as of 09/05/08

There are a couple of other links in the article to help you find your location and the location of any stations in your area. It helps to find out where the station towers are located and how far away they are. We discovered that we have been trying to use a uni-directional antenna and we need a multi-directional antenna and the towers we receive signals from are located up to 85 miles from us. So we will be returning both of the new antennas that we bought.


So far it looks like the only place to get the one we need is to order from the Internet. Here is 1 site that I found http://www.antennasdirect.com/ it has many different types of antennas and they are offering free shipping for the rest of the month. We haven't yet ordered, and will do some more searching, but this one at least earned a bookmark.



Possible severe thunderstorm coming, so need to close this down.
Happy Tatting,
Ladytats