I love Christmas!

 I do love Christmas time. I always have lots of music to share. I always have lots of gifts to give. I usually have lots of tatting to share. I can’t show much of what I’ve been working on. But I will share this:

mini stockings with tatting in white

These were gifted me several years ago. I love them!! Simple velveteen for the background material, simple white lace for the embellishments. What’s not to love!! Well, when you hang them among the branches of your green tree, the background of the stockings gets lost. This year, I’m displaying them on the Tatting Stands! I can’t decide whether to place them on the mantle, on a window shelf, or on a small table. Where would you display them????

A new pair just in time

 I saw this pattern on Bernice's blog Knot Vortex. I needed an elegant pair of earrings for a family Zoom Christmas party.  Thank you for sharing your pattern!

Worked in White metallic DMC 3 ply thread with pearl beads.

Ya wants some whine with that?

 Quite a few of my Holidays find me gettin’ real whiney. As a church musician, December is non-stop performance. The music requested runs the gamut: 13 th century to 21 century; obscure sacred text to the latest poem by a “star”; and when someone actually is courteous enough to ask me to pick the music, I never know if it will please the listener. This year is no exception! Even without the in-person option, I’ve fielded enough requests for something everybody likes (read secular kids songs) to something easy (read a favorite of theirs that I’m sure to butcher). So, I’m whiney. When I allow myself to talk. Hint: if your musical friend isn’t saying much it’s because their just tired of the demands made on them this time of year. If they share anything, don’t talk, just listen. They really, really don’t care to know that Aunt Tilley loved the way Uncle Arthur sang O Holy Night. Let them celebrate authentically. You’ll enjoy their company a lot more, trust me!

OK rant over. I’ll know who has been around musicians by how loudly you’re laughing.

I spent time yesterday playing with beads and thread. My beaded version of Dissent is shaping up nicely. After several hours of notetaking, math problems, and researching bead packaging, I determined I have enough beads to start loading them on tatting. Who knew 1000 beads weight just a few grams? I should have pictures to share next week. Unless I change my mind. We’ll see what the future brings.

Because there will be a future. I promise to fill it with music and tatting. Really. Just give me some wine time!

Camel hunting

 Before I make a statement, I need to make a camel.

Christmas Camel by Dolly Hollander

I love gift exchanges. Not because I usually receive really unique, personalized gifts, but because I can spread more tatting in the world. I always try to get the thought out there that I don’t mind people re-gifting my gift IF they request something from me to replace it. I often get it wrong picking out what to create for someone. This year, I’ll be creating this camel to put on something for the kitchen. I’m going to have fun!

Getting ready to celebrate

I’m getting ready to party! 

Santa by Jane Eborall

December is always a busy time for me. I’ll be practicing daily again. I’ll be writing cards and notes. I’ll be creating and buying gifts and then wrapping them. This year I promised myself that everything that comes into the door will be used. I’m not going to stow it away “to use later” but used it now. Kinda “later is now” is my new attitude. And I do Attitude in December!

The picture is one of the gifts I’ve created. Not sure who will be receiving this one. I may just make several! For the pattern, visit Jane.

I hope your celebrations this month are full of joy and wonderment at the gifts you have been given!

Fair results

I am very lucky. I live in a beautiful place. I have great music opportunities on the organ here. I have a great group of tatters that meet weekly. I live a charmed life! I’ve been able to connect with tatters and organists around the world through the Internet and through Guilds. I am very lucky!

A friend, who doesn’t play organ or tat, asked me the other day how I liked participating in the County Fair. It’s a positive experience for me. Lots of people see lots of creative items. The friendly competition spurs my creativity. There are things that are not to my taste: the crowds, how it manages to be the hottest weather all summer, people reacting to my tatting in a negative way. But overall, it’s positive because it encourages people to try tatting. (Get the picture here? It’s all about tatting for me. J)

This year, for Monterey County Fair 2019, I filled out entry forms for 4 items….just 4. Not a lot, I know. When it came time to turn the items in for judging, I couldn’t find 2 of the tatted snowflakes. They are here in the house somewhere. I hope to find them for decorating in December. Since they are missing, I did not have anything judged in the Tatting Division. There were quite a few pieces entered in that Division. They were magnificent! 

The 2 items that I did turn in were entered in Household decorations. These Cuffs for Candelsticks and my version of Martha Ess Two Hearts as One. They won ribbons: 2^nd place for both. I regret I wasn’t able to see the displays as I was wrapped up in Tat Days. I hope to find out exactly how many tatted pieces were judged and how many won ribbons. I call it another successful year for tatting at the Fair. 

What will be created for next year???

Christmas in July....musically!

Snowflake by Lena Bjorn

I’ve been so tempted to sit and tat snowflakes during Bach Fest this year! You see, they have presented all 6 parts of J. S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. That’s about 9 hours of music if you played a CD without stopping. There have been quizzical comments along the lines of what are they thinking? Christmas???

Most sacred musicians just smile. We have to choose music well ahead of time. If we choose something that requires parts to be ordered, or even written, we must give ourselves plenty of lead time. Some musicians even have to raise the money with special offerings before they can realize their planned Christmas celebrations.

Most tatters are constantly thinking Christmas, or at least cold and snowflakes. Tatting a snowflake takes hours. If you want to decorate for Christmas with snowflakes, you better start tatting in July!

Since I’ve not started my snowflakes yet, I guess I’ll be coming up with other ideas for Christmas this year! 

The next gift

I can’t decide!

I have worked some snowflakes from this book in the Metallic. I quite like how they look. They are stiff enough without starch to use on a tree or hanging in a window. I’ll share pictures after blocking. And making my decision…..

Originally, I thought I would use them around an ornament. I still may. Must decide….

Practice comes first for the next few days. Christmas is coming. Have you found all the gifts you’ve squirrelled away? And do you know where your metronome is?

Christmas earrings

Iris Neibach pattern

Here’s the earring pattern by Iris Neibach that gave me inspiration:

Anything that appears to have a grid as its structure always reminds me of tablature or notes on a staff. I definitely need to play with this some more.

Up next: bracelet design with 5 long lines of beads and something else for the other direction.

Candle cuff ready

Here’s what I came up with for the candle cuff pattern. 

I like the colors and shape of the elements. I hope they work for the candelabra.

Looking ahead for 6 weeks

Another quote from the novel I’ve finished:

“Friendships, like quilts, brought warmth and comfort to our lives. Our stitches might not be perfect, but they were as strong as the love that united us in the crazy quilt we called home.”

(Aunt Dimity and the Widow’s Curse by Nancy Atherton)

I hope the next few weeks hold the promise of fun, celebrations, and good times with those you love. I will be shifting into high gear now to clean up Thanksgiving, prepare for Christmas, and start another year! No more lazing with novels, dreaming up new projects, or letting my attention wander too far. It’ll be activity with a check box and lots of time with family and friends!

The next few weeks

Christmas is coming soon. This year will be very fun! On the calendar are parties with friends and family. Dates I’m playing for services. Oh, and yes, shopping and gift wrapping. What fun! All in 6 short weeks. Yes, I know Christmas Day is in 4 weeks. We’re celebrating all 12 days of Christmas this year! More later. Time to get crackin!

Matilda by  Lee Hye-oon

I took a few moments to try out this pattern. Thank you, Hye-oon  for sharing your design. And thank you Georgia for bringing us news of this wonderful designer. Her book is definitely on my list!

12th Day of Christmas

Today is the 12^th Day of Christmas. 

Really. 

Look at the calendar and count. 

I know, I know….that carol is annoying, but it’s fun too. And celebrating more than 1 day of this Holiday can help reduce stress. For anyone who has found themselves hurting someone’s feelings because they can’t accept an invitation to something Christmas, having 12 days to celebrate can spread Good Cheer. And Twelfth Night can be fun! I had hoped to throw a Twelfth Night party for friends and neighbors this year, but it will have to wait until next year. That will be easier as it will be on Friday in 2017.

One of the activities that filled my calendar this year was throwing a Cioppino party for extended family. Now that was a feast! Crab is plentiful this year. And buying local is so easy in Monterey. I didn’t end up with a good picture to share. That’s because the bowl slipped. If you were there, you remember. For the rest of you, think pasta bowl heaped with seafood in a tomato base soup spilling onto a linen tablecloth. Yeah. It was a mess! But, we recovered and enjoyed the food. And the tablecloth looks OK. Thanks for the tip Altar Guild.

I’m focusing on finishing the angel today. I found these in a local store. I’m hoping one of them is the right size for the head. I need to find beads to use for the body still. The weather is supposed to be better today for yard work, so that may take a fair amount of time today. I still have some sorting to do in the studio also. That may have to wait for a rainy day….like Saturday. I really need to get organized and back to designing. Especially before TIAS starts and class starts up. I think a brisk walk will get me going! I’ll be thinking of a phrase I’ve heard a bit lately, “Go on out and change the world!” Join me?

Christmas Break inspirations and projects

The crazy part of Christmas is over. Consumers are no longer jostling at the stores. The right gift is no longer occupying people’s thoughts. The feasts are all laid out and washed up. Now it’s the part of Christmas that allows me to feel connected with my heritage and people throughout the ages. Any parent can relate to the story of birth and the first few days of a child’s life. Any creative person can relate to how traditions came to be. I hope you have been able to pause and enjoy a brief break.

We have been taking advantage of the time off from work to do some badly needed painting and sorting of boxes. The studio looks more like a storage room in the dim reaches of a theater. There’s instruments, stacks of boxes and furniture, paint cans and oh yes, a loom or two. Not much practicing or tatting lately. I did find more inspiration on a walk: 

 One of my walking buddies has picked and cooked mushrooms for years. She no longer pickles them or fixes soups daily, but she will tell you which mushrooms she likes to use for these dishes. I’m not as creative in the kitchen, so it’s alright I’m learning the Russian names for all these.

It’s almost time to get back to creating with fiber. I think I’ll practice again today. With Epiphany around the corner, I’ve dusted off Wie Schon Leuchtet again. I need to finish the angel. Oh, and I’ve only got a few more squares to complete in my Weave-It study series. Several of these yarn creations remind me of quilt blocks. Mmmmmmm

Oh, and Jane’s TIAS is coming. Now, that’s a gift we all enjoy!
Merry Christmas!

Time to celebrate!!

As you read this, the office is in shambles. I'm ignoring it to celebrate. More on that later.

I have needed to replace an aging printer for…years…but thanks to a couple of rescues from the tech whisperer, I kept putting it off. Well, it has died. I’ve replaced that piece of hardware, but that action has a trickle-down effect of forcing a different configuration of the computer work space. That forced an adjustment of loom and tatting space. I'll put up a picture when it's finished. Really! That forced the drudgery of organization. I’m still working on it. Merry Christmas (snort!)

No, really, I do look forward to Christmas. It’s a wonderful time to be an organist with handbell ringing skills. My voice has aged to where I no longer am tapped for David’s City or other traditional carols. It’s really fun to hear and see and play with younger musicians who are celebrating. It’s always more fun to celebrate with a crowd than just you.  

So, here’s to a Merry Christmas and many, many hours of music, tatting, enjoying company and celebrations!!!

A feel good story

More distractions from tatting with good organ stuff. The December American Organist arrived. Usually, the cover story is about some new organ. Lately, some of the cover organs have not only been spectacular to look at, but also have a sweet story to share. I have a bucket list of organs to listen to. It keeps getting longer and longer with each magazine edition! Anyway, this is a gem that was literally rescued. If you follow links on the website, you should be able to read the story until the January cover story replaces it.

I’m still working of Mark’s angel for our tree top. I've added a bit more, but to pictures as I'm not to the assembly part. I’m still working on a stripe of the flag. I am gathering supplies for the TIAS next month. And, of course, I’m still dreaming up new pieces based on pieces.

Right now, I’m off to practice for next weekend. More later…..

Creative Balance

Tatting time lately has taken a back seat to my organ time. 

No surprise there. December is always crunch time for those in Sacred Music. I’ve learned that I need to start planning for Christmas Day in July. If I plan hand-made gifts, those need to get done by November. If we host, the house tasks need to be planned by September. If we travel, the house chores need to be planned by October. That’s just so that I don’t get overwhelmed and fragmented with the practice and performance schedule. I know so many colleagues who do so much harm to themselves trying to have a life and work. I’ve come very close myself. Too close. So, what has been the organ time lately? Taking on a couple of small assisting gigs to allow 2 of those colleagues to pull off the impossible: work life balance as a musician. I’ll be playing a couple of wonderful instruments, sharing some 18th century French music, and celebrating with family and friends.

So, what about tatting?

The tree is almost done. I was able to work on it for 3 hours while the Superior Court of Monterey County decided that they didn’t need me to serve as a juror. I’m not pleased with the last few elements, so I’ll be redoing them. I hope to have it up so I can share pictures with Thursday’s post. Check back then! In the meantime, I encourage us all to create a little each day.

Advent decorations

They’re up. No pictures as they only look nice in the dark and, well, my photography skills fail there also. But, they’re up. That gives me time to get on to the Christmas list.

First up: 

Tree by Monica Hahn

This is a pattern by Monica Hahn. There’s a typo in the book. Not the error you see of the bottom right chain, but of the final chain. I corrected the one, but didn’t see the other. 

My idea:

Tat in para-cord with beads.

That means I need to find my stash of pony beads. I had really stashed this lot. After the GS troop finished with them, I tidied up. I didn’t find them until unpacking after the move…..almost 10 years later. Oops. I’ve been trying to find someone to use them. Guess I’ll use a few for this door decoration! More later….and pictures. I promise. 

25 Motifs in 2016

I did it!! This one completes the Challenge:

Hen N Chicks square by Rachael Mohler

I completed 25 motifs in 2016. I know many, many other tatters have tatted that much in 12 months. I probably have in quite a few years in the past. But, this year I kept track. I thought it would help me keep track of projects for the house, help grow the studio, and generally keep me focused and motivated. Well, it did!!

Thank you Sharon for maintaining the blog. I know how much work you’ve set for yourself. Yes, I know technology makes a lot of the task easier, but you still have to sit and the computer, look at the screen, edit the post, and then make sure it’s all the way you want it to be. Thank you!

And so, here’s my 2016 25 motif Challenge list:

1: Design # 10 Ball Cover by Nadine Nunnelley

2: Cross by Melanie Cervi

3: Wild Rose by Nellie Hall Youngburg

4: TIAS 2016 (Bunny) by Jane Eborall

5: Snowman by Melanie Cervi

6: Julehjerter by Anne Bruvold

7: Heart basket using Julehjerter by Anne Bruvold

8: Edging by Nellie Hall Youngburg

9: Celtic Knot Butterfly by Rozella F. Linden

10: Tatted Scarf Square from a Workbasket magazine c. mid1970’s

11: Celtic Picot Mat by Jennifer Williams

12: Curled Ring Earring by Muskaan

13: Tatted Triangle Motif by Frauberger updated byJennifer Williams

14: Rainbow Bright Earrings by Renee Campbell

15: Long Picot Earrings by Nina Libin

16: Lanyard using Necklace by Nina Libin

17: Bead Cap Earrings by Melanie Cervi (no picture….it went poof after the gift was wrapped and given)

18: Edging based on several vintage patterns

19: Window Decoration II by Jan Stawasz

20: Motif from Hector Earrings by Nina Libin (no picture....I had one, but now....poof!)

21: Dainty Tatted Trim by Anna J. Johnson

22: Insertion based on Hen N Chicks

23: Daisy Medallion updated by Ruth Perry

24: Tatted Tablecloth Square from Workbasket c. 1974

25: Hen N Chicks Square by Rachael Mohler (see picture above in this post)

There! If anyone has questions or comments or would like more info, I’ll be back to check after a walk on the beach! If you're curious what else I've tatted lately, have a look at the Board I have on the other blog I maintain.

Have I really written THAT much????

I’m feeling old today. It’s damp and cool, so my foot is aching. I picked up some furniture yesterday, so I need a rest day. This is the 401^st post for this blog. That’s a lot of nuthin’ much tuh say. I can’t believe I’ve stuck with this for 5 years now. A lot has happened in my life. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve designed a few things. I’ve enjoyed it all!!! But, the thought of it all leaves me feeling…..old.

My tatting time has been taken up with preparations for theFair. I don’t plan on showing what I entered until after the judging. I’m pretty sure the judges won’t be reading this blog, but I consider it poor form to post pictures prior to their assessment. After that day, I plan to post lots of pictures of what’s happening there.

I’ve begun practicing another of the Little Prelude and Fugue by JS Bach. It’s my custom to dust them off each summer. Most times I find some excuse to play them each year. Well, any excuse will work!

I’ve also decided it’s time to learn the Vierne Pieces en Style Libre. They’re distinctive and have lots packed into a few short bars. I have sketches of some of them already inspired by concerts I’ve attended.

bell from silent auction box

 I’ve also decided Christmas gifts this year will be tatted coverings for some of the bells I’ve picked up. Similar to the coverings I did for ornaments. If an idea comes to you, and you share them, who knows what may come your way????