Back again, UN squares

 

I haven't been doing any tatting for ages...new relationship, life is complicated, problems with my job, all these factors have meant that tatting has not been a priority.
I am going to show firstly the incredibly slow process of my heart doily...

I think I will stop  this once I finish this round because the next round is a lot of motifs needing to be made and attached, which I think will be too much for me. I can't even remember where the pattern came from!

 Then I have been trying to make the Rosy Ironbark book mark, (pattern on Etsy) but I am not concentrating, it will probably be just a first effort, and I will try again to get it perfect. My eldest daughter became an Australian citizen last year, here she is wearing a T-shirt that represents the indigenous Australian flag, receiving her certificate. My father was also very interested by Australian plants, so for those reasons I want to make this book mark perfectly!

This is the progress so far, but it doesn't look like the photo on the pattern!











Something else that has caught my attention was a post on Yarnplayer's page, a Belgian tatter who has a project to build a "monument" from pink tatted squares, she explains her project here.
Anyway, I have made two, neither is perfect, I need to have another go. If anyone else decides to have a go I recommend using two shuttles, because otherwise you need to use the shoelace trick to keep on the right track.

Snowflake project

I am working on snowflakes because my lace teacher wants to have an exhibition this year. We never seem to manage to have enough pieces to justify our existence, but it is difficult to attract new students if there is nothing to be seen.
I was doing ok, but then I had my accident. Still I am soldiering on.

These are the first few flakes, mostly tatted, but one in torchon.

Another torchon flake, but I haven't had tried to continue with it since the accident.

Some point ground which I was trying to learn, with the idea of doing a point ground snowflake...I don't know if that is going to happen!

Round 2 of heart doily

I am so tied up with puppies and work and bobbin lace, however I do get a little bit of this doily done most evenings. I like the colour of this thread, a gift from Fox, and this is very relaxing. I have begun round three but wanted to show this stage finished, before adding the next row.

Stuff that has at last been finished...sort of.

Gold braid, torchon bookmark, two snowflakes, and a bit of the heart doily, which has increased a little bit!
Ok the ends are still waiting to be sewn in, but I am pleased to be able to record a bit of progress.

I love to work while listening to podcasts, I can absolutely recommend one called "No such thing as a fish" which is from the QI elves.
Funny and fascinating at the same time, if you love knowing useless facts give it a listen.

Bobbins, shuttles and a cat...

Here is James, offering to help with my gold lace braid.

 And this is the aforementioned braid.

And here is a bit of land of lace's heart doily round one. Let me just say that it's a pattern that is quite a brain teaser, and I have done a lot of unpicking and re-tatting...and I am still only on the third repeat!

Ooh look, gift!

No-one knows where I live, nowadays, so I get no post...however Fox did manage to get this package to me, and I was really excited to find this in my post box after a fairly difficult day.

I thought I had taken more photos, but anyway here are two lovely tatted motifs and a motif of Romanian lace, which will inspire me to have a go, also some shuttles and thread which are beautiful, but I will show you when I manage to get tatting. I have made some bobbin lace this week, I may show later once I have done the tatting as promised.

I am back!

 Look, some lace! This torchon bookmark has been made over the last three weeks, even though I have many other things going on.

I have even dug out some shuttles, and so I am almost finished with this snowflake. I am using size 50 DMC, and a pattern from Tatting by the Bay. Fox has inspired me to look into knotted lace, but I need to wait for pay-day to buy the book...

(I just want to explain that my life has changed course...so that I am now living alone, in a cute little flat with my adored deerhound, her eight puppies and three somewhat disconsolate cats. I work with profoundly handicapped children and young adults. I am very happy.)