Rehab tatting and Affluenza

I have been exercising my wrist with a few oddments. Firstly I had a go at clunies or point d'espirit. It had been difficult with bobbins to get them even and the same size...and my tatted ones are no better!
I finished off a couple of shuttles with Mary Konior's "curds and whey" in 100 gutermann and 80 DMC.
I used Pamela's Coral Reef for this motif based on triangles and split rings from the Ring of Tatters magazine.

I had been listening to a programme about "Affluenza" the disease of the Western World, where we want more than we need, and we buy stuff and it makes us unhappy...and I got to thinking about tatting books I have bought, but never done a pattern from. I decided that 2009 would see a change, and so this is a motif from a book I haven't used before. Frivolité by Bernadette Baldelli.

Don't buy it! It's not much good, the patterns aren't very inspiring and the instructions aren't very illuminating either. This was patterned to be worked in 4 rounds, but with a split ring and my first ever split chain I managed it in one go.

I hope the next book is better!

Pink Lace

I have decided to give up on my pink lace sample...I needed to undo quite a bit of it because I had a pair in the wrong place, and as I return to work on Monday I knew it wasn't going to happen!
I am quite pleased to have got this far, and I have learnt how to do footside much better, and roseground.
The thread was Valdani 50 colour precious pansies.
Now I have to relearn how to use my right hand, and it is painful, LOL!
My challenge for 2009 is to do Elisadusud's point d'esprit . These video lessons make it look quite simple!

Wrist advice

I wonder if any of you who has already broken their wrist may be able to offer some advice. My boss rang on Tuesday to ask if I could go back to work 10 days early, but I don't think I can legally as my sick note has the date marked on it. So I will have to make up from the first day back and work the first ten days non-stop. The thing is my wrist is still painful, so when the splint comes off how good will it be? Does the pain and stiffness wear off fairly quickly? When I look at the timetable they've set out for me I quail somewhat.

Having said that I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year, and look forward to seeing more of your beautiful tatting. (And thank you for all the comments and good wishes, which have been much appreciated.)