Toddler Tee and more Crosses

I got a plain T-shirt from Hobby Lobby and sewed the tatted cat onto it.  Here is the result.

The color choices for toddler t-shirts was pretty limited.  I took the tatted cat with me to find the color that would make the tatting really "pop."  Black was really the only logical choice.  My other choices were baby pink, hot pink, white, and gray. The pinks blended with the tatting way too much, the gray was just wrong and white is not the best choice for a messy toddler. I must say it really does pop on the black tee.

I completed two more crosses to take to my home town as gifts in July.  

I really love this pattern from Lene Bjorn's "Tatted Bookmarks - Cross Shaped."  It really kept me on my toes when it came to switching shuttles and reversing work.  Since the pattern is only diagrammed, it doesn't tell you when to switch from shuttle one to shuttle two or when to reverse work, or both.  But I have learned a lot about when and why to switch shuttles in the past year and really had no problems with this pattern.  And I really love the elegant complexity of the cross, so much so that I made a second one.  The one above is done in Altin Basik, color 366, size 50, which feels more like 20 or 30 in standard sizes. 

Here is the second cross:

This one is done in vintage Coats and Clark size 70.  I really love working with vintage thread.  Here are the two crosses side by side so you can see the difference in size.

As you can see, size really does matter.

Beautiful Cat Despite Kitten

I'm still having fits with our little kitten attacking my tatting.  The only good tatting time I get anymore is when he's taking a nap.  Now I have to juggle housework, kids and a kitten in order to squeeze in a little tatting time.  But I did manage to tat this adorable little cat.

The pattern is from the book "Tatted Animals" by Inga Madsen.  It was actually a fairly easy tat.  It's done in Lizbeth 40 Tropical Punch.  The face was the only fiddly part. I plan to sew him onto a toddler size t-shirt and give it to my one year old niece.  Stay tuned to see the completed project.

In July I'm going to my hometown in Northern Indiana (Mishawaka to be exact) to visit family and friends.  I want to give each family member a tatted cross bookmark for their Bible. This is the third one I've (almost) finished. I have about 5 more crosses to tat between now and mid-July.

It looks a little crooked because it hasn't been blocked yet.  I still need to tat a chain from the top of the cross up to peek out of the Bible.  This is Lizbeth size 40 Sea Coral Citrus and Lime Green Light.  I love this color combination.  It looks like Easter colors.  This pattern is from the book "Tatted Bookmarks - Cross Shaped" by  Lene Bjorn.

Not very productive

I have been a very unproductive tatter these last few weeks.  "Why," you may ask "have you lacked productivity?  Is is because you don't have time?"  "No," I respond.  "School has just gotten out and as a school bus driver, I am off for the summer, so I have plenty of extra time to tat."  "Do you need inspiration?" you inquire.  "No.  I just received these two new tatting books and am itching to try out some patterns," I answer.

This is the source of my tatting woes.

Our adorable little kitten, Neko.  Every time I get out my tatting bag and start unwinding thread from the shuttle(click, click, click), Neko comes running.  He has learned that that clicking sound means thread moving and shuttles dangling.  He cannot resist attacking everything that moves. He is only 4 months old after all.  I try to ignore him and carry on with my tatting, and this is what happens:

Notice the ball of thread in his arms and his claws in my tatting bag.  He is just relentless.  I have seen that many of you fellow tatters have cats, so I'm hoping this is just the kitten phase and he will learn to take my tatting in stride over time.

I have managed to complete a couple small projects despite the kitty.

This bookmark, designed by Jane Eborall, is done in Arctic Waters and Sky Blue medium, size 40.  It was a teacher gift for the end of the school year.

This is a Grace Tan adapted cross pattern from a bookmark designed by Jane Eborall and Jane McClellan in Grape Pomegranate size 40.  I especially love this variegated thread.  The purples and reds are very rich.