Back to tatting

Well this year started off a little rocky for me.... but things have calmed down and I've picked up my shuttle. I made a few snowflakes to get back into it. It's like riding a bike. You don't forget.
Thanks for your emails and prayers.

Back from the Christmas blackout

Ok, Christmas is a lot of work for women. We all know that but we never just come out and say it. The cooking and the gifts and the extra cleaning is enough to cut into tatting time. We hope to be tatting and posting soon! I've still checked the pages and admired all the beautiful tatting people are doing.
Happy New Year!!!

christmas gift making

feeling quite a bit better.... normal pain.. but able to get around here's some things destined to be christmas gifts

The split ring earrings and bracelet headed to someone special.


the ecru/white earrings inspired by marilee's lovely creation.
i am polymer clay handicapped though.

They are quick to make up so I have listed the pattern here. You need about 32 seed beads 4 on the shuttle rest on the ball ctm. I used vintage size 20 tatting thread.




Ecru/white earrings
r:10 vsp 10
slide 4 beads down on shuttle 4 on ball
r:8 vlp 8 ch:6 b 6
r:8+8 ch: 6 b6
r:8+8 ch 6 slide down 18 beads 6 ch:6b6
r:8+8 ch: 6 b6 (repeat 2 times)
join to ring
ch:4b4
join to chain and hide thread thru the beads at top of earring.

black earrings & a christmas ornament

I still can't sit up but thank God I can tat. I feel blessed.



Here's yesterday's earring pattern in black... with 10 beads at the bottom loop.

Santa will be giving these away.


My grandfather, Charlie Perkins, was the king of roses. Literally. He was the president of jackson and perkins.

I was an infant when he passed.

hospital tatting

It's really hard to tat when you have an iv in your left hand. If i had to do it again I would bring a needle instead of a shuttle. I managed to finish up my second exchange gift and a snowflake. Started on an earring pattern but didn't get it right.
After I came home from hospital I did get it right. I had seen Kim Millars earrings where she draped a long picot to the next ring. Here's my version of what I could remember.

r1:3-3b3b3 slide down 20 beads 3-3
r2:3+3b3 + in between beads 8 and 9 3b3 slide down 8 (or more)beads 3b3 slide down 20 beads 3b3-3
r3:3+3+3b3b3-3
r4:3+3b3b3b-3b3b3b+3

The nice thing about tatting is it's very portable. it managed to distract me pre-op and post op... and my surgeon wants to attend the next class on dec. 8.

88-Bead snowflake snowflake with button center

I finally finished my first exchange item. Fourth try was a charm. I can't post the picture until she's received it, but here's the pattern

88-Bead snowflake with button center
c. Janet Perkins 2006

I used 20 wt crochet thread and a four-hole button (small). I wound two shuttles with beads using continous thread method.
R: ring SR: split ring Ch:chain SC: split chain
B:bead rw:reverse work
Load 24 seed beads on shuttle 1 and 64 on shuttle two.
round 1
R1:2B-2+(to button)2B-2. rw
**Ch:2B2-2B2 rw
R2:2+2+(to same button hole)2B-2. rw
Ch:2B2-2B2rw.
R3:2+2+(to next button hole)2B-2. rw** (repeat from ** to ** 2 times)
Ch:2B-2B2 rw
R8:2+2+(to button)2+2. rw
SC:2B2/2B2
round 2
SR1: 3B-3/3B-3. rw
***Ch:4BBB4 rw
R2:3+6B-3. rw
Ch:4BBB4 rw
R3:3+3+ (to round 1)B-3. rw*** (repeat from *** to *** 6 times)
Ch:4BBB4 rw
R16:3+6+3. rw
Ch:4BBB4.
Tie and cut.

Learning from my mistakes

I've been working on an exchange item... and it took me three tries to get round 1 exactly the way i wanted ... I'm still not happy with round 2 although I did learn how to do a split chain with a shuttle. (have always picked up a needle to do this b4).
My tatting is improving. The exchange really motivated me. When I received the most gorgeous earrings imaginable from Carol A. I found I had to improve and learn new beading techniques. I think I mastered them all now... on the picot...over the picot and on the ring. Well maybe not mastered the over the picot one, but can do it.