I'm Still Here

One: Tired birdy

Two: Cute new pink-necked green pigeons to watch out my window

Three: Continents in one week

Four: Currencies in my wallet

Five: Outfits to wear to work - living out of a suitcase (again) makes dressing a challenge

Six: Repeats made on my tatted lace piece

Seven: Million things to do

Eight: Days back in the land of hot weather and cold soyabean milk

Nine: PM and I'm already sleepy. 6:30am starts and jetlag are not a great combination.

Ten: PM is when I watch Spongebob (if I can stay awake that long!)

My First Doily

Too nice to simply put on a table, I wore the doily with an Alannah Hill silk flower to a wedding to make a simple fascinator

The Doily

Detail of the Doily

For my second tatted piece, I think this turned out quite well. Its a little uneven as my stitch tension leaves a lot to be desired and my picots are not all the same size, but I'm happy with it. I'm just glad I finally finished it as I've been working on this on and off since June.

What I have been up to recently...

Grey Organic Cotton Baby Booties with Rabbit Buttons

Linen Acrylic Blend Cushion Cover on Grey Felt Backing

Pattern Picture for tatted Doily

The Work in progress, rounds 1 and 2

Beetroot Brooch for Spacious

Bamboo Yarn and Ceramic Bead Necklace

Bamboo and Beads

Knitted Hat (my own adapted pattern)

Crocheted Matching Flower

Closeup of Necklace

Orange Wooden Bead and Plastic Gold Bead Necklace on Suede

Pooch sleeping on fabric I'm trying to sew with!

As usual, I have been up to an amazing plethora of activities ranging from crocheting cushion covers, hand sewing clothing, crocheting little baby booties, making necklaces, tatting my first doily and reading books about Strads (the violins). I've also dried some mangosteen hulls to use for dyes at a later date, washed some fabric ready for sewing and been working on a crocheted dress.

Another project has been a barter trade system with friends, trading handmade for handmade like. So far I'm the proud owner of some little clouds from mein (can also find mein here) traded for three crochet necklaces and a happy recipient of a homemade apple and raisin pie traded for a knitted beanie with matching flower (shown above).

And I've been missing my little craft helper, who liked to sleep on my fabric while I am trying to arrange pattern pieces or freak me out by narrowly missing standing on a pin! He also enjoyed walking across my crochet squares and through piles of yarn and kicking them all over the place!

I like tat

I can go to a store and buy a piece of lace for $2 or I can spend a week making my own by hand. Naturally I choose the more difficult way, I make by hand.

I've been long fascinated by lace and wanted to learn how to make it myself. There are several ways to make lace. You can knit it, crochet it, tat it, make it with a bobbin and you can knot it. When I spied classes to learn how to tat lace, I signed up. That was March and since then I've completed my first project, a simple bookmark for my grandma.

Tatting turned out to be not too difficult once I got the over-under part right. I'm in love with the process and can't wait to try more. I brought a book to learn some more patterns and will go for another class but here are the results and process of my first project.