Another type of lace

Instant gratification is my middle name. Some might say this is the result of being an only child but I leave these Freudian theories to more qualified people. All I can say is, life is short, why not spend time on pretty things that makes one happy?

Enter my newest instant gratification addiction - tatting.

With tatting, I don't have to plan for hours in advance, thinking of whether to make it a cardigan or a sweater, substituting different yarn to achieve that perfect gauge, and then spend days or weeks worrying about whether I got gauge and whether that size will fit the recipient.

With tatting, I just pick up any color thread that grabs my attention, select a random motif or bookmark, load the shuttle and go. If I make a mistake along the way, I cut it off and start again. No commitment, no hours of endless worry, no advance planning needed.

And at the end of that hour or two, I have a delicate piece of lace. And I can then think about what I want to do with it.. or simply just hold it and admire the crisp knots and lacey picots.

I have a feeling this addiction is here to stay...

Tatted floral bookmark
Pattern : available on the web from Kersti
Thread : Altin Basak Turkish thread in Size 50



Tatted floral vine
Pattern : available on the web somewhere
Thread : DMC Embroidery Floss (3 strands)

Some inspiring sites that showcase the fresher side of tatting :

25 Motif Challenge - a tatting showcase of sorts, lots of pretty motifs

Yarnplayer's Tatting Blog - she sells the most beautiful handdyed threads at her etsy shop

Jon's Blog - beautiful pictures of tatting & tatted items on her site

Threads from a Tatting Goddess - just look at this tutorial on card making

War of the Voices of Baby Items

Pattern : Easy Baby Knits by Claire Richardson

Yarn : Sublime Merino Silk DK (slightly less than 1 skein)

Voice 1 (aka Angel Voice) - "ohhh this is going to be so squishy and cute"

Voice 2 (aka Demon Voice) - "isn't this yarn kinda hot for our weather?"

Voice 1 - "a little, but it's quite light weight so it shouldn't stifle the baby"

Voice 2 - "it's too small, how are the baby's hands gonna stretch in that"

Voice 1 - "most babies curl up their fingers, and anyway the yarn stretches"

Voice 2 - "baby will snag a nail in the loose weave and will probably end up yanking out her entire nail"

Voice 1 - "but look at those cutie matching ribbons I found in my stash that matches the yarn perfectly..."

Voice 2 - "what if baby chokes on the ribbon when it comes undone"

Voice 1 - ".....but, but.."

Voice 2 - "besides which, Mothercare sells those for like $10 for 3 pairs, you're gonna take forever to make them"

Voice 2 - "and your mom will put those in the dryer and shrink them, then they definitely won't fit anymore... /evil snickering

Voice 1 - /concedes defeat and is silenced forever

Game, Set, Match - Demon Voice
And I thought that knitting baby items would be easy...

Re-discovering old WIPs

Hey, lookee what I found while unpacking!!

This WIP brings back such memories... I had bought the kit while in Tokyo in Nov 2006, from this impossibly elegant yarn studio called "Mother Earth". I still recall the crisp morning autumn air as I dragged my poor husband through the streets of a suburban neighbourhood, desperately scanning for signs that scream 'YARN' to me. I had even dug up my courage to enquire (in horribly rusty Japanese) of a passerby as to where the shop was.. only to have her reply (in perfect English) "oh sorry i'm not local". Hmmm.

We finally found the quiet little storefront, tucked away in a corner. The soft tinkling of the bell as I opened the wooden door, the comforting smell of lavender & rose oils in the air, and the subdued, mellow shades of cones and cones of natural-dyed yarn adorning an entire wall; awakened all my senses. This was and still is yarn heaven for me.

Needless to say, I did major damage there, and in the process, horribly shocked the soft-spoken owner when I nearly bought entire cones of yarn off the wall. She actually refused some purchases. My favourite was the scarf kit above that is made up of little crochet motifs. The center of each motif uses yarn naturally dyed from the Sakura plant, and the edges are in a whisper-light mohair. The colors go together so harmoniously and the motifs come out so delicately that I recall thinking to myself that I will never use big needles or bright colors ever again... such was the influence of that shop experience.

And in case u think I made up such a shop...