I am honored to have been chosen as one of the teachers at this year's Finger Lakes Tatting Conference, to be held in Lodi, NY this April 12-14.  There are social get-togethers on Friday and classes on Saturday and Sunday.  See their website here for complete information:   http://www.fingerlakestatting.com/  Note that the early registration discount is in effect through February 1.  Here are 3 versions of the Maltese Ring motif I will be teaching.  I'm just now noticing that I never blocked some of these squares. How embarrassing! But if I don't post to ..read more

When choosing the thread/yarn for a project, I will pose the question, who's doing the work - the thread or the pattern?  Or to put it another way, the thread/yarn or the pattern may be busy, but not both.  Look at the socks in my previous post.  That yarn called for a very simple pattern.  I usually reserve variegated threads for edgings or small motifs, or alternate rounds with a solid color in a larger piece.  If there are several rounds of a variegated thread, the colors may pool or draw the eye away from the structure of the pattern.  Some people are bette ..read more

Has it ever happened to you that your fallback project, intended for times when you couldn't concentrate enough to work on your important project, became the only thing you felt like doing?  So, while I have numerous works-in-progress and deadlines to meet, I have new socks. The pattern is really simple, as befits a fallback project: Socks on a Plane by Laura Linneman, available on Ravelry.  Except, I substituted the Fish Lips Kiss Heel, also available on Ravelry, because that's the heel I always do.  The yarn is Patons Kroy Socks, color Sunburst Stripes.  ..read more

I love going to the NC State Fair.   I saw some clogging, listened to some bluegrass, ate some weird fair food, and got my yearly block of Cheerwine flavored fudge.   I visited with Anitra at her tatting booth inside the Village of Yesteryear, had nice chats with a weaver and a potter, and saw many beautiful crafts. The Exhibition Building houses the ribbon competition entries.  We do not have very many tatting categories, but quilting and embroidery are especially plentiful and exquisite. I won 2 ribbons!  I got the blue ribbon for framed/mounted tatting w ..read more

In an all-time record, I finished my Palmetto Tat-Days projects the evening I arrived home.  And then it is taking weeks and weeks for me to show them to you. Up top are 2 classes with Karey Solomon.  The 3-D strawberry has an emery filling to help keep needles clean and untarnished, like the strawberry attachment on old-time tomato-shaped pincushions. Remember those? You could make one with regular stuffing if you don't have emery type materials on hand. The ice drop spider was a lot of fun, and the floating spiral chains were a useful technique to learn.  The legs are stic ..read more

The new book is finally ready!  I hope you will enjoy it.  Click on "Books for Sale" near the top of the page for ordering information.   ..read more

I've noticed friends posting their knit dishcloths online.  I've been doing that too!  They are perfect for when you want a very simple project while watching TV and it's so hot and humid it's hard to tat.  Two skeins of cotton yarn that I bought from Karey yielded 5 dishcloths.  They were finished too soon.  What can I make now? Oh, were you expecting news about the new book?  I'll have some for sale at the Palmetto Tat Days conference this weekend and then start selling to the general public on Sunday or Monday.     ..read more

I was honored and delighted when they selected my Wild Haired Women for this year's Palmetto TatDay's logo.  I'll be teaching a selection of them in my class there.  My upcoming book with have more hairstyles and a second body to choose from.  I think they are a lot of fun.  Instead of blocking them, I like to leave them just as they come off the shuttle, each with her own personality, like she is skipping or dancing.   ..read more

Someone said my Dorothy was pudgy ? Since I'm working from the book illustrations, I don't think I'm too far off. Getting that ruffle all the way across the yoke of her dress without a cut and tie was a challenge, but I managed.  I'll stand by my Dorothy.   ..read more

  Here are a few more motifs that will appear in my upcoming book. Maybe to be ready in August. Watch this space ..read more