Knitting in progress, and Marilee modeling the finished hat. I knit a hat! The pattern is from the book "Knitting from the Center Out" by Daniel Yuhas. I borrowed the book from the local public library.  Beaded center and tatted earrings are something I'm currently having fun with. They remind me of mint candies!  This simple square pattern was inspired by a vintage pattern, I think the same one I used for my "Victory" necklace pattern. I have not written up the pattern for the earrings, though. The latest new hand dyed thread colorway I call "Angelonia", after t ..read more

  The only techniques used in this pattern are ring, chain, reverse work, picot, join, and lock join.  Tat the top row across first, shown in gray on the diagram. Then continue tatting down and up for each narrow section. The picots between the narrow sections need to be gradually larger to enable the sections to fan out nicely. I made mine using size 10 thread, but since this collar is worn like a necklace, the size doesn't really matter. Top row and first section in progress Beads can be added inside the top rings. I'm using 6mm beads with size 10 thread in t ..read more

  "Leaves of Lace Garland" by Marilee Rockley 2024 My leaf project is done!  I'm quite happy with the results, and since I'm already a subscriber to Fiber Art Now magazine I've gone so far as to sign up for a CaFÉ account so that I can enter my fiber art into exhibitions. Maybe this will give me incentive to do more larger "art" pieces.☺ Of course, we know that all tatting is an art (not lost!)  Details: There are a total of 32 tatted leaves in this garland. I started with a vintage leaf pattern and modified it to make leaves of varying sizes, adding an edge ..read more

  Having completed tatting enough lace leaves (despite being interrupted several times by more urgent matters) I was faced with the question of how to join them all together. One of those creator's block moments. Fortunately, I had some reject leaves left over to practice joining ideas on, which besides giving me an idea of stitch counts showed that green was not the color thread I wanted. Dark charcoal gray shows off the leaves much better! Similar to tree bark from a distance. This is still a work in progress. I missed the deadline for a juried fiber art exhibit that I had planned to ..read more

  The winner is "Glass Half Mindful" - please email me at yarnplayer (at) yahoo (dot) com (There wasn't a way to reach you at your blogger profile.) It was wonderful reading all of the beautiful comments that were posted! So many acts of kindness happening, you all are making the world a better place! Thank you, Thank you!!! By the way, I didn't include the one commenter who asked to not be included so that's why I put 1  to 31 in the number spinner instead of 32 ..read more

   To be entered in this giveaway drawing, you need to do 2 things:  Leave a comment on this post, and do something nice for someone. The world needs more kindness. ♥ The prize package includes: a rare out-of-print book Minitats by Patti Duff,  a Japanese tatting pattern book (containing diagrams and excellent photographs), a tatted necklace and earring set (handmade by me) in my own "Loopy" pattern, a bobbin lace bookmark (handmade by me) in a pattern by GaliciaBee, an assortment of my own hand dyed thread! Readers of this blog from outside of the U.S ..read more

  This "Dark Matter" thread batch was inspired while touring the Yerkes Observatory recently. Dark matter is described on the NASA science web page as a mysterious substance that "doesn’t reflect, absorb, or radiate light – at least not enough for us to detect yet." My new hand dyed thread is only my fun attempt to give the effect of "outer space" colors. ☺ Now listed for sale in my Etsy shop. Here's some pictures I took of the telescope and observatory building, which was built in 1897. Learn more at the Yerkes Observatory website ..read more

  What I've got so far. I'm not sure about adding that stone. Actually, looking at it today I'm thinking it doesn't work with the leaves at all. Apparently this project is becoming an artsy necklace. So, I'll tat more leaves! I do like the colors. I did finish the "grape" "raspberry" "coral" earring projects that I had mentioned in a previous post, so here's some pictures of that ..read more

The pattern is vintage and in the public domain. It's in the Priscilla Tatting Book number 3, and is a free download found on the Antique Pattern Library website https://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/html/warm/tatting.htm scroll down and look for a green cover. Also found in a House of White Birches tatting book number 5. The pattern is quite easy to vary in size once the basic pattern is understood. I began making these a few days ago as "comfort tatting". I don't know how else to explain it. I don't have a predetermined plan in mind but something usually occurs once I have a collection ..read more

  Earrings like the "Grape" ones are quite a bit of extra work, but the results really "pop"! This is not my design. It's found in the Italian magazine IL MIO Chiacchierino October/November 2014. I bought my copy from Handy Hands Tatting.  I do the base rings a little differently than described in the magazine. I use a self-closing mock ring with "floating" rings thrown off from it, so there are only 2 sets of tails to sew in. For the coils I like Liz Metallic thread. Each coil is a long chain. What I do is start the chain on a paper clip, tat the long chain and leave t ..read more