InTatters - Blogs - RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/blog.php?1884-RandaGray Free discussion forum dedicated to the art of tatting and tatted lace and other crafts. en Tue, 21 May 2013 07:21:20 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.intatters.com/images/misc/rss.jpg InTatters - Blogs - RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/blog.php?1884-RandaGray Pictures... http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?503-Pictures Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:37:56 GMT I have a bunch of pictures - believe it or not, I've been tatting since I posted last. Some of them I was able to put in my albums, but some of them I was kinda dumb & erased off my SD card. So I'm copy & pasting here :)




These are a few pictures "of note" of what I've been working on. In no particular order. There are other things, but they're in either my album, or I don't have any pictures right now. At some point I'll post pictures of Yarnplayer's "Arches" doily in size 80 thread... I kept it for myself, which I normally don't do for no reason :) ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?503-Pictures Maybe Last Post here?? http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?426-Maybe-Last-Post-here Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:29:35 GMT I'm planning on not posting here anymore. I opened a blog on blogger yesterday, as it just makes more sense since I read there every day too & I have alot of other things I'd like to talk about that either aren't related or don't interest all of you ;) I will still be lurking around reading everyone else's blogs, & I may occasionally post something to my blog here. Since I'm saying I'm not planning on it, chances are it'll need to happen though! ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?426-Maybe-Last-Post-here I learned something... http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?422-I-learned-something Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:38:13 GMT This past week I have started making flowers to attach to bobby pins. I plan on eventually making other things too, but the flowers are simple & easy(ish) to attach. The plan was to make a few for friends & family members to "test drive" for me, before I did anything to sell or give as gifts.
In the process my sister (always the diffictult one :) asked for something in brown or black. Well then she picked out some dark silver seed beads. Of course that means black. The beads are important because they'll be an option for later & the weight & all... Well you understand.
I learned a new admiration for people who use black thread - any brand or size. People like TotusMel amaze me! I have a daylight lamp, a well lit room, & a very large window at my back when I tat & I still have problems seeing my stitches. Heaven forbid I have to pick any out & go back. I'm thinking after the pin made for dear sister, I will shelve the black thread until someone specially requests it. My respect and admiration goes out to all of you who use dark colors on a regular basis!
I have pictures taken, I just haven't posted them here yet. Got them on facebook a couple of nights ago, just forgot them here. I will try for that later. ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?422-I-learned-something <![CDATA[What I've been up to... I haven't posted since December!]]> http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?413-What-I-ve-been-up-to-I-haven-t-posted-since-December! Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:07:20 GMT Well, I've been tatting, it's just been slow work. I finally got the center piece of the Clover Doily, & since then I'm still working. I've made a bookmark for my father in between; I put some pictures in my album. I've also been working on the edging from A Tatter's Workbook (the one done in Lizbeth Jellybean in my album from before).
In a tatting un-related way, I've been working out! wwooo am I sore! Tae Bo is hard on someone as out of shape as I've gotten since I had my little girl!
I've been tatting in the evenings & while my daughter is napping & pretty much every chance I get until my hands are as sore as the rest of me. I'm taking a break the next few days from working out AND tatting. I think I may have a touch of either arthritis or carpal tunnel (man I hope I spelled that right!) Both are pretty common in my family. :( Could also be too many smashed/twisted/broken fingers from all the horse-play :) I will start back, because I have 60 pounds of what I'm going to call baby weight almost 2 years later that I want to get rid of!
As soon as I finish the last round of my current project, I'm going to venture into the world of celtic tatting I believe. I tried a snowflake once but it didn't turn out very well so I trashed it & forgot about it. I"m also going to finally learn split rings. I admit to being a little stubborn on this subject, but I've come to the conclusion that I MUST do Jane Eborall's little horse pattern... as well as some of the celtic patterns in the book I have. No way around it then I suppose :)
Every bit of knowledge opens another door though, right? ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?413-What-I-ve-been-up-to-I-haven-t-posted-since-December! Back to Tatting.... http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?368-Back-to-Tatting Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:14:10 GMT Since I posted my enquiry about the Clover Doily by Eileen Stafford on the "how do i?" board & got no responses, I thought I'd try it here - I hope somebody can help & just missed it!! lol
Anyone have any ideas as to how to keep it from cupping? I'm pretty sure it's not the pattern.... After all, hers lays flat in the picture! Here's what I've tried:
Looser tension ( to the point of being ashamed of my work!)
Tighter tension (kind of counter productive, I know, but I did try it anyway)
Different thread (I really wanted to work this in a certain thread, but I thought I'd try it anyway - thankfully, I got the same results so I know it isn't my thread)
Altering the pattern - fixed the first round, but I got the same results with the other rounds. I took out some rings & chains. The original pattern calls for 9 rings & 9 chains. I made it 6, which fixed the first round...But the second & thrid cupped just the same.
Blocking - fixed the first round & the 2nd... But the third had ot be stretched so far out of shape I just scrapped the whole thing - it's a clover leaf round & I HATED how stretched it was. Looked more like a squished oval or something.

Seriously, I've used almost an entire ball of thread & haven't gotten past the 3rd round! I'm disgusted & thinking of putting the pattern away. I would if it wasn't a gift specially picked out by a friend. HELP!!! :) ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?368-Back-to-Tatting A Lesson Learned http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?366-A-Lesson-Learned Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:12:34 GMT I've learned since coming to this site that the internet isn't completely the dangerous, empty place we are warned about. I've learned that it's a gift to be a part of a group of people who use it as a tool to connect with others of the same interests, & that with time, it truly feels like I've made new friends.
And this past week, I have learned that this is honestly the kindest group of people I've ever had the priviledge *sp* to meet. I want to thank all of you for the kindness given to me in a very, very dark time & tell you that your words have helped me more than any of you will *ever* know. Whether we ever meet "in person" or not, you will always be dear to my heart.
It has been one week since my friend left this world, & with your kind words, it is a brighter day than the one before. I am still sad, maybe even still angry & confused. But with your help and understanding, I am on the road to acceptance & even perhaps understanding. While Blake will *always* be missed, it is a great comfort to know there are people who understand and sympathize.
Thank you my Friends. ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?366-A-Lesson-Learned Not tatting related, but I need to vent http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?359-Not-tatting-related-but-I-need-to-vent Fri, 24 Dec 2010 16:18:41 GMT I'm sorry in advance; this is a long, angry post about something totally unrelated to tatting. But I want the world to know we've lost one of the few great human beings.
Yesterday morning I received the news that one of my close friends was killed in an accident at work. He works with large equipment in construction so you can imagine. He was 28 years old.
I know, deep in my heart that God does everything for a reason, & that because Blake was the good & decent man he was that he's in a btter place now. But at the same time, I can't help being very, very ANGRY. He had so much ahead of him & he was such a wonderful man; to be taken in such a terrible accident seems a huge injustice!! Not only was he a good person in himself, he is also the sole financial support for his mother & sick father, as well as a brother who for some reason or another can't hold a job ( perfectly healthy, just won't). What will happen to them??
What bothers me the most is that there were so many things he wanted from life; things he still had left to do - marriage, children, grandchildren, vacations, holidays, & although it may be selfish, time spent with friends in the woods on a horse!
He always had a smile, & would give the shirt off his back to make another person smile. Would go out of his way to help you, even if he was having his own problems. Never asked for a thing in return. One of the most forgiving, loving, honest human beings I've ever known. And just like that he's gone. Forever.
It seems like a dream.... A VERY bad one that i just can't wake up from. I just can't accept that my friend is gone. Not when only days before his accident he was offering me the use of his truck & trailer so I could go to a race that my husband will be working day of. And I didn't even take the time to tell him how much he meant to me. Not even a "thank you" because it was totally normal behavior & he'd have only said "you know I don't care... get whatever you need"
And now the person that hated above everything else sleeping alone is in a cold, dark, room alone somewhere, waiting to be put in a dark box & buried alone forever. I can not stand the thought of all the terrible things that are happening to him right now, knowing there's not one single thing I can do to make it right or bring him back.
I have prayed & prayed & tried to accept that he's gone, that there's no place for him but heaven. That God did this for a reason. But I just can't. I just can't accept the reasoning that such a good, kind human being should be taken in the middle of his life such a terrible way! Maybe I'm being totally selfish; maybe there's something I just haven't seen. But I'm angry.... & lost..... And I don't know what to do. And it hurts more than anything I've ever felt. And I do believe Christmas will never be the same; it will always be two days after I lost one of the best friends I've ever had.
I love you Blake. You will be missed. ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?359-Not-tatting-related-but-I-need-to-vent My Untatter http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?356-My-Untatter Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:47:52 GMT For my birthday in November, I bought myself a few balls of thread & a Sew Mate tatting shuttle with no point. I thought it would be better to use as a ball thread than those with points. At the time I had no idea I'd be starting the tatting addiction in my daughter (Untatter):)
About a week after my birthday I got the idea to try tatting while she was awake & around, which is something I never do because she just can't keep her hands off my bag & tools. Not that I blame her lol She immediately latched on to my new pickless shuttle (full of red Altin Basak by the way) & ran off.... Something she's learned to do when she knows she has something I"m about to take back. After the initial "NO!! She can't have my shuttle!" moment, I realized it wouldn't hurt anything to let her play with it until I was finished. I mean really it gave me some peaceful tatting time. The suprise is that about 5 minutes later, my husband says "Look at her, look what she's doing!! Look look look!!".... And low & behold, my 17 month old daughter is holding the shuttle in one hand & the end of the thread in the other, pushing it back & forth!!!!!
Now granted she didn't have the loop formed & she wasn't actually making stitches, but I was thoroughly impressed that she had paid that much attention to me! Not only that, but later when I reclaimed my shuttle, I discovered all kinds of tiny knots in the thread. Talk about a proud "Mamana" :-D I let her keep the shuttle.
I've been meaning to post about that incident since it happened, but it kept slipping my mind when I was or had time to blog. What brought it to mind is the continued love of her shuttle, which she calls "sshhh"...Yeah, it took some coaching, but she does lol As a matter of fact she's carrying it around right now, swinging it by the thread. Ohhhh how warm & fuzzy am I right now!?!?!?!?!??? I just wish she'd be still long enough to let me take a picture for all of you to see :-D ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?356-My-Untatter Continuance from the last Post... http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?354-Continuance-from-the-last-Post Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:36:54 GMT This is the bookmark I was talking about in my last post.... Sorry for the pictures again; Apparently my picture taking abilities have left the... This is the bookmark I was talking about in my last post.... Sorry for the pictures again; Apparently my picture taking abilities have left the planet on the same ship as my sanity. You wouldn't believe how many pictures I took before finally settling on the ones you see in these two blog posts!! Maybe my senses will come back soon....
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Click image for larger version.  Name: SDC11667.jpg  Views: 96  Size: 97.3 KB  ID: 8876 ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?354-Continuance-from-the-last-Post <![CDATA[What I've been up to lately]]> http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?353-What-I-ve-been-up-to-lately Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:27:44 GMT It's been a week or two since I posted last; been kind of busy with the house (we finally got an offer, which we counter offered, & we're waiting for an answer!) & some other non-tatting things that made me fall into "tatting mode" to help me sort things out & keep from saying or doing something dramatic. We're still working on that, but it's not tatting, so I won't bother you with my crazies here.
First things first - I've been working on a doily since July. It's my second completed doily, & it's my first successful experience with blocks. It's not perfect but I'm happy with it. I'm trying to decide if it needs more blocking or not. It keeps trying to turn up on the edges! It's probably going to be a present for my grandmother, since that's what I started it for. I've had my doubts, because the blocks kind of beat me up sometimes, but now I can do them in my sleep!! It's from Judith Connors' book "Creative Tatting with Beads, Shuttle & Needle" & it's the Marguerite Doily, done in Lizbeth white size 20. Sorry for the quality of the pictures, but I wanted to show the whole thing. THere are closeups in my albums.

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I've also been working on snowflakes.... Ohhhh at the snowflakes. I made one for a friend of mine on request, & for some reason after that I lost my mind & offered to make everybody one. And here are a couple of them. I won't bother you with a thousand pictures of the same ones, but here are a couple. They're all from the same place, "Tatted Snowflakes" by Vida Sunderman.

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I also finished my first bookmark. I normally don't make them, & if I do, I use them as a motif or for something else. It was a gift for my sister because she kills me with the post it notes with a smiley face on them!!! I got the pattern from "Easy Tatting" by Lynn Morton... I believe it's the 6th book, but instead of the daisy on the end, I put a little bead I found in my stash box. But, since I can only attach 5 files per post, I'll have to enter them in the next post. Yay....
Attached Thumbnails
]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?353-What-I-ve-been-up-to-lately Happy Thanksgiving!!! http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?332-Happy-Thanksgiving!!! Thu, 25 Nov 2010 01:39:58 GMT I probably won't be around tomorrow, so I thought I'd go ahead & wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I have so much to be thankful for that I couldn't possibly list it here, but a few of my favorites are
My Healthy Baby Untatter :)
My Dear Family
My Animal "Babies":emoji-E01A:
The fact that I'm blessed to live in a country where I have the freedom to choose what I'm Thankful for, & to celebrate them!!
That I have a roof over my head & a full stomach, even if my roof has a leak & I burned the stew....
And Last But Not Least, My Tatting Family Here at InTatters!!!

I hope EVERYBODY has a WONDERFUL & BLESSED THANKSGIVING!!!:emoji-E022::emoji-E022::emoji-E022: ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?332-Happy-Thanksgiving!!! Help for this Tatters Block!! http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?318-Help-for-this-Tatters-Block!! Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:50:04 GMT Okay, so I'm trying to get rid of my Tatter's Block. I've got this little doily that I've been working on off & on for over a year, & I just can't seem to come up with the next round. So I've decided I'm going to work on it to get the creative juices flowing I'm going to try to come up with my next acceptable round for it. Maybe not the best idea but who knows?


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This is the first round. It actually started out as the center round for another item, but I liked the green & pink so much I decided I'd try my own design for once :)

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This is the second round. Yes, simple was the idea.


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This is the third round. It's an edging from my Rebecca Jones book. I really love it, but I'm afraid it's too small & close together to use as an actual round. I tried a clover leaf, but it was just too big following that round.
I'm thinking an "all chain" row of green.... Maybe.... but another problem occurs to me at this point: The pink I've been using is almost gone & I can't remember the number of the color. I know it's Flora, & I know it's #20, but I can't remember the name or number! It's almost a Fuscia, & I'm torn when looking at it online if it's dark or light.... I guess I could order both & see what comes up? I guess I'm going to look now, wish me luck!
Oh! Here's the so far finished product, in case any of you have any thoughts on it! :) Those clover leave attached at the bottom aren't on there anymore, I just don't have a picture anymore of it without them.
Click image for larger version.  Name: SDC10988.jpg  Views: 55  Size: 96.1 KB  ID: 8229 ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?318-Help-for-this-Tatters-Block!! Blah... http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?317-Blah Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:06:26 GMT This being my first blog post, I feel like I should have something to show... Maybe just *one* picture or *something*. But no, I don't have any; well, not any you couldn't see in my albums. I've been having a serious case of Tatter's Block lately!! And when I say block, I mean I haven't been able to even work on my UFOs. I have a doily in the works, an edging I've been working on when I can't concentrate on the doily, & I *should* be working on Christmas tree decorations (angels, snowflakes, stars, & the like) since this will be the first Christmas I've had my own Christmas tree - well it will be if I get the ornaments made!
But, then again, I've kind of had everything block here lately. I've had a massive cold (DH was thrilled I lost my voice for two whole days lol), which I promptly gave the UNtatter. She's so pititful - it breaks my heart to watch my 16 month old daughter suffer through a cold, but I hate even worse to dope her up on cold meds; so it's just enough to keep her (& me) sane. Before you call me cruel, I don't take anything when I don't give it to her.... Usually not at all. I have this terrible phobia of overdosing her, after watching a friend's child pass away due to accidental overdose due to miscommunication between mom, dad, grandparent, & babysitter. Call me crazy but.... If she gets worse, she goes to doctor - I don't like to self medicate!!
I'm sitting right now with my back to a pile of dishes, not sure *what* gave me the urge to start using my blog..... Probably because it's my 25th birthday & for the first time in 20 years, I haven't gotten to ride my horse on my birthday. :( But I know we *desperately* need the rain, so I'll be thankful for that!! I *will* I *will* I WILL!!
Oh well, enough dwelling on my bad mood...... Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.... :emoji-E030: ]]> RandaGray http://www.intatters.com/entry.php?317-Blah