more fancy phones

A few weeks ago I showed off my latest smart phone cover up:

I was so pleased with the result of combining crochet and tatting that I set out on making another. Here are the pics!

I used Lizbeth 10 for the crocheting and a matching Lizbeth 40 for the tatting.

Again I made the pouch itself as a wristlet that opens easily to get at your phone.

Here's a detail shot of the single crochet and tatting. This time I used clusters of three seed beads (size 11) on the picot of the chain.

Since I had some leftover thread, I tatted this lock stitch chain bracelet/necklace. The beginning and ending rings just slip over one another to hold it secure.I've never had a problem with one of them coming undone (you'd really have to get it a pretty hard tug).

Next up! I have a new idea for another phone pouch, but this time I'll be using different tatted ornamentation. Pics to follow!

Finger Lakes Tatting Conference 2011

Another year has come and gone.... the annual trip down Seneca Lake to Lodi, NY for the Finger Lakes Tatting Conference. I always pick up some new tip or idea there and it's great fun to hang out with all the other tatting geeks! This year there were people in attendance, not only from all over New York state, but from throughout the Northeast as well as Canada.

Here's a synopsis of my two day experience in photos:

I started the first day ready for action! My tatting bag, shuttles, winder and other essentials like coffee and water!

Workshop 1: using hand dyed thread ... yay!

 

Workshop1 : Making continuous/contiguous motifs - see flowers above (not separate motifs that were joined). A great technique since joining motifs can be a bummer!

Examples provided by our illustrious teacher, Jennifer Ostrander.

Workshop 2: Using mock tatted hairpin lace, taught by Ruth Perry. Mine is the one on the bottom.... hey, gimme a break, I hate using picot gauges!! Loved this technique.... thinking of ways to incorporate it into jewelry now.

It's always great to see all the projects people have been tatting away at since we last saw each other a year ago. I snapped a few pics of some of the great work I saw there this year:

A very simple, yet interesting and elegant tatted beaded strip that Ruth MacEachern showed me. I got ideas for this one!

This shawl edging, by Ruth MacEachern, was done in a wonderful variegated pearl cotton... some of my favorite colors!

Gorgeous little dark blue miser bag! Can't remember the name of the lady that showed me this, but it was great work!

Spiders! Lovely and ingenious design by Ginny Weathers.

Using hand dyed thread and a beautiful stone (eeek... can't remember the name of the stone!) this was created by Vicki Clarke as a gift for a friend.... but wait, hmm... Vicki was wearing it, shhhhh, don't tell!

Contest entries! This year's theme was "Tatting Along the Garden Path". It was extremely hard to pick just one favorite!

Ruth MacEachern was this year's winner! Love those ferns!

Every year we raise funds for a charity and of course, to support the annual event by holding raffles and silent auctions. This year I won this green jar of green stuff at the raffle ... love green!

I was also the lucky recipient of one of Ruth Perry's butterflies (I was the person in our class who had been tatting the fewest number of years, which is about ten now.) Shown also in the pic is this year's commemorative shuttle created by Sandy Maguire.

I did purchase a small supply of hand dyed thread from Karey Solomon of Graceful Arts Fiber Studio. Once you go hand dyed you'll never go back!

Workshop 3: On Sunday I sat in on two workshops by Karey Solomon. In the first she showed up how to do tatted "Catherine Wheels". Again, these are contiguously constructed .... way cool!

Workshop 4: In the second class we learned how to create a floating chain... a great way to back track!

Many thanks to all of you who work so hard each year to make this conference a success!!

I look forward to next year!