Dewdrop Earrings

Thank you again for all your responses on my previous posts!  Now I've found them and know where I went wrong... and yes, it was all me!  Don't activate comment moderation and then forget about it is the lesson!  I've now de-activated it but I'm still getting spam so may have to re-instate it.  Hopefully when/if I do so again, I won't forget to go check my comments and approve them!

Thank you so much to all of you who write comments on my posts.  I really appreciate it and am relieved to know that people are still visiting.  Phew!

Here is a pair of Dewdrop earrings, pattern by Jane McLellan which you can find here.  Jane answered my post about her "go-to" pattern so I decided to make a pair.  Really lovely.  Could be made with variations and endless colour choices of course.  I see I'll be making some of these for friends too.

Don't look too closely as I slightly messed up the top ring where it joins to the finding but I know where I went wrong so the next pair will be better.  I like patterns like these where you can quickly whip up a pair, especially when you want to match an outfit for example or make a gift for a friend.

Best wishes,

Frivole

Tatting in French - La Frivolité aux Navettes

Although French is my mother tongue, I have learned and have done all my tatting in English.  All my books so far were in English (apart from a couple of German ones).  I thought it was high time I learned to tat in French.  So with the help of Edwige Renaudin and her book called "La Frivolité aux Navettes", I am learning tatting terminology in French.

I have to say I am finding it difficult!  Just because I'm so used to all the English terms, I keep looking at noeud dessus, arceau festonné, anneau fendu et raccord double feston endroit and am forever having to refer to the lexicon!

The exercises and patterns in the book appear more complicated to me just because I can't read them really quickly like I can an English pattern.  Still, I'm learning new things and am finding her book very interesting.  For example, when making the last ring of a flower, if you flip your work under and up to make the last join, instead of over and up, your shuttles end up on a different side of your tatting which is something really useful to know if you are carrying on with the pattern.  This is probably not clear in words, perhaps I'll have to take pictures eventually.

Anyway, here are some earrings I made based on an exercise in the book.  They are tatted in "Macarons" by Jess! at Tat-ilicious.  I like the construction of these which enables you to make all three rows in one go.  I shall be playing with this some more.

Motif no. 13 of 25-motif challenge

The sun was shining for a rare moment

so I went outside to try to take a better photo.

I liked the shadow of the lace on the leaves behind...

but it was very windy and the earrings

wouldn't stay in place long enough for

me to take a good photo!

I don't think the photos do the earrings

or the thread justice.

They are very pretty and look good on.

I'm wearing them now.

Amitiés dentellières,

Yarnplayer Perfection

As mentioned yesterday, the Keyed Up earrings in Marilee Rockley's new book "Tatted Jewelry" were shouting to be made straight away.  I really like the shape of them, perfectly balanced.

Tatted in Lizbeth 20, Country Turquoise (Med.)

In the book, one sample pair has little keys dangling from them, hence the name, but I didn't have any and anyway, I love pearls so I added freshwater pearls on mine and silver-lined seed beads on the centre ring.

And I tatted these FSBS!  I figured that they would always be seen from the front so this would be one circumstance where FSBS is worth it.

Lovely pattern, thank you Marilee.  Quick to make and very pleasing result.  Now just need to find something in my wardrobe to go with these earrings so I can wear them today...

Best wishes,

Twilight Zone Earrings

A tatting friend kindly sent me a sample of Yarnplayer's "Twilight Zone".  I had seen a doily she had tatted with it and when I mentioned how pretty the colours were and that this shade had sold out - she sent me some to try! - aren't tatting people great?!  I knew I wanted to make something "for me" with that thread.

So here is what I made.

A pretty pair of earrings which I am wearing right now.

I added a black freshwater pearl to the centre.

The pattern is just a classic repeated 6 rings and chains and has another layer added in the centre to make them more three-dimensional.

I'm having a "Yarnplayer day" as just this morning I received her latest book, Tatted Jewelry, in the post (was delighted to find it in Amazon.uk).  There is a pair of earrings in there that is shouting really loudly and I think I'll have to go make them... NOW!

Best wishes,