Pie Day or 𝝅 day

 Today is 𝝅 day and I made these savory russian hand pies.  They didn't look too pretty but boy were they tasty. Even my husband said they tasted good. Baba called the piroshki.

I used a filling of ground beef, onions and garlic, caramelizing the onions before mixing them in with some paprika, salt and pepper. I have put those upper ones in the freezer and the lower ones had asiago cheese added and then warmed up in the microwave.  Happy Pie Day.

New pattern, new thread , new shuttle

I decided to try a new pattern. It is called Spiral Heart Duo by Debbie Arnold. Her pattern is available in her Etsy shop DebbieArnoldDesigns.

Beware of a few tricky joins in this pattern. The larger heart on left measures just over 3 inches and the smaller on the right measures over 2 inches. 

So I began to search my stash for a suitable thread. I chose a thread I had purchased last summer from A Twisted Picot (formerly BlackSheep Fiber Emporium) It is an Anchor Mercer Crochet 100% cotton size 20 made in Hungary. A smooth thread with just enough stiffness to make it excellent for tatting. It holds a stitch nicely and required very little blocking. It is color 48 a soft pink and a 50 gram ball. 

The shuttle below is also from Hungary and available on Etsy from Banyek. I saw a social media post where someone had tried them and decided that they were not for them so posted for sale. 

I purchased the shuttle and found it easy to wind and tat with. The shuttle has mother of pearl inlay on both sides and is very light. The hook came in handy but it is so small that it sometimes split the ply. I would recommend it for finer threads like size 40 to 80. Of course these are the thread sizes I prefer.  

This was a fun little project and a great distraction, now back to my unfinished projects. 

Tree Earrings and Tat it and See

 

These were made for an exchange with one of my guilds.  I always make extras so a few can be given away.

The pattern is from Gloria Nelson of Sparkling Light Studios. 

Don't forget to wind a few shuttles for the Tat it and See, here is a link to the introduction and another link to the blog.  

Happy New Year 2023

Another year of tatting, I can see I get just a little bit better with each year.  I saw my largest improvement when I attended my first conference.  

Thinking of attending one in 2023, I have listed some in the USA below, sadly there is no event planned in Canada.  Perhaps I will see you at one  or two :) 

1. Finger Lakes Tatters -  April 14 - 16, 2023  www.fingerlakestatting.com

2. Camp Wanna Tat  - April 20 - 23, 2023, September 28 - October 1, 2023

Held at the Lutheran Bible Camp located on Flathead Lake near Kalispell, Montana

3. Shuttlebirds -  April 27- 29, 2023   www.shuttlebirds.com 

4. Tatting Corner - July 6 - 8, 2023    

Tat Sea cruise Nov 5 - 12, 2023 www.tattingcorner.com 

5. Palmetto Tatters - August 17-20, 2023

 www.palmettotatters.org

I tatted these flakes using a 6 strand Sandbest thread.  All designs are from Robin Perfetti Four Dozen tatted Snowflakes. 

Robin Perfetti #16

Robin Perfetti #45

Robin Perfetti #35

 

Dorset Buttons

The button below was taught at Palmetto Tat Days 2022 by Shawna Wachs.  It is made in a Lizbeth size 10 and is a good size for an ornament. Oddly I ended up taking three classes from her this year.  Great teacher, great patterns. 

It was a dear friend who taught me to make Dorset Buttons, below is my first one. They are a good use of  thread that does not work well for tatting.  The one below is made with a variegated pearl cotton. She also showed me how to weave a little shank on the back for attachment.

What can you do with a Dorset button, well anything you can do with a button plus they are a cute little give away too.