Legwarmers - 4ply

I have finished my legwarmers and have given them a try out.  They are 17 inches or 43 cm long, light and soft. This is a great project for a beginner.  I have now started a hat to match and almost ready to start the decrease rows.  I have made a significant subtraction to the cones of yarn I started with shown in an earlier post.

These two projects are the same color yarn but lighting makes them look different.  I used natural light for the legwarmers and artificial for the hat below.

Both photos taken with my phone and posted with an app.

This is the last post for 2015, wishing you all a very blessed, prosperous and happy new year.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I needed some small boxes to gift my tatting.  I used old Christmas cards but of course any paper or card stock could be used.  

Materials needed, old cards, scissors. straight edge, stapler or tape, pencil.
Cut card in half now you have a front and back. 

Measure corner to corner, mark center

Fold all edges into center

Cut along long fold to the next fold

Fold tabs in then end of box over top of tabs. staple or tape in place. 

Inside of box can be lined with felt or cotton

Slip bottom inside top to close

A larger card will make a larger box. Rectangular cards work best.  Line box with felt or paper if you don't want anyone to see the previous years message. If you have any questions, just comment and I will answer for all. 

I will be filling some boxes with candy and dropped into stockings for little treats.  These little boxes work great for my small tatting.

4 ply

So funny how life works don't you think.  These cones of yarn were gifted to my mother and she did knit with them a bit. After she passed I packaged up all her yarns (bags and bags) and gifted them to one of my sisters who knits a lot. I gave away most of her knitting needles (I say most because I have come across additional ones). 

I kept some cottons to crochet with and any tatting threads she had.  Well my sister went through the bags of yarn and found some large cones of very fine wool.  She brought them to me thinking I could use them for tatting but they are unsuitable (too weak for rings and hairy).

Instead I put these four cones together to create a lovely 4 ply lace weight yarn. The colors used are gold, white, tan and brown. 

I needed a new pair of leggings so before I knew it these are now growing in length. I made a K1P1 cuff and chose a simple YO K2tog pattern. These leggings will replace the leggings I have used for the past 30+ winters. 

Below is a close up of the knitting and homemade 4 ply yarn. 

Johar, a Star

I am still cleaning up UFO's and emptying shuttles. This Star is called Johar and is designed by Jon Yusoff, Show below is the star right off the shuttles so it still needs to be blocked.The pattern can be found here.   I stopped tatting this a few years ago because I didn't know how to add thread.  It is made with Lisbeth size 10 color Snow White, the problem is that the star is 7.5 inches wide.  I plan to sew it on to a red sweater and wear to our ladies lunch next week.

UFO Sighting

Jane Eborall recently had a post about cleaning up her tatting cupboard and emptying up some EZ Bobs,  it prompted me to take a look at my collection of UFO's. So I made a list of the projects in progress aka UFO's.    I thought that there can't be more than a dozen and lucky for me I have not exceeded that number, Ahem, I did have many more than I expected.  So it is time to finish up a few of these projects.  Fortunately I have a copy of the pattern slipped into each bag when I stopped the project so it is easier to pick up and finish.

I wish I had a picture to show you but I'd rather you saw finished projects :).  But what prompted all these UFO's. In one instance it is a large project and I just got tired of doing it, others presented a technique I did not know how to do.. yet.  Perhaps new thread, pattern or shuttles arrived and I was taken away to try new adventures; most likely it was all the above. 

During clean up and organizing I also found a list of all of the projects I would like to do.  I had seen them on others blogs, in books, Pinterest or on Craftree.  And so I shall carry this Want To Do list into 2016 and with any luck add to it too. In the meantime its UnFinished Objects that will be on the agenda.. well that is my plan anyway.

 Happy Tatting everyone.