Still Here

    Yes, I am still alive. Have not felt good lately, and when I did, 12 hour days at work. Not a lot of tatting.
     I am not good at baubles. They are fiddly and my big hands make it a bit hard to work them sometimes. Don't know why I get along with size 80 thread, but I do. Anyway, I have the Butterflies book by Iris Niebach. I made one, simple enough. Now I am tackling the first one in the book. It's coming along, but there is probably a better way I am not aware of. I have Randy and Gary Houtz's book on baubles and I read through it. I think I am doing it right.
    This butterfly, like most in the book, uses a bauble body. At least it has a straw in it to help hold the shape. While tatting it, I kept a steel crochet hook in the body. That helped a bit keeping it where I could see what I am doing and where I am. I should have this one done in a day or so. Yes, I know it would only take a few hours, but I am at work now and will be until 5.

    What I had intended to bring up was really not the butterfly so much as the shuttles. Since I got my Pop-A-Bobbin shuttles, I have been giving them a workout. Well, as much as I can with my schedule. You know how it is. I also bought a few Aerlit so I didn't have to change out so much. Now I remember one of my major problems with the "Aero" style. When I make a ring, I have to pull out thread. When I then need a chain, I have to rewind the thread. I usually do this by rolling the bobbin along my thumb. On the Pop-A-Bobbin shuttles, not a problem at all. On the Aerlit, I keep dislodging the bobbin. Not worth the trouble. I think I will drill them and insert small bolts to hold the bobbin in place. Or just order more Pop-A-Bobbin shuttles!

LIfesaver

    I was just about through with the "attachment" round this morning when I noticed I was getting low on thread on the "ball thread" shuttle. Since this round is all chain, I did an SLT and continued, thinking I would have enough thread that way. I had started CTM so the thread is all the same color.
    I had about 5 chains to go and the thread came off the bobbin. I have been a fan of post shuttles mostly but I think I may be changing back. If you remember, I just got the Pop-A-Bobbin shuttles a couple of weeks ago and I have been working with them trying to adjust. This morning has pretty much sold me on them. And I mean the Pop-A Bobbin in particular.

  
    The left photo shows just how little thread is left. I think it is just enough to sew in the ends. I was able to use the shuttle to finish tatting though. With any other shuttle, I don't think i could have, but look at the right photo. What I did was pass the end of the thread through the little hole in the bobbin, then I trapped the end in the hole with the shuttle pin. It cannot come loose and I was able to use almost all the thread without finger tatting. What a lifesaver!

Round Redone

    It took a little longer than I thought, but I finally got the round finished. This is the round that I completely cut off. If you look at the photo, you can see that with the correct number of rings, the doily needs almost no blocking at all. It is laying well and the rings are not pulled. Now I am glad I took the old round off. That was horrible.

    Now to calculate the rings for the next round. I bet it will be more than 102.

Keeping A Promise

    When I was in Tampa last week, one of the women in the office saw a photo of some earrings by Marilee Rockley that I had made. I promised I would make her a set. These are already on the way to her. I think she will like them. Promise kept.

    Now back to the carousel.

The Trip

    Well, glad that is over. I had to go to Tampa, Florida for a week on business. A 9 hour drive down, then almost 12 hour days and a 9 hour drive back. Very tiring. I was gone for 6 days. Hotels are not my friend. I took my carousel doily with me to try to get some of it done. I did not get much. I cannot tat on a bed. The chair in the room was not very good for it and the lighting was atrocious. I got off work close to 6 every day and the sun went down by 6:30 or so, so I could not even sit by the window and tat, like I had thought I would be able to do.

    At least the piece is behaving this time around. Since I did the math to figure the rings, it is laying much, much better. This photo is with no blocking at all and the round is going nicely around. It is flat instead of turned up and pulled. I should be able to get it done sooner now that the trip is over. I do have to do a set of earrings for someone, but that won't take long. I will post those when I get them done.