steps 7&8 and more hdtv saga

In my previous post I mentioned that I was getting behind.
Ladyshuttlemaker had already decided to take the weekend off to allow everyone to catch up. Which was really nice of her, but I realize it was actually for my benifit. Go Sherry.
What really helped me was the Presidential debate tonight.
I was able to start and finish step 7

and to start and finish step 8 as well.

I have changed Sherry's pattern twice now. not in any appreciable way, but I didn't like the color dot that occured when doing a lock join with the yellow core thread when doing the pink chains, so I used a Catherine wheel join to eliminate them. I used the Catherne Wheel join in the previous step where the color dot would have shown as well. I like the CW join and it works well is certain situations. If you are un familiar with a CW join, it is the same stitch you use when doing a split chain. You can find the directions on the snowgoose lace shop website http://www.snowgoose.cc/friv/cath_wheel.htm

on another note, we have ordered the multi-directional tv antenna that promises to reach more then 70 miles (it better reach 82 miles) to the tv stations that are considered "local" in our area.
I will let you know how it turns out.

Happy tatting
Ladytats

TIAS 4 step 6, short post

I haven't been able to do much tatting the last couple of days.

Bowling monday night and a Deanery Pastoral Council meeting on Tuesday night, Wednesday and tonight I had to get my meeting minutes and attendance records typed up and sent off to the Dean's office.

I have managed to get Step 6 done for the TIAS 4. I will check Sherry's blog, but I suspect that step 8 is posted, so I will still be 2 steps behind.

I did stay late at work today and printed out some pictures of tatting that I have done lately but given away so that I will have more examples of my work to show when I demonstrate tatting at Uff Dah dayz next month.

Happy Tatting

Ladytats

step 5, today's doily and HDTV saga

I have been able to keep up with T.I.A.S #4 and here is step 5. I have emailed a guess to Sherry, will see how I do.





Today, DH, another couple & myself traveled 4 hours to the Metrodome and watched the Vikings get their first win of the season. YEAH!





During the drive I had plenty of tatting time, so here is the 1st & 2nd rounds of a doily. The thread is size 10 Picasso (a 8 cord thread) in Ladyshuttlemaker's Peach Pandorea. It looks a bit "messy" as I hide the thread ends but do not cut them until I am done. This is a nice thread to use, it works up well and handles well. the only drawback that I can see is that it is a loosely twisted thread, so you need to be careful to catch all of the thread when joining or retro-tatting. I counted ds and there are approximately the same #ds in the rings and in the chains, the only difference are the picots in the chains. I was able to wind around 5yds on each bobbin for the shuttle that I used today. I used 2 bobbins for these 7 motifs. That tells me that I have used about 20yds of thread for ds and some additional for the picots. Since the skein of thread contained about 50yds, I should have enough thread to add a 3rd round of 6 motifs to this doily. As to pattern, it is a simple 6 ring & chain flower motif. I don't know if there is a pattern, and I certainly will not claim this as mine. The rings are 8-8 and the chains are 2ds(-2ds)X7 motifs are joined to the 4th picot in the chain of the corresponding motif based on your layout.





Now on to the Saga of HDTV.


If you have read the previous posts, you will know that we have been able to receive a much greater variety of stations on the HDTV channels. Unfortunately, they fade in and out a lot. So DH went to town on Friday, talked to the local appliance dealer and bought a different antenna. This one cost about $200 and didn't really look any different then our 20yr old original antenna. We went up the roof on Friday night, and took down the $60 antenna from the farm supply store in the nearest big city and installed the expensive one.
Reception was worse.
Saturday morning I went back on the Internet to see what other information I could find. I found a very informative article on this site http://tinyurl.com/3s7n3h newly updated as of 09/05/08

There are a couple of other links in the article to help you find your location and the location of any stations in your area. It helps to find out where the station towers are located and how far away they are. We discovered that we have been trying to use a uni-directional antenna and we need a multi-directional antenna and the towers we receive signals from are located up to 85 miles from us. So we will be returning both of the new antennas that we bought.


So far it looks like the only place to get the one we need is to order from the Internet. Here is 1 site that I found http://www.antennasdirect.com/ it has many different types of antennas and they are offering free shipping for the rest of the month. We haven't yet ordered, and will do some more searching, but this one at least earned a bookmark.



Possible severe thunderstorm coming, so need to close this down.
Happy Tatting,
Ladytats

chapter 2 in the saga of digital tv

Chapter 2
This morning I ran the set up for the channel search again. The digital box found several more channels.
19-1,2&3
10-1,2&3
9-1 through6

Many are repeats of other stations.
After work today, dh and I went back up to the roof, took down the new antenae and added the old antennae pointed in almost the opposite direction, and connected the 2, that was supposed to strenthen the signal.
Tonight, we can get only 6-1,2&3 15-1 and 13-1,2&3 all the rest have no signal, it is partly to mostly cloudy outside.
It looks like if we want some consistancy in reception we will have to invest in a booster. Another thing to take up electricity.
Why oh why does the government think this is a good idea.
All those channels sound like a great idea versus the 4 we used to get, except we can't count on being able to receive any of them at any given time. I refuse to pay for satelite service and cable is out of the question this far out in the country.
Tomorrow, dh is going to go back up on the roof, and see if he can move the direction of the old antenae a bit.

Happy Tatting
Ladytats

Step 4 of T.I.A.S

Here is my attempt at step 4 for the T.I.A.S

Sherry asked for a light color, a medium color and a dark color. Well, I didn't have the 3 shades in the same color, so I have had to make do with 3 different colors in different shades. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Now I bring you some frustration in the world of government mandated changes. Anyone not interested in digital tv can stop reading at this point.

normally in the non digital world of television we can view any one of the follow channels
4 CBS
6 ABC
11 NBC
13 PBS
15 FOX

After buying the digital boxes about 2 months ago, we hooked them up and were only able to find channel 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 and nothing else.

After several attempts, much frustration and the expense of buying a new tv antennae, which by the way we put up this past Sunday in very windy conditions, and we pointed it northeast as opposed to pointing it northwest as it was before. we could still only get the 3 stations on channel 6.

well, you will never guess what we found out.

you would assume that channel 4 in analog would be channel 4 in digital right. and 11=11 and so on.

au contraire my lebchen

channel 19=15-1
channel 21= 6-1, 6-2, 6-3
channel 23=13-1, 13-2, 13-3
channel 38=4
channel 44=11-1

soooo....... on a good reception day, we get 9 different shows, well 8 because 13-1 and 13-2 are the same, just one is full screen and 1 is cropped. (don't ask me why, it just is)

And we have been told, and tonight experienced a bit, that there will be times that we won't get anything on this channel or that one or maybe all of them. we may need a booster as we are located so far from the tv towers.

we may even reattach the old antennae below the new antennae, hook it up to the new one and point it south west, there is supposed to be a channel or 2 that we can get in that direction.

Stay tuned for the saga of the mandated digital tv

T.I.A.S and Challenge

I am posting Motif 16 & 17 for the 25 Motif Challenge and steps 2 & 3 for the TIAS.

Yesterday was our Granddaughter #5's birthday party. They live an hour away. It was a rainy day, and DH wasn't able to do any farming, so he drove which I like, as I could care less about getting behind the wheel, and if he is driving, I can tat. I was able to finish 2 motifs that I had started, but it was a busy day as we had shopping to do as well, so didn't get online last night to post anything so this will be a combo post.

Above is Motif 41 from Patti Duff's Mini Tats in a Manuela size 20 thread. The label has been lost so I don't know what color. I left the tails long, threaded one through a picot and tied the ends so it can be used as an ornament. this is the first thing that I tatted with my GMA purple shuttle. I wasn't too sure about how it turned out, but after wetting and blocking last night, I think it wasn't too bad for tatting on the road.

This is a rosary that I made for a friend of mine at church. It is also size 20 Manuela in colorway 204. This is not blocked, but I usually don't block rosaries, they are intended to be carried in pockets or purses, so I don't feel there is a need for blocking.

I love this color way. There is some left on my shuttles, so I think I will work up a set of earings.

Here are all 3 steps for #4 T.I.A.S. so far Sherry's pattern has lots of block tatting. I think that everyone doing the TIAS will be an expert at block tatting by the time we are finished.

It was very windy today. The last several days have been mostly calm. One of the things we were shopping for yesterday as a new TV antenna for HDTV We have the box, but needed a new antennae as well. We took the old antenna down, and put the new one up during the wind today. not fun on top of the roof, but DH was impatient to get it done. After not falling off the roof, we watched the Vikings lose. The only good thing about that, was I did some more tatting on my companion glass matt. ( see post below with the green & purple motif) This one will be the opposite colors.

Another thing I did tonight was to shorten the sleeves on my turnout coat for the fire department. The smallest one they had pretty much covered my fingers, so after washing it, and hanging it outside to dry, got rained on too, I shortened the sleeves a good 2". Now they won't be in my way so much if I need to actually do first aid at a fire.

midnight. time for bed.
Happy tatting
Ladytats

T.I.A.S #4 Step 1

Here is my beginning for the 4th Tat It And See. I reserve the right to make a guess at what we are tatting as there is not enough clues right now.

I have done block tatting before, but not this method so it was essentially new to me.

This is the first TIAS that I have participated in. So This will be fun and interesting.

I have committed to demonstrating Tatting at Uff Da Days in Rutland, a town about 20 miles south west from me on October 5. It will be the 4th year I have done so. I really should get my act in gear and demonstrate at other area affairs. I never seem to have enough tatting to showcase at these events. I think I will print out pictures of some of the items that I have tatted and given away to fill out my display. I don't keep much tatting around, it always seems to find another home.

Last night was our monthly fire department meeting. Even tho I am attached as a First Responder, and not a certified fireman, I still needed to get outfitted in Turnout Gear. I got a helmet, the only red one in the squad, and a turnout coat a bit too large, but by turning down the cuffs, I can make do. Pants and boots are a bust, nothing will fit. So will have to see what will need to be done about that. for now, I hope that I will not be needed. I am there for first aid for either victims of fires or accidents, as the nearest ambulance is 15-20 miles away depending on where the problem is in the departments area. My goal is to get enough firemen certified as First Responders so we can man a Quick Response unit.

Happy Tatting
Ladytats

Looky, Looky what I got!

Yippee!

Dave Stanbrough from Grizzly Mountain Arts has handcarved a shuttle for me out of Purple Celluloid. not only did he sign and date it, he put my initials in it so when I pass it on many years from now, someone will know whose it was. It is very pretty and feels so smooth in my hand.

Here is his website http://www.grizzlymountainarts.com/ His blog is listed to the right. He has an Etsy.com store and also sells on ebay.com

Dave has graciously allowed me to replace my poor picture of this shuttle with one that he took. Now you can see how great it looks.

My digital camera can't get close enough, and the scan above looks like my scanner needed cleaning, but I tried that, so don't know why it looks hazy. Sorry for the poor pic. It looks so much prettier in your hand.

life has been interfering, so have not yet been able to load it and tat. Can't wait!

Happy Tatting

Ladytats

Enough is enough

I have decided that enough is enough.

I have been gaining weight this summer despite that fact that it is summer. Granted my lovely doctor has told me that I am now menopausal and the weight gain is related to that. It just isn't right.

yes, if I sit down and read a book after work or work on my tatted lace that is sedentary and yes, I sit all day at work. but I have tried to cut down on the calories and still nothing. So the other day when I stepped on the scale and it said 160 [shudder] I said that's it.

The pic above if is of the bike that I bought Friday night. I did a mile and a quarter yesterday (Saturday) but in bits and pieces and today I did a mile in one piece. Now that doesn't sound like much, but for me that is a lot. I have had trouble with my thigh muscles screaming in agony after only a short 1/4 mile and that started years ago, but I attributed that to the bikes being adjusted for my kids when they were younger and shorter. so having toughed it out I feel better about it. All my muscles and joints hurt last night. And it took me until after 5 this afternoon to get up the guts to get out there and get in a ride. I made the dog come with my yesterday and today. big lazy pig that he is, this should help him too.

He is a pure bred blue heeler. he was born with the brown patches over his eye and ear contrary to the normal all white of a blue heeler pup. And they kept telling us he would get more spots as he got older, but by the time he was 6 mos old we knew that he would stay white with sooty smudgy fingerprints along his back like you see. He is a good dog, but like all blue heelers, very intelligent and full of energy, and he just doesn't have enough to do. No kids around anymore, and not as much cattle work since we aren't milking anymore. He was 5 years old this past July. amazing, I can remember picking him up from my daughter when he was just 6 weeks old.

Happy Tatting

Ladytats

#15 Scrunchie

I usually have a take along project with me going places. the latest one is a tatted scrunchie.

I finished it tonight. I know a young girl who I hope will be happy with it, so wanted to get it done.

I tatted it in size 10 HDT by klmattox. It is fine for a utilitarian thread. and you get a lot of it. which is nice as you don't have to worry about running out.

I based my pattern on a scrunchie posted by http://tattingchic.blogspot.com/ . She also mentioned that you do the rings about the rubber band by passing the shuttle through the band while rapping the ring thread around your hand. That was all I needed to get started. I worked out the number of stitches for the rings by trial and error. but it was easy. It took 9ds to make the small rings aroung the band and the larger top rings are 3-3-3-3 I left about 1/4" of space between rings. Basically you are doing a 1 shuttle all ring edging pattern. Even with the size 10 thread, I did 44 sets of rings and used 4 bobbins of thread. I didn't measure the amount of thread that I wound on my shuttle bobbin so can't give you that. I used one of my Silent tatters so the bobbin holds a good deal of thread.

I do know that I can get 9 yards of size 20 thread on a bobbin, so I would think that it took at least 15 yards of thread for the scrunchie.

I am excited about T.I.A.S #4 I have my threads picked out and waiting for the next bit of instructions. to participate in this T.I.A.S go to http://ladyshuttlemaker.blogspot.com/

I have a rather ambitious project in my head that has been popping up for the last couple of weeks. I have been cogitatting on just how to do it. part of it involves some of the beads that I have ordered. I won't say anymore about it at this time, as I need to get a few more things figured out.

Happy tatting

Ladytats

#14 Glass Matt

Here is what I did over the Labor Day weekend.

I would have posted this last night, but we had a thunder and lightning storm and the computer stays off then. We got 2" of badly needed rain out of the storm, so no complaints.

I wrote about the problems that I had with the joins in the posts below.

I have finished the first of 2. This one has purple rings and green chains. I have started the one with green rings and purple chains.

The green thread is Flora size 20 and the purple is Manuela size 20. All together I figure about 33 yards of thread. the finished size is 5.5"

Once I gave up on the joining, it went rather smoothly as long as I paid attention to the number of picots needed in the chains. I retro-tatted more rings and chains on this darn thing. I do not cut out mistakes, I un-stitch them. I almost never have problems opening a ring, so retro-tatting is just time consuming.

I hear that there will be a new TIAS coming soon. Don't know what a TIAS is? Tat It And See. Someone, in this case, Ladyshuttlemaker, develops a pattern and gives out a little bit each day until you are finished. That way you don't know what it is until you are finished. Like a puzzle with no picture to follow.

I believe that I mentioned below that I "went shopping". I bought some clear glass ornaments to tatt covers for to use as Christmas presents. I did some bead shopping as well.

Happy Tatting

Ladytats

Winnie the Pooh's honey tree

Does anyone know how to get in touch with Winnie the Pooh? I think his winter supply of honey is in my yard.

I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but decided to detail it here.

A couple of weeks ago, I was surprised while taking down the laundry to hear a hum that seemed to be coming from an old cottonwood tree near the end of my clothes lines.

I checked it out and discovered that there was a bee hive in a hole about 10-12' above the ground. Obviously that means there is hollow space in the tree. Looking at the picture above, the hole is above and to the left of the left clothes line pole.

Cottonwoods, if you don't know, are notorious for rotting from the inside out. We had 2 of them as big as this or bigger out in the pasture - one of which came down all by itself in a storm, the other one became hollow enough at the bottom that several of the kids could sit inside, so we took that one down before it fell on anything.

The tree above is old (100+) and we had placed it on our list of trees to remove at some point in time. It has now moved to the top of the list. If it came down in a SW wind, it would land on the house. If it came down any direction but south, it would cause harm to other trees, buildings or farm implements. So, after the corn field to the south is combined later this fall this tree will come down. As you can see from the picture, taking this tree down will be a major project. One of the neighbors has agreed to help and it will take a good chunk of time.

The honey will be a nice bonus, but the tree itself will keep us warm as we heat our house with an outside woodstove. We don't waste much of anything. I will feel sorry for the bees, but I will be interested in the honey. It would make an interesting Christmas present for the kids.

we will have to contact a beekeeper to remove the bees before we take down the tree.

It has been an interesting experience with the bees in the yard.

I have watched them quite often and they are so busy.

So... if you know Winnie.... just point him in my direction.

Oh, and the copper colored circle hanging from the clothes line is a double 3-D Butterfly spinner one of those we sell at work.

Happy tatting

Ladytats