not tatting but Socks!

As the title says, there is no tatting in this post.

Some of you may recall a few months ago I posted that I was in search of a Sock Knitting Machine.
I have not found one to purchase yet, it is still on my wish list.  However, I have had a chance to use one.

A few weeks back I heard from a friend of mine (MB) who knew someone (JE) with a Sock Machine who wanted some help with her tatting.  I was willing to help and JE was willing to bring her Sock machine and let me play a bit.
We got together and spent an afternoon swapping knowledge.

She helped me learn to do some straight knitting, make a heel and a picot edge turned hem that became a set up basket ~ one of the ways to cast on when starting a project.

Heel knitted under the tutelage of JE

Set up basket, the loops in the spaces on the right are put over the needles to make the beginning stitches, the ring on the left is where you hang a lot of weight - several pounds.

 A couple weeks later another gal (PB) I know that shares a booth with me at WMSTR over Labor day weekend, agreed to show me her Sock Machine.

She has several and was showing me the differences in them.  Near the end of my visit she asked if I would like to borrow her machine from the early 1920's and work with it for a bit.  Well, I nearly jumped out of the chair I was sitting in YES!!

So, instead of tatting, which I need to get at quickly, I have been sloughing off and some one is patiently, or maybe not so patiently waiting for the rest of the snowflakes I owe her, I have been spending my spare moments playing with this awesome machine.

I didn't take any pictures of my work on the machine, but I have a few more pictures of things I have been doing.

The yellow is the first heel I made and you saw it above, the grey is from the cone of yarn that PB sent home with me and her machine. This heel I did by myself.  Not as good as the other, but not bad.

A section of mock rib.  I don't have the ribber attachment for the Sock Machine, so thought I would see if I could do some mock ribbing.  Not too bad.  Need to do more playing with tension.

This is what I accomplished this weekend.  Actually I did have another one up to about the middle of the heel and then didn't pay close attention to moving the weights to keep the stitches down on the needles where they needed to be and made a mess of things so took that one off and started again.

 This sock took me a couple of hours all told.  I did it in between laundry, housecleaning and attending a wedding reception for a niece last night. 

I finished it today after Mass

side 1

side 2

Not too shabby if I say so myself.  He he.
There were a few dropped stitches during the whole process, but I have "mastered" the technique for fixing dropped stitches.  The heel turned out pretty good.  The toe on the other hand, while you can't really see them in these pictures, I didn't do as well, and there are some holes along the mid line.  But I Kitchenered the toe seam and that looks pretty good. 

 Here is the sock on, it actually fits pretty good.  surprisingly, as I was simply doing rows between the hem and heel and between the heel and toe for practice.

I am sure that I will not be able to do another to match.

But I am rather "chuffed", as a well known tatter UK would say, in what I have accomplished.

quicky post

just a couple of things

Size 40 Olympus in red and size 40 Flora in green,  The Olympus is a larger 40 than the Flora

Size 40 Lizbeth with DMC metalic blending filament.

I have a 2014 payroll seminar to attend tomorrow. Oh so much fun as I have to leave home at 7:30 am to get there.  But it means I get to have supper with my son as he lives in that city.  And in the evening I will be able to meet a gal with some sock machines and I will get to play a bit and check out the different kinds. 

have a wonderful day.

11-11-11

Thank you all Veterans and Military personnel who have served  to keep our freedoms and to help those who need it in time of war and peace.
God Bless all

Thank you

Bookworm and a Giraffe

Farmguy was able to finish the combining last week, so we took a few days vacation and went hunting with some good friends.

It took about 10 hrs + driving time to get to SW Nebraska.

I don't bird hunt, my job was to do the cooking for 8 adults and 1 near teen.  I was in charge of the evening meal and helped with getting breakfast done at 4:15 am. Noon meal was eaten out in the field.

While the hunters and the dogs did their thing, I stayed at the campers and tatted. 

A week or so ago, I participated in a riddle game on Facebook.  If I got the answer to the riddle wrong, I was to change my profile picture to a Giraffe.  Well, I got the answer wrong.  The Giraffe picture I used was from Jane Eborall's Tatted Giraffe pattern. 

It is about 4.25" in Lizbeth size 40.  I think the colorway is Mountain Breeze #134.  I did goof a join on the last leg and had to untat 4 split rings.  I could have cut it off, but I am stubborn and like to be able to go from start to finish with out adding in thread unless I run out.

I filled 2 Aerlit bobbins with about 11 yards on each.

Anyway.. once I finished, I decided to see how far the thread left on the bobbins would go so I tatted another Bookworm

I think I twisted the left side of his head when I put him in the scanner.  That is a 6" ruler in the picture so from tip of tail to tip of tongue he is about 6.5" long. I used up the thread on 1 bobbin and added in the 2nd one and when I finished, there is still about 2 yards or so left on the bobbin. I finished the Bookworm on the drive home.

I did some more tatting on the drive home..
I had started this Merriment Doily  by Jon Yusoff a while back, but hadn't taken the time to finish the 8th repeat.

 I was able to tat the outer section of the repeat, but the last clover leaf set I ran out of thread on my shuttle.  The drive wasn't the smoothest as the pickup I was riding in was pulling a very large, long camper.  So I decided not to deal with adding in new thread on the drive.  The thread is Jess! Foster's Kaleidoscope Bright size 40.  I have Kaleidoscope Light as well and will do a coordinating pair.

 I then started the Clover Leaf Doily by Linda Davies. The links to her patterns are in the right hand column.  I was able to get the 1st round and half of the 2nd round before I had to stop.

The thread is possibly an HDT by Zarina called Orchid Garden size 20 however, I have lost the label so don't know for sure.  The solid I am using for the chains is Lizabeth Olive Dk size 20.

Now I have to finish some snowflakes that are promised, I don't carry beads and findings with me on trips.  Too easy to drop them so I only work with them when I am at home. So I didn't take them with me.

Another BookWorm

I tatted another BookWorm Bookmark based on Dianna Stevens pattern.  You can find the pattern in my post below.

The thread is an unlabeled Manuela.  I loved the colorway wish they hadn't quit making it.

The ruler is a 6" so you can see how long the bookmark is.  The thread tail is all that I had left when I finished.
I started with a full Aerlit bobbin, pulled off about 2' or so to use as for the head chains, and finished finger tatting the last couple rings.  I actually skipped 2 rings so that I was able to finish.

I have been reworking Dianna's pattern so I can start with the lower side of the head, use double-double stitches to strengthen and straighten the neck area ~ do snakes have necks? ~ then using a split ring to start the body.  That way I only have to hide the chain thread end in the split ring, and then the rings thread in the last ring.  Dianna's pattern makes the body starting at the end behind the head and ends at the tail.  Then attaches the head so you have extra ends to hide.

I can see that I have to do another as I should have done a balance split ring instead which would have put the upper head side attached to the body at the top picot instead of at the side where it is right now.

Toot! Toot!

Sherry's TIAS was fun to do and the directions were easy to follow.  Her Picadilly Express is cute, and if you have finished her TIAS, there is a Bonus pattern for 2 more cars to pull behind the engine.

Thanks Sherry for a fun pattern.
This is the blog Sherry set up for us to post our trains in the same place.
You can still join the TIAS and make this pattern.  You can find all the day to day pattern pieces on Sherry's ladyshuttlemaker blog.

Miranda from TattingFool  very kindly asked me to test her Pendant pattern.  It was a nice pattern to follow.  While you did need to cut and tie after each section, it was not difficult. 

Miranda is holding a contest to name this Pendant pattern.  You can learn about it here.

Good night everyone

I went trippin'

Last Thursday my BFF and I went on a trip.  We drove all the way from North Dakota to the East edge of Wisconsin.
I did some tatting during the trip and was able to finish an edging that I have had in as my purse project for the past 2 years up to the last join.  I will have to get it smoothed out and steamed into place so I can do the last join correctly.  I have posted about it before, let me see if I can find it in my Picassa archive....

The thread is Krystle Dawne's Wisteria Lane in size 40.  The pattern is Mary Konior's Beauty Spot
I also tatted a bookmark for one of my grandsons who had a birthday the other day.

The thread is size 40 Lizbeth Jelly Bean (don't know the color number) The pattern is by Diana Stevens and can be found on the wayback machine at http://www.allcrafts.net/crochetsewingcrafts.htm?url=web.archive.org/web/20000824105730/http://www.domesticarts.com/patterns/snake.htm  although as usual I made a few "improvements" to the pattern. I started with the head and ended with the tail so there were no cut and ties except when I finished. Since I was feeling my way abit, I ended up with the head curved off to the side.  I tried using the double double stitch so the chains in the head would be straighter between the body and the eyes.  If I had put the correct number of stitches in the orange side, the head would have been straighter.  I am going to do this again and will correct my stitch count, but this will work very well as is for my grandson.

Now a few pictures from my trip.

 There is an awesome old style chocolate candy shop in Manitowoc Beerntsen's it is amazing the candy is so good. The picture above is from the shop into the booth area as they also serve a simple soup and sandwich lunch.  The woodwork is walnut and the booths each have mirrors with cast iron framing.

 The lunch counter side and some of the candy

The other side of the shop with more of the candy.  All the candy is hand dipped on site.  Check out the link above to see some of it.

We did see some nice fall colors.  Some of the pictures I took as we drove down the highway so the focus isn't as good as I would like.

For some reason it just seems strange to see log buildings in Wisconsin.  The above building is missing it's roof but it just seemed so lonely in the middle of the corn field.

The Silos are different from what I am used to seeing around our neck of the woods ...

... concrete tops.  generally ours have steel tops.

This past Sunday was Fatima Day and we went to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help near Green Bay. This is a very reverent place.
We were able to attend the Rosary and Holy Hour while we were there.  Afterwards I was able to take a few pictures

 A grotto of Our Lady of Fatima and the 3 children who saw her. 

 A Statue of Our Lady of Good Help.  The apparitions have been approved by the Catholic Church as authentic, and worthy of belief, but we are not required  to believe in them.

One of the outdoor Stations of the Cross.

This last picture is of a sunrise over Lake Michigan from the window of the bedroom where I stayed.  The trees and grasses that you can see is the edge of the bluff above the shore of the lake.  The bright flare above the cloud layer is a plume from something on the Michigan shore across the lake.  The sunrise the day before had been even more awesome, but I had left my camera in the car so missed that one.

The drive is about 9 hours if you don't stop for gas or to stretch your legs.

Now time for bed.

Look what I got!

I have been on a trip for the past several days. 
Today was my first day back at work.
This was delivered to me today.

This past Sunday Farmguy and I  celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary.

Thanks kids and grandkids for the lovely flowers. They are wonderful.  Such pretty colors.

TIAS Days 4&5, a surprise in the mail & canning

After I finished tatting Day 3, my motif cupped.  Sherry posted in response to several tatters that the motif should lay flat. I considered starting over, but was able to stretch the chains enough so the flower shape laid flat.
Tonight I was able to sit and catch up with Days 4 & 5

I have no idea yet what this is, but it sure is an interesting shape. 

Several weeks ago a package showed up in the mail, I wasn't expecting anything and when I opened it, a dear friend had sent me a very nice linen square with a pretty Prairie Rose embroidered on it.  The Prairie Rose is the state flower of North Dakota.  They grow wild in places on our farm and in uncultivated areas all over the state. 

As you can see it is about 8" square with raw edges.  I need to decide how to hem it, a plain hem, or one done with what is called Hem stitching, so there are holes to join to.  Also, do I leave it square, or trim it round or oval.

The thread in the corner is Perfect Quilter Prairie Sage

I think it is the perfect color for an edging, but what edging? simple and narrow? or intricate and wide?  Any and all opinions are welcome as to shape for the linen piece and also the type of edging.

what have a been doing this week?, not much tatting, but this is how I have spent my evenings.


Sunday night I started an 18qrt roaster of tomatoes, while that got started, I peeled and chopped 20 onions and 20 cloves of garlic added that to the roaster along with some parsley and basil.  I let it cook all night long.  I also had enough cucumbers picked to pack 4 half gal jars of refrigerator dill pickles.  I now have 5 half gal jars in my fridge.

Monday night I cubed 6lbs of venison and beef and browned the meat. I then ran all the tomato mix through a sieve to remove the skins. I put about 7 qrts of the tomato pulp/juice in with the meat and some more spices and let it cook for about 3 hours ~ Chili.  The rest of the tomatoes - 6 qrts went in the fridge to make tomato soup.

Tuesday night I canned 7 qrts of chili and put 2 qrts in the fridge for eating.  Farmguy had some for both noon meal and supper and said it was good. Yeah!

Tonight I canned 14 pints of Tomato soup base.  This is a really nice recipe from my grandmother. It is condensed and thickened so when you want to have tomato soup you heat a pint up to a boil, add 2 cups milk, then heat again to serving temp. 

This coming Sunday I will be demonstrating Tatting at Uff Da dayz in Rutland ND again. Eveyone is welcome to come and experience some good food, good crafts, sillyness - there are pig races - a parade and good times. The nearby Coteau des Prairies Lodge nearby is a wonderful place to stay.

Speaking of this coming Sunday the weather service has predicted a low of 30 degrees over night. If that is the case, and how can the National Weather Service be trusted when the gov has shut down??? But if they are telling the truth, then we will have to cover the tomatoes.  They have been bearing and ripening quite well this year as opposed to last year, so I don't think we will be putting up the hoop house.

Sherry's TIAS

I have joined Sherry's TIAS 




For those who do not know, Tat It And See is a fun tat a long where the designer releases a small part of their pattern every few days.  She doesn't tell you what you are tatting, you get to try guessing as you go. They are really fun.


Sherry has set up a blog just for posting your efforts at her TIAS 
 
The thread I am using is a Manuela, the label is gone, so no idea of color # however, the thread is no longer being produced.
Here is my Day 1

And Day 2

I thought about using a joining technique to minimize the color blips, but decided to let them be.

What I did this weekend instead of tatting

I have been tatting, really I have.  I have finished a test tat doily, am involved in another test tat, and have finished 3 motifs for my veil.  The veil motifs are the only ones I can show at the moment, but because of the very dark color, I need really good sunlight to take the photos, and that has been lacking lately.

This weekend we decided to dig some of the carrots in the garden, The neighbors who garden with us and we decided that too many were getting too big and splitting when it rained, so we were going to dig the bigger ones, well, we ended up digging 3 of the 5 rows.  This was a great year for carrots, not so great for other crops, but carrots did very well.

So, we ended up with 4 big dishpans full.  The neighbor gal took one and I had the other 3. 
A nice little gal came and gave me a hand with the scrubbing saturday, and this is what we ended up with.

Overflowing dish drainer

13qrt mixing bowl

As you can see some of the carrots are very large. 
They were all colors,  White, Yellow, Orange & Purple.  They do taste a bit different, the white and yellow are milder and the purple is slightly different then the orange.  The purple are only skin deep and they will bleed out when you cook it, The center is a very bright yellow green, surrounded by light orange with a purple skin.  The big one you see on the top of the dish drainer is a yellow one.  The white ones usually stayed slimmer, but grew tall out of the ground so they have green tops,  you can see one in the lower left corner of the drainer.  it is actually odd shaped.  It grew is a stair step fashion.  Some of the yellow ones have a bit of green on the top as well, but not as much as the white.

Sunday after church I started slicing, I ended up with this

13qrt bowl

 I filled this, put 7 qrt jars in the canner,  filled it again, then filled the roaster you can see beside it.

I put 5 batches through the canner yesterday.  I took the last ones out at 1 this morning.
This is what my table looked like

14 qrts of plain carrots
36 pints of plain carrots
3 pints of dilled carrots
3 pints of dill pickled carrots

The white lids are the Tattler reusable brand.  They have been showing up in the Fleet Farm stores in the nearby towns, so they aren't just on the internet.  I like them.

A close up of the jars

The look pretty good don't they. 

Well, I am sneaking the time to do this at work.  So gotta run and get back to it.  Have a really great day everyone and please join in Sherry P's TIAS.   Here is Day 1.

I hope to get some tatting done tonight.

Sock knitting machine/ Circular Knitting Machine

I am in search of a Circular Knitting Machine, or sometimes known as a Sock Knitter.

It looks similar to this.

If anyone knows of one let me know. 
Thanks

Labor Day Weekend

This coming weekend is the Labor Day Holiday here in the USA.

I will be spending my days from Friday morning to Monday Evening at Rollag MN at the Western Steam Threshers Reunion.

We have a blast, lots of good people.  Lots of fun.  Great Steam Engines, old time tractors and ladies activities.

I will be to spend all 4 days tatting.  Yipee!

Here is the website http://rollag.com

In the ladies building, we feature Tatting, bobbin lace, spinning, knitting - by hand, flat machine and circular machine, quilting, rug weaving, caning, natural plant based dyes, and oh so much. My profile picture was taken there last year.

A look at a Gaar Scot tractor, the featured brand this year







Come and have some wonderful fun and oh so many good eats.
There is a steam powered calliope for the kids and lots of other things too.