Always take that detour....

I took myself away for a few days as I am starting a new job soon and won't get another chance for 12 months.

Decided it would be a tatting treasure hunt trip so I hit pretty much every secondhand dealer, opportunity (thrift) shop and antique shop between Shepparton and Warrnambool.
All the old towns including Bendigo and Ballarat and ....NOTHING!!

On the way home I spotted a sign saying "old wares" on a side road. Nearly missed it. It is one of those places where sellers rent a small space in a big hall. I thought...what the heck. Plenty of time before I have to be home.

Got there with 5 minutes to closing. Asked about shuttles, showed them the one I had with me and suddenly a woman pipes up....Oh yes i think the lady down the back has something like that!!

Ta da!!!

My first shuttle find in any of those sorts of stores!

The Milwards mean I can keep my promise to Shari to replace the one that never arrived in the mail and have a couple of spares to trade. There was a brown plastic one too, but sadly it was extremely brittle (so was the thread). The doily is also really brittle thread and falls apart if you handle it too much. But it has inspired my next doily at least!

Sometimes detours are wonderful!

Turning things around.....

After completing the Tatting the Australian Way challenge bookmarks I started thinking about some of the patterns I had stashed away in my files.  I went through a few and found a pattern that was basically the same, except it was turned 'inside out'.

So I did it too.....
Lizbeth 40 
Seriously keen to get rid of the rest of this thread.

Deceptive patterns

Belinda Spence put up a challenge in the facebook group Tatting the Australian Way.  ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/847655165276159/  )

It was a free pattern and anyone could participate.

Well....it LOOKED easy enough. But it actually has a more than usual level of concentration required, as we pretty much all found out!

First attempt and I made the rookie mistake of thinking it was a rock along easy pattern so I used Alenalea Rako HDT......  and suffered the consequences.

After attempt number 1.... after cutting out a repeat of the pattern because I joined in the wrong place (twice),I ended up untatting 9 rings in an attempt to not run out of thread. THIS is what I had left!

 This was the result of the first attempt. Really love Lea's HDT. Withstands unpicking beautifully and always feels great to tat with.

 So I decided to try it again.....
This time with Altin Basak 50 in red and Butterfly gold thread

Version 3 was a breeze. A couple of small unpicks and swearing at the fraying Lizbeth thread but otherwise ok.

Late birthday present

Finally the last of the silver shuttles is here!!

Cleaned up nicely too.

So now all my precious ones are together at last.

Still on the lookout for more Websters and that all elusive enamel. I will find it one day.....

The four on the left are Webster -

• Webster Co. (Around 1894-Present)
• North Attleboro, MA 

Founded by George K. Webster as G.K. Webster & Co. in 1878. Became the Webster Co. c. 1894. Makers of miscellaneous sterling flatware items, holloware, vanity items and novelties along with a small line of silverplate items. Became a subsidiary of Reed & Barton in 1950, operating as an independent company. Purchased the Frank W. Smith Silver Co. in 1958. 

The large one is a Nussbaum & Hunold - 

• Nussbaum & Hunold (1903-1920)
• Providence, RI 
• Founded by Benjamin Nussbaum, Joseph Nussbaum, and Walter Hunold. Manufacturers of sterling novelties and jewelry. 

• The next one is a Foster & Bailey -  

• Foster & Bailey (1878-1898)
• Providence, RI  
• Successor to White, Foster & Co. and a precursor to the Theodore W. Foster & Bro. Co. who continued to use the F&B flag mark for a while. Makers of sterling novelties and vanity items.
• Theodore W. Foster & Brothers Co. (1898-1951)
• Providence, RI 
• Successors to Foster & Bailey. Makers of gold, sterling, and silverplate novelties and jewelry

Then a Codding Bros & Heilborn  -

• Codding Bros. / Codding Bros. & Heilborn / Codding & Heilborn Co. (1878-1918)
• North Attleboro, MA 

Founded by Arthur, Edwin and James Codding. Leo A. Heilborn joined the company in 1891. Incorporated c. 1897 as the Codding & Heilborn Co. Makers of sterling souvenir spoons and novelties.

and the final 2 daisy ones are marked Sterling but have no visible hallmark. Any info on them would be appreciated.

Beware The Knotted Vine....

I have decided that Middy Clark is dangerous to my bank balance.....

She keeps coming up with fantastic little shuttles I really love to use!!

I adore her Dragon Dog and Phoenix metal shuttles because the feel so nice and balanced to work with and fit my hand nicely.

THEN... she comes out with these divine little garden shuttles! AND not just one...6 different colors. My addiction will never be overcome!

Middy's shop in Etsy is called TheKnottedVine. Worth keeping an eye on what she puts up for sale. These ones are not always available.

  

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheKnottedVine?section_id=17757593

Just a note here too. The shuttles I show on my page and in Tatting Shuttle Addicts on facebook are all purchases. The are not freebies or giveaways.
My opinions are that of a customer and nothing more.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/tattingshuttleaddicts/

Stop playing with your food!!

When I was in Denmark in 2010 I was lucky enough to have my birthday while I was there and Susanne made me a traditional Danish birthday cake which includes all sorts of sweets on it.
While she was busy cooking I swiped some of the licorice strap and tatted a ring with it.

Well........ on a long car trip, I got a bit bored and, well, the snake lollies just jumped out and yelled TAT ME!!

So I did! (In my defence it WAS Susanne's birthday - I was just thinking of that fine cake!) My excuse and I am sticking to it!

Silver remembrance

Jamie always knew I loved my tatting and was instrumental in buying some of the lovelies I have in my collection. He knew I always loved the silver ones.

With some of the money he left for me, I went on a bit of a mad silver shuttle spree. Helped enormously by the lovely Ginny Weathers!! (Ginny - thank you so much. Without you I would never have been able to get these!)

So here are my latest additions to my silver shuttle collection. Love them!!