Surprise!!

How many of you revisit blog posts to read comments? I sometimes do. You might want to check this blog post again as there is a surprise giveaway. I did not plan it but I thought it would be fun.

Christmas 2011 Snowflake #35

This was fun and fast to tat. The pattern is from Susanne Schwennke's Mustersammlung book on page 36. Tatted in one round using 2 shuttles. Using size 40 threads, 3m was needed in Shuttle 1 and 6m on Shuttle 2.

Elephants on a Journey

They went off on a journey more than 2 weeks ago and have arrived at their destination. A special request from someone who collects elephants. I hope they will have lots of fun with the other elephants at their new home.  

Threads used here are Manuela Size 10 Col. 159 in black, grey and brown, Flora Size 20 Col. 207 in pink and Altin Basak Size 50 Col. 2351 in gold with gold metallic strand. Pattern is from Inga Madsen's book 'Tatted Animals'.

My Broken Ring

It's been years, but I am still upset about this. I was in a hurry to leave the house, closed the door and hit my ring on the door knob and it broke. Now and then, I take it out to admire it. Crying over spilled milk isn't going to fix it. I could glue it back, see . . . . like this.

I also thought of putting in a silver shank or getting a new ring but it will be difficult to find one similar. The beauty of these rings is that each is unique.

Christmas 2011 Snowflake #34

A mistake which ended up into an adaptation of the pattern but I could not let it go and had to tat another following the pattern exactly. Talk about an obsession.

Pattern is from Susanne Schwenke's Spitzen Ideen book on page 20. Used up quite a bit of Size 40 threads - 5m on Shuttle 1 and 8.5m on Shuttle 2. It is a nicely shaped star and you could reduce the number of arms to 5 or 6. Can you see the Ws?

Only managed to tat 2 snowflakes so far this month. 40 snowflakes was my target before 25 Dec 2011. Now to tat some from the Mastersammlung book.

New Quilting Books

Sometime in late April, I went to the public library to browse through some quilting books. I borrowed this one which I really liked. I liked it so much I decided to get my own copy. Don't you just love the quilt on that book cover? Mom's quilt was an adaptation of the Floral Frocks Quilt in this book.

Then I chose this one after browsing through online book reviews. All simple patterns but you could create some pretty amazing contemporary designs by just choosing different prints or colours. 

Now . . .  what should I make as my next quilt project?

More Tatted Hairpins

I followed the pattern from Nancy Tracy's magnolia centres and wanted to add some beads for these. The round filigree bases were easier to tat into. They were tatted sometime back but I forgot to post them. Which one is your favourite?

Craving for Cake

Cake anyone? Baking a cake to satisfy this craving will not work. Once you bake it, the craving is gone and you are left with cake which no one will eat.  

Craving for potato chips can be easily remedied. Keep bags of chips at home and open a pack to satisfy the craving but cake isn't so easy.

When do you crave for cakes? Usually when watching a cooking show on TV. Could I buy/bake and store these sweets in the fridge before that and have it during the show? Maybe. Do I get these cravings when I am in the cake shop? No, not usually.

Hello from Umi and Tsuru

Umi has good appetite these days. She is not yet her normal weight but she is definitely getting there. She lost about 1.8kg when she was sick. She is now 3.8kg.

Tsuru who gained weight during that time due to test tasting all that food for Umi, is nearly back to her normal weight. She usually fluctuates from 3.0 - 3.3 kg. She is now 3.4kg.

Christmas 2011 Snowflake #33

Thought I should not neglect my snowflake challenge so this month I will tat a few. This is #33 and I went back to Susanne Schwenke's Spitzen Ideen book for this one on pp 24. Tatted in white Size 40 threads from my bargain ball - La Primera Cotton Lace Yarn from Japan but it is made in Turkey. That 50g ball is slowly diminishing and I am smiling. Why? I can buy more threads. I have storage boxes full of threads and I want to buy more. That's the way it is.

This pattern looks challenging and that it why I passed on it earlier but it is actually quite easy to tat. I love the effect. It reminds me of those trees in architectural drawings.

Bittergourd Omelette

Not everyone likes the bittergourd. I love it when cooked this way. It was how my grandmother and mom cooked it. I love having it with rice. Just halve the fruit, remove the seeds and slice thinly. Sprinkle some salt to remove some of the bitterness, rinse with water and fry with chopped garlic before adding the beaten egg. Flavour the beaten egg with soya sauce and pepper. Hmmmm yummy! One of my father's favourite bittergourd dish is a soup cooked with salted fish bones and tau kwa (firm Chinese tofu).

Hanky Edging #4

This is one I started weeks back. I chose it specially for a beautiful hanky which I bought. I did not want an edging pattern which showed any resemblance of flowers. I love flowers but not for this hanky. First edging in white and I wanted it to look elegant and pristine.

The pattern is Susanne Schwenke's from her Spitzen Ideen book on page 10. I made so many mistakes in the begining and had to untat. It was frustrating but I got the hang of it eventually. I used Milford Size 60 threads. I will photograph and show you the whole hanky soon.

Sunset

Yesterday's sunset was pretty. Look at the different hues. It was quite late too at about 7.35pm. More photos here Oct 2010 and Nov 2008. Take time to view a sunset too.

Completed Hanky Edgings #1, #2 and #3

I wanted to post these earlier but the thought of washing, blocking and ironing didn't really appeal to me. I also needed to get a board large enough for blocking the hanky.  Now what did they say about lazy bones?

  

I was also experimenting how best to display the hanky for photographs. For more info about the pattern and thread details, check out the previous posts here - #1, #2, #3.

A Crystal Picture

It is unusual and amazing but somehow the grand effect is lost. It is difficult to photograph and I thought I could find a better photo by a  professional photographer to show you but no, this will have to do. I found this hanging from the ceiling at a local hotel lobby. It is made of crystal pieces carefully hung vertically to create a scene of bamboos, trees, birds, mountains, rivers and pagodas.  

Teddy Bear

Inga Madsen Tatted Animals pattern No 12. This completes this series. I tatted this pattern for my niece on her birthday. This one is in a different colour scheme. Tatted in Anchor Perle Cotton 8 Col. 381 (dark brown) and Col. 1320.

Spathiphyllum wallisii

This is also commonly known as the peace lily. I think I have had this plant for about 10 years now. It was a birthday gift from wonderful friends. I just found out that overfeeding might prevent flowering. Is that the reason why it hasn't flowered until now? It is suppose to be a great choice for indoor house gardens or at the office as it is a terrific air purifier. Did you notice the indentations left by the spadix on the spathe? 

Squirrel

Inga Madsen Tatted Animals pattern No 11. I wanted my squirrel to look more furry than the one in the book so I made the tail picots longer. I had lots of 'fun' blocking it. Tatted in DMC Perle Cotton 8 in Col. 107 (Variegated Carnation) and Col. 841 (Light Beige Brown).

Pigeons in the Black House

I wonder if that is their favourite perch, so much so that it has caused the paint to peel. Or it could just be weathering.

This is an old shop house on Haji Lane. This place is now hip and popular with the teenagers but try not to visit too early in the day as most would be closed. Many shops are by young artists.

Parallel to this lane is Arab Street. That is where I go for fabrics, glass beads, crystals, ribbons, trims, batik, sarongs and other knick knacks.

Snail

Inga Madsen Tatted Animals pattern No 10. Tatted in DMC Perle Cotton 8 Col. 91. I think the subtle colour changes in the thread is perfect. Whose garden would you see a blue snail . . . . .  but I love it! Two more patterns to go from this book.

Madagascar Almond

This tree fascinates me. The tree structure and the variegated leaves are what caught my eye. Terminalia mantaly 'Tricolor' is endemic to Madagascar. I did see this tree in small pots in a nursery but unfortunately we could not stop to get it and it will be a while before we make a trip back there. I would love to have it in a pot in my balcony. It may not survive but where else could I plant this.

It reminded me of the Terminalia catappa (also called the sea almond) trees along Ayer Rajah Road back in the 1980s. If you have seen both trees, you might think it strange. I made many trips crossing that road lined with the Ketapang trees. It made that road so shady and the ground was always covered with its leaves. It is all gone now as Ayer Rajah Road is now part of the expressway.

Monkey

Inga Madsen Tatted Animals pattern No 9.
Would this be too scary for a child? I think it is the colour I used. It looks more like a gorilla now. This is tatted in Milford Size 40 Black. I think the design is awesome. Look at the legs.

King of Fruits

You either love them or hate them.

This is a sign at the local supermarket in Kuala Lumpur. We were not shopping for durians there but came across this sign which is quite useful. However you need to trust your durian seller when he tells you that the durian is of a certain variety as they are not officially labelled. It is now allowed for export to China and as demand increases, prices will rise.

Have you had a good durian today?

Ladybird

Inga Madsen Tatted Animals pattern No 8.
Tatted in Size 40 threads Coats Shade 700 and Milford black. I need to learn ball thread joins. 

Hanky Edging #3

Have I finished hanky edging #2? Yes I have and I will show you the photos soon. Edging #3 is Susanne Schwenke's pattern from her Spitzen Kreationen book on pp 4. I used Venus Size 40 Col 541. Bright yellow to match the yellow rosebud hanky I bought.

Horse

Inga Madsen Tatted Animals pattern No 7 - Foal.

Tatted in a variegated pink Anchor Perle 8 in Col. 1320. A pink horse is perfect for a princess, don't you think?