Summer readings... or tatting bookmarks?

Last few days have been still very hot here in Italy... but since yesterday evening we began breathing again! And this means my baby Giò can sleep a bit longer... so finally more tatting time!

Usually summer to me is the reading time, when I have time to relax, lay down and put my hands on all the books I can't afford in winter. During the year lots of books start piling up, waiting for the summer to hang around with me during holidays. But this time is different, this is my first no-reading summer - mostly in these last days in which Giò discovered how fun is to rip up everything paper she can find :)
So this year for me only very short books, like the one I'm reading now: Amelie Nothomb's "The life of hunger": have you ever read one of her books? To me she is just amazing... give it a try if you feel ready for great imagination and disdainful irony. But this post isn't supposed to be about a book, but about a bookmark!

Here there is the "Foldover Bookmark", a free pattern from Jon Yusoff blog, you can find the link to the pattern here.

It's tatted in Lizbeth #20 (my usual size), in one of my favorite variegated color, Vineyard Harvest.

As all others Jon's pattern I tatted, this is a sincere joy to tat, so if I can't have relaxing time reading, at least I can enjoy relaxing time tatting! I love above all all the sudden changes of directions, that anyway flow so smoothly!!! It's so harmonious!

Hope you like it!

So what can I say...
Just have a nice summer reading ;)

One more tatted animal... a big butterfly!

Almost 40°... way too hot for tatting, don't you think?
And even for blogging... the computer releases heat as well...

So the only thing I have ready is this butterfly I tatted from Inga Madsen book "Tatted Animals", in Lizbeth solid colors n#20, very easy and relaxing pattern!

It will be part of the blanket I'm preparing for my baby, together with the Robin and the two small butterflies I've posted last month.

More tatting when the heat goes down a bit...

Dolphins' family completed!

I don't have really much to show... except for the dolphins' family completed!

Now the group of three is ready to be sewn on baby sheets... I think I will add some embroidered waves and some water squirts! 

Concerning threads, the darkest one is in Lizbeth #20, while the two lighter ones are in MFM #20, Italian "Cordonetto" thread. I can say I really enjoyed tatting with this new thread, it's a little bit less twisted than lizbeth but not enough to affect the tatting joy! So, for italian tatters, if you find it buy it, I'll always be in love with Lizbeth but this is a good alternative and a big saving!

Jane Eborall's Dolphin Free Pattern

And now... my hands are finally free to work on my first jewelry pattern! Can't stay with you one minute more... I need to start the stitch count checking!

Have a nice crafting day!

Dolphins for my soon-to-be-born nephew

Today I completed a little dolphin for my sister-in-law incoming baby. It's the first of a group of three, in two different tones of blue, that are supposed to be sewed on a baby bedding sheets set, let's see it when it will be finished!

The pattern of course is a free one from Jane Eborall's blog, I just adore working on her animal patterns, they're absolutely perfect for babies' birth equipment!

As I was giving a hint on a previous post, to follow the pattern I had to face my first split chain! The pattern contains two split chain (they're optional, but the dolphin looks better with than without, go and see it here to visualize the difference), being my first try the first one was a mess, the second one was almost right!

If you look at the picture it really contains plenty of mistakes - what a pity... what was I thinking about while tatting? But if you don't know the pattern the overall impact is not that bad... I think I will keep it and not trow it away in the end!

I will tat the other two dolphins with a new thread I bought yesterday, from a brand I've never tried called MFM, made in Italy... there are a lot of nice colors! I only bought two balls so far, I want to see how it works first!

An unforeseen cross-stitched baby bib

I know this blog is supposed to be mainly about tatting, but would it be that bad if I put in some different handcraft? I hope not... So here we are!

What about cross stitch? I've never been deeply in love with cross stitch, I learned how to do very basic projects from my grandmother when I was a child, and then I forgot everything about it... until now!

Why bring it back right now? Just for my baby! I had something in mind I wanted to do, and I've been surprised I could perfectly remember cross stitch! Here's the result, please don't be severe, it's been a long time since I learnt! It's nothing big, but I think it's a nice bib - a wonderful one when my baby wears it!!!

Can you guess what I'm working at?

What a busy busy week!

Last week's been really busy, I couldn't find the time to blog... the few spare time I found I used for tatting a bit! I have some ongoing projects, almost finished. Hope I'll be able to show you something by tomorrow!

In the meanwhile, following all the posts talking about Google Reader closure, I switched all my favorites blog to Bloglovin, so you will find the Bloglovin button on the sidebar on the right to follow me there! I was worried to loose my favorite blog list, anyway, I can still see all my favorite blogs list on by blogger space... maybe I didn't understand very well what was going to happen!

By the way, I discovered Bloglovin and I have to say that it's a pretty nice service, I like receiving a daily e-mail with all the new posts of the blogs I follow, so that I can read them also from my mobile when I'm traveling or somewhere else than home!
So welcome Bloglovin!

I don't want to end up the post with no tatting showed, so I'll show you a work in progress, hope you'll like it! This is the Robin pattern from Jane Eborall's blog, you can find the link to her wonderful animal patterns here! The Robin is finished, just need to hide ends, I say work in progress because it's part of a bigger project (as the butterflies I showed you here).

Of course, the project id for my baby Giorgia... can you guess what I'm working at? More clues on upcoming posts... Who knows, it can become a giveaway quiz???

Now it's time to ask for help: I'd like to try some tatting with a metallic thread, do you have any suggestion on which to use and where to buy (online shop would be better, in Europe will be the best)? Thanks in advance to anybody who can find a minute to help me :)

I really hope this week will be a good one for handcraft, but sun is shining now, the beach is calling me! Have a nice monday!

A rocking horse for babies' dreams...

Hi!

Today it's really summer here! I'm at the beach with my baby, she's sleeping now so I have a little bit of time to post!

When I was waiting for her I tatted a small rocking horse to realize a blanket for the stroller. Actually I tatted two of them, the second one for a friend of mine who was waiting for a baby as well.
Here there's the one I tatted for my friend (unfortunately I don't have pictures of what has been realized with it, should be a blanket as well)

Here is what I've done for baby Giorgia:

Both of them are realized with Lizbeth threads 30, solids and variegated colors. I'm not 100% happy with the colors of the second one, it's a little bit too flashy, isn't it?

The pattern should be from Pam Palmer's Tatting Treats Two, to be honest I found some pictures of the realized horse online, but I wasn't able to find neither the book nor the pattern, so I adjusted it looking at the pictures (and so the result is not perfect...)! So please forgive me if the direction of the pattern is not correct and let me know if I made a mistake.
oooohhhh..... she woke up!!!