Early Morning

There is a point every morning where I simply lie awake in bed and think. Usually my thoughts are of no real significance, I solve no great dilemmas, make no amazing plans, but every so often I have a small epiphany. This morning was one of those mornings. The epiphany was relatively small in nature and it contained no actual wisdom. What it did do was potentially create a new tatted mask.

I had set the mask designed after my Art Deco Duo necklace quite a while ago hoping that the answer would come to me and I think it has, so hopefully I shall have something new to show on Monday or I will recount my stunning defeat at the hands of this little tatted mask.

In other news, I have busted out with the yarn again. This time it's just some store bought cotton and the creation has yet to form. It may still be insanely hot in sunny California, but I feel fall in the air and it's inspired me to create a little something to keep you warm. I think it shall be similar to one of those scarflets or collars that have been knit and crocheted everywhere recently. I'm actually trying to model the design off of my cuff patterns, which will be available in the November issue of Bell Armoire, by the way.

I do enjoy working with yarn, as I love the unusual creations I've made with it, but I hate the way it feels on my fingers after the needle thread has been pulled through the tatted countless time. It becomes so rough and unpleasant, luckily that yarn hides harmlessly under the much softer knotted yarn in the final piece.

While I was taking the picture of my yarn project underway I took note of the pile of lace that has been forming on top of my light box. I thought it made an interesting image, so I took a shot to show you. It's just a small section of the pile. This is where the pieces lay in wait for completion. My least favorite part of making tatted jewelry is the jewelry part, or rather adding the clasps and jump rings and whatnot. I have no real skill in this portion of the work, so I tend to wait until the last minute to do it. I've gotten much better at it over the last couple of years, but it is definitely not second nature to me. Sometimes I wish I had a jeweler assistant to do this part for me, but since the only candidate for the job is only four years old, it'll be a wile before I'll be able to outsource.