Friday afternoon I took my fisrt class.  It was Martha Ess' Celtic Hat.  This year the classes (well, every year is the same!) were so "yummie" that was a difficult decision to make the schedule and choose from all of them.

I love Celtic Tatting and I was not going to miss this opportunity.  The hat is small and could be make into a pincushion.  Before the class we were suppose to make our homework, that was to make the 1st round of the hat that was a band of Split rings.  I didn't made the homework.    But while Martha was explaining a little about the Celtic History I manage to start the homework and then keep with the rest of the explanations.  Some explanations and exercises were discussed about designing.  Celtic Tatting can be categorize in 2 styles: the "true" celtic knotwork made usually by interweaving a long chain into the design (Ruth Perry's style) and the more "traditional" celtic tatting that is compose of several motifs interweaved.

Here is her hat.  I like the colors she used.  In this style of tatting, the more colors used the prettiest it looks.

Here are some pics while at class.  We had a blast; talking and joking.  There were several that got confused with the use of thread colors and others took the opportunity to joke about it.    Not me!  Because I used 2 colors only.  LOL

Here is a pretty pic of my finished hat wear by my new model "Taddy the Teddy".    Isn't she gorgeous!

This is my friend Veronica.  I stayed with her for a few days.  She lives in Carnesville, GA.  It's a very small country-side town.  She's a bird breeder and here is her with one of her birds.  It's an Aurosaris (sp?) and is 10 months old.  Her name is Tinker Bell, like Peter Pan's fairy.  Her colors are gorgeous and is very tender, loves to cuddle too!

Here is another picture of Tinker Bell.

Here is another of Veronica's pet.  It's name is Charlie.  Vero doesn't know yet if it's a female or male.  This one is not so tame like others.  Like to bite from time to time.    But has gorgeous colors!

I couldn't take a picture of Buddy, due to health problems.  He was recently abused by Vero's ex-husband and he's so nervous that doesn't want to get out of his cage.  But may be next year he'll feel better and I'll be able to take a pic of him.

This has been the most fun weekend in a long, long time.  I'm so tire but it's worthy!  I'm going to be traansfering the pics to my laptop and to mom's so I can blog about them.  So be patient and I'll be posting about every bits and piece.

To make a short summary.  I couldn't participate with my entries for the Competition but I participated in the games and drawings, wining some prizes.

I met new friends and good ol' ones, and we gossip and made our "WOW, Oh, Ah.." at everything in sight.

But now, I need to take breakfast, unpack and try to organize the things I brought with me.

I arrived yesterday to Atlanta after almost 1 year and a half without visiting USA.  Oh, how I missed everything!  Well, not everything,  the humid and hot weather I didn't miss it a bit. 

My friend Veronica was waiting for me at the airport and we took the train up to Doraville where she parked.  It was a fun ride.  I had taken the train once before and it was at night, this time it was during the day and I liked the view.

We stop to eat in a Waffle House.  When she told me that we were going to stop in WH I started to laugh, because that has been our official stop everytime that I had to pick anyone of my family when they visited me here in GA.  So it was like good ol' times.

We talked a lot and I met all her 100 "babies".  She is the Bird bussiness and have over 100 birds including 46 babies that she feeds by hand.  And OMG!  The noise!!!  But after they are fed they go to sleep and there's a little less noise.  Also she has an African Grey parrot and it's so funny.  He sings, says "Rock on!" with a leg up, among other catchy phrases, counts (not in order, but counts anyway).  But what I found the most funniest is that he sneezes and cough!  I'll see if I can take a pic of him, tho he's in a "molting" (I think that's the term) and has lost a lot of his feathers.

Well, I'm going to take a nap now and then see some more tv while tatting.  I'm having the "traveling hungover" (headache and upset stomach with nausea) and me no like it! 

This is the doily I'll enter in the "Mixed Media" Category.  Well, I have to check the registrations 'cause I frankly can't remember if I registered in this category.  Anyway the doily is finished.  I need to iron it a little bit so some rings lay straight.

This category is not like in the past year of tatting with other laces, but using different materials in the tatting.  I used DMC Cebelia #30 in pink and Venus Nylon Hand Quilting in white.  The Cebelia is a cotton thread so I used 2 different materials.  The pattern is from Ms. Teiko Fujito published in an English Tranlation by Lacis in "Tatted Fashion".  I love Ms. Fujito's patterns.  They're somewhat out of the common and often use more than 2 shuttles and plenty of color and beads.  I have my eyes in starting a shawl from the same book.  I still need to decide what color of thread I'll use.  I don't want to make it white because I know that when I finish I'll need to wash it in cloro.  LOL   Or may be I can use different colors and make it like a rainbow that way if certain color finishes and I can't find more then I can use other color.    But this project will be for later on.  I still need to finish other projects.

Tonight is the last night for me to tat and I need to do my "Celtic Entry" and mount the "Scene Entry". 

This one is the 2nd entry.  It's another original design from the same book.  The name of this pattern is "Royale".  I used the thread that Tanya from NY sent me in the Tin Exchange.  It's a Turkish thread in a gold color.  It was a litle bit of a challenge to make this bookmark because the thread kept unraveling and untwisting; so each time I was going to make a ring or a chain I had to add extra twist to the thread.  Also I had to make a little variation becaue I made a small mistake in the pattern, but is not something that is going to affect the judging.  I still need to make the tassels.

Also I neeed to make the 3rd entry of the bookmarks.  Just need to make up my mind in which pattern to use next.    Probably will be also an original.

This is one of the 3 entries for the Bookmark category.  It's another original pattern amd is called "Habibi", which means "dear or darling" in arabic.  The pattern is part of the "Just 'Knot' a Bookmark" pattern book that I published a few years ago.  I'm thinking in re-publishing the book in an E-Book format so I can sell it easier to the International tatters and also I'll be translating it to Spanish.

The threads I used are DMC Cebelia #30 in light pink and light yellow; another cute combination I like to use.

These are the motifs I'll enter.  It's an original pattern with a beaded variation.  For this entry I need 2 of the same motif, so what I did was to invert the colors after I finished the 1st one.  I think it's a pretty motif.  I'll publish it after the competency.

The threads used is DMC Petra #8 in Cream and Mint Green.  I like this combination!  It's a pretty simple pattern and can be joined to create a runner, square mat or even a tablecloth or anything like that.  Not that I'll do something crazy like that, but still those are good ideas to use this motif. 

This doily will be enter in the "Fine Thread" category.  It's also from A frivolite magazine but right now I can't remember which number. 

The thread I used is Oren Bayan #70 in white.  I love to work in fine threads and this thread is excellent for tatting.  I still have some left and will keep it in reserve.  Somewhere I hear that the thread is not made anymore.  :-(

Anyway...  Tomorrow I'll be washing and blocking the projects that I have finished and then try to finish some more.  Tomorrow is a day that I don't have any appointment, so I'm planning to tat ALL DAY LONG!!!

This is a collar made also from the Frivolite #3 of Realce.  I made only a small collar (a few repetitions) more as a sample than to use the collar in a dress, tho I think will be pretty for a girl dress too.

The thread is DMC Cebelia #30.  I also made this one while in Egypt and was for last year competition.  I had to hide this one from mom 'cause if not she would want one for a shirt. 

This is the doily that I'll present at Palmetto's.  The pattern is from Frivolite #3 by Realce, a Spanish magazine about Tatting.

I used DMC Petra #8 in white, light yellow and peach.  The pattern has another 2 final rounds but I didn't make them because I run out of white.  Now I have white again but I like the doily as it's now.  I made the doily last year while in Egypt but I didn't have time to send it to last year competition so I'll submit it now.  I really feel proud of this doily! 

I registered for this year Palmetto's Tat-Day.  This is an event that 4every year the Palmetto Tatters Guild of SC celebrate.  It's 2 days of classes and friendship among tatters from all over.  I went as a teacher the 1st year and then in 2004 as a student.  This year I'll go as student again.  I already signed for my classes:

Friday:
Celtic Hat by Martha Ess

Saturday:
Mini Amulet Bad by Karey Solomon
Hat Pin Cushion by Brenda Rewhorn
Interlocking Rings by Karen Bovard

All the teachers are great!  But I'm so fond of Karen Solomon, she's a really good friend! 

Also last night registered 13 works for the Competition and Exhibition of Tatting.  In 2004 I won 2 Blue ribbons and 2 Red Ribbons of 4 works I presented.  Let see how many ribbons I'll get this time. 

If you want more information about the Tat-Day or Palmetto Tatters Guild go to their web site:  Palmettotatters.org