Looking a bit better!

Well a few ds here and there and another way of adding beads and it's looking a lot better. This evening (IF I stay awake) I shall try the very long picots again with the beads on. It's amazing the difference a day makes!!! I have tied this into the ring temporarily and would add beads to the feelers too.

Not so good!!!

I had to virtually re-write the whole pattern yesterday evening after Sue and I had discussed how to do it in one 'hit' and two colours!!! This meant starting in a totally different place and working in the opposite direction and then having to re-do one of the top wings again as they are not symetrical!!! Hey, ho, finally got to the end (this time the butt end!!). I added beads to the long picots BUT will re-tat again with fewer beads (i.e. one bead instead of Vlp's with beads on). Still quite a few issues so that it lies flatter but this may have more to do with the abundance of beads than the actual pattern. Yesterday's with the 'scraggy' looking picots did at least lie flat and the stitch count was exactly the same. I need to look again at some of the chains towards the tips of the wings (they could probably do with an extra ds here and there) and also the head which tends to 'hide' behind the two top wings. The two rings at the base of the lower wings also need to be joined, I feel. I need to stay focussed on this pattern instead of wandering off onto something else. I have a deadline - self imposed - but a deadline nonetheless!!!!

Goody, goody, goody!

After the hassle of the heart in the ring I nearly gave up trying to do anything more with rings. BUT as I'd bought so many from Claire's sale just after Christmas I started to feel a little guilty. I nearly fell off my chair last night when I finished another tryout and found that it FITTED the ring. Least it's pretty good for a first 'real' attempt!!! Next stage is to work out the lengths of the long picots and as Sue Hanson has already guessed - find out how many beads fit onto them. I think I'll only need 2 beads on one of the shuttles (for the ends of the top wings which are SCMR's). My only disappointment is that I can't work it in two colours without doing it in three parts. Still I'd rather do it in one hit and one colour with no ends to tie in!!!!!

Another project started

I'm off again!!! Remember the butterfly that I amended and made to fit into a ring? Weellllllll I decided I 'neeed' another one to sort of 'match' but which would fit in a larger ring. I wanted it to be different too.

Here's my first and second attempts. The scraggy looking picots will eventually be 'refined' and will hold beads so that the whole thing should be surrounded by beads. The body is NOT right but I had a brainwave in the night and will try a block tatted centre this evening. Next stage will be to 'trace' over the second picture in my drawing program and then 'play' with it to see if I can do something with the body without tatting it. This also gives me an insight into different ideas. I would like to make the top wings a little more 'shapely' too.

Later in the day and I've been 'playing' with this design on the computer. I've also asked 'me old mucker, Sue Hanson, to check to see if she's seen a butterfly like this might look before!!! I'd hate to upset anybody over copyright issues. Been done to me and I don't want to do it to anybody else!!!
As a lot of people will know I use Serif DrawPlus for doing my drawings (along with a Wacom graphics pad). The way I normally work is by finding an image from the internet through searching Google images. I find a definitive picture to study and usually paste this onto a lower 'layer' of my file in Serif. This is then made transparent by 50% so that I can go back to the layer above and make a guess at how I would tat it - i.e. starting places, progression, techniques etc. First efforts are rarely any good but in the case of this butterfly I did quite well. I then tat this piece (guessing at numbers of ds etc) and scan it (see above). This again goes onto the lower layer in Serif and is made transparent. I can then 'draw' over it. This should be named the 'guestimate' stage!! Below you will see the result. I have added some more ideas to it which I now want to work on - one suggested by Sue. This is where life gets more complicated as this will throw out all the numbering on the text that I've already written in Word!!!! I've omitted the possible picots as I need a clear idea of where I need to join rings etc. I'm hoping that this will allow me to use two colours which is always difficult when working a piece in 'one hit'. Hopefully only one lot of ends to finish off too.
Hey, what's an old lady gonna do on a bitterly cold day in the UK?!?!? Tat and dream of butterflies!!!

Another ring and now I don't know which is my favourite!! I've given one or two away so will have to replace them!! I want/need one to match every colour tshirt I own!! I also do the same with earrings and bracelets so actually getting all the bling on in the morning takes longer than getting the shopping!!!! Such a hard life!!!!

Nearly finished

I have nearly finished putting together the meercat page, the finger ring page, a page to say how to make the braid for the ring, a page on a 'no hassle' way of block tatting, Heather's snowman and finally Heather's spinnaker tower!!!! Been a long few days plus learning new software. I could have stuck to the old software but I DO love a challenge!!!
Here's another finger ring - my favourite so far although I am making one in a variegated purply, maroon thread!!!
Right, I'm off to finish the pages and then list some more Aero shuttles.