Still in the Tat Doldrums

I rarely get these moods but I've got one at the moment!!! I have a project 'on the go' which I'm excited about but can't get past the hiccup bit!!!
In cases like this I abandon it for a while and go off on other projects. So I'm back to doing giveaways and making some Christmas tree earrings. The giveaway below is done in brownish and pink colours - don't look toooo closely at it yet as it hasn't been pressed. I do like those two colours together. I might do another later today using other 'duller' colours together. I find that colours that don't 'look good' when you put the balls together sometimes are stunning when tatted together. Strange. Also the duller colours when mixed brighten themselves up. Do you understand what I mean? I think I know what I mean!!!!!
Ah, another project which has been keeping me occupied is nearing completion. I'll blog it when it's done. Not tatting - sewing. Well, there may be tatting on it eventually!!!

Off the subject!

During our tidying up session the other day I came across this. It's a Teneriffe wheel. It's made of brass and says 'Briggs patent' on it.
I have a book on how to do Teneriffe lace and actually saw an old lady making it half way up Mount Teide which is the highest mountain in Spain and on the island of Teneriffe. The old lady was sitting outside her house at the roadside and I was able to persuade the people I was with to stop so I could see how she was doing it. She appeared to be using a small, very old padded 'pillow', shaped like a mushroom. When we got to the end of the road I walked to the top of Mount Teide - quite a struggle. The mountain is a volcano and this was many years ago - I was aged 46!!.
Question is - do I take up Teneriffe lace now and abandon tatting? Hmmm, I think not but I may have a dabble sometime now I've found this wheel.
I have many books on all types of lace which I collected during my working years. The reason for this was so that I'd be able to learn them when I retired!!! Now, where's the time I need to do this?!?!?

Finally and at last!

Well I finally got the motif finished and uploaded onto my web site on Monday. It isn't difficult to make but proved a problem to notate. I managed to sort out all the final tweaks over the weekend. The only perceived problem for a new tatter with this pattern is that there is a split chain in it.
I was struggling to do the motif (now known as a snowflake!!) when Marie Smith emailed me and suggested a way of progressing out of the centre using a 'false split ring' which is, actually a split chain. Sounds hard but it's really easy. I'm hoping the diagrams I drew will help too. Gets easier the more you do it, of course!!!
I always agonise over using the 'harder' techniques as I feel that they may stop some people from doing patterns with them in. Then again I also think that if a person really, really likes a design then they'll either learn/use it OR find a way of tatting the piece another way!!!! Personally I like a challenge if I can see a reason for it!!! There's no better reason for using a new technique than it enabling you to avoid tying, cutting and hiding ends!!!
I also finished the alphabet beads pattern which can be made into a bracelet. I've actually used this idea to put a name on my tatting bag. Just for fun, tat's all. I'm particularly pleased with this pattern as the beads lie really well within the framework. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that they are placed between split rings which means finger tatting the centre. I may make another one of these for a 'zipper pull' as they are such fun and are fast to make.

The one thing I HATE

The one thing in my life that I hate above anything else is wasting time! I don't mind waiting for doctor, dentist or any appointment even if they are very late. After all you can always be doing something like tatting or reading dreadful magazines. I don't mind time spent on a tatting idea that doesn't work - this is a normal part of the process.
BUT I do HATE what happened to me yesterday evening!!

I remembered the other day that I'd been playing with alphabet beads before I went to USA in August. I made several bracelets as presents for friends. On Friday I realised that I'd not put the pattern on my web page yet. Well, last night I finished the centre of the bracelet which I was making to test the pattern. I tied and cut the ends and then realised I'd missed out a chain. Not too bad as all I needed to do was cut back a bit, re-join and do that part again. Oh, no, wrong again!!! I cut the wrong bit!!! So I decided that was scrap and it would be better to start again from scratch!!!
That's the sort of thing I call a waste of time!
Below is the final motif which now confirms the pattern is ready to 'go'!!! When the bracelet is finished I'll launch them both together.

Nearly sorted

Although I've been quiet on the blog for a couple of days that doesn't mean I haven't been tatting!!! I'm still working on the motif and I think it's 'as good as' finished. Although it is really easy to do it's proved quite difficult to notate. The problem is that I was determined to make it easy for those doing 'front side / back side' or whatever people like to call it without it being something you have to conciously think about while tatting. This has meant about 11 motifs made just to resolve a few SLT's and RW's!!! Dedication or what!!!! Actually I've nearly thrown it out of the pram several times. Anyway, here are a few of my 'trials and tribulations'!!!!