I've been robbed!

I know some of you will sympathise and some of you will giggle but I'm sure I've had burglars in the house. Either that or this house just deliberately hides things!!! I've spent two hours in my stash cupboard looking for some magnetic catches which I KNOW I've got in there somewhere. I'm beginning to think that there's been somebody in the house (probably during the night) who has stolen them. Nick wouldn't dare and Tilly the cat wouldn't be interested but ...... I can't find them. Anyway, I did unearth some sequins!!! I am hoping to get back to playing with sequins again. I spotted my tatted bag during my search too and also remembered the sequin mobile and tatted box that I did in the past too. So, after making another bracelet this evening (as if I NEED more bracelets!!) I shall go back to playing with sequins!!! The first picture shows the 'right side' in this experiment and the second shows how I covered the sequins when the back wasn't going to show (as on the bag). With the tatting bag I think I used a different outer round.
I do wish I'd written it all down!!!

Happy Beaks!

OK, hold on to your hats - here is the biggie that's kept me quiet for so long.

I have been asked on numerous occasions by many people (including him wot must be obeyed) if I could do a penguin. You'll see why I've taken such a long time over this. 8 different penguins!! The collective nouns for penguins are so many (parcel, rookery, creche, huddle or colony) that I couldn't decide what to call this 'lot'. In the end I decided to call them 'Happy Beaks'. Well we've all heard of feet being happy, haven't we?

I started on the front facing penguin (large) and then decided I needed a small one. Trouble was that they needed to be able to 'look' at each other. I did these and then it was a natural progression to 'need' to do the large and small ones facing the other way! Duh, what a hassle!!!

During my searches of google images I found the sideways facing penguins were interesting but also complicated. The white and black fascinated me as it would be a challenge to use them in the 'right' amount and places with as few starts and stops as possible (well, you know how I hate finishing off ends!). Again, having done the large ones the challenge to do the small ones continued. I will admit that the final penguin (the small one facing sideways and to the left) proved to be the hardest. I think that's because I was really fed up with them all by then.

Finally mounting them all. Another story.

In our smallish town there is still a store which sells fabric. A family run concern which caters for the 'up market' people in the area. I have very little luck there when it comes to haberdashery or fabric. Still, on Tuesday morning I wandered in there on the 'off chance' that I just might find the right coloured fabric for the penguins. Imagine my surprise when on the top of the remnant bin I found the two colours and weights of fabric I needed. YIPEEEEE.

The patterns for all these penguins can be found from my home page.
First of all here they all are out and about in the snow with the stars twinkling.

Here are the two adult penguins who's bodies are facing forwards but with faces looking to the left or right.

Next are their two babies (I think they belong to those adults - but maybe I'm wrong!).

Next are the sideways facing ones. These are the adults.

Finally there are two small penguins which also face sideways!

Many thanks to Sharren Morgan for test tatting the first 'batch' - she happened to mention she liked penguins and asked if I'd thought of doing one while we were 'chatting' one day!!! As I was in the doldrums of designing this pattern she got 'chosen' to help!!!

Finished!!!

I've finished it!! Every part and there are 8 parts!! I'm mounting it at the moment. Yes, me, mounting something. If I hadn't then all the pieces would get lost. I've made it into a picture and hope to put it on the blog either later today or tomorrow.
I'm really, really pleased with the result. I asked Dom the artist who lives next door to help me arrange the bits and he just moved them slightly from where I'd put them to form a grand design. I do hope that it will be liked as it's taken such a big part of my tat life!!!
Right, off to finish it and throw an iron over it!!!!

Further progress

I still have two more parts to resolve of the 'biggie'. It's driving me round the bend now!! It may be ready by the middle of the week and when it is I'll hopefully be able to post pictures here and add it to the pattern site. I've been very 'good' this time and kept up the drawings along with the text. If only I hadn't changed my mind about half of it then ........

The saying goes 'a lady is entitled to change her mind'. Trouble is - I'm no lady. Just a Jane!!!!

Still here

I'm still here and still tatting. I'm 'just' over half way through my big project. All was going well until I decided to make a small amendment to parts of it yesterday. Oh, wrong, wrong, wrong!! OK, it'll look better in the end but the hassle of altering everything does make me wonder sometimes - especially as those I'd shown the first tryouts to said that it looked fine as it was!
I was 'interrupted' last night by having to go and babysit. Must admit that this is no chore and that the boys love me looking after them. Couldn't be because I let them stay up and read lots of stories to them, could it?