Sorry, no progress!!

Yesterday I did nothing, well no tatting as I had too much other stuff to do and by the evening (and after a glass of the red) I was feeling toooooo lazy. Life gets complicated at times and I've been hurt by somebody who I used to consider a friend and who I've helped a lot over the past year or more. I'm at a complete loss as to why but shit happens and life goes on!
On a separate issue. A tatter in the UK sent me a url where a lot of my images from my patterns had been uploaded. Now this is an odd situation to be landed in. Let me explain.

I put patterns on the internet so that others (if they like) can download and use them. I expect no reward for this and no payment. When I find that my images have been taken and put on a photo web site then I wonder why. What would be the reason for doing this?

I have, over the years, put my images onto a couple of these photo hosting sites but I don't allow others to 'see' them without inviting them to. With Picassa, Photobucket, Flickr etc you can 'choose' who sees them.

OK, so this is no great deal for me (images being taken) although I wonder what they've been linked to. BUT when I see on this same site that my friends and others have had entire books scanned and uploaded for anybody to see/use then my blood boils. I'm not going to give the link as that would be acknowledging that this form of copyright theft is OK.

Many thanks to the friend who pointed this out to me. Already one of those affected will be taking action against this person through their publisher.

The lover and his problems!!

Now working out a new design always has it's problems but in my case most of them suffer at one time or another from a lack of concentration or tiredness.  Oh, could that be old age too?!?!?  

Do take a peek at the Spanish dancer's lover.  I finished this one (apart from his hat) on Wednesday evening.  Poor chap.  I think he'll need a walking stick as his one leg is longer than the other.  Could he be the original 'Long haired lover from Liverpool' or perhaps just 'Daddy Longlegs'?!?!?!  All suggestions are very welcome!!!!  Please keep them clean, though!!

When you look at him carefully and count the rings there are the same number on each leg.  Something has 'gone wrong' in the crotch area.  I hope to explore this later today.  I worked up another 'lover' and got to the stage when I was down the first side of one leg.  That, I felt, was a good time to stop and wait for brain cell # 3 to arrive for his weekend break!!!

The old bag lady strikes again!

Now while I was sitting in the waiting room awaiting my turn to see the nurse on Monday afternoon I was tatting as usual. For years now I've found that waiting rooms never have a bin for rubbish!! So, here I was with my bits of thread yet again and nowhere to put them.

Not only that but I've been using a small (and getting grubbier!!) plastic bag to put finished butterflies in. I thought, yet again, that I really have to take myself in hand over the way I work in these situations. I thought (don't forget that I only have 2 regular brain cells and thinking makes them hurt) - this needs a bag!!

So, on Tuesday I set out to try and make one to cover my 'needs'. You'll see what I've made below but I'm not happy with this design yet!!! (Sorry about the poor quality pictures). It's sort of a mini roly poly but with a drawstring top. I've put a small 'pocket' on the outside for 'bits' of thread to be pushed in until I get home from the vets (sorry, I mean doctors/hospitals) but I'm not happy with this yet. It's fully lined but it is a bit too small!!! I'll have to have a re-think on this one!!  It's got to be small enough to fit into the roly poly but not tooooo small.  I think it may just need to be a bit taller but with the same sized base?  Any suggestions would be welcome - even (and especially) funny ones!!!

How do we close a self closing mock ring?

Now stand up all those who think this is a daft question!!!

How many years have we all been making these SCMR's popping the working shuttle through the loop and then closing it? I know the answer - toooooo many years!!! Imagine my surprise when Anitra wrote the other day with what she thought was a 'good idea' and another way to close this element in tatting. I tried it and it works. In fact there are two new ways to close the SCMR.

Now, one might ask, why do we 'need' or 'want' another way to close this element. Well, like me and probably many others Anitra was a bit dissapointed with the look of the regularly closed ones. She found that the bottom mock ring didn't always seem to 'sit' well on the previous element. Heck, I can't sit here trying to explain what she did. Best thing is for you to go and look here.

Oh, you can sit down now!!!!!

For Georgia!!

I'm sure she won't mind me sharing as I've no idea why dear Georgia challenged me to this but she did!!!  A few months ago when I was deeeeeply into sequins and Christmas trees Georgia had seen a couple of rainbow patterns and decided they reminded her of a Spanish dancing lady's skirt.  

She asked me if it was possible!!!  Here's the lady so far.  

Georgia really wanted the rose to be held between her teeth but it looked a bit daft to me but that can easily be changed with a couple of stitches using invisible thread.   Next project?  Hmmmm, the lover to dance with her, I guess.  

Strange when I start these new projects I always think it won't be hard cause I can steal from my other patterns.  Rarely, if ever, does this work out!!  I did take the basic arms and head from the button family but even those had to be changed to get the arms in the 'right' position!!!!  

I managed to finish her yesterday evening after 'one of those days' chasing my tail.  It started on the run in the morning and continued like that all day but I did manage a walk without getting wet!!!  Still it's what keeps me young and beautiful (cough, cough, splutter, splutter), I suppose!!!

What I really, really need!

I was out on my daily walk (between the inevitable showers) when I realised what I really, really want (or need) is a bag. Whoops, I know I've got bags galore but this would be a different sort of bag.

When I'm sitting in waiting rooms or such like and 'tat in public' I usually make small SCMR butterflies. I give away as I go but usually have a stock of them in a bag. Well, I say in a bag but this is usually a small self seal plastic bag. I would like a 'real' bag to put my little stock of butterflies in.

This bag needs to be small and easily opened and closed in a hurry. I'd also like it to open out flat so that people can choose which coloured critter they want. So, when I got home I had a quick 'play'. I've come up with a simple round shape with a draw cord right at the top.

I need to avoid a tie which needs knotting or tying in a bow. I think I've got the answer. I hope to show the first 'draft' tomorrow or Wednesday.

Tatting? Slow progress and little of it!!!

Another day another ?

Another day another lot of rain!!! I woke yesterday morning to an request for one of the two new blue bag sets (see yesterday's blog post) which I'd not even got into Etsy!!! Great, thought I and went and listed the purply/burgundy and the other blue set in the shop.

I cleared up after my sewing stint of the previous day and then went down the town to get bread etc.

By the time I got back the second blue one had sold!! This was my fastest sale so far!!  So, after lunch I went down town again and mailed that one. I have almost finished another red paisley set which will become part of my stock. I've got two pretty floral sets cut out and ready to sew.  Bag making will stop in the winter as it will be too cold to work in the conservatory!!!

Tatting?  The new project made reasonable progress last evening but I need a total re-tat of part two which means re-writing the text.  Not too much of a problem as I do it on the laptop 'as I go'.  I remember all those times when I used to jot everything down on paper and then not be able to understand what I meant the next day!!!  Those were the sad old days before brain cell number 2 arrived!!!