A secret project.

This pattern isn't the chicken wing coaster and is actually worked in a very different way.  It's for a secret project.  The top one is worked in Lizbeth Island Breeze and Ocean Turquoise (dark) two of the colours which Sue Anna sent for me to try out.

The following is worked in two Manuela colours - not sure of the numbers but as it's no longer available I'm not sure it matters!!!

News of new pages AND a new video

I've finally got it sorted.  I've got the Chicken Wing Coaster, the Sassie Lassie Hats AND the the 'slip and slide' pages up on my web site.  

Pheeewwwwww.  Nearly time for brain cell 3 to take a rest!!!  

DO take a look - here's the link.


Also HOTP (that's Hot Off The Press) and after a discussion with Mark Myers (Tatman) I'd like to point you here to his way of holding the shuttle!!!!  Tell you - we're all different!!!!!

Tatting with a slip and a slide

I have a confession to make.  Not much of one really but it might prove interesting and useful to a few people.  I've watched a lot of people tatting over the years and some tat the way I used to by going 'round the houses with their shuttles!!!  Here is my story.

I learnt when I was 13 alongside my gran who was also learning.  I certainly never met a tatting teacher as such so the pair of us just sort of 'worked it out' together.  

When I was in my early thirties I did a few talks to WI's etc round the district.  From this I had small groups for a while to teach in their own houses.  

Sometime after this one of my 'students' pointed out to me that I was tatting 'wrong'!!!!   Well, as you all know there's no such thing as 'wrong' but there are different ways that are faster.  She showed me a page in one of my leaflets that I'd not bothered to look at - showing 'how to hold the shuttle'!!!  It was quite an eye opener so I 'trained the brain' to 'slip and slide' the shuttle and thus re-taught myself how to tat!!!!

It occurred to me the other day that I needed a new challenge in life.  As you probably remember I bought a new mac and therefore had to learn a whole new drawing package.  This is really, really easy to use but drawing hands did somewhat stretch me!!!!

I decided to draw up the 'slip and slide' way to tat which I will add to my web site tomorrow along with my 'new look' front page.  Don't panic, Georgia, all links are the same as before!!!!

I hope it helps somebody somewhere to become a faster tatter.  Maybe next time round we can have an Olympic tatting event?!?  Below is just one of the drawings on the new page!!!  No, the hands haven't been for a manicure and look a bit neglected - just like my real ones!!!!!

Chicken wing coaster part 2 (or should it be 3)?

OK, now where we left off was with the two threads wound together (HWT) and the HDT in size 40.

The next part of the experiment was with 3 threads wound together and this is what happened.

Well, that wasn't enough - curiosity got the better of me!!!  I wanted then to know what would happen with an ordinary size 20 thread so this is the result!!!

Finally to see the results I put the smallest on top and worked my way down. The one worked with three threads turned out to be exactly the same size as the number 20 thread.  Here they are!!!  I guess this opens up a whole new world of colour if you want to make a large project and want to vary the colours.  WHOOOPPPPEEEEEE.

I think that was about the silliest task I've ever set myself as it really proved nothing in the end except that I've got too much time on my hands!!!!

Chicken wing coaster

Having seen Marty's comment a week or so ago about the Chicken Wing Coaster that Margaret had made out of Norman's wing, I went into my tatting cupboard and found my dear, dear friend brain cell # 3.  

He'd been enjoying a 'bit of a nap' so I woke him up, dusted him off and inserted him into place.

Mission?  To take Margaret's idea and make it in one 'hit' like Marty suggested.  

Here's the result worked with HWT.  The threads I used are (greens) Oren Bayan 70 variegated green alongside Star machine quilting size 50 in a bright light green.  Here I must say many thanks to the Palmetto tatters for the magnifying glass which came in the goodie bag last year!!!!  For the oranges I used Oren Bayan variegated navy, maroon and yellow with Star machine quilting size 50 in a bright orange.

Now, having achieved this very pretty coaster I decided that the centre was too crowded so back to the drawing board - well, the one on the computer, for another sorting out!!! 

This time I decided to use Krystaldawn's variegated thread with a plain bright red Olympus 40.  Now this one ROCKS.

I also wondered what the difference in size would be between the two coasters so this next scan shows the one on top of t'other.  Not a lot but I'm on a roll with playing with threads!!!

Boy, do I ramble on about nothing?  Is all this REALLY important?  I think not but it keeps me amused!!!!

Tiger eye beads

Do  you remember this necklace that I made with the tiger eye beads that BJ sent me?  

It took ages to do with some thread that I bought whilst at the Lace Fair two years ago.  It was called CLon thread or something like that.  I thought it was the thread that Teri Dusenbury used but in the end I've decided it was nothing like that.  Anyway, the result of all that effort of making the necklace was that I wore it once.  

The reason?  I was disappointed in the colour of the thread I'd used and the way it 'was'!!!!  So I cut it up to re-use the beads.  The first picture shows my initial experiments.

Here's the final result - a necklace that I will wear and wear.  This time I used some thread that Teri sent me in the package with the beads and beautiful turtle necklace.  It's the Dual Duty.  I could eat the necklace now but it would probably give me indigestion so I'll wear it instead!!!