A day in the life of an old git!

On Thursday I spent the day at the National Exhibition Centre which is some 24 miles away from where I live.  The Ring of Tatters are given a courtesy stand at the Sewing for Pleasure and Hobbycraft Exhibition.

This is a long day but we're always kept very busy with people showing a lot of interest in our craft.

One of the demonstrators this year was Lyn Morton of Tatting and Design - the author of several  tattiing books.  Here she is telling me off for taking her picture!!!!  You can see her latest book just under her left hand and also her Christmas book is there too.

Now, one of the visitors to our stand is a lady whom I'm sure you've all heard of but have probably never seen.  Like Lyn she's a lady who is a terrific and talented designer.  I'm sure that if Carol Lawecki is reading this she will be pleased to see her.  Any guesses?  No?  Well I guess I'll just have to tell you.  It's Pam Palmer.  She remembers (like me) taking photographs of my back some twenty or more years ago.  My better side is my back.  Why?  Because I had her elephant, dragon and peacocks on jackets I used to wear!!!!

Here are the rest of the gang - also fabulous tatters and great friends to have on a show stand.

Hang on, there's one missing!  Elaine, how did you escape?

Another gift

I'm not sure when I'll get to play but this is a package that Sue Anna sent me two days ago.  Isn't that just the kindest thing?  Lizbeth threads AND some wonderful HDT in leafy colours.  They're Yarnplayer's 'leafy' green and in sizes 10, 20, 50 and 80.

Also some chocolate which I'll TRY to keep until April 1st though I can't guarantee it!!!!  When I got back from my day at the NEC last night there was another package from Sue Anna full of other goodies!!!  I'll show you those next week.  It was a looong and tiring day not helped by the torrential rain that I drove home in.  We call it 'Cincinnati rain'!!!!

Hopefully I'll soon have time to show you some photographs that I took yesterday too.  One is of somebody you've all heard of but probably have never seen.  Watch this space - particularly Carol Lawecki!!!!

The motif in colour!

I'm really quite pleased with this now!!  Takes a LOT to please me, though!!!

I've changed my mind on what I'm going to call it and also I'm only going to put the one version on this page as something is 'brewing' in the depths of brain cell's murky depths as to something else which could develop from this!!!  He's not told me a lot but I can imagine a bit of what he's plotting!!!  Sally, you were right about this version - THANKS.

The colours are from the samples that Sue Anna sent me and which I'm SO enjoying using.  Still can't wait to get to the HDT I've won too.  

Time and tide wait for no tatter so this one's going to have to turn the tide and do a King Canute with time!!!!!

Bad news and good news

Let's get the bad news out of the way first.  I've had quite a few emails from people who are telling me that the pattern page here isn't working.  I think I've tracked the problem down.  It's only happening in Internet Explorer and (so Nick tells me) they did an update yesterday.  What a relief - I thought I'd done something wrong!!! It's working well in the two browsers I use - Firefox and Safari.  


Now for the good news.


Remember Nicole?  She emailed me yesterday and she wants three MORE lots of random tatting!!!  That's a lot of tatting!!!

I'm off to the NEC on Thursday and again on Sunday for two days of demonstrating.  That's the 'National Exhibition Centre' near Birmingham.  It's the Sewing for Pleasure exhibition and the Ring of Tatters always has a spot there (courtesy of the organisers) to demonstrate our addictive craft!!!  In fact, here are some photos I took last year of our stand on the days I was there.

So, I'm hoping that we can sort out exactly what Nicole requires (colours, width and length) so I can take it with me to do.  'Random tatting' sounds just the thing when you keep picking it up and putting it down all day!!!

The reason behind the new motif.

The new motif that I showed yesterday will, or may, or even may not become a large project.  There's a degree of psychology behind a large project and one that I did about thirty years ago is how I 'manage' myself when contemplating one!


I start by telling myself that the 'thing' is going to be 'just a few motifs' - maybe a glass mat.  When that has been achieved I then tell myself that it could become a small placemat.  I usually think I could make a small placemat - no probs.

I think I should show one of the large projects that I'm talking about - it's the jacket below.  After I'd done the small placemat on this project I told myself it would make a lovely tray cloth (well, this was a loooong time ago when a tray cloth would've made a great gift for a grandma).  After that the next target was turning it into a coffee table cloth and so it progressed.  I always had a secret thought at the beginning that it was going to be a jacket but that was never ever spoken aloud.  


I didn't even have to commit to the jacket until the back was done and then it seemed as if it would be just a small step onwards to finish the whole thing.  I remember that I used to sit and make the black centres evening after evening and once I was bored with that would then make the white surrounds and join as I went along.  Those evenings the jacket grew fast!!!  

It's made in a sewing thread - polyester which actually came from the needle factory where they made the Aero shuttles.  My ex found it (and 2 shuttles) abandoned in a cupboard and so he released them into the world (namely my hands!).


I still use the same psychology on brain cell number 3 when tackling a 'maybe this will be a big project' idea and thus the motif that I showed yesterday becomes a 'big project' - one day!!!!

Sisters!!! GRRRRRR

I'm going to moan about my sister today!!!  Not a big moan but a little one!!

I showed her this which I did first of all for the new design

Then proudly showed her the one that I'd done next which was the improvement!

I'd done the drawings and everything for that one but she said she liked the one at the top!!!  So, I re-tatted it yet again as I didn't like the stitch count!!!  SISTERS!!!!!!

Dare I say it?  She's right!!!!  There's one small improvement that I want to do to this final one and I think I'll leave both on the pattern page so folks have a choice!!!  Or will I?!?!?!?