Another form of play!!!!

Re-visiting another old pattern of mine to make things to sell I've come up with further ideas.  This is the original pattern here.

Interestingly in the 'olden days' I didn't used to put dates on my patterns so I spent a long time researching to find out when I first did this one.  I had to use the wayback machine to find out!!!  It was in 2003 that I first uploaded this pattern - that seems a LONG time ago! 

It's pretty simple but you'll see that there are now other options to the original.  I guess this could be a dangle to hang off a handbag or a phone.  It works really well with the variegated threads, I think.  The top two are my first 'attempts' at this and below are the second variations.

More to come, I promise!!

Seahorses next!!!!!

I thought a few seahorses like this might be another thing I could 'make and take' to the medieval fair!!  I've got a few in my Etsy shop and they are pretty popular there.

This design always makes me smile.  Back in about 2001 (ish) I had a phone call from the crafts editor of a weekly magazine here in the UK.  I'd done one or two things for them before but this was 'urgent'.  Could I do a seahorse for them?  Could I do it within a few days?

Fortunately I'd done this seahorse a few years before so the 'mini' one sounded easy. 

I'll admit that my love for the mini one does somewhat stem from the fact that it did fall into place over the space of a few evenings!!!!  It was published in the magazine about eighteen months later - hmmmm, urgent, eh?  


I've been reading some interesting talk on the lists lately about copyright issues. I can tell you in all honesty that when a design is 'used and abused' by somebody else (the person added PICOTS and missed a ring out) AND it was then published in a tatting magazine it hurts.  


I'm not a worrier about this sort of thing usually but when I'd spent time working on something which I considered innovative then it's 'not on' that a person who'd bought the magazine off the shelves and made a few seahorses should think that they then owned the rights to reproduce it and call it theirs!!! 


OK, I understand that the lady who did this was elderly and didn't understand and it was all sorted out very amicably but there again I feel we should 'research' our new designs as far as we can to try and ensure we don't hurt anybody.  I'd HATE to hurt another tatter. 


OK, off the old soapbox and into the shower.  Looks like we may have warm weather here today!!!!!!

Pigs galore!!!!

As I've mentioned before (I think!) I've been invited to participate in a medieval fair in the town next month.  

I've never been to one of these things before to demonstrate and certainly never to sell things.  The lady who contacted me said I could sell things and that they'd like a 10% contribution on sales to give to a charity.  Not sure which charity but I hope to find out in due course.  

This was the reason for designing the earrings (Winsome ones), the button flower AND a.n.other which I'll tell you about in a few days time.

The patterns for the button, earrings and mystery will soon be ready to put on the web page.  I work on drawings etc during the daytime but life here has been hectic just lately so I've not quite finished!

Anyway, I wanted a break from making the aforementioned and decided to make pigs!!!  These aren't the flying ones - just walking ones!!!!

My most winsome yet!!!

Thanks to those who commented on the 'not netting' doilies yesterday.  All information very gratefully received.


Now back to the Winsome drop earrings.  


I think these two are the best yet.  

I haven't put the hooks on yet as I thought it might be easier to scan rather than photograph them.  BOY, do they sparkle.  


Sadly they sparkle SO much that it's difficult to get a good photo or scan!!!!  Hope these will 'do'!!!!!


I am working on three new (well, sort of new!) patterns at the moment and just need to check them out before I let them loose in tat land.  Keep with me, folks.  I'll get there in the end!!!

Last Friday

Last Friday I went to a coffee morning along the road.  The friend (and I do count her as a friend although I don't know her very well) who hosts these regular events is a Macmillan nurse.  Now so far in my life I haven't needed to contact anybody within this charity but I've always thought that the work they do and the caring way in which they do it is amazing. 

So, there I was drinking my coffee, eating cake (well, you simply HAVE to as they're all homemade and delicious) and talking to other neighbours and friends when suddenly I spotted these two small doilies.

They are netted.  Now I've got netted doilies hanging in my side windows instead of net curtains.  I made them and mounted them in brass lampshade rings a few years ago.  I self taught myself how to do netting some thirty or more years ago and really love this craft.  Somewhere I've got some small earrings made using this technique.

Anyway, what caught my attention was the fact that these two sweet things were so small.  The top one measures only 5 1/4" across and the bottom one is 5 1/2".  Can you imagine the size of the meshes (and, therefore, the needles) needed?

The doll's cot

This is the final word on the cot - I think!!!

We delivered it on Saturday.  Poor little lass had been poorly last week so this seemed a good idea to cheer her up.

When it was time for her afternoon nap she went to bed and told her mum she wanted the cot on the bed - hmmmmm, not very practical.  In the end a compromise was reached and here is a picture of her fast asleep with all the linen from the cot piled on top of her!!  Under her head is the tiny pillow.  

One happy new owner!!! I wonder if this cot will pass down to another generation?