Look what I found

Look what I found yesterday - this is what I've been waiting for.

It's the call for teachers at Palmetto Tat Days in September.  I'm going to apply so wish me luck.

I've actually been working on patterns for just this event over the past few months so I'm almost ready to submit mine.  Well probably not 'almost ready' as you know what I'm like - I keep changing my mind all the time so the ones I've got ready now will probably change before I submit my application!!!!!

Shall I give you a clue as to what I'm submitting?  OK, here you go!!

Would you buy it?

Would YOU buy a book with a very pretty cover but NO pictures of what is inside?

I've been buying books for more years than I care to remember.  Mostly, I'll admit, craft books and on the whole - tatting books.  I buy because I see a picture of something I'd like to make in it.  That's the way I have always done it.

I saw a very pretty looking Ebook (tatting, of course) recently in an online store and would love to buy it.  BIG problem is that there are absolutely no pictures of what's inside it.  Not one, ziltch, zero.  It says that there are 29 designs for motifs, doilies, bookmarks and jewellery.  It SAYS that it covers from beginners to advanced.  BUT there's nothing to tempt me by showing what sort of things are in it.

So to get more of an idea I contacted the seller asking for a picture or two to help me on my decision on whether to part with nearly £9.50 (almost $15.00) for an EBOOK - yes, an EBOOK so there's no postage involved.

The only help I've had from the vendor is that if I want to see what's in the book then I'll have to buy it!!!!  NO WAY, JOSE!!!  Would you buy it?

One of the doodles.

Hey, all you TIAS'ers.  We've done it.  Thanks to Joanie in Tennessee we've now got 100 goats!!!  I'll keep quiet now about goats from now on BUT any that are still out there are VERY welcome to join the rest!!!  This has given me huge encouragement to do another next year.  Thank you everybody.

So this doodle will not go back into the doodle section!!  Why it ever got put there in the first place is beyond my comprehension!!

It's one of my favourite earrings and I've made literally dozens of them over the years.  I'm going to have to give it a name but I'm hopeless at naming stuff so wonder if anybody's got any suggestions?  Once it's 'named and shamed' it can go into the 'jewellery' section.

Why is it a favourite?  Well because of the many beads (only 8 on the shuttle thread, though) it holds it's shape.  I do stiffen them slightly as the diluted PVA that I use also protects them from dust and dirt.

This is a one shuttle and four rings design and so very easy to make too.

Standardisation

First of all - we're nearly there.  98 goats in the field!!!!

Something that is impossible but would be WONDERFUL is a standardisation of the way we all write down patterns.  

When I started out on my adventure of 'writing stuff down' I did it the way I was reading it in pattern books 50+ years ago - as a kid I didn't question the way things were written.  Actually I found the old notebook with my orignal patterns in the other day (written, I guess, about 30 years ago) and here's one of the originals below.

Then when I started sort of seriously wanting to get rid of my ideas and inflict them on others I really looked at the various ways of writing down patterns.  I did a lot of research into how they were written down over the years too - must look it out sometime!!  I found that our 'modern way' isn't so modern after all.  Anyway, again I digress.

A few years ago when the Palmetto Tatters kindly allowed me to run rampant at Tat Days they decided to ask us teachers to use the standardisation that they'd come up with.  Mainly I think this was (I'm guessing here!!) to save on printing out everybody's notation - one sheet now covers all patterns taught.  GR8 idea - save our planet.  So I've taken to following their very welcome lead - here's a link should you wish to see it.

I am always tickled with the vsp (very small picot) being written in BIG CAPITAL letters (VSP) as it makes me smile.  I like my vsp to be written in very small letters because it is just a very small picot!!!

What's next?

Before I start rambling - I've now got 94 goats in my herd!!  WHOOOPPPEEEEEEE.

While the TIAS was going on I've been quietly (yes, for those who know me - I can 'do' quiet) getting on with sorting out some of the 'stuff' on my web site.  Nope, I haven't changed anything yet but things are about to change!!

It's the 'doodle' section that's been 'bugging' me.  I did those doodles more years ago than I care to admit to!!!  So, I've taken on the enormous task of re-vamping it.

At the moment there are 13 doodles on there and not very well written at all - well, some of them.  So I started to look at them in depth.

Remember the doodles I was doing for Erin's shuttles here?  Well some of those were off the doodle page.  Having sort of 'jiggled around' with those I set off to get the drawings done.  

Then, DARN IT, that wretched brain cell popped up with more ideas!!!  Currently the roll call stands at just over 30.

My next big problem is how to put them on the pattern page and for that I need help!  Do I put one per page or put several.  How do I sort them?  I mean, does a gecko go with the angel or the turtle with the tiny man?  Come on all those other brains out there - what does an old goat do?!!?