And it rained AGAIN

As you've probably heard - we've had the wettest June in the U.K since records began in 1910 and it looks as if July's going to be the same too with a whole month's worth of rain in one day - yesterday!!!

So, because of that I was mainly 'trapped' in the house which is the worst thing that could happen to me.  In the end I settled to 'play' on the computer.  I decided to change the favicon on my sites.  

Favicon?  Did I hear somebody ask what that was?  Well it's the tiny, tiny picture that sits at the top of your page above the browser bar.  You can see what I'm talking about in the picture at the bottom - you can see my blog site and web site with the favicons next to the title.  Here's the favicon as it was generated - isn't it SMALL?

They're really easy to make - just google 'favicon generator' and follow the instructions.  Great fun and a better way to pass a miserable day than doing the dreaded H word!!!

Oh, by the way, it's going to rain again today!!!

Look what I found

I've absolutely no idea where I got this from but it certainly wasn't from France!!!!  

I've scanned this to show you because of the back of the card mainly.  Can you see that there's a picture of how to put the bobbin on the end to wind the thread?  Interesting.  

One packet I bought (in English), a thousand years ago was almost the same.  That one (long destroyed in the joy of a new shuttle to use) had the same picture BUT with another showing how to load the bobbin back into the shuttle.  That was my eureka moment and converted me to bobbin shuttles way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Two other interesting points on this packet which may point towards it's age is the bar code (see this link and this one too) and the post code (another link).  Bar codes were introduced into regular use in the UK in roughly the mid to late seventies and around the time post codes were forced upon the populace (that's what it felt like at the time) too.  Translation here for Americans - post code = zip code.  If you put the post code at the bottom of this packet into google maps you'll see that there is a modern building there nowadays.

Do you think we ought to designate it as a shrine for all tatters and go and worship there?!?!?  Just another of the daft ideas from yours truly!!!

First bangle done and dusted.

This is the first one finished.  Well it was finished a couple of weeks ago.


OK, I'll admit to it being a little fiddly but not as bad as I thought it would be.  I worked the outer parts attaching to the rims first and then the split rings last joining to both the sides as I went along - they were a bit fiddly.  

I deliberately kept it simple (rings, chains and split rings) as I felt it didn't need really fancy stuff particularly with the joining being a bit 'problematic'!!

I'm SOOO pleased with it I'm going to make another but with more 'bling'.  Oh, these are both Lizbeth colours but I'm not sure which.  As usual I'm hopeless at remembering which I've used.  My mid year new year's resolution will be to note down what I've used!!!!

Talking bangles!!!

Have you ever seen these before?  I spotted them on Roseground Supplies page a few weeks ago.  Of course I HAD to have one - or two - or three!!! They offer a pattern to buy to go with the bangles but me being an independent old git didn't want the pattern!!!  I looked at what they were offering and realised that the pieces were sewn on after they were made.  That's NOT my way of working.

I have a 'THING' about adding 'stuff' to tatting after it's finished (or, come to that, adding tatting to things!) whether it be beads, sequins or accessories.  I never, ever think that's a safe thing to do.  Glue gives up 'gluing' in the end and thread comes undone if things are sewn on. 

In the bottom picture you can see my initial experiments.  The rest you'll have to wait for!!!

What a PAIR!!!

As usual I've got something to say before I start talking about my main 'theme' - here it is coming to you loud and clear.  Palmetto Tat Days registration is open here and Sally and I have registered.  I looked to see again this morning and see that 34 people had already signed up.  That's FAST, I think.

Now when I say 'what a pair' I'm talking about myself and t'other Jane who is here!!!  

Yesterday I had an email from another friend who was looking for Jane's bookmark and couldn't find it.  Not a problem thought I and off I went to send her the link.  DUH and DOH I couldn't find it anywhere.  Not even the original pattern in a doc format.  I sort of thought it was on the blog originally and nowadays blogger makes it really easy to search using the box at the top, left of the page - but no sign of Jane's bookmark.  I then decided that in my enthusiasm I must've lost it when moving the web site.  Having decided that, I wrote to Jane asking her if she knew where it was and all she could remember was that it was on my blog somewhere!!! 

She looked for a copy on her computer but this is a new computer and the little stinker couldn't be found there either.  So she kindly wrote it down again.  I've now made sure it won't be lost again and have put a copy of it here and a link on the 'guest designer's' page so we'll ALL be able to find it in future!!!!  Here's a picture to remind you which one it is.