Winding shuttles

It never fails to mildly amuse me when I occasionally watch Youtube tatting videos and I see people poking the end of their thread through the hole in the centre of a post shuttle or a hole in a bobbin to wind them.  This is also suggested in many written instructions too.  

Mind, worst is when the learner is told to to wind the shuttle, cut the thread away from the ball and then TIE the two ends together!!!! Yes, cut and then tie the ends together!!!!!  Anyway, as usual I digress yet again.

Why does it amuse me poking ends through holes?  Well, being a lazy OG I worked out years ago that there's a much easier way!!!  I just do a slip knot and stick that round the  whole shuttle (or bobbin).  Then I wind away from the knot to tighten it and that's how I wind ALL shuttles.  

Well I'd better show you what I'm talking about so here are some pictures.

First the slip knot.

 Then put round the shuttle (post or bobbin).

 Tightened up.

 Wind against the knot.  This way is also easy to take off when you've finished too as you pull the short end and it should open up the slip knot!!

Four Fandango coasters

Here we are - now I've got four joined together.  I'm still calling this the Fandango Coaster as one is just right for that purpose.  Four together is just me playing really!!!!

What's interesting is the pattern formed in the middle of the four.  This would show up even more if I'd not changed the colours on the different motifs.  Maybe I'll start another set of four!!!

I will definitely get this pattern up over the weekend so you should get notice of it early next week.  I've just got to sort out a few last hiccups!!!!  

A new elephant

I'm so pleased to announce the arrival of a new elephant on my web site.  I fell totally and utterly in love with this guy when I first saw him a few years ago in a tatting newsletter.

It's owner and breeder is Geraldine who I met in town a few weeks ago.  Poor woman had hardly time to start nattering when I asked her if I could host this critter of hers.  Isn't he great?  I've put him in the guest designer's section but here's the direct link.

What I'm really looking forward to is seeing what she comes up with next.  If you want to contact her then her email address is at the bottom of the pattern.

Another Fandango and Facebook problems!!!!

Interesting experience over the past two days.  I've been bumped off a Facebook tatting group because I remarked on two patterns published there which are still under copyright.  Nobody has told me that I've been bumped and I've applied to join again.  I'm stubborn!!!!

The group blatantly has this at the top of the page:-
"In this group you can publish any tatting pattern, for sharing with other Fairies".

One of the 'offending images' was a pattern from a Mark Myers book.  If anybody else is in the group please will you back me up on what's going on there?  I've no time for people who publish other people's patterns which are still being sold in books and are under copyright.  Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

This time with the Fandango large square I've gone back to plain colours as I now want to see whether two or more can be joined and what that then needs in the way of tweaking the pattern again!!

We'll see how far this plan progresses!!!!

Sunlit shuttles

When Barb sent me the threads I won in her contest she also included some of the new Sunlit shuttles for me to see and try.  Now I started life in Tat Land with Milward shuttles as they were the only type readily available back when the dinosaurs roamed the land.  Later I changed over to the Aero bobbin shuttles and really never looked at any others until the new Aerlit which I now use along with Aero.

So, when I was asked about the Sunlit shuttles on a comment last week I thought I'd better test them.  My first fear with post shuttles is winding them!!!  I needn't have worried though as Barb has made sure there's an angled end which makes the thread so easy to wind (see pictures below).   Because of this I happily wound the shuttle taking only slightly longer than a bobbin one.

It's a very comfortable shuttle to hold and I put a lot of that down to the raised logo and writing on each side which stops them from slipping in the hand. It measures 2 1/2 inches from end to end of tip which also makes it a comfortable shuttle to hold.  I was impressed with the amount of thread it holds too.  Here are some close up pictures for you.

2000 post today

Well who would guess that I've had so much to say about making knots in thread over the years?!?!?  I started this blog in May 2006 and am still rabbiting on with BC3 beside me.

Today is my 2,000 post and I'm so grateful to those who follow and comment and thus keep me going!!!!  It's having the blog which keeps me focussed.  I'm very bad at actually getting patterns onto the web site.  I love the creation and putting them together but after that I forget I've done them and sometimes they stay on the computer for months until something or somebody reminds me they're 'there'.  I don't want fame or fortune through this daft hobby - just another idea in my head will do!!!

Looking back at that first post - I had two comments one of which was from our dear friend Gina.  It must've been Gina that persuaded me to start blogging as she'd been blogging for three years at that time.  In fact it must've been around that time that I first met her at Palmetto Tat Days.  Lovely memories but so sad she's not here to talk to anymore.

This is a pair of earrings she gave me at our last meeting in Cincinnati.