Not a lot going on

The rest of my life is gradually impinging on my life in Tat Land so I've not got a lot to show and may have little over the next two weeks either.

I have been doing a trim for another new t-shirt and you can see in this picture the rather crumpled item! At the moment I am pinning it on and it needs to be sewn. This is a really bad picture as it was getting dark when I took it. The shirt is actually a very pretty blue. Perhaps I'll get a better photo when it's finished. 

I intend to do the same trimming for the sleeves too.

Another task finished

I managed to put the beads together yesterday and this is the resulting necklace. I'm pleased with it although it took some re-working to get the chain parts the right lengths to suit my scraggy turkey neck.

I quite enjoy working with two pairs of pliers and a split ring opening tool thingie. 

When it was all done I gave it a good 'dose' of fabric protector spray stuff. I think mine is Scotchgard and I've had it for many, many years. This gives any jewellery protection from your body oils - well, that's what I tell myself!!!!

Unfortunately the pattern won't be available for a while as I've been given more beads by a neighbour.  These are a lot bigger than the three sizes I've used on this project so I'm going to have to do a bigger pattern for them.  I doubt they will be suitable to wear as jewellery but I really, really think they're going to become fantastic Christmas decorations.  

Thank you

A VERY BIG thank you to Renulek for her 2017 doily. I've really enjoyed the adventure and have (even after all these years) found I have learned something through making it!!!

The way Renulek presents her doilies is very different to the way I do. That's NOT a bad thing as I'm sure my way of 'doing things' isn't perfect by any means. It's just a different way. I've really enjoyed this as it does leave the tatter to work things out for themselves which has really perked up BC3. I just hope that Renulek does another next year as I reckon I'll take part.

Also a big thanks must go out to Jill who sent me a multitude of fine threads which caused me to start the doily to experiment with them and Sally who said 'why don't you do HWT'?  My doily measures 18½" from point to opposite point.  It may be good to compare with other doilies shuttle tatted in size 20 thread.

The final row was made with the rings being two shades of blue and the chains with blue and black threads.  It sort of 'contains' the whole thing, I think.

I am NOT a doily person and have none out around the house. In fact they usually go into one of the tatting boxes and get forgotten about!!! Sadly that's what will happen to this one as it's always the making that fascinates me - not the finished item!!!

Tatted beads

I don't quite know what happened a few days ago but I clicked on a link which took me here. 

Having found the big beads the other day I decided that this was going to be my next crochet project but with the beads that I blogged the other day in the middle and probably a lot smaller. Only trouble was I was thinking in a 'lazy' mode and decided that it was too much trouble to go and find a crochet hook for a size 20 thread which I'd got lurking in a container nearby.

Having gone through all this thought about the crochet balls I then decided 'why not tat them'? Where to find a pattern was the next problem as I'd got 3 sizes of beads to cover. No idea so I sent an email to BC3 who was 'up for the challenge'!!!

Not happy with the blue one but the variegated rainbow one worked well.  Off to sort out the stitch count (or whatever) for the other sizes.