A new member has arrived

I'm very pleased to welcome Ginger to the Exclusive Tatting Club which you can find here.  If you scroll down the page you'll find her mouse.

Ginger and I met up via Facebook and I managed to help her a bit with the problem she was having with her mouse. She was very patient with me for which I was grateful as I really don't like giving advice in a public place. I get very nervous about whether I'm giving good advice or stupid advice. 

Anyway she managed to get her lovely mouse finished. I must say he looks quite cheeky as he's trying to get onto her shuttle. I've noticed that all the mice seem to have different characters. I wonder if they reflect the maker or ???????

White gold earrings

I'm now working on a few earrings and these are a pair I've just finished. 

They'll be going into the October fair when I've stiffened them and added findings and then packaged them.

I must admit to having made a bit of progress on the preparation for the fair. I'm one of those people who hates last minute rushes so always try to be ahead of the project in hand!!!

Butterfly top

After the success of my first piece of sewing for many years I decided that I'd make another top. 

The first one (which you can see here) is so, so comfortable and cool in this warm (hot!) weather that I got fed up with washing the other one through so I could wear it again! Also got bored with wearing the same one.

So, I took myself off down town to the shop which is closing down and got this lovely butterfly fabric in their sale. This went together so much easier than the last one - could be down to practice, I guess!!!

Do I feel the need to make another top? Well if this weather carries on then the answer is 'yes'.

Yesterday I met another tatter

Well it's very, very hot here in town and appropriate weather to meet up with an Australian tatter called Vanessa who was passing through town with her hubby.

Now you'll never believe it. I've lived in this town for almost 75 years and lost  my bearings yesterday!!! 

Vanessa contacted me via Facebook and I gave her my phone number so she could say where she was when she got here. I'd just arrived at the library where I volunteer as a tutor for silver surfers, when she rang. I asked where she was and she said the Riverside Cafe. 

Well I hadn't a CLUE where that was so had to google it!!! It's actually the cafe in the theatre which just doesn't make sense to my wee brain as surely that's the 'Theatre Cafe'. OK, it's by the river as the theatre is built right on the banks of the Avon but to call it something else doesn't make sense - well not to BC3!!!

Anyway, once Mr Google had sorted me out I toddled down there to meet Vanessa. We sat and talked (tatting mainly, of course) for about an hour before it was time for them to go and me to make my way back to the library.

I love meeting up with fellow addicts so if you're ever round my neck of the woods just let me know.

Oh, here's a picture of the theatre - just so you know where to meet me!!!

Christmas is coming!

Well eventually! You can say that even on December 26th can't you as it'll be true even then!!!

Anyway I've decided to make some Christmas tree earrings for the October sale. Mainly as a friend who's organising it asked me to and another friend already wants a pair!! 

There's an interesting story behind this pattern as some years ago I had it published in a weekly magazine here in the UK. I've just had a search and found that I spoke about it here.

Well since then I've found that several other people must've had the same idea and this pattern appears from time to time as somebody else's idea and I think I've even seen it in a book too. 

Great minds and all that. Anyway I decided a few years ago that I could re-visit this pattern and 'do away' with lots of the cuts and ties which is what I did. Well, you know how I love split rings and split chains!!! Then I decided recently that I'd write/draw this up. 

My problem is that this may well be somebody else's copyright which, when mine was published, I wouldn't have known about as it was pre-internet days. Do you remember those? So I'm concerned about putting it on my site. What do you guys think? Would I be committing a heinous crime if I did publish it again? But improved?