A tit for tat

If you didn't know that's rhyming slang for hat!!! 

I bought the most GINORMOUS ball of wool from Michael's the day before I left Canada. Ruth kindly took me on a visit to the one that was closing down near her house. I figured that I'd still got room (if I sat on it) in my suitcase for the wool!!! This is what I made with it along with a pair of socks for wearing in bed when the poor old feet are cold!!!!

This is a very old pattern that Sally shared with me. I think she said it was about 30 years old!!! Crocheted and a lovely shape too. Shame the weather isn't cold enough to wear it yet although 'they' say it's going to change today!!

Oh, since these photos I've added a yellow button to the centre of the flower.  Now I'm 'good to go' but need to decide when and where to go!!!!

A bit of a failure

I'm a bit ashamed of this but I'm going to show you anyway. This was one of the gifts I came back with from Canada.  A lovely sort of oval shaped piece of linen with a great pattern to make it into a holder - for hanky's I think.  Anyway I didn't do a very good job of it at all as I've mis-counted the holes and really made a mess of it.

BUT Abbi (aged nearly 8) thought it was pretty and happily took it home.  Just goes to show that somebody who's been tatting waaaaaay too long can still make a mess of things.  

The lesson for new tatters is - don't worry even ancient ones still don't get it right but it made one little girl happy!!!

A bit of tatting!

Just for a change I'm doing a bit of tatting!!! I know this blog should be about tatting but sometimes I veer off course - particularly at this time of the year when I'm sorting out the TIAS!!!

This is another of the Crystal snowflakes. I love using colours but really must make one or two in white as that's more 'traditional'!!!! 

We've had terrible winds recently and we've got a noise from the roof. Not sure what's causing it but it sounds as if something is banging against a chimney pot. Result? Lack of sleep!!!! The arial man is coming to see what it is next week so I'm hoping that the wind will go away until then!!  

This year's gloves

Now this year I decided that it would be quicker to knit some fingerless gloves! That was my first thought - not only to save time (although I'm not sure at my age what I'm saving it for - time, that is) but also to have some knitting on the go.

I set off using one pattern and then decided to go back to the one I used last year for yesterday's gloves.  I thought that putting in 'short fingers' it would be more comfortable to wear these than having no 'holes' to put my fingers through.  Time will tell and once it's told me I'll tell you!!!!

I love this colour - got the wool from Canada and it's easy to work with.

Last year's gloves

This is a pair of gloves I knitted last year. I had made a pair of socks out of the same grey wool but when I was heading to the fingers on the first glove I could tell I may not have enough to finish both. 

I headed into the wool shop without the original wool and took a guess at the right shade of grey!!! Hmmm, I'll leave you to decide whether it was a good guess or not!!! I have my opinions.

Why am I showing you now? No idea - just found the photo on my computer and thought it was about time I shared it.

Are you wondering what's happened to the tatting lately? Well, lots of shuttle work is going on but mainly it's about the TIAS. That has now been 'chopped up' and drawings and pages have been created. Next step is to test tat it again from those pages. Heading that way later this week.

Snowman/Snowwoman!

Well I uploaded the new amended snowman pattern as I told you a week or so ago. Then Elizabeth contacted me to ask where the original one was!!! I sent her a copy of the original and told her that I would put it back on the pattern pages - must do that. Keep reminding me, people!!! 

I've never had a good memory - I tend to think that what's past is past and stuff I did then I can't undo so I really don't have an excuse for not having a good 'remembering' thingy in my brain!!!

Last Rachel

Nearly forgot this one!!! 

The last of the Rachel motifs by Rosemarie Peel that I was working on.  I did this one on my travels so therefore - no beads.  I don't travel with beads - too dangerous.  Once dropped forever gone!!!

I worked on this in Birmingham airport departure lounge, in Terry's house, Ruth's house and finally in Toronto airport's departure lounge.  An international motif you could say!!!  A little bit here and there!!!

Martha asked me a question

But I don't know the answer, really. 

I'm looking for the answer from 'you out there' so please if you know can you tell me? 

The question is about the patchwork I showed you yesterday. Martha asked what I did with the seams when I'd finished - did I press them open or all the same way.  Well in the dim and distant past I have pressed them open like they are in the attached photo (here they're just tacked into place, of course) but thinking about it I've no idea if that's the right thing to do. 

HELP!!!

Something different!

Here's what I was talking about yesterday.   Remember this?  Well further progress has been made!!!

What I like about doing patchwork by hand is the different stages.  First the decisions on what fabrics to use, then the cutting out of the pieces AND the cutting of the paper inserts (thank you to Howdens kitchens for their now 'redundant' catalogue) and then the sewing of the papers into the fabric.

Finally comes the sewing of the pieces together. 

Once the papers are tacked in I place them around the finished part on the carpet - you're getting lovely pictures of our carpet thrown in for FREE too!!!! Then I take a photo, gather up the pieces and retire to 'tat corner' (with BC3, of course) to stitch them together - referring to the photo when needed. No pesky beads to keep escaping - pure relaxation!!!!

So, the addiction continues!

I just love this thread. I think it's a Marilee Rockley one but not really sure. 

I managed to get the pattern up on my site yesterday for the Crystal Snowflake so here's the link - should you want it.

Meantime I will continue to bore you to death with more of these until I've got enough to fulfil my Christmas self imposed commitments!!!

Tomorrow, though, I promise you something different. Nope - not giving you a CLUE - you'll have to pop back to find out what it is!!!!

This snowflake is addictive!!!

Thank you SO much to all who took the trouble to help me out with this snowflake. I sort of thought I must have seen similar before and didn't think for a minute that BC3 had come up with an original flake. BUT having said that I'm still going to share it. 

There is a similar snowflake here which was kindly pointed out to me. The differences are there but I will be putting a link to Betsy's snowflake on the pattern when I've finished it.  I think that's fair, don't you?  Betsy starts with six rings in the centre of hers whereas mine starts with a mock ring/chain round a central bead.  Then I carry on with chains with rings on the chains too.  The clovers are also split up with chains too.

Anyway, I'd still value opinions on whether I should go ahead or not.  Please leave a comment so I can get the gist of what people think. 

By the way - this design started off using this pattern!!!!  No, don't ask - I've no idea how I landed up with the Crystal Snowflake!!!  Blame BC3 - like I do!!!!

Another one!

Here's another one of 'those' snowflakes!!!!

This is another of the HDT threads and I think it must be one of Karey's. Not sure, though. Any guesses where this snowflake is hiding yet?

Just a snowflake

Now, folks, this is where I want you to find the pattern for this.  I'll give you time to find it and when you do then please tell me in the comments.

This is one that can be worked in one 'hit'.  No sewing in of ends until it's finished. My sort of tatting!!!!

This made me smile

I had to smile when I got this picture and a note from one of my blog readers!!! 

She'd sent for a calendar from the Fringe Element which she was delighted with and when she sent me this picture I did a double take!!! 

Lo and behold there's a bookworm bookmark sitting on the side there!!! Soooooo funny. Thank you Jaycee for a really good giggle.

If anybody wants to make a bookworm then here's the link.

Pop A Bobbin Shuttles

I've got a few more Pop A Bobbin Shuttles to list in Etsy.  For those who haven't 'met' these before - please see the link above the post here.   Here's a direct link too.

I think most of the woods are on the page and hopefully the prices match too!!!! 

I'll let these go live on Friday or Saturday - when I remember!!!

2 PURPLE HEART £20.00 with hooks

3 EUCALYPTUS £18.00 two with hook and one without

3 0AK £18.00 two with hooks and one without

3 ELM £18.00 with hooks

1 ASH

Snowman

I've been thinking about upgrading this chap for a year or two. I HATE cutting and tying ends so have spent a while sorting him out so I've got rid of one lot of 'ends'.  Another improvement is a better hat and a new style of walking stick too.    Oh, he's also a bit longer too.  The original was a bit short and fat and I wasn't too happy about that.  Obviously either of them (old and 'improved') can be made longer anyway.

Here he is in all his 'new' glory with updated hat, walking stick, body length and scarf.

Patchwork

Now before I left planet England for planet Canada I'd decided to use up some of my stash of fabric by doing some patchwork. When my oldest daughter was small and we were very poor I made her a quilt cover and I've always returned from time to time to make smaller cloths etc out of patchwork. As the bags in my Etsy shop are plenty and slow to sell I thought I'd turn my energy to this craft once again.

The hunt for my templates started - and stopped before I left on the trip. Stopped because they were nowhere to be found!!!! I bought some papers from a quilt store (heaven on earth) while I was in Canada as I thought it was a good idea and I guessed at the size of the missing templates!!!! 

When I got home I decided to have one final look in the drawers in our bedroom (I'd looked there before several times) before going up into the loft to start a major search up there. Well, blow me down - there was the box of little stinkers right under my nose - exactly where I'd looked before!!!

This is my progress so far - all hand stitched. Well, actually, as you'll see on the lower picture the pieces are not all stitched yet. What I do is lay them out on the floor (and play with the positioning) before taking a photo and gathering them all up again. That way I can sit back in my chair and follow the photo. I LOVE my iPhone!!!!

Bubblegum seahorse

Something else I'd forgotten to show you!!! This is another of the little seahorses I made before I went to Canada. The thread is bubblegum from the Lizbeth range. 

I've been quietly getting on with the TIAS design and think it's almost ready to 'chop up' and get onto the internet. This will take me some time as I keep getting distracted. I'll show you some of my distractions next week.

Oh dear!

I've just found this little doily - which I made a month or more ago. It's been lurking on my desk waiting for me to put it away - or give it away. 

This is Rachel from Rosemarie Peel's book 'Tatting Basic Patterns. The link to her book is here.

There's something so appealing about this little motif/doily that I simply can't resist. 

Meanwhile I'm working my little socks off on the Tat It And See and this is slowly getting sorted. I need to 'chop up' the original design next and put it together as separate pages. I need a good quiet day or two to do this but at the moment that seems to escape me!!!

Lori's mouse

This is a picture of Lori's bauble.  She wrote to me while I was away in Canada and I filed her message in the wrong folder in my emails!!!  Thankfully she had the sense to remind me (very sweetly) about her 'missing mouse' and I sent out the search party yesterday!!!

I'm not showing you her mouse here - you'll have to go to the Exclusive Tatting Club to read all about him.  I know I'm a tease but you'll find him well worth a visit.

Here's the link.