Ring a Ring earrings!

This is an idea I've been working on and it's SO simple it really doesn't need any more skill than being able to tat rings. Tat's it, really, rings round a ring. I sort of used another pattern which is on my web site but replace parts of it with beads. I'm using this for earrings but another thought has occurred to me which I won't tell about just yet as I need to play first BUT this is just SO easy. Oh, a love of beads is probably a must too!!! Most of these are for a friend but I shall keep the pink and green ones. The photos aren't really showing them off very well but I think you can get the general idea!!!

Another arrival in Tatland!!

Elvis is alive and living in Tatland! Honestly! Just click on the title to find out more!!!
Forgot to mention earlier - listed more tatting stuff on ebay!!! My seller ID is simply janeeborall!!

Nothing to do with tatting!

Friday, good, megga good, exceptionally good, fantastic day.
I had a phone call yesterday evening from my youngest daughter who then put four year old Nathan on the phone. He told me that 'mummy's got a baby in her tummy and it's going to 'pop out' soon'. I can't explain how I feel as I'd been hoping for ages that Nathan would have a sibling to share his parents with. Callum has Oscar and Athena has Carter and finally Nathan will have somebody too!!!
After all those years of teaching I realised way back that it was really good to have more than one child if possible. I'm the oldest of three (one brother and one sister). I know it's not always possible but it's good to have somebody to play with, argue with and, well, just BE with!!!!
I apologise to anybody who thinks that this blog is all tatting - caught you out this time, eh?!?!?!!?
No tatting yesterday and probably not a lot today as the garden took a lot of my time!!!

Time to abandon the edging for a while

Oh dear, oh dear. This is now NOT a good design. I suddenly realised that (as usual) I was being too clever with this edging and so have changed it quite drastically. It occurred to me that the CTJ wasn't actually needed at all!!! How silly is that!! So I tried starting in a different place!! Oh, not a good idea!! That scrap has been duly filed in the bin!! Below is another attempt replacing a ring with a split ring and thus getting rid of the CTJ in one go. BUT I'm not sure I like it now and it certainly needs some 'help' with the swop from the top to the bottom part as it now looks untidy. I find it's a good idea to use strongly contrasting colours when doing this sort of thing as it really, really shows up the problems!!!
I shall now leave it for a while until the 'muse' strikes again!!! I HATE TATTING. Well I did for five or ten minutes!!!!

Still playing with the edging

Well I followed Mark's suggestions and the small sample below on today's posting is what I came up with.

I think I put too many picots on the lower part of the upper part (well, I know what I'm talking about!!!!) so then went off to try something else. Oh, I was also not happy with the clarity of the bottom either!!! Below is a 'two part' tryout. In the first two 'pointy bits' I followed the same idea again but this time with less picots on the chains. Also I made the lower part slightly bigger which I think gives it a separate 'feel' to the header part.
The last two points are yet another idea using the original split ring but throwing a ring off it and down to the main central ring. I again used picots and the larger lower part. This is going to be a challenging (to me) pattern to write down for people to follow. It's not hard at all but does need some careful explanations around the continuous join concept. Anybody willing to give it a whirl? I think I may do all four versions in the end for the pattern site. Time will tell!!!

Edging

Well I did nothing to the edging yesterday as I got waylaid into another tatting project which I want to get further along the way today. This is a gift idea to take on our trip.
BUT thanks SO much to Mark Myers for the following idea. He's such a clever chap with his computer graphics. See - he's added another ring to the top and picots. What a difference this makes. I shall try and get back to it this evening to alter the pattern. Gina, I will let you have the pattern in the original form as soon as I'm sure I can understand it!!!! Susan, I think both you and Mark were thinking along the same lines!!!!!

Edging again

Back again on the edging. I didn't get anything done on Saturday and in fact didn't even pick up a shuttle - BAD DAY!!!! My new computer was playing up so it meant taking it back to the factory settings and then re-installing Vista. Last time I did an 'upgrade' but this time a 'clean install'. The drivers got themselves in a heck of a muddle. This time everything seems to be working well, so far!!! The edging finally got picked up at eight o'clock Sunday evening and I'm still not happy with the header on it. I think it needs to be 'prettier' so perhaps more picots would soften the outline. All suggestions VERY welcome before I abandon the idea!!! Interesting progression using the continuous thread join and I'm pleased with that part. I also like the 'firmness' of it as that will make it stand up to countless amounts of washing! Anyway, here's last evening's version!!!

Edging

I'm not very keen on making edgings for myself - well, not for handkerchiefs and table linen. There is one sort that I do like to make and that's deep ones for tshirt necklines. I like these to be in the same or contrasting colours to the tshirt and so I decided a few days ago that when I'm in America later this year and with young children around me then something like this would be easiest to take and work on. No beads but two colours (hopefully) and two shuttles (the cats won't want to chase those around like balls of thread!). So the adventure into the 'perfect' edging has begun!!! I like the other one I did here http://tinyurl.com/35dldl but of course I'm bored with that one. I also want to play again with the continuous thread join as it means you can get a deeper edging but in one round. Below is the 'story so far'. I'm afraid the colours don't contrast very well but they were what was handy to me at the time!!

Now, I'm reasonably happy with this - it lies well but I don't like the pointy top!!! I'll have to think of something different for this. It's too stark although I think it could be classified as a 'Vandyke' style. I also need to find out if this will lie to a curve or I'll have to alter it accordingly. I'll make a 'corner' for it for V necked tshirts (or even handkerchiefs!) as there's nothing MORE frustrating than having a lovely edging without a corner!!! I spent the afternoon yesterday looking through dozens of books for inspiration or an edging I could adapt and then picked up a rejected and an earlier attempt of this piece that was lying around the house!!! Any suggestions would be gratefully accepted - my email address is lovetotat at gmail.com.

Close up of my picture

Now I wonder how many people have noticed that I've changed my picture on the blog. A more up to date (and older version) of me!!! I'm so glad it's only small - the horrors of my face cannot be seen!!! Mind, if it was a close up you could see why I never look in mirrors!! Anyway, below is a close up of the tshirt!!! Hope you like it!!!
I may just get the pattern for the eye onto my pattern pages over the weekend - a lot depends on the weather, though as well as my memory!!!!

Another pair

Here are another pair - purple and shaded yellow/orange with beads to 'match'. This is again a fine thread doubled. Two days of wearing the orange and blue ones have made me realise that they do need stiffening. I shall do this after this post is done and then wear them stiffened to see if that stops the 'slight' bending. I cannot stand them when they go 'off track'.

Two pairs of earrings

I'm very pleased with the orange and blue pair which I'll start testing today by wearing them. The other pair is worked in a number 40 Olympus (variegated) and a 40 Coats (?) but isn't as 'firm' as the others. Again I will test this pair out another day. They may be fine slightly stiffened. I think I may try another pair with drastic alterations to the stitch count and using a single number 80 thread. I feel it's worth playing with these a little longer!!!

Now I know what it is!!!

It's going to be an earring. Definitely! I need to make another and then wear them for a while to test whether they stand up to use. This is my first attempt to see if it would be viable. This was worked in a no. 20 thread. I went very wrong with the first and only bead!!!

The second attempt on Sunday evening went drastically wrong!! Must have been the red wine - well, that's my excuse!!!

The next one is 'getting there'. I worked this with a single no. 80 (or thereabouts!) thread. I did go a bit 'off track' at the top but it was nearly OK. I'd done a rough drawing of how I thought it would turn out yesterday morning but realised that I'd numbered the rings wrongly as I'd forgotten to put numbers in the RoCh's!!!!! This made re-writing the text a pain yesterday evening. This new way of working really is better. Have an idea, play for a while (doing text as you go) and then draw quite early on. Even a rough drawing before I start is a help if it's an animal!!

Finally I decided to try the no. 80 (or whatever!) doubled and this has worked REALLY well. Much firmer result. I shall try again this evening with a no. 40 and then 'test drive' both lots over the next week or so by wearing them before putting the pattern on my site.
Of course this little motif could be used for anything from a zip pull to a little sew on. I would like to experiment with a large 'dangly' bead in the centre of the bottom chain. The good thing about these Vlp's is that you can play with them when you get to them without the hassle of planning ahead and working out what beads to put where. Ideal for a lazy moo like me!!!!!

What will this turn out to be?

This bit of tatting has been haunting me for the past week. It was an abortive start to a butterfly. Aborted because I didn't like the colours of thread or beads. It even went round the town with me yesterday and I almost bumped into a number of people because I had it in my hand and was thinking about it!!! Danger tatter thinking!!! I've a feeling that it could turn into a sweet little earring! I shall play with it later in a no. 80 thread.

I listed some stuff on ebay on Thursday on a 10p listing day. Never again!! I wonder what they do on these special offer days? It took two days for anybody to even notice that the Aeros were back!!! Very odd - I feel there must be a sub-plot here!!!

The Butterflies get better

Yesterday I listed some more 'stuff' on ebay. I love making and wearing earrings and over the twenty or more years I've been making them I've found that you have to keep them simple in structure so that they don't 'bend' after a few wearings!!! Even stiffened if they are too wide then they tend to 'curl or bend'. One answer is lots of beads!! The blue, green and orange pair I made for myself then discovered that I'd already got some in those colours and that style!!! If I'd got a brain I'd be dangerous!!!

Now everybody knows (or should by now!) that I like a little colour in my life!!!! I get into my tatting stash and then get lost in decision making on which colours of threads and then beads. I think my all time favourites for 'surprising' colours must be bright orange and bright pink. I make myself look at other combos too and this time I came up with the turquoise and blue. I'm pretty sure they worked just fine. Then the beads. I used to think that the 'same' coloured beads were the 'right' ones but now I'm into trying startlingly different ones. The second butterfly has turquoise and yellow beads with the orange and pink!!!!

Wow and double, treble wow

Yesterday a small but priceless treasure arrived here in the UK. To say that I was gobsmacked would be a gross understatement. In this tiny and pretty little box were the dearest little turtles made by tatbit herself. I just can't tell you how beautiful they are and no pictures would do them justice. How Teri managed to tat these onto the cab is just beyond me. Even Nick was lost for words and that's a miracle in itself. His main question was 'how fine is that thread?'. They will travel with me to Palmetto and everywhere I go. Treasured beyond measure - I've never seen anything like these little turtles. Colours that tatbit used are amazing too. To see tatbit's blog click on the title of this post - I'm not sure how to do links in the message itself yet!!!!

Earrings

Two pairs of earrings. These are some of my favourites to wear and to make. The thing I like most about them is that because of the multitude of beads (worked on fine thread) they hold their shape through thick and thin!! I'm wearing some pairs which I must have made three years ago and they are as 'good as new'. I do use diluted PVA as a slight stiffener and protection from body oils, dirt etc. (I do wash behind my ears!!). The brown and pink pair are a gift for a neighbour but the green, blue, orange are - well just for fun. I may list them on ebay.

During the night I had a BRILLIANT idea for a new earring design so once I've tidied up my work area I shall be trying these out. They will have lots of beads too!!!

More pretties

Mystery solved

Thanks a million to Karey Solomon who says she's got the Tatbeads. I knew they'd got their passports!!! I'm rather relieved they're off my hands for a while as they are SUCH a handful. They mentioned that they wanted to go to the Hector tatting convention but I said they were too small to travel alone and as I wasn't able to go then they had to stay home. I found the ladder outside the window leant against the wall so I presume that's the way they sneaked out. I hope they've saved up enough money for their fare home - I'm not sending them any!!!! Karey, if you have any problems with them threaten them with the scissors!!!!!

New arrival in Tatland

Elaine Law sent a picture of a frog she'd made to go in the Tatbead family's garden so please take a look. Click on the title to take you directly to the tatbead's extended family!!
Oh, there's another mystery here. They all came with me to the Ring of Tatter's stand at the NEC a couple of weeks ago. They came home and were last seen 'lurking' in the middle room. I then realised after a few days that they were no longer there. They've been missing now for a week. I did hear a rumour that they were last seen heading towards Heathrow airport. I can't find their passports either so I''m getting a bit concerned. If ANYBODY knows anything about their whereabouts would they please let me know. I would be grateful of any sightings or any thoughts on where they could be.

Another attempt

I finally got the brain working on this one again. I started at the head which is an extra SR and meant altering the text completely throughout! Then I took out a ring and chain on both the upper wings. I've yet to put this in a ring but I'm much happier with it now.

Also listed more shuttles on ebay yesterday and was also told this morning that I could 'let the cat out of the bag' that I've been chosen to teach at the Palmetto Tat Days - yippeeeeee!!! http://www.palmettotatters.org/events/TatDays2007/TATDAYS2007.shtml

Later in the day and I've got the same butterfly in it's ring. Rarely do I get things finished within 24 hours of starting. I've usually 'mislaid' them in between times!!!

Butterflies in rings

Towards the end of last week I made two more butterflies (below). As I wasn't concentrating on the larger one I made a bit of a mistake. Looking at it I realise that the result is a much better upper wing so I did the other to match!!! I now have to re-write and re-draw the pattern again!!! Serves me right - shouldn't try and tackle this when I'm tired!!!

Thoughts on Tatting

I’ve been pondering about the following over the past few years and am offering this as my personal opinion on these subjects.

Copyright issues - Designs and Techniques.

I feel there are three intermingled issues here. I have been directly affected myself by all of the following and would like to make it clear to all who are interested in how I feel about them.

I get very upset if a pattern of mine is taken and reproduced with only slight alterations and then published as somebody else’s with their name as the ‘designer’. I think this is fair comment considering the amount of time that’s put into each design produced.

If somebody takes a design of mine which is very innovative, alters it and again calls it their own without then telling people where they originally found their inspiration then that puts them in my view in the realms of a deceiver. Not only of others, but also of themselves.

NOW, if somebody comes along and says ‘why don’t you’ do this, that or the other to a design and is prepared to do it themselves and acknowledge me as the inspiration or source then that is fine and also very flattering. In fact this is particularly good if I can add an alteration or improvement to my website thus keeping all the ‘progressions’ together in one place.

Techniques are a whole different issue. Techniques as we all know are not copyrightable but can be patented at vast expense. It is possible I may have invented one technique. My concern with this is that to my knowledge nobody has used it!! I would HATE to think that people believe that they can’t use it because it’s mine. NO IT’S NOT and I don’t want recognition for it either. I would just love it to be used, abused and developed. I could then quietly sit here and think to myself ‘hey, I did that and people are finding it useful’. That’s all I want. There are at present a lot of ‘new’ developments out on the Internet that I just dare not use because they ‘belong’ to somebody. OK, I can use them but only if I put ‘their’ name on each pattern that I use ‘their’ technique in but if I did that for one then I’d have to do it for all the techniques in a pattern and what a lot of ink and paper THAT would waste (let alone the additional time and research involved!) As there is some dispute over ‘who invented what and when’ over some of these ideas then I’m not prepared to risk putting my big foot in it by accrediting the ‘wrong person’. I truly admire those who come up with these new ideas but – what is the point if people are frightened to use them?

On another issue and finally – making money from our pieces of tatting! Hmmmm, if it could be done then where is our first millionaire tatter? I like to know if somebody wants to use my work to make things to sell. I love it to be for charity but basically I’m just nosy!!! I feel that the type of people who buy pieces may then become interested in making some themselves. I also feel that this can only promote our craft. The only thing which makes me very cross is that non tatters don’t appreciate the full value and are not prepared to pay as such for our time, skill and efforts!!! Still, they never will so there’s nothing we can do except put as high a price on a piece that we can realistically expect.

The above is purely my own opinion based on my life on this planet. If it offends anybody then I apologise but I felt I had to make my feelings clear in the ‘tat world’. I am here purely to promote the ART of tatting in as friendly a way as possible. I don’t want fame or glory – after all tatting is such a small part of the whole of the scheme of things. I’m off. Tat’s all I have to say for now.

Whooopppeeee!

Look who's arrived in Tatland - the Easter bunny along with a basket full of eggs!!! Click on the title to find the link.
I was going to add two more butterflies today but they can wait now!!! This arrival is MUCH and FAR too important to miss. Thanks again, Martha.

Nothing done!

I didn't get anything finished the last two evenings. Not been feeling too good and some worrying news didn't help! BUT I did get round to listing some more Aero shuttles on ebay. http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZjaneeborall
Just hope that I feel well enough today to be able to get to the NEC tomorrow with the Ring of Tatters. That annual trip is my 'treat' of the year!! I love helping to demonstrate there. Busy but fun.

Pair of Butterflies

Yesterday I started on a series of 'giveaways' for family in America. These are the first two! A pair of butterflies.

Relaxing tatting

I'm taking time out to re-tat several of my patterns to check for mistakes and also to make other 'bits and pieces'. Last night it was a return to one of my favourite little pattern books - New Critters on the Block by Martha Ess. My middle grandson will be four next week and he's 'into' dinosaurs (well, his grandma's one, isn't she?) so I made these two guys for his birthday card. I used a number 20 Flora HH (variegated) which I didn't know I had. It's lovely and a doddle to work with.

Finished - I think!

I finished off the lilac butterfly from two days ago - miracles do happen!! I used my favourite invisible thread and added beads to the feelers.
I then went back to adding beads to the very long picots which is the second butterfly but I wasn't happy with this either.

The final pink one is my favourite. One less bead on each long picot and that seems to have done the trick.
All I have to do is finish off the drawing, put it all together and it's done! Another one off my list of 'to do's'!!! The hardest part of this design was getting it into my head that the rings were facing outwards and the chains inwards. Don't know why but I just couldn't get it going at first. I struggled with the instructions just after the fourth SR where a chain takes the worker to the lower left wing. This I did about six times just so I could get the SS or RW or whatever right! Just hope it is now!!!

Looking a bit better!

Well a few ds here and there and another way of adding beads and it's looking a lot better. This evening (IF I stay awake) I shall try the very long picots again with the beads on. It's amazing the difference a day makes!!! I have tied this into the ring temporarily and would add beads to the feelers too.

Not so good!!!

I had to virtually re-write the whole pattern yesterday evening after Sue and I had discussed how to do it in one 'hit' and two colours!!! This meant starting in a totally different place and working in the opposite direction and then having to re-do one of the top wings again as they are not symetrical!!! Hey, ho, finally got to the end (this time the butt end!!). I added beads to the long picots BUT will re-tat again with fewer beads (i.e. one bead instead of Vlp's with beads on). Still quite a few issues so that it lies flatter but this may have more to do with the abundance of beads than the actual pattern. Yesterday's with the 'scraggy' looking picots did at least lie flat and the stitch count was exactly the same. I need to look again at some of the chains towards the tips of the wings (they could probably do with an extra ds here and there) and also the head which tends to 'hide' behind the two top wings. The two rings at the base of the lower wings also need to be joined, I feel. I need to stay focussed on this pattern instead of wandering off onto something else. I have a deadline - self imposed - but a deadline nonetheless!!!!

Goody, goody, goody!

After the hassle of the heart in the ring I nearly gave up trying to do anything more with rings. BUT as I'd bought so many from Claire's sale just after Christmas I started to feel a little guilty. I nearly fell off my chair last night when I finished another tryout and found that it FITTED the ring. Least it's pretty good for a first 'real' attempt!!! Next stage is to work out the lengths of the long picots and as Sue Hanson has already guessed - find out how many beads fit onto them. I think I'll only need 2 beads on one of the shuttles (for the ends of the top wings which are SCMR's). My only disappointment is that I can't work it in two colours without doing it in three parts. Still I'd rather do it in one hit and one colour with no ends to tie in!!!!!

Another project started

I'm off again!!! Remember the butterfly that I amended and made to fit into a ring? Weellllllll I decided I 'neeed' another one to sort of 'match' but which would fit in a larger ring. I wanted it to be different too.

Here's my first and second attempts. The scraggy looking picots will eventually be 'refined' and will hold beads so that the whole thing should be surrounded by beads. The body is NOT right but I had a brainwave in the night and will try a block tatted centre this evening. Next stage will be to 'trace' over the second picture in my drawing program and then 'play' with it to see if I can do something with the body without tatting it. This also gives me an insight into different ideas. I would like to make the top wings a little more 'shapely' too.

Later in the day and I've been 'playing' with this design on the computer. I've also asked 'me old mucker, Sue Hanson, to check to see if she's seen a butterfly like this might look before!!! I'd hate to upset anybody over copyright issues. Been done to me and I don't want to do it to anybody else!!!
As a lot of people will know I use Serif DrawPlus for doing my drawings (along with a Wacom graphics pad). The way I normally work is by finding an image from the internet through searching Google images. I find a definitive picture to study and usually paste this onto a lower 'layer' of my file in Serif. This is then made transparent by 50% so that I can go back to the layer above and make a guess at how I would tat it - i.e. starting places, progression, techniques etc. First efforts are rarely any good but in the case of this butterfly I did quite well. I then tat this piece (guessing at numbers of ds etc) and scan it (see above). This again goes onto the lower layer in Serif and is made transparent. I can then 'draw' over it. This should be named the 'guestimate' stage!! Below you will see the result. I have added some more ideas to it which I now want to work on - one suggested by Sue. This is where life gets more complicated as this will throw out all the numbering on the text that I've already written in Word!!!! I've omitted the possible picots as I need a clear idea of where I need to join rings etc. I'm hoping that this will allow me to use two colours which is always difficult when working a piece in 'one hit'. Hopefully only one lot of ends to finish off too.
Hey, what's an old lady gonna do on a bitterly cold day in the UK?!?!? Tat and dream of butterflies!!!

Another ring and now I don't know which is my favourite!! I've given one or two away so will have to replace them!! I want/need one to match every colour tshirt I own!! I also do the same with earrings and bracelets so actually getting all the bling on in the morning takes longer than getting the shopping!!!! Such a hard life!!!!

Nearly finished

I have nearly finished putting together the meercat page, the finger ring page, a page to say how to make the braid for the ring, a page on a 'no hassle' way of block tatting, Heather's snowman and finally Heather's spinnaker tower!!!! Been a long few days plus learning new software. I could have stuck to the old software but I DO love a challenge!!!
Here's another finger ring - my favourite so far although I am making one in a variegated purply, maroon thread!!!
Right, I'm off to finish the pages and then list some more Aero shuttles.

The final version

Here he/she is finally finished. I tweaked the face slightly, fought with the lower limbs and did the drawings yesterday afternoon. All I have to do now is put the page together.

I want to finish another piece which needs another evening or two's concentrated tatting and then I'll have two patterns to put on my pattern page. I'm trying not to get tempted away to another idea which is brewing until these two are completely off my hands!!!!

Drum roll, please!

Finally I have a good version of the MEERCAT!!! There - the cat's out of the bag!!! Sorry, nearly bad pun there!!! This is NOT the quite final version as I may elongate the legs slightly although they do 'match' the picture I printed out and have been following. The cut picots are the claws which these funny little creatures have. I've a few tweakings to do to the face too.
I'm also working on a 'how to block tat without changing shuttles' instruction sheet too. I used this method for making the meercat BUT I'm sure the traditional way would work too.
Here's a url to the Oakland Zoo's information on meercats. http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azmeerkat.html and there are lots of pictures if you use google images.

Oh, I've also listed some more Aero shuttles on ebay too!!

Another teaser

Just finished ebaying some more shuttles and bits and pieces of tatting so I decided to MAKE myself get back to the mystery animal.

This one has been a real pain! I've almost thrown it out of the window on numerous occasions. I've spent most evenings this week 'fiddling' with it!! The main problem now is just the length of the legs - the ones at the bottom of this scan. There is only one showing here and that's too long!!! I've re-written the text to shorten it and have changed the method of working it quite a bit too. The second leg which you can just see started behind it is coming out at the wrong angle so again this needs to be rectified. I've tried the head once and that wasn't too bad but have since re-drawn it. There's no way this creature can be worked, I feel, without cutting and tying after the second lower leg.

I think I've nearly got the back legs right at last!!! I'll 'tweak' them on the next one to make them a little better. This animal has claws which is what the cut picots at the end of the feet represent. Hey, ho, off to attack the face now!! Hopefully when this is done the guesswork and teasing will be over. Just below is the latest attempt done this afternoon.

The latest pattern

I thought I'd better do some 'blogging' today just to let the world (if there is anybody out there!) know what I'm up to!!! The new animal was looking very, very sad when I started back in on him on Monday evening. I'd got to the back legs and then got into one of those situations where deciding what technique and which way the back leg should bend stumped me. I did and un-did so many times that in spite of tatting, re-tatting and re-re-re-re-tatting I still couldn't get it to work. By the way, the front leg looks OK but probably needs to be a bit longer!
Tuesday evening I bit the bullet and went back to the offending leg and after several more attempts did a reasonable one!! It's not that good yet but it's good enough to 'improve' on, I hope! In the end cause I couldn't decide whether to show the other back leg or not I cut the thread and decided about half past eight to have a go at the head! Now any normal person would just do a sideways looking or full frontal head but this isn't really in the character of the animal. About three goes with several retro tats and I finally got a head. Crikey, I thought, that's awful!! I've just looked at it again in the 'light of day' and actually it's not bad. Still needs quite a lot of tweaking etc, though. I'm not going to add the picture yet as I'd like another good evening sorting out a few of the problems!! At the moment the pattern has to be worked in two parts and I cannot see a way to avoid this. I love to avoid starting and stopping so I shall take another look at this too.
Well, that's the story, so far!!! I want to finish this animal soon as it's been living in my head for about a year now!!!

Now where did this tatbead angel fly in from????

Look who flew in overnight! I'm not sure where she/he's come from or whether she/he will be staying or not! Yes, an angel!!!! Fancy an angel coming near me and the tatbeads???!!!!

Today has been very, very busy. An early morning meeting with the IT lady at the local library to show me their computer system so that next week I should be able to meet up with my first student. The students will be 'silver surfers' and I'm really looking forward to helping older people get onto computers and the internet. For the past few months I've been helping a friend to get started and of course I've been helping my father for years (he started at the age of 80 and is almost a non reader). I've also been trying to get my new computer up and working. SO much easier than fifteen years or so ago when I bought my first one but even so very time consuming. No time to tat today and now I'm just too tired. I'm hoping that tomorrow will see the last of the software found and installed and then I'll be able to tat again!!!

New Tatbead arrived

I am pleased to announce the arrival from across the pond of spiritual help for the family. The nun has arrived as support after my friend Mother Macaria suggested that she might be an answer to their problems. Time will tell!!!!

New stuff

I'm working on a new idea so that's why I've been quiet lately. I've also been doing the odd birthday card too and listing on ebay (more shuttles to list later today!).

Here's a teaser - guess what it's going to be!!!