The answer!!

I nearly forgot to give you the answer to this question here!!!

A few were close and right with their guesses.

As you know I have a penchant for bags. Having them and making them! It's a sad disease but in my case - pretty cheap!!! Cheap as chips as 'they' say!! 

Here is a picture of the zipper pull on my new bag and a picture of the underneath of the flap. Why did I need a new bag? Well with my trip to Palmetto Tat Days looming up I needed something to cart my iPad, purse, passport etc around in when I get to America. I take a bigger bag as carry on but it's too big to carry with me all the time and doesn't have a shoulder strap either. This bag is made out of one leg of an old pair of jeans so it's REALLY cheap!!! More pictures when I've finished it!!!

More loom motifs

Just two more motifs worked with the loom bands. These are great fun as I've got a packet of assorted colours and, along with variegated thread, they give me a lot of amusement trying out different combinations!!!!

I'm also currently working on a secret project which I'm delighted to be able to do. I'll let you know as soon as I can. 

It's daytime 'work' on the computer and also needs a lot of concentration too!!! If it rains over the next week I may get it done but if it doesn't then the garden and other 'projects' may well steer me away from it!!!!

Now, what about these?

This is a set (bracelet and earrings) that I made some time ago and which I've since 'mislaid'!!! I'm totally hopeless with my stuff. Once a piece is finished it's of no interest to me whatsoever as I'm already thinking about the next idea!!!!

Usually I find 'stuff' days and days later sitting quite happily under the scanner's lid!!!  I know others do the same and that I'm not alone.

This time, though, it just isn't 'there'!!!  I'm sure it'll turn up soon and will apologise for it's lack of communication during it's 'missing' spell.  I know - I'll send for Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes.  I'm sure they'll find them!!!!

The bracelet pattern is hear and the earrings are there!!!

Gecko pink cocoa

Here's another gecko!!! in Lizbeth's pink cocoa.

I'm sure you can remember that I went through a phase recently of making geckos and then I went off and did other things. One evening recently I decided to make number 12 and here he is.

Sally kept asking me (Happy Birthday, sis) why I was making them and I couldn't give her an answer except that I was just enjoying the colours!! Well, yesterday I decided what their fate is going to be. A long wall hanging with them all running up and down the wall!!!

Then, of course, I decided that I'd better do a few in size 40 and 80 to vary the look of it so that's going to be my 'fun tat' for a while.

The pattern!!!

Before I start.  Just a reminder that the Palmetto Tatting Days registration is still open.  Do have a look to see what's offered.  My gingerbread men are excited over their trip!!!!

OK, here it is in all it's 'glory'!!!! The pattern.

Hope to see other ideas using Loom Bands as they are so cheap and cheerful!!!  Meanwhile I may have another try at another design too.  Long summer days are great for getting things like this done. 

Taster of the new pattern!!!

It must be six months or so ago since Joanie first told me about an American craze for loom bands or rainbow looms. Well they've just 'hit' the UK and you can read a bit about them here.

We've even got two shops in town who have the bands and a guy on the Friday market has been selling them too. So, what's this got to do with tatting you may well ask?

BC3 (that's brain cell three) and I decided that there has to be more uses for these pesky little rubber rings so I bought a packet a few weeks ago. My excuse? Well, Abbi may want to play with them when the kids come for a week in the summer!!!! I convinced me, anyway!!!

So, here's the first design (nothing complicated) using these intriguing little circles of rubber!!!

I started off using a bead for the centres and then tried 'without'. A few beads, one shuttle, a modicum of finger tatting and it's a fun, easy tat. I will get the pattern finished off today and uploaded tomorrow.

Another technique page

Yet another for your use - if you should ever need it. This is the mock ring with a bead - hey diddle diddle right in the middle!!!

Now the reason for this mini splurge of techniques is cause I hadn't got them drawn up until now and that was mainly because I'd not really 'needed' them!!!

I have a new design which I'm hoping to get sorted before the end of the week  and which will involve one or both of these new techniques AND something that tickles me pink too!!!!

It's to do with - well, no, I'm not going to spill the beans. I'm going to make you all WAIT for a day or two!!! Aren't I cruel?

Technique pages

So this week I'm hoping that I'll be able to share a new pattern which has got me quite excited already. 

It's something that I'm sure nobody has tried before and at times I've realised why!!!! Well, that's not quite the truth as you'll see when I've finished it that the idea is relatively simple - it's just what I've chosen to put BC3 through to achieve it that's been the problem!!!!

So, in order to prepare you for all this excitement (yawn, yawn) I've done two technique pages - one of which you can find here.  This one is for the mock ring (MR).

I realise that in these 'modern times' that the way to go with teaching via the internet is through videos but I'm afraid I haven't yet got the hang of those.

Also I've seen a lot of poor ones which have quite put me off as I know mine would be really bad!!! Somebody wrote the other day to say that they'd learned to tat via my beginner tatting pages as they found that the 'hands' got in the way on a lot of the videos.  That is what made me get up off my fat 'behind' and get on with this page.

Milward shuttles

Thought you'd like to see some shuttles today. Not those being sold in my Etsy shop later but two I bought off Ebay a week or so ago.

One was bought for a friend who often finds that Ebay sellers won't ship to her country so I bid on them (sometimes she does) and the seller ships to me. We settle up with each other and I mail hers items on.  Then I spotted another one and put a bid on for myself. The one on the left is the one I bought and the one on the right is now on the way to the friend.

Several interesting things to note about the differences. Neither has the green ribbon which the shuttles always used to have on the hooks when I bought them brand new back in the 1960/70's.  Always useful when you wanted to find the little stinkers as they spent their lives (the hooks) hiding from me down the side of sofas and chairs. 

The font used on the two packets is very different too. It makes me think the one on the left is a lot newer than the one on the right.  I love the instructions on the right hand one.  In the many, many years I used the Milwards I never ever had any problems with them.  To think that they were made such a short distance from where I live is also amazing as that never occurred to me 'back then'.

I see there are several patent numbers on the one packet too (747, 745 and 746) and on the other is the postcode. 

Now me being a nosy old git I just HAD to google that postcode and it appears that the factory site is now a housing estate. Nothing new there, then!!!!

Tomorrow

A decision has been made!!! A decision on when the shuttles will go 'live' in my Etsy shop here tomorrow.

I will let them 'go' at 14.00 BST. That will keep me out of mischief for a few hours.

Please if possible - could you try to stick to one order and not multiples? 

I find that BC3 complains bitterly over having to work out what Paypal refunds to do!!!! In fact he threatened to stop doing refunds the other day but I persuaded him to think long and hard over that!!!

Just for eye candy - a few more shuttles!!!!

Guesses please!!!!!

Now this little gismo has been made for a reason. BUT can anybody guess what it's been made for?

I'll give you a clue.  The owl is not only there for 'prettiness' sake but also for weight too.  

Another clue?  Take a look at the other end opposite the owl - why have I added a metal split ring there?

One thing I will tell you - it's not an earring!!!   Too long and not pretty enough.

Last of the Fandango bookmarks

Before I go off on my daily ramblings about tatting - I'm wondering if anybody else is having problems with blogger? 

You'll see (below the bookmark) that I've taken a screen shot of my own blog. Well normally there are loads of blogs that I follow in my reading list but nowadays (well, for the past few days) I only get the latest one showing up!! Now that's OK except that I'm sure I'm missing loads of blogs that I normally read. This is happening on all my devices so it's not just the big computer, not just the browser but something is wrong. Sally seems to be having the same problem too.  

Just been snurging round the blogger forums and we're not the only ones having this problem.  Blogger are working on it.  PHEWWWWWW.

I woke up this morning and found blogger is working properly again but thought I'd leave this post 'as is' just in case it's of interest to anybody!!!

Well, the last for now!!!!  Again this is worked with size 40 thread and the pattern is here.  

New shuttles arriving sooooon.

Well, Saturday to be exact. BUT I'm not sure yet what time I'll release them!!! 

I think it would be a good idea to ask 'wannabe' buyers what time they'd like so - over to you!!!! If you can comment with the hour you'd like in BST (British Summer Time) then that would be very helpful. I will then work out the average of the requests and list them then.  Of course, I'll let you all know in plenty of time.  

What's that saying?  Time and tide wait for no man!!!  Well it's got to wait for me for once!!!!

The shuttles I've got are listed here:-

3 ZEBRANO £20.00 each (2 with hooks, 1 without hook) 

4 OREGAN MYRTLE £17.50 each (3 with hooks, 1 without hook) 

4 CHERRY £17.50 each (3 with hooks, 1 without hook) 

1 YEW £17.50 

3 SEQUOIA £17.50 each (2 with hooks 1 without hook) 

4 HOLLY £17.50 each (3 with hook 1 without hook) 

20 FLAT SHUTTLES 

4 PURPLE HEART £7.50 each 

4 MAHOGANY £6.00 each 

4 BEECH £6.00 each 

2 TEAK £6.00 each 

2 ROSEWOOD £6.00 each 

3 SYCAMORE £6.00 each 

2 ASH £6.00 each

Zebrano

 Oregon Myrtle

 Purple Heart

 Teak

Tickled pink!!!

Now do you remember how annoyed I was when it became obvious that my ladybird pattern had been used by an Italian magazine? Here's the link to my blog post.

Well I was very upset about the whole thing and discussions continued with Allessandro and I realised that the whole matter could be helped by educating everybody about this sort of thing rather than getting the aged knickers further in a twist.  In the end I agreed to send in a couple of my patterns to be considered for publication.  Actually what I did was take two off my web site (the dolphin and smaller seahorse) and tried to simplify them.

Personally I don't think they're as 'good' as the originals but, for this situation, as the magazine has started with simple techniques and is slowly building them up, I feel it works.

There is also a full page 'blurb' on yours truly too.  I had to copy type the Italian into google translate and found out that this is what it says!!!!

We are pleased to present in this issue of the journal, two works created by Jane Eborall, an artist Anglo-Saxon (means English!!!) one of the most imaginative creative in the world of tatting.

Work at chiarcchierino (tatting) since working with the shuttle, now about 55 years ago. During a trip scolasitca in Belgium, Bruge, was hit by bobbin lace made by a local lady. Back at home. his dream was to be able to carry out similar work.

Two years later, by chance, her grandmother decided to attend a tatting and also involved her granddaughter in this new learning.

From that moment Jane is passionate significantly to this technique and made it their hobby, so much so that even now and unlikely to spend a day without ever having used the 'mythical' shuttle.

Tatting for and has no secrets, since he created with arches, rings and picots an entire zoo which can be viewed on his blog http://janeeborall.blogspot.co.uk.

and on this site http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com, which provides free copy from various schemes

Our knowledge with Jane and was random but very lucky, and everything depended on a ladybug ....... created by Jane in 2001.

And so was born a useful exchange of information and collaboration practica and that resulted in these two mervigliosi marine subjects that we offer.

Left overs

When I was a kid and learned to tat I used to buy the old Coats and Penelope booklets with my pocket money. In those they always said 'two balls of size 20 thread' or whatever. It never occurred to anybody to actually work out how much thread was needed for each item and that was the 'status quo'.

Roll on another forty to fifty years and it's now become the 'right thing' to do to add the thread quantities required to a pattern. I try to do this - just to keep up with the fashion!!!! However, I find it hard to make myself do this for anything larger than a doodle as I am aware that people's tensions are different and so they may well cuss and swear at me when they run out of thread before the end of a pattern!!!

Just for your amusement is a picture below of the amount of thread left on EACH shuttle after making a bracelet the other evening!!! I always wind thread back onto balls after I've finished a piece (frees up shuttles and keeps the 'right' thread on the 'right' ball) so when I wound the shuttles for the bracelet it was with threads put back on the ball from the time before!!! 

What a lucky old git I was, eh?

Pink cupcakes

So, having made the yellow cupcake earrings like the ones here - I 'needed' a pair for myself. 

Then I decided that perhaps - with a bit more imagination - I could make a pendant to go with them!!!! So, here's my 'outfit'!!!!

Sprinkles on top too!!!!

A change of direction!!!

I know I'm addicted to the bracelets but I also need to make a few more Fandango bookmarks. 

These are being made for a very special reason which I WILL tell you about once the event has happened. No, it's not that far ahead - less than a month, as it happens!!!!

I've worked this one in size 40 again using two Olympus threads. One plain and one variegated.

Here we go again!!!

Here's another Starry button bracelet and earrings set. 

I think I'm slightly addicted to making these - already planning another!!!! 

It's a good job I've got people to give these to as if I hadn't I'd have to turn myself into a multi-eared octopus!!!!

Yellow cupcakes

Today I can now show you these cupcakes that I made for a friend. I couldn't show them before as they hadn't arrived at her place!!!

The larger one is a brooch (just needs a finding added) and the small ones are earrings. They are one of the patterns that I'm teaching at Tat Days in September and the pattern will be on the CD that is available after the weekend is over.

Now I really need to make myself a set. Problem is - what colour shall I use? All these important decisions are so wearing!!

It's ALL Sally's fault

Both of us have had the tatting doldrums recently but Sally recovered faster than me and showed me these diamonds she's been making. 

I was so impressed I thought I'd play again with the pattern which can be found here.

I decided not to go for the beads in the middles of rings like Sally but I put them on picots and on the outside of the motif. 

This was done with Lizbeth 153 (Rainbow Taffy - a real favourite of mine) and Lizbeth 104 (Summer Fun) with two plain Olympus threads. I used a size 40 for all of them.

I think the doldrums are over now - thank you, Sally - I have other projects in mind for the next few days!!!!

Bag making continues!!!

I'm still busy, in between other things, making the new style of bags - the Squared Away Tat Bags.

There are a few in my Etsy shop here.

Must tell you a story about this session of bag making. I'd got the idea from somewhere on the internet and adapted it for my own idea of what it should be look like for tatters!!! 

I'd made a few (7, in fact) and then was forced to take a break for a couple of weeks while life took over.   Last Sunday was my first opportunity to sit down and start making more.  I'd got 11 cut out, pressed and ready to sew. 

So I started with putting the zip in the first one.  Easy peasy. Then I started the next part. I sewed it up wrong. I realised straightaway what I'd done and unpicked it. Then I sat and sat and stared and stared at the 'zip between four bits of fabric'!! What on earth do I do next, I asked BC3.  I walked away from it, thought about it more, wandered back and suddenly the lightbulb came on!!!!  I got it right this time - BUT the handle wasn't in the right place!!! !!!!!

FINALLY an hour later I sorted it out both the bag and the handle.  Then with BC3 - I was back in business!!!! I made more yesterday and this time I had no problems at all!!!!  These two below are in the shop.

Another set!

Now I really like this colour way. So hard to let this set go as I like it so much.

It's got to go, though. My box (second one) is full of finished tatting and I can't cram anymore in at the moment.

So time to put the ear findings on and think about who to give it to or to put it in my Etsy shop.  Decisions, decisions!!!!

I've already got more jewellery than an old git could possibly wear!!!

A larger horse

I'm not 'into' horses - never understood the attraction of them. I did once sit on the back of a pony when I was in my thirties. Frightening experience - no clutch, or gear stick and definitely no brake either!!!! Poor animal - I think it was as pleased as it was when I made my ungainly way off it's back!!! 

After re-writing the small horse pattern I decided to do a larger one to submit to Tat Days.  They didn't choose this guy so now I can share it!!!!  

Well, you'd think that would be easy enlarging the horse, wouldn't you?!?!? No WAY. I had to do a lot of alterations to make it work!!!

Well, best get dressed and have breakfast. 

Nearly forgot (what's new, eh?) - here's the link to this critter.

Ready, Steady, GO!

Palmetto Tat Days registration is now open!!!

Here's the link to the schedule and here's the link to the classes on offer.

What ISN'T on the site is the fun that will be had by all.  Great food, lots of fun and a humungous welcome from the Palmetto 'gals'.  

Do hope to meet some of you there - it's a busy weekend for me but there are many odd moments to just 'tat and chat'.

Well, you all knew it

You knew that I wasn't quite 'all there' in the brain cell capacity and now I'm going to have to admit that I know it too!!!

I was preparing the next pattern to put on the pattern pages when I went to look at the small horse again. Dozy old mooooo that I am - I'd omitted the drawing from the page!!! So, here it is with the drawing too!!! I hang the aged head in shame!!!

When making a pattern page I try like crazy to get everything onto as few pages as possible.  That may have been the reason the drawing got omitted on the small horse pattern!!!!

It REALLY ANNOYS ME when people spread a simple pattern over about five sheets of paper. I mean - WHAT a waste of ink, paper and natural resources!!!   I also moan about the size of font used and the type of font. 

One thing I learned early in my online days is that Times Roman (the usual default font used on most computers) is about the hardest one to read either in a book or online.  I always change mine to Helvetica or (my favourite) Verdana.

A green set

This time I've got a green bracelet and earring set to show you. I just love making these - buttons and beads go so well together.

I've got a few more sets to show you and I really, really hope to get two more patterns up soon. 

Every time I try to find time to sort them something else becomes a priority. I'm seriously thinking of getting a job so that I've got more time to do the things I like. 

More bookmarks!

Before I show you the bookmarks - I'm going to add the link to the radio interview I did the other day - in case anybody wants to hear it!! Just scroll along to 01.15 about a third of the way through to find it!!!

Now to what I really want to show you - more of the Wrap It, Flip It and Mark It bookmarks which are ready either for my friend to choose from or for the vending room at Tat Days!!! 

If you want one for yourself before then please take a wander over to my Etsy shop here.  I'm going to make more of the new bags too - when leaky roofs and a plethora of other 'rest of life' problems have been sorted!!!!

Fifteen minutes of fame!

I've had my fifteen minutes of 'fame'.  

Well that's not quite true. It was more like infamy!!!!  You know me or should do by now!!  I don't like 'fame' and would rather be known as infamous!!  What's that silly saying?  'Infamy, infamy - they've all got it infamy'!!!!!!

Now for the story!!  Some weeks ago the local radio station rang me up to ask about some family history.  Bearing in mind that my family have been terrorising the local area for generations I was surprised they'd bother!!!!   Well that led eventually to us talking about - guess what?  Yes, tatting.

They rang again last week to ask me to go to Coventry to do an interview but as I'm terrified of driving there and wouldn't dream of doing it they decided to do it over the phone which suited me a lot better!!!

So, we talked tatting with a little bit of family history at the end!!!  Great fun but I don't think I'll make a career of it!!!  Well, it would be hard to really as you can't talk about tatting all day and every day - can you?!?!?!?  Hmmm, tat's food for thought - now where's my brain cell three when I want him? 

Just pink

The top two earrings are the new ones - just finished and 'thrown' onto the scanner!!! When I get to the stiffening stage I'll squidge them into shape with the glue too!!!

The one at the bottom was the ones I was trying to replace as I made them YEARS ago and they've gone all 'skanky' - if that's a word!!!!

Will you get bored?

Yes, I think you might!!!! I'm going to be blogging some of my recent 'makes' so you may well start yawning and groaning!!!

Please don't leave me, though as I will be putting up more interesting 'stuff' during the boring phase - tat's a promise!!!

Today I'm showing you the first of my latest 'got to just tat' things. I go through phases of just wanting to 'make something'. I can't live a day without making something (sometimes just mischief) and designing new 'stuff' means I go days and days without actually 'making' anything I can share.  I enjoy that too but sometimes one just 'has to tat'!!!!

So, below is a Starry Button Bracelet and a pair of these earrings.  Now I know I've got earrings that 'go' with the bracelet but they are rather larger than most people would wear. These are going to be gifts so I'm more 'careful' about sizing. 

Very sad but true

Yesterday I found a link (in a Facebook tatting group) to a whole tatting book that is hosted on a Russian site.  Although NOT on Facebook itself, the fact that the person posted the link on Facebook means more people will 'assume' that it's OK to do the same thing and thus the problem of copyright theft will continue and escalate.  There are often whole pattern pages from books published on Facebook too.  

The book concerned was written by one of the well known designers in Tat Land and is self published.  I wrote to her to tell her.  Earlier this week another designer had her work stolen (yes, STOLEN is the right word) too and that was published on Pinterest. 

They've both had this happen before and the first one (linked on Facebook) has now given up on designing which is a great loss to our community.  If this sort of behaviour continues then it'll be the end of new and interesting designs for all of us. 

I've deactivated my Pinterest account and have already opted out of a lot of Facebook participation although I still belong to a lot of groups I don't and won't actively take part on a regular basis - in silent protest.  Yes, I can 'do' silent.

Then there are the copytats.  These are people who again steal.  They see something they like and rather than pay for the pattern (either in a book or on Etsy) they spend time copying other people's work.

I'm so ANGRY that there is obviously no respect left for people's hard work and their need (in some cases) to earn a living.  I am also glad that my work doesn't attract this sort of attention - probably simply because it's free or maybe not good enough.  Who knows.

Now, back to tatting.

Valencia

That's the name of the doily I've been teasing you about!!!

I can't tell you anything more than that as it's on just a sheet of paper that I think came from gran's when she died. There's writing on the back which leads me to assume it's from a magazine like The Lady or something similar. I can't share it as I don't know who it belongs to and I doubt anybody could 'copytat' it as it's quite complicated in places. 

Anyway, personally I think it would be immoral to copy it unless somebody knows who it's by. I feel that copying from a picture unless it's SOLELY for personal use is immoral and to then brag about it is like rubbing salt into the wound. It's happened to me in the past when I USED to put work in progress on this blog. It hurt like heck when that happened as I couldn't believe that somebody would do it when they knew they were getting the pattern for FREE sometime soon.

I've had my say so will now disgracefully dismount from my soapbox!!!

WOW.

I'm gobsmacked - or something like that!!! Two of the new tatting bags have already sold from my Etsy shop here. That's waaaaay cool. I've listed a few more today as I've had time to finish them off. 

I've got another few more to list and also another eleven cut out and ready to sew but those won't get started on until next week and I may well keep them to take for the vending room at Tat Days!! 

I figure that way I get to keep the 'Etsy fees' and also get more of an idea from people as to whether they are a good idea - or not!!! First hand feedback is the best.

Small horse

This is a pattern that has been floating around on my site for ages. I decided to submit it for Tat Days with quite a few amendments but it wasn't required!!!

So, yesterday I managed to finally pull the pattern together and re-upload it to my pattern pages!!!

While I was playing with it I decided to make a larger horse too. That will be available either later this week or next. Just need to get it all together and do the links for that one too!!!!

Squared Away!

I've had a long consultation with BC3 and we've decided to list the new style tatting bags in Etsy as they get finished!!!  I was just going to keep them and take them to Tat Days but I think I'll see how they go in Etsy first!!!!  

They're quite fiddly to make but great fun and my supply of zips is slowly depleting!!!!  Wonder if I'll be tempted to buy more zips although the whole point of starting this venture was to use up the ones I've got!!!!  Time will tell.

Here are the first few to go into the shop.

The bottom photo shows exactly what I can get into mine!!!  Mine's the first trial one which didn't have a good lining in it.  Now they've gone all up-market with a proper lining without stitching showing.  I found a tutorial online but for the life of me couldn't follow it and it didn't have a handle either!!!  You CAN'T have a bag without a handle, can you?

Wrap it Bookmarks

It's some time since I came up with this idea of making bookmarks which are NOT easy to lose!!! They're not only not easy to lose but the place in your book is kept well too. I use one all the time now.  I called them the Wrap It, Flip It and Mark It bookmark.  You wrap the cord round the back cover of the book (fixed with velcro and adjustable) and then flip the motif into the book when you want to mark your place.

So, I've sold a few and still have some here in my Etsy shop.

The thing is that once used they seem to be popular and I've had orders from a returning customer for these. Well she's going to choose what she wants from these and some more I've made which I'll show you next week.