More of round 7

On the way round!!!

You can see on this picture that I've taken the shuttles off the round 8 piece that I started. Thanks to being bobbin shuttles I have put the bobbins in tiny plastic bags (sealed) and they add no weight to the piece while I'm working.

Really pleased with the way this is working out and it's sadly become an addiction now!!!! Still it's keeping me out of mischief - supposedly!!!!

Pattern is ready

So the bookmark addiction continues!!! I do go through phases of addiction and have never understood why!!!!  Hang on - I think I do know.  I am forever trying to improve on whatever I'm designing.  At the moment it's using the different colour combinations and I think this one's my favourite.  OR can I find a better one?

I've got the pattern finally put together and you can find it here.

Meantime - do I carry on with the Jan doily or shall I start another bookmark? Decisions, decisions. Not easy for an OG who's WELL past her 'sell by' date!!!

LOVE those pink eyes!

Can you believe this little guy? Arrived yesterday all the way from Ruth in Canada.

I'm not going to tell you what she says as you'll have to go and visit the Exclusive Club over on this link.

All I can say is I just LOVE those pink eyes!!! Mind, I'd not want to meet a 'real' mouse with those scary eyes - would you?

Another bookmark

This time I wondered what the bookmark would look like without the picots. 

I'm not a huge fan of picots so this is an experiment. I don't like it as much so it'll be back to testing another idea I've got!!!!

Starting round 7

Up, up and away on round 7!!! 

I seem to have missed the beginning of this round - it's just off the top right hand side. Before anybody says anything - no, I was NOT drunk in charge of a camera or phone come to that!!!

I'm still in the throes of the 'big tidy up' session but light has definitely been spotted at the end of the tunnel and I'm rapidly approaching it now. Hope to reach the end (of the tunnel) by the start to middle of next week. Sally will be pleased as she's going to need somewhere to sleep next weekend!!!

Another bookmark

Well the bookmark I showed you yesterday seemed to be well received. I'm just waiting for a rainy day and the major tidy up to be finished and then I'll have no excuse not to get the text, drawings and all links sorted and up on the pattern site. 

Meantime I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with the pictures of what is to come.

This picture shows that I've added a bead to the motif in the tail. That's to give a bit of weight to the part hanging outside the book. Well, that's my excuse!!!!

A new project

I wanted to design a new bookmark. Well, that's not strictly true although it's sort of!!! That doesn't make sense so let me explain.

I was making the last starry button bracelet when it occurred to me that if I took the buttons out then it would be halfway to becoming a bookmark. 

Oh, silly, silly me. Life isn't that easy and this project certainly proved that a 'quick conversion' in tatting doesn't necessarily work.

I guessed at the stitch count and that didn't work very well.  The outer part of the SCMR's was fine but getting the 'button' part the right size proved a right royal battle!!

I'll now show you the first bookmark!!!  This will be improved on - believe me!

Round 6

Nearly there - round 6 and the end is nigh!!!!

Next I've got to work out the bead placements for round 7. That should keep me busy and quiet for a while!!! Least I know somebody who'll hope it will!!!!

Meantime during daylight hours we're still doing our big tidy up and sorting out of junk!!! Not our favourite job ever but it has to be done!!

Finally

I finally got round and found time to stitch down the fabric on the second 'scrap bag'.

Next stage is to locate some lining fabric and then make some handles. 

Now, when it comes to handles they have to be long enough to fit over my shoulder and be strong too. The reason they have to be 'shoulder friendly' is because the milk I carry back from town can be heavy. I really don't fancy having one arm longer than the other so everything hast to fit on my shoulder - even when wearing a winter coat!!!

Round 5 - done!!!

At last I've finished round 5 of the Jan doily. No picture, I'm afraid as I've just started in on round 6!!!  I'll just show you earlier progress - to keep you interested and stop you going to sleep!!!

Round 6 should be easy as it's quite straightforward.  Simply rings and chains like round 4.

I'm getting more done at the moment due to the heatwave and sitting around at the rehab hospital near Leamington. Not a family member, thankfully, but sadly a really lovely neighbour.

I'll show you pictures of round 6 when I get it underway.

Two new bags

I sold one of my square tatting bags on Monday (or was it Tuesday?).  Oh, it was Tuesday!!!

To celebrate that event I've listed two more which were waiting in 'drafts' on the Etsy site. Sometimes I can't believe how organised I can be!!!  In fact I amaze myself!!!  

Once I've sold a few more I'll have the incentive to play with the new fabric that Crazy Mom Tats kindly gave me.  Just need to think it's worthwhile before I start.  Do you need a push sometimes?  I need more than a push - a shove would be a better description!!

So, here they are in all their glory (below) and here's the link to the shop.

Sewn and sorted!!

Well, just the one!!!

With all this heat and the loft project still ongoing I've not had time to get to the sewing machine. Yesterday I called a halt to the loft and decided to sew down the pieces of fabric. Well, I got one done before I dissolved in a puddle of water. Old git water!!! Not a pleasant sight.

Still I'll tackle the other one another day as today I'm going to be out during the middle of the day. Where does time go?

A reminder

Now I've not got a lot to show at the moment. Mainly because I'm sorting out the loft in our house. 

Why is it that houses have those spaces where you can 'put stuff'? It's so tempting to do just that - put it somewhere in case you need it again. What are the odds of that happening? Well we've decided that a lot of those things must go. I'm spending hours up in the hot loft sorting and chucking things down and then putting them in the car and taking them to the tip.

For that reason little has been done either in the sewing or tatting part of my life. Well, that's a bit of a lie as I am working on two new ideas but neither are in a state that can be shared!!!

Just to cheer you up - here's a link to my sister's giveaway. Don't forget to enter it.

The right side!

Here are the right sides of the projects I showed you yesterday!!! 

For those who know me (and some of you guessed yesterday) you'll probably have realised by now that these are going to be 'scrap bags'. All the leftovers from the squared away bags didn't get thrown away - they're currently being re-cycled into this project.

I've just looked it up and it's three years since I last made similar bags - they're shopping or tote bag sized.  In fact you can see the series that I made here.

Now, one of those bags I kept for myself and that one has been used almost everyday of it's life. It's my 'take into town' bag - and I go there most days. It's still looking really good and doesn't need replacing (it's just had another 'bath' courtesy of the washing machine) but I MAY well keep one of these two new ones as Etsy isn't doing very well with the square bags. Perhaps it's time to retire from being a 'bag lady'. 

Now, who said I'm no lady, I heard you. Bet it was Pigmini!!!.  Most folk who know me will tell you that I'm no lady - I'm an old git and proud of it!!!

Heee, heeee, heee!!!

I'm SUCH a tease!!! This is what I was doing the other day!!! Just the reverse side so I'm going to let you see just that!!!

Tomorrow I'll show you the 'other side' which may not be much better!!

Any further guesses? 

Nearly there

Just a few more motifs on the Jan doily. 

I'm also working on a new design but have currently gone 'off the boil' on that so have diverted back to this project!!! I'm like a butterfly - I flit from one thing to another at the moment. 

The sun was out yesterday so, after taking a neighbour somewhere I decided to pull out the doily and sit in the garden. Hmmmm, not ten minutes later the sun disappeared!!!!

A new member to the exclusive club

Welcome to Pearl. That's the name of the mouse - not the tatter who's name is Michelle.

Pearl arrived yesterday morning - all on her own after a flight across the pond from Canada!!! Pearl is now in the Exclusive Tatting Club (see the pages tab at the top of this page). Here is what Michelle has to say - well, not all of her comments as you'll have to read those in the club news!!!!

'I would like to introduce Pearl, who as her name implies has a row of "pearl" beads tatted into her neck row. She seems to be asking " Did someone leave this cheese for me?"'

Another project started!

Lots of fabric, a small table top ironing board, an iron and a load of patience and fun!!!! 

Off to a good start!!!

Now, what do you think I'm doing?

More of round 5

I'm enjoying this round 5 of Jan's doily and find odd moments to work on it. I did some at Crafternoon on Friday too. 

Meantime in the other 'odd moments' I'm up and running on another new project. More about that tomorrow - if I remember!!

This is what happened next!

So all the bits you saw here finally came together.  Before I forget AGAIN - the thread is Celery by Yarnplayer.  Wonderful vibrant colours as are all her HDT's.  

I'm sure you'd be 'interested' to hear how and where I put the necklace together. I must explain that we live in a 'house of clutter' and as neither of us is tidy things rarely get 'put away' and every surface is covered in 'stuff'. 

So, the bits and bobs for this assembly operation are kept in the 'back room' where the tatting cupboard lives. In there I hide my operating equipment too. So when it's time to assemble a necklace I get the items needed and sit on the FLOOR of the back room and start the operation - no anaesthetic is taken although an anti swearing pill is often required about halfway through the procedure. 

A good reason for using the floor as my working area is that when I drop the findings or they 'fly away' they can't travel too far. The carpet is a coffee brown colour so the escapees also show up easily and can quickly be recaptured too.

What am I up to here?

So - what is this?

The ring I've tatted in and around is one of my charity shop necklaces that was demolished and re-purposed. Don't you just love that word - 're-purposed'? Well, I do.  This is the necklace in it's other life.

Come to think about it - I actually re-purposed my life once. That worked well too even though it wasn't my decision at the time which caused me to have to do it!!!

Starting round 5

Yes, off on another round of the Jan doily. I keep going off and doing other things in between - as old gits do!!!

This round uses two colours as I felt that too much of the peach colour would be - well, too much!!!!

Not a lot else is getting done at the moment as the garden needs a lot of attention and other things seem to be getting in the way of truly serious tatting too. BUT having said that - ideas keep occurring to me.

More about Saturday

Now still on the subject of Crazy Mom Tats (her blog is here, by the way) there's something else that I have to tell you about her. This lass is very, very generous. Many years ago she sent me a huge box of fabric which cost an arm and a leg to send. This was before her house burned down last year and I think before we'd really met.  That box kept me 'bagging' for a long, long time until quite recently when Sue Hanson sent me some more.

Still re-building her life and in the middle of moving house and office Sandra STILL managed to give me MORE fabric on Saturday!!!!  Bless her cotton socks - this is what she brought with her. The top one has to be my favourite and that will become a bag (or something else, even) before much longer. The others are wonderful too. From a lovely bright circular one, peacocks, monkeys, owls, butterflies etc.

Also she gave me two reels of thread which I'm dying to use too. Anybody used them to tat with before? I've used sewing weight threads many times and these look lovely. 

Saturday

Well it was wet and miserable all day here. Stopped raining from time to time but that didn't make it a bad day because I had FUN, FUN, FUN.

Crazy Mom Tats had been working in London most of last week and she caught a train to Leamington Spa on Saturday where I picked her up and took her to visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage. We were so lucky as a friend who's a guide there was on duty and we got a splendid tour of the house. After that it was time to have lunch so where else would you go except the nearest pub - The Bell (Shottery). 

We then went back to Chez Old Git's and had a cup of tea before heading back to Leamington and Sandra's train. 

This lass is a great friend and it's always good to see her. I stayed with her in Atlanta last year (and the year before or thereabouts). We talked our little socks off while we were together and I'm blogging this today because we covered Tat Land too in our natterings!!!  This blog is titled 'Tatting and not a lot else' so what do you expect but something a little different from time to time!!!!

So, here are some pictures of the day (all taken at Anne Hathaway's Cottage) but there'll be more tomorrow!!!

A quickie today

Really only got one thing to say - it's SHUTTLE day here. 

All day and starting soon and until they've all sold!!! 

I'm hoping to get the sold ones in the post tomorrow thanks to the Post Office being open on a Sunday.

Here's the link to the Etsy shop.

Side tracked!!!

Again I've been happily sidetracked from what I was planning to do. Now, what I really want to know is - what was I planning to do? Not sure!!!! 

Martha asked me to test tat another angel for her - this will also be in her new book. 

I always feel as if I've cheated when I test tat for Martha as very, very little needs to be changed. Just the odd small thing which keeps me on my toes. Just an odd capital letter or a missing something or other. I'm always amazed at the pureness of her designs too. They flow so well.

Anyway, here's a picture of the latest angel which she's given me permission to share too.

A little bit more!

I nearly forgot to show you this scan of round four of the monster doily!!! 

I'm now into round five so need to catch up with posting. I keep getting distracted by other things I want and need to play with - more about one of those tomorrow I hope.

I'm still using beads but not 'over beading' it as is my instinct. Mainly because I'm not sure whether I'll have enough beads to finish!!!

This is my 'sitting in the garden in the summer' project but unfortunately the weather hasn't caught up with me and I do find I have trouble 'sitting in the garden'. 

I keep finding things to distract me. The day before yesterday it was a lilac tree that needed partly felling. Why, at the age of 71 (and a half) do I feel I still need to do these jobs myself? I know - it's cause I'm stark staring bonkers!!!

More shuttles

Well, here we go again!!! More Pop A Bobbin shuttles are now in the draft listings of my Etsy shop. If you look at the picture on this post you'll see a new wood - it's Raspberry Jam. Strange as the other side of this shuttle is plain brown!!!! Almost as if it's playing tricks!!!  I'll 'let them out of their cage' on Saturday.  Now the Post Office is open on Sunday it means that I can get them there a day earlier when there isn't a queue.  Well, in theory.  Actually they don't go anywhere on the Sunday but it means they're off to a flying start on Monday!!!

One sad story about the last lot of shuttles.  A packet went all the way to the USA and came back.  The postman in the USA couldn't find the mail box!!!  How daft is that.  I felt so sorry for the poor customer.  Below is the sticker that was on it when it returned to me.  It's on it's way back again now - we're both keeping our fingers crossed.

POP-A-BOBBIN SHUTTLES

1 RASPBERRY JAM (no hook) £20.50

1 MAHONIA (no hook) £20.50

1 ZEBRANO (no hook) £20.00

1 EBONY (no hook) £22.50

1 LABURNUM (no hook) £18

1 IROKO (no hook) £18

2 IROKO £18

1 SPALTED BEECH (no hook) £18

1 PEAR (no hook) £18

2 PEAR (with hooks) £18

2 CHERRY (with hooks) £18

1 CHERRY (no hook) £18

Round 3

Right - here I am at the end of round 3 of Jan's doily. 

I'm going to admit that I'm really enjoying this challenge after all those years of resisting doing 'another doily'. 

It reminds me of one I did some time ago (a smaller doily) which you can see here. Obviously it's nowhere near the same but I think it's the clovers that remind me of this one. 

I'm still using the beads and resisting picots and am really pleased with it so far.

Now what shall I do?

I bought this necklace in a charity shop last week. Now I always tell myself that I don't need/want things like this but ..........

I'm going to demolish it shortly and see what I can do with the rings that I hope will survive. I'll keep you posted!!!!

Outrageous

Outrageous advertising!!! 

Yes, I'm putting out a reminder on today's post that I have plenty of the new bags available here in my Etsy shop.  Sales have been slow. Well, not slow but more non existent!!!  I blame myself because I don't really advertise them much!!!!  

Customers who have bought them are pleased with the quality and I've never had a complaint.  All bags are fully lined and washable too.  Not sure what else I can say about them, really!!!!  I have several that I use for projects, storing tubes of beads, work in progress etc.  

I have a good stock of the bags now and have made myself stop making them. I'll admit I'm having withdrawal symptoms from not using the sewing machine but that may change over the weekend.

Anyway, before I go here are a couple of pictures of those in the shop.

Test tatting

Now I've got permission to share a picture from Martha's new book. 

YES, there's a new book coming sometime from Martha Ess. As you'll see from this post of hers she's aiming to get it finished soon.

So, here are a few teasers!! Yes, it's an angel. Yes, it's pretty. Yes, it's easy to do as her instructions and diagrams are fabulous. No, my job as a test tatter wasn't hard at all as there were no corrections needed to the pattern. 

Will you want/need the book? Guaranteed a big YES.

Round 2

Well here's round 2 and I'm beginning to wonder what I've started by using the beads!!! 

Now don't get me wrong - I love the beads but it's now becoming obvious that I'll have to get dear old BC3 out to help on each round and plan before I work it!! 

This round is relatively easy. All I've done is leave a 'bare' picot on each chain ready for the joins on the next round. BUT I looked ahead and trembled when I saw the problems ahead with the other rounds!!!! 

What am I doing? Answer? Having fun, really. It's so lovely to do something without designing from scratch - BUT, after just a few days, I feel the urge to make something else that's been on my list for a long time.  The doily is shortly to be relegated to 'relaxing time' rather than 'real tatting'!!!

Oh, if anybody wants a copy of my notes on how I'm doing this then please ask. I will tell you, though, that you will need a copy of the pattern too.  First of all you'll need it for the diagrams (essential) and secondly because I won't share unless you have bought the magazine. I'm not about to break copyright laws!!!!  Not fair on Jan's family.

Round 1

Well I succumbed. It could be about half a century since I did a big doily - they don't appeal to me normally but this one does!!! No idea why but that's the weird thing about my brain!!!

It's the Jan Stawatz Monster Doily. I bought the pattern from Zarina's Etsy shop here (she's got more copies I noticed yesterday) and am currently writing down the 'Jane' translation as I go along. 

You will notice that I'm not using my usual 'in your face' colours as I'm trying to do something I've been meaning to do for many years - grow old gracefully and use 'old lady' colours. OK, I can hear you all laughing your socks off. I'll probably give up on that idea within a week or two - we'll see!!!

I'm working this alongside Pigmini too so we can check our 'interpretation' of Jan's wonderful pattern. It's not easy but it's working - so far!!!

Back to normal

Well if anything can be called normal nowadays!!!

This is a bracelet that I've been going to make for ages. It's just the starry button bracelet pattern which is here.

I wanted this to go with a top that I've got but the top is almost worn out as I've been 'going to make it' for so long! Now I've got an excuse to go and buy a new green top, haven't I?

People who thieve

Should be shot! Well, that's a bit drastic but their behaviour in this case is beyond belief. 

Do you remember this post about the lady at Crafternoon knitting an asparagus bollard cozy? Well you can imagine her disappointment (and the other knitters involved) when all their cosies were stolen.

In the first picture you can see some of the 13 original asparagus cosies in all their glory and I hope you can read the article in the local paper below. I just hope that if the cosy thieves eat asparagus that it chokes them.  Also hoping that the other nine are returned in time for the Asparagus Festival.  The Vale of Evesham farmers depend on the fruit and vegetables growing in the area for their livelihood.

MAJOR warning - BEWARE

This is a warning that I hope you'll heed. I wasn't sure whether to blog about it or not but in the end decided it was in the sole interest of all tatters worldwide.

I didn't take the decision lightly. I thought about it for days (well, a few minutes, actually). So, hold tight and prepare to be - well, shocked.

This has only come about because I put on big girl's panties last year and traveled alone to the USA and enjoyed the braveness of doing it and getting home again safely. I've been 'nagged' (well asked!) for ten years to go to Canada to teach at the Fringe Element Tat Days so after last year's experience of solo traveling I offered tentatively to go. 

This is the warning - BEWARE - I'm teaching at the Fringe Element in September. Here's the link to see who else is going and what they're offering too.

Oh, I'll also be teaching Kelly to tat. She thinks she can but she uses a needle and we all know that needles are for sewing and not tatting, don't we?

A quiet week!

This could be a quiet week on this blog!! 

Why? Well things are happening but I'm struggling with something I really want to get right!!! Yes, a new thingy which is (as usual) is giving me a bit of a struggle!!!! 

It's no good designing on the computer and then expecting it to work, I've found.  I've been trying that way recently and it's a total failure.  I can only 'do it' with the shuttles, thread and hours and hours of time.  Oh, plus a decent pair of scissors!!!  I do set my standards rather high as I like to be original - even if that doesn't often work!!!  I rarely base my 'stuff' on other designs and IF I do am happy to fess up (confess). OK, I use google images for critters but for other things I 'wing it'.

Another reason for a quiet week ahead is an invasion of two grandkids. Time with all grandkids is precious and I aim to make the most of it!!!