Three words today

Here it is!!!

I can tell you one thing - this was NOT an easy pattern!! Well the tatting part was OK but the thinking of what to call it was a total NIGHTMARE!!! I'm absolutely hopeless at naming things.

This isn't (hopefully) the end of this adventure as I want to make certain 'alterations' to the design so it's more 'snowflake like'. Time and inclination will tell if this does happen, however!!!

Finally!

Finally got this out of my system!!! All I've got to do is think up a name so I'm asking for help with that.

I really, really struggle with names for patterns but once this has been 'Christened' I will put it on my site. Eta came up with a possible one but I'm still not sure. So, PLEASE, if you've time can you help the OG and BC3 to get it 'named and shamed'?

Patchwork

This is what I was hinting at yesterday.

Back a few months ago one of the neighbours had a great idea to make bunting. Our two roads are really good at having street parties and we use the Queen as an excuse - if only she knew!!!! It's a great time as we have a road closure put in place which I mentioned here and some of the group can be seen here.

The bunting is finished but we had lots of scraps left over so some silly OG suggested we made a quilt to auction for charity. The gang (some of whom hadn't sewn for years) have worked hard to make the seven hexagon rosettes. I've been bringing them home with me to put together which is taking up tatting time but is GREAT fun too.  Here are the first 18 sewn up with another 18 waiting for me to get done before next Tuesday morning!!!  

Now there are three

Yes, now there are three and they don't make much sense seen like this!!! I decided I needed another stronger colour for what may become the centre of a doily. 

Well, sometimes I make good decisions and sometimes very poor ones!! Time will tell - or, rather, more motifs will tell.

One or two people have commented asking where the pattern is for this. Well, it's still on my computer - mainly cause I didn't think it was really different enough to upload to the pattern pages, I will, though, if people think it's worth it. I'm going to develop this idea further for a Christmas snowflake but time is running away from me!!! I seem to get myself involved in too many things and that's what's happened to me lately. More tomorrow on that subject!!

A change of direction!!

I know I'm incorrigible or, (roughly translated) the owner of a butterfly brain but I DO love baubles!!! I've got quite a collection of them now but no hard and fast decisions on what to do with them. 

Have I told you about the 'bunting group'? Well we've got a group in the road (and the neighbouring road) making bunting to string up along the street for the Queen's birthday in June. 

In this road it's a matter of ANY excuse to get a road closure and throw a party. The beauty of these occasions is that there's no worrying about the drink driving laws as it all 'happens' on your own doorstep!!! It's a good idea to make and wear a badge on these occasions - one with your house number on. 

You may wonder why? Well so that if you can't remember where you live somebody can post you back through the letterbox if you're wearing your number!!! Interestingly - our house number is the same as my age will be in October!!!!

Now I have two!!!

First of all - there's another new rabbit in the warren!!! This time from Carol but missing the carrot as you can see here he's got something naughty instead!!!

Today I'm back playing with the little motif I showed you last week.  Again I'm using Karey's HDT which I LOVE as you've probably realised by now!!!!

A few more!!

Yes, I'm pleased to announce the arrival of a few more rabbits!!! They're here on the TIAS blog.

They have hopefully not appeared on here before in their finished state.  I've checked but you know that I'm liable to distractions and forget regularly what I'm doing!!!!  Same with projects - I even manage to finish patterns and then forget them and it can be months before they get uploaded!!!!

Fandango bookmark

Here we go - another diversion!!! Yes, I'm incorrigible.

This time it's a Fandango bookmark which is made with HWT (Hand Wound Thread). 

For those who haven't heard me wittering on about it before - it's any two or three strands of thread wound onto the shuttle together. In this case (IF I remember rightly) it's sewing thread and just two strands. 

This is the link to the pattern. Sadly it's one of mine - just because I'm forever checking my 'stuff' for mistakes or improvements that I can make!!!

You just NEVER know!!!

Going live shortly - a batch of Pop A Bobbin Shuttles in my Etsy shop here.

Every few weeks I wander into one of the book shops in town. I always buy any tatting books - just to save them from being forever 're-cycled' into the tip. 

Yesterday when I went into my favourite shop I found this book (below). Yes, I've already got a copy myself - bought it back when it was published in 1973. I just can't abide leaving tatting books in shops. So, what do I do with it now? Goodness knows!!!

It's been a trip down memory lane looking through it - I recognised one or two patterns I made up. Back in those 'good' old days there was a great dearth of patterns and I used to buy anything that had patterns in. I've still got all those original purchases including pages ripped out of magazines that either myself or my gran salvaged.

Ah, time to get back to this century and leave the past one behind!!!

Another of those motifs

Here's another of the motifs - this time with the same Karey variegated thread but this time a cream to go with it. Tat's a LOT better, I think. 

Now to see what else I can do with it!!!

Shuttles coming soon

I have more of the Pop A Bobbin Shuttles to put in my Etsy shop sometime towards the end of the week.  

In this batch is a new wood called Imbuya (below).  I gather that 'im in the garage' has a bit more of this wood but not a lot!!!  Well, I think that's what he said.  Here's the list of what will be available.

POP-A-BOBBINS

1 YEW £18.00

1 ROSEWOOD £18.00

2 SYCAMORE £18.00

2 SPALTED BEECH £18.00

3 IMBUYA £20.50

3 ZEBRANO £20.00

1 VIOLET ROSEWOOD £20.00

3 JARRAH £20.00

Apologies to Karey

When I was in Canada I had the pleasure once more of meeting up with Karey Solomon. The unfortunate part was that she'd brought a huge selection of her HDT (hand dyed threads) with her and I was on a self inflicted ban stopping me from buying ANY MORE thread.

Well, as you can imagine - that didn't work!!! I kept going past Karey's stall in the hall where we were meeting and fondling and looking at her selection. In the end, as you have probably guessed, I gave in and bought some.

So a week or two ago I decided they needed to be used. Well, not so much 'needed' - more honestly I wanted to let my itchy fingers start on one at least. 

Why the subject 'apologies to Karey'? Well because what 'looked good' on the two threads side by side in the ball just didn't show up her thread for how lovely it really is. I'll be trying another combination soon. Keep watching this space!!

More of those hoppy things

Yesterday two more rabbits arrived in Tat Land. They're now on the TIAS blog which is here. 

I didn't get a lot of tatting done yesterday as I've finally, finally given in to an urge to do a crocheted Amigurumi critter. We'll see how that progresses over the next few days. 

Not sure if I'm odd or not but the reason for doing this is to use up odds and ends of yarn. BUT as usual I have the dreadful urged to buy new yarn before I start. I had a strong and very serious word with BC3 and we've both decided that the first attempt at Amigurumi must be done with what we've already got and that IF successful then we'll allow ourselves to buy yarn for others!!! Let's see how that works!!!

I'm a fraud

That's true - I'm a fraud. The reason I'm saying this is because I've been chosen by Tatting Corner as designer of the month. Here's the link.

You see - I'm not a designer. I'm a 'fiddler'. I've never set out to be anything but a tatter who fiddles around and sometimes I accidentally come up with a 'good idea'. 

My career as a 'so called' 'designer' started by accident and I'm still only here by accident too. It was the kids I was teaching that started my career of fiddling  as you can read in the article - the rest is now, as 'they' say, history.

I always think that to be a designer you have to want to be one and then have a plan.  I'm afraid I don't do that.  I like to wait for an idea to come along and then go with it or wait for somebodies suggestion to percolate (thinking Ruth and the Motmot bird here).  Rarely do I decide on something I want or need to make.  Ah, unless it's a TIAS and then I do need to plan that.  That's agony!!!

Ring Roses Bookmark

Just for a change and because I couldn't be bothered to tackle my latest project I decided to make a bookmark. No idea who will get this but I'd almost completed the main part when I decided I needed a little dingle dangle to put on the end of the tail (when it was made, of course!).

Rummaging in my tatting cupboard - look what I found. Isn't that the luckiest find ever? This must've come from Palmetto Tat Days as there's a little teacup and their theme one year when I was there was all about tatting, tea and toffee!!!! Keep the toffees away from me - I spend far too much time and money at the dentist!!!!

More rabbiting and more

There's another rabbit on the TIAS blog. This one has brought along a basket of carrots too.  I won't tell you anymore about Christine's rabbit as you can read all about it here.

What I really wanted to tell you is that Christine has started a blog (even though her husband says that she doesn't have time)!!! Good woman - you find time and make your husband wait for his dinner!!! Here's the link to her blog.

Now I know a lot of people are dropping out of the blogging arena and moving over to Facebook. I belong to various tatting groups on Facebook and have a page too but I must admit I try to avoid going onto Facebook as much as possible.  Why? Well I find it a confusing place.  I go to look at a thread and it's disappeared. When I looked a few minutes before it was 'there' and then, in the blink of an eye, it's gone. I don't like the quick turnover of posts, comments and pictures.  I LOVE reading blogs as I feel comfortable in that environment and can take my time.  I feel rushed on Facebook where things come and go far too quickly.  

More with the diamond.

I learned something new yesterday. Did YOU know that there was such a thing as a flying rabbit? No? Well I suggest you go over to the TIAS blog here to find out!!!!! Made my day seeing Marla's rabbit 'fly' in. We're now at 76 and I'm wondering if we'll break the 100 barrier.  No, that's not the speed barrier but the rabbit fence!!! Well, the Australians have rabbit fences but the TIAS doesn't - the more rabbits in the TIAS the better!!!!

I showed you the diamond that I made in size 80 a week or so ago. Here it is. As you saw that star shape made up of seven diamonds worked up to 3½" 

So, next thing was to find out what the same motif would measure when worked with a size 40. Here it is and it measures 4" from point to point.

Good news!

Well it is for me but not sure about anybody else!!!

The good news is that I've now got funding to keep the pattern pages up and running for another year or so. I fund the web site by running ads at the side of the blog here. Each time somebody clicks on an ad I get a tiny amount from Adsense. I rarely look to see what I'm earning as the amounts are so small but around every nine months or so I receive a payment of approximately £65.00 which then goes to Freeservers who are my web site hosts. Bless their cotton socks!!!!

Yesterday I had a message to say I'd been paid!! Sometimes there's a bit 'left over' so you can guess what I spend that on!!! You've got it - thread and beads!!! Well an old git has to tat, doesn't she?!?!?!

People earrings

It's probably 30 years since I started designing earrings to amuse the kids I was teaching. I had the reception class in those days and started wearing daft earrings to encourage the children to settle into school. The parents used to encourage the children to come to school to see what the teacher was wearing in her ears.

I used to wear anything - from teabags, dog biscuits, sweets, bath plugs and also the  children's homemade earrings (often made out of toilet roll middles) that would fit onto ear findings. Then I started to design my own tatted ones which formed a lot of my doodles (seen here).

I DO wear 'normal' earrings nowadays but I was feeling a tad boring recently so decided that people earrings would be something to cheer up the winter months. I used the tat beads as inspiration and only slightly shortened the arms, legs and skirt to achieve these earrings below.

Pattern uploaded!

Thanks to Sarah for the gentle reminder about the rabbit - I've now uploaded the full pattern to my site. 

Here's the link.

There are now 74 rabbits on the TIAS site here.

Playing

That's right - playing - just playing!!! 

I wanted to try out the diamond pattern to see how small it would be when worked in a size 80 thread. I wanted to know just in case anybody asked!! Not that they have and probably never will!!! Anyway, after I'd made this a few weeks ago it went missing!!!

No, this time it wasn't under the scanner - it was put away 'safely' as it may be needed for another day. More about that when I know more about that!!!!

This is the diamond pattern which can be found here. There are six of them joined together and the little doily measures (from point to point) 3½".  I did think it maybe useful to know what each single diamond felt like with regard to making earrings from the pattern but have decided that number 80 may be just a BIT too fine and 'bendy'.  I like earrings that will keep their shape and not be so flimsy that after a few wearings they will bend.  Heavily beaded earrings do tend to keep their shape well but it would be too fiddly to add ears to this pattern in too many places without taking the thread off the shuttle in at least one place.  

Beaded Shuttle

Today I've managed to get my act together and finally upload the shuttle design that I did for the Fringe Element lessons last September. This is a derivation of the one I did before and if you go to the web site and to the Motifs and Snowflakes section you'll find the original sitting right next door to the new beaded one!!! 

It may sound easy to 'just add beads' when designing but you know me - I don't like cutting and tying after each round and wherever possible will design in one 'hit'!!!!

Anyway, here's the link in case you want to try it at any time. I think it would make a lovely brooch but I haven't 'quite' got round to doing that, yet.

Two hearts

A friend 'round the corner' sent me a text a couple of days ago asking if I'd make her a couple of hearts to give as gifts. I'd given her one at the bunting making session a few weeks ago. I asked her what colours she'd like and she said one in silver and one in purple. 

The purple is some of Eda's thread (think it's Penny) which I HWT'd with another fine purple thread (origin unknown!). The silver is one of the Altin Basak range which is called Nakis Simi and again that's wound with another fine filament. I really like the Nakis Simi. So, both done and dusted as the saying goes!!!

Rabbits

People say that some things 'breed like rabbits'!!! Well they're certainly breeding in Tat Land!!!

So far we've got 56 of them on the Tat It And See blog which is here.

Wonder if there'll be any more before the end of the week?

Lovely surprise

A hanky. A pretty, pretty little hanky.

Now you're dying to know where this came from, I'm sure. Well it came with my latest copy of the Handy Hands newsletter. That's where it came from.

Now, about 35 years ago when there used to be a market stall on the Friday market which stocked hanky blanks I bought a load. In those days they were like hen's teeth and really hard to find. I've gradually worked down my stock of these although I do have a few left. I'm now no longer 'liking' them as a lot of them need to be 'squared off', cut down slightly and re-hemmed to make them useable. It's really nice to have a hanky like the one below which is beautifully hemmed and just 'ready to go'. I'll be looking through my stash of Lizbeth 80 soon to find the 'right colour' to use on it. 

Of course with the Newsletter came a chart of all the Lizbeth colours and the books that Handy Hands stock too. That company knows how to keep an old git happy for hours studying it!!!!!

By the way - I'm not an employee of Handy Hands but have been lucky enough to have had a colour or two chosen by them for the Lizbeth range. I think that's why I get the newsletter and it's a lovely surprise when it pops through the door. I rarely, rarely get post nowadays as I do everything online so a big, big letter like that is cause for celebration. Well, Nick celebrates too as it keeps me quiet!!!!

Good news

Well, I think it is!!!

I remembered to re-stock my shop on Saturday. The poor old Etsy shop has been neglected for a month or so while I've been busy 'playing' rabbits!!!

Here's the link to the shop - please feel free to browse.

Four years ago

A family and Tat Land lost a dear lady.   Gina fought her cancer throughout that long winter and came out the other end being told the disease was in remission.  Sadly, so sadly pneumonia set in and she died.

I miss her and always will. We chatted lots (via email) throughout that winter and she was always cheerful and never complained.  Her blog is still live but obviously not updated since. For those who have never heard of Gina - do read her blog.  This will give you the sense of who she was.  Kind, gentle and such a clever, clever tatter and artist.

A last heart

I think this is the last of the 'Abbi's Hearts' that I've done. I scanned them all and gave them away to friends at the 'bunting making' group. 

This one was done using Eda's thread. It was her Penny thread that I've had for a while. It's delightful to work with and gives a lovely firm finish. 

Oh, the bunting group. That's a group of us who are getting together on a Tuesday morning to make bunting. Our two roads are great at having street parties and any excuse will do - usually a Royal one. 

We're going to string the bunting up and down the street. We're hoping to get a closure notice so that we can bring tables and chairs out. Oh, the excuse this time is the fact that it's the Queen's 90th birthday in June. Let's hope she doesn't let us down!!! 

More of the same

Well I say more of the same but these are different, of course!!!

Just two more HWT motifs. A couple of people have said that it's also known as 'blended' threads but that makes my poor old brain think of them being put in a kitchen blender and zapped. YIKES.

Whatever anybody likes to call them I think they're lovely. In just a few balls or cones of threads I've got enough to make zillions of motifs.

HWT

Now having spent days playing with Eda's threads I decided that I needed a change. Still haven't decided what I'm going to do in tatting as my next project!!!!!

This time I'm using HWT threads. Now, anybody who's just got into tatting may ask 'what the heck are HWT threads'. Well sit back and I'll tell you!!!

The answer is simple - it's Hand Wound Thread and in my opinion, gives a much subtler variegated thread than a lot of the 'normally' variegated ones. Sewing thread is what I've used for the two motifs below although any threads can be used and even different thicknesses.   

I take a plain colour and a variegated one and then I wind them TOGETHER onto the shuttles. There is a certain 'skill' to this although it really is simple. The way I do it is to hold the two threads together.  The knack is to make sure you hold the threads firmly while winding so that they wind onto the shuttle without leaving any slack in either thread. The effect this gives is stunning. I love playing with HWT!!!!

It's a RABBIT

This is the last day of the TIAS 2016 and the link is here. Please - even if you haven't taken part publicly and even if it's months since the TIAS started I would still be grateful to receive your completed rabbit. By gathering them all in it gives me a 'certain incentive' to run another TIAS next year. 

Well as you all know now - the Tat It And See turned into a rabbit this year. Why a rabbit? Well I was getting to the end of my tether hearing Maureen going on and on and on about the result of the TIAS each year being a rabbit!!! Teasing you, Maureen. Thought I'd give her a shock and make her one. Maureen had what can only be called a 'bad year' last year resulting in the fact that we didn't meet up in Canada as hoped by both of us. So - she double deserved a rabbit. 

These are two that I made during the process of finalising the pattern. The reason I was able to go ahead with the pattern is because one day my granddaughter came over one day and saw a green trial on my table. She looked at it and said 'I like your rabbit'!!! Result - if a seven year old can recognise a green bit of tatting as a rabbit then it IS a rabbit!!!

Hearts Edda threads Master

Here are two more hearts. The top one is made with Edda's Master thread. Really do love how easy this is to use. 

The silver heart below is a slightly finer thread but equally as lovely to use. Once again here is the link to where I bought them. 

Day 13

Here is the link to day 13. 

Please note - this is NOT the last day!!! The next part will be available soon. 

When day 14 has been done I would love to hear from everybody who has taken part with their country of origin (that sounds posh, eh?) and the threads used - if you know them.  Even if you haven't posted before I'd love to hear from you so I know roughly how many have taken part.  Pure nosiness, really!!!!  

Threads to play with

First of all - tomorrow will be day 13 BUT it's not the end.  There will be one more on Tuesday.

Here I'm showing you some more of the Abbi hearts that I made in between downloading and uploading the TIAS days!!! It's kept me busy this past month!!!! 

These two are again made from Edda's threads which Sue sent me. My order from Edda has now arrived but I'll use the samples first - as the saying goes - waste not want not!!! The top thread is Heart Sunlight 60 in silver and the one below is Master.

Day 12

Here is the link for day 12 of the TIAS.  Only two more days to go!  Not sure yet when I'll post those.

Meanwhile my sister (Sally) hasn't had time to take part in the TIAS.  As you know (some of you) I do have a love of jigglies.  That's what I call the little solar objects that I first found on a trip to America a few years ago.  They are not so easy to find here in the UK but the dollar stores usually have them in the U.S.A.  

Anyway, I digress.  Sally found me a jiggly which is on it's way to my house today (or tomorrow).  Can't wait to introduce this rabbit to the others on my windows.  We have sash windows and they sit on the ledge that slides up and down - WHEN we have hot weather.

Name and shame

I name and shame Sue Hanson.

I've told and told and TOLD BC3 - NO MORE THREADS. Does he listen? Well, some of the time but not when it comes to spending my money!!!!

Sue mentioned Edda's threads which you can find on this link and, of course after her report on how well they work up, I had to have some!!!!

Sue kindly sent me some samples before the threads arrived from Italy (still waiting for them to get here) so I had to have a go myself!!

Here are my first two. 

The top one is done in Master brown. Think that's what the thread is called! The second one (LOVE the sparkle) is also Master.

Flowery Cross

Having done the one cross (see Monday's post) I decided I was bored with that so chose the Flowery cross instead this time.

The thread I'm using again is one of the few glittery ones I really, really like. It's an Altin Basak and is called Nakis Simi.  I got mine from Tatting and Design who can be found here.

Day 11

Day 11 of the Tat It And See can be found here.  Have fun!

Iona Cross

At the moment life is a bit different. We have a car which I use most of the time which isn't often!!! I use it when I have a big shop to do, sometimes for visiting friends and also for going to Crafternoon in Alcester.

The pavements and road outside our house has been diabolical for ages and a lot of people walk up and down to and from the train station, schools, a college etc. Finally the County Council decided they'd had enough of me taking pictures of potholes and posting them on Facebook and that they really ought to do something about it. The pothole pictures kept me amused as I planted plants in them, had ducks swimming in them and then finally a Christmas tree.  To be honest I'm sure it had NOTHING to do with me at all!!!!

The past two weeks (and for at least the next two) the workmen have been digging up the paths and laying us new ones. I asked a couple who live about ten minutes away if I could leave our car on their driveway and they kindly said 'yes'. 

In order to pay them back for this I've found out they're great church goers. A place I avoid at all costs!!!! I decided that I'd make them a little cross each so here's the first one. It's the Iona cross which can be found here.

Geraldine's Angel

First of all - here is the link to day 10 of the Tat It And See.

A VERY big apology to Geraldine. I asked if I could blog this ages ago but then forgot it was in my drafts - another 'tidy up' of my blog led me to find it. 

This is what she told me about this lovely angel of hers.

"This year in November Charnwood tatters are putting Angels on our Christmas tree in the parish church festival. I decided that I would do this Angel as one of mine. Very fiddly but so, so beautiful. Tried to stuff the head with cotton wool to keep the shape, but that did not work. But this is not a bad effort as not done baubles for a long time."

Mystery solved

Thanks to Robin the mystery of the 'missing' blog followers has been solved. It was very reassuring to find that I'm not the only one bereft of followers. Although it's a very minor thing the number of followers on the dashboard does give some indication of whether a blog is being useful, boring or whatever. 

This is what Robin found out - just follow the link. 

So this means that if you don't have a Google account and want to follow blogs then you'll just have to get one!!!! OR if it's my blog and you don't want to have a Google account you'll just need to bookmark the page or say 'bye bye'!!!!

Thank you Robin for taking the time to find out what's going on!!

 

Well, that's better!!

First of all - today's the day for day 9. Here's the link.

Yesterday as it was a quiet day for the TIAS I had a great BIG tidy up. I'd noticed that on my dashboard the number of followers of my blog had dropped quite a lot so that made the old git stop and think. Ah, maybe I need to do something about all the blogs I follow. 

I believe there's a limit of around 300 that you're allowed to follow on the dashboard so I decided to have a look at those I've got there. Now these are not the list that you see on the front of my blog but those that are hidden away. So I had a grand tidy up and took off all those that hadn't been updated in a year or more. This means that now I've got room to follow more active blogs so am open to suggestions from those who have got blogs but which I probably haven't got on my 'secret' list!!!!

So, there's your 'homework'!!! Send me your link and I'll see if I've got you on my list and if not - I'll add you. Keeps me busy blog hopping which is part of my relaxation!!

New pattern

Tomorrow is day 9 of the TIAS.

Now I have a bit of a story about this pattern!! I had a message from Ruth about two years ago asking me if I'd design a Motmot bird. Well I thought that was a joke at first so went and asked Mr Google (or, could it be Mrs Google?) about this bird I'd never heard of. I found a LOT of images of Motmot birds which were useful and the web pages were very interesting too. Here's the wikipedia link for starters.

So I thought about it and put it on the back burner for a while. 

Then when I was approached about going to Canada to teach at the Fringe Element Tat Days last September I realised that one of the people inviting me to go and annoy them was Ruth who'd asked for the Motmot. That made a GOOD excuse to design one - so that's what I did. 

In the pictures below you can see the resulting picture I took over for her as a small thank you for the great hospitality shown to me.

Then I got home and - well, those who know me will guess what happened next. NOTHING. Why? Well I forgot it was on my computer!!! So a few days ago I was searching for something else and I found the pattern. Yesterday I decided to settle down in the afternoon and put the web page together, do the links, etc etc. Imagine my surprise when I found I'd already done them!!!! Sometimes I can be efficient although thankfully that's not very often. I couldn't live in my skin if I was efficient. In fact all I had left to do was upload the 'animal' page so I did that. Here's the link to Ruth's Motmot bird.

Day 8

Day 8 of the Tat It And See is now ready for you on this link. 

I'll be waiting for the inbox to fill up!!!