Another choker

Remember the black choker? 

Well the same lady wrote and ordered a pink and green one too as I mentioned in that last post about the black one. Want to see it?

Not my choice in colours but the customer is always right and actually I got to really like the combination after a short while. 

Today it's

Valentine's day!!! 

OR should we say - Hallmark day? I know - I'm being a grumpy old git here!!! Still I thought I'd share my love (of tatting and Nick) with you guys.

Here's the link.

Remembering Gina

A talented tatter taken far too soon. 

Seven years now without your cheerful 'voice' in my inbox.  Gina's blog is still 'live' and full of interesting posts.  Here's the link to it.

I cherish the times I spent with her but they were far too short.

First tree finished

Something a little different to show you today. 

In my Tuesday morning group we're making another quilt and this time the subject is 'trees'. I must admit to being less than enthusiastic at the start but I now seem to have the wind up my tail and after this desultory start I decided the tree needed a bit of 'bling'!!!

So into one of our containers I dived and now the tree is 'blinged'. Off to start the next one but no idea what it'll turn out like!!!

Another old pattern

Part of my ongoing tidying up of old patterns has forced me to look once again at this one.

I got rather 'carried away' on the multi looks I could get with this design which was originally done on cabone (curtain) rings. In the end I finished up with five versions. By that time my brain was frazzled but still more ideas kept coming!!!

Please don't use the pattern just yet as I need to replace it with the new version which (I HOPE) will be much easier to understand. 

After much scratching of BC3's brain I've also introduced a new abbreviation to the list too - MBBH. Far easier than writing 'bead at back of hand before starting', I think. Anyway we'll see how it goes.

Houston - I have a problem!

So off on the next 'phase' of this adventure!!!! 

As you know I like to do a set of middles then work on the 'outers' which is an easier (for BC3) pattern to remember when I'm out and about. 

It occurred to me that I'd stated back here that I was going to attempt to use the whole ball to make this. A rash statement perhaps!!!! So my next task is to work out how much each motif takes to make so on the final 'inner' here I jotted down how many yards are on the shuttles - both the shuttle 1 and shuttle 2. When I work the ‘outer’ then I’ll be able to find out how much each whole square takes.

In theory this should help - BUT when I looked on the DMC Cebelia label it doesn't say how much is on there - well not in yardage!! Now I have two conundrums - (a) my maths is diabolical and (b) how do I find out how much is on the ball.

So I asked Mr Google!!!  No luck on the DMC page as no yardage given but snooping around Ebay the sellers are saying it’s 416 yards.  A further snoop on Amazon and the sellers there say 405 yards.  I reckon if I ‘go’ with 400 yards I’ll be able to work out how many squares I can make.  Well if BC3 is behaving, that is!!!

Black choker

Just before Christmas I sold a fair bit of tatting to a really lovely lady. She's just been back in touch and wanted a choker.

One of the items I'd sold her was a bookmark made using the Ring of Roses pattern and she now wanted a choker in that design. Not a problem at all.

A day or two later she came back to ask for a second choker in two colours (which I've now started). She then asked if I could do a discount if she ordered a third. I explained that I was only 'paying' myself £1.50 an hour as it was and that didn't include materials. Thankfully she's thought about it and has stuck to the two only!! 

Why do I say thankfully? Well other projects have entered the BC3 environment and need 'dealing with'!!!!

Do you remember?

The navy top I added just simple split rings to?  Here it is.  

Well I didn't tell you at the time but I bought two tops as they were in the sale!!! I just couldn’t resist this mustard colour which will brighten up a winter’s day.

I do have a few variegated Lizbeth threads that I really like and this is Autumn Spice (number 136) which is one of them.  I like the gradual colour changes on this thread.

The pictures don't really do the colours justice - these dark winter days are not good for photographs specially when the camera belongs to a lazy old git like me!!!!

Playing around

Now this is one of the ideas I had a while back for an edging. Well, it could be an edging, a bookmark, bracelet or choker. 

I've submitted a similar as one of the ideas for Palmetto Tat Days.  I say similar as the original had a small difference which was just too hard to explain however hard I tried.  Comes of having a twisted brain!!!

It's really easy, actually. The problem stems from living with BC3!!!  He tends to read other things into what's asked for!!!!

I've been out and about

Now one may ask if I ever get to stay at home!!!! Yes I do but I like being with other crafty friends too. 

Below is the Fandango coaster with four repeats and I'm beginning to love the little 'new' designs which are cropping up in it.

Coriolis repaired

Sorry about the poor pictures but it IS winter and it's hard to get motivated to go into the conservatory for better light just to take a quick photo!!!!

This was quite a scary task to repair but I did it as I'm a stubborn OG (old git) and also I won't leave something with a mistake like that. I could've left it and finished the round I'm working on but that would've been the end of the adventure.

Now I've repaired it I may venture into another round!!!! 

I'm keeping the aged fingers crossed that this may be chosen by the Palmetto Tatters as a teaching project at Tat Days in September but I've yet to be chosen so please keep your fingers crossed that I get through the selection process. I desperately NEED to go to America to catch up with all my lovely friends over there.  I've submitted my application!!!!

As you do!!!

Well January is sale time and I love Lands End clothes but they're expensive and the only time I buy them is in the sale. I love them because they last forever - I'm still wearing t-shirts that I bought well over ten years ago. I'm bored with them but won't part with them as they're still fine.

So this tunic, which I got in this year’s sale, was rather plain so I decided to 'jazz it up' a bit. 

I tried a few ideas but it really did need something very, very simple so I settled for just a row of split rings.

Back to the

Fandango coaster!!! Now this is (as I've said before) my current relaxing project. I tend to pick it up when I'm feeling tired or run out of other things I want to do. Two joined and the third motif sort of part way there!!!

I’ve started this with a brand new ball of DMC Cebelia (size 20) and am now wondering how big it would get using the whole ball.  Problem is - do I have the staying power to find out?  Time will tell!

Whoopsadaisy

Can you see why this post has earned that title? Well it took me the whole of this round (which is only halfway done) to finally spot the mistake!!!

I was at my Thursday craft group in the library last Thursday and had completed number seven motif of this current round and put it down on the table to show somebody who asked me what I was doing. 

It was then I spotted the mistake. Nobody else could see it and when I pointed it out to them they all thought it would be fine to just leave it and carry on. 

Well, you know me. I couldn’t do that so when I got home I carefully replaced it. Now those who have a few years tatting experience will know this is NOT an easy task. I’ll show you the result next time. The second picture shows the offending motif in case you couldn’t spot it!!!!

Another re-visit

Thanks to a very good internet friend who pointed it out to me, I have now seen the errors of my ways with this pattern!!

When I first did it back in 2007 the single shuttle split ring wasn't really much known about so I'd used the split CHAIN to progress from the inner part to the outer round. Now this led to quite a wonky and very hard to make neat design element.

So another re-think was needed and Leigh suggested that the SSSR may be the answer. Meanwhile I'd lost the original drawings to those had to be done too. Here's the result of a re-tat!!!

Actually I now really like this so it may become my project for next Silly Season!!!

Fandango coaster again!

I needed more down time yesterday so pulled out the Fandango coaster to get an outer round on!!! Just saying!!!

Fandango coaster

Now this is going to be a quiet week on the blog as I get my head down to finalise the patterns I'm going to submit for Palmetto in September.

The deadline is February 20th so I really need to settle down and get things done. As I'm applying for a full-time post that means a lot of patterns to get ready. Some new and some older ones which have been brought out of mothballs, re-vamped and are just needing final formatting etc.

Meantime I do allow myself some 'down time' or my brain would fry!!! I saw this pattern on Facebook a month or so ago that somebody had done in one colour. I was amazed at the new elements that showed up because it was worked in just the one colour. So, of course, I've had to start the experiment myself!!!! Here are four middles ready for their next round - and joining to each other too, of course!!!

Keeping quiet!

I can do it and I do do it (keep quiet, I mean) - particularly on Facebook which I don't use very much anyway!!! 

A month or so before Christmas I had a notification I'd been mentioned on Facebook so went to have a look. It was a lady I'd not heard of before and she'd stated that she'd used my seahorse pattern (and another one) and made a cat out of it. 

Well I was most impressed with what she'd done and offered to help her draw it up or whatever and then host it on my site. This has kept the two of us quiet for ages as she'd not written it down and her hand drawn pictures didn't 'tally' with the text. It's been interesting voyage of working it all out and we're not there yet but I'm going to show you our 'work in progress'.

As her method of notation is quite different to mine it's causing BC3 lots of problems but I'm determined to stick to what she wants as it may well be better/easier for people than my normal way.

Storing threads

I've been very lucky over the years to acquire a LOT of thread. I won some off Handy Hands when Barb asked for colour suggestions and she chose a few of mine. 

I have a set of drawers which I keep my 'best' threads in - Lizbeth ones and even though I'm pretty careful they used to still tangle themselves up and come unwound.

Then I went to Canada and in our goody bags were some of these little netting things. Well I came home and tried to find them everywhere. In Canada they're used by florists to protect the blooms of certain flowers while in transit. Over here? Nah, zilch!!!! 

On my second trip to Canada Kelly presented me with a whole bunch of these which you can see in the top picture. I found the best way to use these is to 'seal' one end so the ball of thread doesn't jump out. I did this on the sewing machine - backwards and forwards a few times over each end. Took no time at all. I pop the ball of thread inside and the 'open end' can be tucked into the centre of the ball - gets easier as you use more thread.

Snail without beads

Well this little guy has been waiting to be blogged since probably November!!! I'm currently working on submissions to apply for a teaching 'job' this year and he's one of the 'probabilities'. 

He's been on the web site forever but I wanted to see how he looked with new and improved feelers and no beads!!!

Well here he is in all his glory!!!! Well, perhaps 'glory' is the wrong word and the right one should be slime!!!! 

This is the link should you want to see the original version.

Ready and waiting

I've not got a lot to show you this week - well, I don't think I have but I do have the Llama finished and teetering around cyberspace!!!

I know - I'm boring but here's the picture I finally decided to use on the web site.

So, I suppose you'd like the link? 

Shall I, shan't I, shall I, shan't I give it to you or will I let you go looking round my web pages?

Oh, I give in - here it is!!!!

Coriolis moving on apace

Introducing you to the next round of this adventure with the Coriolis!!!

I got this far with this design once before and then I fell out with the colours I was using!!! This happens to me all the time - does it happen to you too? I either get bored with the selection I made or I just find they don’t work.

Anyway I carried on as this is a simple project to carry with me to craft gatherings and I've learned the pattern pretty well now!!!

My next problem is going to be what colours do I use next!!! Yes, I'm going to put another round on. 

I think I need to return to something like the central motif but I don't want to/can’t use the same colours as I've no idea which balls of thread I used!!! Yes, I'm that stooooopid!!!!

Llama finished

Well here's the final version of the llama. I'll get the pattern up on the internet at the weekend and let you all know when it's ready.

Why have I got three pictures here? Well I couldn't decide which one was best to use on the web site so I kept trying different backgrounds. 

In the end I settled with the blue background so all I have to do now is make it a thumbnail and get it ready to waft around in cyberspace looking for somebody to make him!!!!

Crochet

Now while I was ill last week I didn't do anything but as I was recovering towards the weekend this crochet project came in VERY useful.  Last time I showed you it was at this stage.  Then a short while later I thought I’d finished as I thought I’d used all the yarn.  Being a ‘little untidy’ I then found more of the yarn in the ‘wrong’ place which threw me back into the project.

I was glad of the extra yarn but why?  Well it kept the old knees nice and warm while I was doing it!!!! I've now used it all up and it measures 33” approx square. 

Obviously it needs pressing but that will have to wait until the weather warms up as it’s still keeping my knees warm as I go back to my shuttles!!!

Now for some tweaking!

Still strange colours for a llama but heck, what else would you use this colour for?!?!

An improvement on the ears and I don't think the butt looks so bad now but there'll be another test tat in proper llama colours next. 

I'm getting the pattern together slowly too. I think this is one of the fastest designs I've ever done - only a few samples rather than the 12 or so it usually takes. 

Perhaps I'll one day become a proper tatting designer rather than a 'hit and miss' designer. One can always dream.

Bet you'll guess now!!!

To save myself embarrassment I'm going to tell you that this is a llama!!!

I continued with the start I made the other day and am quite happy with this attempt although the ears aren't quite right yet. I'll work on those as they need to point further forwards. Also it looks as if he’s got a hole in his butt but that maybe down to the wonky colours I’ve used. 

So, I’ll work another in strange colours and we’ll see what happens then!!!

The idea for the llama is down to my youngest daughter and a shopping exhibition with her and 11 year old Abbi. Abbi is obsessed with everything to do (or wear!) with unicorns on and I remarked to her mum that I wondered what the next craze would be. She said llamas!! After that I've seen llamas everywhere!!!

Just when you thought

Before I start today I’m going to warn you I’ve taken action against the spammers who are plaguing me with up to 25 comments a day.  I’ve put word verification on the settings so please don’t let that put you off commenting - your input and fun are so, so welcome.  

Also just when I thought things were going well it's back to the start again!!! 

I wasn't happy with yesterday's attempt (which actually happened over the weekend before Christmas) so it was another re-start!! I tend to just grab shuttles with any thread available for test tatting which accounts for the strange colours you get when I'm in designing 'mode'!!!

Any more guesses today?!?!?  NO, Maureen - it’s NOT a rabbit!!!!

A bright idea!!!

OK - I’m back I hope.  I wish I’d had the right flu jab back in October but there you go - can’t win ‘em all!

Here we go - a new idea about to happen!! 

This is the first tat of this 'bright idea' which isn't too bad. In fact, for me, it's pretty good. 

Shall we make this a quiz? 

What is this going to be? No, not a TIAS I'm afraid but it would've been good for doing a TIAS. Anyway, no prizes but a bit of fun guessing!!! What will tomorrow bring?

I know I said

That things were now back to normal but my aged body says not!! 

I’m hoping tomorrow will be the ‘new normal’ but that depends on whether this cold/flu/sickness thing has gone away.  I’ve got things to show you but not a lot and as I’m not doing anything at the moment I thought I’d keep stuff until I’m able to cope again.

New hat

I'm back!!! Wonder what next year will bring, eh?

I was wandering round one of the Christmas markets the other week and I spotted some hats. I have problems with hats as I have a small head. Yes I know that I don't need a bigger one as there isn't a lot inside the one I've got!!! BC3 rattles around inside that boney space without any other company.

I decided I needed a hat. I went round and round the markets looking and looking.  Really, really needed one that covers my ears in case it gets cold this winter. So what did I do? Came home without buying one.

As I was walking around I remembered I'd got some yarn left from a huge ball I bought from a store in Canada. So when I got back I started looking online for a pattern. Got bored with that after half an hour and found a crochet hook, the yarn and sat down to make a 'hat from thin air'.

I made a crochet chain and a few rows, tried it on and it was too big so I pulled it out, made a shorter chain and started again. This was fun to make and I didn't have any further problems til it came to decreasing. How many and at what 'rate' should that happen. Actually it wasn't a problem as I had a very convenient head to try it on as I was working!!! Least that's something I can't lose easily - my head!!! So, after an afternoon and evening's work I had a new hat which is warm and I like too!!!

Start of third Coriolis

Having been so, so disappointed with my colour choices on the last Coriolis I decided to start another!!! I can never leave anything alone until I'm totally happy with it!!!! 

I'm hoping to make another six using different colour ways and than maybe even another round after that. Bit ambitious as I may well fall out of love with these colours in due course!!! Who knows.

I'm taking a break from blogging next week as I want to concentrate on my new idea!!! There'll be plenty of time while 'watching' the telly which is a skill I'm hopeless at!!! 

So, see you after the Silly Season!!!

Progress after problems!!

Remember this post with the throw that I started?

Well things progressed and I reached this stage not long after. 

Then things went pear shaped!!! I noticed that shortly after the first picture that there were two holes where there shouldn't be holes!!! Yes - calamity had struck again!!! Is this yarn fated or will BC3 simply HAVE to be replaced and if so who is going to step up and take his place?

I could've sewn up the two holes that shouldn't have been there but I didn't. You can guess what I did. I spent two days unwinding it all back to the boo boo's and then set off again!!! This is where I am now!

This Way That Way Motif

Before I start.  I had 23 anonymous spam comments yesterday and all but one were on a post I made back in 2009!!!  I find it annoying but also amusing as the comments are so obviously not thought out and whoever is doing it is simply wasting their time. Delete, delete, delete!!!!!

So today I’m showing you yet another motif which has been updated mainly because I hated the colours of threads I'd used previously!!!

I'm really loving these colours together and may have to make another. 

Of course this can be varied as the 'odd' SLT here and there would make it even more interesting to a butterfly brain like BC3's!!!!

Here's the direct link.

Block tatted motif - Coriolis

Back in November I started on another of those whirly motifs and during odd moments while out and about I've managed to finish another six!!!! Here is a picture of the first one which I showed you back on the 19th November.

Sadly by the time I'd done 3 or 4 of these I was out of love with the colours I've used!!! 

Nothing to do but throw away what I'd done or carry on!!! So, BC3 being BC3 he just carried on. Still not happy with it but I've started another now!!!

I asked Sue to test tat this (or did she ask me?) and she's also come up with a stonking GREAT name for it. The Coriolis. Here's an article to explain what that is!

Another re-tat!!!

This week MIGHT be a quiet week in my corner of Tat Land although I seem to have got a few things to show you.  Enough for my daily blog posts from Monday to Friday!!!  

Stop yawning - you don't HAVE to read them if you don't want to!!!

The main reason for a little quietness is because I'm busy on a new idea!!! Also I've lots of other things I'm working on too but which aren't yet ready to show!!!

This is the small motif on my Motifs and Snowflakes page. There really wasn't a lot 'wrong' with it but I HATED the green one on the link page so simply had to re-tat it and that meant reading the pattern and that meant BC3 needed to do the odd alteration!!! Never ending but still fun. 

Here's the direct link to the pattern.

I really really needed

Some new earwigs!! I mean earrings!

Now if you believe that you’ll believe anything. I think I’ve got more earrings in my bedroom than worms in my compost bin but an old git can never have enough pairs, can they?

I decided that the day before yesterday’s tiny snowflake just needed more beads to make it a little more sparkly and some findings to make it ready to hang from the aged ears!!! So, in the space of an hour or two I had a new pair of earrings.

Interestingly I’ve been wearing them now for a couple of days and people have actually commented on them. 

We had a party for the residents in our street on Tuesday lunchtime and two neighbours arrived in Christmas tree earrings that they’d bought off me. I’d been wearing my pair since the 1st December so it was a change to wear snowflake ones.

Teeny tiny snowflake

Back into definite snowflake 'mode' again and this one has been played around with too!!! 

This is the link for a quick and easy snowflake. An old pattern of mine with a new look - well, a beaded one anyway!!!

Here's the link.

Tiny star OR snowflake

First of all a notice to the 19 ‘anonymous’ people who left comments on yesterday’s blog - don’t bother.  You won’t get published.  If I’ve accidentally deleted a genuine comment then I apologise.  It is quite amusing to think that people who leave comments like those would even think they’d get past BC3’s eagle eyes!!

I did warn you that it was snowflake week and I bet you didn't believe me!!! 

This is another star/snowflake type motif that needed a new picture and, of course, that led to beads too!!!!

Here's the link for a quick Christmas tat!!!

Snowflake week!!!

Yes it's officially snowflake week in my corner of Tat Land!!!! I'm on a roll with updating patterns so nothing new but hopefully a lot of improvements!!!

This is another re-tat of a snowflake I did waaaaay back in 2004. I totally HATED the image on the pattern site so have been trying to get round to sorting that out since forever!!!!

This is the link to the pattern where you'll also notice that I've tinkered around with it a bit!!!!