Get behind me temptation!!!

A couple of weeks ago I got 'one of those' emails - like everybody does!!! 

This one is always quite interesting and on this occasion it was offering 4 ply wool (as in sock wool) at a truly great price.  

I kept this email in my inbox all week and kept going to look and kept trying to decide which ball (or balls) I was going to choose.  

I happened to be in the room where the tatting cupboard is (and my stash of yarn) when I wondered if I'd got any 4 ply wool that needed using up.  I found a few balls.  

There was a ball of variegated blue which I'd made my favourite pair of gloves from a few years ago.  They're SO warm.  So I found the gloves themselves and went to weigh both the gloves and the leftover yarn.  Eureka.  I've got enough for another pair!!!  Here's one of the pair already finished.

More dishcloths and hot pads

This is total relaxation for me.  Well, tatting is too but sometimes the old brain needs another challenge as well - just to convince it that it's really, really tatting that's consumed me for the past 64 years!!

During those years I've pursued many other crafts but always it's the shuttles I come back to.  

Anyway, I digress - but you're used to that by now!!!

Below is a blue and also a white thingy that I made a week or two back.

Margriet finished

Well here's my version of Margriet finished.  

Here's the link to the page too.  

I've found another oval doily which I've just started translating as well.  

A new little snowflake.

Can you guess what's brought this little idea on? 

Yes - too long spent on the Dutch translations!!!  

I'm not happy with it yet so will spend more time on it although it is only rings and chains.  I'll continue with this idea!!!

Another technique page

Now this is a simple but oh so useful little technique devised recently by Elaine P. Gan.  At first I must admit I didn't 'see' it as a particularly useful tool as, after all, the SLT was doing the same thing for me and that was already implanted in BC3's little old brain.

BUT when I came to try it out in a new little pattern I'm working on it certainly was helpful.  Not QUITE as Elaine probably would have thought of but it has now got me really excited.  

I bet you want to know what it is?  Well, Elaine has called it the reverse join which totally sums up the usefulness of this idea.  I used it with a switch shuttles too - will show you the new little design tomorrow - even though the web page itself isn't quite ready.

Here's a little technique page which I've done for thsoe who prefer to have things the 'old fashioned'way and not as a video!

Marie's Margriet

Marie offered to test tat Margriet for me but I didn't expect such a gorgous result.  Well I sort of did as I've seen her work and it is always stunning but having worked this pattern in a plain colour I just didn't appreciate how stunning it could look with a little more thought.  THANKS Marie.

Marie also added another round to the doily andI think it sets it off beautifully.  I would never have thought of that!!!

These are the colours that she used.  Lizbeth, size 20 in Elderberry Jam (177) and Raspberry Pink Lt (623).

HOT OFF THE PRESS - an update to this post.  Marie said she entered her doily in the county fair and received 1st place and "Best of Class."  See picture below.

Happy days, Marie and congratulations.

Sidetracked once again!!!

This time I can name and shame the person responsible for the start of this distraction!!!  It's Sandra!!  

Now Sandra's been pretty isolated since lockdown and has taken up knitting with a vengeance and has come across lots of patterns for hot pads or dishcloths or whatever you like to call them.  I've made a few over the past couple of months of which this is just one.  I must find the others and show you as they're all different.

Now to a story.  Many years ago when Nick and I were in America we spotted these hanging from people's appliances and places round their kitchens.  I'd never seen them back here in England but I managed to get a few while we were over there.  Very useful for wiping the fingers on when you're cooking!  

So, after the hot pad phase I've decided it's the hanging dish towel phase which will  happen next!!!  Here's my first one.  Can you see that it's 'not quite' finished?  I've got the thread (on the bobbin) and the button ready to sew on but will it actually happen this side of Christmas?!!??  I'll let you guess - yes or no!!!!

Margriet six seven eight

I'm still working on Margriet and  have just completed rounds six, seven and eight so I haven't a lot to say today!!!  

Who did I hear cheering in the background?  

A name already!!!

The new design by the nun doesn't have a name in the book.  I wonder why they rarely named their work? Perhaps they're a bit like me - I struggle to name my work too!!!!

This one is going to be called Margriet after another of Queen Juliana's children.

Below are rounds four and five.

FINISHED!

Do you remember the blanket I started on back here?

Well in spite of and despite my wandering brain (and hands!) I've managed to finish it at last!!!  There's something really relaxing about this design which appeals to my little mind.  

This is where I learned this technique from and thanks to this I've now made three of the blankets and have little yarn left.  Now, of course, this means I have a GOOD EXCUSE to buy more yarn!!!!  Who doesn't need that?  These will go to a care home when they've been washed and dried.  Actually, as I type, they're having a whirl in the machine!!!!

One thing I would add to the knitting squirrel's design is to firmly remind the person who starts a blanket to mark  the first square!!  I didn't on the first blanket and it caused a lot of grief!!!  I think I'm now an expert at this type of blanket!!!

Oh, the blanket is square - I promise.  I was trying desperately to not get my shadow in the picture!!!!

A 'not' Moaning Monday!!!

Bet you were all wondering what today's moan was going to be about!!!  Well there's nothing that I can think of today!!  Did I hear a big sigh of relief?!?!?  Cheering even?

I missed quite a few blogging days last week but that was because I was deeply engrossed in this new doily that I've been working on.  It's another from the little Dutch books and again features lots of spiral tatting.

Here are rounds 1, 2 and three

Irene is finished

I'm just hoping that the nun who designed this doily isn't cross that I've translated her doily (along with the others) but if I hadn't they might have never been worked again.

This one (and the next one) are really simple to make but both have made me look once again at spiral chains.  Those types of chains certainly help in keeping a straight line if you want one in a design.  It's made BC3 think about using them in something or other!!!  

I've given up on doing anything new myself at the moment.  Mainly because I'm enjoying the challenges of bringing new life back into these older patterns.  

Before I forget - here's the link to Irene!

Moaning Monday

What am I moaning about today?  Well it is Facebook or rather Facebook users.  

Now you'll rarely see me on Facebook and any information 'up there' will give you very little facts about me.  Why?  Well I don't think anybody would be interested anyway.  I lead a quiet life.  Or try to!!!  The only information you may see there are my walks or occasional forays out of town.

I belong to a lot of groups - some I've deliberately joined and some I'm not quite sure how I 'got there'.  I have NO problems with that and particularly the tatting groups.  I love reading the questions and the answers given even though the answers sometimes make me cringe.   

How do I know what goes on if I don't like Facebook?  Well I have email notifications drop into my inbox regularly and I read those.  I do occasionally click on one and go take a better look and I sometimes put on a 'notify me' to a thread that may interest me or where I think I can eventually help out with the question asked.  I rarely jump in to answer a question immediately as there are those who seem to live on Facebook and are quite capable of answering such queries.  

What I REALLY HATE is those threads where a question has been adequately answered and others go and repeat and repeat the same thing without READING THE PREVIOUS POSTS.  That really makes my blood boil.  I'm seeing it more and more lately.  If you are interested or can help with an answer to a question PLEASE READ the other answers before pitching in.

Now for a picture to brighten up this post!!!

Marie's finished doily Irene

Marie very kindly offered to test tat Irene for me and this is her rendition which is SOOOOO pretty.

She used Lizbeth size 20 in coral pink (number 608) and shell pink (626).  Interestingly hers measures 10 3/4" whereas mine measures 11" when worked in size 40!!!  Isn't that interesting?  I'm a tight tatter and so is Marie!!!  Who knows.  

I'm hoping that I can get the pattern up over the weekend so keep your beady eyes open for it - probably on Monday if I don't have a moan!!!

Mrs Odum strikes again

Way back (almost three years ago) I decided to make a Mrs Odum’s daisy.  This is my first attempt.

A month or two back I decided to have another go at her daisy as I wasn’t very happy with my first attempt.  Oh, before I forget - here’s a link to find the original pattern on the internet..

I got talking to the person who knows SOOO much about tatting that it leaves me breathless - Judith Connors.  She showed me her version which certainly got the old juices flowing and she gave me some splendid advice after she’d seen my blue attempt below.

The glorious pink one is Judith's version of Mrs Odum - it's what made me have another attempt at it.  Do I feel another one coming on?  Yes I do!!!

Irene is progressing well.

Here we go with rounds 8 and 9.

Slowly 'getting there'!!!!

Moaning Monday

Let's see!  What can I moan about today?

Well, not a lot.  I do have one or two moans and this is one of the smaller ones.

Front side/back side tatting.  Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and when I learned to tat there was no such thing as front side/back side tatting.  Well, if there was it was NEVER mentioned in ANY of the publications I ever had and they varied from Mrs Beeton's Book of Needlework to the entire series of Coats and Penelope booklets and via Norma Benporath's book too.  Now it may be that the designers 'presumed' that you'd know about this 'method' but I very much doubt it as in none of the 'how to tat' sections of any of the books was it ever mentioned.  Indeed I'd never heard of it until I was in my 50's and had the pleasure of meeting Gary Houtz (ooooh, I do love a bit of name dropping) at Rosemarie Peel's (another name I have great pleasure in dropping) house.  

He showed me this method and I was totally unimpressed.  I didn't see the point.  This (I might add) was in the very, very early days of the internet and before I ever dreamed I'd be able to use it as much as I do.

Anyway, I did finally adopt this method of tatting - BUT for only one very simple reason.  I like my work better when it's done that way and scanned to show you guys.  

I DO NOT believe it's essential to tat that way and if I'm making a gift like a coaster, a doily or an ornament for somebody I don't use it.  People who don't tat would never know which way was the 'right' way or the 'wrong' way to place something down on a table.  I therefore don't think it's essential to tat that way at all.  After all what a person sees is the overall design and not the intricacies of whether a piece is upside down or not!!!!

Now for a picture to brighten the blog post up.  Why a banana?  Well, why not?!?!

Rounds 6 and 7

I hope you're not getting 'blog bored' with the Irene doily.  

There is one blog that I try to read from time to time and each time I try I get so bogged down in the sheer amount of waffle on there that I never ever get to the end of it.  I don't want mine to be like that - or to become too repetitive either.

Anyway - here are rounds six and seven.  Very straightforward too.  

The reason for the little pin at the top was because I finished round 7 late in the evening but worked out where to start round 8.  I put a pin there for BC3's sake when next I pick this up!!!!

Round 5 of Irene

Now this round looks very simple and straightforward although I agonised over the start of it!!!  No idea why but these mental 'blocks' happen to me.

It looks really wonky to me but I'm sure the nun has got her wicked (should I say that word when talking about a religious person?) ways of sorting it out on the next round.

Loving working this doily and I'm NOT a doily person!!!!

A distraction!!

I have a very dear friend in Atlanta who is determined to lead me astray!!!!  

She keeps sending me pictures of the dishcloths/hot pads she's been making during lockdown.  Now that's cruel as she knows darn well I'm easily led astray.  You can see she's been waving her magic wand over me here in the past!!!

I ordered some more yarn off Fleabay (yes, I do know it's not spelt like that - Ebay) and it was due on the last day of June/1st July.  I left it until the 13th (after contacting the seller several times) and then asked for a refund which came within half an hour.  Off I went to Amazon and ordered more from there.

The Amazon yarn arrived the next day - along with ONE of the missing balls from Fleabay.  So it's either feast or famine here!!!  

This is the first one done with the Amazon yarn although I took the photo before I'd sewn it up.  Loved this pattern which you can find here.

Thought I'd better

Keep showing you the progress of the doily that is now being test tatted.  

This one I've called Irene as that's the name of one of Queen Juliana's daughters.  

Here are rounds 3 and 4 done.

Beatrix has arrived!!!

I know it's Monday but today I'm a very happy bunny!!!!  

My good friend, Tim has kindly test tatted Beatrix for me.  This is the large round Dutch doily that I translated and finished before the oval ones.  I'm glad to get it off my computer and onto the pattern pages simply because I get in a muddle otherwise!!

Tim has tatted his version in a very, very fine thread and I'm sure he'll show  you once it's finished.  I think he's probably still working on the final round but got there and tested it first.  THANK YOU, Tim.

I've currently got Irene out for testing, thanks to the lovely folks in Tat Land and am working on one I've called Margriet both named after Julian's children.  BUT I stupidly picked up the books again the other day and found more I might tackle in the future.  This is proving a very nice rest from designing although I am sort of itching to try out a new idea that BC3 is thinking about!!!

Right - before I go you'd probably like the link?  Well, here it is.

PS to the kind lass who told me there was a typo on the translation page here - I've finally remembered to correct it!!!

Blanket progress

This is my third blanket and I'm making slow progress due to the distraction of the tatting I've been working on!!!  

Not probably the BEST idea to be working on in hot weather but then I've always been a bit daft!!!!

Off on another adventure!

This time I've found a couple of round doilies that I like in the Dutch books.

I've started as you'll see in the bottom picture.  I'm just LOVING these  spiral chains now I've learned how to do them the 'Dutch way'.

I am looking for a test tatter for this one so is there anybody 'out there' who's able and willing to take on the task?  It's an interesting one this time as it can be worked with only one place where you need to be aware of front/back side tatting.  That's if you want to use that anyway!!!  Very straightforward but you still need to be 'eagle eyed' as it comes from the brain cells of BC3!!!!

De Drie Nonnen (oval doilies)

Finally and finally got the page finished.  Why does it take so LONG?!?!?

You will see that I've named them.  I read Maureen's comments and while I was considering those I suddenly had a lightening visit from BC3.  YES he's still around but not as active as he has been in the past!!!  They are now called De Drie Nonnen which means The Three Nuns.

Here's the link before I wander off and forget!!!

Test tatted oval doilies

I'm eternally grateful to my two lovely test tatters who took on the task of doing the oval doilies for me.

Martha did them and so did another lass who showed me these two she'd done.  They've all done such neat work.

This is the colour information on the two variegated doilies.  They're both made with  Lizbeth Size 20. The Version 1 is in color 157. The Version 3 is in color 163. 

I will get the pattern up and running for tomorrow - PROMISE.

Moaning Monday

This time I'm going to tell you a TRUE story!

I was browsing through Etsy just before last weekend and found that a seller was making and selling items made from one of my little patterns.  I wrote and asked her to kindly remove it from her shop as I had a Creative Commons License on my work.  

Well the lady did apologise and take the items down but the conversation then got a bit more 'difficult' when she designed an item which looked EXACTLY like mine (just a picot where there was once a small chain) and using the same stitch count, beads  and another design element in 'hers'.  I pointed out that this was indeed not acceptable as copyright/intellectual property doesn't allow this type of 'alteration' to be called a 'new design'.

To my astonishment the Creative Commons Licence people were then brought into the discussion by the seller about my license.  I'm pleased to say that they came down on my side having checked how long the licence has been in operation by using the wayback machine.  

Much to my amusement this shop owner has now got an identical looking item back in her shop but this time it's done in crochet.  It's not got 'quite' the appeal of the tatted one.  

Hopefully I've probably (inadvertently) helped this lady on the road to becoming a crochet designer.  I just hope she doesn't decide to tread on my toes again!!!!  Seller BEWARE!!!

Nothing to do with the above but I can't put a post out without a picture!!  An old school photo when I was about seven!!!  Still look scruffy to this day!!!!

Another day another round.

This is going SOOOO well now that I'm hoping to get the pattern up on my site by the weekend.  Just one more round to go.

Can you see how the spiral round has been sorted out by adding this round?  Magic, I say, MAGIC!!!

Some yarn I found

Most of my yarn stash is just odds and ends of polyester or some such mix of fibres but the other day I did find a lonely bit of pink cotton yarn.  

I decided that I’d make a ‘just because’ present out of this yarn.  I made three little baskets which fit inside each other.  The one should probably be a bit taller but that’s where I ran out of yarn!!

All three have little handles and I’ve added some tatting to them too.  Most of the tatting can be removed and worn as brooches.  I wonder who’ll get this little set?  No prizes for guessing!!!!

Here’s the link I found to these sweet little baskets.

Wonky but fine!!!!!!

Here are all three versions at the end of round 3.  

I really enjoy the spiral chains done 'the nun's way'.

The bottom one does look completely bonkers but it's right as I've counted and checked several times.  I'm sure it'll all work out right 'in the end'!!!!