Let's go back to the Fandango square.

When I came up with this little Fandango square back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth I didn't realise how many patterns would come from it - or how many uses it would have.

I need a little something or other for my 'go to' when I'm tired tat.  Something I can just pick  up and 'do'.  So I decided it would have  to be the Fandango - BUT.  

Me being me I couldn't leave it alone - I had to fiddle with it as I wanted a ring in the middle.

Also I wanted to play with HWT - hand wound threads.  I am afraid I'm not into variegated threads unless they have subtle colour changes.  So I like to make my own. 

I year or two or whatever back I had a whole lot of odds and ends given to me by Sue so I've got them out of the cupboard to play again.  The biggest fun with this project is that no decisions have to be made until you want to start a new square!!!  This is my start!!!

Hanky finished

Finally it's done.  I made it up as I went along which makes for interesting (and frustrating) times!!!

I no longer have this as I’ve given it to a neighbour.  The colours just reminded me of Judy and I’m determined NOT to keep any more tatting as the pieces I’ve already done are cluttering up the house.  Boxes full of tatting which I really need to give away too.

Grace - endless hearts

I’ve been playing with Grace’s lovely little hearts braid and corner.  The reason I stopped where I did was because I decided I didn’t like the colour combo!!!!  That is typical of me.  

I’ve used a size 40 thread and I extended the long chains too as I like the space above them.  When I get back to it again (and I will) I will use size 40 once more.  I wasn’t happy with parts of it and I’m afraid I abandoned the EPJ join in favour of a regular lock join with a vsp over it.  Just one join was a bit of a pain without the EPJ but a ‘poke your hook into the base’ proved easier than I thought!!!  

This is a delightful little pattern and it’s so kind of Grace to give it away for free too.  Thanks, Grace.

Another glove!!!

The odd scraps of yarn I've got left from two other pairs of socks have been weighed and found to be enough (easily) for another pair of gloves.  Can you see where the colours change just above where the thumb starts?

Well I made sure I divided that second ball into two balls before I started.  The ball which made the lower part was one which Terry in Canada kindly gave me.  It was already divided into two balls by Terry.  I've now got two pairs of socks which will match one pair of gloves - well, sort of!!!! 

That's, of course, when I've completed the second glove!!!!

The forgotten Mrs Odum!

I do love talking to other tatters round the world.  I've had long conversations with Judith Connors over the past few months.  Nearly always about tatting but also I've learned a lot about Australia and their dealings with the virus.

One of those conversations was about the now famous Mrs Odum and her daisy.  The original pattern is at the bottom of this post but I've 'fiddled' with it adding in extra joins to stabilise the long chains.  

One of the other things that has come from Judith and our conversations is a recommendation for a television series called Harrow.  We binge watched it night after night.  Thanks, Judith for your friendship, knowledge and inspiration.

Here is the front, then the back of my latest Odum.

Only 'just'!!!

I thought it was going to be a bit 'iffy' trying to stretch my leftovers out to a second glove but it WORKED!!!

Can you see the little ball which is all I had left of the original?  

I must admit to a mild panic when I'd got the second finger done - would I have enough for two more fingers AND a thumb?  

Well I'm going to call these my 'bonus' gloves.  The original pair I made a few years ago are so, so warm.  I may keep these as 'spares' or my kids may like them.  If I give them away and then lose the originals then that will be a darn good excuse to BUY yarn to make another pair.  I do like knitting gloves.  

Hang on a minute - I think I've got more 'odd balls' of four ply yarn lurking in my stash.  Wonder if there's enough for another pair?  

More to follow!!!  Well, I hope!!!  

Just a hanky!!!

I think this hanky came from Handy Hands in a gift bag or something.  Maybe even in one of their Newsletters? 

Anyway I've never tried tatting straight onto a hanky before and it has it's problems!!!  The main one being, of course, a dithering BC3 who couldn't decide what to do.  I started this ages and ages ago so I think the first round was a lock chain with a vsp in the middle.  The simplest way to do that is to do an ordinary ds before and after the vsp.  

Then I did a ordinary chain on the following round which I forgot to scan to show you!!!  That's going to have to be a 'wait and see' game until I get the final round finished.

The aim (for me!) with a hanky is to use a pattern that will be VERY easy to iron if required.  I love the mega fancy ones that people make for special occasions but they are a beast to iron.  I'll be giving this to a neighbour 'just because'.  The colour will suit her too.

A Spiral Snowflake

Here's the last post about the Spiral Snowflake.

This is NOT how I envisaged the snowflake turning out AT ALL.  I am going to have to play further with the idea which is still lodged within the dark depths of BC3's muddled old brain!!!  I was wanting something quite  different but . . . . . . .

Anyway, here's the link to the pattern and I would just like you all to wish BC3 'bon voyage' as he sets off on another attempt to produce what I WANT!!!!

http://janeeborall.freeservers.com/allimages3/OrangewWhite_tiny.jpg

http://janeeborall.freeservers.com/allimages3/OrangeWhite.jpg

Moaning Monday - a conundrum

Question.  If a pattern is published in 2004 and then a person finds out in 2020 that it was published under another name in a book in 2014 who owns the copyright?

To add to this conundrum - the publisher of the 2014 version (a very close variation of the 2004 one) says that the designer did it in 1997 but it wasn’t published until 2014.  

How would the 2004 designer have known about the 1997 version if it wasn’t in the public domain?  

Also how does this all relate to Intellectual Property.  I'm NOT asking this to stir up ANY trouble as it's already been discussed with the publisher and it was just a discussion and ended up with our own conclusions BUT answers  and opinions happily accepted.

Having asked this question I may end up here!!!! 

Bowl cosies

After my little stint of pot holders/dishcloths I decided to try making bowl cosies.

Now I've made fabric ones aplenty in the past but this time I decided to experiment with crochet ones.  Why would anyone want a bowl cozy, you may well ask?  Bowls tend to 'cosy up' to each other in a cupboard so why do they want another 'man (or woman) made' one?  Let's face it they don't go out for walks and need a coat like we do!!!! 

Well they're for putting a bowl in in the microwave and they stop humans from burning their fingers when they get the very hot food out.  

I use mine a lot for the pudding sized bowls and I have several small bowls I use a lot too so I made a smaller version too.  

There is some logic in what I do from time to time!!!

Another spiral

Just a few posts this week as I've not got a lot to show!!!  Still plodding along with the knitting and the spiral snowflakes.  

I've found that the reverse join (although not 'essential') is a great technique for this little flake.  Mainly to keep the colour looking better in the very short chains.

Here's another I've done!!!!

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!!!