Two pairs of earrings

I'm very pleased with the orange and blue pair which I'll start testing today by wearing them. The other pair is worked in a number 40 Olympus (variegated) and a 40 Coats (?) but isn't as 'firm' as the others. Again I will test this pair out another day. They may be fine slightly stiffened. I think I may try another pair with drastic alterations to the stitch count and using a single number 80 thread. I feel it's worth playing with these a little longer!!!

Now I know what it is!!!

It's going to be an earring. Definitely! I need to make another and then wear them for a while to test whether they stand up to use. This is my first attempt to see if it would be viable. This was worked in a no. 20 thread. I went very wrong with the first and only bead!!!

The second attempt on Sunday evening went drastically wrong!! Must have been the red wine - well, that's my excuse!!!

The next one is 'getting there'. I worked this with a single no. 80 (or thereabouts!) thread. I did go a bit 'off track' at the top but it was nearly OK. I'd done a rough drawing of how I thought it would turn out yesterday morning but realised that I'd numbered the rings wrongly as I'd forgotten to put numbers in the RoCh's!!!!! This made re-writing the text a pain yesterday evening. This new way of working really is better. Have an idea, play for a while (doing text as you go) and then draw quite early on. Even a rough drawing before I start is a help if it's an animal!!

Finally I decided to try the no. 80 (or whatever!) doubled and this has worked REALLY well. Much firmer result. I shall try again this evening with a no. 40 and then 'test drive' both lots over the next week or so by wearing them before putting the pattern on my site.
Of course this little motif could be used for anything from a zip pull to a little sew on. I would like to experiment with a large 'dangly' bead in the centre of the bottom chain. The good thing about these Vlp's is that you can play with them when you get to them without the hassle of planning ahead and working out what beads to put where. Ideal for a lazy moo like me!!!!!

What will this turn out to be?

This bit of tatting has been haunting me for the past week. It was an abortive start to a butterfly. Aborted because I didn't like the colours of thread or beads. It even went round the town with me yesterday and I almost bumped into a number of people because I had it in my hand and was thinking about it!!! Danger tatter thinking!!! I've a feeling that it could turn into a sweet little earring! I shall play with it later in a no. 80 thread.

I listed some stuff on ebay on Thursday on a 10p listing day. Never again!! I wonder what they do on these special offer days? It took two days for anybody to even notice that the Aeros were back!!! Very odd - I feel there must be a sub-plot here!!!

The Butterflies get better

Yesterday I listed some more 'stuff' on ebay. I love making and wearing earrings and over the twenty or more years I've been making them I've found that you have to keep them simple in structure so that they don't 'bend' after a few wearings!!! Even stiffened if they are too wide then they tend to 'curl or bend'. One answer is lots of beads!! The blue, green and orange pair I made for myself then discovered that I'd already got some in those colours and that style!!! If I'd got a brain I'd be dangerous!!!

Now everybody knows (or should by now!) that I like a little colour in my life!!!! I get into my tatting stash and then get lost in decision making on which colours of threads and then beads. I think my all time favourites for 'surprising' colours must be bright orange and bright pink. I make myself look at other combos too and this time I came up with the turquoise and blue. I'm pretty sure they worked just fine. Then the beads. I used to think that the 'same' coloured beads were the 'right' ones but now I'm into trying startlingly different ones. The second butterfly has turquoise and yellow beads with the orange and pink!!!!

Wow and double, treble wow

Yesterday a small but priceless treasure arrived here in the UK. To say that I was gobsmacked would be a gross understatement. In this tiny and pretty little box were the dearest little turtles made by tatbit herself. I just can't tell you how beautiful they are and no pictures would do them justice. How Teri managed to tat these onto the cab is just beyond me. Even Nick was lost for words and that's a miracle in itself. His main question was 'how fine is that thread?'. They will travel with me to Palmetto and everywhere I go. Treasured beyond measure - I've never seen anything like these little turtles. Colours that tatbit used are amazing too. To see tatbit's blog click on the title of this post - I'm not sure how to do links in the message itself yet!!!!

Earrings

Two pairs of earrings. These are some of my favourites to wear and to make. The thing I like most about them is that because of the multitude of beads (worked on fine thread) they hold their shape through thick and thin!! I'm wearing some pairs which I must have made three years ago and they are as 'good as new'. I do use diluted PVA as a slight stiffener and protection from body oils, dirt etc. (I do wash behind my ears!!). The brown and pink pair are a gift for a neighbour but the green, blue, orange are - well just for fun. I may list them on ebay.

During the night I had a BRILLIANT idea for a new earring design so once I've tidied up my work area I shall be trying these out. They will have lots of beads too!!!

More pretties

Mystery solved

Thanks a million to Karey Solomon who says she's got the Tatbeads. I knew they'd got their passports!!! I'm rather relieved they're off my hands for a while as they are SUCH a handful. They mentioned that they wanted to go to the Hector tatting convention but I said they were too small to travel alone and as I wasn't able to go then they had to stay home. I found the ladder outside the window leant against the wall so I presume that's the way they sneaked out. I hope they've saved up enough money for their fare home - I'm not sending them any!!!! Karey, if you have any problems with them threaten them with the scissors!!!!!

New arrival in Tatland

Elaine Law sent a picture of a frog she'd made to go in the Tatbead family's garden so please take a look. Click on the title to take you directly to the tatbead's extended family!!
Oh, there's another mystery here. They all came with me to the Ring of Tatter's stand at the NEC a couple of weeks ago. They came home and were last seen 'lurking' in the middle room. I then realised after a few days that they were no longer there. They've been missing now for a week. I did hear a rumour that they were last seen heading towards Heathrow airport. I can't find their passports either so I''m getting a bit concerned. If ANYBODY knows anything about their whereabouts would they please let me know. I would be grateful of any sightings or any thoughts on where they could be.

Another attempt

I finally got the brain working on this one again. I started at the head which is an extra SR and meant altering the text completely throughout! Then I took out a ring and chain on both the upper wings. I've yet to put this in a ring but I'm much happier with it now.

Also listed more shuttles on ebay yesterday and was also told this morning that I could 'let the cat out of the bag' that I've been chosen to teach at the Palmetto Tat Days - yippeeeeee!!! http://www.palmettotatters.org/events/TatDays2007/TATDAYS2007.shtml

Later in the day and I've got the same butterfly in it's ring. Rarely do I get things finished within 24 hours of starting. I've usually 'mislaid' them in between times!!!

Butterflies in rings

Towards the end of last week I made two more butterflies (below). As I wasn't concentrating on the larger one I made a bit of a mistake. Looking at it I realise that the result is a much better upper wing so I did the other to match!!! I now have to re-write and re-draw the pattern again!!! Serves me right - shouldn't try and tackle this when I'm tired!!!

Thoughts on Tatting

I’ve been pondering about the following over the past few years and am offering this as my personal opinion on these subjects.

Copyright issues - Designs and Techniques.

I feel there are three intermingled issues here. I have been directly affected myself by all of the following and would like to make it clear to all who are interested in how I feel about them.

I get very upset if a pattern of mine is taken and reproduced with only slight alterations and then published as somebody else’s with their name as the ‘designer’. I think this is fair comment considering the amount of time that’s put into each design produced.

If somebody takes a design of mine which is very innovative, alters it and again calls it their own without then telling people where they originally found their inspiration then that puts them in my view in the realms of a deceiver. Not only of others, but also of themselves.

NOW, if somebody comes along and says ‘why don’t you’ do this, that or the other to a design and is prepared to do it themselves and acknowledge me as the inspiration or source then that is fine and also very flattering. In fact this is particularly good if I can add an alteration or improvement to my website thus keeping all the ‘progressions’ together in one place.

Techniques are a whole different issue. Techniques as we all know are not copyrightable but can be patented at vast expense. It is possible I may have invented one technique. My concern with this is that to my knowledge nobody has used it!! I would HATE to think that people believe that they can’t use it because it’s mine. NO IT’S NOT and I don’t want recognition for it either. I would just love it to be used, abused and developed. I could then quietly sit here and think to myself ‘hey, I did that and people are finding it useful’. That’s all I want. There are at present a lot of ‘new’ developments out on the Internet that I just dare not use because they ‘belong’ to somebody. OK, I can use them but only if I put ‘their’ name on each pattern that I use ‘their’ technique in but if I did that for one then I’d have to do it for all the techniques in a pattern and what a lot of ink and paper THAT would waste (let alone the additional time and research involved!) As there is some dispute over ‘who invented what and when’ over some of these ideas then I’m not prepared to risk putting my big foot in it by accrediting the ‘wrong person’. I truly admire those who come up with these new ideas but – what is the point if people are frightened to use them?

On another issue and finally – making money from our pieces of tatting! Hmmmm, if it could be done then where is our first millionaire tatter? I like to know if somebody wants to use my work to make things to sell. I love it to be for charity but basically I’m just nosy!!! I feel that the type of people who buy pieces may then become interested in making some themselves. I also feel that this can only promote our craft. The only thing which makes me very cross is that non tatters don’t appreciate the full value and are not prepared to pay as such for our time, skill and efforts!!! Still, they never will so there’s nothing we can do except put as high a price on a piece that we can realistically expect.

The above is purely my own opinion based on my life on this planet. If it offends anybody then I apologise but I felt I had to make my feelings clear in the ‘tat world’. I am here purely to promote the ART of tatting in as friendly a way as possible. I don’t want fame or glory – after all tatting is such a small part of the whole of the scheme of things. I’m off. Tat’s all I have to say for now.

Whooopppeeee!

Look who's arrived in Tatland - the Easter bunny along with a basket full of eggs!!! Click on the title to find the link.
I was going to add two more butterflies today but they can wait now!!! This arrival is MUCH and FAR too important to miss. Thanks again, Martha.

Nothing done!

I didn't get anything finished the last two evenings. Not been feeling too good and some worrying news didn't help! BUT I did get round to listing some more Aero shuttles on ebay. http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZjaneeborall
Just hope that I feel well enough today to be able to get to the NEC tomorrow with the Ring of Tatters. That annual trip is my 'treat' of the year!! I love helping to demonstrate there. Busy but fun.

Pair of Butterflies

Yesterday I started on a series of 'giveaways' for family in America. These are the first two! A pair of butterflies.

Relaxing tatting

I'm taking time out to re-tat several of my patterns to check for mistakes and also to make other 'bits and pieces'. Last night it was a return to one of my favourite little pattern books - New Critters on the Block by Martha Ess. My middle grandson will be four next week and he's 'into' dinosaurs (well, his grandma's one, isn't she?) so I made these two guys for his birthday card. I used a number 20 Flora HH (variegated) which I didn't know I had. It's lovely and a doddle to work with.

Finished - I think!

I finished off the lilac butterfly from two days ago - miracles do happen!! I used my favourite invisible thread and added beads to the feelers.
I then went back to adding beads to the very long picots which is the second butterfly but I wasn't happy with this either.

The final pink one is my favourite. One less bead on each long picot and that seems to have done the trick.
All I have to do is finish off the drawing, put it all together and it's done! Another one off my list of 'to do's'!!! The hardest part of this design was getting it into my head that the rings were facing outwards and the chains inwards. Don't know why but I just couldn't get it going at first. I struggled with the instructions just after the fourth SR where a chain takes the worker to the lower left wing. This I did about six times just so I could get the SS or RW or whatever right! Just hope it is now!!!

Looking a bit better!

Well a few ds here and there and another way of adding beads and it's looking a lot better. This evening (IF I stay awake) I shall try the very long picots again with the beads on. It's amazing the difference a day makes!!! I have tied this into the ring temporarily and would add beads to the feelers too.

Not so good!!!

I had to virtually re-write the whole pattern yesterday evening after Sue and I had discussed how to do it in one 'hit' and two colours!!! This meant starting in a totally different place and working in the opposite direction and then having to re-do one of the top wings again as they are not symetrical!!! Hey, ho, finally got to the end (this time the butt end!!). I added beads to the long picots BUT will re-tat again with fewer beads (i.e. one bead instead of Vlp's with beads on). Still quite a few issues so that it lies flatter but this may have more to do with the abundance of beads than the actual pattern. Yesterday's with the 'scraggy' looking picots did at least lie flat and the stitch count was exactly the same. I need to look again at some of the chains towards the tips of the wings (they could probably do with an extra ds here and there) and also the head which tends to 'hide' behind the two top wings. The two rings at the base of the lower wings also need to be joined, I feel. I need to stay focussed on this pattern instead of wandering off onto something else. I have a deadline - self imposed - but a deadline nonetheless!!!!

Goody, goody, goody!

After the hassle of the heart in the ring I nearly gave up trying to do anything more with rings. BUT as I'd bought so many from Claire's sale just after Christmas I started to feel a little guilty. I nearly fell off my chair last night when I finished another tryout and found that it FITTED the ring. Least it's pretty good for a first 'real' attempt!!! Next stage is to work out the lengths of the long picots and as Sue Hanson has already guessed - find out how many beads fit onto them. I think I'll only need 2 beads on one of the shuttles (for the ends of the top wings which are SCMR's). My only disappointment is that I can't work it in two colours without doing it in three parts. Still I'd rather do it in one hit and one colour with no ends to tie in!!!!!