Breaking news!!!!

Ah, not a lot done this weekend. I went out on Saturday evening. On my own, without Nick.

BOY, did I have the best time. I spent part of the evening in bed with two guys. Now what could be better than that? Now aged 65 and I managed to 'pull' two guys in one evening. I was exhausted yesterday but that's the price you pay when you get to be a 'real time' old git.

I suppose you want to know what I did with my two guys on my night out? OK, I'll come clean. First of all we played with meccano and then, when we were in bed, I got the chance to read three chapters of George's Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dhal. My guys are aged 8 and 6!!!

When we'd finally exhausted George (and me!!) I managed another trial of one of my designs.

Good jobs done

Two jobs done and dusted. 200 motifs ready to post as soon as I'm dressed and 'breakfasted' and today it will be time to go back to my other ideas.

I also finally got the TIAS finished. Thanks, Sherry, for doing this. I'm sorry I 'lost the plot' on it towards the end but my friend was rather 'desperate' for her little motifs.

Netting (and tatting) - part 2

Well I found the magazine with my netting article in it and the other with the filet and netting/tatting combined. Now, how clever is that!!! I spent yesterday knocking the garden into shape ready for the winter and realised late in the evening that I'd not got anything interesting to blog so went in search of the two things below. The Lady article has been damaged but this might just be the copy that belonged to my mum. I think there are two other copies stashed away somewhere.

The Lady magazine was printed in March 1973 when I was a Spring Chicken of thirty years old. I must've written it then in 1971 which would make me a sort of stay at home mum who worked any and every job from mopping up pub floors to supply teaching as and when I could (no easily available child care in those days) in order to help stock the family coffers!!!!

The other small booklet (below) was put together by Margaret Hamer and Kathleen Waller an ex chairman of the Ring of Tatters (and of course, a tatter!). Interestingly the proceeds of this wee booklet went to the Lace Guild.

Must mention here that Kathleen Waller also published two excellent small booklets like the one below on filet. A fascinating craft and not easy to do!!! Also Margaret wrote several small but excellent instruction booklets on bobbin lace (I was very grateful to be her 'guinea pig' and learnt bobbin lace by post while she was writing her first two books!)

In the following two pictures there is a hanging which I did in filet and a doily with a tatted centre and the outer in netting.

Netting

As I've got no tatting to show at the moment I'm going to show you and tell you about my adventures in netting and filet.

The reason I've been scanning my needles and meshes is because I've been talking to Teri Dusenbury about netting needles. Mine are a mixture of new (as in the 1970's) and old (bone, wood). Some of the needles shown below are very old and some are again quite 'modern'. A dear gentleman who lived in Hastings and was named Theodore Faberge made some of the needles and meshes for me. That was a loooooong time ago and I found his name in a tatting book that I bought and which had his name down on the list of suppliers.

Initially I taught myself from a very old book that I borrowed from the library. I then found patterns in old magazines and books for the filet. It was, however, the netting side that took my attention as it looks just like a spider's web when finished. Once I did combine tatting and netting in a small doily. Wonder where that is now?!?!? There's a picture of it in a book somewhere.

I remember reading an article in a Lady magazine about bobbin lace. The Lady is a very 'up market' magazine for the moneyed folks and I must've seen this in the doctor or dentist's waiting room. I remember coming home with the Lady's address and writing to them suggesting they run an article on netting. I got a letter back saying they would - if I would write it!!! The ex had got an old typewriter but I had no idea how to use it so this article was a new adventure. It eventually got published some two years later (they take their time do magazines!) and I was paid the princely sum of £8.00!

OK, tat's enough for today!! Here are the needles and meshes. I'll try to find time to photograph some of my netting which hangs in the windows instead of net curtains. Weather, shopping and gardening permitting!!!

Why I am quiet!

Now I know a lot of people will be heaving a sigh of relief that I'm so quiet but for that one person who might enjoy this blog, I'm going to explain.

I said I was going to start on my Palmetto submission patterns but I've not got to that yet!!

I've had a request for 200 of the small snowflakes that I do for a friend. She's had a big order so it's all hands to the shuttles. They are very simple. Rings are just 2 - 2 and chains are 3 - 1 - 1 - 3 with the picots graded. SO glad that I'm not a gauge user as they'd drive me demented (stand up those people who said that I'm already demented)!!

These small motifs are only 5 rings and 5 chains with no sewing in of ends. I can do one every six minutes. (Just worked it out that by the time I've finished the 200 I will have spent 20 hours on them - that's also a good indication of how much rubbish there is on television!!). I had the order on Friday and already have 112 done. Hopefully by the end of the week they'll be done and I'll be back to the Palmetto designs. Mind, I did play with one the other evening as I do get rather 'bored' with the autopilot stuff!!!

Yet another stroke of luck!

I know this blog is supposed to be about tatting but it is titled 'nothing much else' so I'm going to use that as my excuse!!!

During my 65 years and 2 days on this planet some odd things have happened to me. I'm sure they happen to most people so this is my story.

Yesterday I had to pick up some odds and ends from Home Base which (for those not in the UK is a DIY store) and so after I'd been out and about I popped in to pick them up. Well, first of all I arrived there dying for a pee!!! This place actually does have a loo (one of the things I MOST admire about shopping in the USA is the abundance of these facilities) so I did consider making a visit there first. However I went down the wrong aisle so postponed my visit!!! That's where and why I got lucky!!!

So, there I was standing in front of the loft insulation stuff. You can buy 2 humungous rolls for the price of 1 in two thicknesses. I stood there mathering (which I'm VERY good at) about which thickness to buy when a man further along the aisle asked me whether I was buying 1 or 2 rolls. I said my 'remit' was to buy 2. ('Im wot must be obeyed said very firmly that we needed 2). So we had a chat (me and this man) and he said he only needed a small amount of one roll. Anyway he said he was going to buy 2 (as that was the offer) and would give me one of his for free. Well, I couldn't believe it but that's exactly what happened. We went to pay and agreed to meet outside where I was given a free roll in the car park!!!!!

The funniest part was when I got home with 3 rolls. Nick was aghast. Why did you buy three when I only need two? Then it dawned on him that the offer was two for the price of one!!! Why didn't you get four, then? Boy, was I the megga star when I told him what had happened!!!

A stroke of luck

I had a huge stroke of luck yesterday afternoon.

Most afternoons I go for a walk. I usually go round the river and back up through the town and yesterday I had some banking to do on my way back through the main streets. Before going out I'd noticed an article on a new shop that had opened in one of the small shopping malls so as it was near the building society I decided to take a look.

On the way there I saw another shop was closing down. It's one I'd never been into before. A balloon and party one. So, I went in and had a look around. I noticed some bolts of fabric on a shelf. I reckon there must be about 4 yards in each. Colours are white, cream, two blues, purple and green. I bought them all and paid only 50p for each one. That's about a dollar. They'll make splendid linings for roly poly bags and some will make the bags themselves (I'm thinking of the purple!!).

I finished the matching earwigs for Etsy in the evening so back to playing again!!!

Whoooopeeeee

The muse struck in the middle of the night! I usually sleep well but occasionally go through bouts of having a 'buzzy brain'. Last night I slept really well but awoke in a sort of half sleep to find an idea (or 2) pop into my head.

I'm afraid I'll not be able to share these as I'm going to 'sit on them' for submission to Palmetto Tat Days in 2009 for a teaching position. I know it's a tad early to start thinking of this but I'm afraid I'm a terrible 'planner ahead' at times. I also want to give the Palmetto 'gals' a choice too if possible. I love to teach new ideas/techniques and something occurred to me in the middle of the night. These ideas/techniques might not always be brand new in tat land but are those that people tend to 'avoid' at all costs - rather like split chains!!!! Not that I'm saying that these will be involved but I hope you 'get my meaning'!!!!

Yesterday evening I made a brooch and hope to finish off a matching pair of earwigs this evening. They have started to sell in my Etsy store which is very pleasing as I'm trying to earn my air fair to the USA next year!!!! Here is the brooch.

I'm FED UP with myself

I get very fed up at this stage of a non starter design. Yesterday I drew out the outline to this project using Serif and tracing over a picture. As it was a horrid, wet and cold day I spent a couple of hours thinking through progress and 'filling in' the outline with a possible way of working it.

In the evening I started to tat it (see below). Total and utter failure!!! IF I get time today I might try to change the diagram filling as I did think out another idea in those last few minutes before I fell asleep last night. At times like these I'd happily give up trying new stuff. Below is the day's 'waste of thread'!!!!

I then have to remind myself of past successes like the pendant and earwigs.

Advice on how to waste thread

Easy. Become a sort of designer like me!!! I've just started out on another idea. Starting is sometimes very hard. I want this to be another TIAS so it has to be 'devious'. Not only that it has to be balanced in skills and looks too. I now have about half a dozen 'false starts' in the first evening. Hopefully this idea will eventually work but at the moment it appears to be the best way on earth to waste thread!!!! By the way, this is SO normal for me. The reluctance to start and the inability to get under way!!!

Before settling down in the evening I did the next part of the TIAS.

Yesterday

Yesterday I felt 'delicate'. The wedding on Saturday was fantastic. The bride was beautiful, her boys were (as ever) extremely well behaved (they even slept for me when I baby sat on Friday evening!) and the champagne flowed freely throughout. The food was amazing and the sun shone and shone (extremely unusual for the UK this year) . The whole occasion took place in our Town Hall which was built in 1643 and which provided an amazing venue.

So, Sunday was spent in a 'coming down to earth' mode! No, not a hangover as such but I was tired.

As I'd sold the only pair of Christmas tree earrings I'd made on Etsy while we were out, I replenished that meagre stock during the afternoon. I also made another pair with red 'lights/beads' which I will list today when I've done my dad's shopping etc.

Don't even bother!!!

Don't bother to check the blog tomorrow. I won't get anything done today. We're off out to a wedding. This is why I made the horseshoe.

I did finish the earrings yesterday and they're below. Also tidied up 'tat corner' but 'im wot must be obeyed said (and quite rightly) 'that'll never last'. Still, for a few hours, it does look reasonably tidy!!!

Poor tatting day!

I have nothing to show. Totally and utterly nothing!!! That's not to say that I didn't tat yesterday but I think all the brain cells had returned to Martha!!

I'd decided to check out the medium sized earring that I made the other day. That is, do it again checking the text etc. First of all I need to learn to read my own stuff!! Next I need to follow what I've written!! In the original I'd done a hanging bead in the centre but decided that it would be easier for anybody working it to have it attached at the opposite side. What I'd neglected to tell myself was to change the bead order on the shuttle thread before starting and then the order things were worked!! Got that done eventually and on to the outer part.

I started off badly by missing a bead out at the first join to the inner section so had to undo lots. Then I put in too many ds's/beads all the way round. Actually this didn't matter and probably improved the design as I'd changed threads to a 40 rather than a 20. I will look again at it today. So, I got one done and I need to do the other today with (hopefully) a lot fewer hiccups!!!!

Etsy, Christmas trees and another pendant!!

Boy, did I do a lot yesterday!!! I finally managed to squeeze a couple of hours in the afternoon to list the new Christmas tree brooches (and earrings) in my Etsy shop.

I also managed to 'tweak' the pendant yet again and this time I used blue no. 40 thread. This is the final version - not that you'll see a lot of difference between this and yesterday's pink one!!!

I've finished the pendant!

I've done it at last!!! In the end the simplest way to get round the stitch adjustment was to 'cheat'!!! Well, not really cheating as such. I just changed threads from a number 20 to a number 40 and tat did the trick!!!

Oh, another thing. We were out and about yesterday and went to a new bead shop I'd heard of. It was right out in the 'sticks' and at a craft centre. The centre has small outlets in old farm buildings so I wasn't that bothered about going there as many of these places are a dissapointment when you finally find them. Also I don't NEED anymore beads!!!

Well I thought I'd gone to bead heaven when I walked in the door. Did I buy any beads? What do you think?

The owner told me they're expanding threefold next year and are currently setting up a web site so I think it'll become a regular haunt - corse I won't need anymore beads, will I? I'll just go there to look, won't I?

Presents

Yesterday the postman came. IF he ever brings me anything it's usually a household bill!!!

There was a packet for me from the USA. I was SO excited as I wasn't expecting anything. When I opened it I found the shuttle below tucked inside a Palmetto tshirt. I was going to model the tshirt and then lie on the scanner to show you but for some weird reason I couldn't get myself to fit on the platten!!

Best of all was the letter inside which was from Barbara Hevener. She's the lady who won the competition for the tat days logo which you can see on their page. Apparently she thinks I did a lot to help her but I'm not sure I did!!! She has a copy of the drawing programme I use and all I did was nudge her along into using it - she's a VERY fast learner. I honestly don't think I did much but I'm SO pleased with my presents. Thank you, Barbara from a VERY happy bunny in the U.K.

Good points and bad points

I've been working on the pendant and you can see progress below with at least two ideas trialed in the outer round. Looks good BUT it isn't really! The way I've added the central teardrop bead looks really good and is very easy but it's not in the right place. I need to get it dropped from the bottom of a ring and then re-joined later. I did this in this bracelet design so it's just a matter of changing things a little. Either that or I change the centre completely.

I'm reasonably happy with the outer round but it does need a lot of tweaking with the stitch count or a change to a number 40 thread. I'll decide later today!!!

I had fun yesterday adding all the blogs that I follow to my dashboard. Still not totally sure how this works but I'm gradually understanding it. I've now got 11 followers - yipppeeee.

I forgot to add that I've re-listed the remaining tatting leaflets in ebay.

All sorts to tell today!

A boring, boring, megga boring evening on the telly and several false starts on the next earring which has now been upgraded to a pendant because I feel it's a tad toooo big as an earring - even for me!!! Also, of course, it gives me more scope to play. I've put two of my false starts down below with the third better one (with a hanging bead). I shall continue with this later. Also 'down below' are the finished medium earwigs which don't look half as good as they do in 'real life'. Nick says they look like expensive Victorian antique jewelery.

Goodness knows how but I was fiddling around with the blog and found a new gadget - followers!!! So I added it to the top left of the page. I was totally gobsmacked when I put it on to find that immediately I'd got five followers. Can't tell you how brilliant that feels. I use google alerts for blogs but I'm going to have a look at the gadgets again to see what others are being offered. I shall be looking to add myself to other people's blogs too!! BEWARE - daft old git at large!!!

Thanks to Sherry (celticdreamweaver) I have now added the Spanish couple to my site. I'd completely forgotten them. Sorry, Sherry but thanks for reminding me!!!

Earrings again!

This earring 'phase' is set to last a little longer, I think!! Doing these isn't as easy as it would at first appear. Adjusting stitch counts and making a very small (very beaded!) motif for the centres is also very hard.
Anyway, below is the progress on the medium sized hoop.
On the left is a central motif that just 'didn't work'. This attempt has now been 're-cycled'!!!! The middle one - this has a new inner but I wasn't happy with the outer part. I needed to adjust the stitch count and use better beads. The final attempt on the right is fine - for now!!! I love the hanging bead in the centre and hanging below the hoop. Looks 'classier' than the long beaded picot on the first trial.

Fun with earrings

I finished the other earring of the pair I was making the day before yesterday (the brown ones) which means that I have yet another pair to choose from in the mornings!!! I really MUST clear out some of the darn earwigs - they're taking over my bedside table - in fact I'm sure they're breeding!!

Anyway yesterday morning I sat down and did the drawings for this pair. This is a fairly big task even though it's only a small piece as I want to be sure that people can follow my perverted way of working it easily.

In the evening I started working on the medium sized hoop. This one measures 1" in diameter so I don't want to make it any larger than that if I can help it. I've solved this problem by working beads into the covering over the ring.

The inner (as you can see below) is sort of OK. I shall work the central large bead into it in another way. I really fancy a 'dangly' something in the middle there. In fact I've been experimenting with ways to do that (the pink 'bits' at the bottom). All I've done is take ......... heck, I'll explain it on the pattern and do a drawing but it's really easy.

If you look really closely at the scan you'll see there are definite variations as I've worked round the ring. I was trying to work out how many ds's to do etc. I think I'll add another large 'dangly' bead at the bottom instead of the LBP. Anyway, that's this evening's task sorted!!!