Jigsaw resolved!!!

Ta de dah!!

Here is the finished fairy. Now one may ask 'what is the point'? Good question!!! I've been wanting to do this pattern again for the past year or so.

I wanted to see what she'd look like when when worked in a number 20 thread as opposed to a number 80 which was the original thread used. I actually think I prefer it in the number 20 but it needed some sorting for bead size in the centre of the head and body.

Eventually I bought a bracelet from Claire's and cut it up to use the beads. Then I had to READ CAREFULLY my own instructions on the pattern so I could adjust the ring/chain count to make the head/body fit the bead. Actually it wasn't hard at all and the rest just remained the same. No other problems!!! Oh, I did have trouble with the wings but that was purely and simply me being a plonker and not reading the pattern properly!!!!

Originally I finished this design after a three year 'gestation' period to enter in the Lace Guild competition. The competition was really only my target to get the pattern finished!!!

Imagine my utter surprise when I won the tatting section and a lovely cut glass rose bowl. Where was I when I heard the news? In the basement of a house outside Cincinnati!!! I think it was my first or second year of going to Palmetto tat days. I was SO excited.

Whoops!!!!!

IF anybody uses the janeeborall.com url then beware!!! It's now a 'sex' site link!!

Reason? VERY long and complicated!!!

A young lad I taught many years ago set this up for me two years or so ago. It pointed to the globalnet site but then I changed it to point at the btinternet site instead.

Fine. All was well.

Then I realised two months ago that the subscription would soon run out and that Andy had disappeared off the face of the planet. Well, this part of the planet anyway. I tried and tried to get in touch with him via emails and his dad who said he was 'on a Pacific island somewhere'. Well eventually I bumped into him in town on a brief visit home to see his mum and dad and he said he'd sort it.

A few emails later and with help from A.N.Other I thought we were 'nearly there'.

Wrong, so wrong!!! So, if you've bookmarked this url please change it to this one for now and I'll see if I can get the other back and under MY control this time.

I need more web space so this is what I'm trying to achieve too.

My apologies to anybody who has been upset but you ought to know by now that I'm not in the least interested in this type of recreational activity!!! Tatting suits me fine - quite energetic enough!!!

Bits of a????

This is why I've been quiet for the last few days!!! Now, what am I working on?

Over to you!!!

It's pretty obvious, I think. I did a bit more in the evening and stiffened certain parts. All I'm hoping I have to do is assemble it all today - time and inclination permitting.

The hawthorne tree is all bagged and ready for re-cycling on Friday. Whoooppppeeee.

A busy but not much tatting day in tat land

I've got absolutely nothing to show today. That's not to say I'm not working on a project but it'll take several days. Probably get it finished over the weekend IF I can resolve the problem of the hawthorne tree first!!

Don't you just hate those days when you start a horrid but relatively simple job and it escalates?

There I was trimming the tree in the garden which I hate doing (I have to use long handled pruners and it makes my neck ache). I had made a great start when Nick came along and said 'why don't you chop the tree down'? The sparrows love the hawthorne but they've deserted us and haven't visited now for about two years. The tree is dead in the centre, never flowers and takes the sun off part of the garden.

So, out came the saws and five hours later the tree was down and mostly in the re-cycling bin!!! We had to borrow another bin from a neighbour and there's still another few hours clipping to do.

So, that's where yesterday went. Wonder what today holds?

New thread

I don't often get excited about new metallic thread but this one is absolutely fantastic.

It is a new line from Lyn Morton at Tatting and Design.

It's called Nakis Simi and the colour is Bakir. There are other colours too. A goldy one, red (well more of a maroon), green, blue and silver. I've only got small samples of the other colours but I'm going to HAVE to order the silver and gold today.

It tats (shuttle, of course!) brilliantly but gives the look of wire tatting and feels a bit 'wire ish'. If you look at the picots they all 'stand up' beautifully. I never use a picot gauge so these are all 'eyeballed'.

I love it. Gotta make more stuff with it now!!!

Ooops, nearly forgot!!

Nearly forgot to scan these to show you what they look like in a ring!!!

The last bracelet?

Now this could be the last bracelet for a while!!!

I hadn't got a pink one and I was told a bit of a secret that led me to believe that it might be useful to have a pink one for later this year!!!

Could be something to do with somewhere I'm teaching in September!!!!

Another day, another heart!

Here's one done in purple and white.

I'm going to make more of these as they fit well into a ring too!!! I'll show you them tomorrow.

Ummmmm, when I've found them again and scanned them.

A change of heart

I'm having a change of heart.

No, don't worry - nothing very much. I've spent some time this past week changinig this page and making alterations to the working of the pattern.

I hope it's now easier to understand!! It is now a 'one hit wonder' with a better tatted centre.

There I was!

There I was on my normal walk round by the river yesterday when something occurred to me that things were not as usual!!!! Yup, I'd actually got my eyes open!!!

It could've been to do with several (probably 50 or more) narrow boats which were moored on the river bank. Normally there are about half a dozen plus the chain ferry and that's all.

It turned out that there's a boat gathering in the town this weekend.

Anyway there were tents and shows and music going on and as I wandered along I saw a tent full of people tying knots!!! They were members of the International Guild of Knot Tyers.

Well you can imagine. Me? Knots? I was there in a blink of an eye!! This is what I made!

During our natter I asked if anybody knew Lily Qualls Morales (USA and a famous knot tyer and tatter) and several people had met her too. WHAT a small world!!!

More shuttles

Liz, who is another friend in tat land, sent me a picture of her complete set of Sebalace shuttles!!

Look - there's an owl there too? Aren't they lovely when they're all sitting together?

Can you see the moon over the top of the owl's head? I think they're gorgeous.

Thanks for showing them, Liz.

Bobbie's new page AND

I've now added this page that Bobbie Demmer sent me which adds a further 'slant' to the way she works her bauble.

I'm also pleased to tell you that she's kindly given tat land the pattern for the little wrist bag with the baubles - which can be found here.

Might be worth checking out my site again as I keep adding things and forgetting to tell people!! Not sure if I mentioned the new guest designer - Judith Smith.

Further studies of the SSSR

Here you are. Another page on the SSSR - this time it's the one I've been talking about where you can join to other elements.

I'm still fascinated by the different effects that the SSSR can give in my older patterns!! Little things please little minds!!!

When I first did the dolphin I realised that it could only be done in one colour unless you made the centre SR's in one colour (2 shuttles for first few SR's) and then took one of those shuttles out and added in another.

This is the result using just 3 SSSR's.

As the song/saying says 'what a difference a SSSR makes'. No, that's not quite right - should be 'what a difference a day makes'!!!!

I never enter these - BUT

I never get round to entering blog giveaways but sometimes, just sometimes, I'm tempted!!!!

This is the giveaway on this blog!!!

I am honoured

I feel very honoured to have been involved with the ongoing saga of the SSSR. Miranda wrote and asked if it was possible to join to another element while making the SSSR.

She did find a way (which was extremely clever) but then decided (she was right) that it was too unstable to use.

Jeanne came along with the answer which is stonking clever. Matthew has approved the idea and now between us we've got together and are putting together a web page.

This is taking time as we're all on different planets. DUH, I mean time zones!!! I hope we get ourselves sorted within the next few days. Long live tat land and all the talent in it.

Whilst doing the drawings in the daytime I've been playing with the idea in the evenings. Remember this bell pattern of mine? Well, look what happens when you use the SSSR (not joined as you work - just the simple variety) in this previously plain bell shape.

In fact you can put in the new red thread during the working of SSSR3. I'll probably not put this alteration on the internet as few people will want it but I will have the pattern on my system should anybody be brave enough to try it!!! Just write in and ask!!!

I know, I know, I know!!

Don't remind me that Palmetto tat days aren't until September!! I know this as fact!!! BUT I have to be ready well ahead of time as we leave the UK some weeks before I fly to SC.

This means that I have to be ready with threads, beads etc long before we leave as I never know what last minute 'happenings' might happen back here at home.

I like to get shuttles wound and beads loaded and some of the patterns worked up to the place where students might get 'stuck'!!! This means brinigng out brain cell # 3 for a jolly good airing.

Below are two photos of the tatting cupboard open and things strewn about while decisions are made. Then there's a picture of 'tat corner'!!! This is relatively tidy for once!!

Another bracelet

Now this scan doesn't really do this bracelet justice!!!

The thread is black - Flora black! The beads are golds, browns, purply/greeny/black ones too.

I made this a week or so ago for my neighbour - it was her birthday. I am the replacement babysitter for her boys when her mum can't do it. Love those kids to bits.

Seahorse shuttle

Do you remember that I won a shuttle in a raffle at Rosemarie Peel's tatting afternoon? It was this adorable toucan.

Carol Lawecki and Rosemarie both told me about it's provenance here.

Shortly after that Mimi Dillman (the Queen of the Clunies) wrote to say she'd got the seahorse in the set and had - well, this is what she said:-

"I have what I think is a Sebalace Seahorse shuttle that I won in a raffle sometime I can't remember when or where (an early Shuttlebirds workshop most likely). I've never used it nor have I pulled it out much other than to look at it and wonder who really should have it. Is it you, an ace Seahorse designer and tatter?"

So we did a trade!!! Mimi wanted a bag for her tatting and I offered to give the seahorse a good home too. Look what else came in the parcel - I'm officially a tatter now.

Thanks, Mimi - I'm VERY happy with our trade. I wonder if there is anybody in tat land who has the fish to complete the set? Wouldn't it be great to have all three together?

Tea for one

Oh, oh, oh. You're not going to believe this dear little teaset.

It's from Martha Ess's latest book 'Tea is for Tatting'.

When I first got the book I told Martha that this was one of the patterns I wanted to tat and she said that the teapot would be boring.

She was so WRONG. It's definitely and categorically NOT boring. It's actually very interesting. All the elements in the set are easy to follow and a pleasure to work. The only 'alteration' I made in the pattern was to use as size 20 rather than 10 thread.

Wonderful, wonderful little pattern. Thanks, Martha.

The apple is a small one to give you some idea of the scale of the set. The boys next door saw the set and just ooohed and aaaahed. I'm going to look for a transparent box of some sort to put them in. Stick them to the base and seal the box. Not sure where I'll get them from in our town so it'll probably be an internet search project.

Another new book from ............

The boys are back in town!!!

Yes, the Houtz brothers have 'done it again' and with the promise of more to come too!!!

Their new book has arrived in the UK at Tatting and Design. I know you can order from their own web site here but I'm pleased to say that Lyn has it now in the UK.

Of course, I had to have a copy, didn't I? There's only really one word for this book. Inspiring.

If you ever think of giving up tatting then go and look through this book and you'll be getting out the shuttles darn quick. Although it's in black and white only this actually makes it more inspiring as the 'greys' make the imagination run riot. I've just found this page on their website which will give you an idea of some of the things which can be done but there's SO much more in the book.

Thank you, Gary and Randy - an old git in the UK is happy again!

These are only my 'experiments' with the threads and shuttles available in tat corner. Neither to be taken 'seriously'!!!!!