Secret Santa - follow up or IS ERIN PSYCHIC?

I was so surprised when my secret santa showed up but when I opened it and saw one of the items inside my stomach turned before I burst out laughing.

Why did my stomach turn?  I thought that Erin was psychic.  I'm not sure if you can see on the previous post as I didn't want to make it look too obvious.  


This was what was in the package.  A fat quarter covered with Normans and Aileens!!!!!  Now what AM I going to make?!?!?

Final day of TIAS 2010

OK, this is the link for the final day and hopefully the beginning of a farmyard full of roosters.

You will see on the final day that there is more for you to make.


I would love to welcome all the roosters to come and take their places on the TIAS blog!!!!!

Thank you ALL for taking part. Without you all this would've still been an egg!!!!

Mary Konior

Since the death of Mary Konior two weeks ago I've thought a lot about this lady.  I never knew her or anything about her but her books were published at a time when I needed to tat something different.  Most of my books and leaflets up until then had been the old Coats and Penelope ones with just doilies, hanky edgings and antimacassars in.  I think of her with the following memories of how and when I bought the books.

Back in 1985 I bought her first book just after publication.  I can't fathom where I got it from as there's no sticker in it to say.  It cost me the sum of £6.50 though and it has my married name in it so I was 42 when I bought it.  This would have been at a time when I was happily married with teenage daughters and a full time teaching job.   The book is A Pattern Book of Tatting. 

Her next book came out in 1988 and is the one called Tatting in Lace for which I paid £8.50.  Interestingly this hasn't got my signature in it but the following year when the next book came out I have signed it again with my married name.  That book (Tatting Patterns) again cost £8.50.  I can even track the time of year I bought this book as my ex 'went walkies' in November that year with my friend.  So I must've bought it earlier on if I was using his name to sign with!!!  I ditched 'that' surname shortly after he went and returned to my proper name!!!

The final book was published in 1992 and is called Tatting with Visual Patterns.  I must've REALLY valued this lady as I was having a tough time around then financially so to pay out £14.99 on a tatting book was a BIG DEAL.  It must've been an 'egg on toast' week that week!!  It was a real inspiration to carry on tatting.  

Which is my favourite of the four?  ALL of them.  I've enjoyed many hours not only making up the patterns but also just browsing these wonderful books.  

Thank you, Mary for being in my life when I needed you most.  We never met and never will but I feel I know you through your work.

Day 10

Here is the link for day 10 which is again very straightforward!  

Day 11 is still scheduled for Wednesday.

Day 9 - out NOW!!

Here's day 9 with just two more to go!!!  

Please just check before you go on that you DID join the last part of the last chain to ring 4 on the top of the (dare I say it?) wing!!!!

Here is where I mean - see the highlighted part of that chain.

Ch: 5 Lj (vsp last Ch above join btwn R12 & R18) 1 + (p above R4 – holding it on to p of the Lp’s) 6  Lj  (1st vsp last Ch) RW SS

Thank you to everybody who reassured me yesterday that they were managing TIAS.  It was SUCH a relief.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear

I'm worried.  VERY worried.  My inbox isn't quite empty but it's not heaving with finished day 8's like I expected.

Is it because everybody in Tat Land had given up on the TIAS?  

Is day 8 too hard or is it because it's badly written?

Is it because it was just a 'Friday' thing and nobody's had time to do it?

Is it because nobody wants to play anymore?

I wish I knew.   

All answers on a postage stamp to moi!!!!!!

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear

I'm worried.  VERY worried.  My inbox isn't quite empty but it's not heaving with finished day 8's like I expected.

Is it because everybody in Tat Land had given up on the TIAS?  

Is day 8 too hard or is it because it's badly written?

Is it because it was just a 'Friday' thing and nobody's had time to do it?

Is it because nobody wants to play anymore?

I wish I knew.   

All answers on a postage stamp to moi!!!!!!

Day 8 out NOW!

Just when you thought you were on the 'home run' here's day 8 with a few 'twists and turns'!!!!  

As usual - if you have any problems just email me on lovetotat @ gmail.com.  I'll be here to help - promise!

Also after this I will be 'hotting things up' as a lot of people have guessed what you're making.  

So, depending on how tomorrow goes my timescale will be 

Day 9 on Sunday

Day 10 on Monday

Day 11 (last one) on Wednesday.

Talking about Aero shuttles!

An interesting comment on Aero shuttles has been made on Fox's blog here.

I did think about sending out the 'tat police' to arrest Fox for murdering an Aero shuttle  but then thought better of it.   She is after all a tatter!!!!

It reminded me of the one I've been using for about six months now.  I've scanned it to show you.  This is an England Aero but it has a crack.  Can you see it on the first picture?  It goes nearly the whole way across the shuttle.  I cannot bear to part with it until it has finally fallen to bits.  I use it constantly and push the bobbin in and out as usual.  It's still got the right tension, the hook is fine so why should I throw the poor wee thing away?  Then I see murder being committed on Fox's blog.  Ooooooh, I grieve!!!

Day 7 - TIAS

Here we go - another day and another part of the TIAS!!!!

I'm sure that somebody will guess today - unless, of course, they have already guessed right.

OK I will tell you now that I've had two correct guesses but I'm not going to say who or what they said.  I will tell all when we've finished!!!!

Secret Santa arrived

My Secret Santa package arrived last week.  Yup, it was late BUT that was really good because it was a surprise!!!   Also nobody else had one last week so I was the only one to be bragging!!!

I'd convinced myself that it was totally lost on it's way from 'wherever' but it arrived safe and sound and it was from that all time one off STINKER called Erin!!!!!!   I'm calling her a stinker cause she teased me about it unmercifully saying that there was a ransom note from her postie on it too.  

What was in it?  As we say here in the little old UK - 'everything but the kitchen sink'!!!!

Here's a picture for you to see.  There will be more on this subject at a later date.  Believe me, Erin, there will be more!!!!

A coincidence!!!

T'other day I was browsing the blogs (as an old git HAS to do to avoid doing the dreaded H word) and was looking at the HDT's on offer.  I'm a fussy OG when it comes to variegated threads so have never really been that interested until I saw celery by Yarnplayer.  This one caught my eye.  I've got some lovely Lizbeth threads and others in green but really you do need an variegated one for leaves as I found out when I was playing with the beaded one a week or two ago.

Well, having convinced myself (yet again) that I didn't 'need' more thread I wandered off to other blogs.  Well, imagine my surprise AND joy when a packet came from Sue Anne Scriber on Saturday with - go on, I know you're better at guessing this than the TIAS - yes, some celery HDT in it.  Not only 20 but 40 AND some sugar maple in 80!  There were two wee butterflies that Sue Anne had made out of the celery and which confirmed what I'd guessed - there is a lovely graduated colour change in the dying.

Oh in the picture you'll see some chocolates there.  Ummmmm, there was one more but it got 'lost' on the way upstairs to the scanner.

Thank you, Sue Anne for the surprise package AND especially for the lovely letter which came with it - I'm still blushing.

Day 6 now added

Good Sunday morning to all in tat land!!!

I've just added the link to day 6.  This, along with days 7 and 8 will be slightly more challenging as you do a few changes of direction and adding in and taking out of your THIRD thread.  After day 8 the rest will be 'plain sailing'.

Please don't give up now as you are roughly half way and I'm sure you will like the result!!  I will be here to offer advice, support and extra drawings should they be needed.

Happy tatting!!!

P.S.  I thought I'd just add the following comment from Isa after she'd done day 6.  I asked her (because she was SO fast) whether she'd had any problems.  This is what she said:-

"Yes the was a little difficult but I read all the instructions very carefully twice and after I understanded all.

I'm so happy with this play because I'm a begginer. I'm learned in May 2009 to tatting. Today I'm addicted to tatted every day. "

Day 5 link is now 'live'!

This is the link for day 5.  Hope you enjoy this one - after this things change!!!!!

Re-inventing the wheel!

Well sort of.

I'm working on something new and part of it involves this wee sample.  

I did it one way and (as usual, having a butterfly brain) as soon as I'd finished I thought of a better way of working it!!!  So I decided to do just that to find out what the difference would be.

Can anybody spot the difference?  Same stitch count.

Day 4 is out

Wednesday morning and I think it's now time to release day 4!  How do I know this?  Because my inbox has quietened down!!!  There are one or two to add to the blog but I felt I ought to drag the aged bones out of bed early to post the new link and I'll sort the drifters in later.

There is no such thing as 'being late' with doing the stages of a TIAS.  Take it all in your own time.

A useful piece of information!!

Yesterday while 'sorting through' and listing the TIAS offerings I visited Isa's blog which is all in 'foreign'!!!!  

Thankfully I noticed a google translating gadget on there so clicked on that.  WOWEEEEE.  It all suddenly became English.  THANKS ISA.  I've now put a gadget on my blog so that anybody can read it - if they're brave enough!!!!

Day 3 now up on the links

Let's see if I can get the links right today!!!  For those expecting another boo booo on my behalf - sorry!!!!

Here's the link for day 3!!!  Remember this is a 'new start' but please don't lose the other part which you've put to one side!!!!  You WILL need it later!!!

Up-date!

Well I let myself down yesterday - I made a mistake on one of the blog postings - took me most of the day to find it too.  Thankfully Katie V and Wendy told me about it and Sally pointed me to the right place.  I've been trying to say thank you to Wendy but my message keeps bouncing.  So, thanks, Wendy from here!!!

What had I done wrong?  I'll explain!!!  As we're snowed in (I did manage to stagger out and get milk and bread 'on the hoof' yesterday) I thought I'd have a lie in and read in the morning.  So on Thursday evening I did a draft post but put in the link for day 3 by accident!!!  DUH, where IS my dear number 3 when I need him!!  So a few people picked up the wrong link.  I will NOT be doing draft posts again on the TIAS unless I've had a glass of red wine beforehand which might help, of course!!!  

I did explain to myself that it wasn't really the 'end of the world' as I'm not charging for this so in the end I gave myself a good whack on the bum, smiled and got on with the day!!!!

Tomorrow is day 3 and a whole new 'part'!!!!

Day 2 now available!!!!

Still 'snowed in' here in my part of tat land.  Beginning to go 'stir crazy'!!!  Who said that I'm already crazy?  I know I am!!!

Anyway, here's the link for day 2.  Now that everybody has got into the swing of it I think I'll be 'hotting up the pace' for a few days although things do get more 'challenging' later!!!!!