I have a habit!

Not a disgusting one or naughty (well, not really) but it's a habit!!!

I tend to call people a 'daft old moo'.  Well I also call myself that too (when I'm not being an OG!!).  This is a friendly sort of thing and it's something I've always done.  Probably stemming from my days of temping round and about and not being able to remember people's names!!!  I used to call people 'old moo's' back then!! 

Anyway, the following is a picture I took when I was in town early the other day - before the tourists were around!!!  I thought it was amusing (well, it amused me!!!).


More news on Royal Fail.  

Before Christmas the local sorting office were behind by 45,000 pieces of mail.  We're still getting Christmas cards - a neighbour had one from somebody 'down the road' two days ago which was posted at the beginning of December.  

Well yesterday the local newspaper stated that Royal Fail were now - wait for it - 90,000 pieces behind.  Now I'm beginning to suspect that this is affecting outgoing mail too.  The story continues.  Time for another walk to the sorting office to demand to 'speak to a manager', I think!!!

Big booo bbbboooooo

OK,  Do you like this little owl?

This is one that didn't make it into the shop!!!  He's currently sitting on my side table in tat corner waiting for a grandchild to come round and 'choose' him.  

I made him for a magnetic bookmark but he got into trouble and got cut off in his prime!!!

Why?  Well let me turn him over for you.

Now you can see why he'll NEVER become a bookmark!!!!  I mangled his eye with the 'new' iron.  Silly, silly, SILLY woman!!!

So then I went back to the onion ring owl instead!!!

I'm now making more critters for the shop - two more pigs.  I LIKE pigs!!!!  As I seem to have sold loads of these bookmarks over the past three days I'm now making more!!!!  Well, as Nick says, they do keep me quiet.  I'm going to make more button flowers and butterflies as that means I can play with my wonderful stash of HDT and Lizbeth threads.  Oh, and beads!!!!  Then I'll go back to critters again!!!! 

The end of an era!!!

Well, actually, only a temporary end!!!

The 'era' I'm talking about is a bookmark one - I've come to a temporary standstill having spent days and days making these!!!!  I finally got most of them finished and put in the shop yesterday afternoon and then had the final 'straggler' to do in the evening - before the TIAS takes over my life!!!!

Must tell you about the second picture here.  This is some of the thread that Sue Anna sent me which is from Yarnplayer's shop.  The flower is Garden Afternoon and the other green is called Celery.  They are drop dead yummy together.

Royal Fail!!

Don't forget - tomorrow is the 'kick off' for the TIAS!!!!

I know you're fed up with hearing about Royal Fail but do read on today.

On Monday this dear little teapot arrived in a Christmas card (yes, I did say Christmas card) from - well, no need to give you three guesses.  Yes, Martha Ess.

If you haven't got her teapot book then I very, very much recommend it although sister Sally says she thinks this pattern is in Karey Solomon's Tatting Times.  

Thank you SO much, Martha - this little teapot is destined to be framed and hung in 'Tat Corner'.

It's arrived!!!

Now on my web page - the new edging.

BUT hang on a week or two and I'll magic it into a bookmark for you all!!!  I thought that idea up yesterday and know exactly how to do it but just need time!!!  I may also make it into a small motif but brain cell #3 hasn't quite got his head round that idea yet!!!

I'm going to finish off some more magnetic bookmarks for my Etsy shop and list those later - IF  I remember and IF I get time (there's a pile of ironing to do first)!!!!

So, the list at the moment consists of - Fandango bookmark, Chicken Wings doily, more magnetic bookmarks, start another hanky edging (for my handbag project) and try and get some sleep from time to time.  Oh, I also need to clean the windows too but that's SOOOO BORING!!!!

Hanky edging

First of all I must let you know that 5 Pop A Bobbin Shuttles will be in the shop around midday today (that's GMT).

Well it's finished.  I thought I'd show you how I attach to a hanky (Gina gave me this one in a giveaway and it's a really great quality cotton).  This is not probably the 'right' way but it's what works for me!!!  

Before I start, though, let me tell you that when I do an edging like this I work a few repeats, then a corner and the first side.  After the first side you've then got the number of repeats so the rest is plain sailing!!!

OK attaching the edging.  First of all I make sure both the hanky and the edging are pressed and then I lie them out on the ironing board.  Forget blocking - it should only need pressing!!!!  I rarely ever block anything!!!

I use sewing pins to attach each side of each corner so that they're 'fixed' in place.  Then a pin at the middle of each side is put in.  Notice that these are just inside the hanky.  A few more pins will make sure that it stays while you sew it on.

I use a thread to match the picots of the tatting and then hook into each one and slide the thread through the fabric in between picots.  Job done!!!! 

All that's now needed is for me to check the web page, put in links and upload. 

Odds and ends!

I've put a post on the TIAS blog today so please take a look over there.  

Look what Royal Fail brought me last week!!!  Yes one of the 'let's spoil Jane' friends has sent me more threads and beads too!!!  Thanks Sue Anna.  

I finished the hanky edging last evening and will sew it on later today, I hope!!!   Well it is raining so I've got an excuse to stay in!!  Then I'll photograph it and will put it on the page ready for the pattern site.  Shouldn't take too long to finish the page off - it's almost ready.

Yesterday I listed a penguin and a dolphin in my Etsy shop but they flew out half an hour later along with a seahorse!!!  Guess what I'll be working on later this evening - more critter bookmarks!!!  

OR I may start another hanky edging!!!!

Another on my 'to do' list is to make the chicken wing coaster, sorry, doily that Geraldine showed us.  Good excuse now I've got lots of lovely new threads to play with!!!  I'll add another page to the web site for that.  So many things to do that I'll never be able to find 'mischief' again!!!!!

STOP PRESS - 5 new pop a bobbin shuttles will be in the Etsy shop tomorrow (Saturday).  I'll post pictures in the morning on this blog and will 'launch' them at around our lunchtime!!!!

Chicken wings

Remember Norman and his family from last year's TIAS who was followed (thanks to some prompting) by the chicken wing coaster?  Well I had a message last week from Geraldine.  

Now what surprises me is that with all this prompting and help I've suddenly realised I must've designed my first ever doily!!!!!!   I think I've been put off doilies for several reasons - firstly because there was little else to tat when I was a kid and secondly because I live in a house where doilies would be pointless!!!  Why?  Because of our clutter!!!!  So, this is what Geraldine had to say and what she's made.

"Just thought I'd show you what I have done with your chicken wings pattern, I had a thought (husband says these thoughts give him a headache) I wanted to see if it would work as you see it did. The one on the left I used braiding thread and on the right Altin Basak 50. I took just the top of chicken leg and added one double stitch to each of the side rings other wise no changes."

 

I'm gobsmacked.  Personally and between you and me there's only one word for what she's done - stunning.

Introduction and practice piece for TIAS 2011

Good morning.  Here is the link to the introduction and practice piece for the TIAS 2011. 

All links will be at the top of the page (above the posts) as they are released.

Please do shout if you need any help with this.  I'll be around most of the day and for the duration of the game.

My thanks must go wholeheartedly to three special people for being 'there' and for the following reasons. Gina (tattinggoddess) who has tested the whole pattern (brave woman!), Riet (Bengelblog) who is gallantly translating the whole thing into Dutch for her tatting group and finally Ridgewoman who tested the practice piece out for me with even fewer pictures.  She always says she can't 'fathom' techniques very easily so this is why I asked her to try it ahead of the TIAS!!!  I'm pleased to report that she flew through it!!!

An new edging and a pattern is finished!

I finally got the panda sorted and he's now living here!!!!

Also updated on the pattern site is the snowflake which Sharren made out of one of my very early patterns.   It's a stonking great addition to this very simple snowflake - thanks, Sharren.

I also got an edging started too.  I wanted a fast and easy edging for hankies.  This is what I came up with!!  The thread is one of the new Lizbeth ones - called Rainbow Taffy.  I used a plain ecru/cream colour with it too.

Does anybody want this pattern?  If so I'll get it up on the pattern page sooooon.

Something to make me laugh!

There's one person I can always laugh at and that is - ME!!!

At the 'tender' age of 67 I also feel I'm allowed to do that!!!  So my references to being an OG (Old Git) and a daft old moo are actually true and make me laugh at the same time!!!  I also think I'm funny - not necessarily funny as in funny, funny but just odd funny!!!

So, on New Years Eve the following card arrived which made me nearly pee my aged pants laughing!!!  It was from Georgia.

I cannot go through life without a giggle - even during my 'four bad years' I had to laugh at myself.  The Queen had an annus horribilis - I had 'four bad years'.  Perhaps she should've sent for me to help her see the funny side of her bad year as my four were a LOT worse than hers!!!

Thank you Georgia and all those who laugh at me and along with me - without you I'd still be laughing but very sadly, alone.

Happy New TIAS to you all!!!!

And, of course, a Happy New Year.

I've come to a decision.  The Tat It And See is going to start on January 12th.  

BUT there will be a practice piece before then which I'll give you on January 5th first.  This will give me time to help anybody who MAY need it with this teeeeeny tinnnyyyy technique.  

For newcomers it will also give you a hint of what is to come too.  Only a very, very small one, though!!!

Another bookmark!!!

Yet another of the magnetic bookmarks!!!!  I'm taking time off now for a while - well, until I can't resist the urge to make more!!!

I've stiffened this one so it keeps it's shape a bit better.  He's now floating around looking very handsome in my shop.

Oh, I think the Tat It And See is nearly ready to go 'live'.  I have a friend working her way through it at the moment so I think I can fix the date.  Probably by tomorrow I'll have sorted that part out and any glitches she may have found too.  There are always 'glitches'!!!!

Are you jealous?

Well as usual Royal Fail let me down before Christmas but has finally delivered the giveaway I won from Diane's blog.

The gift arrived (along with a flurry of Christmas cards some of which were posted locally on the 14th December) yesterday morning.  This is what I was expecting - the little pouch.  Just right for popping in a handbag or even inside a roly poly tat bag!!!

But this little pouch had a 'bulge' to it - rather like my body which bulges in places I'd rather not mention!!!

Inside was the following.  Some Sulky thread which is SO pretty, a ball of number 80 thread, a clippy thing (I use loads of those), an ezybob AND a shuttle.  I'm going to add pictures of 'just the shuttle' to show you how very, very pretty it is.  Thanks SO much, Diane, for running the giveaway and thank you to whoever the random generator or picker out of my name was too.  I'm a VERY happy OG.

Worms!

Now, today I want to talk about worms!

One of my secret passions is talking to worms but lately my worms haven't been very talkative.  In fact I've not seen a lot of them due to the extremely cold weather!!

It's true before anybody starts thinking I'm even more bonkers than you already thought.  I DO have worms and they live at the bottom of my garden.  See - you guys have fairies and I have WORMS.

They live in my compost maker and are very hard working little critters.

So now you're wondering why I'm telling you this.  Well, one lady who bought a bookmark off me wanted a 'hanging worm' rather than one that sits on top of the book.  So I re-did the stitch count on the original worm, added another split ring - oh, and some glittery thread and here is her worm. A glamorous, glittery worm and the total opposite of MY common or garden (actually compost) worms!!!!

Black and White

Now while I'd got the black and white thread out for penguins I decided to 'have a go' at making a panda!!!

Quite a challenge as you can see!!!  

Sadly there are a few cuts and ties in this pattern for which I apologise - I don't DO those unless forced to.  I like my work to be in one 'hit' from start to finish!!!  I'll add the pattern to my pattern page as soon as I get the abbreviations sorted which is my 'unfavouritist' thing to do!!!!

Anyway, here he is both solo and also as a bookmark which was is an order from somebody I shared with as I was working on him.

Total relaxation

This is what I do to relax!!!!  Make something I like making in colours I like too!!!!

I have slightly stiffened these so they keep their shape as the tails may straighten without.  Actually that's not true - I doubt very much that they would as I tat tightly and I've got several which have stayed 'as put' for years.  Anyway they are now listed so if you want a closer look you'll have to toddle off over here!!!! 

Update on Monday morning.  The green one has got the same built in secret wings that the penguins have!!! It's already flown out of the shop!!!!! 

An expensive penguin!!!

Why am I showing you yet another penguin?   Well this is probably THE most expensive penguin in our neck of the woods and beyond!!!

Why?  Well to make him look presentable I had to go out in the snow and buy a new iron!!!! 

I got totally fed up with having to scramble down the passageway between our two houses (us and next door) with a stepladder to re-set the trip switch on the socket circuit.  Every time I did any ironing it would 'trip'.  OK now I'll be honest  I don't 'do' a lot of ironing - well, not of clothes, but I do like to lightly press my tatting sometimes and as I usually do that on the way to bed (ready to blog) you can imagine the cussing that went on when I had to go and sort the trip out in the cold and dark (and snow!!!).

So yesterday I reserved a new iron online at Argos and then trudged up there in the snow.  Oh, that was after slithering down the town, visiting an 'oldie' at the other side of town and then going home.  Argos is is situated in yet another direction so off I went again.  Well I guess it keeps an OG fit!!!!  Boy, the backs of my legs ache today!!

Over the weekend I'll be adding some more to the shop - I've got it in my head to make a seahorse or two and a dolphin.  You never know what else may appear too!!!!

Oh, this little guy is now here.

 

5"

Despite the ongoing 5" of snow and little traffic making it down our road, the threads that Sally and I ordered from Zig-Zag Corner arrived yesterday with 'Mr Misery' driving the Parcel Force van.  What can I say about them?  Well they are the Lizbeth threads and the new variagated colours too.  They are stupendous.  

I was given some thread called Autumn Spice and I found I kept on going back to the Ezbob which it was on to use it.  I was convinced it was one of the HDT range that I'd been sent so was totally gobsmacked when I looked it up to buy more and found it was Lizbeth.  The new colours seem to be much better to me as they  sort of 'bleed' into each other without any sudden changes.  At my age sudden changes aren't good for you or your health and temper!!!!

Also via a regular 'on the hoof' postie came my magnets and the beads I won on Ebay (see below).  The beads are Impex embroidery beads and are drop dead gorgeous.  Thank you, Sally, for pointing out this seller on Ebay.  

So here in a snowy UK there sits an OG with a BIG smile on her face.  There'll be no more talk of Royal Fail (I actually gave the postman a BIG hug - poor man looked terrified) until they let me down again!!!  Probably next week as the system doesn't appear to be working yet.

One final question though - how and why DO they manage to deliver bills like the huge one from the Inland Revenue and the house insurance company?  Is there a wicked plot going on?   If so then can somebody out there put a stop to it, please?

Hmmmm

Blogger problems sorted themselves out yesterday eventually and I put the 'tease' picture for the TIAS on there.  No need or reason to complain about a very, very good free service and one that keeps me out of mischief (that's blogger I'm talking about although it could also be said about the TIAS)!!!

Having now been blogging for a while (since May 2006, for crying out loud!!) I wonder what I'd do if I didn't blog?   It's become a part of my life like my morning bowl of porridge!!!  Through blogging I am stimulated by others blogs and by comments that are made on this one.  So much so that a chance remark about penguins set me off on another daft idea.  I'll show you once I'm totally happy with it - which I'm not yet!!!

So to my other daily grumble - Royal Fail!!!  Letters turned up yesterday finally.  A customs 'demand' for threads I've bought from America.  This is interesting as the invoice was raised on the 15th of December.  Even that's taken five days to get to me.  Other post is slowly drifting in but my three small packets (beads and more magnets) are still not here.  Do hope that Father Christmas isn't an employee of Royal Fail!!  I feel I'm due for my weekly trip to the local sorting office for a grumble although the five inches of snow may save them this week.  I don't 'do' grumbling or arguing very well as I can always see the other person's point of view even better than my own. 

Some really, really nice folks work at the sorting office and I can't speak to them because they are so good - I always 'demand' to speak to a manager.  Doesn't get me very far but at least I feel better for trying!!!!