A different sort of brooch

I went outside the front door the other day to put our shopping bags back into the car.  I felt a right dipstick as I zapped the car with the key and it wouldn't unlock.  Just wouldn't do that 'flashing thing' that cars do when you zap them.  

I stood and puzzled about it and then realised that the neighbours were watching.  Then it suddenly dawned on me that it was the WRONG CAR!!!  I go by the colour of cars.  No idea of make or any other details - it's colours only with me.  A car should have a wheel at each corner and an engine that works - end of story.  Nothing else matters.

After a bit of teasing from the neighbours the lady who was visiting them spotted a brooch on  my coat.  It was this one.   I also have another one like this too.  She ooooohed and aaaaahed and asked me to make her one.  Well here it is.  I scanned it before it was properly finished - it doesn't look as 'droopy' now!!

Please take a look at the threads used by Sonja for her pram which arrived yesterday.  Fabulous.  Also Gea has sent in her pram which makes the total now to be 100.

Roar, roar in a wimpish way

This is the penultimate doodle from the third cell belonging to my brain!!!  This is a little lion.  Again not a straightforward tat but quite cute.  Actually I think this one could've done with a bit of a hair cut!!!

Wonder where I've left my scissors.

Talking scissors - I've got two pairs of scissors (one pair kindly given to me by our own Diane) which reside by my chair in tat corner.  Why two pairs?  Simply so I can find one to use!!!  Both pairs seem to have a life of their own and regularly totally disappear even though they're right beside me!!!  Ah, maybe it's cause I'm SOOO untidy!!!

My Weekly 1998 - trees again.

Here are the trees making another appearance a few years later in My weekly - 1998.  I remember checking if it would be OK and it was.  These were 'given' to the magazine as by then I realised that selling patterns was NOT for me.  Too much hassle and little financial reward at the end!!

I didn't want fame and fortune (good job as I'd never have achieved that by tatting!) so it made sense to go with just holding onto my copyright.  Problem is (I believe) that once an editor/publisher pays you then the copyright belongs to them.  No WAY, Jose!!  Not in my neck of the woods!!

No milk today!

That's a note I used to leave on my doorstep back in my long and distant past - for the milkman.  

When I was first married we used to have milk delivered to the door but when my kids were young and I went back to work I stopped having it delivered.  Why?  Well it used to sit on the doorstep all day and in the summer would be rancid by the time I got back home from work. 

Now you're wondering what I'm on about.  Well basically - no milk/tatting today!!!!  Not because I've gone back to work - nobody would employ an old git like me.  It's because I've been so darn busy with other 'life things' lately that I've really not got anything coherent to show!!!

As the BBC used to say when they had a break in service - 'normal service will be resumed as soon as possible'!!!

Gecko

Well as some of you are already aware - I do have a gecko pattern on my site already but I really wanted to do a doodle one too!!!  This was a struggle and is not easy even now to tat.  Why?  Well it needs really careful awareness of tension on the alligator joins.  It's well worth it, though.  Least I think so.

I've added this little guy to the doodles page and here's the direct link too.

More eggs!!!

Here are three more of the eggs.  I don't have these anymore - gave them to some people who are doing something for me at the moment.  I added invisible thread hangers first.  

Oh, I've had the odd day of sewing lately too and have listed one or two roly poly bags in the Etsy shop here.

Two old birds!!!

The next set of doodles to hit the web page are these two guys.  I wonder how they'd get on together in 'real life', eh?

It always amazes me how the 'odd' ds here and there can either make or break a pattern/design.  I can't tell you how long it takes to make the smallest things - far longer than the big designs if you were to analyse it.

Being a 'bear of little brain' when it comes to anything to do with numbers then I'm glad I can't analyse!!!  Suffice to say that I spend a lot more time fiddling with tatting than doing anything else in my life - like for instance, housework!!!!!

Nearly forgot to give you the link to these two!!!  

Popular Crafts 1993

Well I honestly didn't realise that this was SOOO long ago 1993.  

Well I'll be jiggered.  When I did these earrings for this magazine I was working totally on my own (no internet) which goes to prove that great minds think alike as this design has been done numerous times before me and since.  Least I'm pretty sure it must've been done before me!!!  Surely?  

I know I had a lot of tatting books even back then but I also know that I was aware of copyright laws and would never have used a design out of an already published book.  So, BC 3 must've been born quite a time before this was published!!  Why?  Well because I'd already made numerous earrings before this!!!

I remember making lots and lots of these trees for friends and others around that time.  

An egg

No, I haven't laid one but some people may call me an old duck or even an old hen!!!!  

My sister (who's blog is here) is into all Christian customs and that includes Easter (whenever it is!) and so she started dropping subtle hints about it coming up soon.  An egg just might keep her busy if I designed one.  She did a stonking great little egg herself last year which is here so I've no idea why she wanted another!!!  

Anyway, I dusted off BC 3 and off I went.  I was left with approximately six really, really naff eggs before we were both happy with the shape.  I googled 'eggs' looking for a good outline image but there were so many and they all slightly differed.  I guess everybody has a different idea of what an egg shape is!!!!  Well, except for the mother 'whatever' who laid it!!!!

Anyway, here it is in all it's 'eggness'!!!

Octopus!

First of all a reminder that the shuttles and hooks will be in my Etsy shop here at 20.00 GMT this evening.  I've set an alarm to remind me!!!!

Beware - there's an octopus about.  This is one of the doodles that was on the Palmetto Tat Days agenda last year.  Here he is!!

I'm desperately trying to get all the C @ * P off my computer and onto the pattern pages but it takes ages to do each one so please bear with me.

I'm currently working on the doodles but meanwhile playing with an Easter pattern too - in my spare time!!!  In fact the Easter egg may well be ready by tomorrow - if life doesn't get in the way!!!!

New lock chain block tatted motif.

I must apologise for the delay (yet again!) on releasing this pattern.  Don't know why it is but it seems to take me ages to remember to do the links and uploads etc.  There's an awful lot on this computer which is ready go go 'live' and I'm working on that at the moment.  All the remaining patterns (doodles etc) which I taught last year at Tat Days.  Don't worry - they'll be 'there' soon.

OK - I'm done with this!  Here's the link.

A cedar shuttle

This is the cedar shuttle I spoke about yesterday.  It's a tad smaller than the others that 'im in the garage has made and thinner too.  It's really lovely.  Sadly there's only one this time.

Don't forget I still have two bobbin holders left too from last time.  They're already listed.  

I was hoping to make more of the new season's bags before I listed the shuttles but it's been SOOOOOO cold that the brass monkey has left the UK!!!!!!

New shuttles and hooks

I spent ages getting a new lot of shuttles and hooks with hats on into the shop yesterday.  They will be released on Thursday 14th at 20.00 GMT in my Etsy shop which is here.  This time some of the shuttles have been oiled with a Danish oil.  When 'im in the garage came round with them all on Friday he told me that they were oiled and later thoroughly rubbed to remove the excess.  I'm totally in love with them.

3 COCOBOLA ROSEWOOD $33.60 each

3 PURPLEHEART $32.70 each

1 EBONY $36.25

2 ZEBRANO $32.70 each

3 OREGAN MYRTLE $28.00 each

3 MAHONIA $33.60 each

2 AMERICAN BLACK WALNUT $28.00 each

3 CHERRY $28.00 each

2 APPLE $28.00 each

3 PEAR $28.00 each

1 LABURNAM $28.00

2 SEQUOIA $28.00 each

2 MAHOGANY $28.00 each

2 ROSEWOOD $28.00 each

3 EUCALYPTUS $28.00 each

Then there are the hooks.  These vary too with many different woods.  Some are 0.4mm and some are 0.5mm.   They now have the plastic caps which came with the original hooks.  'Im in the garage said that the wooden ones took him far too long to make and he felt his time was better spent making more shuttles!!!  I agree.

18 Hooks with plastic caps will be available at $10.00 each.

Oh, there's one gorgeous post shuttle but I'll tell you about that tomorrow!!!

More netting

Just to prove that this craft can be useful I wanted to show you one of the four windows I've hung netting in in our house.

Our house is a terraced one and the front 'garden' is roughly the size of a large postage stamp!!!  This means that people walk past close to our windows all the time.  I HATE net curtains with a passion but we do need some privacy.  I made some filet crochet curtains which have been up now for years and cover the main windows but got fed up with making those so resorted to my netting needles and made these. 

I've put both pictures up for you to have a giggle at the first one.  I went outside to take the picture looking back into our room.  You can see the houses opposite and the old git in the reflection!!!

Ready for consumption!!!

Finally I've got the page finished which has the pattern with the lock chain block tatting in the centre.  This was my first time using that technique and the pattern is a conversion of the snowflake on a ring (number 3) which is here.

Also on the page is the version with a large bead in the centre - I used a shell bead but any would work.  The page is now finished and up on my page here.  

Just to remind you - this is what it looks like!!!

Netting needles

Before I start today I would like to tell you that I've slowly started sewing again!!!  The weather has been a bit warmer on a few days so I've been able to get in the conservatory.  New fabrics courtesy of Miranda (many thanks) have broken my vow not to make anymore bags.  I'm easily led astray!!!!  Here's the link.

OK, so here are the netting needles I own.

Just to prove (to myself more than anybody else) that I did do a bit of combining netting with tatting in the past here is a picture of a piece that I did for a little booklet produced by Margaret Hamer and Kathleen Waller.  Interestingly I learnt bobbin lace from Margaret - via snail mail to help her write the first  of a similar series of booklets she produced.

Can you see the picture at the bottom?  One is the net made into a square mesh and then stretched onto a frame and embroidered on and the other has a tatted centre with netting round it.  That was a nightmare to do as the picots on the tatting had to be just the right size to take the knots of the round of netting.  When I look back I believe I had more brain cells than I do now!!!!

New technique page

Well I did it.  I got it done.  It's finished.  

Here's the link to the finished technique page for Lock Chain Block Tatting.

I hope you enjoy doing this as much as I did.  At the top of the page is a sneak preview of a pattern which I've been working on.  Well, actually, I've got two that need the pages finished off.  Just need to give brain cell 3 a kick up the 'you know what'!!!!

I've also listed some more Wrap It, Flip It and Mark It bookmarks in my Etsy shop.  This time they are seahorses!!!

Finally please check out the TIAS blog where you'll see number 107 from Mary Jo.  It's worth reading the link I've put on this post too.

Playing and messing around

Playing with the same pattern again.  I'm still trying to do alternative centres to the rings in the original.

Messing with block tatting with a difference too.  Can you see what I've done?

Instead of regular block tatting I'm using lock chains!!!!  Now this is MY technique and nobody's to use it and IF they do they've GOT to mention my name and ask permission yada, yada, yada.

Just kidding!!  Honest.  TEASING!!!!!  Well you know I don't take this craft or anything very seriously - specially myself!!!

I'm working on the technique page for this type of block tatting and will have it completed for tomorrow - promise!!!!!  It took a bit of fiddling to work out the best way to do it but I think I got there in the end.  All I've got to do today is work out a conversion so any block tatting can be changed to lock chain block tatting.

I've also got two new designs bubbling away using this technique.

Threads from Jess

Well after an extremely serious word with brain cell 3 just after Christmas we both decided that I'd got more than enough threads to keep me going for a good many years.  

Then along came Jess.  I met Jess and her dear little daughter Livie last September at Tat Days and was taken aback by the colours of threads on her table which she was selling.  Mind, Karey's was pretty darn cool and also Yarnplayers and all managed to leave a dent in my dollars!!!!  So after this serious word with BC 3 we both settled down and tatted and didn't look at anymore threads.

That is until Jess ran a 'free shipping' in her Etsy shop.  The stipulation was that if you lived overseas you should buy more than one skein.  Nothing but absolutely nothing was said about ordering four.  BUT once we both (BC 3 and myself) got into the shop that was what happened.  Here they are.

Left to right - Kaleidoscope, Carnival, Mindango Gum and Purple Pansy.

Not tatting but netting.

When I was in my 20's or thereabouts my gran (who I'd learnt to tat with as she was learning too) gave me a bundle of netting needles and meshes which somebody had passed on to her.  I took it upon myself to find out what they were and how to use them.  I had a very good trip to the local library who searched down in their cellars and found me one book with instructions on  how to do the craft and so I taught myself netting.  I went on to accomplish filet too which is another story.

So roll on a few more years and I picked up The Lady magazine in a dentist waiting room (or it may have been the doctors as I had young kids then) and read an article on bobbin lace in there.  I'll never know why but I jotted down the address of the magazine and wrote and suggested they ran an article on netting.  They wrote back and said that if I wrote one then they'd look at it and maybe publish it.  Panic set in.  I had no idea how to type so borrowed an ancient typewriter and set off to use it!!!  Well I daren't tell you how long it took me to write it all down.  Weeks and weeks and weeks of laborious one fingered typing!!!!  

I was gobsmacked when they wrote and accepted it and I waited for about two years for it to be published.  You'll see that the date on it is 1973 so I was 30 years old and would've written it at the age of 28ish.

They paid me.  I can't remember how much it was but it was such a small amount for all the effort I put in that I really didn't think it was worth it but I was SOOOO proud.  You'll see that it's published under my married name P J Dunn which I ditched as soon as the M R Dunn part of the deal left!!!!  Why be Dunn when you're really an Eborall?!?!!?