Skunking around

So another day and another pattern.   Yesterday I totally forgot it was Easter and couldn't fathom why, when I wanted to shop, the darn shops were closed.  Hang on - I don't celebrate Easter along with a lot of people so why can't I shop?!?!?!?!  No worries - the cat didn't starve in the end and neither did we!!!!  I found one shop open which sold milk so we could continue drinking tea and we found food in the store cupboard!!!!

Here is the pattern for the skunk that I did for Tat Days last year.  

Actually this wasn't particularly done for Tat Days.  It was done for a lady who wrote and asked me if I could make a skunk for her daughter!!   I can't remember who it was who asked and I seem to have lost touch with her.  I'd thought of a skunk before but they've got such a bad reputation I didn't think ANYBODY would want a tatted one.  So IF you do want one then you've now got one.  May the smell be with you!!!!

The original giraffe

So when I did the doodles last year and tidied them up I deleted one or two that I didn't think were particularly good or important.

I've had a ticking off from my friend Marie in SC for deleting 'her' little giraffe!!!  I'd put what I thought was a 'new and improved' one on instead but Marie wrote the other day to tell me that 'her' giraffe was missing and would I put him back!!!

So, specially for Marie - here he is!!!!!!  My humble apologies, Marie.  Are we still friends?

New instruction pages

About a year ago Georgia or one of the Palmetto tatters contacted me to ask if I could do a simple page or two that they could use for handouts at Tat Days.  They wanted something to help with teaching brand new tatters.  

I had a firm word with BC3 (brain cell 3) who said he was 'up for it' so off we went into unknown territory!!!  Now you must bear in mind that it was well over half a century ago that I learnt to tat along with my gran who was learning too.  So to go back to that mind set was quite hard.

I did a few pages for them and it seemed a good idea to add a small pattern or two for beginners to try.

I remembered these pages a week or so ago and have been playing with them ever since.  I will add more when I next feel the muse.  Meanwhile I've had a lot of help from people checking them out and telling me what was wrong or coming up with great suggestions.  I know they're not 100% yet and probably never will be.  Let me know if there's anything you spot or if you have any suggestions for more pages.

Things can easily be changed but at least they're there (on the internet) at last.  I've had to change round the front page of the web site too slightly to accomodate the link to the links to the links!!!!!  Sounds as if I'm playing golf, doesn't it?

Missing doodle

Here it is at last!!!!  The missing doodle.

It was one of the original doodles that I did years and years ago and I thought that honestly it was of no value.  That is until Patricia asked where it was on my site!!!!  So after a bit of a search round the computer I found it, re-drew the diagrams and fiddled with the text before I put it here.

Now I'm pretty sure that that's the last of the doodles - unless you know better, of course!!!!

Jess's threads

Do you remember the threads I bought off Jess recently?  Well, here they are.  Aren't they wonderful?  Well I decided they needed something special made with them so I started playing with a new design (more of that when I get back to it - it's a long story!).

So, having given up on that idea I decided that I'd use one of my other older patterns so made this motif from this pattern.  

Isn't her thread lovely?  Trouble is I think it's sort of 'killed' by the lighter cream colour so I've abandoned that idea too.  More in due course!!

Hummer and Peacock

OK, here are the last two of the Palmetto doodles.  I think (apart from the octopus) that they're my favourites.  I love the little peacock best.

I had a note from Patricia a few days ago asking where another of my very old doodles had got to.  Hmmmm, I must have deleted it at some point from the web pages so a hunt ensued of my computer.  I'll be working on doing some updated drawings for it and will get it back on the web site as soon as possible.  

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!!!