Finally the Catherine Wheel motif

The end of the line is here!!!!  Below is the final, final version and BC3 is now heading for retirement!!  

Top is 'just the middle' which makes a nice enough motif on it's own, I think.  I may well start with this as the beginning of another idea soon as once the block tatting idea wanes it could be the basis for something else!!!  

Next are two made with blue as the basis.  There's the one done in plain colours and the bottom one done in plain and variegated.  I know which I prefer!!!

Right - out with the sunglasses, book, bikini (YIKES) and the deck chair.  BC3 is heading for a long and happy retirement.  Wonder how long it'll last?!?!?!   Five minutes or fifty years?  Ummmm, doubtful on both.  Certainly the second as I ain't got fifty left - tat's for sure!!!!

Day 4 - TODAY

Here is the link for Day 4.  

As usual I will put it above this post too - just to make it easier to find if anybody new stumbles across this blog.

At a rough guess I think there are almost 90 people taking part that I know of.  I keep all the photos in folders for each day and occasionally count them.  I'm a very happy old git!!!!

Trying colours and changing stitch counts!

First an announcement - tomorrow will be Day 4 of the TIAS so keeeeeep watching!!!

So, there is a difference now between the purple/pink one here at the top and the brown/cream one below.  Just a matter of moving the ring slightly to the left.  When I got to this stage I felt I was almost there but it still needs further checking.  

Am I annoying you now?  Well with a bit of luck today I'll get the links and things done and ready to upload.  All these things take time and the full concentration of BC3!!!  

Yet another!!!

Lots more TIAS's in overnight - please bear with me while I play catch up this morning.  An OG has to eat sometimes, you know and I've also got to post all the shuttles this morning too!!!

The Tat It And See has almost 80 people taking part - well, that's the number I know about!!!  I'm thrilled with the numbers and delighted to see not only old friends but new ones arriving daily.  Thanks everybody.

I thought another colour may do the trick and make me like it but it didn't and I don't!!!!  It still didn't twirl enough for me but I carried on working on it!!!  I'll show you more and get the pattern up soon. 

Day 3 of the TIAS

Here is the link for Day 3 of the TIAS 2014.

Two announcements

Two things to tell/remind you of today.

First is that Day 3 will be out tomorrow morning.  Thank you to those who have kept quiet about my 'bad day' on Thursday when my main computer was having a meltdown!!!  Neither Nick or I could understand what was causing it and it took him most of the day to sort it out, bless his cotton socks.  During that time I accidentally copied day 3 link into my announcement post!!!  I was told by a tatter about it so quickly fired up the laptop and sorted it.  Things can only get better, can't they?

Also today I need to remind you that there are a few shuttles (see this post) that will be going into the Etsy shop later today.  The link to the shop is here.

I think Sunday is going to be a very busy day with blogging day 3's and any others that come in and sorting and packing shuttles too!!!  No mischief for me tomorrow!!!

One last thing which really, really made me megga chuffed was to notice on my dashboard here that I now have 500 followers.   Thanks for keeping an eye on me - nice to know that people care about my ramblings on here.  Really great, actually for an old git to know that there are people who are out there reading my blog.

More on the block tatting motif

Another go at the motif but I'm still not happy with it.  As you can see on this version I've replaced the outer picots with rings but they're not right.  Least I don't like them yet.  

Not sure what gets into me when I'm designing but it's like artists - you never know when to stop on some designs!!!!  Least that's what BC3 tells me.

Day 2 of the TIAS is progressing well.  Not sure whether there will be many more 'starters' but it's keeping me well out of mischief!!!

DAY 2

Day 2 of the TIAS 2014 is now posted here!!! 

It's NEVER too late to join in so if you haven't started yet - please think about it!!!

Also I have news today of more Pop A Bobbin shuttles.  The following will be in my Etsy shop on Saturday at 20.00 GMT.  That's eight o'clock in the evening in my time.

3 COCOBOLA ROSEWOOD  $33.60 each

3 PURPLEHEART $32.70 each

3 ZEBRANO $32.70 each

1 AMERICAN BLACK WALNUT $28.00 each

2 IROKO $28.50 each

2 OREGON MYRTLE $28.00

Block tatting motif progress.

Tomorrow will be day 2 of the Tat It And See.  Keep your eyes open at the top of this blog or the TIAS one.  I will announce it on a blog post on both blogs too and also on Facebook.  

Well today I'm showing you the next progress on the motif.  The whole thing was completed a few weeks ago so it's almost ready to put on the pattern site!!!  I just get a bit behind with linking everything up.  Also I do like to keep you all in suspense sometimes too!!!!

Fantasy Flower is finally finished

Thank you to all who have sent in day 1 of the Tat It And See.  It's a great start to this year's game.  I've got quite a few more in overnight so will get those uploaded after breakfast and a walk to the supermarket to get bread and milk.

Today I'm going to show you the final test tat of the new instructions for the Fantasy Flower.  Although it was OK as it was before I felt it needed bringing up to date and as I had to re-draw the diagrams (the originals were done in my PC days) I thought it was a good idea to check the wording.  

Now this is no easy task when dealing with BC3 who often doesn't concentrate on the job in hand and/or is easily distracted!!!  Still we finally got our act together and I finally managed to upload the finished amended copy yesterday.  Here's the link.

We're off - Day 1

Today's the day!!!  The start of the Tat It And See 2014. 

Here's the link for Day 1

For those who missed the introduction - there's a link above this post.  That's where I'll be putting all further links as well as announcing them on this blog and the TIAS blog which is here.

If you would kindly send pictures as jpg, gif or png format that will save me having to 'sort out' word docs and pdf's which I can't upload.  Thanks.

Progress - part 2

So this time I decided to ditch the ring in the centre idea and try something else - a naked centre.  

This proved to be another horrid start but a few ideas were slowly developing as you can see.  When I got to this stage I started thinking along the lines of swirling and twirling this motif but I wasn't not sure - yet!!! 

You can see on this version that I've given some thought to the placement of some rings at the end of the block tatting on that row.  They weren't there before.  I'd also started a 'possible' second round too but time will tell if that will actually 'happen'!!!  

As I said in yesterday's post - the completed pattern is done but I thought you'd like to see some of the doodlings  I did to get it there.

An experiment in block tatting!

So, here we go on my block tatting adventure!!!  Day one saw me starting with a motif I'd done years ago called the 'small motif'.  Some people (like MEEEE) have no imagination over naming designs!!!

As you can see something wasn't right about this attempt so it stopped where you can see!!!  Another lot of thread destined for the bin!!!  

I use yards and yards of thread when designing and that's why I keep a look out on Ebay for threads just for that purpose.  I won't use my lovely Lizbeth or other 'good' sorts for designing. 

Last for now

So, this may be the last one as I've got into another project!!!

This is in Rainbow Splash by Lizbeth.

My new project has taken me over.  The reason I got so 'into' the geckos was because of the new way I discovered to make a neat join on the return chain using the 'easy block tatting' method.  

It's not easy to design anything with block tatting as you always land up at the wrong place.  Yes, you can do a slip stitch type of way to get back to another point (like in the gecko pattern) but it's not always where you want to be.  

So with this next project I decided to 'go with the flow' and see where I landed up.  As it's nearly finished in 'real time' I will show you the progress and how I 'got there' over the following days.  Well, of course, that's if I can find all my rejects!!!!

Tat It And See

It's tat time of year again!!!  Time to play and get through the dreary month of January (and part of February) if you live in the Northern Hemisphere and time to chill from the heat if you live 'down there'.

The Tat It And See (TIAS) will start on Monday 6th January - when I'm up and about in the morning (that's GMT morning!).

Here's the link to the introduction so you can source threads and prepare shuttles.  

Let the fun begin.

Did you want a sneak preview?  OK, here it is!!!  Now that didn't help, did it?

Fantasy Flower 2

Tomorrow I'll announce the start date of the Tat It And See.  Keep an eye open as the link to the introduction will be on that post.
Although both pictures are of the same motif the lower one was taken while it was still damp after a quick press under a cloth!!!!  Also it was taken later in the day when the sun (what little we see of it) had gone in behind the clouds.  Weird the way colours change.

I'm still checking out the pattern as the text takes ages for me to 'get right' - or as near 'right' as I think I can get.  I think I'll work one more as I've still got loads of beads around me in tat corner!!!

This is the front

and this is the back

The final box

This is IT.  The final box.  

Guess what?  I'm almost tempted to go and buy more of them as they are such fun to do and I know that just before Christmas there were some black fabric ones in the shop.  

Problem is that fighting the invisible thread can cause OG's to nearly meltdown!!!

Just for a change!

As I regularly do - I decided that I ought to re-visit this pattern and I'm glad I did.  This is the first of several trials I'm doing of the Fantasy Flower. 

The main reason for looking this pattern over again is to see if I can improve it's 'understandability'!!!!  I'll need to do the drawings again as the originals were done on a PC and now I use a Mac so the software didn't 'transfer'.  Mind, I do like drawing on the computer - very therapeutic but hard too when you have thread and shuttles wound round your hands as well!!!

This isn't a very good picture as it was scanned.  I'll try for a better one later using the camera!!

Final box started

Before I start I'd like to show you number 126 of the 2013 Tat It And See from Anne-Mare.  I'll shortly be announcing the start date of the TIAS 2014.  Are there anymore prams still to come?  Not that it matters particularly!!!

Roughly flung onto the scanner are the first two 'parts' of the final box!!!  Again I've gone back to using the beads that came off the original one so they're really re-purposed.  

When I pop my clogs I'm hoping I'll be thrown into the recycling box which the council collect every fortnight!  Problem is - I'll have to 'smallerise' myself first to be able to fit into the bin!!!

Two bracelets

Well I doubt you'll hear from me for a day or two and I'm not going to explain why either!!!  Oh, alright I will.  

It's because there'll be nobody around to read my ramblings as most of you will be celebrating Christmas.  I'll not be going ANYWHERE.  Not even 'down the town' to buy the milk and a newspaper for Nick.  For us it's a designated two days for eating and drinking too much, falling asleep in the chair and most importantly - the giving of presents.  Which brings me to these two below.

A couple of bracelets made for a neighbour and her daughter.  I really enjoy making these and especially for this lass who I've been helping with her crochet.  Well, here's the link if you want to make one.  Easy peasy once you know how to do the single shuttle split ring (SSSR).