Gecko pink cocoa

Here's another gecko!!! in Lizbeth's pink cocoa.

I'm sure you can remember that I went through a phase recently of making geckos and then I went off and did other things. One evening recently I decided to make number 12 and here he is.

Sally kept asking me (Happy Birthday, sis) why I was making them and I couldn't give her an answer except that I was just enjoying the colours!! Well, yesterday I decided what their fate is going to be. A long wall hanging with them all running up and down the wall!!!

Then, of course, I decided that I'd better do a few in size 40 and 80 to vary the look of it so that's going to be my 'fun tat' for a while.

The pattern!!!

Before I start.  Just a reminder that the Palmetto Tatting Days registration is still open.  Do have a look to see what's offered.  My gingerbread men are excited over their trip!!!!

OK, here it is in all it's 'glory'!!!! The pattern.

Hope to see other ideas using Loom Bands as they are so cheap and cheerful!!!  Meanwhile I may have another try at another design too.  Long summer days are great for getting things like this done. 

Taster of the new pattern!!!

It must be six months or so ago since Joanie first told me about an American craze for loom bands or rainbow looms. Well they've just 'hit' the UK and you can read a bit about them here.

We've even got two shops in town who have the bands and a guy on the Friday market has been selling them too. So, what's this got to do with tatting you may well ask?

BC3 (that's brain cell three) and I decided that there has to be more uses for these pesky little rubber rings so I bought a packet a few weeks ago. My excuse? Well, Abbi may want to play with them when the kids come for a week in the summer!!!! I convinced me, anyway!!!

So, here's the first design (nothing complicated) using these intriguing little circles of rubber!!!

I started off using a bead for the centres and then tried 'without'. A few beads, one shuttle, a modicum of finger tatting and it's a fun, easy tat. I will get the pattern finished off today and uploaded tomorrow.

Another technique page

Yet another for your use - if you should ever need it. This is the mock ring with a bead - hey diddle diddle right in the middle!!!

Now the reason for this mini splurge of techniques is cause I hadn't got them drawn up until now and that was mainly because I'd not really 'needed' them!!!

I have a new design which I'm hoping to get sorted before the end of the week  and which will involve one or both of these new techniques AND something that tickles me pink too!!!!

It's to do with - well, no, I'm not going to spill the beans. I'm going to make you all WAIT for a day or two!!! Aren't I cruel?

Technique pages

So this week I'm hoping that I'll be able to share a new pattern which has got me quite excited already. 

It's something that I'm sure nobody has tried before and at times I've realised why!!!! Well, that's not quite the truth as you'll see when I've finished it that the idea is relatively simple - it's just what I've chosen to put BC3 through to achieve it that's been the problem!!!!

So, in order to prepare you for all this excitement (yawn, yawn) I've done two technique pages - one of which you can find here.  This one is for the mock ring (MR).

I realise that in these 'modern times' that the way to go with teaching via the internet is through videos but I'm afraid I haven't yet got the hang of those.

Also I've seen a lot of poor ones which have quite put me off as I know mine would be really bad!!! Somebody wrote the other day to say that they'd learned to tat via my beginner tatting pages as they found that the 'hands' got in the way on a lot of the videos.  That is what made me get up off my fat 'behind' and get on with this page.

Milward shuttles

Thought you'd like to see some shuttles today. Not those being sold in my Etsy shop later but two I bought off Ebay a week or so ago.

One was bought for a friend who often finds that Ebay sellers won't ship to her country so I bid on them (sometimes she does) and the seller ships to me. We settle up with each other and I mail hers items on.  Then I spotted another one and put a bid on for myself. The one on the left is the one I bought and the one on the right is now on the way to the friend.

Several interesting things to note about the differences. Neither has the green ribbon which the shuttles always used to have on the hooks when I bought them brand new back in the 1960/70's.  Always useful when you wanted to find the little stinkers as they spent their lives (the hooks) hiding from me down the side of sofas and chairs. 

The font used on the two packets is very different too. It makes me think the one on the left is a lot newer than the one on the right.  I love the instructions on the right hand one.  In the many, many years I used the Milwards I never ever had any problems with them.  To think that they were made such a short distance from where I live is also amazing as that never occurred to me 'back then'.

I see there are several patent numbers on the one packet too (747, 745 and 746) and on the other is the postcode. 

Now me being a nosy old git I just HAD to google that postcode and it appears that the factory site is now a housing estate. Nothing new there, then!!!!

Tomorrow

A decision has been made!!! A decision on when the shuttles will go 'live' in my Etsy shop here tomorrow.

I will let them 'go' at 14.00 BST. That will keep me out of mischief for a few hours.

Please if possible - could you try to stick to one order and not multiples? 

I find that BC3 complains bitterly over having to work out what Paypal refunds to do!!!! In fact he threatened to stop doing refunds the other day but I persuaded him to think long and hard over that!!!

Just for eye candy - a few more shuttles!!!!

Guesses please!!!!!

Now this little gismo has been made for a reason. BUT can anybody guess what it's been made for?

I'll give you a clue.  The owl is not only there for 'prettiness' sake but also for weight too.  

Another clue?  Take a look at the other end opposite the owl - why have I added a metal split ring there?

One thing I will tell you - it's not an earring!!!   Too long and not pretty enough.

Last of the Fandango bookmarks

Before I go off on my daily ramblings about tatting - I'm wondering if anybody else is having problems with blogger? 

You'll see (below the bookmark) that I've taken a screen shot of my own blog. Well normally there are loads of blogs that I follow in my reading list but nowadays (well, for the past few days) I only get the latest one showing up!! Now that's OK except that I'm sure I'm missing loads of blogs that I normally read. This is happening on all my devices so it's not just the big computer, not just the browser but something is wrong. Sally seems to be having the same problem too.  

Just been snurging round the blogger forums and we're not the only ones having this problem.  Blogger are working on it.  PHEWWWWWW.

I woke up this morning and found blogger is working properly again but thought I'd leave this post 'as is' just in case it's of interest to anybody!!!

Well, the last for now!!!!  Again this is worked with size 40 thread and the pattern is here.  

New shuttles arriving sooooon.

Well, Saturday to be exact. BUT I'm not sure yet what time I'll release them!!! 

I think it would be a good idea to ask 'wannabe' buyers what time they'd like so - over to you!!!! If you can comment with the hour you'd like in BST (British Summer Time) then that would be very helpful. I will then work out the average of the requests and list them then.  Of course, I'll let you all know in plenty of time.  

What's that saying?  Time and tide wait for no man!!!  Well it's got to wait for me for once!!!!

The shuttles I've got are listed here:-

3 ZEBRANO £20.00 each (2 with hooks, 1 without hook) 

4 OREGAN MYRTLE £17.50 each (3 with hooks, 1 without hook) 

4 CHERRY £17.50 each (3 with hooks, 1 without hook) 

1 YEW £17.50 

3 SEQUOIA £17.50 each (2 with hooks 1 without hook) 

4 HOLLY £17.50 each (3 with hook 1 without hook) 

20 FLAT SHUTTLES 

4 PURPLE HEART £7.50 each 

4 MAHOGANY £6.00 each 

4 BEECH £6.00 each 

2 TEAK £6.00 each 

2 ROSEWOOD £6.00 each 

3 SYCAMORE £6.00 each 

2 ASH £6.00 each

Zebrano

 Oregon Myrtle

 Purple Heart

 Teak

Tickled pink!!!

Now do you remember how annoyed I was when it became obvious that my ladybird pattern had been used by an Italian magazine? Here's the link to my blog post.

Well I was very upset about the whole thing and discussions continued with Allessandro and I realised that the whole matter could be helped by educating everybody about this sort of thing rather than getting the aged knickers further in a twist.  In the end I agreed to send in a couple of my patterns to be considered for publication.  Actually what I did was take two off my web site (the dolphin and smaller seahorse) and tried to simplify them.

Personally I don't think they're as 'good' as the originals but, for this situation, as the magazine has started with simple techniques and is slowly building them up, I feel it works.

There is also a full page 'blurb' on yours truly too.  I had to copy type the Italian into google translate and found out that this is what it says!!!!

We are pleased to present in this issue of the journal, two works created by Jane Eborall, an artist Anglo-Saxon (means English!!!) one of the most imaginative creative in the world of tatting.

Work at chiarcchierino (tatting) since working with the shuttle, now about 55 years ago. During a trip scolasitca in Belgium, Bruge, was hit by bobbin lace made by a local lady. Back at home. his dream was to be able to carry out similar work.

Two years later, by chance, her grandmother decided to attend a tatting and also involved her granddaughter in this new learning.

From that moment Jane is passionate significantly to this technique and made it their hobby, so much so that even now and unlikely to spend a day without ever having used the 'mythical' shuttle.

Tatting for and has no secrets, since he created with arches, rings and picots an entire zoo which can be viewed on his blog http://janeeborall.blogspot.co.uk.

and on this site http://www.janeeborall.freeservers.com, which provides free copy from various schemes

Our knowledge with Jane and was random but very lucky, and everything depended on a ladybug ....... created by Jane in 2001.

And so was born a useful exchange of information and collaboration practica and that resulted in these two mervigliosi marine subjects that we offer.

Left overs

When I was a kid and learned to tat I used to buy the old Coats and Penelope booklets with my pocket money. In those they always said 'two balls of size 20 thread' or whatever. It never occurred to anybody to actually work out how much thread was needed for each item and that was the 'status quo'.

Roll on another forty to fifty years and it's now become the 'right thing' to do to add the thread quantities required to a pattern. I try to do this - just to keep up with the fashion!!!! However, I find it hard to make myself do this for anything larger than a doodle as I am aware that people's tensions are different and so they may well cuss and swear at me when they run out of thread before the end of a pattern!!!

Just for your amusement is a picture below of the amount of thread left on EACH shuttle after making a bracelet the other evening!!! I always wind thread back onto balls after I've finished a piece (frees up shuttles and keeps the 'right' thread on the 'right' ball) so when I wound the shuttles for the bracelet it was with threads put back on the ball from the time before!!! 

What a lucky old git I was, eh?

Pink cupcakes

So, having made the yellow cupcake earrings like the ones here - I 'needed' a pair for myself. 

Then I decided that perhaps - with a bit more imagination - I could make a pendant to go with them!!!! So, here's my 'outfit'!!!!

Sprinkles on top too!!!!

A change of direction!!!

I know I'm addicted to the bracelets but I also need to make a few more Fandango bookmarks. 

These are being made for a very special reason which I WILL tell you about once the event has happened. No, it's not that far ahead - less than a month, as it happens!!!!

I've worked this one in size 40 again using two Olympus threads. One plain and one variegated.

Here we go again!!!

Here's another Starry button bracelet and earrings set. 

I think I'm slightly addicted to making these - already planning another!!!! 

It's a good job I've got people to give these to as if I hadn't I'd have to turn myself into a multi-eared octopus!!!!

Yellow cupcakes

Today I can now show you these cupcakes that I made for a friend. I couldn't show them before as they hadn't arrived at her place!!!

The larger one is a brooch (just needs a finding added) and the small ones are earrings. They are one of the patterns that I'm teaching at Tat Days in September and the pattern will be on the CD that is available after the weekend is over.

Now I really need to make myself a set. Problem is - what colour shall I use? All these important decisions are so wearing!!

It's ALL Sally's fault

Both of us have had the tatting doldrums recently but Sally recovered faster than me and showed me these diamonds she's been making. 

I was so impressed I thought I'd play again with the pattern which can be found here.

I decided not to go for the beads in the middles of rings like Sally but I put them on picots and on the outside of the motif. 

This was done with Lizbeth 153 (Rainbow Taffy - a real favourite of mine) and Lizbeth 104 (Summer Fun) with two plain Olympus threads. I used a size 40 for all of them.

I think the doldrums are over now - thank you, Sally - I have other projects in mind for the next few days!!!!

Bag making continues!!!

I'm still busy, in between other things, making the new style of bags - the Squared Away Tat Bags.

There are a few in my Etsy shop here.

Must tell you a story about this session of bag making. I'd got the idea from somewhere on the internet and adapted it for my own idea of what it should be look like for tatters!!! 

I'd made a few (7, in fact) and then was forced to take a break for a couple of weeks while life took over.   Last Sunday was my first opportunity to sit down and start making more.  I'd got 11 cut out, pressed and ready to sew. 

So I started with putting the zip in the first one.  Easy peasy. Then I started the next part. I sewed it up wrong. I realised straightaway what I'd done and unpicked it. Then I sat and sat and stared and stared at the 'zip between four bits of fabric'!! What on earth do I do next, I asked BC3.  I walked away from it, thought about it more, wandered back and suddenly the lightbulb came on!!!!  I got it right this time - BUT the handle wasn't in the right place!!! !!!!!

FINALLY an hour later I sorted it out both the bag and the handle.  Then with BC3 - I was back in business!!!! I made more yesterday and this time I had no problems at all!!!!  These two below are in the shop.

Another set!

Now I really like this colour way. So hard to let this set go as I like it so much.

It's got to go, though. My box (second one) is full of finished tatting and I can't cram anymore in at the moment.

So time to put the ear findings on and think about who to give it to or to put it in my Etsy shop.  Decisions, decisions!!!!

I've already got more jewellery than an old git could possibly wear!!!

A larger horse

I'm not 'into' horses - never understood the attraction of them. I did once sit on the back of a pony when I was in my thirties. Frightening experience - no clutch, or gear stick and definitely no brake either!!!! Poor animal - I think it was as pleased as it was when I made my ungainly way off it's back!!! 

After re-writing the small horse pattern I decided to do a larger one to submit to Tat Days.  They didn't choose this guy so now I can share it!!!!  

Well, you'd think that would be easy enlarging the horse, wouldn't you?!?!? No WAY. I had to do a lot of alterations to make it work!!!

Well, best get dressed and have breakfast. 

Nearly forgot (what's new, eh?) - here's the link to this critter.