Oh dear what is the matter

What IS the matter with me? Every year I have this urge to knit. To knit socks and socks only!!! 

I usually ignore the urge but this year I gave in and got a pattern and some wool. Then there was the problem of knitting needles - none fine enough to be found in this town but I suddenly thought of the charity shops and found a set of four needles that were 'just right'.

Here are the socks. Now will I ever wear them? I doubt it very much but I got that urge out of my system and hopefully it won't return for a few years!! I did enjoy knitting them but that's led to other things - more to follow another day!!

Snowflake 4

Before I start - there are still some shuttles left in the Etsy shop here.  This way of listing made life a lot easier for BC3!!!!

Right - panic is setting in. Somebody said something about a festive season coming up the other day so I thought I'd better get back to these - my giveaways for this year. 

As soon as the Mop is over in our town the local council start putting up the Christmas lights. Must admit that they are rather splendid each year and, added to that, there will be another laser light and sound display show being displayed  on Shakespeare's Birthplace. Even though we don't do much at Christmas some things are worth getting the aged body out of the armchair and out in the dark to see!!!

Valencia again

I MAY get the new batch of shuttles up in Etsy later today - if not they should be there tomorrow. Keep your eyes open. Here's the link.

Well here is the next row of the Valencia doily - finished and shown the iron. Not blocked as I rarely, rarely do that and once this is done it won't need it. 

It's an amazing pattern to make as it's interesting and totally not boring. I just WISH I knew or could track down the designer.

It must have been designed around the 1960's, I'd guess. That's some years after my gran and I learned to tat. I would guess it came from an ordinary magazine - not a tatting one as there is an article on the back. If anybody can help find out who designed it I'd try and get permission to write and draw it up.

I'm now on the next two rounds before the outer motifs. I doubt I'll be able to scan it next time so the camera will have to be found and used.

Shuttles - all sorts!

Flash post today. 

I got news last night that the following shuttles and winders will be arriving Chez Eborall today. It will take me a few days to photograph the new woods and list them but they will be on my Etsy shop sometime next week. 

I want to get them up there as soon as possible so that I can get them mailed out before the Christmas rush starts. I'd hate them to get held up in that!! I'll let you know the day that they're going 'live' as soon as they're up and sorted. I think this time it'll be a case of listing them when I can with no particular time that they'll go 'live'. Just as soon as I've got them ready!!!  Oh, I'll post pictures  of the new woods and the new decorated shuttles and winders too as soon as I've taken them.

OK, here's the list.

POP-A-BOBBINS 

1 IROKO £17.50 

1 YEW £17.50 

2 ROSEWOOD £17.50 

2 OLIVE £17.50 

3 OREGON MYRTLE £17.50 

2 0AK £17.50 

1 JARRAH £17.50 

2 AFRIMOSA £17.50 

3 SEQUOIA £17.50 

3 EUCALYPTUS £17.50 

1 SPALTED BEECH £17.50 

1 KINGWOOD £17.50 

1 YEW £17.50 

POST SHUTTLES 

2 APPLE £14.50 

2 PEAR £14.50 

1 PINK IVORY £14.50 

1 ROSEWOOD £14.50 

1 VIOLET ROSEWOOD £14.50 

1 AUSTRALIAN BURR £14.50 

1 YELLOW HEART £14.50 

FLAT SHUTTLES 

3 PURPLEHEART £6.00 plain 

3 BEECH £6.00 plain 

3 ZEBRANO £6.00 plain 

2 ASH (Christmas Trees) £7.00 decorated 

1 ASH (bell) £7.00 decorated 

2 SYCAMORE (bells) £7.00 decorated 

1 SYCAMORE (tree) £7.00 decorated 

THREAD HOLDERS 

3 CHRISTMAS TREES (beech) £5

Hanky edging

This hanky has been my 'go to' project for months and months. I finally finished it a week ago and now I can share it too!!! 

I like to have something to pick up when my brain stops working on what I'm doing. Usually it's a hanky nowadays. I've no idea why I've chosen those to do as there must be something else less boring to fill that time. I wouldn't sit down and decide just to do a hanky but they're fine for now and then! 

This one is good 'tatting wise' but the quality of the handkerchief isn't that great. Not sure why as I'm sure I've used that make before.  

I always use a size 80 thread for handkerchiefs and the edgings have to be wide enough to be seen and done in one row. I couldn't bear the boredom of going round the same hanky twice.  I always sew the edging onto the fabric - never work directly onto it.  That way I can be sure it'll fit and also if I muck up the linen/cotton then I can cut the edging away and put it on another piece of fabric.  Makes sense to me!!! 

The story of a lanyard

Now this is something I simply HAVE to show you. I'm afraid I've forgotten who gave me this at Tat Days but it WAS a lanyard for my name tag. 

Tat Days goes so quickly that I didn't have time to change the one I'd got to this one while I was there. BUT since coming home I've worn it loads and loads. No, not because I can't remember my name and need to wear a tag but simply as a necklace. I took the latch keys off and joined the two metal split rings together - least I think that's what I did. I'll check when I go back upstairs!!!!

I've worn it and worn it and no end of people have commented on it too. So, would whoever made it and gave it to me please stand up and wave so I can say my thanks to you personally.  Now, do I have enough money to fly over the pond to do that?  Hmmmmmm!!!

Little Bo Peep

Well she lost her sheep but I only lost two!!!!  The difference between the myself and Little Bo Peep is that she knew she'd lost hers but I didn't know I'd lost mine!!!!

The only reason they got found again is because another tatter asked me via Facebook if I'd got a sheep pattern. I then remembered I had.  I realised that I had worked on one ages ago. 

So, off I trundled to look for it on my pattern pages here. Where was it? I couldn't find it. That got me thinking and so I went to 'finder' on my main computer and searched for 'sheep'.   I found it lurking in the design folders - in the 'animal' section.  Least I'm methodical sometimes!  When I took a closer look I realised I'd not quite finished it. It just needed the final links put in.

Before I did that, however, I thought I ought to make two - just to check it was an OK sort of pattern.  So, here are the ewe and her lamb just in time for the Christmas crib which is what the tatter wanted it for.   Oh, the link is here!!!

More about the BIG oops!!!!!

So, if you read this post the other day you'll remember that I had to cut out most of this round due to a failure of the brain!!! BUT what I haven't told you about yet is the fact that while doing it I had an even worse disaster.

Do you ever have 'those moments' when you know that you're going to do something totally stupid and also know that you can't stop yourself? I had one of those while cutting out the round. I'd bought some new lovely small scissors from Karey Solomon at Tat Days and I really, really love them but they weren't to blame at all - it was down to the 'driver' of said implement!!!

I did the inevitable - I CUT A PICOT! 

Now I wasn't prepared to cut off the rest of this round AND the previous one or mess with it further so I thought about it and had a BRAINWAVE. Yes, from BC3. So, what I did was - well, probably best if you go and look at this new technique page.  The results were fantastic and I was using a size 40 thread too on the doily.  Hopefully you'll never need to use this but it's there if you ever do cut a picot by mistake!!!

Starfish or star - you choose!

So this came about because somebody wrote to me a few days ago saying they were having problems with my starfish. I decided that the only way to see what they were having problems with was to tat it myself once again.

Hmmmmm, not as easy as it sounds, I found. There were parts that I couldn't understand either!!!

Now, bearing in mind that this pattern was written some 8 years ago and that my style of writing and diagramming changes over the years I wasn't surprised. I wrote this in the days when I assumed that tatters would be able to work out when to put a bead at the back of the hand before starting a ring it was needed in and also assumed they'd know when to switch shuttles or close or reverse work. Nowadays I try to remember to put all those things in as I notate the pattern.  Probably because my concentration goes on holiday too from time to time.

Thanks to the person who wrote about the starfish I can now present you with a - well starfish OR a star!!! As stars are usually five sided and snowflakes six I reckon this is a star but equally I'd call it a snowflake - just cause I'm awkward!!!

So the starfish is in it's usual place on the animal page but I've added it as a star to the motif and snowflake page.  Here's the link - and below the picture.

Valencia with oooops

You have NO idea how much hassle I've had with this round!!! NO IDEA!!! Sally suggested that I throw it in the bin but I'm a very, very stubborn old moo.

I took it with me to America as an ongoing project which was fine although I didn't do a lot to it but I had started this round when I was with Joanie. 

I kept counting and counting to make sure I was on the right track and all seemed fine until I got to the end!!!! I'd made a mistake. That was when I was cross with myself and Sally said to chuck it away!!!! BUT I couldn't 'see' where I'd gone wrong and for two days I kept going back to it over and over again.

Finally BC3 woke up and I saw it. So, out came the scissors and I cut it back to where the mistake had happened. At each end there are two places where there is a difference and I'd done a join instead of letting a small ring 'float'.

The rest of the story continues as matters get worse. And I MEAN worse!!!

Another new EXCLUSIVE member

Jeff sent in his mouse yesterday with the following comment:-

"I finally finished my bauble tatted mouse.  This is my second attempt. The first one seemed wonky near the beginning.  My mouse doesn't seem as long as should be; I think I may have tightened everything a bit too much.  I'll have to try a few of the other critters once I've made something else for a while.

Jeff"

I've added him to the exclusive tatting club members list on the page at the top of this post. 

I'm looking forward to your next critter, Jeff. Thanks SOOOOOO much for joining in the fun as I know you're a busy chap.

Finished angel

The worst part of any design for me is giving it a name!!! I HATE that part but sometimes it's necessary. Being of no religious belief I know very little about angels so resorted to google. I found lots of names and some covered all sorts of religions. Quite interesting, really. 

Anyway, in the end I've called her Angelica - just because I quite like the name!!!!

So, the final tweaks consisted of:-

a) A larger head. This meant, of course, working out how many more beads would be needed for the halo. I've used this method to make and 'anchor' the halo so it doesn't slip.

b) I changed the joins at the top of the wings/arms by moving the vip's to the top of the split rings.

c) Added hands to the ends of the wings/arms.

d) Made the dress (or whatever an angel wears!!) longer.

e) Added more picots to the under part of the wings.

Now I'm happy with it and I hope you enjoy it too.  Oh, heck, better give you the link!!!

Still not right

I'm definitely going to work on getting the pattern on my site over the weekend.

This version is another trial that Im not happy with!  

Not wasted as my little granddaughter thought she was beautiful and happily went off home with it!

I now know exactly what needs doing so it'll be a quick fix for the next one!

Converting a hummingbird!

First attempt at converting the hummingbird into an angel!!! NOT happy with this one though so it's back to the 'drawing board'. It MAY look OK to you but to me it needs a lot more tweaking. 

Thought for the day

If tatting is a 'lost art' then am I a member of an endangered species?

Guess I could be a dinosaur?  

Christmas colours

I suddenly decided to do the Inside Out Snowflake in Christmas colours. Strange for me to do that but it seemed a good idea at the time!!!! 

A lot of the people I give the motifs too for Christmas never put them away but keep them out all year so I feel that Christmassy colours look wrong in the middle of summer!!!  That's my perverted way of thinking, I guess!!!

I made this one last week but only remembered to take a photo two days ago. Not a very good picture, I'm afraid. Still it gives an idea of what it looks like.

What happened to the hummingbirds

There's a story behind the hummingbird pattern. First, as I mentioned the other day, I never thought I could design one because I'd seen so many really, really good ones on the internet and didn't think I could do one any better.  I'm definitely NOT saying mine's better but it's OK.  It'll do for now.

As you probably remember when I was over in America at Tat Days I was going to stay with my friend Joanie who now lives in Florida. Other times I've stayed with her she's been living in South Carolina and I've always been mesmerised by the hummingbirds at her feeders. She told me ages ago that there were no hummers in Florida (well, not often around her area) so I decided she 'needed' some. That's how the design was inspired - by Joanie missing her hummers. 

The picture below is what I made for her and took with me on my trip over the pond.  

Another two hummingbirds

Another two hummingbirds which I made for a very good reason.  I'll show you the 'reason' another day. 

Meanwhile I've added the pattern to the site and you can find it here.  Why is it called 'Joanie's Hummingbird'?  Well it's named after Joanie who has hosted me on so many occasions when I've been in America.  There's more to come about our friendship in another post.

Due to judicious 'nagging' (not really - it was more of a suggestion) from Sally  I am now working on converting this into an angel.   She's 'into' angels and I'm not!!! Never dawned on me that this could be one but it will be shortly!!! 

In fact I started on it yesterday so should have it ready and on my web site by the end of the week.  I'll keep you posted on progress.  Not sure but I think it'll need a halo - what else does it need?  Suggestions welcome, please.

Hummingbird

Now this is something I've always wanted to do - make my own hummingbird!!!! I've never got round to it before because others have done such good ones and I knew I couldn't do better. 

However I finally thought I'd have a go when I saw a picture of a hummingbird here which was looking sort of upwards. I made mine slightly different though - just because I'd seen others that were more 'heads back'.

Yesterday I was messing around on Facebook which is something I don't allow myself time to do very often. I'm not a great lover of Facebook and usually just upload 'stuff' from my phone when I've been walking and quick links to the blog in the mornings. Well I was sitting at the main computer when I decided to go into my account to change the profile pictures. Don't know why but I was looking through the files and suddenly found this hummingbird so used one of the pictures to change the profile. I must admit I was amazed at the reaction over the following hours.  Seems that people quite like it.

I did this pattern months ago and then forgot about it as I got into preparations for my trip to America. I'll finish it off over the weekend and add it to my pattern pages as soon as I can.

A new Valencia started

Do you remember the doily I teased you about earlier this year? It was Valencia which you can find here.

Well I enjoyed making it so much that I decided to do another but this time in a size 40 thread. The progress you can see below is where I had got to by the time I got home from America. In fact I started this doily as a piece to take with me and work on while I was with my friends over the pond but I didn't get much done!!! Probably because we talked a lot and enjoyed each other's company.

I'd actually started on the next round before I got back but an accident happened and a cup of coffee made intimate contact with my tatting bag!!! I must admit that the biggest casualty was the beige ball of thread that you can see in the picture. I did rescue a lot of it and then decided that it was going to the place where all thread must go when it gets old - in the bin!!!! Actually that ball was probably one of the first balls of thread I ever owned so could be almost as old as me!!! So, considering I'm 71 and started tatting at 13 it could be positively ancient!!! In fact it was becoming very stiff to work with so it was given the ultimate order - 'in the bin'!!!!

As no decisions have been made on what colour thread I'm going to use and when it doesn't matter if I haven't got another the same colour!!!!  I've got a ball in a similar shade and that one may well be used later.  Time will tell!!!