Another one done

The reason that there seems to be a sudden rash of bracelets here in the Etsy shop is because I tend to make them steadily over the weeks. I'll do a bit of one then put it down and go off and do something else. Then I find I've got several made but then BC3 reminds me I could perhaps do 'just one more'!!!

Eventually, after losing and finding them, (usually under the scanner) I need to finish them off. That's another hurdle. I do slightly stiffen them with slightly diluted white glue so it's easier to wait until I've got several finished and then do them all at once.

So, that's another stage done but the final hurdle has to be achieved. Packaging and photographing (or scanning) them all. That's why it takes so long to get them in the shop!!!

Now IF I have a custom order then I work like a bat out of hell to get the order done in double quick time. I sometimes wonder where I got BC3 from. Was he inherited or is he an infection?

A progression of diamonds!

Well I've finished another round of diamonds. Notice - the 'odd man out' has been snipped and consigned to the bin!!! You can see which one it was on this link.

I must apologise but I forgot to say yesterday that I'd had another pair of scissors arrive on Monday. So, here's the link to that one. 

Now let me think.  Is there anything else I've forgotten?  Well I'm sure there is but I'll have to leave that til tomorrow!!

Green bracelet

Well over the weekend I managed to get on pretty well with making bracelets!!! Quite why I'm stuck in this mode is beyond me but I expect I'll get better in time!!!

I've listed this one and the purple one here in my Etsy shop. I think I've got another three in various stages of progress!!! A blue, a beige and a red one with black beads - it's a variegated red too.  I hope to get them finished over the next few days.

Purple bracelet

New TIAS just arrived - number 110.  See it on this link.

Well I seem to be 'stuck in bracelet' mode at the moment!!! I'm never sure what gets me into these 'moods' but I know I'm not the only one!! Take a look at Diane and her shuttle 'mode', hatband 'mode', weaving 'mode' and recently doily 'mode'. I think we all do it to a lesser or greater degree.

Here's the first of the new batch of bracelets - they'll all have adjustable clasps too.

Crafternoon

Between diamonds I'm making Starry Button Bracelets as they seem to be selling well both in the Etsy shop and in 'real life'. 

So, when it came to going to Crafternoon yesterday I decided to take the latest bracelet to work on as I can now do them on 'autopilot'!! 

As it was a sunny, dry day (although bitterly cold) I decided to get to Alcester early. This is a small pretty town about eight miles from Stratford. I parked up near the library and walked through to High Street. There are several charity shops in High Street so off I trotted to have a quick look. I usually look for jewellery that can be taken apart to make 'tatty things' with. 

Imagine my surprise to find (in the first shop) these wonderful shirt buttons. They were cheap as chips so I bought them. You can see them in the first two pictures and drying out in the third one after I'd washed them. Wonder how many bracelets and/or earrings I can make, eh?

Deliberating diamonds

I decided that the pink wasn't 'quite right' so have started with two other colours instead. This time the variegated is Pink Cocoa and the plain is called a.n.other. Actually it's a very old Coats thread that I may have bought when I was a kid!!! Who knows - who cares?

Just thought I'd better let you know that we're now up to 109 pairs of scissors in this year's TIAS.  I've never had that many so early on.  Thank you so much to all who have kept this old git happy.

A wee rabbit

Well I know Maureen reads my blog most days so I'm hoping this attracts her attention!!! 

This little guy has joined the exclusive club and was made by Darla and given to me (yes, yes, yes, I own the real guy) when they (Katte was with her) visited me during their  trip to my neck of the woods.

This is her own pattern which I'm hoping one day to make myself and add to the guest designer section of the web site. Isn't he just tooooo cute?

You will have to excuse the pictures as this little guy is so tiny and it was very difficult to get pictures of him. You'll have to take my word for it - he's megga cute. See the little pink tips to his ears and his fluffy white tail? Just adore him.

NEVER smile

It was during the very early stages of designing the scissors for this year's Tat It And See that I sent a scan of progress to Sally. A casual comment from her set me off on another journey - designing a crocodile!!!! 

So, here he is. I used Marilee's Forest size 20 for this version but there are many crocodile scraps still lying around the house. Just have to be careful when sitting down that none of them bite my butt!!!!

Another branch

Over the past week or so I've been working with a Norwegian tatter called Merete Høidal.

She originally asked me if I'd give permission for her to translate the beginner pages of the web site into Norwegian. Naturally I said 'yes'.  After a little thought (perhaps up to five seconds!) I asked if she would like me to set up a Norwegian branch on the pattern site to host the files. So, this is what we've been doing. 

It's been a real pleasure to work with her and now I present you with the Norwegian section of the Beginners section of the pattern pages.

Long may international relationships like this last.  

House keeping and more

The housekeeping refers to the blogs that I follow.  I spent ages yesterday afternoon sorting them out. 

Why? Well, I went to add another one and got my wrists slapped by blogger who told me I was already following 300 which is the limit they allow!!! Naughty, naughty Jane!!!

So I went on a journey and checked each blog and deleted all those that hadn't been updated for over a year.  It was a sentimental trip as I deleted old friends who's blogs I'd been following.  BUT I couldn't delete Gina Brummett's blog - not yet.  There was one blog left there that I thought I'd deleted ages ago as when I visited it and clicked on a picture it took me to some very suspect places.  It's gone now too.  Frightening as who knows what nasties are on that person's computer.

I've got the list down to 204 now.  Next job is to go and remove from the front of the blog (that's the bit you see on the right side of the posts) those who don't blog regularly and add those that do!!!!  Well, that's the plan but I need another stretch of time to do it in!!!  I just hope that people will let me know of (or that I'll find) new tatting blogs to add.  I'd hate to miss anything to do with tatting!

Just for a change I made a Fandango coaster - and then I didn't like it!!!!  It just wasn't quite right for some reasons - just the colours, I mean.

Another!

I have had one of 'those' weeks when the sort of problems that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy have assailed this poor old git. They're ongoing at the moment and soooo complicated I couldn't possibly explain it all and anyway, I wouldn't want you to fall asleep either.

So, between dashing around yesterday I did manage to finish off the second bracelet and have listed it in the Etsy shop too. 

Well, I say 'too' but the other bracelet I put in yesterday has already sold. How COOL is that? That'll help pay for the web site when the payment is due later this year.  Thank you my lovely purchaser.

Bracelet Snowflake

Just remembered that I've made two bracelets quite recently but they managed to lose themselves!!!  I found them yesterday and got this one packed up and listed before I got interrupted by life yet again!

This one is made with Yarnplayer's Snowflake HDT and is soooo pretty. 

As you know I have an addiction to making these bracelets but there are only so many I could possibly wear so I've now listed this one in the Etsy shop here. Hope to get the other one packed up and ready tomorrow. I'll let you know!

Prevarification!

What IS it about my brain? Why do I start something then dither? Have I got a touch of the 'ditherifications' in my old age or have I always been like this? I can answer that one - I've always been like this.

So, I started the diamonds as a 'big project' as I'm just not in designer mode at the moment!!!! I'll get back to that mode in due course, but I do enjoy just tatting for play and without having to think too much.

Most of my life I've used size 20 thread as that was the only size that was readily available when I was a kid. Lately (and with poorer eyesight) I've decided to partly switch to size 40 as well - as 'they' say in America - go figure!!! So I have a smallish collection of 40 threads and want to play with those. 

The centre of this project is made with Lizbeth threads - rainbow taffy (which I always think of as the smiley thread - because it always makes me smile) and 'a green'. Now the pink centre is again a Lizbeth thread for the centre (something spring, I think) and then (and this is where the problem MAY lie) an Olympus plain pink. To me the pink looks like it's a thicker thread. OR is it the colour that's making it look that way? Well, only one way to find out is to fold the motif so that a green one sits on top of the pink. Guess what? The difference is SOOOOO tiny that a blind man would be very glad to see it.

So, onwards and upwards!!  OR does the ditherfication set in again and lead me to something else.  Time will tell!!!

Making new friends

One of the reasons I love living in this town is because people come here! 

Katte and Darla are in England at the moment taking in as many of the sights as they can fit in during a two week stay.  Fortunately they came through town yesterday and we had a lovely day walking around the sights.  Shame they brought a really cold wind with them but at least they left the rain down in Portsmouth!!!

So, when we got to the theatre and had a cuppa and a bite to eat it was then time to talk tatting.  We highjacked a table and got our goodies out.  Well, they did but I left home in such a rush I'd got nothing with me except what is always in my handbag.

I must say I was very impressed with Katte's tools that she's invented and shared and will tell and show you those another day. Meantime I've managed to scan two shuttles they gave me. The one is made of leather and the other is hand painted bone. It's SOOOO delicate that the lady who does them has to use a magnifying glass.  

You can see the two tourists doing 'touristy things' and taking photos of the Birthplace.  Bless their cotton socks.  OR in Darla's case - hand knitted socks!!!

Great day and thank you both for 'popping in' to my town and getting in touch.

A busy day

That was yesterday. I spent a good part of the day sorting out the beading section of my tips and techniques pages.

Before I give you the appropriate links I must say that it amazes me that the idea (which I know had never been thought of before) that I had for adding beads without loading them to the shuttle or chain thread some years ago was seemingly ignored for many years!!!!

It sort of amused me as I was using it but nobody else seemed to want to. Nowadays I'm tickled to see it being used all the time but what I find extraordinary is that it's also being used when only one bead is involved. Each to their own and I've found myself doing that too lately!!!!  I'm talking about the long beaded picot.  Now I've simplified that page here and amended the similar (BUT THEY'RE NOT THE SAME!!!) page which is here.

I've also added this page with additions too.  Part of it used to be on the long beaded picot page but I've now made it into a 'floating beads' page.

Not sure if you've seen this before but it's talking about how and where beads can be used in rings and chains.

So, that's what you call a busy day!!!  What else happened?  It rained and rained and rained!!!

Playing

First of all I must mention that sometime today (got to check my listings again) I will be launching the next batch of shuttles from 'im in the garage here in the Etsy shop.

There are times when all I want to do is tat and play. After the TIAS I decided I wanted to do a bigger project but in size 40 thread. I decided on the diamond motif as it's so flipping versatile when you've got no particular plan!!!!

So I chose these colours. The variegated one is Pansy from Yarnplayer and the yellow is an Olympus thread. I decided after two parts I didn't like the yellow - it's just tooooooo bright. Anyway, I couldn't just leave it after using good HDT thread so I completed the six. Mind, knowing me I'll probably decide I do like it eventually especially if I put a darker thread next to the yellow. Hmmmm, that's an idea - maybe I will do just that!

Scissors

Just wanted to share some of the scissors that I made while working on the TIAS. I think I must've made nearly a dozen before being satisfied with the pattern!!! 

I'm really pleased with the number of finished scissors that have come in so far with this year's game - we've now got the magic 100 already.  Thank you to all those who have taken part and those who will still arrive. 

An addition

One of the things I enjoy about the nearly sixty years I've been tatting is that I'm still learning. I have a need to learn all the time - probably because things don't stay in my brain for long as I think it's sprung a leak!  Send for a brain plumber - QUICK!

Remember the page I uploaded a few days ago about putting beads onto a thread before you start? Well Carolyn contacted me yesterday and showed/explained to me her way of adding beads.  I've tried it and it works well.  She said you need to sort of 'train' the needle threader by squidging it so the beads go on a bit easier but that's easy.  It's a great idea so it's now on that page.

I truly appreciate all the help everybody gives when compiling techniques as there are so many ways to do things that I could never manage to learn and illustrate them all.  Anyway, here's the link.

Shuttles for Etsy

The good news for me is that we're now at 97 pairs of scissors which is, I think, a record for this shortish time after the TIAS.

Now, I have the shuttles below to list in my Etsy shop here on Saturday.  I'm not sure what time I'll let them 'out' but they'll be there.  A lot depends on how busy I get between now and then!!!  Note I can now accept credit cards as well as Paypal too.

POST SHUTTLES

1 SNAKEWOOD 

1 KINGWOOD 

1 VIOLET ROSEWOOD 

1 COCOBOLA ROSEWOOD

1 EBONY

1 PEAR

POP-A-BOBBIN SHUTTLES

1 ZEBRANO

1 SNAKEWOOD

1 PURPLE HEART

1 JARRAH

1 COCOBOLA ROSEWOOD

1 MAPLE 

1 ASH

The top one here is a Pop A Bobbin Snakewood shuttle and the one below is a Kingwood post.

Second bead page

Well it rained nearly ALL day yesterday so I found time to do the second beady page.  I've got another one 'in the pipeline' but that may take a few more days.  Also I may re-furbish one or two of the others while I'm in the sorting out mood!

Today's page is about the placement of beads within the work which is a question that often comes up.  I'm hoping this page will help.