Three words today

Here it is!!!

I can tell you one thing - this was NOT an easy pattern!! Well the tatting part was OK but the thinking of what to call it was a total NIGHTMARE!!! I'm absolutely hopeless at naming things.

This isn't (hopefully) the end of this adventure as I want to make certain 'alterations' to the design so it's more 'snowflake like'. Time and inclination will tell if this does happen, however!!!

Finally!

Finally got this out of my system!!! All I've got to do is think up a name so I'm asking for help with that.

I really, really struggle with names for patterns but once this has been 'Christened' I will put it on my site. Eta came up with a possible one but I'm still not sure. So, PLEASE, if you've time can you help the OG and BC3 to get it 'named and shamed'?

Patchwork

This is what I was hinting at yesterday.

Back a few months ago one of the neighbours had a great idea to make bunting. Our two roads are really good at having street parties and we use the Queen as an excuse - if only she knew!!!! It's a great time as we have a road closure put in place which I mentioned here and some of the group can be seen here.

The bunting is finished but we had lots of scraps left over so some silly OG suggested we made a quilt to auction for charity. The gang (some of whom hadn't sewn for years) have worked hard to make the seven hexagon rosettes. I've been bringing them home with me to put together which is taking up tatting time but is GREAT fun too.  Here are the first 18 sewn up with another 18 waiting for me to get done before next Tuesday morning!!!  

Now there are three

Yes, now there are three and they don't make much sense seen like this!!! I decided I needed another stronger colour for what may become the centre of a doily. 

Well, sometimes I make good decisions and sometimes very poor ones!! Time will tell - or, rather, more motifs will tell.

One or two people have commented asking where the pattern is for this. Well, it's still on my computer - mainly cause I didn't think it was really different enough to upload to the pattern pages, I will, though, if people think it's worth it. I'm going to develop this idea further for a Christmas snowflake but time is running away from me!!! I seem to get myself involved in too many things and that's what's happened to me lately. More tomorrow on that subject!!

A change of direction!!

I know I'm incorrigible or, (roughly translated) the owner of a butterfly brain but I DO love baubles!!! I've got quite a collection of them now but no hard and fast decisions on what to do with them. 

Have I told you about the 'bunting group'? Well we've got a group in the road (and the neighbouring road) making bunting to string up along the street for the Queen's birthday in June. 

In this road it's a matter of ANY excuse to get a road closure and throw a party. The beauty of these occasions is that there's no worrying about the drink driving laws as it all 'happens' on your own doorstep!!! It's a good idea to make and wear a badge on these occasions - one with your house number on. 

You may wonder why? Well so that if you can't remember where you live somebody can post you back through the letterbox if you're wearing your number!!! Interestingly - our house number is the same as my age will be in October!!!!

Now I have two!!!

First of all - there's another new rabbit in the warren!!! This time from Carol but missing the carrot as you can see here he's got something naughty instead!!!

Today I'm back playing with the little motif I showed you last week.  Again I'm using Karey's HDT which I LOVE as you've probably realised by now!!!!

A few more!!

Yes, I'm pleased to announce the arrival of a few more rabbits!!! They're here on the TIAS blog.

They have hopefully not appeared on here before in their finished state.  I've checked but you know that I'm liable to distractions and forget regularly what I'm doing!!!!  Same with projects - I even manage to finish patterns and then forget them and it can be months before they get uploaded!!!!

Fandango bookmark

Here we go - another diversion!!! Yes, I'm incorrigible.

This time it's a Fandango bookmark which is made with HWT (Hand Wound Thread). 

For those who haven't heard me wittering on about it before - it's any two or three strands of thread wound onto the shuttle together. In this case (IF I remember rightly) it's sewing thread and just two strands. 

This is the link to the pattern. Sadly it's one of mine - just because I'm forever checking my 'stuff' for mistakes or improvements that I can make!!!

You just NEVER know!!!

Going live shortly - a batch of Pop A Bobbin Shuttles in my Etsy shop here.

Every few weeks I wander into one of the book shops in town. I always buy any tatting books - just to save them from being forever 're-cycled' into the tip. 

Yesterday when I went into my favourite shop I found this book (below). Yes, I've already got a copy myself - bought it back when it was published in 1973. I just can't abide leaving tatting books in shops. So, what do I do with it now? Goodness knows!!!

It's been a trip down memory lane looking through it - I recognised one or two patterns I made up. Back in those 'good' old days there was a great dearth of patterns and I used to buy anything that had patterns in. I've still got all those original purchases including pages ripped out of magazines that either myself or my gran salvaged.

Ah, time to get back to this century and leave the past one behind!!!

Another of those motifs

Here's another of the motifs - this time with the same Karey variegated thread but this time a cream to go with it. Tat's a LOT better, I think. 

Now to see what else I can do with it!!!

Shuttles coming soon

I have more of the Pop A Bobbin Shuttles to put in my Etsy shop sometime towards the end of the week.  

In this batch is a new wood called Imbuya (below).  I gather that 'im in the garage' has a bit more of this wood but not a lot!!!  Well, I think that's what he said.  Here's the list of what will be available.

POP-A-BOBBINS

1 YEW £18.00

1 ROSEWOOD £18.00

2 SYCAMORE £18.00

2 SPALTED BEECH £18.00

3 IMBUYA £20.50

3 ZEBRANO £20.00

1 VIOLET ROSEWOOD £20.00

3 JARRAH £20.00

Apologies to Karey

When I was in Canada I had the pleasure once more of meeting up with Karey Solomon. The unfortunate part was that she'd brought a huge selection of her HDT (hand dyed threads) with her and I was on a self inflicted ban stopping me from buying ANY MORE thread.

Well, as you can imagine - that didn't work!!! I kept going past Karey's stall in the hall where we were meeting and fondling and looking at her selection. In the end, as you have probably guessed, I gave in and bought some.

So a week or two ago I decided they needed to be used. Well, not so much 'needed' - more honestly I wanted to let my itchy fingers start on one at least. 

Why the subject 'apologies to Karey'? Well because what 'looked good' on the two threads side by side in the ball just didn't show up her thread for how lovely it really is. I'll be trying another combination soon. Keep watching this space!!

More of those hoppy things

Yesterday two more rabbits arrived in Tat Land. They're now on the TIAS blog which is here. 

I didn't get a lot of tatting done yesterday as I've finally, finally given in to an urge to do a crocheted Amigurumi critter. We'll see how that progresses over the next few days. 

Not sure if I'm odd or not but the reason for doing this is to use up odds and ends of yarn. BUT as usual I have the dreadful urged to buy new yarn before I start. I had a strong and very serious word with BC3 and we've both decided that the first attempt at Amigurumi must be done with what we've already got and that IF successful then we'll allow ourselves to buy yarn for others!!! Let's see how that works!!!

I'm a fraud

That's true - I'm a fraud. The reason I'm saying this is because I've been chosen by Tatting Corner as designer of the month. Here's the link.

You see - I'm not a designer. I'm a 'fiddler'. I've never set out to be anything but a tatter who fiddles around and sometimes I accidentally come up with a 'good idea'. 

My career as a 'so called' 'designer' started by accident and I'm still only here by accident too. It was the kids I was teaching that started my career of fiddling  as you can read in the article - the rest is now, as 'they' say, history.

I always think that to be a designer you have to want to be one and then have a plan.  I'm afraid I don't do that.  I like to wait for an idea to come along and then go with it or wait for somebodies suggestion to percolate (thinking Ruth and the Motmot bird here).  Rarely do I decide on something I want or need to make.  Ah, unless it's a TIAS and then I do need to plan that.  That's agony!!!

Ring Roses Bookmark

Just for a change and because I couldn't be bothered to tackle my latest project I decided to make a bookmark. No idea who will get this but I'd almost completed the main part when I decided I needed a little dingle dangle to put on the end of the tail (when it was made, of course!).

Rummaging in my tatting cupboard - look what I found. Isn't that the luckiest find ever? This must've come from Palmetto Tat Days as there's a little teacup and their theme one year when I was there was all about tatting, tea and toffee!!!! Keep the toffees away from me - I spend far too much time and money at the dentist!!!!

More rabbiting and more

There's another rabbit on the TIAS blog. This one has brought along a basket of carrots too.  I won't tell you anymore about Christine's rabbit as you can read all about it here.

What I really wanted to tell you is that Christine has started a blog (even though her husband says that she doesn't have time)!!! Good woman - you find time and make your husband wait for his dinner!!! Here's the link to her blog.

Now I know a lot of people are dropping out of the blogging arena and moving over to Facebook. I belong to various tatting groups on Facebook and have a page too but I must admit I try to avoid going onto Facebook as much as possible.  Why? Well I find it a confusing place.  I go to look at a thread and it's disappeared. When I looked a few minutes before it was 'there' and then, in the blink of an eye, it's gone. I don't like the quick turnover of posts, comments and pictures.  I LOVE reading blogs as I feel comfortable in that environment and can take my time.  I feel rushed on Facebook where things come and go far too quickly.  

More with the diamond.

I learned something new yesterday. Did YOU know that there was such a thing as a flying rabbit? No? Well I suggest you go over to the TIAS blog here to find out!!!!! Made my day seeing Marla's rabbit 'fly' in. We're now at 76 and I'm wondering if we'll break the 100 barrier.  No, that's not the speed barrier but the rabbit fence!!! Well, the Australians have rabbit fences but the TIAS doesn't - the more rabbits in the TIAS the better!!!!

I showed you the diamond that I made in size 80 a week or so ago. Here it is. As you saw that star shape made up of seven diamonds worked up to 3½" 

So, next thing was to find out what the same motif would measure when worked with a size 40. Here it is and it measures 4" from point to point.

Good news!

Well it is for me but not sure about anybody else!!!

The good news is that I've now got funding to keep the pattern pages up and running for another year or so. I fund the web site by running ads at the side of the blog here. Each time somebody clicks on an ad I get a tiny amount from Adsense. I rarely look to see what I'm earning as the amounts are so small but around every nine months or so I receive a payment of approximately £65.00 which then goes to Freeservers who are my web site hosts. Bless their cotton socks!!!!

Yesterday I had a message to say I'd been paid!! Sometimes there's a bit 'left over' so you can guess what I spend that on!!! You've got it - thread and beads!!! Well an old git has to tat, doesn't she?!?!?!

People earrings

It's probably 30 years since I started designing earrings to amuse the kids I was teaching. I had the reception class in those days and started wearing daft earrings to encourage the children to settle into school. The parents used to encourage the children to come to school to see what the teacher was wearing in her ears.

I used to wear anything - from teabags, dog biscuits, sweets, bath plugs and also the  children's homemade earrings (often made out of toilet roll middles) that would fit onto ear findings. Then I started to design my own tatted ones which formed a lot of my doodles (seen here).

I DO wear 'normal' earrings nowadays but I was feeling a tad boring recently so decided that people earrings would be something to cheer up the winter months. I used the tat beads as inspiration and only slightly shortened the arms, legs and skirt to achieve these earrings below.

Pattern uploaded!

Thanks to Sarah for the gentle reminder about the rabbit - I've now uploaded the full pattern to my site. 

Here's the link.

There are now 74 rabbits on the TIAS site here.