Monday Moan

Now today's moan is about a statement I’ve seen many, many times over the past years and only since the 1970’s when needle tatting arrived in the public domain.    

Here’s the statement - ‘the knot doesn't mind how it’s made’.

Now WHAT A RIDICULOUS comment.  How on earth can a person say that?  I mean who has spoken to the knots and got a reply from these inanimate objects?  I’d like to hear from somebody who can talk to a knot and get a reply.

Also, when you think about it, there isn’t a knot in needle tatting unless you do one each time you’ve made a ‘ring’.  The difference between shuttle and needle is that the thread is wrapped round a needle and when it’s slid off it looks like a knot unlike when a shuttle is used where a knot is actually made directly onto another thread.

Now I’m not willing to get into an argument about this as there’s simply no point.  Needle tatters are proud of their work and quite rightly so but they’re not making a knot - just a 'look alike'!!!  

So my plea to all and sundry is please don’t say ‘the knot doesn't mind how it’s made’ unless you can prove to me that the knot has actually spoken aloud.

Here's the definition that's the clearest about 'what a knot is' and it doesn't mention anything about it talking either!!!

A bookmark

I went to a party last Saturday and it was a fantastic evening.  The host and ‘birthday boy’ was celebrating his 80th birthday and he did it in the way he wanted which made it an extremely good evening for everybody.  His family rallied round and did all the catering and friends helped by putting on a great show.

Anyway, when I had the invitation it said ‘no presents’ and I found that very hard to comply with so I made him a ‘man’s’ type of bookmark, put it in with a card and told him that categorically that it wasn’t a present but that it was a bookmark.  

The pattern I used was this one but without the picots on the chains - to make it more ‘manly’!!!!

Here we go again!

I’ve decided that one of my favourite little Christmas giveaway designs could do with a slight re-vamp so I’ve started playing with it again.  It’s this one.

I just LOVE making this design although getting the large beads in the centre can be challenging - particularly when your doorbell rings and you have to get out of the chair and answer the door!!!  

You can use either the rice beads as below, bugle beads or sometimes just any old tiny beads (several at a time) to make them.  BUT I wondered what the design would look like with the centre one of the three rings converted into a self closing mock ring.  So I’ve now found out!!!  Here’s the first test one.  I need to play with the stitch count a bit but am pleased with how it looks so far.

New free snowflake pattern

Finally, finally it’s finished and I’m happy with it too.

Here’s the link to the pattern

A new knitting project!

Well I finished the top which became a sweater and so I needed a new knitting project.  

For my birthday a couple of weeks ago Hobbycraft sent me a £5 voucher and Costa a free cake!!!  My daughter and family (¾ of them!) came over so we went to the nearby shopping centre which is a short walk away.  Abbi chose some yarn from Hobbycraft (and something else) for me to knit her some gloves (£5 voucher used) and she ate the cake for me in Costa!!!!  I think something went wrong there!!!!  

Anyway, the gloves have been started.  All digits knitted and now it’s a matter of putting them together, knitting the palm and finally the rib.  This is the pattern I used and have adapted.  I don’t ‘do’ icord fingers, though!!!  I’ve now refined this pattern so it works for me and I love it.  I obviously can’t ‘share’ my alterations as it’s not my copyright but I’m very pleased with the results - which I’ll show in due course!!!!

Top picture is the thumb and the fingers for the next glove!!!

More snowflakes!

I ‘think’ I’m getting there with this design.

If you remember from this post I was concerned that the darn thing wasn’t lying exactly as I wanted it to so I’ve spent more time playing with stitch count.  In  the end it also ‘needed’ another bead added in so that each ‘arm’ kept it’s distance and behaved itself!!!

Can you spot the added bead?  I’m working on getting the finished pattern up on my pattern pages here by the end of the week.

More about the Topsy project!

Well here's another snowflake following on from this one!!!

Again I'm getting the twist in the arms but I think the next version will 'cure' that as BC3 'has an idea'!!!!  I'll be back!!!!

Final round of my Marmelo doily

Well here it is - round 7.  To say I’ve enjoyed it is an understatement.  If anybody knows Erika Tsshiro would you tell her that it’s an amazing pattern and that I’ve enjoyed it, please?  

I’m also happy with the colours I’ve used too.  I did wonder and took ages to decide on the final round but once I’d done several repeats it seemed I was on the right track.

I’m going to finish the snowflake next so I can share it next week.

Just like Topsy

Now do you remember this little snowflake thing that I designed many years ago?  Well it grew shortly after into it's 'big brother' which you can find here.

Weeeellll, it's going through another growth spurt but that's proving an interesting experience!!!

Here are two versions that I'm working on but  I'm having some problems.

As you know from experience (if you've ever ventured into my pattern site) I like my designs to lie flat when they're finished without the messing about with this 'new fangled' blocking which is talked about so much.  I rarely, rarely block anything and think it's a pain in the proverbial!!!  Anyway, I digress.  Here are the two recent versions (which will be fine once stiffened) which will go into my Christmas giveaway 'pot'.  Meanwhile I'll be working on another two or three to fathom out how to stop the twist I get in the spikes.  Keep your eyes on this space.  NOT the space between my two ears - that's full of knotted thread!!!!

Done, dusted and already worn

I’ve finally finished my top.  This is the pattern I used.

Now those with good eyesight will notice that there’s a big difference between the original and mine!!

Yes, mine has long sleeves.  Why?  Well it’s getting cold now over here and I had plenty of yarn so I decided to continue the sleeves.  Obviously I had to work out how to decrease the stitches on the sleeves and make a note of what I did on the first sleeve so that the second matched.  Not a problem as I work with my iPad on my lap when I’m designing tatting stuff!!

Sunshine for a friend

I have a friend who’s going through a bit of a bad patch.  It’s always difficult to know what to give somebody to cheer them up so this is something I thought might ‘do the trick’.  

Sunshine always cheers people up and it always reminds me of Morecambe and Wise.  They were two English comedians who were brillliantly funny and they used ‘Bring me Sunshine’ as their signature tune.  Christmas wasn’t Christmas without the Morecambe and Wise show.  

Oh, the pattern can be found here. 

For my tooth fairy

I had bad news last week as my lovely dentist (Sally) told me she was leaving to go to another job.  I'm really sad about this as not only is she a good dentist but she's also got a great sense of humour which is VERY important to me.  

I decided to make her this bookmark which is an amalgamation of this one and this one with another type of 'tail' bit in between.  In fact I used roll or spiral tatting which I'm quite comfortable with now I've learned a much better way of doing it from a very old source which you can find here.  

Row 6 Marmelo

Another round of Erika Tashiro’s lovely Tatted Garland.  BUT I need to tell you that this is definitely round 6.  Last time I told you a lie as that wasn’t round six but it was round 5.  I didn’t lie deliberately I promise.  Here’s the link to my previous post in which I messed up.

Now you’ve GOT to realise that us old gits (like wot I am) can get confused and especially when they’re going through a bad patch in their lives.  

The past couple of weeks have been a tad stressful but I’m hoping they’ll improve soon.  Well, that’s all you can do is hope!!!  

A second square

Now this time I decided to use the same idea as on this cushion.

It’s a crazy quilt idea that I picked up from YouTube - here’s the link.  This time I used REALLY tiny five sided shapes to start off with and did three separate ‘starts’.  I put those together and then fiddled around and added other patches to fill up the gaps.  Not easy but I think it looks crazy enough to submit!!

A square

Having said two days ago that I didn’t have a lot to show you I’ve remembered that I haven’t blogged this project!!!  Where DID I leave BC3?  

The group I go to on a Tuesday morning are doing another project to raffle at next year’s summer garden party.  We’ve each taken one (or two!) squares of fabric and we’re each doing random ‘things’ on them to form a crazy quilt.  When I say ‘crazy’ I really do mean ‘crazy’ as we can each do what we like!!!  Here’s my first square.

What I did here was to cut strips of fabric and then turned under a small hem and machined it down.  I then wove them and stitched round the edges attaching them to the base square we’d been given.

It was quite challenging to keep the strips in place at first but the more I wove the easier it got!!!  Here’s the finished square.  As you can see I added another challenge by NOT going from side to side (or top to bottom) and not even truly diagonally.  Sometimes I think I’m really STOOOOOOPID!!!

Marmello round 6

Back again on the Marmello doily and another two rounds added.  

I’ve not got a lot to show you this coming week as I’ve been working on two new designs.  One will become the January TIAS.  

I am wondering now if people scan or take photos of their TIAS as this may well prove interesting if I ever do a 3D one.  Would be pleased to know what people do.

Knitting progress

This is how far I’ve got with my short sleeved top which you can find here.

Now those who are awake while reading this will notice that the sleeves are rather long for a short sleeved top!!!!  Do you want to know why?  Well I bought the recommended number of balls of yarn but have realised that I’m going to finish up with leftovers!!!!  Leftovers are fine if you can eat them but I don’t fancy eating yarn!!!  So I’ve decided to make the top into a sweater!!!  

I’m not sure if I’ve got enough length on the body so have left that ball attached to it so I can go back and add more if I want to. 

Of course carrying on to make the sleeves longer means working out when and where to decrease towards the cuffs.  When I’m designing tatting I always write down the pattern on my iPad as I go so this is what I’ve done with this project.  

Marmelo - halfway through daisy row

I have made further progress with the Marmelo doily  in the evenings when I’m not working on the TIAS I need to be doing something so this (and another project) are my ‘go to’ ways of keeping myself awake and not falling asleep in front of the telly!!!.

Did you enjoy the break?

I simply didn’t have time to blog last week - everything seemed to decide to happen last week and the week before.  

BUT I did have time to get a good way into a TIAS for next January.  Autumn is heading our way so there’ll be less to do to the garden - although I don’t do a lot anyway!  I enjoy mowing the grass but do little else apart from pulling weeds.  I mow a neighbour’s grass for them too and get some really odd looks when taking my mower along the road to their house.  One person I met walking the mower stopped and made a funny comment so I pointed out that other people walk their dogs so why shouldn’t I take a mower out for a walk. 

Obviously I’ve not a lot to share due to the TIAS but I do have a few things this week.  

 

Memories on the day of the Queen’s funeral

The Queen and her staff were amazing.  When my oldest daughter was six (she’s a bit older now) I landed up (as a supply teacher) taking on her class for a week or two.  My youngest would’ve been four and not yet in school, I couldn’t drive, there was a cold spell and life was pretty tough as in those days my ex and I were pretty hard up.  

This is what Lucy wrote on her Facebook page a few days ago.

“1974. I was six years old when I drew a really crap Christmas card on a shitty bit of scrap paper in class. It was an orange and red scribble - very festive (not). My mum was supply teaching (the first and only time she taught me) and for some reason, I thrust my crap card into her hands on a whim and said ‘Send this to the Queen!’. My mum indulged me, or rather she told me yesterday: ‘Woe betide anyone who said no to you, even at 6’. Never in our dreams did we think we’d get a thank you. Well, thank you dear Queen, for making a 6-year old’s Christmas. And apologies for the crap card.”

Following up on this I found this about the Lady-in-Waiting (Susan Hussey) and am even more impressed.

Lucy is now a well known international journalist.