Day 9

Day 9 of the Tat It And See is now available here.

Jaycee’s heart

I launched this pattern on 23rd of January and was really, really surprised and mega pleased when Jacee wrote a couple of days later to show me her heart. 

She said this

Dear Jane,

It's 4th day of CNY and I'm free from those dreaded chores for a couple of days before the grand ushering of the Jade Heavenly King on the 9th day of CNY. I took this opportunity to tat your Dutch Heart and if not for the less than perfect long picot at the lower end, I would say I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. Thanks so much for the make over of this vintage pattern and great fun to tat it in one 'hit'👏🏻

Hugs,

Jacee😘

This is one of the bonuses of doing the TIAS as it keeps me in touch with people from all over the world and I learn such a lot about different cultures, religions etc.  

Day 7 of the TIAS

Is now available on the Tat It And See blog here.

Knitting progress!

Now this project has been a NIGHTMARE for poor old BC3!! 

I think it’s a personality problem that I have but I don’t like doing something that is easy. I like a challenge in everything in my life. Not just crafting but all other areas too. 

Last Saturday I was asked by a neighbour if I could set up his smart television. I’d not done one before and told him so. Nonetheless I was prepared to try. It was sooooo easy and didn’t take long at all. 

Now this is pretty amazing when I tell you that I don’t even know how to switch ours on (or off etc)!!!! 

However this knitting project has really stretched me. I think I made 8 starts but now it’s going well. Fingers all crossed!!

Day 6 of the TIAS

Day 6 of the Tat It And See can be found here. 

The TIAS blog is here with all the links to the previous 5 days.

Dutch heart - finished

Finally I have a heart that I’m pleased with!!!  

It's all worked in one 'hit'.  You start and finish without any cuts and ties which is what I like to achieve in a design.  

Just in case anybody wants to make it - here's the link.

Day 5

Here is the link to day 5 of the TIAS.

Progress on the heart

Now you know me!!!  I do NOT like stops and starts in my patterns!!  I have NO problem whatsoever over adding new threads in or anything like that but I just like to do a project all in one ‘hit’!!!  These are some of the experiments on the heart which I showed you the other day!!

Day 4

Day 4 of the TIAS is now available here.  

How my brain works

One day I was browsing through an old Dutch book once more and spotted this edging.  I thought it looked like a heart but I didn’t like the fact that the chain heads all face the same way and I started to play!!!

More another day!!

Day 3

Today I’ve put up the link for DAY 3 of the TIAS blog.  Please visit the blog to find it.  

Day 2

Link to day 2 of the TIAS  

Please send any finished parts to the TIAS blog here.

Start of the TIAS

Here is the link to the start of the Tat It And See game.  

This blog may be quiet on and off if I’ve got nothing to say.  When the TIAS is operating my time is taken up with not only updating the TIAS blog but also with helping a few people.  I will be here and I do have a new heart to launch during the next week or so.

Tomorrow's the DAY

Well, day 1 of the Tat It And See!!!

This is a card that Janet made from a previous TIAS.  It's the medium sized mermaid which can be found on the TIAS blog in 2018.  

It's also on the pattern site as a 'whole' pattern too.

Moaning Monday - it IS about tatting!

TWO DAYS TO THE TIAS!  STARTS ON WEDNESDAY.

Tatting can be so useful as well as decorative.  Yesterday, here in the middle of England, it was a windy day - just right for getting the washing dry.  I filled the line up then went out for a while and when I came back glanced out at the back garden to discover that the washing was partly tangled up in the shrubbery.  The line had broken right at the shed.  

So out came some pliers (or something like that) and the offending ‘end bit’ that had broken was cut off.  I still had the chain part so joined the line to that.  Two tatted double stitches and (after a bit more cussing) I managed to get the line back up!!!  The story in pictures below!!

Bookmark

Don’t forget - the Tat It And See starts next Wednesday. Just saying in order to keep reminding MYSELF!!!!

Another bookmark was made.  I’ve now got five with my self imposed target of six well in sight!!!  I need this sort of pattern to work on when the knitting or designing gets too hard and I just want to relax.

If I do what others do - relax by sitting reading or watching telly then I promptly fall asleep!!!  The only way to relax for me is to keep my fingers busy!!

Knitting? Did somebody mention

Knitting?  

After the success of this jumper I thought I’d try another pattern.  The first one was done with double knitting yarn but this next time I decided I wanted to use 4 ply.  Am I MAD or am I MAD?

So off I set on my journey through Ravelry.  Well we all know how long that takes but I eventually found ‘just what I wanted’ right here.

Now I’ve always tried to stretch myself to do more and more complicated things but I think this was probably a ‘step too far’ this time.  

I think I started at the beginning of December but progress was dismal and disastrous!!!  I think I started about eight times.  As there are only four rib rows of knit one, purl one before the start of ‘German short rows’ it was really hard to unpick ‘just to the ribbing’.  Each time I’d pull out the rows and try and pick up after the four rows of rib and I failed time and time again.  I was about to go searching Ravelry for an alternative pattern when I thought I’d have ‘one more go’.  This turned out to be pretty successful.  

The main problem was that the pattern is condescend at the start and expands as the garment moves outwards towards the shoulders.  I think I’m now ‘on track’ to succeed eventually!!!

Happy New TIAS

Yes today is a global warning - not warming.  

I will be putting out several ‘warnings’ over the next week or so.  They will be about the start of this year’s TIAS on January 11th.  For those who are new to tatting or those who have been tatting forever this is a game in which I release parts of a new pattern every few days.  The introduction to the game can be found at the top left side of this blog.

Most of the fun is in seeing other people’s work (which they send to me and I add to the TIAS blog) and their guesses as to what the finished piece will be.  

The reason for the name ‘Tat It And See’ is that nobody knows what the end result is going to be!!!  Well, I know and my test tatters know but I’m not telling you their names either!!!

Please do try and join in.  Even new tatters should be able to take part and I add in additional help in the pattern and am also here to give further advice as needed.

All I ask is that if you put pictures of your piece on Facebook or elsewhere that you also send them to me for the blog.  Not everybody ‘does’ social media and I don’t have time to ‘harvest’ from other places.

The picture?  Well it’s one of the past TIAS patterns!!!

Beaver doodle

Well here he is in all his - well, I could say 'glory' but not sure that's the right phrase!!!  

It's amazing what you can get done when housework is calling.  My eyes are trained to not to even see dust let alone deal with it!!!

Two tiny penguins

Now you’ll have seen my origina penguin on my website and he’s been there for a few years alongside a beaver.  Last year I was playing with another wee penguin and hadn’t got him ready for the website.

Over the weekend I sorted the penguins out and they now both live here.

I’ll get the little beaver done today and he should be finished by tomorrow - fingers crossed!!!