Another bookmark!!!

Yet another of the magnetic bookmarks!!!!  I'm taking time off now for a while - well, until I can't resist the urge to make more!!!

I've stiffened this one so it keeps it's shape a bit better.  He's now floating around looking very handsome in my shop.

Oh, I think the Tat It And See is nearly ready to go 'live'.  I have a friend working her way through it at the moment so I think I can fix the date.  Probably by tomorrow I'll have sorted that part out and any glitches she may have found too.  There are always 'glitches'!!!!

Are you jealous?

Well as usual Royal Fail let me down before Christmas but has finally delivered the giveaway I won from Diane's blog.

The gift arrived (along with a flurry of Christmas cards some of which were posted locally on the 14th December) yesterday morning.  This is what I was expecting - the little pouch.  Just right for popping in a handbag or even inside a roly poly tat bag!!!

But this little pouch had a 'bulge' to it - rather like my body which bulges in places I'd rather not mention!!!

Inside was the following.  Some Sulky thread which is SO pretty, a ball of number 80 thread, a clippy thing (I use loads of those), an ezybob AND a shuttle.  I'm going to add pictures of 'just the shuttle' to show you how very, very pretty it is.  Thanks SO much, Diane, for running the giveaway and thank you to whoever the random generator or picker out of my name was too.  I'm a VERY happy OG.

Worms!

Now, today I want to talk about worms!

One of my secret passions is talking to worms but lately my worms haven't been very talkative.  In fact I've not seen a lot of them due to the extremely cold weather!!

It's true before anybody starts thinking I'm even more bonkers than you already thought.  I DO have worms and they live at the bottom of my garden.  See - you guys have fairies and I have WORMS.

They live in my compost maker and are very hard working little critters.

So now you're wondering why I'm telling you this.  Well, one lady who bought a bookmark off me wanted a 'hanging worm' rather than one that sits on top of the book.  So I re-did the stitch count on the original worm, added another split ring - oh, and some glittery thread and here is her worm. A glamorous, glittery worm and the total opposite of MY common or garden (actually compost) worms!!!!

Black and White

Now while I'd got the black and white thread out for penguins I decided to 'have a go' at making a panda!!!

Quite a challenge as you can see!!!  

Sadly there are a few cuts and ties in this pattern for which I apologise - I don't DO those unless forced to.  I like my work to be in one 'hit' from start to finish!!!  I'll add the pattern to my pattern page as soon as I get the abbreviations sorted which is my 'unfavouritist' thing to do!!!!

Anyway, here he is both solo and also as a bookmark which was is an order from somebody I shared with as I was working on him.

Total relaxation

This is what I do to relax!!!!  Make something I like making in colours I like too!!!!

I have slightly stiffened these so they keep their shape as the tails may straighten without.  Actually that's not true - I doubt very much that they would as I tat tightly and I've got several which have stayed 'as put' for years.  Anyway they are now listed so if you want a closer look you'll have to toddle off over here!!!! 

Update on Monday morning.  The green one has got the same built in secret wings that the penguins have!!! It's already flown out of the shop!!!!! 

An expensive penguin!!!

Why am I showing you yet another penguin?   Well this is probably THE most expensive penguin in our neck of the woods and beyond!!!

Why?  Well to make him look presentable I had to go out in the snow and buy a new iron!!!! 

I got totally fed up with having to scramble down the passageway between our two houses (us and next door) with a stepladder to re-set the trip switch on the socket circuit.  Every time I did any ironing it would 'trip'.  OK now I'll be honest  I don't 'do' a lot of ironing - well, not of clothes, but I do like to lightly press my tatting sometimes and as I usually do that on the way to bed (ready to blog) you can imagine the cussing that went on when I had to go and sort the trip out in the cold and dark (and snow!!!).

So yesterday I reserved a new iron online at Argos and then trudged up there in the snow.  Oh, that was after slithering down the town, visiting an 'oldie' at the other side of town and then going home.  Argos is is situated in yet another direction so off I went again.  Well I guess it keeps an OG fit!!!!  Boy, the backs of my legs ache today!!

Over the weekend I'll be adding some more to the shop - I've got it in my head to make a seahorse or two and a dolphin.  You never know what else may appear too!!!!

Oh, this little guy is now here.

 

5"

Despite the ongoing 5" of snow and little traffic making it down our road, the threads that Sally and I ordered from Zig-Zag Corner arrived yesterday with 'Mr Misery' driving the Parcel Force van.  What can I say about them?  Well they are the Lizbeth threads and the new variagated colours too.  They are stupendous.  

I was given some thread called Autumn Spice and I found I kept on going back to the Ezbob which it was on to use it.  I was convinced it was one of the HDT range that I'd been sent so was totally gobsmacked when I looked it up to buy more and found it was Lizbeth.  The new colours seem to be much better to me as they  sort of 'bleed' into each other without any sudden changes.  At my age sudden changes aren't good for you or your health and temper!!!!

Also via a regular 'on the hoof' postie came my magnets and the beads I won on Ebay (see below).  The beads are Impex embroidery beads and are drop dead gorgeous.  Thank you, Sally, for pointing out this seller on Ebay.  

So here in a snowy UK there sits an OG with a BIG smile on her face.  There'll be no more talk of Royal Fail (I actually gave the postman a BIG hug - poor man looked terrified) until they let me down again!!!  Probably next week as the system doesn't appear to be working yet.

One final question though - how and why DO they manage to deliver bills like the huge one from the Inland Revenue and the house insurance company?  Is there a wicked plot going on?   If so then can somebody out there put a stop to it, please?

Hmmmm

Blogger problems sorted themselves out yesterday eventually and I put the 'tease' picture for the TIAS on there.  No need or reason to complain about a very, very good free service and one that keeps me out of mischief (that's blogger I'm talking about although it could also be said about the TIAS)!!!

Having now been blogging for a while (since May 2006, for crying out loud!!) I wonder what I'd do if I didn't blog?   It's become a part of my life like my morning bowl of porridge!!!  Through blogging I am stimulated by others blogs and by comments that are made on this one.  So much so that a chance remark about penguins set me off on another daft idea.  I'll show you once I'm totally happy with it - which I'm not yet!!!

So to my other daily grumble - Royal Fail!!!  Letters turned up yesterday finally.  A customs 'demand' for threads I've bought from America.  This is interesting as the invoice was raised on the 15th of December.  Even that's taken five days to get to me.  Other post is slowly drifting in but my three small packets (beads and more magnets) are still not here.  Do hope that Father Christmas isn't an employee of Royal Fail!!  I feel I'm due for my weekly trip to the local sorting office for a grumble although the five inches of snow may save them this week.  I don't 'do' grumbling or arguing very well as I can always see the other person's point of view even better than my own. 

Some really, really nice folks work at the sorting office and I can't speak to them because they are so good - I always 'demand' to speak to a manager.  Doesn't get me very far but at least I feel better for trying!!!!