I'm a fraud.

I don't think or consider myself a teacher.  I actually don't like the word 'teacher'.  I looked up the word in an online dictionary and it says:-

"[with object] give information about or instruction in (a subject or skill):"

You see I think I'm more of an 'enabler'.  I decided this when I used to have classes of four/five year olds to settle in every September.  It struck me very early on in my teaching career (which actually never really became a 'career'!) that I was never going to be able to 'give information and instruct' kids or anybody else for that matter.  

Each child arrived in my reception class with their own set of skills and it was really up to me to find out what they were and then build on them and enable them to grow and learn from what they already had.

I try to take this attitude to adult classes too so that's why you won't hear me 'sounding off' about 'you must do it this way' or 'this is the way to do it'.  I'm more likely to say 'this is the way I do it but I'm happy to learn off you if you have a another/better way'.  

So, basically I'm a fraud!!!  I don't consider myself a 'teacher' at all BUT I'm going to be labeled as one for Tat Days and I'm going to have FUN, FUN, FUN and hopefully enable a few people to do something they've not done before.  Let the fun continue.

Butterflies

Today I'm going to show you lots of the same butterfly.  This is the new pattern that I put on my site here a few weeks ago.  Why lots of the same?  Well a month or so ago I got to think about the sizes of the threads I'd got around me and decided to try some combinations too of HWT (hand wound thread).

Top left is the largest and most 'un favourite' of all - a size 10.  They sort of get smaller as you go down the sheet.  Some (if you can see the tickets tied to them) are combinations of thread including 3 sewing threads, 2 sewing and 1.  There's also one made with 2 strands of invisible thread but, as you'd expect, that's hard to see!

There are two pictures here too.  One (top) taken with my small and wonderful Canon camera and the other (below) taken with my ipod touch.  I'm seriously thinking of treating myself to an iphone when I grow up so wanted to compare the quality of the photographs taken on the two items I already own.  The itouch is good but not as good as the camera but probably an iphone would be better - any comments on this would be very welcome!!!  I should've compared the ipad too but - being an OG of little brain - I forgot!!

Oh, these are with me at Tat Days too.  Just because!!!

Final mat!

Well as you all know I'm not at home at the moment.  I'm in Atlanta with a dear friend who has been daft enough to put up with me (and Sally!) for a few days.  Later today we travel to Tat Days at Toccoa.

This is the final mat which is with me and I've been invited to teach this small motif at the Palmetto Tatters Guild meeting next week.  This simple motif does involve a couple of techniques which I want to show people so I'm delighted to have this opportunity.  So, the Garden Wall Motif finally will come into it's own and I bet you're all glad to see the back of it too!!!

Another round finished

Here it is again.  Is it finished or is it finished?  Not sure yet!!!

Keeeeeep reading!!!!

A name

Yet more and the mat is looking pretty good.  The motif has now got a name.  Yes, this is the OG speaking and you did read right.  A NAME.  I'm hopeless at naming things but this has a name - it's the 'Walled Garden Motif'.  Why?  Well on one of the very few summery days we've had this year I sat in the garden working on it and realised that the motif has a 'wall' round it like most of our garden!!!!

It's on it's way to Tat Days at this very moment!!!!!  Least that is if I've remembered to pack it!!!  

You're now reading scheduled posts as Sally and I are now with with Crazy Mom Tats in Atlanta before heading down (or up) to Tat Days.

Hot off the press

Just seen this announcement on the Palmetto Tatter's site.

NEWS FLASH

If you cannot make it to this year's Tat Days, join us LIVE for our Tat Off! competitions, Friday evening around 6:00 (EST)! Link to
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/palmetto-tatters 
CHAT with us on the channel or on Facebook at Palmetto Tatters Guild page.
NOTE: There will be ads, sorry. There is an iPhone app. Android App may be available soon.

If you click on the link it should work but in case it doesn't then do click here.

I'll be on my way to Tat Days by the time you read this!!!!

On a roll!

So on this round I've decided to do every other space with a new motif.  Lots of Yarnplayer's thread in there too - yummmmyyyyyy.

Can you see the forward planning here?  If you can then you're a mind reader cause there isn''t one!!!

Another round started!

Well you can see that I finished the first seven motifs to form a small mat but then the fascination with the colours continued.

Top left and you can see that I've started another round.  The woman's MAD, isn't she?

Meanwhile I continue to pack and un-pack, re-pack time and time again trying to decide what to not take on our trip!!!

3 and a bit motifs

I've got the 'bit between my teeth' now - can you tell?  

I love also playing with the threads I've got and this sort of motif is ideal for 'showing off' the HDT.  The first motif I did (that's the one at the top on the right in this picture) is some of Jessi's thread and will form the centre of this little cluster.  I like the way the spaces are forming between them all too.

2 motifs

Having done one it seemed like a good idea to try for a pair.  

I really love outlining motifs with black.  I always think that it looks like the stained glass you get in church windows.  So, here I have two motifs.

Had a smashing day yesterday - I met Mark Myers mum and dad.  You know who I mean - the megga talented Tatman.  We had a lovely day looking round the town and I even managed to sneak them into the auditorium of one of our three theatres too!!!  

More on yesterday's motif

After my start on this idea I did change the centre as you can see below.  I wanted this to be a design that could be useful for any teacher who wanted to teach a few advanced ideas.

I think you'll agree that it looks like two simple rounds.  Well, sorry, it isn't two rounds - well, it is sort of but it's worked in one 'hit'.

I've sort of 'stolen' the middle out of the roundabout motif (but changed it slightly) and used another idea from here to make this little motif.  OK, it needed a bit of fiddling around with to get it as I really wanted it but in the end I'm pleased with it.

Start of a new motif

Look at this really simple looking motif.  Doesn't it look easy?  Two rounds only.

This is a wee motif that I started after the Roundabout motif.  Looks OK but I didn't like the 'bare midriff' in the middle so I've sorted that out (I think) - more over the next few days.

Taffy pendant

I bet you've guessed what today's post will be!!!  I'm afraid I don't have a lot of imagination!! 

Yes it's a Rainbow Taffy pendant to go with yesterday's earrings!!!  Now I did have a pendant almost exactly like this but the scissors 'took it'.  Mainly because I couldn't find the same beads for the earrings that I'd used in the original pendant AND I didn't like the way I'd added the finding at the top.  Here's the original.  Well if you read that post you'll find that was the replacement for yet another 'original'!!!!  

Can you see how I've changed the way I've added the findings?  The original sort of tilted forward and was pulling that part out of sync.  This one will hang a lot better.  I must apologise for the picture - I scanned it before I slightly stiffened it.  I was in a hurry!!!

Taffy earrings

I must first apologise if I haven't made sense over the past few days but I've had an invasion of small people who are totally delightful but tiring.  I'm hoping that 'normal blogging' will now be resumed after today when they go home!!!

Having made the last pendant to match the button earrings I decided to break out my all time Lizbeth thread - Rainbow Taffy.  I've no idea who thought that name up but it's as cheerful and bright as the thread itself.  I just love this one.  So, today I have a pair of button earrings to show you using Rainbow Taffy.  Don't they look fabulous?

Pendant

First of all today I'd like to show you this link which Margaret found yesterday.  Now we all know where to get these findings from.  Thanks, Margaret.

A looooooong time ago I made a pair of earrings and I've worn them no end of times.  I used that trick of putting beads over a button which I love doing.  You can see one of the pair at the bottom of this page.

Anyway, sorting out my 'ensemble' to take to America I realised I hadn't got a pendant to go with them.  So the other evening I made one.  Here it is.  Again I've used a (to quote Diane, Lace Lovin Librarian) doodad which was part of some earrings that I bought just over a year ago - see this link.  I do hope I haven't lost the other earring or I'll have to make another pair!!!  This is one of my favourite Lizbeth threads.  It's called Mountain Breeze.

If you look closely you'll see I've actually joined to a space within the doodad and not on the very edge.  I like this idea as it makes the tatting look as if it's 'growing out of' the doodad.

Red for danger!

This is a new bracelet I've made to go with my reddish top that I bought to take with me on our trip.  

Originally it was like this and I wore it only twice.  Why?  Well it just kept annoying me.  The metal findings that I used were 'cupped' and although the bracelet was a good fit they still kept turning over which annoyed me intensely.  So the scissors were brought in and it was demolished.  

Here is the new version - below.  I had to put an extra split ring in to make it fit my wrist in spite of careful measuring and lots of muttering.  Still, once on nobody will notice - except me.  I HOPE I don't feel I have to cut this version up!!!

By the way - the clasps at each end are my very, very favourites for bracelets and I just can't find them anywhere.  If anybody knows of a supplier then please, pretty please with sugar on the top - would you tell me?

Messing around on the river!

Well, no, not really but messing about with an old pattern again!!  Actually it's this one.

So, I decided (yet again!) to check this pattern out and see if it could be written any better.  This was a nightmare to annotate in the first place and I've a feeling that it might stay 'as is' - at any rate for now!!!  Below is the original pattern with the picots and then below that a modified version with more doubles in the body and no picots.  Least I think that's what I did!!!  

Oh, I also used the two colours to make lock chain antennae which look a lot snazzier than the originals  don't you think?

Tested again and sorted!

After mumbling about 'ups and downs' here's another of these bracelets!!  It's a good job I've got a few victims to give them to when I get to Tat Days or we'd be over run with the darn things in the house!!!

I've finally sorted the pattern out and it's here and ready for anybody who wants to tackle it.  I'm hoping it's more understandable now.

A visit is on the agenda

Tomorrow I have two grandkids coming to stay for a few days.  SUCH excitement.

Abbi is nearly five and loves to have my odds and ends of tatting so there's quite a collection on the end of my table where she 'finds' things!!!  Nathan aged nine has grown out of this so I'll find other things for him to 'find'.  Anyway I've added this ballerina to the collection - 'just because'.  If anybody wants the pattern then it's on my site somewhere.  Oh, hang on - here it is!!

Meantime I must get on with the day - we had to have a new central heating boiler and yesterday it was 'the' day it was installed.  Fabulous guys who didn't make any mess and were very pleasant.  Gallons of coffee were drunk and they worked tirelessly all day without a break. Now I have to sort the bedroom out where the boiler 'lives' and make some space for the kids!!!

The horrors of writing patterns down.

I'm not sure if I'm the only person who spends so much time on the writing and illustrating of a pattern but if others do too then I'm normal.  If they don't then - well please send for the 'men in white coats' as I'm obviously NOT normal.  Then again you all know that already so what AM I blathering on about?

So having tested the second bracelet pattern I went off to do the drawings and put the page back together again.  

Horrors of horrors when I read the instructions for the first bracelet whilst doing this I was convinced they were wrong.  Back to making the first version again with a fresh brain cell and a tad more concentration.