Houston - I have a problem!

So off on the next 'phase' of this adventure!!!! 

As you know I like to do a set of middles then work on the 'outers' which is an easier (for BC3) pattern to remember when I'm out and about. 

It occurred to me that I'd stated back here that I was going to attempt to use the whole ball to make this. A rash statement perhaps!!!! So my next task is to work out how much each motif takes to make so on the final 'inner' here I jotted down how many yards are on the shuttles - both the shuttle 1 and shuttle 2. When I work the ‘outer’ then I’ll be able to find out how much each whole square takes.

In theory this should help - BUT when I looked on the DMC Cebelia label it doesn't say how much is on there - well not in yardage!! Now I have two conundrums - (a) my maths is diabolical and (b) how do I find out how much is on the ball.

So I asked Mr Google!!!  No luck on the DMC page as no yardage given but snooping around Ebay the sellers are saying it’s 416 yards.  A further snoop on Amazon and the sellers there say 405 yards.  I reckon if I ‘go’ with 400 yards I’ll be able to work out how many squares I can make.  Well if BC3 is behaving, that is!!!

Black choker

Just before Christmas I sold a fair bit of tatting to a really lovely lady. She's just been back in touch and wanted a choker.

One of the items I'd sold her was a bookmark made using the Ring of Roses pattern and she now wanted a choker in that design. Not a problem at all.

A day or two later she came back to ask for a second choker in two colours (which I've now started). She then asked if I could do a discount if she ordered a third. I explained that I was only 'paying' myself £1.50 an hour as it was and that didn't include materials. Thankfully she's thought about it and has stuck to the two only!! 

Why do I say thankfully? Well other projects have entered the BC3 environment and need 'dealing with'!!!!

Do you remember?

The navy top I added just simple split rings to?  Here it is.  

Well I didn't tell you at the time but I bought two tops as they were in the sale!!! I just couldn’t resist this mustard colour which will brighten up a winter’s day.

I do have a few variegated Lizbeth threads that I really like and this is Autumn Spice (number 136) which is one of them.  I like the gradual colour changes on this thread.

The pictures don't really do the colours justice - these dark winter days are not good for photographs specially when the camera belongs to a lazy old git like me!!!!

Playing around

Now this is one of the ideas I had a while back for an edging. Well, it could be an edging, a bookmark, bracelet or choker. 

I've submitted a similar as one of the ideas for Palmetto Tat Days.  I say similar as the original had a small difference which was just too hard to explain however hard I tried.  Comes of having a twisted brain!!!

It's really easy, actually. The problem stems from living with BC3!!!  He tends to read other things into what's asked for!!!!

I've been out and about

Now one may ask if I ever get to stay at home!!!! Yes I do but I like being with other crafty friends too. 

Below is the Fandango coaster with four repeats and I'm beginning to love the little 'new' designs which are cropping up in it.

Coriolis repaired

Sorry about the poor pictures but it IS winter and it's hard to get motivated to go into the conservatory for better light just to take a quick photo!!!!

This was quite a scary task to repair but I did it as I'm a stubborn OG (old git) and also I won't leave something with a mistake like that. I could've left it and finished the round I'm working on but that would've been the end of the adventure.

Now I've repaired it I may venture into another round!!!! 

I'm keeping the aged fingers crossed that this may be chosen by the Palmetto Tatters as a teaching project at Tat Days in September but I've yet to be chosen so please keep your fingers crossed that I get through the selection process. I desperately NEED to go to America to catch up with all my lovely friends over there.  I've submitted my application!!!!

As you do!!!

Well January is sale time and I love Lands End clothes but they're expensive and the only time I buy them is in the sale. I love them because they last forever - I'm still wearing t-shirts that I bought well over ten years ago. I'm bored with them but won't part with them as they're still fine.

So this tunic, which I got in this year’s sale, was rather plain so I decided to 'jazz it up' a bit. 

I tried a few ideas but it really did need something very, very simple so I settled for just a row of split rings.

Back to the

Fandango coaster!!! Now this is (as I've said before) my current relaxing project. I tend to pick it up when I'm feeling tired or run out of other things I want to do. Two joined and the third motif sort of part way there!!!

I’ve started this with a brand new ball of DMC Cebelia (size 20) and am now wondering how big it would get using the whole ball.  Problem is - do I have the staying power to find out?  Time will tell!

Whoopsadaisy

Can you see why this post has earned that title? Well it took me the whole of this round (which is only halfway done) to finally spot the mistake!!!

I was at my Thursday craft group in the library last Thursday and had completed number seven motif of this current round and put it down on the table to show somebody who asked me what I was doing. 

It was then I spotted the mistake. Nobody else could see it and when I pointed it out to them they all thought it would be fine to just leave it and carry on. 

Well, you know me. I couldn’t do that so when I got home I carefully replaced it. Now those who have a few years tatting experience will know this is NOT an easy task. I’ll show you the result next time. The second picture shows the offending motif in case you couldn’t spot it!!!!

Another re-visit

Thanks to a very good internet friend who pointed it out to me, I have now seen the errors of my ways with this pattern!!

When I first did it back in 2007 the single shuttle split ring wasn't really much known about so I'd used the split CHAIN to progress from the inner part to the outer round. Now this led to quite a wonky and very hard to make neat design element.

So another re-think was needed and Leigh suggested that the SSSR may be the answer. Meanwhile I'd lost the original drawings to those had to be done too. Here's the result of a re-tat!!!

Actually I now really like this so it may become my project for next Silly Season!!!

Fandango coaster again!

I needed more down time yesterday so pulled out the Fandango coaster to get an outer round on!!! Just saying!!!

Fandango coaster

Now this is going to be a quiet week on the blog as I get my head down to finalise the patterns I'm going to submit for Palmetto in September.

The deadline is February 20th so I really need to settle down and get things done. As I'm applying for a full-time post that means a lot of patterns to get ready. Some new and some older ones which have been brought out of mothballs, re-vamped and are just needing final formatting etc.

Meantime I do allow myself some 'down time' or my brain would fry!!! I saw this pattern on Facebook a month or so ago that somebody had done in one colour. I was amazed at the new elements that showed up because it was worked in just the one colour. So, of course, I've had to start the experiment myself!!!! Here are four middles ready for their next round - and joining to each other too, of course!!!

Keeping quiet!

I can do it and I do do it (keep quiet, I mean) - particularly on Facebook which I don't use very much anyway!!! 

A month or so before Christmas I had a notification I'd been mentioned on Facebook so went to have a look. It was a lady I'd not heard of before and she'd stated that she'd used my seahorse pattern (and another one) and made a cat out of it. 

Well I was most impressed with what she'd done and offered to help her draw it up or whatever and then host it on my site. This has kept the two of us quiet for ages as she'd not written it down and her hand drawn pictures didn't 'tally' with the text. It's been interesting voyage of working it all out and we're not there yet but I'm going to show you our 'work in progress'.

As her method of notation is quite different to mine it's causing BC3 lots of problems but I'm determined to stick to what she wants as it may well be better/easier for people than my normal way.

Storing threads

I've been very lucky over the years to acquire a LOT of thread. I won some off Handy Hands when Barb asked for colour suggestions and she chose a few of mine. 

I have a set of drawers which I keep my 'best' threads in - Lizbeth ones and even though I'm pretty careful they used to still tangle themselves up and come unwound.

Then I went to Canada and in our goody bags were some of these little netting things. Well I came home and tried to find them everywhere. In Canada they're used by florists to protect the blooms of certain flowers while in transit. Over here? Nah, zilch!!!! 

On my second trip to Canada Kelly presented me with a whole bunch of these which you can see in the top picture. I found the best way to use these is to 'seal' one end so the ball of thread doesn't jump out. I did this on the sewing machine - backwards and forwards a few times over each end. Took no time at all. I pop the ball of thread inside and the 'open end' can be tucked into the centre of the ball - gets easier as you use more thread.

Snail without beads

Well this little guy has been waiting to be blogged since probably November!!! I'm currently working on submissions to apply for a teaching 'job' this year and he's one of the 'probabilities'. 

He's been on the web site forever but I wanted to see how he looked with new and improved feelers and no beads!!!

Well here he is in all his glory!!!! Well, perhaps 'glory' is the wrong word and the right one should be slime!!!! 

This is the link should you want to see the original version.

Ready and waiting

I've not got a lot to show you this week - well, I don't think I have but I do have the Llama finished and teetering around cyberspace!!!

I know - I'm boring but here's the picture I finally decided to use on the web site.

So, I suppose you'd like the link? 

Shall I, shan't I, shall I, shan't I give it to you or will I let you go looking round my web pages?

Oh, I give in - here it is!!!!

Coriolis moving on apace

Introducing you to the next round of this adventure with the Coriolis!!!

I got this far with this design once before and then I fell out with the colours I was using!!! This happens to me all the time - does it happen to you too? I either get bored with the selection I made or I just find they don’t work.

Anyway I carried on as this is a simple project to carry with me to craft gatherings and I've learned the pattern pretty well now!!!

My next problem is going to be what colours do I use next!!! Yes, I'm going to put another round on. 

I think I need to return to something like the central motif but I don't want to/can’t use the same colours as I've no idea which balls of thread I used!!! Yes, I'm that stooooopid!!!!

Llama finished

Well here's the final version of the llama. I'll get the pattern up on the internet at the weekend and let you all know when it's ready.

Why have I got three pictures here? Well I couldn't decide which one was best to use on the web site so I kept trying different backgrounds. 

In the end I settled with the blue background so all I have to do now is make it a thumbnail and get it ready to waft around in cyberspace looking for somebody to make him!!!!

Crochet

Now while I was ill last week I didn't do anything but as I was recovering towards the weekend this crochet project came in VERY useful.  Last time I showed you it was at this stage.  Then a short while later I thought I’d finished as I thought I’d used all the yarn.  Being a ‘little untidy’ I then found more of the yarn in the ‘wrong’ place which threw me back into the project.

I was glad of the extra yarn but why?  Well it kept the old knees nice and warm while I was doing it!!!! I've now used it all up and it measures 33” approx square. 

Obviously it needs pressing but that will have to wait until the weather warms up as it’s still keeping my knees warm as I go back to my shuttles!!!

Now for some tweaking!

Still strange colours for a llama but heck, what else would you use this colour for?!?!

An improvement on the ears and I don't think the butt looks so bad now but there'll be another test tat in proper llama colours next. 

I'm getting the pattern together slowly too. I think this is one of the fastest designs I've ever done - only a few samples rather than the 12 or so it usually takes. 

Perhaps I'll one day become a proper tatting designer rather than a 'hit and miss' designer. One can always dream.