Another square project completed.

Well a few more afternoons and the seconds square is finished.

I added greenery to the pond itself and flowers at the bottom.  A dragonfly and two butterflies completed the scene.  I'm hoping to contribute more before the whole project is finished and, of course, I'll be showing you when it is.  

It's been amazing how different all the squares have turned out.  There's some stunning stitchery and great imagination has been used in all of them.  

An orange Ann Onnymouse

I had to make a mouse!!!  

Well I didn't 'have' to but a family member has been feeling a bit down in the dumps at times lately and her  cat is partial to mouse hunting and bringing them into the house - if she can!!!  We were discussing that and I showed her Ann and she loved the idea that this wasn't a 'live' mouse.

That was all I needed to encourage me to make one for her.   Why orange?  I asked what her favourite colour was and that's what she said!!

The pattern is here if you want it.  Free, of course.

White earrings

Remember these earrings I made for Abbi?  

Well I decided to make myself a pair - only longer.   Again I added a bead to the centre of both snowflakes and also one between the two parts.  

One day soon I'll write this down and make a page out of it but I need to check first to see if it's been done before.  Anybody seen them before?

Start of another square

A friend brought her ‘bare square’ back last Tuesday as she’d not got time to do one.  I jumped in and said I’d do it.  I must be mad.

I thought I’d do the pond that’s in the garden so as I’d got a few frog patterns on my site I thought I’d do them peering out of the water.  First I cut the pond shape out and crocheted the wall around it.  I then spent an afternoon trying to work a frog that would work (without a lower body) to be peeping out of the water.  That wasn’t easy so that’s when I stopped playing!!

After a couple of afternoons l had two frogs and the wall around the pond.

I cut a slit in the blue fabric and slotted the frog in, sewing the sides of the slit together again.

This was fiddly but I think eventually it'll look OK.  Time and patience will tell!!!

Monday moan

I've been robbed AGAIN.

It happens every year just before Christmas.

My daughter, husband and one of the kids came over on Saturday as it had been Abbi's birthday a few days before.  I should know better but I said to my SIL that he could choose a dangle for his Christmas tree and one for his mum too.  When I looked in the box after he'd gone it was a lot emptier than I expected!!!

Now I'll tell you a secret.  I LOVE that he likes the dangles so much that he takes more than one.  In fact if I set off early enough next year I'm going to make him lots and lots.  So since Saturday I've been making more dangles so I've got enough for my Tuesday and Friday groups to choose one each.  

My own kids were brought up with tatting being done all the time so I think they're burnt out with looking at it!!!!  

Thank you, SIL for making me so happy.

Ann Onnymouse sports a new hat

Well look at this snazzy Ann!!!  Dressed in her own hat too. 

Maureen sent this to me yesterday and with the following note

“We spent a lot of time in the fitting room, Mouse and I, and in the end the thing that worked was size 40 thread. Mouse is 20, but the hat in 20 looked ridiculously large.”

So if anybody wants a hat for their mouse they can find the Santa hat on this page.

Thanks, Maureen, for finding a hat for Ann!!!

Celebration Bell

This is a pattern which I did for my aborted Palmetto submission.  I called it a Celebration Bell as it was to be for their 20th Tat Days.  Sadly, due to Covid I've decided not to travel again next year.

It's a pretty simple pattern and the only thing I'd probably add to it is beads on the two outer lower rings.  I've also made the Josephine ring using this method which I find so much nicer than the original way.  Obviously it can be worked the original way but probably more half doubles would be required and, I suppose it could be turned into 'just' a ring.

There are also two versions.  Two colours or one colour.  In the single version there are no ends to sew in at all!!!  The two threads are used to hang the bell.

I've now added it to my pattern pages .

More dangles

This time I decided to change pattern after I'd done the top sequin one.  

I just love the look of bugle beads worked into a design like this.  All the difficult 'bit' is done after the first three rings are worked and half a chain!!  But, having said that you do need to keep an eye on the centre not twisting about when you join the next 3 or 4 chains!!!  They seem to have a life of their own those bugles!!!  

If you don't have bugles or don't like the ones you've got then you can use rice beads or several small seed beads (measuring up to the size of the bugle, obviously.

The pattern for this is here and you can see how it looks with seed beads here.

Teeny tiny snowflake earrings.

My granddaughter recently had her ears pierced (she was 14 yesterday) and I decided to make her a teeny tiny pair of earrings.  

These are simple rings of 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 but with beads added as you can see.  There are four at the top of each ring (3 on the outside and 1 on the core thread) and a bead in between each ring.  

In the very centre I've added a large bead.  Now I'm not sure if this has been documented anywhere but it's quite easy.  

As you're closing the second ring you add the large bead to the core thread keeping it close to the first double made of that ring.  Secure that large bead with a safety pin/paperclip so it doesn't escape and continue with rings 3 and 4.  On ring 5 you have to join to the large bead after you've made the ring (removing the pin/paperclip) and continue to close.  It's really simple but I can write/draw it up if you think it's worth it.

Stiffening tatting

Waaaay back in the dark ages when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was a primary school teacher I realised that there was one small perk to the job.  Glue!!!!  Back then I was making tatted earrings (it was that which set me off as a designer) to entice the reception children into school in the morning to 'see what teacher had in her ears'.  In fact I met a pupil last Thursday who remarked that I was still making them.  She was with her 13 year old daughter!!!!  

So I used to use the white PVA glue (as you know it takes a smidgen) to see if it would work as a stiffener.  It did and some 38 or so years later I still find it's my favourite stiffener.  

Well, that was until last week when I popped into The Works in town and spotted clear PVA glue.  Actually I am almost 'out' of the white stuff so this was my 'excuse' to buy myself a bottle.

I was totally amazed at the results (which I'll show you later in the week) as it was clear (and dried clear too) and the beads didn't stop sparkling at all.  Mind, I've never found beads were dulled by the white stuff as that does dry clear anyway.

It is different in another way though.  It gives a much stiffer finish.  I'm going to try it out on my snowflakes but the results on earrings are spectacular.  More later in the week.

Finished square

I finished the square for the Lifeways project.  This is depicting the Midsummer parties we have there each year.  

Each of the family is now stitched down along with the bunting.  In the bottom left corner is a squirrel and at the bottom right are two little hedgehogs - they all live in the garden.

One of the joys of sitting in the garden in the summer is the sight of the swifts (top right) zooming across to access the loft spaces in the houses along the road.  Sadly we don't get them but I love to hear them screeching as they head at full speed towards their nests.

In the evening the bats come out to feed over the garden (top left) and they're a joy to watch too.  I wanted to put in more but when I did it started to look too cluttered.  Knowing when to stop is always difficult!  With me it's usually knowing when to stop talking!!!

Finished leaves

I did start to put beads down the centre of one of the leaves but then decided it was 'overkill' and took them off!!!  

As they are able to twist and turn I thought it was daft to have them just down the one side so they're going to stay naked - except for the edges.  

This is one pattern where the reverse join is invaluable when turning around.  Here's a link on how to do that.

I'm not sure whether I'm happy with the placement of the leaves on the inner three but maybe I need to move the chain up a bit at the sides.  I'll wear it (probably) and see. 

Two giveaway dangles

I realised that I didn't have many dingle dangles left to give to people so decided that now would be a good time to put that right!!

I don't make Christmassy ones as I've realise that people like to hang them up in all sorts of places round the house and then like to leave them up all year.  Or am I just speaking for myself?!?!  Probably it's just me being lazy that I tend not to take things down to replace them.

So, which pattern to use?  In the end I thought I'd use this one.  Here are the first two.

There's a mouse in the house!

As it's getting towards the silly season I thought that the mouse pattern would be appropriate.  

I remembered this poem " T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." so that got BC3 thinking it would be a good idea to add her first to the pattern pages.  I've put a link to the whole poem on the first line with the explanation.  

This is Miss Anonymous and she can be found here.

Monday moan

Today it's all about Covid and it's long reaching affects.

I had planned to put in my application to teach at Palmetto next year and all the patterns were ready to send.  All I had to do was get the application form done (it all has to be in by December 1st) and send it off with the patterns but before I did that I thought I'd better check with my travel agent about flights.

My dear friend, who I spend the last week of my trip with, has moved house and is now nearer to another airport so I thought I'd check if I could do the return flight from there.  That's when things went down the pan.  

The lass at the travel agent couldn't help at all.  She said they'd no idea how flights were going to be next year (looking at August) and couldn't give me any advice at all.  It seems that the airlines aren't going to be getting back to 'normal' anytime soon.  

This means that I'm not going to try to 'fly the pond' next year as I don't want to be put in the predicament where flights are  suddenly cancelled or changed or even more transfer problems too.  I think old age is creeping up and I'm not prepared to give myself the worry of taking the trip.  

I'm just so sad.  

The final leaf!

The square is progressing!

Well here it is with a few bits and pieces pinned on.  

I found some fabric for the background and then went and made some Tatbeads (the patterns can be found here).  

You’ll see some hedgehogs in the bottom right hand corner and the bunting is flying for a midsummer party!!  At first I was thinking of doing a beehive and bees (they’ve been resident in the garden for forty years) but decided I wanted something colourful.  There are some more bits and bobs I want to add and they all need to be stitched down too, obviously!

Bet you’d forgotten!

I’m still plodding on with my waistcoat and the second front is done so I’ve been tackling the armholes.  Here’s one of them to prove that I’m not slacking!!!

More leaves

Yes I’m still working away on the leaves but I must go back over them all and add beads to the centres too.  I’ve decided they definitely need them!!!  

A square!!

Not a tatted one although I do have one of those to share with you all soon.  I just haven’t had the time to settle down to a final read through.

This is a square of fabric.  It’s a thick cotton damask type of weave and it’s 5” square. 

The group I belong to which meets on a Tuesday morning is making a collage to hang in the room in which we meet.  I’ve mentioned this particular place before, I think but here’s the link if I haven’t.  It’s situated in our road and has a huge garden at the back.  We hold our midsummer parties there as well.  

The manager (James) showed us a piece of work that another group that he belongs to had done and it was exquisite so we’ve decided to make one based on the work that Lifeways does.  It’s a charity and, as the saying goes, ‘charity begins at home’ - so that’s what we’re going to do.  We’re all making a 5” square picture depicting something that takes place at the centre.  Here’s my start.,

Two more leaves

Yes they're all slightly different.  Both in sizes and thread colours.  Such fun making them.