Cozy production

Well I'm running out of friends!!!!  No I've not been upsetting them - least I hope not!  I'm running out of people to give these to!

I love making these - they're so simple to do  and so useful when done!!!  

For those who don't know - they're for putting a bowl into the microwave on so that you don't burn your fingers (or laps!) with hot stuff.

Progress on Robin's doily

Now I hang my head in shame!!!  I forgot to scan round 5 of Robin's lovely doily but I've remembered to do one of round 6 - even if it no longer sits entirely on the scanner!!!  

Number 90!!!

Well here we are!!!  

Janet has sent in her aliens and here's the link to what she has to say.

Thank you, Janet.

Monday Moan

Please would designers think about the amount of pages their designs take up AND how many instructions they actually need to write down.  I know I've done this moan before but I feel it's worth going over again. 

I've recently been looking at a pattern which is 32 pages long and would cost a fortune in inks (lots of dark backgrounds) and paper to print out (let's try saving our planet).   If I had been asked to write this simple generic pattern down it would take 3 pages (maybe 4) to describe, draw and present.  New tatters need to learn the craft thoroughly before venturing into designing.  Starting with researching what has gone before.

Another thing that's worrying me now is that due to YouTube people are now using other designer's patterns to show 'how to make' a design (hopefully with full permission given).  I've watched one or two of these and feel we're doing our craft no favours at all.  Why? We're teaching people to follow like sheep and not have to think.  This is the same for some of the patterns that are being sold online too. Pages and pages telling and showing how and when to turn or reverse the work but not necessarily writing it down in the pattern instructions.  Again this is going to lead to laziness in understanding how and why the lace 'works'.

My biggest moan of ALL for today is that these patterns NEVER give you a comfort break!!!! I know - I'm being silly now but soon they will be including instructions on how and when to take that break too!!!!   Too many instructions will lead to the death of tatted lace and  our brains too.

Must stop now - I need a comfort break and another cup of tea!!!!  A picture of some pretty flowers I saw on a walk the other day.

More aliens!!

Now this gang aren’t going onto the TIAS blog as they’re from Pamela who asked, a few weeks ago, if I’d done the whole pattern yet.  Well she shouldn’t have asked as she then put herself in the position of becoming the test tatter!!!!

Here are her aliens and the pattern will get onto my website - eventually!!!  Why ‘eventually’?  Well because I need to do so many things at the moment which need to be resolved before I can add aliens to websites.  

Another cozy

Now this one hasn’t got a home - yet!!!!   I’m deciding what to do with it while I make a few more which will also need to find homes!!!!  Keeps me out of mischief making them, though!!!

A new sewing project!

Heading now for (hopefully) warmer weather and the sewing spirit has risen within my body!!!  Spring means sap rising to most people but to me it’s the sewing bug which hits!!!

To get back into the swing of it I’ve started making bowl cozies.  I’ve got one which was given to me when I visited Canada years ago.  I LOVE it but as it’s grey it tends to be hard to find in my kitchen drawer!!!  The first one I’ve made is for a friend who lives nearby and this time round I’m making them with thicker wadding.  Why?  Well that’s because that’s what I was given!!!!  I LOVE Freecycle!!!!!  

We’ve got to 90!!!

Well, almost!!!  The next one will be number 90 as over the weekend two more aliens arrived - hot off the ferry from Ireland!!!  That’s, of course, the flying saucer ferry!!!

Here’s the link to find out more.  

Please visit the

Tat It And See blog today.  I’m not going to tell you anymore than that but I will share the link!

I’m a bit quiet here at the moment but that’s because I haven’t got anything to say!!!  Enjoy the rest - I’ll be BACK!!!!

Robin’s Doily - round 4

Well round four is done.  As you can see I haven’t put the iron on it yet but it really sits well.  That’s down to good, careful design skills.  It doesn’t need ‘blocking’ or anything.  Brilliant design.

Jumper

Another update on the knitting progress.  

As you can see I’ve now got below the armholes and it’s all joined up in one long round.  This is now a lot more interesting but a lot slower to knit.  I’ve got a digital copy of the chart on the iPad and use markup as I progress each row.  This means I can erase each row as it’s done and move upwards to the next one.  

I’ll add part of the chart to this blog post so you can see what Im doing.  

Coriolis

Hallie has sent me another of my designs that she’s done and I’ve checked it’s OK to share with you all. Here’s her comment.

“Good morning, Jane,

Since you said you like knowing people are enjoying your patterns, here's my latest effort: the Coriolis Motif. I'd only done block tatting a couple times before, but it works so well in this pattern. Thanks again for sharing your BC3 with all of us!

Best wishes,

Hallie in Wisconsin”

Oh, the pattern is here, by the way. 

Yesterday

Just in case you didn't notice - another alien arrived in my inbox. A great start to the week. 

This one is from Claire and I'll give you the link so you can see what she says.

Still hoping that a few more will fly in as I know there are still quite a few 'out there' waiting to land!!!! 

Monday

Yes, Monday but no moan!!! In fact I don’t really have a lot to say at the moment. 

Yesterday was such a busy day and I was too tired to do much. Hope to have more to share later this week.

Just a pretty picture from one of my walks.

Round 3 of Jan’s Doily

Well I’ve managed to tear myself away from the knitting at odd times and had actually finished this before the Gloucester tatting day!!! How’s that?!?!? 

In fact I took the doily with me to work on and when I got home found that I’d done the usual ‘thing’ of ‘talking too much and not concentrating’ so had to pull out a good deal of round 4!!!  

I don’t know if there’s something wrong with my BC3 but I never mind taking work out and re-doing it.  I guess it’s because I probably do more of that than getting things right in the first place!!!  I really ought to sit and read things through and understand BEFORE I start.  I do it with almost everything in my life!!!  Don’t ask about cooking!!!!  That’s a hit and miss affair too!!!!

The green jumper AGAIN!

Well here it is a few days ago. You can see that I’ve now got a front and a back on the jumper. The top picture shows that the front (the top part of the photo) is shorter than the back!!! I think the next stage will be to join the front and back under the arms. Can you see that stitches have been added to the sides of the garment?

Hallie’s Easter egg

Today I’ve got Hallie’s egg to show you.  It’s not often that people show me what they’ve made with my designs but it’s always VERY reassuring when they do as it shows I’m not really wasting my time and it also reminds me to look at them again to see if they need improving on.  This is what she had to say.

“Good morning, Jane,
I wanted to thank you for the bugle bead Easter Egg pattern (2019), and your technique sheet for simplified split chains. I'd looked at both previously and said, "No way!" 
But I recently sent in my T.A.T. Apprentice work, and felt up to another challenge. And to my delight, the beads weren't nearly as hard to deal with as I'd feared, and the simplified split chain method worked great.

Best wishes,
Hallie in Wisconsin
Keeping my fingers crossed that enough aliens show up to encourage you to let us have another TIAS treat next year!”

Yes I hope more aliens arrive too, Hallie!

Monday - not a moan!

Well I wish I’d managed to take some photos on Saturday when I went to the Gloucester Tatting Day organised by Linda Williams. 

I’m a real dumbie when it comes to going places in the car. I avoid driving as much as I can even though I’m not a bad driver. I just lack confidence but having sat nav does help. Anyway I arrived at Churchdown where the day was being held.

It was a lovely relaxing day and I sat next to Anne who was delightful. I didn’t get the names of everybody there which is typical of me. Even if I’d been told them I doubt they would’ve ‘stuck’ in BC3!!! 

There was a raffle (I won two very old shuttles) and a wonderful display including Janet’s gorgeous Christening gowns. The display gave me lots of inspiration and was good to see. There was going to be a workshop but to be honest I think we were all happy just to talk tatting!!! 

So, as I didn’t take any photos I’ll show you a photo I took last summer sometime!!

History repeats itself

Thankfully due to being a shuttle tatter for so many years I was able yet again to do a rapid repair of another broken washing line.  This is the last time it broke in January.  

Before you cynics say anything - it was the other end that broke this time as the tatting knots have held.  Another line has now been erected and my fingers are crossed that this will last for a good while!!!

Round 2

The start of this project is right back here as my wretched BC3 wandered off on other things - things like knitting!!!

So, back to the doily!

I can now reveal that it's Robin Perfetti's gorgeous Jan's Doily which is truly magnificent.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't destroy it for others as I try to make something equally as stunning. Robin's Etsy shop is here but it appears to be closed at the moment which is a shame.

I did tweak this round slightly as I don’t like big picots that others are later joined to.  Instead of the larger picot I substituted a very small one, two doubles and another small one instead.  It doesn’t detract from the design one bit but made it easier for my BC3 to tell my hands what to do without worrying about any picot gauges!!!

The hat finished

Well as we were destined to go through another really cold snap in the weather I decided to just knuckle down and get the hat finished.  It’s really hard to take a selfie of the top of the hat so I used the iron to model it too!!!  

It looks as if it’s very long but actually it sits well on my head.  

The visor part was easy to do and I had an empty milk carton (the plastic sort) which I cut up to make it stiff.  I did ‘cheat’ on the band which was needed to ‘hide’ the join and instead I crocheted that!!!!  

Jumper progress - again!

Further work has been done on the new jumper.  This is SUCH an interesting construction.  

I am now working on the back of the neck.  The needles show where I’ve got to as I’m constructing the shoulders (top, right of the photo).

  

85

That’s the number of aliens who’ve landed on earth. Here are the latest arrivals who all flew in on Saturday!!!

I must admit I was getting a bit worried as the numbers were so low for finished aliens and perhaps this might be down to the final part - the head. I know this was a hard part for some but my biggest concern now is the number of headless aliens roaming our planet earth without being able to enjoy the beautiful parts of our world.

So, please, please get in touch if you need help with your headless alien - I’m sure that the missing aliens would love to join the TIAS blog!!!

A start has been made

I've made a start on the new green jumper!!! I'm having to read the destructions VERY carefully as this is a totally new experience for me!!! 

First I made the left front shoulder and realised that I'd NO experience whatsoever with reading knitting charts!! A first and a challenge for BC3!! Before that, though there were short rows to add to the mix!!

Just got started and lo and behold I had to shape the front neck. Those few stitches were then put on a holding thread while I tootled off to start on the front right shoulder, short rows and again starting the cable off too. 

You can see on the picture below that I'm 'on the way' but it's a challenge.

Starting the hat!

Now I forgot to show you the hat I'm making the other day so here's a picture and the start of the project. Yes, more cables!!!

Here's the link to the pattern which is on Ravelry.

I need a warm hat with a brim so this seems to be the ideal project.  Jumper abandoned for a few days!!!

Another knitting project

Now this is a HUGE ball of yarn that was also in the freecycle pickup!!! That’s a Dreamlit shuttle sitting on top of it!! 

I need a new winter hat with a brim to protect my eyes so I looked around Ravelry but came up with nothing. Well, that’s what I’d started doing when a friend (thanks, Sue) sent me a pattern which is EXACTLY what I was starting to look for. So, when I’m not knitting the second green jumper, tatting a doily I’ll be getting on with the hat!!!

Now for something

A little different!!! Tatting!!

I don’t ‘use or do’ doilies but I LOVE making them - sometimes. I saw this pattern and simply HAD to make it. In fact a very good friend gifted it to me which was very sweet of her. I’ve done the centre but I’m not sure when I’ll get back to the rest - knitting calls!!!

Sample worked out

Here’s the sample I knitted to truly establish in my brain the size needles and size of garment required. I’m afraid this picture doesn’t do it justice but you’ll see later when I get going that this is going to be a really bright jumper!!!  I love the marbled effect of knitting the two yarns together.  

This is the pattern I’ve chosen - another humongous challenge, I think. All those CABLES!! What AM I thinking of?!?!

Life after the jumper!

Yes there is life after the green jumper and I’ll show you a picture of me wearing it at the end of this post.

I’m also going to show you the next project. This yarn was on a huge cone that I picked up from a freecycle advert on our local area freecycle network. Actually I answered an offer for fabric and in amongst that was this cone of bright green yarn.

I invited a neighbour round to help me sort out the fabric and she (thankfully) took some off my hands with most of the rest going to the Tuesday group we both belong to. Not long after Jo (neighbour) said she’d got a cone of the same colour yarn and would I like it. I took it as I wasn’t sure what the yardage would be on the first cone so wound all off both cones into balls. They are not the same colour as you’ll see BUT that’s not a problem as I now I had plenty for the next project. 

I then had to work out how to use it all and found that with both yarns together the gauge is that of double knitting yarn. Next thing to do is to find a double knitting yarn pattern. So, off I went to Ravelry. More another day!!!

Another alien

Excellent news - another alien arrived yesterday and is now on the TIAS blog. As I said to Susan who sent it in - I’m going to use it as a reminder to those who haven’t sent theirs in yet.  

At the moment we only have 77 and I like to get close to 100 before I make the effort to start on another TIAS design.  So, calling all aliens - would you care to join Susan’s over here and see if we can get to 100?  

Monday ‘sort of’ moan

This isn’t really a moan but it IS Monday and it’s what my BC3 does once a week - it thinks!!!  Yes once a week and for a few minutes!!  

So over the past few days I’ve ben thinking about onion rings.

Not long ago I spent time with Judith Connors (she lives the other side of the world to me!!) as she has a super way of doing really neat onion rings. Here’s the link to her way.

So when I decided to make a doily (more to come on that another day) with onion rings I thought it was a good opportunity to really practice this. 

WRONG!!! The onion rings in the pattern aren’t really onion rings. They look like them but they aren’t. I must admit I’d never thought of this before and I’ll also admit that it’s the way I used for the pig and the elephant but I’m now thinking they ought to be called 'mock' onion rings!  Why?  Well because the outside of this onion ring just ISN’T a ring - it’s a chain!!!  I know I’m stirring the pot a bit but does anybody else think that they ought to be called a MOR (mock onion ring)?

This is a blurry picture but you can see what I mean - not (to me) an onion ring but a ‘mock’ onion ring!

Jumper finished

I’ve been knitting! No shuttles while the TIAS was ongoing and definitely no designing either. I thought knitting would be relaxing but as my BC3 doesn’t ‘do boring’ very well I found this jumper.  It was a huge challenge. I’ve finished it now and have actually worn it too.  I bought it off Ravelry and it can be found here.  Least I hope this link will work.

It’s worked from the top down in 4ply yarn and it took me about 8 starts to ‘get’ the German short rows and the pattern straight and into my poor old BC3!!! Finally it’s done and I’m very pleased with it.  So were my wonderful new friends at the Friday knitting group who gave me wonderful advice and help.

Another message from Mary Jane!!!

This came from Mary Jane yesterday afternoon!!! I know the feeling about things 'going missing'. 

"Thank you for showing my heart and clown. Hope to find my sweatshirt with the Santa Claus on it. I moved to Santa Claus Indiana in 1992. Found your pattern put on sweatshirt wore to IOLO convention. Where? Can’t remember been too long ago. Before the clown."

Then later in the afternoon I got this message AND a picture of the missing sweatshirt!!

Well done for finding it Mary Jane!!!

Mary Jane’s clown

I’ve had a bit of a break from this blog whilst dealing with the Tat It And See. I then took last week off while getting my BC3 back into ‘back to boring’ mode!!!

The aliens from the TIAS are still slowly coming in and I’m hopeful that we’ll reach a hundred eventually. Once we’re near that I’ll start thinking of a new TIAS design for next January.

Meantime one of the bonuses of doing the TIAS is that people get in touch and sometimes we have a good old ‘natter’ on email. I find out too that people do actually use my patterns which is very reassuring and when they send them to me that makes my day. Mary Jane sent in her clown - the pattern is here and that cheered me up LOADS. 

Mind it was a bit frightening when I saw the date I did it - over 20 years ago. Where does the time go?

Debra’s Doris

Halfway through this year’s Tat It And See I had another arrival from Debra of her TIAS 2022!!! It’s never too late to send in a TIAS!!! Here is Doris done by Debra along with her comment.

I wanted to show you the birthday card I made using Doris the Dragon. My grandson will be 9 in March and he has decided to learn Japenese do I googled how to say happy birthday in Japanese. 

Further knitting progress!! - 2

It was weeks ago that I took this photo. I’m now well on the way to the finishing line but the TIAS has kept me busy so haven’t taken photos. I’ll wait until I’ve finished now as I don’t want to bore you any further!!!

Final day of the TIAS 2023

Today is the last day of the TIAS and the link is here.  

When you send in today’s final part could you mention where you come from and the thread you used, please?  It might also be interesting to see how you made the alien - shuttle or needle.  Thanks.

I will be slowly returning to this blog over the next few weeks as I find things to talk about.