Merry New Happy

Or something! Nope, not been on the razzle, just finished this set from the latest Marilee Rockley book.

It reminds me of summer and watermelons in the sun!!  And Holidays, and warmth and....  Oh and please ignore the two purple 'threads'... trials of getting 'second hand' phones with damaged cameras!!  Young Sir has no idea how they got there, but he upgraded his phone and I upgraded mine with his old one!!

Wearing the set tomorrow when we go to Li'l Miss's 'other Gran and Granpa's' for dinner!!

Anyway, all the best to everyone. Hope Santa brings you something you really need!! In my case... sense maybe??? Rofl!

Chat soon

 

Did you see?

Over here that a Certain Tatty OG has finally gotten around to making earwigs out of this pattern??

Dread to think how many pairs of earwigs I've made from it over the past few years!! (Just had a quick count on my earwig stand... There's 11 pairs on there, plus ones that I've made and given away or sold!!  So probably 20 or so).

Here's a few of them:

Now to make the bracelet to go with them... Here's Jane's pattern... Finally!!

Off to dig around in threads and beads!!

Chat later

Quiet aren't I??

Missed me?? Well I do have 'stuff' to share... First up is a gift I was sent the other day... it needed a 'forever home' where it would be looked after and made to feel needed! What was it?  Ooh you are a nosy lot!! VBG

I'll show you...

 As I say, it had decided it needed a new home... Thanks Janet!!!  It'll be in use soon!!

What else... Oh yes, I'm sure I've mentioned it before but me n Sir are to be granny n granpa for the second time!!  Bump is due sometime in the next 4 weeks.  Mummy requested someone to make a blanket for Bump to give Li'l Miss (when Bump eventually makes an appearance in the family), because Li'l Miss has 'donated' a lot of clothes (non gender specific), and baby toys to Bump!  Guess which Granny had to get the crochet hook out, and get the wool.... Yup, me!! LOL

Anyway, there was a deadline... haven't reached the deadline yet... but Blanket is ready!!  Want to see??

Here you go:

It measures around 60 inches or 1.5metres square.  And for those of you who want to do it... I had 1 ball of each of the first 4 colours, and 2 of each of the others.  Double Knitting yarn. 3tr and 1ch sp, with 2ch sp between 2 sets of tr's in the corners.  6 rounds each colour and 2 rounds white. Yes, a HUGE Granny Square!! Edge was simply 1 round tr blocks and 1 round dc with 1 dc in each tr or ch (and 3 in the corners so it won't curl up).  The notation is English!!  For the US where I've said tr read dc, and dc is sc!!  Hey that means I'm bilingual in crochet!!! ROFL

Now to decide what to do with all the leftovers....

Chat later, coffee's getting cold!

Have You Heard?

Today's news here in the U.K.?  4 presents.. 

Something they want,

Something they need,

Something to wear,

Something to read!

Now, those of you who read this blog regularly will know that sometime in Silly Season I have a rant about the amount of money that's wasted on gifts and food that isn't necessary!  Think the reporters or Santa has been reading it too! 

At last somebody has listened!! LOL.

Now the food... don't do it! Don't buy enough to feed the army for 6 months! You don't need it!

Give the money to charity if you're feeling guilty!

On a lighter note... I've got a new to me phone that blogger runs on again! Young Sirs phone went faulty and he uses it for work... Sir managed to get it working again and now I own a bright green iPhone 5c!! It didn't help that back in October sir visited the science museum and sent me a pic to show that that was where my phone belonged! Cheeky thing!! The final straw was that I could no longer use the apps. They refused to work and blog writer was among em! And that wasn't good!!

Onnyhow this is written using the new app!!

One happy liccle Pigmini!

Chat later

Something to show

For a change!!  Back at the beginning of October I went down to Alexandra Palace with the Ring of Tatters.  We were promoting the Ring and demonstrating the noble art of tatting.

Now some of the others there were sporting lanyards.  Yes you know the one, Patti Duff's pattern here.  There were plain ones, and multi coloured ones, all with plain beads.  When I got home I decided to hunt for the pattern (well, I knew I had it because I'd downloaded it to my laptop), and then grabbed a HUGE shuttle (this one).

A while back I'd been fortunate enough to get a load of beads from a local shop, in holders... and they were the right size!!  But... not enough of any colour, so I did a 'rainbow effect' lanyard.  Want to see it??

Ok.  Here you go:

The thread was an odd ball of Coats 20 which I've had for a while, and the whatsits to go on it are simple...

Tatting hook, picot gauges, snips (because I'd stab me with scissors!!), and a pair of 'Uncle Bill's Sliver Grippers', useful for undoing tight knots along with a 'third hand', (hackle pliers), more commonly found in fishing tackle, and used for tying flies.  At the bottom, I decided to put a holder...

Tell you what.  I'll show you:

Chat soon

Mail!!

I got Mail!

More specifically I got Marilee Rockleys new book!!  It's hot footed it over here to the UK from the US!  Must tell you it's.... GORGEOUS!!  It's this one:

There are beautiful patterns inside!  Well worth getting IMHO!!  I ordered mine here

What else.... Well there was some HDT in size 10 as well....  Dark Hydrangea!

It's even more gorgeous 'in the flesh'!!

So, I've dug out some crystal faceted beads and some crystal seed beads to go on it for one of the patterns.  Will get the shuttles wound tonight and I promise to show you when I've done it!!

Happy Hallow'een!!

Chat soon

Aberfan... 50 years on

As some of you will have seen on British news, today marks the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan Disaster, where the slag heap from the coal mines slid down into the village, burying the school, a number of houses and killing 144 people, 116 of which were children.

Sir and I both remember this, we were both around the same age as the children that lost their lives in the disaster.  It's something we both remember very well, watching the news as people pulled out both survivors and those that didn't.  It seemed to go on for weeks.

At 9.15am the school and the houses were covered.  This morning at 9.15am BST a minutes silence took place throughout Wales and most of Britain in houses where people remembered this.

To quote a song written in Hull....

They say that the pit heap's an eyesore
So they landscape it, scrape it, and make it a hill
But still there's a lump in the throat of the men
When they think of the lives lost to build it so high
Aye, they'll make the place 'pretty' again
But what will they do for the men?

I'm not going to go into detail regarding the disaster.  However, if you want to read more simply go to:

This report

Chat soon

To Tat or Knot to Tat and Which Way To Go...

I've just been 'blog hopping', and came across Eliz's blog here. (see her 6th October post).... Left handed or Right handed tatting....  Hmmm..... Well, thought I'd let you all know:.... As a left handed tatter and teacher of tatting I found this really interesting.  I naturally tat with the shuttle in my left hand and the thread in my right!  There have been comments about beads etc... once again it really doesn't make any difference to the finished article whether the tatter is left or right handed!  People who follow my blog would not realise I'm a 'leftie' simply because I don't tell them!  When I'm teaching a right handed person the 'flip', chain and ring I hold the thread in my left and the shuttle in my right.  That does not come naturally, so I have to concentrate and so do it VERY slowly, which is great for teaching anyway!!  For a left hander I do what comes naturally anyway!

If you think about it.... when you see a knitted article, can you really tell from the finished thing what method of knitting the knitter used?  Did she have the yarn in her left hand or her right?  No!!  Crochet... you can tell but only by looking VERY carefully at the top of the stitches!  Does it make a difference to the finished article?  Does it look 'wrong'?  No!! Why should tatting be any different???




So tatters, we all know the basics... why not 'practice' working the 'other way round'? Yes, we will be all fingers and thumbs at first, it is good for us!!  First of all it slows us down, AND reminds us of what it was like to learn that flip!!  Anyone joining in with this???  AND I don't want any comments about it's the left hand that does all the work either from any of you 'righties'... ROFL  Or any comments like Sir comes out with about left handers being 'sinister, cack handed, or any other...'  Remember... we are the ones in our right minds!! VBG

So come on guys n gals, let's see everyone practicing the 'other way round'!!

Chat soon

Tatting or no tatting??

That is the question!!

Now I could carry on in the same vein as a certain deceased gent from Stratford on Avon, but... you'd all shout at me if I did!!  So I'll explain what I mean...

Before I do, I'll show you the latest 'bit' of that there doily what's taking it's time in being done.  The next 'round' is finished, and the whatever it is, started... these are part rounds with LOTS of ends!!!  I hates ends unless it means it's finished!!!

Anyway, back to 'Him who Shall Not Be Named' (or was that a book....) VBG...

Mummy is 'expecting' in January, and decided that bump should give Li'l Miss a Rainbow blanket as a present when it arrives... this is to say thankyou for the toys etc!!  Can Mummy crochet??  Yes!!  Can she be bothered to make it?? No!!  Guess who got the job....

So, these are the colours:

Since this was done the thing was pulled out and restarted with 6 rounds per colour and 2 of white instead of the 4 shown.  Nearly finished the green now... (again).  That's because somebody realised it'd only come out around a metre square, and wanted it about 1.5 metres... Taught my crazy Dutch Friend how to remember the colours of the rainbow a few years ago... She still remembers it! Lol

Oh.  For those of you who intend visiting Ally Pally Knitting & Stitching Show, I'll be manning the Ring of Tatters stand on Wednesday!!  See you there... (unless I've sloped off for a quick something or other, like a look round, or a ciggie, or a coffee...

Talking of which...

Chat soon

Real One!!

Devon Cream Tea that is!!

No sooner do we get back from Italy than we head off camping in Devon!! So short order was a real Devon Clotted Cream Tea with coffee instead of tea!!!

Now the question is... Butter, jam, cream or butter, cream, jam??

The reason for the cream tea??? Well apart from being hungry and thirsty... We decided to camp in Devon because there was a Ring of Tatters committee meeting and staying over for a few days camping was preferable to a 400 odd mile drive there and back in one day!!! Far too far for this Tatty OG!! 

Anyway, we treat ourselves to a few cream teas!! Lovely!!! Stayed on a site in Chudleigh! Luvverly site! Bit slopy, but its ok... I could roll downhill and Sir stopped me rolling outta the tent!!! Vbg

Think Li'l Miss missed us tho...

Must show you the next part of that there doily but ifs too dark to take a pic so you'll have to wait!!

Right, chat soon with pics!!! Lol

I'm Back!!

From Italy!! Earthquakes not felt in Northern Italy by this Tatty OG and her OH!!  If they were felt, we slept through it!!  Horrendous for the people though... watched it on Italian News channel in the evening.

Right... so, what did we do??  Want to know??  Ok... I'll tell you anyway! VBG  Spent 2 days on a coach!  Leaving home at 4am and arriving in Metz in France at 9pm!!  Ferry from Dover to Calais, and the following day went from Metz (breakfast) to Switzerland (lunch) and then through the Gotthard Tunnel to Torbole on the side of Lake Garda!  Beautiful area of the country!  Well worth visiting!!

We also went to Venice the day of the earthquake... the water was suffering from the aftershocks!  Venice is beautiful and not expensive if you get away from either Rialto Bridge or St Marks Square!  Will show you pics of those when Sir takes them off his camera!!!

Returned home via the St Gotthard Pass to Metz, then over on the ferry to UK where it was.... no not raining... Thunder and lightning!!!

Here's a few pics:

St Marks Square... complete with flagpoles!!

Sir at the top of the pass!

Now 4 days on a coach is mind numbing unless there's scenery!!  So parts of the UK and most of France was flat and boring... Guess what I managed to do!!  I'll show you:

 No, not all of it!!! That there last round!!!  From almost the start to the finish!!  I will get that darned doily finished one day!!! Rofl

Chat soon

And so to...

Do more tatting!!!

First of all I thought I'd show you this bracelet and pendant ... This time its a Jennifer Williams pattern which I was tatting to see what it was like... 

Pretty methinks!!

Then... Last Thursday evening that there crazy Dutch friend of mine decided to dispose of some green seed beads into a jar... And she gifted them... Look!!

It's Janes Starry Button pattern with a few beads removed along with the button and replaced with a Tibetan spacer!!

Anyway, may be quiet next week... Off to Italy for a few days hols!  Yes, of course the shuttles are travelling too!! Can't be on bus journeys for 4 days without shuttles can I!?!?!

Chat soon

This is another one...

Or maybe it's the same one... or different, or....

Oh I give in!!!  I'll just show you in a minute!!  You see a certain Tatty OG 'somewhere down south' is to blame!!!  She shows bracelets on her blog every so often and it sets me off!!!  So, I had thread, I had beads, I had buttons, I found 2 empty shuttles after much hunting....

This is what happened when I mixed them...

 

It's to go with a dress Sir bought me recently... with flutterbies on the front and back and lots of summer colours!!!  Will have to finish the ends off and attach another earwig wire, and find a pendant whatsit...  Needs it done for a couple of weeks time... off to Italy for a week leaving the kitties in charge of Young Sir!!

Right, now I found double the quantity of beads I needed... Think I'll have to hunt some new thread out...., and beads, and shuttles... (wanders away muttering)

Chat later

So....

What happened on Friday?? Must admit you lot are not very nosy at the moment are you???? LOL

Well, between Wednesday and Friday I got 3 bouquets of flowers, an orchid (that I've no idea how to look after), 8 boxes of choccies, a 'Body Shop' goodie bag AND a bottle of wine!!!  Why??? Because yesterday this Tatty OG did her very last 'full time' lollypopping!!!  I'd had enough!  So I handed in me notice to leave.  16 years of being out in all weathers, in traffic fumes, ignorant car drivers that refuse to stop even though it's a pedestrian crossing, etc.... is enough to get anyone mad!!!  Between that and not having enough time to 'shop' in town during the day, during the week, or not being able to go for a 'girlie' lunch without clock watching, and having to take holidays when there are loads of OP's kids around AND I have to pay over the odds to do it is just silly!  So, I quit!  I'll happily stand in for if others are off, but it'll be on my terms not theirs!

I guess that means I'm essentially 'retired'!

Last night we went to Classics in the Park! Hull symphony orchestra, soloists, a rendition of some Shakespeare, and the park  version of Last night of the proms! 

Sir got rather merry... Not surprised after a bottle of beer and a bottle of wine! Me? Designated driver!! No alcohol!!!

Right off to play some more with beads for that bracelet set!!

Chat sokn

Summer's Arrived!!!

Well, in our corner of Yorkshire it has anyway.... temperatures of 30 deg C no less!!!  20 - 22 at night makes it warm for sleeping!  Today the temperature is a little less, but not much, and it's cloudy so we can expect thunderstorms later!!

In a few weeks we're off on a coach trip to Lake Garda and Venice!  Well, a girl (or even a very tatty OG) needs jewels to wear doesn't she???  Of course she does!!!  So, I've made a start on a Starry Button Bracelet, earwigs and pendant to go with a summer dress Sir bought me a couple of months ago!!

Want to see??

Well.... before I show you I've something to tell you.... Li'l Miss announced to Danny (me) and Granpa that she's going to be a 'Big Sista' in January!!!  So then this Danny (Granny) will be sharing pics of 2 scraps!!! LOL

Ok... here goes on the jewels....

Summer Fun Lizbeth, dark blue silver lined beads, silver beads, pink silver lined beads, green beads, white buttons and lilac beads!!!

Looking forwards to Friday... but I'm not telling why!!  You really want me to say???  Tough!!  Nope!!! My lips are sealed!  You'll just have to wait!!

Chat later

Happy...

Birthday to meeee for yesterday!! Must show you the card Young Sir gave me...

Then he put on the inside that its got to be 5 different, and not 5 bottles!!! Cheeky beggar!

Sir gave me a new radio and Young Sir bought me a Japanese Acer for the garden!

No tatting to show you tho...

Chat soon

It's time...

To say goodbye!

A couple of weeks ago we said
goodbye to both Pigmini and Sirs car! I've had Pigmini for 13 years and will miss her, but not her 'stroppy teenage' quirks! I'm hoping she will be a good girl for her new owners!

She may not be with me any more but she will remain in everyone's thoughts... Why? Because I REFUSE to change the name of this blog!!

So... Why the change... Well... Sirs car has just had its first mot and we decided a number of years ago that we wouldn't keep a car beyond that if we could change it!  Pigmini was the exception... But we don't need 2 vehicles really now, so bye bye to 2...

And hello to RJ!!!  Why RJ??  Because I couldn't decide whether the R and the J in the reg stood for Romeo or Juliet!!! LOL

What else?? Well, its jam making season and I'm fighting a losing battle with rotting strawberries before they ripen! Too much wet!!!  So in between I decided to make the patterns in the Ring of Tatters DVD's! Here's the first in the techniques!

I'll share other 'stuff' as I get around to them!!

Chat soon

Another one done!

Round on that there humongous doily!!! I'll show you:

And another 'motif' for earwigs!  This one is from the Ring of Tatters beading book and DVD!

It's worked in an atlin basak 50... A bit slippery in comparison to lizbeth and the stitches on the chains are not really smooth, but if you hold the stitches between the thumb and forefinger to stop them slipping its not bad, and it looks silky!!! The thread came from tatting and design and is a cone rather than a ball of thread!  Had to be played with!!

Chat soon

Dontcha just...

Love it when something nice happens?? Last week I called into the parish office and was presented with an envelope from our clerk!! Not sure if it was hers or her mums but....

Here, I'll show you...

Still sealed!!! I offered lessons!!!! Honest!!!

Chat soon

When you gotta bag...

And it needs a bitta 'bling'  what do you do??

Look, I'll show you... this is the bag:

Plain isn't it??  I decided it needed a bit of brightening up...

Remember this??

Well it's now on the bag!!  Lots more to be put on though!  Great way of showing off motifs!!  When I've finished I'm going to have a VERY tatty bag!!

Mind you... it was 'smuggling' last week!!  We were in Germany for a few days, and on the way back to the ferry we called in at Schaeveningen on the coast of the Netherlands not far from the ferry.  There was an 'Aircooled' festival in aid of Kids with Cancer and we found this gal who decided she wanted to come and live in the UK!!

Cute isn't she? Later on she was showing us how to wear a sun hat!!

Li'l Miss can't say her (the bears) name so she's known as Skev!!

Chat soon

Motifs with Passion!!

So, you read I'm sure, that a certain Tatty OG from a famous town 'down south' had said that the Pigmini Family from Yorkshire had named that motif....

Thought I'd share with you how come...

You see... I had the pleasure of test tatting the pattern!  I'll show you:

First up is the one that told me I must learn to read destructions!! That and the thread being 2 different thicknesses didn't help and this happened!!

The pattern 'bowed' in the middle!

Serves me right for using up thread on shuttles and not reading the pattern!! Vbg

Shuttles were rewound and the destructions followed...

The colours I'd picked reminded peeps in the house of... Passionflowers!!!

Now the furry cushion the passionflower is laid on is very warm and frequently sits on my knee! She purrs a bit and complains when I move her, but she makes an excellent back cloth for display!! Lol  Thanks for letting me use your back Luna!!

Chat soon

Peacocks!

Over on Janes blog this morning she shows you a couple of peacocks!

Well... This Tatty OG was fortunate enough to get to test tat him!!  Want to see??

Lizbeth pale pink and rainbow splash for his feathers! He is going on a bag but not directly! Why? Because believe it or not the bag is EXACTLY the same shade as the green on his tail! So... When I locate some dark blue I'm stitching him to a background!

Now I wonder what another one would look like with lbp's at the ends of those tail feathers...

(Walks away muttering about beads and colours)...

She's Back!!

No, not me... I've just been busy!!

Li'l Miss!!  They've been to Maui, Sydney and California for 5 weeks!  She loved it!  So did Mummy & Daddy.  I'll show you a pic of Mummy in a bit... taken in Maui.  Li'l Miss brought a pink pony, Pooh bear and Tigger home with her, so I had to meet them yesterday.  Whilst they were in Disney California she managed to meet her two Disney Idols!!  And have breakfast with them!  Eggs and bagels for breakfast with.... you can see in the pic!!

Finished the bookmark that you all guessed correctly... Reminds me of Nasturtiums in colours!  Now on with this one:

Loves the colours on this too!  But... they're not for me!

Anyway, here's the pics I promised earlier:

Mummy playing 'dressing up'!!

Meeting friends for breakfast!

Must remember to finish those ends!!!

Chat soon