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