Shock!!

Yes, I've just noticed it's been over a year!!! Hence the post title! I've finally decided to post again... What have I been up to? Yes I can hear you asking! Simples.... Mother in Law got in the way. She will be 102 in a weeks time. Currently in hospital, and they can't find anything wrong with her except for the very advanced Altzheimers. She went in because the carers found her at the top of the stairs having 'fallen'. We've witnessed these 'falls', her brain decides she's done enough vertical movement and her knees just fold and she crumples to the ground.... Is that really a fall?? Not IMHO! They are now recommending respite care to get her moving again. At present we cannot work out how it can be funded. Will just have to wait and see! What else.... we changed our old petrol car for an EV. That's fun!! We can drive for almost 300 miles without worry from full to empty! I say you need a 'comfort' break more often than that! I could wax lyrical on what we do instead of motorway service areas, but if you really want to know you'll have to get me to write a different post! Holidays, bus trips, council meetings, camping.... to name but a few things that have stopped me writing on here. However, if you've been following that TOG 'down south' with her socks.... Yes I supplied her with the pattern! Want to see mine?? Here you go!

Yes I Can!

As most of us know, my crazy TOG friend is running a Tat it and See at present. I'm sticking with the idea it's a duck filled fatty puss! Until I change my mind that is!!

Anyway, he has a name .... Phreddeigh! Stop and think about the pronunciation.... Ph = f, redd = red, eigh = y as in yacht..... Got it??  Good!! Lol

Anyway, here he is whizzing down the shuttles!

How Dare I!!

So, I've been lax at posting the Tat It And See pictures. I'll catch up a bit shortly!

For those that follow the TIAS page closely, you will know that this particular TOG always changes her mind from an Elephants Foot Umbrella Stand (EFUS for short).  This year is no exception! Currently my guess is a Duck Filled Fatty Puss. Want to know why?  Well I'll tell you anyway!

Almost 40 years ago when we moved into this house we got a kitten. At the Christmas Sir wanted duck for dinner, and said kitten got the cooked giblets (innards)! He stretched out in front of the fire looking like a duck-billed platypus with a fat belly! Sir and his namesake down the cottages coined the phrase and it's stuck! 

Knowing Jane's deviousness it could be anything!!

It's Here Again!

The Tat it and See that is! 

The time of year where we all need cheering up. Here in the UK it can be dark, dull, dreich... a Scottish word for dismal.  So saying today is sunny in this corner of Yorkshire!  

Anyway, I digress, the period after the festive season feels flat for a lot of people, and it's exactly the right time for that TOG down south to launch something we all love doing!

Here's my wriggly worm... So far!

Chat soon

What Do You Do?

You know how the conversation goes....

Young li'l miss "Granny, when will I get my granny blanket? My sister has one. Where's mine? Will you make me mine? Please!!!"

When Mummy was expecting her, I made this for her sister to say thank you for all the baby stuff big sister didn't need anymore ....

Fast forward to babysitting at the end of November last year and the conversation written above. I couldn't think of a way of explaining how big sis had one when li'l sis hadn't!  So ... 14 X 100g balls of DK later.... No I didn't use it all! One steaming crochet hook and several late nights, over 400 miles travelling, (went to Scotland for Xmas, and wanted it finished by New Year) and the second 'Granny Blanket' is finished!

It was Young Li'l Misses 5th birthday on 2nd. She was presented with her blanket, 5 years between the 2 photos!!

Ann Onnymouse!

Remember the mouse that that TOG 'down south' shared the other day?? (This pattern) 

 Well, this particular TOG had the pleasure of test tatting it!! 

 I christened her.... hence the post title!! I've fed her cheese to stop her running away. Although I can tell you that mouses much prefer chocolate.... It's what the field mice that get into the house think anyway! Think they're brought in by the cats!! 

 Reminds me of a story from 'Mummy' a number of years ago when she had 2 cats and no kids. One cat brought a mouse in (dead) and deposited it on the floor. It was spotted, and she said to the cat 'What's that doing there?' Said cat promptly picked it up, went into the kitchen and deposited it in the food dish!! Lunch!!! LOL 

 Anyway, I know you want to see... here's my version of Ann...

 

She is pretending to be a Kangaroo!!

What do you do when you get bored???

Morning All. So what do you do when you get bored? Read a book? craft? I find a couple of empty shuttles, thread, buttons, beads.... then decide what to make!! 

 We've been 'up north' in Scotland, furry grandchild sitting whilst Young Sir and Young Mrs were away on honeymoon. Of course I had thread, shuttles and beads with me but no buttons. This meant that I couldn't make myself earwigs or a bracelet from one of Jane's button patterns. So, I was BORED!! Mind you, it's taken me a few days to blog this purely because we came back to a completely drained loo! No water in it at all, cept for the cistern!! Flush, it'll pull back to almost empty.... turns out there was a blockage way down the line to the road, past all the other cottages!! Everyone must have had problems of the sewer allowing their loo to fill with water and drain slowly at the very least! Sorted this morning by good old Yorkshire Water... well the engineers are friendly! 

 Anyway, back to tatting... reading that TOG's blog, where she was making leaves and I started thinking.... grabbed the pattern, read it, and it set me off thinking.... Would it work if I made the centre as a ring and split rings.... It had to be tried!! The shuttles needed emptying anyway (my excuse and I'm sticking with it!) I'm sure someone else will have come up with the same idea....

I wonder what it would look like with beads.... Oh and here's a pic of the furries with their owners. The cat is missing, she wouldn't sit still!!

 

I'm sure you know....

That this particular TOG is mad on both owls and dragons!! A few years ago I shared the stories of McVroom (way back in January 2014) and Hagua in August 2014. I'll link them if I can work out how to! The pattern is here  

McVroom is the Scottish Loch Dragon, and loves to fly overhead in rain! You can tell he's there because it's wet!! Anyway, I've found out he changes colour! Around Halloween he turns autumny colours and starts really flying! Rain, wind and falling leaves add to his fun. Hiding in the autumn trees is simple, and he flicks them off with his tail! That's why not many people know about Scottish Loch dragons, because they don't see them when they're admiring the autumn colours of the trees, they're well camouflaged!. They are fun loving and extremely mischievous! Wet or dry leaves fall and most people assume it's the wind.... the wet ones dry on the ground eventually, and crunch when you walk on them, which McVroom does at on October 31st, just as it's getting dark.... so you can't see him, but you can hear his tail clunking on the ground behind you!! Then people think all sorts of weird things.... but it's not!! Here he is:

Thats better!!!!

Done!

So yesterday I showed you the bookmark almost finished. Today I finished it!  Being a lacemaker too, the 'tail' is a 2 pair plait fastened into a picot and beaded with size 11 seed beads from my stash!

It's All

Mike's fault!

A few weeks ago I decided to treat myself to Tatting Tiles! Being digital it's now stored both on the laptop and my phone.  I fell in love with one of the tiles, and, being in Scotland house and furry grandkids sitting while Young Sir and Young Mrs are on their honeymoon, I grabbed some thread and a shuttle....

This is going to be a bookmark soon as I locate my needle, but needs finishing off.... However I just 'had' to share!!

Chat soon!

All Over!!

The Garter, and the wedding!! Young Sir and the New Mrs are now hitched! The wedding went well, in a brewery in Glasgow. Restrictions lifted enough for them to get married, and drink and dance! Bet you all thought 'thank heavens, Pigmini has stopped blogging!!' No such luck folks!! Anyway, I'm certain what you really want to see is a few pics.... not many tho because somebody forgot to take them!! First up is the Garter:

Then there's the bracelet:

The cake, complete with 'raptor bride n groom!!:

And of course the cause of all of the above!!

Oh, nearly forgot .... Sir in his kilt!!

More Done!!

Around 18 months ago I 'volunteered' to make a bobbin lace garter for Young Sirs Bride to be. Part done and Lockdown struck!! We waited.... made a tad more lace... wedding cancelled as the venue couldn't be opened! They rearranged and waited, limit of 20 guests... who to not invite.... Decisions on guests, Grooms rellies not allowed into Scotland!! Aaargh!!! We are now at the finishing stages of plans, Young Mrs D to be couldn't find anyone to make a wedding cake.... It's arranged now, I contacted the first person to ever cuddle Young Sir outside of the family, he was less than 36 hours old.... She's a cake business owner!! sorted it, fruit, chocolate sponge, fruit in a stack! They have the topper and you'll have to wait to see what we've arranged for the sides... Promise to take a pic or two!! As you already know, waaay back in Feb I made a bracelet for Young Mrs D to be, and stalled on the bobbin lace... not enough light... Anyway, yesterday I managed to remove it from the pillow!! Now to find the ribbon and elastic to finish it in the next couple of weeks!! Has to be ready for the beginning of August!! Here's the lace:

Beads, a forthcoming wedding and a Crazy TOG

 As most of you are aware, Young Sir was due to get married last year.  Thanks to Covid it got cancelled, and is due to take place this summer instead.  Young Sir's fiancee has already got her dress (I hope), and her hair adornments.  After a zoom call with them I have ended up making a Starry Button Bracelet from Jane's website for her.... All white and pearl beads!  Simple to do provided you follow the instructions to the letter, and is easy to make larger than the 6.5 inch wrist if need be.  You can add a chain or split rings to lengthen it. However it's the right size for the future bride!  Pearlised buttons, and pearl beads to the fore!!  Must show you:

The End

Of another Tat It And See has been reached. Always a slightly sad day, but it's a great chance to perfect new skills by making more! Gives you chance to practice... Be it split rings, the shoe lace trick, adding beads to your tatting...

Barmy Bonkers the Beaversquirrel Fox is a bookmark as you can clearly see, if you leave his nose and eyes out he can make sure nobody but you moves him! However, we all know that foxes are partial to nutty squirrels, and nutty squirrels like nothing better than to bed down for the winter in a nice hole. If you leave this bookmark alone for too long you may find that he has shredded the inside of your book for a warm bed! Beaversquirrels are slightly better in that they don't hibernate, but they are partial to shredding paper to imitate snow! Gives them something to do when it's too cold for us to spend much time outdoors, this means that they can't bonk us on the head with snowballs  from the snow on tree branches! So Watch Out! I hope you have all enjoyed this tatty tale!

Day 15

Well Barmy is a happy Beaversquirrel this morning as he can now camouflage on a tree branch! He's not turned white yet which means that if you look carefully along branches you may just spot him hiding. Preferably before Jane gives him paws to knock snow onto your head!!

TIAS Day 14

I must say that that TOG down south really does have peeps guessing this year! Ooh she's a sneaky one I must say!! Forgot to post yesterday, and we've snow here, so.... Barmy refused to change colour, although I have a sneaky feeling he will as soon as it melts!! LOL. Anyway, here's what he looks like at the end of Day 14.... still in his autumn colouring....

Day 13

 Afternoon All

We are currently experiencing icy wind chill and snow flurries that don't seem to want to lay except for on the hill at the back in the distance.  Had to go shopping this morning and drop an old phone off to a friend that's just moved into her first house!!  The phone line is connected but not the internet yet, so we gifted a phone so she isn't quite so isolated (the village has no real mobile phone signal).

Came home to find that Jane had put Day 13 on her blog!  So, I went and looked.... Barmy now has a head and had a quick look out of the window, as it's not snowy landscape out there he's still in his autumn colours!!

Want to see???

Day 12

 Well, we've reached day 12 in the TIAS.  Do we have a second eye?? Methinks so!!  

Barmy is now saying to us..... "All the better to see you with My dear"!  If you think of the fairy tales is it Granny in the cupboard and a wolf in a beaversquirrel coat??  Is that what they're trying to tell us??

Maybe, or maybe not.  We shall just have to wait and see.... 

And Now

I'm caught up with the TIAS!

After Barmy was caught curled up dozing he stretched out on the cat! (That was yesterdays post....)

Then that TOG down south decided he should be able to sniff for the slim chance he can change colour this winter! The powers that be are telling us we will get snow this coming weekend.... We'll wait and see!  

And here you can clearly see he's got an eye on what she's up to next!! One can never second guess what's going on in the mind of BC3!

I see from the blog that others think it may be an EFUS (Julibeth) or a fox, ermine or even a giraffe or dinosaur. I am jus' sayin'.... It's Barmy Bonkers the Beaversquirrel!  Maybe we'll get the EFUS next year!!! ROFL

Day 8

Yes, I know it's VERY late.... However, my phone decided that it didn't want to charge! Had to use a very old phone for calls!

Young Sir rose to the calamity and has sent his old phone for me and Sir to use as Sirs has a busted screen. As his is still charging I've managed to get the use of it first! So, here's where I left Barmy the Beaversquirrel. Now why does that TOG 'down south' think he should be asleep or hibernating? I've already explained (I think) that Beaversquirrels don't hibernate. They pinch birdfood when it's hung in trees (mainly the nuts in bags) and throw snowballs when it's snowing!

Anyway, here he is curled up asleep!