New Tat It And See

Hi Folks

Sherry over on Tatting Tales has just created a new Tat it and see.  Today is day one!!  Here's what I've done so far....

I think it's a flying flower necklace at the moment!! VBG  Bet I'm way off tho!!   The thread is Lizbeth Rainbow Taffy, that and the picot gauge came from Roseground here in the UK.  The tatting shuttles and picot gauge are now sitting on the coffee table waiting impatiently for the next thrilling episode!!!

So .... as they say.... watch this space!!


Now what else have I been up to??  Making chutney with plums out of my Mother in Laws garden!  Cuddling the cat that is currently trying to help me type, and sorting my son out ready for an induction into a new temp job tomorrow.  More about that another day, maybe....

Anyway, back to my shuttles - still have to finish off the hankie edging, almost half way round now!!

Chat soon

Sue

Back to School Tatting.

Back again quite quickly!  It's our daughter and son in laws 2nd wedding anniversary in September, and when they got married they gave every guest a small packet of sunflower seeds.  Her theme for the wedding was Sunflowers, she carried them, they were on tables, the wedding cake, etc.  Well, last year one came up out of 4 that we planted.. so I took a photo of it to make into a card for their 1st anniversary.  So, we were hoping that 2 would grow this year....  I've now decided that sunflowers are very contrary things!!  2 didn't grow.... 3 did!!! (Well, Kyra is expecting isn't she??) One of them is massive and has multiple flowers on it!

I may just have to tat Jane's sunflower to retaliate!!!

Anyway, it was back to school week last week.  The little ones started in either a morning or an afternoon for the first 2 weeks.  On Monday they start full time!!  Some of them look so tiny that you are sure they're too young!!  Anyway, it got me thinking about friends and friendship bracelets.  I know how to make them macrame style, scoobidou style, lucet style.... how's about tatted style??

Split rings!!!!

 I've got the one on the left on my wrist as we speak!! (and half of one that looks like the middle one... I ran out of thread!!) It was done in 20 Lizbeth spring garden, and an old Twilleys 20 variegated pink, and happened to be what I had left on my shuttle!  the second was a valdani fine (similar to 80 DMC) and done with 2 strands together on each shuttle, and the third was 1 strand valdani, 1 strand venus 70 and 1 strand dmc 80, with the other side a 20 Lizbeth!  Fun to do and dont take long to make!!  Fundraisers for stuff, here I come!!!!

Now as I have 'permission' to show you tattysawus.... my own personal tatty bug from Jane Eborall... here he is:

Tattysawus!!!

Another thing I did was to make some flowers for a cardmaking friend.... another great way to use up me bits!

Oh, I'm thrifty I am!! LOL  well, it's either that or crazy (my BC3 has gone off somewhere and it's not visiting Jane.... I checked!!VBG)

Also, I'd found a pattern, can't remember where, but it sounded fun and uses just one shuttle.... I added beads and am considering making another one for earrings.... and now it definitely is someone else's fault... I've started tatting the Fandango hankie edge in the Valdani 35 wt!!!  And Jane blames me for her working it now.... LOL

Oh well, back to doing something less constructive than computer trawling or tatting.... housework??

Sue

Summer Holidays and Pups and Campsites!!

Miss me??  Feel as if I've been missing 'since forever'!! LOL  Been up to all sorts of things, including house sitting those puppies and their mum & dad and Great Uncle.... The family went abroad on holiday and, of course, no kennels would take Mum with the pups.... so yours truly ended up with the job!!  Back and forth for 2 weeks, including sharing staying there for the night with my son.... mind you they were funny in the garden at times!  This is Darcy (blue roan) and Charlie (orange roan)  A few seconds later Charlie was chewing Darcy's tail!!!

Also, we went to the Cotswolds for a week, camping.  We treat ourselves to a new tent!!  This one:

It's an Outwell 3 man, so perfect for 2 people who like some comfort!!  The red chair is MINE!!!! (There's a net 'pocket' in the arm, perfect for putting balls of thread and tatting shuttles!!) While we were there we met up with Jane Eborall, and there should be a photo here.... however Chris still has not sorted it from his camera!  Men!!!!  We had fun in Stratford, walking along the river and had a coffee in the Theatre Cafe.  Great to meet up with you Jane!!!!  I gotta bug!!!  Jane, can I show them the tatty bug???

I started tatting Jane's twirly doily while we were there.... I'd got so far with it when Chris let some water into the tent.  Not enough to soak everything, just one of my balls of cotton!!!!  It dried out in the chair 'pocket' during the day! Of course, while it was still wet I needed it.... so I decided to do the Fandango square instead!!

Think I'll make another one and make them into a pair of earrings!!  However, as soon as the cotton had dried out I got on with the doiley!!  Here it is minus its outside edge.... which is still waiting!!

It was fun to do, however will someone please teach me to always check that I have the pattern in my head BEFORE I start a round, and not to go off in my own sweet way and completely miss joins!!!! You know the feeling.... 'I understand this, tat, tat, tat for quite a few hours.... oops, that doesn't look right.... oh no!! missed those joins right from the second repeat!!! Drat!! and spend the next 7 hours undoing what you'd done!!

Anyway, next instalment of what I've been up to following soon!!

Sue

Cards and Rain and Tatting!!

Well Folks, it's been raining here this morning!!  Not heavy rain, just drizzly, so not enough to really wet the garden, but hopefully it will have done a bit of good!  We had a thunderstorm last night that was rather fierce.... but no rain!!!

So... today is my friend Melissa's birthday.  I suddenly remembered last night, after we'd been swimming with daughter and bump!  I found a decoupage image on the 'net (but don't ask me where.... I can't remember....) and decided to use it on an ATC sized card for her.  For those that don't know, ATC stands for Artists Trading Card and is the same size as the average playing card.  They are given away or swapped and must never be sold!!  Also, you never make 2 exactly the same!

Anyway, this is the card I've just delivered to her:

Also, over the weekend (Thursday evening and Friday....) I started a mat out of the ROT 30th Anniversary Pattern book.  Got to the end of the first repeat and realised I'd made a mistake at the beginning!!  Hating to throw thread away, I untatted it!!!  started again, got to the end of the first repeat and this time the mistake was half way through!!!  Undid it again on Sunday.... I'm now almost at the end of the third one as you can see, and now need to replace my brown thread....

Patricks girlfriend is staying with us at the moment, Jade is a brilliant artist!  She's made me a birthday card and forgot to bring it.... can't wait till Patrick goes back through there and picks it up!!  I understand its got owls on it.... My favourite!!

I also meant to purchase one of Jane Eboralls shuttles at the weekend.... got busy and promptly forgot all about them!!  They're all sold now!  Will have to try harder as they said on my school reports.... LOL

We're going to a coffee morning on Thursday with another friend.... I've been good and baked a cake.... forgot about it.... think my middle name is Alfred!!  Well, he was Great.... VBG  Anyway, I'll have to make another one tomorrow.... can't take that one with me!!  Will scrape off the top and serve it with custard or something for a pudding!!  That means I'll have to make strawberry muffins as well tomorrow....  Serves me right for forgetting because I got involved with me tatting!!!

Hey ho... back to the stove, and preparing some more strawberries for jam.... and muffins of course!!

Chat soon!

Why did I???

... let Chris (my dearly beloved husband) grow so MANY strawberry plants???  I've now got to 17 pots of home made strawberry jam and I'm getting fed up of the smell!!!!  Sound reasonable??  Hottest day of the year and I'm slaving over a hot stove!!  Waiting for it to get to setting point now... (5th panfull in 2 days!!)

Anyway, in between stirring jam and waiting for it to set... I've been doing this:

The pattern came from Jane McLellan's blog... and I replaced the picots with beads.... I'm going to put beads on both ends and make it into a bracelet.  Evidently it is one of Jane Eboralls patterns originally!!  I was going to just carry on, but I ran out of black and could not find the encouragement to get some more out and refill the shuttle!!  Will post a pic again when its finished!!  The thread is Lizbeth black and Spring Garden both in 20 with beads from my stash.  I'm never sure what the beads are, I get packets of seed beads and put them in my storage tubs and forget what they are!! LOL

Oh, and as it was my birthday last weekend.... I am now the proud owner of 30 years of Tatting from the Ring of Tatters!!  AND a subscription to the ROT pattern a month club for this year and last years patterns!!  Howzat for a present??  The book arrived this morning and I nearly burned the jam!!  Talking of which....

Oh well, back to the jam and the hot stove!!

Chat soon!


PS  after 'chatting with Jane E and BC3, it's not one of hers.... it is all Jane Mc's work... think the heat got to me today... probably the jam pan and the smell of strawberries!!

And a Second One!!

Evening all!  Remember the bracelet I made for Jo??  Her sister in law - Melissa - is a good friend of mine  (we were away with Melissa, Pete & the kids and Harley way back at the start of this blog)  Harley has been one VERY naughty boy.... they'd got Misty, a slightly older female Cocker Spaniel, and just after they got her.... she came into season!!  Harley had his wicked way and the result was 6 bouncing babies!! 5 blue roan and one orange roan!!  It called for a card didn't it??  Not too good at making cards, however, this is the result after an hour!!  5 blue and one orange!! LOL

Anyway, back to tatting, after making the bracelet for Jo I decided I just HAD to make one for me!!  And it HAD to tone with at least one pair of earrings!!

This time I decided that the 'inside' had to be plain and the outside variegated.  Not content with that I also decided that it had to be four different colours!!  Well, if it's four different colours then it will go with 2 pairs of earrings... one of which isn't yet made!!  Another pair of earrings will be in my 'to do' book!! LOL

Anyway, here's the result:

Spring Garden, Jelly Bean, Orange and white with variegated beads from my stash... not saying I have a lot of beads but....  VBG

I also realised that I'd got a lot of Turquoise Twist on my shuttle from Jo's bracelet.... guess what I made....  Yep, that's right... Earrings!!!

So now I'm making a flower.... a lily, at least that's what I'm supposed to be making.... then it will just have to be Jelly Bean and Orange earrings!!!

Everywhere I go I get compliments on the earrings!!  We were demonstrating Lacemaking at a Garden Centre on one of the hottest days of the summer so far!!!  Anyway, I was demonstrating tatting and explaining to people how to make Bobbin Lace (a simple 'torchon' fish for those that are interested!!)  the number of compliments I got about the earrings and bracelet were amazing!!  One day I'll put up a pic of me wearing them.... that's when I can persuade someone that I'm not about to break their camera whilst they're taking it!! LOL  Some people recognised tatting and tatting shuttles, but not that many!!  with any luck we'll get some new members in Wolds Lacemakers, then they can learn (if I can manage to teach them that is.... be being a 'golly-hander' and all!!  VBG  Golly-hander means left handed for those that don't know!!

Anyway, back to me shuttles!!

Chat soon

Jo's Bracelet!!

Hi All

Miss me????  Now I seem to remember saying something about Tenerife.... well I took four shuttles with me.  The thread cutter posed slightly more of a challenge... as when we travel we travel just with hand luggage size rucsacs!!!  No scissors allowed on planes is there??  What did I do??? Nail clippers!!! Challenge Sorted!! LOL

I'd wound the shuttles with thread before I set off and 'joined them together'.  That meant that I could work in peace without worrying about losing a shuttle and having to wait a week till we got back home!!

Now for those of you that are nosey.... this is the view from our balcony:

The weather was overcast for most of the week, but the UV still burns folks so you still need the suncream!  Visited our favourite restaurant down on the seafront, overlooking La Gomera and watched the sun go down most evenings with a sangria.... wine and free pudding to boot!!! VBG

Anyway, back to those shuttles....

In a previous post I mentioned a new group that had formed.... they'd organised a swap.... and this is what I've sent:

The pattern is one of Jane Eboralls (inevitably.... cos they're clear and easy to understand!!)  The link is here.  Think I'll have to make one for me as well!! LOL

Nearly forgot to mention, the thread is all Lizbeth - yellow, white, jelly bean, and turquoise twist.  The beads are size 9 variegated seed beads.

Chat soon, off to wind thread folks!! Now I just HAVE to make one for me!!