The case of the Vanishing Tatting time

Otherwise known as .' Its Christmas Time EEEEEEEK!" I think everyone knows how crazy it is at this time of year. Work is crazy shopping is crazy and traffic is crazy and every specialist tries to fit you in before christmas so that they can go on their ever so lovely extended Chrissy breaks. So I suppose its not suprising that my tatting Time is disappearing. In fact its gone entirely and Im currently stealing time from housework. What! I dont see a problem with that. Do you?

I Have finished a few things . These are the tatted  footlets or wristlets which can be worn as either. Made from a basic 6 sided flower pattern joined together it makes a nice firm lace with josephine chain around the finger / toe. I just wish I had a handy foot hand model instead of having to use my hobbit feet.. Well time to fly Byee!

New tatted Heart

Seriously, this was going to take 20 seconds. Get on line mini blog and post picture of new heart I created. Not to be. I don't know if the lines are super slow today or if my picture is too large or wrong format but it's just not happening. So a quick description. Started with middle of vintage doily   ( flower like) and then ran amok with the tatting needle. Its actually quite basic and looks like so many other heart patterns but it's mine.  All mine Mwahahahah. . Anyway I will try this all again hopefully tomorrow.

Finding the little good things.

Sometimes something good will come out of the silliest things. I hurt my knee at work yesterday and was sitting here at home  whining about it. Something along the line of  how typical that this looks like being the first good weekend in quite a while and Ive turned into a one legged pirate. Anyway I suddenly thought what am I whining about I am AT HOME and I can sit on the computer AND ice my knee at the same time. Yay! And then one link followed to another and I found some really inspirational blogs and tutorials . Double Yay!

DONT LET THE DOG KISS YOU

It is like this. I've had these on going headaches and haven't paid enough attention to anyone let alone the animals so now they are being frisky and and a bit naughty. The cat keeps catching mice and bringing them in for the dogs to hunt and Daisy is very good at it. Luckily they don't get dismembered just licked and sucked on a lot. Thus the mouse breathe!

Tatting wise I have used Totus Mels scarf pattern as a basis for a scarf in thick crochet cotton, that way I don't have to actually think or focus on the pattern.  I have lots of ideas but want to wait until my brain is actually working. Second thought that may be forever so instead make that soon as the  headaches vamoose. Hope fully very soon.

Ahem ! Ahem! Look at me I actually sold something!

Yesterday I took my first BIG step into the world of commerce. I put up a stall at a local handcraft market at Pyree and put all my tatting on sale for the first time ever. It was scary as anything because I didn't know if people would actually like my work. With my mood ranging from super hopeful to 'OMG what am I doing I won't sell a thing' I set up my stall. Panic!. But then the people arrived. First the other stall owners cruised over for a look to see what this needle tatting was and then all the shoppers. It was the perfect day the weather held and there was lots of people. I sold my first 3 pieces in the first half hour and I could have gone home then an there I was so happy at having an actual sale. All in all the day was a huge success and I sold LOTS!!!!!!!! Funnily things that I thought would sell didn't and things like the bracelet made from one of my not so nice hand dyed thread experiments did sell. I couldn't believe that.

In reality profit margin wise I probably made about $5 all up but as we tat for the love of it not the money that's okay. And anything that means I can go out and buy more thread and beads is good.

People were so interested in what needle tatting was  and you would have thought that Georgia at the Online tatting class had me on on commission I wrote down her details so often. Also Crochet Australia, Handy Hands, Lizbeth Thread and Barbara Foster should all expect a surge in sales.  I have offered to meet a couple of ladies to show them 'how' over coffee and you never know they might actually ring.

Today I have to try and sort out the post apocalypse disaster that is my beads and fittings and threads

Ps Pictures would have good but we were so busy we forgot.

Tatting Shuttle

Now I know another reason why I love Needle tatting soooo much. I have just spent forever winding thread onto a shuttle for my first official attempt at shuttle tatting and it's taking forever.If I ever manage to finsih winding I am going to learn the correct way this time. No 60 year old booklet with totally ambiguous directions. Instead I will be using all the links on Georgia's page and all the videos on u tube and hopefully it will sink in and maybe I can "get" the dreaded flip. So back to the winding.

Finally finished

Finally finished this jewellery set from Lyn Mortons Tatting Jewellery book. I had to change the 2nd row on the necklace because the actual pattern didnt sit right for me. However I think that it matches nicely

How slow am I

I have been meaning to get on and post but Glory of Rome has overtaken my life. Bad bad little me. So while I am getting some tatting done at night in front of the Tv its definitely not as much as I want. And as for taking time to take photos of what Ive tatted well pfffft, so not happening. Well I had better run my troops are calling.

Real life interferes

Well I have been busy doing "stuff" and not having much to show for it. However I did finish my gold bracelet and I am really happy with it. I used  a pattern from Lyn Morton's book 'Tatting Jewellery'. I do love this book it has so many pretty glossy pictures. I also used the gold metallic thread from her website and I love the crispness of the thread. And for once the picture almost as good as real life.

 Apart from that I have been using some old (vintage plus) jet beads that have come unstranded and have been playing with patterns to incorporate them. The jet gives a wonderful heavyness to the piece and some subtle shine also. I am almost tempted to do another row or two before I add the fittings. Maybe, we will see.

Saturday morning

Its Saturday morning and I don't have plan for the weekend, so I will have to watch out that I just don't waste it away. I desperately want to finish off the scrunchie that I am working on. I have had to redo it a couple of times the first time was a scissor job but now I am on the last round so fingers crossed that It will actually work out like the picture in my head. Then its on to a pattern of my own that has been begging to be made. It too looks pretty on paper. Hopefully I will get both of those done today. The plan is OH NO when did a plan sneak back in. Well the semi plan is I have a midday hair appointment and as its just for my wonderful hairdresser to fix up the hair colour that didn't work the other day I think it will be safe to take my tatting with me. It might be a bit of a struggle to work around the cape but it down time that I would only use reading. Hopefully more pictures tomorrow.

Start this startt this!

Okay I have to adnit it I now officially have too many things on the boil at once. I have quite a few tatted pieces that just need that 1 vital 'element' to be finished. So they are lying around the house much to the annoyance of the NonTatter . Personally I need to be cloned So that a "Me" gets to do one job each. I bars not being the one to make and go to a dentist appointment and I don't want to be the one to go for that pap smear either. I want to be the one in the pool being serve cocktails  by my totally buff pool boy Miguel. Oh that's right I don't have a pool boy. Well one can dream, can't I?

 On the other hand I actually bought a pair of shuttles. See evidence above. Well I'm off to check out Georgia's tatting class for today.

Tatting time and unwanted twists

Well I finally got around to finishing off some of the pieces that I have been doing. The bracelets are made using vintage edging patterns and I am fairly pleased with the results. Except, there is always an except isn't there. Except that used for the 2 bracelets with flowers develops an irritating little twist on every second chain.Yes I have double triple checked and that is the way the pattern goes. Needless to say I will not be doing it that way in future. So I have added flowers to keep the eye away from those twists. Got to say I am rather chuffed with the purple flower. Pretty pretty pretty! Or should I say lucky lucky lucky that it worked out so pretty. Whoopsee almost forgot earring at bottom left is a Yarnplayer pattern from her latest book. With the exception of the peach thread all threads are my own HDT's the green brown being Lizbeth and the others being DMC Cordonnet Special .

Testing testing

Today being another blah sort of day, hot humid and overcast ( in other words NOT beach weather), I am playing with finishes for my tatting. I have done several of the same motif using the same thread etc and now I am testing which finish works better for me.

1a. the aquahere and water mix item fully immersed
1b. the aquahere and water mix painted on back only
2    starched
3    steamed
4    ironed using a netting protector

So now I am sitting watching it dry and planning. I have had what I think is a brilliant idea that I think is fairly unique. Really just using an old idea in a new way. We will see what comes of it.

From out of the skies they come...............

Its attack of the Killer Cockies here. Yes the sulphur crested cockatoos have discovered the sunflower.


First there was the lookout.

Then the taste tester with another lookout.

Then All out Food Frenzy

Then after Jazz tried to stalk them ( silly cat they have sharp beaks) we have the winner of the food bonanza. The poor sunflower doesnt look the same.

Tiny tatting

I finally made time to throw ( literally) some of the little motifs that I am doing for a friend down onto some paper to attempt a photo or two. The results were less than pleasing as I haven't blocked any of the pieces and I truly suck at photography.  Of course as soon as I took a step outside it started to spit rain. Me thinks the scanner might have been a better option. Anyway you can see some little doodles and a couple of Marilee Rockley patterns and even a Mary Konior pattern. They were just practice pieces before I set out to do them in HD thread and I mucked around with the patterns a bit. I knowI should have kept to the pattern but sometimes this needle tatter just looks at a shuttle pattern and goes 'WHAT? I do what?  Na lets do it this way'. And sometimes it works .........sometimes.

PICTURES WOULD BE GOOD

Pictures would be good so that people could see my threads but I have yet to manage a really decent photo of any of my colours. So that's on my list of to do things. Pity I have to work, it eats up so much useful time.

DAMMIT !!!

Okay I admit it was me. I'm the one who gloated about the weather yesterday. So now its spitting rain and has been overcast all day and it's all my fault. Hangs head in shame. Sorry.

Gloat Gloat

Do you really want to hear how lovely the beach was today. While the rest of the world is freezing or flooding we had a perfect day for the beach. And because I didn't have a hangover ( how weird is  that) off we went. A few too many tourists but I suppose I should share sometimes.