Sunday, December 30, 2007

Be still my beating heart!



My christmas present to myself this year was this pair of beautiful shuttles. They are from the shuttle shop.
My first project with them was Sadie's heart from Teri Dusenbury's site, and it has proved quite a complicated pattern, I have had to restart twice and even now there are a couple of mistakes I have ignored. Originally it was for a colleague who retires on the 31st January and who collects hearts, but I think I will have to start again. I'm not sure about my choice of thread, perhaps a solid colour would be less distracting?
Edit: I am posting the finished heart.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Overflowing


This is the cork board, where I usually pin up my finished work, I think I will have to start a new one!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Two more bits...



I decided to see how it would look if I made three more squares, and it worked quite well...one mistake right at the end where I ran out of thread just on the last corner and then forgot to join the ring. Ends not hidden yet.
The snowflake is from the german book, and was designed to fit around an easter egg, but as soon as I saw it I wanted to do it in blue and yellow, I'm not sure why.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Grubby snowflake


This motif is meant to be a snowflake, following what seems to be a seasonal theme in many blogs at the moment. I ought to wash it, because tatting by the stove, and fighting kittens has meant it has become rather grubby in certain places!
The pattern is again from the german book, and I am wondering now if it is actually a star...oh well.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Red square


This was my first attempt at block tatting, and I didn't have access to an explanation, plus the pattern is from a german tatting book. Obviously it is just a motif from a bigger design, but I just wanted to try the technique in a small pattern to start off.
The thread is from Frances, a lovely thread, about a 50, and easy to work (and undo when necessary!)
Thank you to everyone for suggestions as to how to hide ends, with this one I managed to sew them through, sort of... but I am keen to perfect the magic threads method as I often tat with small threads and rather tightly, perhaps I'm rather a tense person!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Jon's daisy picot completed


This was quite difficult for me, and took me a couple of tries before I managed to complete it correctly. I am grateful to Jon for her clear instructions. The threads are Valdani 50 "precious pansies" and King Tut "shekels".


Talking of threads, I see other tatters also have a "sample pattern" to give them an idea of how a thread will tat up. Here are a few of my samples...the smallest is Valdani 50, and the biggest is some hand dyed thread from my friend Frances.
I am still having difficulty hiding my ends, either I can't thread the needle or else I can't force it into the stitches, does anyone else have problems with this?

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Pink doiley finished


I am pleased to have finished without too many mistakes. Now I am struggling with the daisy picot snowflake, which isn't working at the moment.
(This is from the french frivolité book, with a design modification in the last row as I removed a little ring from the repeat so it would lie flat. The thread is Anchor 80 dentelles colour 8...)

Friday, November 09, 2007

Me, tatting.


I think this shows some of the reasons the pink doiley is progressing so slowly. I apologize for the poor quality of the photo.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Past tatting, a watershed piece.


This was tatted about five years ago, when I had just started tatting again. I learnt to tat in 1974, from a handicraft book, and then it waned as an interest due to the fact I couldn't find patterns. I did find a few old shuttles while browsing through antique markets, but apart from doing the odd little flower, to all intents and purposes I gave up.
Then I discovered the internet! Suddenly there were patterns, suppliers, new techniques...well everything a lost and lonely tatter could wish for.
This bookmark, designed by LaRae, was an important stage in my development as a tatter, as I learned to do both split rings and celtic tatting, plus it was my first experience of working with colour. I was so grateful to her, for sharing this pattern.
I am telling you about the past as I feel the need to keep posting, (no point in being in "the ring" if one doesn't,) but my progress on my pink doiley is rather slow, and I fear several more hours of work before I can show it. So I hope you'll forgive me for "cheating" a little.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Seven random things

Laura has tagged me, so here are my answers.

Here are the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged.1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.3. Tag 3 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.



1. I moved to France 18 years ago because my then husband wanted to get away from the neighbours, and be sure to have his own parking space.



2. I am fascinated by tuberculosis, having cared for many sufferers, and read many tb books, from "The White Death" through to "That's How it Was" and "The Magic Mountain". I have primary TB, but of course so does most of the world's population!



3. I have three children, Rosie, 24, who has a degree in Chinese and Oriental Art and Archeology, and a doppelganger who is an Australian porn star. Polly,22, who is studying to become a translator, and has bi-polar disorder and has attempted to kill herself about 11 times, and Raphael,10, who would like to be a stand-up comedian.



4. I have a deerhound, six cats, three chickens, a degu of Chile, and a tankful of fish.



5. I met my husband when he was 40, and I was 18, and left when I was 40 and he was 62.



6. I only wear stuff that is comfortable to me, so on my feet it's either Crocs or walking boots, and I never wear trousers.



7. I have lived without television for most of my life.



I tag
mightiadd

Pamela

Sylvia

Friday, October 12, 2007

Glad to be finished with this one


I was using venus thread, and I certainly don't recommend it. It knots up at the first opportunity, it doesn't run smoothly and it splits when you try to join it through small picots. It was cheap, but I'll give it a miss another time!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Getting to know me....

I thought I'd share a bit of useless information about myself, and if anyone else wants to do the survey, I'll be interested to read their results.
Best Survey
Name:: Snowy
Birthday:: January 23 1960
Birthplace:: Chichester, England
Where you live now:: Frayssinet le Gelat France
Hair color:: Brown fading to grey
Eye color:: Dishwater
Height:: 5'2.
Your biggest pet peeve:: People who assume I'm not working just because I'm at home in the daytime, (shiftwork, nights?)
Your biggest flaw:: Not motivated to actually do housework/cooking
Pepsi or coke:: Coke.
Water or Gatorade:: What on earth is Gatorade? (water sounds safer).
Do you smoke:: No.(10 years working in pneumologie)
Do you drink:: Yes.(2years working in alcoologie)
Do you club:: No
Do you swear:: Sort of (Hells bell and buckets of blood, or Jesus wept).
Do you do drugs:: No.
Do you want to go to the military:: Never.
Do you want to go to college:: I did want to, but I have Open University now.
Do you want to get married:: Never again.
Do you want to have kids:: I did and I had three of them.
Do you know how to dress:: I have a certain style.
Do you think that you are attractive:: I think I have a certain charm
Are you moody:: I have my moments.
Do you like rainy days:: Yes, I love them.
Can you cook a decent meal:: Look, it's not that I can't cook, it's that I won't cook, OK?
Ever been......
Beat up:: No, not really.
Fired:: Wimpy Bar, 1978.
Dumped:: sigh, yes.
Hired:: Yes.
Lied to:: Probably, I'm pretty gullible.
Cheated on:: Not as far as I know...
Shot:: No.
High:: Yes.
Deathly sick:: No.
Depressed:: I know I need help when I start thinking about euthanasia for the whole ward.
Homesick:: When I was at boarding school, yes.
Locked up:: Does boarding school count?
On a real date:: Yes
In the past month have you....
Been shopping:: Supermarket, veg, that's all.
Been on a date:: No.
Been to the movies:: No.
Been to a party:: No.
Written a song:: No.
Been cheated on:: I'm a kit car widow.
Are you a virgin:: Do I have to say?
Gay/Straight/Bi:: Straight.
Single or taken:: Not single.
Your favorite...
Food:: Moussaka with soya mince, brown rice and salad.
Drink:: Red wine.
Car:: Mine.
Place:: Massif Central or the Pyrenees
Color:: lapis lazuli.
Show:: The Mighty Boosh.
Store:: Waterstone's or any big bookshop.
Movie:: Death In Venice.
Artist:: Egon Schille.
Feature on a guy/girl:: sense of humour.
Number of piercings:: I've had my ears done but I get inflamation if I wear anything in them.
Number of tatoos:: I hate tatoos.
glasses/contacts/neither:: Glasses.
Love or money:: Neither.
Quiet or loud:: Quiet.
Country or city:: Country.
**RANDOM**
Ever been on the toilet and on the phone:: Frequently!
Ever accidently peed in your sleep:: Hm.... I don't think so.
Ever get up in the middle of the night for a snack:: No.
Ever wake up on the wrong side of the bed:: Yes.
Do you wish you were a different gender:: Never.
Do you believe in God:: No.
Ever split a nail:: Yes.
Did you like this survey:: Yes. I love these things.Take this survey Find more surveysBzoink - The Original Survey Site

Monday, October 01, 2007

Lacemaking helpers



This is a picture of Phoebe, one of four kittens I recently adopted. They arrived in a pretty poor state, needing antibiotics and general care, but now they are bouncing with health and providing much assistance in all activities. Tatting is just such an activity, and I now must untangle a ball of black cotton before I can finish that d****ed doiley!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Laura and lace



A couple of weeks ago I gaily suggested to

Laura that bobbin lace was an easy hobby...well, yes, it is easy, like tatting is easy, that is the basic principle behind it is just "lift right over left", the problems only occur when you try to do something with it! I learnt the basic technique in 2003, but have actually done very little because the carreau, or galette, (or whatever they're called in english) are not all that easy to carry around! For the last 15 months I have been concentrating on tatting, so I decided to dig out my bobbins and have a go at a simple bookmark. Compared to virtuosos like Mark it's not very impressive, but I was relieved to find that I hadn't completely forgotten the technique. The edging on the carreau is one I had been working on previously, as I practised adding replacement bobbins and doing tallies. The picture quality isn't very good, autumn has arrived here and the light is fading fast!

Monday, September 03, 2007

A little bit of work



I have had a rest from the black doiley, counting black stitches is a bit hard on my eyes! The bookmark is the same pattern as the green one I made. It's from an internet pattern that I've lost, and have re-done from sight.
The triangle is a motif in the frivolité book...there should be six to make a doiley, yes, I'm not sure I'll get around to that!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

....on a roll





I have been visiting the beautiful lace-making town of
Le Puy in the Haute Loire. I bought a new tatting book there;
La Frivolité I always enjoy looking at new patterns, and I needed a book in french, for when friends want to learn.
I have a passion for blue squares, this is one motif from a mat which uses 16 surrounded by a border. The black "work-in-progress is also from the book. The strange shape is me with shuttle-ends, and no pattern trying an idea for a cornfield inspired bookmark...I think I could probably get a bit nearer to what I want a second time. The reason for the title, and also the reason I haven't posted sooner, is the printer-scanner broke, and David discovered a bit of forgotten tatting in the roller...oops, sorry. It has been replaced, but it takes me a while to learn how to use new equipment, also David wasn't too keen to let me back into the office. I promise from now on all bits will be counted in and out, like swabs in surgery!

Monday, July 23, 2007

At the moment everything I touch seems to go wrong!

These are examples of tatting that has gone wrong, and it is so demoralising. I have a lovely new DavidReedSmith shuttle, some beautiful new threads from my friend Frances, but I just keep producing flawed work.
By the way I'd love to join Sherry's tatting ring, but that won't work either!
Surely this phase will pass, and I will be able to enjoy myself again...I certainly hope so.





This pink motif was from Tatting Patterns and Design, and I have made exactly the same mistake as E-Koon but several rows earlier!
Oh, by the way none of the patterns are mine, (with the possible exception of the "poppy") but I can't remember where I got them today, or I would only get it wrong, if I did try to remember!




Sunday, July 01, 2007

Looking for ideas


I have been talking to Laura about tatting
patterns, and I thought I would show some
wildflowers that seem to be quite lacy, that might
be converted... The orchid season is over for this
year, but there are still plenty of flowers about.
I apologise for the quality, I'm not that good with
the camera, but I hope you get the idea.



Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Shuttle end motifs


I made these little motifs from the thread left on the shuttles. I like this combination of colours, which reminds me of the pyramid orchids growing in the hedgerows. Perhaps I could have joined them to make a larger one...

Monday, May 21, 2007

Ça y est!


OK, that's my 25th motif done!

I'm not sure what I'll do with this blog now, but perhaps I'll keep it to record future work.... I shall certainly keep checking in to look at everyone else's.

I have really enjoyed this challenge, and want to thank Sharon for all her work and her helpful and encouraging comments. So "Merci beaucoup!"

Friday, May 11, 2007


This is a pattern I saw on Marty's page, "Cactus" from one of Iris Niebach's free patterns. I feel a bit uncertain if I ought to count it, as it feels as though I'm copying, none-the-less it is such a pretty pattern...

I enjoyed doing it, and feel like Sharon said, that square motifs have great possibilities.
I am in no hurry to finish the challenge, I have really enjoyed reading all the blogs, and sharing mine, but I realise all good things come to an end.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Help needed


I had this idea that I might decorate a pair of socks with a tatted edging...but, I am having difficulty in attaching the edging on the stretchy material. Has anyone experience in this?

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

motif 23




I have finally finished this bookmark. The pattern was from the internet, Leonora English. It was not too difficult, but I'm afraid the tatting is a bit sloppy and doesn't do the pattern justice. I did quite a lot of tatting while I was in Lourdes. There were only five nurses for 98 patients, so it was lucky I was able to go. Obviously we had to provide 24 hour coverage, which meant each of us doing a shift each day, and one doing nights. one night each. As I was the only one used to the variety of insulines and blood sugar monitors I was also allocated that duty, three times a day. It was lucky, too, that I didn't want to go to any of the services, but I did join the pilgrimage to the village where Bernadette grew up. The photo shows me outside the bergerie where she looked after her sheep. While on night duty, I taught my colleague Annie to tat, my first ever successful teaching! I have to say though, Annie is extremely determined, and has walked to St Jaques de Compostelle three times, and then to Rome! alone and at the age of 62. She slept rough, and asked for food along the way, and I think she's extremely brave.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Motif 22


I finally finished this "carnation" while visiting fellow tatter Majolika in Munich, and I was also admiring her beautiful blackwork. I have also uploaded my work in progress...but I think I can see where I've been going wrong.
The tatting pattern is from a back no. of the Ring of Tatters newsletter, by Hannah Crowle.


Sunday, February 25, 2007

bookmark


This Mary Konior pattern was in a back number of the Ring of Tatters newsletter. I chose it to do on the return journey because it is basically a series of mirror patterns which meant the stitch count was easy to memorise.

The thread is Anchor 80, and a bit rougher than the DMC I usually use, nonetheless I am pleased with the result....motif 21 I think.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Travelling




One really good thing about tatting is it's portability, so that one can fill time with a few stitiches wherever you are. My trip to England involved two days driving in both directions, plus a bit in between. As David did the actual driving I was able to tat most of the time, although only when the light was good enough and I wasn't having to deal with navigation. I decided the best pattern for this was a simple edging which could be picked up and put down without losing my place, so I set off with this one;


I was lucky enough to go to a Ring of Tatters workshop, at Amblecote, where we made a broach. I t was a good learning experience, as I hadn't actually met other tatters before, and I was very impressed by the work and skill they showed. It put me in my place, because scanning work can be very forgiving on how it really looks! I have a long way to go yet...but in my favour I'm comparitively young at 47 and have time on my side.

The man next to me showed me some amazing blackwork and counted thread work, and so I felt quite challenged as you can see, my work is fairly coarse.




Wednesday, February 07, 2007

This has taken me ages!


I have been working on this doiley for what seems to be ages...at one point I cut my thumb while slicing carrots, and that held me up even more. I missed a repeat in the last row, but I am not going to do anything about it, I'm just so pleased to be done with it!
It's made from DMC dentelles 80, and the pattern is from Blomquist and Persson.
I'm going to England on Friday, and on the 17th my MIL has organised for us to go to a tatting day in the Birmingham area. I am really looking forward to that, it will be the first time I will meet other tatters!

Saturday, January 13, 2007


I haven't posted here for a while...if you don't follow my live journal I'll explain that firstly we spent 10 days in Spain for the fetes, and then when I returned I was a bit worried about my daughter who has taken an overdose of her lithium tablets. She's ok, and out of hospital...

Here are a few motifs done in-between-times.