Tag: snowflakes

Speedy tatted snowflakes

DW7 Comments

tatted ring

I know everyone says this every single year, but really… Where does December go? It’s there one minute and a minute later it’s the last Christmas post and too late to make anything! Every year I plan to make snowflakes to send and it’s always stressful as I leave it so late. I did manage to send out three – which I didn’t have time to photograph (two were Jon Yusoff‘s patterns). The extra one above I finished this morning.

I think I said this last year; that I would make a surplus of snowflakes over Christmas and save them to send *next* year. I might actually do that. We shall see. That said, I’m still trying to knit that baby blanket. It’s grown a little bit since I last posted, but not really enough to write home about. It’s going to be my Christmas/New year project — I should be able to work on it and chat at the same time. I hope so anyway.

So this is just a speedy post as I wont get a chance to post again before Christmas. I just wanted to say a quick thank you for the lovely comments and likes of the last year – it’s so nice to know people are out there! Thank you for your encouragement.

Hope whatever your religion you get a chance to rest and relax a bit, and if rest isn’t on the cards, then I hope you get to enjoy some family time (which I think we all know is rarely restful!) Happy holidays.

 

 

 

December snowflakes

DW2 Comments

How did it get to be December – and so close to deadline for Christmas post? Yes, it’s that time of year when you wish you’d started making things for Christmas in August. I’ve been a bit quiet on here recently, but I have been making things. I’ll try and get some pictures over the next day or two – if we actually get some decent light. For now though, a tatting update.

Just like everyone else, I’m manically making snowflakes. Well, more or less:

As it happened, I had some spare (size 80) thread on a lone shuttle that I needed to use up. So I *had* to make one of these really. And for the first time, I’ve used beads! I really like it actually. Looks a bit spiky in real life – like a snowy holly wreath. Umm, I also had another shuttle of thread to use up so I’ve got another one on the go, with different beads. They’re coppery, and really pretty. Next year though, must find an addiction for a different pattern, this is getting silly.

So this one, I started, or attempted to start at the local Ravelry group meet up. We met for breakfast (sensible breakfast, in a pub, at 10.30am not too early), and I just couldn’t get to grips with it. For a start, I hate leaving bare threads when I make small flowers like the one in the middle, and so it worked out at 5 rings, not 6. Then trying to chat and read the pattern proved impossible, as it’s not worked in the way I’d worked out in my head. So I came away with nothing done! Managed to get to grips with it at home, and then finish it on the commute.

The one sort of centre in this shot, everyone who tats/blogs has made recently, and so I decided I should make it too. It’s a lovely pattern. From the look of it, this is size 80 thread though (I’ve forgotten), which makes it a bit weeny. Having said that, I’m still tempted to make another one, but with beads added. The beads for that size are too small to thread any way than on the thread at the beginning though, so I can’t do anything too tricksy. Also if you’re adding beads to your tatting, this is very useful to read. It talks about the difference between adding beads to the core vs shuttle thread. (Sadly, on the posy with one shuttle, both threads are the same!)

And finally, I bit the bullet and bought some size 40 Lisbeth thread. I noticed Fox saying she liked it, and recently I’ve been thinking some of the things I tat are a bit tiny to use.

This is one of Jon’s patterns. The left is size 80 and the right is size 40. (I made another of Jon’s patterns in size 40 too, but I’ve sent it out already). I dunno. I’m just not sure about tatting with thick thread. For some reason I just don’t enjoy the feel of it so much. Everything just looks gigantic! I’ve got a few things in mind to try next (like clunys, which always get twisted at size 80), but on the whole, while my eyes are able to cope with it, I think I’ll stick with smaller thread, I’ve got used to it now.

New home for a tatted primrose

DW3 Comments

You know how it is when you’re reading someone’s blog, and you find yourself with a spare 5 minutes, and then suddenly you’re off elsewhere peeking into someone else’s life? In the summer I was reading Attic24‘s colourful crochet blog, and had a wander through the links in the side bar. I came across the Little Pink Room – and actually, you know what made me love it? It was this post talking about the messy bits in houses that you never see through the window of the internet.

It made me smile, mainly as I’d just been wracked with jealousy over the sofa in this post. It’s sort of nice to know that other people’s houses aren’t as perfect as you might think, and that y’know… Your own house might not be brilliant, but there’s *some* bits of it that are ok, and sometimes that just has to be enough.

Anyway. To cut a long story short, I chatted on email to A, the owner of the room(s) and the blog in question. She’d never seen tatting in real life, and as a tatter that tats and has no idea what to do with it, I said I’d post her some.

Tatted flowers 2

I made the middle bit of a Mary Konior Primrose path doily – mainly thinking that it’s the sort of size you could so something with, rather than it being an end in itself. I thought it might be more useful.

Anyway – it’s found a lovely new home! How exceptionally nice! And, A, you are more than welcome.

In other news, I’ve been making toys for the children of my old flatmates. I met the children a few weeks ago and have been desperately trying to get these finished ever since…

B's elephant

I wanted to make something I could count on working, so yes, it’s another elephant – the fifth! Such a good pattern though, and fun to make – all except sewing the head on, which almost reduces me to tears every time. It’s *really* annoying and fiddley.

I’m also getting close to finishing a monkey – yes another one…

Z's monkey

I quite like this little chap. That’s the second mouth – I’m really picky with mouths and eye placement – it makes a massive difference to the final character. The first was too serious. A bit grown up. This one feels a bit more friendly, and just a tiny bit cheeky – a bit like the little chap he’ll be living with.

And work continues on the broomstick lace scarf. How it’s taking so long i just don’t know. Every other comment I read from other people who’ve made it seems to make out like they practically finished it before they started. Still. It’ll be nice when it’s done – and oddly, I’m still enjoying making it.

scarf ongoing

And finally – for any UK tatters out there – I ordered a book of snowflakes from Roseground and they’ve sold out. They even went to a fair to try and buy more in person and their suppliers had sold out too. I asked it I could swap it for a different book of snowflakes and they have none of that left either! So it sounds like there’s a blizzard of tatted snowflakes on the way this winter.

In the meantime, I’ve ordered Jon’s Tatted Snowflake collection as I’m taking a wee break and I wanted some small but interesting little things to make on the journey. If I can remember how to work a SCMR, all will be well. I’ll let you know.