4 Ring Snowflake

This is my latest design, a snowflake.   The rings in the very centre are all split rings.  The rest are straightforward rings and chains.   It is tatted in Twilleys no.20 crochet cotton.  I have now finished working on the instruction diagram and have posted it on my website on the Tatting page.

Lace & Threads Fair

Last Saturday I drove to Tonbridge School where the Lace & Threads Fair, organised by Tonbridge Lacemakers was being held.  There were many stalls, mostly bobbin lace oriented, but amongst them was Roseground.  They had brought threads along including Lizbeth and some shuttles.  I bought this one.  It is so pretty.  The refreshments were wonderful too.  Well worth a visit . Next Fair is on 24th October 2010

Another Tatter !! part 2

I went to the Knit and Natter afternoon today, and Pat was there again. She hadn't brought her shuttles, but guess what, I just happened to have a pair wound ......  I got her to make a ring and then showed her how to do a split ring.  She found it quite difficult to begin with ... all those years of flipping ... but got it in the end and made one.  She said she will practice at home, now she understands how to do it.  Trouble is, she starts work next week after a spell at home, so doesn't think she will have much time to tat, but at least I have shown her a new technique.

Sharon's Rose Mat

Now I can show you what I have been tatting for the last few weeks.  This is a design by Sharon Briggs for her new book   Marvellous Motifs.  She designed the rose and plain motif but wanted to see what they would look like as a mat.  There are nine in all.   Five of the rose, four plain. The thread I used is Flora 20 in a variegated green.   The roses are also Flora in three different gold/yellow colours.  The edging I tatted in the same colour as the basic rose.

How Do you Wind Your Shuttles?

I get arthritis in my hands, and found that by the time I had wound a post shuttle, my thumb hurt too much to tat !!  I bought a shuttle winder from Tatting & Design and it has made a great difference to my hobby.  The cream jam jar type lid screws off and the shuttle opens, when slid in the hole in the middle. When screwed back on, it can be turned by the knarled nob at the other end of the spindle and the thread winds on the shuttle.  It has certainly helped me.

Another Tatter !!

A friend organised a Knit and Natter afternoon, yesterday, in the next village.  I went along with my tatting, and guess what, there was another tatter there.  Pat, who I know in the village hadn't tatted since the 70's, and knew nothing about split rings or chains.  So when I can go again in a couple of weeks, she will take her shuttles and I will attempt to bring her up to date with some new techniques.  I can't believe I have been living a mile from another tatter for years and not known it.