Getting slowly better

Just to let everyone know that my surgery went very well and that I am now on the long road to recovery. I cannot hold my iPad for long and so I will post more details hen I get home.

Toffee Tin for Shuttles

 

This little toffee tin (now empty of course, yum-yum!!) measures about 4 inches square, which is perfect for keeping spare shuttles in. As it was very plain I decided to pretty it up a bit with some beaded tatting. The thread is Anchor perle size 12 with tiny purple seed beads.

This has been my first bit of tatting for months! But it has kick started me into action again and I have started my Split Chain doily in pink perle size 12, which I am hoping to get done before I go into hospital on 18th Feb.

Spinal Surgery

Good news! I now have a date for my impending spinal surgery....it will be 19th February 2013. This will be me my tenth and last surgery....it is a make or break situation!

I will be having the metalwork that was put in, in 2010, taken out, a wedge of bone removed from my lumbar region to correct the curvature (or lack of!) and new metalwork inserted, extending up to my neck.

There is no saying that this will remove all of my pain but if it reduces it I will be very pleased. I am also keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to stand up straight again....which I haven't been able to do since my last operation in 2010.

Perhaps then I will be able to get back to my tatting....I shall take some into the hospital with me in the hope that I can do a little after my surgery.

December birthday card

I have designed and made my friend a birthday card for December. I made a box section and covered it with a cut-out picture frame. The tatting in the centre is covered with acetate and so does not show up very well because of reflection, but in real life it is quite effective.

I saw this type of card being made on a TV craft program and thought that I could replicate the idea without going to the expense of buying the kit. Luckily I had all the equipment necessary and it wasn't all that difficult to make....just time consuming....and I think it turned out well!

 

Lynne's cake

Today is my DIL's mother's 60th birthday and we are going to celebrate by going out for a meal. This cake is a complete surprise for her....I hope she likes it! It is all my own work, including the sugar flowers.

 

Knitting & crochet

Here, as promised, is the Aran cardigan that I made for myself. I like it so much that I am going to make myself another one in beige, but this time I shall add pockets. I had some wool left over and so I knitted my little great-nephew an Aran jumper with it. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to his mum!

I had a lot of ends of cones of wool and decided, while I was waiting to buy the wool for my beige cardigan, I would crochet some squares and make a little bed/lap cover for my dear old mum! I  made 5 squares of 7 different colour combinations and tried to put the squares together in a continuous pattern. I also made 3 different variations of square pattern, just to make it a little more interesting. I only had enough of 3 colours to do the edging, but I think it worked out quite nicely!

 

Working hard!

I have been working very hard on different projects, but was unable to post any pictures until I purchased some batteries for my camera! Finally bought them yesterday and so here is what I have been up to.

Firstly, I made a crocheted baby coverlet in 3D roses and decorated it with tatted motifs and borders. I have line the coverlet with fleece to make it really cosy. Although it looks ornate, it washes well, and so is really practical.

Secondly, I made a cabled cardy for my latest great-nephew (8 months old)

Thirdly, I liked this little cardy so much I made another one, but made my own pattern up.

Finally, I enjoyed my spell of knitting so much that I decided to make myself an aran cardigan. I have done the back and two fronts, and have now started on the first sleeve. I will post a pic when it is finished.

 

 

Classic Doily Pattern

Marty kindly test-tatted my Classic Doily for me (didn't she do a brilliant job?) and only found one little glitch. Stephanie also read through it and found a couple of typos. All have now been corrected and the pattern is available in PDF format here or, alternatively, you will find it in the Free Pattern section of this blog.

Little Oval

I didn't have anything to do after I finished the Classic Doily and so I doodled with this little oval. It is done in size 40 Coates thread and measure about 6 inches across.

Bobbin tightening!

You know the trouble we all have with bobbin type shuttles.....the bobbins soon become slack with wear, so much so, that you can't use any pull on the shuttle without the bobbin unwinding? Well, I have found the perfect answer.
I had recently tried using bits of rubber bands, which was better than nothing, but not yet perfect.
I thought maybe a solution would be to fill the hole in the centre of the bobbin with a substance that would dry but also be flexible and decided to try the sort of silicone that is used for decoupage.
I bought some from my local craft store and gave it a try. IT WAS MAGICAL!!! The shuttle worked perfectly! I could put plenty of pressure on the bobbin without it unwinding but a little more pressure let me pull out as much thread as I needed.
I am chuffed to bits! LOL!!!

Classic pattern

I am re-working my Classic Doily so that I can photograph each section to match the written pattern. I am now on the last round and so will hope to get the pattern test-tatted soon. Anyone up for test-tatting?

Classic Doily - Brown & Cream

Here is the brown and cream version of the Classic Doily. I am still not 100% happy with the stitch count, the first row after the first set of scallops is too big and I ended up with a lot more scallops around the outer edge! I have already started a new one, in size 40 Lizbeth white, instead of size 20 and I am writing the pattern out as I go. I feel confident that I will get it right this time and when it is test-tatted, I will publish the pattern.

Split Chain Doily - correction

Just to let everyone know that Brenda has been tatting my Split Chain Doily and found a mistake in the instructions. I have corrected the mistake if you would like to download the new PDF http://freepdfhosting.com/4f94885271.pdf
Otherwise, just alter the one you already have. The end of round 6 should read DNRW and not RW.
Please note, this is because I do my split chains WITHOUT reversing my work to complete them....sort of do them from the front, as can be seen from my video demo. If you do your split chains by turning your work round, then you have to do the opposite to the pattern....in other words, RW. I hope this all makes sense!

Classic Doily

I told my friend, Eileene, in America, that I was bored because I didn't have a project to tat, and I don't like just tatting for no reason, so she requested a large round doily for her dining room table.

This is the result. I liked doing it very much and I am going to make one for myself. The second rounds of rings are a little busy, so I will adjust it and probably write the pattern out as I am doing it.

Blue Ice Doily

I went to the West Midlands Tat Day recently and purchased a ball of DMC 80 in colourway 67 and also a white one. I made this little doily with the new threads and I have deliberately not swapped shuttles so that you can see the split chains and split rings I have used to climb out of each row. By doing split chains and rings, this doily was achieved in one go, so only one lot of hiding ends at the finish! Oh, and it measures about 7.5 inches in diameter.