TIAS Day three

Hi,

Another day, at least its not raining today and I have some washing out,   its gone dull so I hope the sun will come out again and dry the washing.   This last week has been hard to get the washing dried,  this is the last lot of the holiday washing out there now and at last I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,  now I have the ironing to catch up on.
This is day three of Sherry's TIAS,  mine has cupped, not sure if its supposed to do that.  Would you believe this picture was taken in the same place as the other two but what a difference a little bit of sun makes,  at least you can see the colours better. As usual if anyone can guess what it is then I will give a prize to the first one thats right.  I am using Lizbeth thread Purple splendor no 20.
Hope you are having a nice weekend.
                       Hugs
                    Margaret

Sherrys TIAS 2013 Day One and Two

 Hi,

Sherry from Lady Shuttle Marker is doing a TIAS,  I am using Lizbeth Thread Purple Splendor,   Here is Day one

Day One

Day To

Here is Day two,   these two photos were taken within twenty minutes of each other but the light has gone so the colours are not very good.    The blue should look purple,  we have had such dull, dank, damp,  misty, foggy days,  and I have not been able to get my washing out to dry.  At least we had the sun out today for most of the day so I got some dried,  but theres more to do as I still have a lot of holiday washing to catch up on. 

3D Cymbidium Orchid Earrings Pattern

Hi,

Not so nice today its cloudy again, we have not had any rain as yet but it looks like it.  It was foggy in the night.   I was hoping to get my washing out as the weather is at the moment it won't dry today.

Anyway this is a quick post to say that I have listed my pattern in my etsy store link to pattern,   so if you missed the free patterns, its in my shop now.  I had so many lovely comments about the pattern it seems everyone who got a pattern is enjoying it.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend.  take care
                 Hugs
              Margaret

Home from Cyprus

 Hi

Home from Cyprus,  before we left I took these two pictures in Bristol Airport.  This year Bristol had painted Gromit's all over the city,   this is the one in Bristol airport,  I am sure you all know Wallace and Gromit which is made in Bristol by Aardman Productions.

I was requested a picture of me tatting in Cyprus by Wendy,   she had one a few days ago.   I got Vernon to take this picture just to prove I do tat on holiday,  this is a white hanky which I am doing at the moment.   Yes it looks hot and  it was,  we went on a trip and the guide said it was cooling down,  cooling down the next day was hotter and by the weekend it was a mini heatwave up to 40+.  Too hot to sit in the sun tatting thats for sure,  anyway this was taken on our balcony.  Vernon can't understand why I take my tatting with me on holiday,  thinks I am the only person to take work with them?
I have a lot of lovely pictures to put together of Cyprus so in a few days I will post about the holiday.
The flying time to cyprus from Bristol is usually just over four hours,  going out it took four hours eleven mins,  coming back was a very different story, we had a head wind of a hundred miles an hour,  we were battered all the way home, with our seat belts on most of the way.  It took over five hours to get home,  exhaust and battered is how I felt when I fell into my bed just after 3am.
Anyway we are back and I am trying to catch up on all your lovely blogs as I did not have the internet or wifi on holiday,  the hotel was too expensive,  they wanted 10 euros for 2 hours for wifi and to use the hotels one computer in reception was 6 euros for one hour.  The exchange rate in Cyprus for a euro was £1.16, I will let you work out the cost.   I did manage to find a bar with free wifi which I used a couple of times, while I had a drink.
Until we meet again take care
                   Hugs
               Margaret

Group of Bookmarks 14/25 Motif challenge

Hi,

This is the last scheduled post,  today we are travelling back from Cyprus arriving late tonight,   

Today I have a few bookmarks for you,  I tried to find out what the collective word would be for a group of them,  and I could not find anything,  so I am calling them a group.

The first one at the top is the Spiral Bookmark in white and Tropical Punch.    The second one is Kerstis Floral Tatted bookmark in Pink Parade,   both are Lizbeth threads no 20. Both are my favorites and lovely to tat. 

This bookmark is the Rose and Butterfly by Jeanne Lugart,   the thread is rather old by coats and I have no idea how old or what the number is,  I asked Vernon is pick out a different colour for me out of the draw where I keep my thread,  and this is what he choose.
Now he knows how much thread I have,  but a tatter can never had too much can she????
This pattern needs a split chain at the bottom,  I think I did a good job on that,  and a Josephine chain yes well that was something that needed a bit of refreshing last time I did one of those it looked a mess but thanks to Lady Shuttle maker link to her blog.  She had a wonderful piece on her blog explaining how to do it,  I did it first time and I think it looks good.   I will be doing them again now I have the trick in making them.   Yes my time while I was ill has been a learning curve and re-freshing up on what I found hard to do.  I think I told you that before. See I have not wasted my time all together.

I look forward to seeing you all soon,   if you did not get a comment on your blogs while I was away sorry but I will try and visit you all and catch up on what's new.

Until we meet again take care

                      Hugs

                  Margaret

Flowers from my Garden this year.

this little pant gives me lots of pretty pink flowers all summer long, unfortunately I can't remember its name,  it does come in variety of different colours,   They are used in tubs and hanging baskets or just as a patch in the garden.

Stargazer Lilies

Hi,
During the summer I started taking some pictures of the flowers in my garden,  illness stopped it but I still have a few here to show you around.
The Lilies are grown in tubs at the top of the garden,  they made a lovely show this year,   I don't know the name of the red and yellow ones but they really gave the garden some colour for a few weeks.
The stargazer lilies added  not only colour but some perfume to the air.

 This plant is called Agapanthus,  it should look beautiful with a head of flowers in a round ball.   This is what I get,  a real disappointment.  This is the third year they have come out like this and they drop around the stem.   I have no idea why,  I know they like to be pot bound,  well last year they were so this year I re-potted it and still this is what I get.
Anyone know the answer I would love to know why.   I put them in a sunny position most of the day beside the wall around the patio so they get shielded by any bad weather, they are taken in during the winter so they don't frosted,  what more am I to do?

This is Evening Primrose,  it grows like weeds in my garden this plant is actually growing in one of my tubs,   but if you move them when growing they die,  so I leave them wherever they grow.
In the picture is also my Flame of Forest I love that shrub,  with the red leaves and lily of the valley flowers.

 This is my Himalayan Honeysuckle,  my blackbird which I have been trying to video has been eating the seeds from it,  he flies up to the thin branches which as so thin they won't hold his weight,  hits the branch and then goes down under the shrub to eat them.  He has been on this shrub non stop for two weeks.

Lastly this is Crocosmia,  bright orange flowers which are in flower now, but they spread like wildfire and every year we pull up loads and they seem to grown more and more.

Well thats just a few plants from my garden this year,
I hope enjoyed my pictures from my garden this summer.

                   Hugs
                                                   Margaret

A dusting of Snowflakes. 13/25 Motif challenge.

 Hi,

Another Scheduled post this time its my dusting of snowflakes,   I look up what the collective noun for snowflakes and this was one of the suggestions,  A dusting I rather liked it.
There should be more but one got the chop,  still here are what I have been doing over the last few weeks, at the top from Anna Magazine december 1991 no 35,  middle is also from Anna Magazine again December 1991 no 39,  the two at the bottom are Diane's and the larger one at the top is also Diane's.  Same pattern but the two at the bottom are 4ds from ring to JK and 4ds to next ring,   The snowflake at the top has 8ds between rings and JK which made it just a bit larger. This has become one of my favorite snowflakes.

This snowflake is from the book 24 Snowflakes by Lene Bjorn,  this is the 8th day of December, I am in the middle of a new design which needs blocking having not done blocking for many many years this was a good practice piece to play with,  not perfect but good enough for a practice piece.
I say play because see below is one of the bits that got cut off, and then I noticed one thing it made a flower,  so it will get used as part of the decoration on a card.   See it is possible to use up mistakes or cock up as I call them.

There was another snowflake but well lets just say he went wrong and was thrown across the room,   not sure where it is, I think Vernon picked it up and throw it in the bin,  best place for it,  but I will try it again while I am on holiday,  it was looking a pretty snowflake. While I have been ill I have done more cock ups than usual,   but its also been a time of refreshing and re-learning as well so my time was not wasted.

Hope you are keeping well

                             Hugs

                         Margaret

No wifi or Internet

Hi,
Just in case you are wondering wifi and Internet on Cyprus is so expensive I have not been able to get in,  at present I am sitting in a bar with free wifi,  it's hot hot, with beautiful blue skies and water.
Wendy I have been tatting a little, vernon knows he has to take a picture for you.
Until we come home take care.
Hugs
Margaret

Rose Knitted Cup Cakes

 Hi,

Another scheduled post,  these are my latest knitted cupcakes    the cupcake base is double knitting wool  in pale blue with a white topping,   I used up some odd 4ply wool for the knitted roses on the top,    I used green for the leaf,  which seem to like to curl up,  no idea why they do it but they do.  I think the iron will have to have a go at them before I put them on my table.

Its an easy pattern but it seems to taken ages to make these,  it was too hot back in July and beginning of August to knit so they sat for a while until the weather cooled and I felt like finishing them.
The knitted pattern for the roses is on my pattern blog there is a link in my sidebar.
These will be on my craft table on the first saturday in October at the Cheese and Grain  in Frome,  I have missed three months now but at least I have some new things to put on it.
Hope you are keeping well,  


                                   Hugs
                                Margaret

A host of Angels 12/25 of Motif challenge

Hi,

This is Katie Johnsons 3d Angels,   they look a bit drunk to me in the picture,  but I have not stiffen them yet.  I thought I would share these with you as I did these over the last few weeks while I was ill.  I have been trying some new bits and I am so pleased that while making these I mastered the single split chain,  something that up to now just would not work for me.  I must add its thanks Marilee and her wonderful way she explains and shows how to do it,  this old lady well I feel it at the moment, has been trying to master it for a long time so Thank you Marilee.  I now feel confident to use it more often, and not try to avoid it.  I used Lizbeth no 20 white thread.
I have been doing this variation to Katie's pattern for about four years and I really would like to share this with you, unfortunately I don't know how to get hold of Katie to ask if I could write done my variation for you.
In her pattern she glues the skirt onto the body,  in mine I add two picots and attach the skirt to the body. If anyone has her contact details I would like them, so can you please email me with them.  Thanking you in advance.
Until we meet again I hope you are keeping well and take care
                     Hugs
                 Margaret

Angeline's going home

Hi,
By the time you read this I will be either on my way to Bristol airport or in the air to Cyprus for two weeks.
Angeline is now on her way home to Fox in Canada,   she has completed a world tour of tatters which has taken her 3 years,  I am the last tatter to have the book.
This is a pattern from the book,  page 132 called Coaster design from Sweden,  unfortunately  Angeline says "She brought this coaster in a tiny shop in a little village in northern Sweden, from counting she thinks the medallion has",    Well the above left is how it is written and it looks like a hat. I used American Apple pie no 40 Lizbeth thread.
The next one again using American Apple Pie well it worked I reduced the middle rings to 3ds between the pictos on the rings and chains,  in fact the whole coaster was done on 3ds between all the picots,  Brilliant it laid flat,   sewing in the ends I cut the thread and chopped a picot.   Start again this time I used Altin Basak thread and here is the result one pretty coaster.   I really did like the pattern but I think the chains on the outside could be just a wee bit smaller. I will be making so more of these lovely coasters. It needs a bit of blocking as the chains around the outside seem very long.

Well the book is on its way home,   thank you Fox for lending the book out,  I enjoyed reading it and have some more bits to try.

                                   Hugs

                     Margaret

Wendy and I playing with Jan's book, 11/25 motif challenge

Hi,

Wendy and I have been doing a tat along with Jan Stawasz book,  page no 29 the Flowerpot number one.   I did a test piece from the first page of his book to get his way of tatting into my head 
I will use this little flower on the front of a card,   I was very happy with the design and how easy it was to tat up.   I used Lizbeth no 20 Pink Parade thread.



The flower pot and flowers in Lizbeth No 20 white and plan to put it on a blue card background  but I photographed it on a purple background for now, as I have not got a dark blue card at the moment,   in fact I think the purple looks good as well,  and then I will frame it.  Its not been blocked, as I did not have time to block it before getting this post done in time,  before I frame it, it will be blocked and will look lovely.   Thank you again Wendy for another tat along and I hope we can do it again one day.

From now on all post will be scheduled as I am going away, so its sun sea etc in Cyprus,   until we meet again take care, and if you don't get a comment on your blog while I am away I will catch up with you all when I get back.
                       Hugs
                  Margaret