International Tatting Day

Hi,

Happy International tatting day to all tatters around the world,   yes its the first of April and we are no fools but to us today is the day we go and tat in public,  actually I will be tatting tomorrow in our local craft shop/cafe while my husband has his hair cut.   I usually take my tatting with me while waiting for him and have a cup of coffee sat in a corner tatting away.

Today the picture above is a years work making a set of ice drops for each season,  which I gave to a couple of friends one of each season.,  and kept a set for myself.

Top left Spring with a heart charm for Valentines day, in Sea Island Citrus no 20

Top right Summer with a flower charm in  Juicy Watermelon No 20

Bottom left Autumn which theirs had a gold bird attached (I forgot to attached on one mine) in Falling Leaves no 20

Bottom left Winter which theirs had a angel charm attached see picture below. in Blue ice no 20

These are the two I have just finished for winter,  complete with the angel,  and I put blue beads in one and Turkish eye beads in the other,  for my two friends,.

All threads were Lizbeth threads,  the pattern I used for all of them was Posy Ice drop by Nicola Bowersox

Have a lovely tatting day.


Margaret

CD Sunday Challenge #7 Anything goes using something from a Craft CD

Hi,
Time for another challenge at the CD Sunday Challenge blog,  this time Carol is hosting our blog with Anything goes.

For my card I used Gnomes and Fairies Too by La Pashe,  for the image and the backing paper,  I matted the image onto brown card and added a guitar as an embellishment,  finishing off with green ribbon down the side.

CD Sunday challenge now has a Facebook page for those who would like to enter the challenge and do not have a blog,   here is a link to the page

I hope you will visit the CD Sunday Challenge site, and remember if you want to enter the challenge you must use something from a CD no matter how small and let us know which CD you used.  Here is a link to CD Sunday Challenge blog  we would be pleased to see you.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend

Margaret

ATCs. On Russian Dolls

Hi,

What a wonderful surprise I had this week from fellow member of CD Sunday group of ladies, Carol has made me two ATCs.(Artist trading cards) on my Russian dolls which I wrote about last week.
They are beautiful she took the photos and printed them out and decoupaged the images,  on the back she wrote in English and Russian the following
                “I am a beautiful Babushka doll that Margaret brought back from her travels”
She googled the Russian translation,  it was so unexpected and so lovely to receive them,   I am going to make a scrapbook of the holiday to Norway and I will be including these in the scrapbook.
Thank you Carol they are gorgeous.

Margaret 

Matryoshka Doll History

Hi,

I was asked about my Russian doll,  so after some research I found out about some of the history of the Russian dolls.  They are called Matryoshka dolls or Russian nesting dolls.  The name Matryona or Matriyisha was a popular female name from the Latin mater means mother.
Of course Russian dolls are brought as a souvenir but really the purpose in life is to charm,  enlighten, educate and to amaze.  The picture above is the one I brought at Kirkenes when we did some shopping at the tourist shop which was a few yards from the dock where the ship docked.
The traditional arrangement the otter layer is always a woman,  dressed in traditional present dress with a scarf around the head.  The other figures could be both genders, with the smallest is a baby.
The dolls are made out of wood and they are in several layers,  as you open the biggest one at the middle,  you will find a smaller one and so one until you have the smallest in the middle,  all in a similar design or the same design.

  Matryoshkas are most commonly have three to twelve dolls in one set. this is a picture of my Russian doll laid out so you can see the layers inside her.
They were first made in 1890 when both social unrest  and emerging national identity for Russia.  The development of the Russian style idea which became a Russian tradition.  The inspiration for Matryoshka dolls came from Honshu,  on the main island of Japan.



                                                                             —oOo—

The other doll I brought was a Russian Rolly Polly called Nevalyashkas.  Rolly Polly are traditional Russian toys,  they don’t fall over but wobble back and forth ringing a little bell inside.
To make a Rolly Polly involves making a blank out of wood ,  taking off the wood from inside of the blank,  putting a bell inside and then glueing both parts (lower and upper) together and then painting the outside,  as you can see mine has a Christmas theme.



Margaret

CD Sunday Challenge - #6 - Anything goes usiing something from a craft CD

Hi,
Gosh this year is flying by and its time for another challenge at CD Sunday,   again we are doing anything goes as long as something from a CD used either for the whole card or just a small part,  and this time it is hosted by Jocelyn.
For my card I used a backing sheet from If flowers could talk, Patience Strong CD by Joanna Sheen,  and Tatted lace die free from the magazine Tatted Lace no 61 called a Bouquet of flowers which I mounted onto a piece of the Hunydory gold miri board.  Finished off with a piece of ribbon down the side.

CD Sunday challenge now has a Facebook page for those who would like to enter the challenge and do not have a blog,   here is a link to the page

I hope you will visit the CD Sunday Challenge site, and remember if you want to enter the challenge you must use something from a CD no matter how small and let us know which CD you used.  Here is a link to CD Sunday Challenge blog  we would be pleased to see you.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend

Margaret

Happy St Patrick’s Day

Happy St Patrick’s day

To all my Irish followers

Have a great day.

Winter hat for Norway

Hi,
This is the hat and scarf I knitted for our trip to Norway,  the first time I wore it on board ship two women liked it,  one wanted to buy it,  she was out of luck I wanted to keep my head warm in the arctic weather.  I did offer them the pattern but neither took it up,  they could not knit.
This hat and scarf was knitted in grey and blue chunky wool,   The hat pattern is called Cable Crush Winter hat by Parsons Design Team,  I got the pattern free from www.allfreeknitting.com.   The scarf I did using the hat pattern and working out the pattern to knit the scarf, and until I had the required length.  you which band of wooI added a fringe at both ends.  I used the same wool for both but I have lost the bands so I cannot tell you which band I used.
I found the pattern easy and it kept my head warm.

Here's a picture of me wearing it at Kirkenes,  you have seen this picture before but it shows the hat and scarf.

I was asked about Russian dolls,  I am in the process of writing up a post about them and the history hopefully I can finish and post it next week.


                         Margaret

A Heart for Val

Hi,

Recently on a tatting group on Facebook the news about Val Dempster,  she is a tatter who originally comes from Zimbabwe and is near the end struggling with cancer.   Appently Val would send a Purple Heart to her friends who were unwell or going through a rough patch.
I have tatted and sent this heat to her as the request on Facebook was for tatters to send her a Purple Heart.   I used lizbeth thread no 20 in Purple  using the Butterfly Heart pattern by Irene Woo.
Purple Hearts was awarded for Strength and courage in the face of adversity,  very well deserved and acknowledged.
If anyone wants to send a Purple Heart I have her address,  just email me and I will forward it to you.
Margaret
Update I heard this afternoon that she has since died.

Trondheim and Back to Bergen

Hi,
This is the last part of Norway but I have been asked a question about Russian Dolls which I will do a separate post about,  and my hat and scarf pattern at a later date.
Here we are at Trondheim,   its cold about -5   one passenger stopped and took this picture of us while having our constitutional walk around the deck.
There was another Hurtigruten ship in called Kong Harald,  when ever there was another of the fleet in dock we were invited to gpo and visit the ship,   If they passed one of the fleet at it was blowing of the horns and flashing of the lights with everyone waving to each other,  they are a very friendly shipping line.  We did not get off the ship this time as it was a 20 min walk into the town and unfortunately I cant walk that fast or far,  so we enjoyed our walk on the ship.

Have you ever wondered what they do with so much snow,   well here in Norway this what they do.  We watched this dumper drive around with a load os bow in his bucket and he went to the edge of the dock and dumped it in the sea.                              

--ooOoo--

Back at sea again and heading home,  these pictures are as we sail through the islands  towards Bergen on the last day,  enjoy the scenery.

 I hope you enjoyed my trip and thanks for reading this post.  This has only been a sample of pictures we took,  It was a wonderful trip,  interesting,  we meet a lot of lovely people and made friends,  it was a bucket holiday of a lifetime and something that we will never forget.

                                          Margaret

CD Sunday Challenge - #5 - AnythIng Goes using something from a Craft CD

Hi,
Time for another challenge at the CD Sunday Challenge blog,  this time it is me who is hosting the challenge and we have another anything goes.

I am very fond of Elephants so for this card I used an image and backing paper from Jane Netley Mayhew Collection Cd by Joanna Sheen.  I matted the images on green card and staggered the images down the card,   The green grass die is actually from Winter Wonderland Seasonal Sprigs by Crafters Companion,  I thought this die looked like the grass lands where the elephants live.   I finished off the card with a silver happy birthday peel off.

CD Sunday challenge now has a Facebook page for those who would like to enter the challenge and do not have a blog,   here is a link to the page

I hope you will visit the CD Sunday Challenge site, and remember if you want to enter the challenge you must use something from a CD no matter how small and let us know which CD you used.  Here is a link to CD Sunday Challenge blog  we would be pleased to see you.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend

                          Margaret

Happy St David’s Day

To all my Welsh followers Happy St David’s Day,

I tatted this daffodil a few years ago from the pattern by Jennifer Williams,  the inspiration for the daffodil design came from her garden.

I used Lizbeth thread no 20 Pineapple Parfait.

When I made this daffodil I only had a green button,  apologies for showing this daffodil again,  not had time to make something different.

There is one more post on Norway which will be now posted next week.  It was a wonderful holiday and thank you for the lovely comments you have all left,  I am glad you have enjoyed the posts.

Have a lovely day

Margaret