Sunday 23 December 2012

Anyone know the source of these incredible images?

Hi all

While wandering around I came across these













Just have a good look at this and the rest of this truly incredible work!!



They are taken from this Russian post.

Having had a good look at the blog I think the blogger just post images or stuff from elsewhere - there is no source listed for the images above. Does anyone know where they come from? I really would like to investigate further.


All help & advice greatly appreciated




TTFN








Sunday 9 December 2012

Normal tranmission will be resumed shortly................but in the meantime..............

........I'll admit I haven't done much tatting in the last few months but have just completed a surprise for my facebook tatting group exchange partner -I can't even reveal it once I know she has it as I didn't photograph it before sending :(.

I know the following topic has been brought up before but I would like some feedback please.

One thing I have done recently has been have a good look at the tatting section on BellaOnline which is edited by Georgia now (previously Beverly & before that Gillian Buchanan). The bit that is causing me a problem is in numerous book reviews that have been posted.

I'll quote from a review of the Russian book by Анни, С.И. (Anni, S I) "Энциклопедия фриволите" (An Encyclopedia of Tatting) {link here} [I actually have this book and think that the patterns are lovely but agree that the photos are let down by the chunky thread]


"..........It is unfortunate that the "up" join is taught without a note about the preferred "down" join........."


This is just one instance of many where the review has criticised the book under review for teaching what I perceive as one of the traditional methods of tatting. I almost exclusively use the up join as I don't generally tat with the "right side/wrong side" method. If I am doing something that DEFINITELY needs a right and wrong side I will tat that way and use a down join but I feel that the reviews are trying to tell people that it is wrong to tat in the traditional manner. Don't get me wrong I love learning new techniques and attempting (sometimes not very well!) them myself & I will do anything and everything to an old pattern to avoid the tie and cut LOL!! but why should the traditional methods be seen as wrong? I think my whole gripe boils down to that one word in the quote ...."preferred"! My "preferred" join is also the up join - so am I committing a heinous crime?

Let me know how long my sentence for crimes against tatting should be LOL


TTFN





Sunday 12 August 2012

What I've been working on

I have done some tatting - a couple of cross bookmarks for a very good friend & I'm half way through the doily I needed the thread conversion for (succumbed & used boring white 40 but the found a small bit of purple 40 so it is now in both).

What I've been girding myself to do you'll see in a moment below but to give you a bit of background first - as most of you are aware we lost our precious doggie, Belle, in April & when I said in that post....We are heartbroken - I meant it. She is my 4th dog and by far the most important..........she was my first baby as we had a tough time having DS and I am 100% certain that if we hadn't had her we would not have DS either. There was something wonderous that I just can't put my finger on about Belle - she had definitely been here before - an "old soul" - if you know what I mean. She chose us, not the other way around. We had gone to see another dog that the family were giving away, a 12 month old blue merle collie, but it was a really nervous dog and not for us so we were leaving but my husband spotted this 12 week old collie pup & I was adamant that we were not having a little one as I didn't want the toilet training etc. He picked this puppy up and she put her paws round his neck and wouldn't let go. The owner said that she was also being given away but that she had already been taken by a lady who was clearing it with her husband and we went to leave with the puppy still clinging for dear life to my husband. Just as we got to the front door the phone rang, the owner excused herself a moment, came back and said that the other ladies husband had said no to the puppy. Needless to say the puppy still hadn't let go of my husband and she didn't until 6 months later when he broke his back and she obviously decided that he had abandoned her after a month in hospital and she became "mine" totally.

Trying to describe her in words is nearly impossible but she wasn't a dog - not according to her anyway, she was a girlie, just that she had 4 paws not arms & legs. My Uncle was adamant that she would not accept the new baby when I was pregnant as she had been my baby for 4 years by herself. We involved her entirely in things for the baby and when he eventually came home she was very wary for 2 -3 days then he was just accepted totally - she literally would have done anything for me or him.

Given what I've recounted my heart was heavy when I undertook the following I really would like your opinions PLEASE.





As it is a photo of my sketch not a scan it hasn't come out quite as it is in real life but I'd like some feedback anyway.

PS What I meant to ask was "Has my drawing done her justice?" - that is what has been concerning me so much with drawing her. That the drawing would give some sense of how special she was :)


TTFN






Friday 3 August 2012

What a huge disappointment!

As my so-called husband didn't appear to be doing anything for my birthday today,
I purchased this book





to enable my DS to be able to give me something


What a mistake that was! After all the comments and reaction to the book on various blogs I was really looking forward to going through it.
It is simply a reprint of their previous book (which I already own)



with a new cover, 24 additional pages, 3 patterns omitted & 22 new patterns (2 of which are the peacocks & another the butterfly edging frivole blogged about)!

I personally feel this is wrong - it should have just been issued as a reprint or even an updated reprint.

I suppose why I am so annoyed by it is that I was right - my "DH" didn't bother at all so the grand total of my birthday can be summed up as a card from my DS & a book I already have!!!!!!!!!!!


On a much more positive note ............ THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your birthday wishes on facebook - it has really brightened a very poor day.


Hopefully a more positive blog will resume in the near future.

PS. I really would appreciate some help with the question I posed yesterday.



TTFN














Thursday 2 August 2012

Advice PLEASE

I want to pick your collective brains...........


if I have a pattern that uses size 40 thread & has measured picots of 1" what would the picot size be if I used size 20 thread?


I don't want to waste thread with trial and error as the measured picots don't occur till near the end of a biggish doily.


All help gratefully received


TTFN








Tuesday 31 July 2012

More than worth a look..........

Please go & have a look at Megan's stunning bear, Floss...........and just to make her extra special, she's a giveaway!!!! TTFN


Monday 11 June 2012

OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY

The excitement of today - the Olympic torch passed through the "village" at the bottom of our road at about 7 pm today!!!!! Never ssen SO many police bikes - from Strathclyde and Tayside forces & even dozens from the Met! It finally made the Games a bit more real after all the endless hype we've been getting about London this & London that! Unfortunately due to exorbitant ticket prices that will be all we will be involved with apart from watching on telly. Hope everyone is doing fine TTFN


Tuesday 17 April 2012

GOD SPEED, BELLE

BELLE
26th September 1997 - 17th April 2012






















God Speed, precious girlie. Our hearts are broken.


Sunday 18 March 2012

HELP

Anybody got any idea why I can no longer edit my blog lists - I am totally unable to add a number of new tatting ones that I have come across over the last couple of months. ALL help greatly appreciated.


TTFN



UPDATE: I use Firefox (latest update) as my browser if that helps anyone!