What a coup!

Anybody else with eagle eyes spot the item below on eBayUK earlier on in the week?







Well I am very proud to announce that it now resides with ME!
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


According to Virginia Mescher in "Flitting Fingers" (2002) & I quote.......

".........[A copy of this book was unavailable as a primary reference, but was mentioned in several secondary sources (an aside: just wish she had said which secondary sources!). The only known copy that was located had been housed in the British Library, but was destroyed in World War II during the London Blitz.]......."

That would by definition, if she is right, mean that I now own the ONLY known copy!!!!!! Sorry but I can't stop crowing - I am just SO EXCITED!

I have a question for all out there in tatland - if I reissued it, would there be any interest in buying it? I am planning on it being an actual hardcopy not in pdf form and it wouldn't be an exact reproduction (too easy to rip off) but a true facsmilie. As I have not been at work for 7 weeks with the problems with my eye (& won't be back for at least another week) I am not being paid so need to try & earn some money somehow to tide us over, particularly with Xmas fast approaching (& a 9yr old that has a hard time understanding cost-cutting LOL) so there would need to be a charge & to cover printing costs etc as well.

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Or would there be some interest? Please give me your feedback!

What a lot of creative talented & generous people there are

I have spent a bit of time over the last few days wandering around the One World-One Heart Gypsy Caravan that both TattingChic & Marilee are very generously participating in. (I wish I was more organised and then I might have been able to participate in it as well, hopefully next year). I am just staggered by the generosity, talent and creativity there is - the only thing I would have thought to do with a rusty key was throw it away not use it for any type of craft purpose!

Back to tatting for a while. I have finally designed a pattern I am happy with - a little heart - so after writing it down I will possibly post it. I have doodled with designing for a few years but am usually not entirely happy with the end results so have never taken them any further - maybe I should try again? What do you think? I am going to do the thread exchange with the celtic group so may send a little heart as well!

I am nearly finished Jon's "Quantiesque snowflake" in variegated red and variegated green, but think I shouldn't have combined the two threads for the last round as it isn't quite right colourwise. We'll see when I finish it, I'll post a pic and see what you think. I have also been using my Silent Tatter shuttle from Roseground, which I must admit I find hard to use but love the feel of it in my hand - it is just a fraction too heavy (I keep dropping it) after the Aero Englands I love & use always. I have had it for about 3 years now and keep trying it every so often, but I suppose to be fair I don't use it enough to get used to it. It's funny how the shuttle you learn with remains your favourite no matter what - or so I've found anyway.

FIL got out of hospital on Thursday but for how long is anyone's guess. We were up to see him today and he does look better than he did but still terribly unwell. I just hope he doesn't suffer too long.

Does anyone know anything about this book?

About six months ago, I was lucky enough to win an incredibly good lot on eBay that had been a bit of a pot-luck chance. Included with some trimmings was a little book with the title "The Old Art of Tatting No.1 by an Englishwoman: Edgings & Insertions". It is totally undated, but appears contemporary with the early Riego books. At the time, I did ask Jane, Gillian & Georgia if they knew anything about it but drew blanks from all. They, however, did not see the cover as below.



It also says in it "[New and Improved Edition]..... printed by Holloway and Son, 10, Milsom Street, Bath." The really interesting thing, is that the chain (called in bar in the book using pink thread to learn) is included in every pattern as are joining picots (including detailed instructions on how to join "by pulling the thread which is round the hand through the pearl loop with the tatting pin when drawn to a sufficient length push the shuttle......" It also only uses one shuttle and not a needle to make the chain. So if it is contemporary with the early Riego books it would be the first mention of these methods published, contrary to what has been previously thought, that Mrs Pullan "invented" chains with a needle in 1859, Mee & Austin perfected the chain in 1862 and Riego uses them in her books after this (she was known to have appropriated the picot joining method as her own).

Rereading past emails I have just realised that at the time I asked Georgia, she suggested I contact Erin, which I never did at the time, so I must check in with her.
Anybody else know anything - PLEASE help me try to find out.