Secret Santa update & Vic's bribe

Now that I know that Nancy has received her Secret Santa from me I can post a couple of pictures of what I sent to her.




This is the SCMR Snowflake 2 by Sally Magill on the ROT site here - I just added some beads.







This is a very poor photo of my adaptation of Ellen's December paperclip pattern from Georgia's site here

I also sent her some of the large paper clips as I found them really hard to get hold of, some beads, a ball of thread and a calendar.


In answer to Vic's bribe (see here) my favourite Christmas tatting pattern (thou I haven't done it this Xmas & can't do it now ;( ) is Jon's Rings Only Snowflake with beads here
The photo is Jon's



Must go

Updates

I've finally got caught up with myself again! I was frantically trying to finish 3 butterflies for the intatters butterfly exchange - the piccies will have to wait as as yet the recipients haven't received theirs.......so watch this space! And also my DS has just finished P4 so I had 2 gifts to make for his 2 teachers.

First I tatted some earrings based on this post from Krystle and Jane's post here. Thread is Lizbeth Jelly Bean.




And then I did one of Karey's snowflakes (fish tales) from her book "Let it Snow". Thread is Lizbeth Caribbean



I am SO annoyed - before I started on the exchange butterflies I was working on my own butterfly design but quickly realised that it was far too complex to be made in time for the exchange (loads of clunies and other things)- so I put it down and did ones for my three exchange partners. Now, I've finished I thought I'd go back to my butterfly - can I find my drawing? NO! And boy am I p****d! I was really happy with it (the first time this has ever happened with my own design) and thought that maybe I could even go so far as to publish this one! I have the actual tatting that I had started but cannot find the drawing with the actual noted stitch counts on it. I had only done 3/4 of one of the 4 wings when I stopped so cannot even recount as more than a 3/4 of the pattern is just missing!!!!

Anyway on to more pleasant thoughts........look at what I found wandering about with "タティングレース" in google

look at this doily

Isn't that simply stunning!! If you look at the categories section (カテゴリー) on the left and then into "編み物" which incidentially translates as "knitting" you'll find the tatting and see some other stunning pieces.

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.