Geckos again.

No new tatting to show you this week, haven't finished my doileys yet, soon I hope.

Having shown off my geckos to my college friends, while tatting doileys in my break time its good to have a selection of other things to show how versatile tatting is.

I have finally got round to tacking a gecko on to one of my t-shirts, a kahki/olive green t-shirt. The gecko is in Yarnplayer's Golden Glow HDT.



Here is the gecko on his own.



The thread is size 20 and I have used 3 different sizes of gold beads, prob 11,9 and 8 plus other brown and gold beads 4mm Swarovski crystals in the head are fire opal ab, I love the effect of the bronze pearl eyes.

I have made 16 geckos so far, one less now as I was persuaded to sell this little fella.
He was made in my own HDT Silk Greens and has emerald swarovski's and green and gold beads.



These geckos have much longer tails than the original ones as many geckos have tails as long as their body.

BTW if you want to see my other gecko posts they are in the labels at the left under reptiles, tried to shorten the ever growing list of labels.

Aw Shucks!

It seems that my cross blogging post just didn't work. Out of the hundreds of visitors to this blog only a handful crossed over to the other one.

That's such a pity as I put some lovely photos on there that I thought you might like to see. Totally nontatting related so I didn't want them to clog up this blog.

Maybe I didn't advertise it enough soooh do go over there and check out a bit of my world, yes that's click here or even here and do please leave a comment.

Fionn is so happy with all the greetings he has been getting, he is pestering me to get on with making more like him. You should be so lucky!!

Academia and nonsense!

This post will be my first cross blog one! The academia bit will be on my other blog and the nonsense will be here!
Maybe I should call it even more nonsense!
So if you like to mosey along to my other blog here have a cup of tea over there then come back to me and we can continue!

Unless of course things non tatting related are of no interest, in which case give me a miss today.

Still invigilating exams...half way through them.

No tatting to show today, tho' I am working on 2 doileys at the same time, one to practice and the second in my new HDT.

Only managed to get a few rings and chains made every day, during a coffee break or at 8 o' clock in the morning before the exams start. We all agree that all the things that we plan to do when we get home get forgotten as we fall asleep watching TV!

Exam invigilating is slightly, very slightly reminiscent of watching paint dry!! In order to prevent total degeneration of my brain cells some sort of demanding brain stimulation must be done while still remaining vigilant.

This might be a survey of the percentage of left and right handers, or trying to spot a student doing an exam who is older than I am!! After 37 years this of course gets more demanding every year..but the academic system is so good nowadays that there is nearly always someone who never had the chance to study when they were young or a retired professor doing something that has always fascinating them.
Celtic Civilisation and the History of Art are always popular as is Law.

Working among students and with a mix of other invigilators, old friends and stimulating young research students gives me such a buzz and keeps me young that is why I still do this each year.

This years mental exercize was to think of all the real Irish boys names that could be given to a leprechaun and was amazed at how many I found, 42 so far that should keep me going.

I showed them to my leprechaun and asked him to pick which one he wanted but he wanted them all...typical leprechaun. He has settled for Fionn for today but I expect he will change his mind!

After my last blog post William the leprechaun from Pennsylvania checked in on Carol's blog he seems to be having a great time. I was so pleased to see that there is someone who is a daft as I am! Long live daftness!!

Fionn was fascinated to hear that William had checked in and that that name was taken and he popped over to take a look.



So this is Fionn looking at William looking at....well you get the idea!

He was very taken with the pattern that William is looking at and soon demanded to know why we hadn't got that book especially at it was by 'cuz' Mark!






All in good time Fionn, we will and that angel does look fab perhaps William is going to tat one!

Angels and leprechauns is that a good pairing? or what.
Donnacha hasn't shown himself yet but I know he is surrounded by angels.

To end, it's Hi to everyone from Fionn.
Promise I will be back to sense next week...well maybe!



Oh, sorry to say that my website has suffered from terminal illness and the server that it was hosted on is now no more. So it's off to find another host.

Updates on HDT's and Leps and No 29 Starfish

HDT's first and with Yarnplayers blessing I will be making some threads to sell BUT don't hold your breath as it won't be for a while.

May is a dire month of supervising University exams and life as I knew it is put on hold for the month. It is so somniferous that yesterday I found myself designing a snowflake while vacantly scanning the room.
It is always a great relaxation to do a little tatting in the break times and this usually generates interest and maybe creates more tatters.

One of the exam co-ordinators has become fascinated especially by my bootees and has asked for a demonstration tomorrow lunchtime. She thinks she will just be watching!!!
Have to take some more eye candy with me.

Can't do a post without some tatting so here is another Hearts Desire this time in my Pumpkin Juice thread.



Have you ever made your favorite recipe....the one that works out perfectly for just the two of you...and now you have to make it for a party of people and it's just not up to scratch as you have never made that quantity before.
Well it's like that with dyeing.......I made up enough Pumpkin Juice for a batch of threads.....and got Pumpkin Juice 'lite' the lighter, less fattening version!!! Which actually is very nice but not what I was aiming for.

After going down on my knees and begging my great friend Laura/Tattycat to write up her cool Starfish pattern...she did and here it is.

Even tho' she didn't know it this is a fabulous starfish design.. I showed it to DH and asked him what it was and he instantly relied 'A Starfish of course, it even has the Aristotle's Lantern in the middle.'
Just in case you might not know, Aristotle's Lantern in echinoderms is an arrangement of 5 bony plates surrounding the mouth.

She has also captured the little tube feet with her picots running along the sides of the arms. The tube feet are a hydraulic skeleton filled with water and used for locomotion and for opening the shells of oysters and mussels on which they feed. They prise open the shell and then invert their stomach into the shell..oops too much information!!!

I have had great comments from new tatters who like the way that I show my mistakes as well as my successes as it encourages them to try and try again. So here is another example of my...always make a mistake in my first attempt...tattings.




Looks pretty good doesn't it?
My dearly beloved dad had a terrific sense of humour, frequently nonsensical, and one of his old chestnuts that I grew up with was.....

What's the difference between a duck?
to which the answer was
One of it's legs is both the same!!!

None of us ever knew what the logic of this was but we couldn't help laughing every time just the same..it was the way that he said it.. I can hear him now.

So that's whats wrong with my starfish.....one of it's legs is both the same!!!
Spot the mistake.

Yes I did say Lep update too.
My leprechauns are now encircling the earth, they have established their presence in England, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, New York and lately New Mexico and all seem to be very happy in their new homes.
If you want to have another look at them, or have never heard of them before then look
here
Well, while they were here I often used to hear strange noises coming from their 'home' but every time I turned round there they were looking at me nonchalantly as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouths.

It is only since I read Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl that I have learned what they were up to. It seems that the name Leprechaun may just have come from the reconnaissance division, LEPRecon of the Fairy Police Force (LEP..Lower Elements Police).
It seems that my leprechauns had joined the LEPRecon Academy and been taking lessons in surveillance.

So be warned these leprechauns are watching you!!
I must emphasize that this was not my intention in sending them out into the world at tatting spies but it is very entertaining... I am getting amazing descriptions of a new TIAS......despite my telling them......I don't want to know what it is!!

So dear friends I would advise you that if you are at all uneasy then make sure that you position your leprechaun where he can't see you tatting!!!

I have read that they are carrying a new surveillance device cunningly disguised at a lucky coin...but then you can't believe all that you read now can you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would really like all leprechauns to check in here by name and position if possible for my records, as I am not actually sure who is reporting back from where...and please acknowledge that your owner has read this disclaimer!!!
Oh, and please behave!! you are representatives of your country.

Apple Blossom Time

My bonsai apple tree is flowering it's socks off this year. It's a bit of an ugly mis-shappen tree but when it comes into flower in April it is just glorious and has been the inspiration for my latest thread dyeing.
Interesting thing about Bonsai is that while you can reduce the size of the leaves, the flowers and fruit will always be full size.
For the health of the tree it's best not to let it set too much fruit tho'.



Now I know you are going to say that Apple Blossom is white...not much of challenge there for dyeing...BUT when the buds begin to swell they are the most beautiful deep pink....



Gradually fading to a pale pink....



and when the flowers first open they are tinged with pink, finally turning pure white.



It is those delicate pinks and green that I have tried to capture in my Apple Blossom thread and I am absolutely blown away by its beauty. This scan really doesn't do it justice.
It suits this heart pattern Hearts Desire by Susan Fuller beautifully. This is destined to be one of my favorite patterns.




It is so hard to show the correct colours too, but this one is so lovely that I think that maybe I am going to have to make more as so many of you have said that you would like to have my threads....mmmm! need to think seriously about this.



Wait til you see the next one that's a real stunner..I think.