Numbers 19 & 20. Bats, Cats and all things Halloweeney!

Just can't be doing an animal challenge and not include some Halloween favorites so Happy Halloween to all my tatting buddies. Click on the picture to get a better view.
I just loved making it.

First to be tatted were the bats. Ruth Perry's 'Tootie Fruity' the Southern Illinois fruit bat was just asking to be tatted.
I didn't have any trouble with adding the bead using a 'beaded double core reverse ring' and after a few tries managed to get the bead sitting in the right size ring! Pity that I didn't have magnetic haematite as they would have looked cool, in my kitchen,and the non magnetic haematite beads I had were too small. The wings were a little tricky to get just right, again just needed practice.
This is my best attempt. 5cm wingspan in Coats Red Heart 20



And together with a few of him misshapen siblings!
a few of my earlier attempts.


Next up was Mark Myers's (Hi to long lost cousin Mark!) bat. This was my favorite bat as it was so easy to tat. Made in Flora 20 he has a 5cm wingspan too.



Back to cats again,black cats this time, not Siamese! so I think I can call it Animal 20.
I have been itching to tat Mark's Cat on a Broom

Mark's pattern was only in diagrammatic form and I did find this a little difficult to follow ( but isn't that part of the challenge!)especially the brush part of the broom which being yellow didn't show up very well in the less than intense light used while tatting and watching TV! A little bit of jiggery pokery and I soon got a much larger deep blue image to follow and suddenly it was almost all plain sailing!!
The cat was also hard a bit hard to follow. Being right, left, upside down back to front challenged I always find it difficult to know which way round to start the first ring!! The ring numbers were great but arrows would have helped.Got that then made a major mistake in joining one of the rings in the wrong place which actually worked out quite well as it pushed the cat's head further to the left and made him even more sinister. Just proves that there is no such thing as a mistake...just a new pattern!



Second attempt and got him as Mark intended! See the arched back and much more upright stance.



Oh! but I did add large, well huge beads for the eyes(had to increase the stitch count). I loved Mark's slanty eyes( the cat's that is!) but since I learned from Jane how to add a bead in a ring all my animals have to have beaded eyes, and doesn't it make him look sinister!!

Made the cat on a broom in flora 20 mainly and it measures almost 16cm from the tip of his whiskers to the end of the broom. Used a slightly thicker thread(Red Heart) on the broom handle the second time to give it more body.

Number 18. Just a little mouse!

Yup that's all this is.....just a little mouse, a little grey mouse.



Kinda cute, another from Martha's book. The last of this particular genre...apart from a few stray cats that haven't made it to the blog yet.
Made in Coats Red Heart 20 he is 5cm tall.

Oh no..there's more.... A little white mouse from my past has snuck in to my blog.



When I was a little girl, I had two white mice as pets looking exactly like this one. Albino mice with red eyes and pink noses. Well...when we went on holiday the mice were left with a friend and were given back on our return. But they seemed a little different to me, they didn't know me!
But I put it down to our long absence....all of two weeks...things change in a long time like that!
Twas only very much later that I learned that some dreadful mishap has overcame my mice...no details supplied!! and my very kind friend's mother had substituted new mice rather than deliver the bad news. Parents knew but they never let on!
It must have been quite a job to find mice that were about the same size.

This little mouse is also made in size 20 thread, Coats Mercer Anchor 20 and he only measures 4.5cm. just shows how much thicker the Red Heart thread is.

Tagged!!!

I have been tagged by Snowy to share seven facts about myself.

Here are the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged.
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 3 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

7 facts about me. I am sure I will think of more interesting ones as soon as I have posted this.

1. I love shopping, not often the clothes kind. Don't always need to buy anything, just like looking for a bargain.

2. I hate wearing a skirt, denims are my favourite attire. Do like a bit of 'bling' on my clothes espec' when my daughter comments that I 'can just about get away with it!!'

3. I am a collector of so many things, I think I am growing out of stamps, coins and phone cards and in to gecko brooches as well as shuttles and.......................all things gecko and chameleon, and all things tat.

4. I love 'stuffies' espec' bears. Long time favourites ones are Limey and Bluey, who were made by daughter and me for her 13th birthday. They have celebrated their 21st's and are still going strong. I used to make lots of soft toys and dolls.

5. Favourite alternative medicine treatment is acupuncture. Two and a half years of it finally brought me back from a severe neck problem caused I think by too much craft work(leather work) that had jammed my vertebrae together. Was asked if I had fallen off a horse head first into the ground!! Craft work should come with a health warning.

6. I am a Virgo and I hate it. The motto of Virgo should be 'Perfection is almost good enough!!' I am even a Yorkie Virgo....wonder if that makes it better or worse!!

7. I have lots of Bonsai trees, nothing very old and nothing very valuable. Mostly common or garden trees.
A garden is never big enough to have a lot of trees, this way I get lots to enjoy thro' the changing seasons. Maples are my favorite.

I tag Carol
Jeanne
and Sue

Number 17. Pigs might fly!!

Mmmmm!!! pigs are another one of those animals that conjure up images of 'cuteness' and I guess that's why Jane Eborall thought of them when she designed one in her series of chubby round Onion Ring animals. Here is her pattern for the tatted onion ring pig
This was my first venture into tatting onion rings and I soon realised that a bit of practice tatting basic onion rings would be a good idea.
A few rings and small motifs later I was ready and dived into the pattern with my shuttle loaded with variegated peachey coloured Flora 20.

I began to think that 'pigs might fly' referred to my ability to get a pattern right the first time, as this little fella is lacking his tusk!
Second time and he is complete.

This pattern has to be one of the most difficult things that I have tatted. The onion rings work out fine for the first three rounds getting progressively more difficult to pull up and the fourth ring is a ***!!!! But please don't let this put you off trying it as the result is well worth the pain!!
Third try in plain piggy pink Flora 20 and still having trouble getting that curly tail right.

Fourth try in a brighter pink Flora 10 and I think I have cracked it! tho that tail still isn't very curly.

Flora 20 pigs measure 4cm from rump to snout and Flora 10 5cm.

Now to make a flying pig which Jane also figures. Jane's pig is two dimensional with only one wing but having made his wing my dearly beloved asked where the other one was!! and that it would look much better with two wings. Well he did have a point and it was worth a try so I gave him a second wing. The pattern for this will be on Jane's sight soon if she likes it!!




Of course 3D animals are difficult to display so I decided to let him fly freely in a sparkly copper bracelet and he is hanging next to my computer.



I can still hear some sceptics out there saying that pigs can't fly. Well I was in Zurich last weekend and chanced to see a flying pig on a stall at the most fabulous flea market.


I know this has nothing to do with flying pigs but I also found shuttles at the flea market, four of them. I was so delighted as I have never seen an antique shuttle outside of ebay before. This one I bought is very narrow 1.3cm and only 6.5cm long.

With much tighter ends than I had first thought.


AND Sue Hanson you have now started me off collecting Lizard/Gecko brooches. I found that I had this little one already from I don't know where!!



Spotted this one also at the flea market and yes Sue it is curving the other way!!!

Number 16. Lions.

Martha's basic pattern for an animal sitting down, facing forward has sooooh many possiblities. The decorative join that makes the front legs is so effective and easy to do. Tatting doesn't get any more fun than this!
The tatted lion is yet another one from her book. I shall soon be running out of these animals. Trying to think how to tat a spotty leopard or cheetah!

So on to the lion, here he is with his huge fluffy mane.



Martha shows the lion with the mane left uncut too, so here is my curly maned lion.



I think I like the first one with the cut and untwisted picots. He looks at if he has been to the hairdresser to have his mane crimped!!
Here are the two together to show you the relative sizes.



The fluffy lion is made from Coats Aida 10 and is 6cm tall, the curly lion is made from Coats Madura Red Heart 20 and is 5cm tall. If that one didn't have a mane at all she would be like his lioness...mmmmm!!! Wonder which colour you like the best!
Couldn't find any other tatted lions. We saw loads of lions in the wildlife parks of East Africa but can't think of any funny lion stories...just as well really.

Number 15. Siamese cats

I have been making lots of tatted cats from Martha's book and wondered if it would be possible to make a Siamese cat in tatting.
Siamese cats are so different in appearance with their blue eyes that it is hard to imagine how they are related to the ordinary 'moggie'!

My first attempt was not too great.



With a little bit more jiggery pokery, SLT's, lock joins and tweaking the stitch count I arrived at the perfect Siamese kitty who is soooh cute! Tho I do wonder if the upper hind leg should be cream and the ears even larger.



He is made in Madura Coats Anchor perle 8. The soft lustrous perle cottons work really well with block tatting. The dark colours seem to be thinner than the pale ones which affecs the stitch count. He is 4cm tall and once you get the hang of it is easy to make.

Number 14. Black Swans

These are the two Black Swans that we have in our wildlife park on Fota Island in Cork Harbour. They have been there for a long long time now and seem a very contented pair and have a nest in the undergrowth at the top of the picture.
I wanted to make them in tatting but haven't seen a specific pattern for a black swan so I used one of the many patterns for a swan that I found.

This one is another one of Martha Ess's Block tatted critters.



Block tatting has a solidity about it that really lends itself to animals, I think they look much more realistic than more decorative rings and chain designs.

Here is my wildlife park pond with the two Black Swans.

Number 13. Tigers

Oh! these little block critters of Martha's get cuter by the minute.

Recently two little tiger cubs were born(created!) here in Ireland. I don't think there are many tatted tiger cubs in captivity around the world, I don't remember seeing any.



Then yesterday they were joined by another, tiny as he is he was soon sitting up on the look out for mischief. I think that the first born must have got into a scrap as his tail has a nasty kink in it.



There is no sign of their mum or dad, has anybody seen them?

I finally got the hang of making these little fellas, they were all made with Flora thread, the older ones in 10 (5cm tall), and the little on is 20 (4cm tall). the thread is just the perfect colour. These designs are tatting perfection and there are lots more to choose from.

Number 12. Dogs

Slugs and snails and puppy dogs tails........ goes the rhyme. Well I'll have to wait for Sid the Scintillating Slug a bit longer! one snail done, more to do so here goes with the puppy dogs and their tails.
First cute little block tatted dog is another of Martha Ess's Little Critters one of my favorite tatting books of course, and he is a real cutie. The decorative join is easy to do and makes the little dog look as if it is sitting on it's haunches.


He was quickly joined by a younger puppy!


The bigger one is made in Coats Aida 10 in a lovely golden colour with a real shine to it. Eye beads are size 9. He is almost 5cm tall. The little fella is made in a vintage Coats Chain 20 and is 4cm tall, beads are size 11.

I really like the chunkiness of size 10 for these little critters. they are very 'moreish' as each one ends up with a different expression especially as I still haven't fully got the hang of finishing off the head so it comes out different every time! They always come out with their heads held at a rather 'rakish' angle.

The only other tatting pattern for a dog that I found was in Inga Madsens book of 'Tatted Animals' another favorite.

This one is a lovely puppy too with a fab' expression. Easy to tat in one pass,but you need to be able to make an SCMR tho'.
The patterns are in diagramatic form only with helpful instructions at the front of the book. I print out the diagrams and colour in each ring as I make it to help me remember exactly where I am.



He was made in Coats Red Heart 20 (more like a 15!) is 11 cm tall and has a 4mm bead for his eye.

Just one more heart

A beaded version of Martha's Flower Bouquet heart, see previous post for details about her new book Tats Amore.
This version looks like a Spring Bouquet with it's mainly lighter shades compared to my original one which is now a Summer Bouquet.....mmm methinks an Autumn Bouquet would be nice too. But not yet just have to get back to tatting my challenge animals, I am way behind.

Here are the two hearts to compare, I wonder which you like best.