Tat's Heaven

Before going to bed this evening we in the UK are required to put our clocks back one hour, which means an extra hour in bed, great!  The British Summer Time Act of 1972 stipulates that GMT begins on the last Sunday of October and BST on the last Sunday of March (when the clocks go forward an hour).  However, there is talk of a trial period with a view to eventually adopting a Central European Time, which would mean BST plus one hour in summer and GMT plus one in winter - confusing us Brits even more!  The main problem is that those in the north of the country, particularly Scotland, would definitely not relish an extra hour of darkness in the winter.  Between 1968 and 1971 the government carried out the same experiment but was forced to end it after complaints in Scotland and northern England.   So we await to see what happens.  In the meantime the pop-a-bobbin shuttles arrived this morning at Jane's and she is wondering at what time to list them, and...

William Shakespeare's words from Romeo and Juliet, mine may not have quite the same sentiments, but during the last month or so I have been parting and saying goodbye, not to people but to objects.  The attic clearance continues, but the end is in sight.   Just finding it hard to throw away items that have been up there for years but have no use and are just kept out of sentimentality. Another parting which will take place next weekend will be these pop-a-bobbin shuttles, they are ready to go to Jane to list in her Etsy shop.  There is a good selection of different woods, most shuttles have hooks on them but there are a few without.  In a way it is sad to see them go as they do look so beautiful. And here are a few items from our time in Hong Kong many years ago, no idea why the inflatables were kept but the children's pajamas are so cute.  They are though well worn so all are destined for the dustbin in the next few days.  "parting is such sweet sorrow". ...

Last week there was someone in the church foyer selling a selection of knitted scarfs and jewellery she had made, she was raising money for herself and for the pre-school which meets in the church hall.   The  pendants she had made were primarily of beads and were hanging on long chains.  Um,  I thought, they remind me of aborted earrings that I started ages ago.  I looked for the single green earring I had made, and eventually found it. Part of the reason I was reticent in making the other one was because it looked rather large.  So I  put it on a chain and it looks much better now, and so I proceeded to make another two pendants. The original idea for this design was from an earring pattern on Jane's blog. We have a Christmas Fayre coming up soon and I am going to see if they will sell along with some other tatted items. 

Martha Ess's new tatting book "Playing with Picots" arrived in the mail on Friday. So  I just had to make the angels for this bit of heaven. As Martha has called them 'Big Sister Angel and 'Little Sister Angel' I named them - well what do you think?!  Actually Jane looks like she is dancing!  �Well come to think of it I'm doing a sort of wiggle too! The book was waiting for me when I returned home after conducting a funeral service.  Before the service I spoke to the organist (a farmer) to confirm the music etc and learnt that the funeral director had asked him to play for this service after delivering a bull to his farm earlier in the week! The funeral director also keeps cattle. After the service another farmer who was in the congregation started discussing the price of lambs to the funeral director. But that was not the strangest thing about the funeral, apparently some people who attended the service found that they were at the wrong one.  They had ...

My attempt at an oak leaf has progressed into these, not sure if anyone else has designed such a leaf so will not claim it as my own, but I am willing to share this particular pattern if there is interest. Some oak leaves which have been blown off the trees in the wind and the rain we are now having, the temperature has dropped at least 12 degrees since last week. And some acorns turning a golden brown, just right for those greedy squirrels of which we have many. "Great oaks from little acorns grow" - an old English Proverb  meaning  Great things often have small beginnings. HOW TRUE OAK LEAF PATTERN © Sally Kerson 2011 Abbreviations: R ring Roch ring on chain seta first half of double stitch setab second half of double stitch Ch chain Cl close vsp very small picot + join Lj lock join T & C tie and cut Materials required: size 20 thread Wind 2 shuttles with the continuous thread method 1 ½ yds shuttles 1 3 ½ yds shuttle 2 Begin by securing with paper clip or safety ...