Something old, something new, something...green!

I had chance to pop into the charity shop on the way back from the supermarket this morning and found something old - well, quite a few things! There were lots of crochet patterns for doilies and mats, some which had to come home with me - I quite fancy trying out some of the flower motifs! And, of course, to do that I'm going to need some fine crochet cotton, so I couldn't resist these balls of yellow, green and purple yarn at 25p each! I also picked up some more knitting needles to add to my collection in readiness for my knitting sessions with a group of Brownies in a couple of weeks' time.

I was pleased to find the Learn Tatting book as it has lots of diagrams - perhaps my daughter will give it another go! I wonder if this book came from the same home as the Tatting Designs book and shuttle that we bought there the other week? The Learn to Crochet book will come in very useful at my workshops as it has lots of pictures and guidance for left-handed learners.

This week I have been working on something new...

I've have called them "broodges" as they are a cross between a brooch and a badge! I am really pleased with how they've turned out...they are buttons and flowers...very me!

And, finally, for something green! I have given up on ever having broccoli from the plants in the garden - after all, they've been in the ground for 16 months now! However, in order to gain something from these enormous plants that have taken up so much of our little veg patch for all that time, I decided that we should eat the leaves!

They are very tasty indeed, especially added to stir-fried chicken, vegetables and noodles, as enjoyed last night! We won't be growing broccoli again, but we're really looking forward to making a start on this year's veg patch.

I'm also looking forward to relaxing with a cuppa, or maybe a glass of something, and catching up on some of my favourite blogs this weekend. Hope you have a lovely weekend whatever you're planning to do!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Tips for Tat

It's not very often that my 16 year old daugher and I have the chance to go charity shop browsing together so that in itself has been a real treat during this half term week. I've not had much luck in charity shops recently so I was delighted to find these:

Vintage pattern books and some old spoons...they're only EPNS but I love them, especially the small one from Harrods!

My daughter loves vintage clothes and has promised herself that, once her GCSEs are over, she is going to have a go at making herself a dress with some vintage fabric that she bought a year or so ago. These vintage patterns at 10p each were right up her street! The green dress in the centre is her favourite!

A bag of delights...well, to me anyway...full of embroidery threads and tapisserie wools for 50p!

Looking through our finds when we arrived home, we were both amazed at the intricacy of the gorgeous lace in the 'Tatting Designs' booklet and my daughter wondered how it was done. I had never tried tatting, but I knew that it involved a shuttle and that I didn't have one amongst all my bits and bobs, which meant that we would remain unenlightened! Imagine our surprise when, as I continued pulling different coloured skeins of embroidery thread from my 50p bag of delights, I found a shuttle complete with small piece of tatting (shown in the foreground of the photo below)! There was no longer any excuse not to tat! So we consulted YouTube for video demonstrations...the ladies there make it look so easy! I was all fingers and thumbs with it - lefthandedness, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! My daughter had slightly more success!

Hers is the piece that looks slightly more like knotting than tatting, but she has improved since and can 'double' and make a 'picot'! I think it could be a while before we have this gorgeous lace collar and cuffs set from 'Tatting Design' though!

Such skill, such patience and such beautiful end results! Any tips on how to tat?

Back soon,

Rebecca

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