Nearly time to tat....

Hullo all

What absolutely amazing autumn weather we are having here in the North West Province.  Yes, I will admit that the evenings and early mornings are a little cooler that most people would like but the days really make up for that in my opinion.  I hope the cold of the winter does not come too soon.

Our next Crafty Day happens this Saturday (1st June) from 10.00 am till whenever the last lady leaves. As usual I am really looking forward to it.  Magda will be doing a class of tatting for 4 of our ladies which I am sure thay are going to enjoy very much.  I am going to assist the ladies who could not make the last meeting with their crochet class (if they want to) and for the rest,  you know the drill.  Bring whatever you feel like doing and just sit and chat and peace out..........  As usual, refreshments and a light lunch will be served at a nominal cost of  R50.

Had to take an overnight break but here I am bright and early to continue. 

Next month (13th July) I will present a workshop to make a Cellini Spiral Necklace.  This beaded wonder is made from different size seed beads and is not very difficult at all once you have mastered the technique of tubular peyote stitch.  It sounds very complicated but is really quite easy to learn.  The kits will be a little more expensive because the seed beads which I use are of a better quality.  I will let you all know later what the cost will be. 

The variety of how one puts the different size beads together is endless.  In the picture below the piece has been made with small delicas and two sizes of round beads.  The one I am going to present will have 8-10 different sizes and/or shapes.

 

Below is a stunning image of a spiral with a rivoli pendant.

Once you have the technique under your belt you will be able to make an endless variety of necklaces, bracelets and earrings.  The sky is the limit and your imagination will go wild.

Now I need to do a bit of bragging so bear with me.  Granddaughter Sydney (age 10) had to do a science experiment at school and has been chosen as one of 25 to do an exhibition later this week at the school.  Her sister, Georgia, (age 9) started karate classes this year and took part in the National Championships on Saturday.  She came third in her age group for pre-yellow.  Nana and Max are VERY proud.

Brigette has received the results of her dissertation for her Masters degree.  There were some corrections to be done and one of the examiners recommended a distinction.  Once again we are very proud parents.  She is going down to Cape Town for a week to start looking for a place to stay and also to make personal contact with her supervisors for her phD.

Time now to do some personal admin.

Keep those hands crafting

Sharon

Tatting

Hi to all of you out there
I try to post every Monday but you know what they say about the best laid plans.....

This week has been hectic and today is the first time that I have made it to the computer to check and respond to emails and to do my weekly post.  Sorry to those of you who have tried to find something new and been disappointed.

What news is there??  Well, I have been talking to one of our ladies, Magda.  She has very kindly agreed to give a workshop on the old and dying craft of tatting.  She is able to accommodate only 4 students at a tine so place is very limited.  There are only 4 places and they will be allocated on a first come first served basis so let me know as soon as possible who will be doing this new technique with Magda.  We are going to do this workshop at the next meeting on the 1st June as Magda is under deadline pressures at work and is not sure whether she will be able to make the next one on the 13th July.  Kits will be provided so that those ladies who want to learn this craft only need bring themselves and of course the cost which will be in the region of about R85 and will include the shuttle and some cotton. 

 Below you will find the Wikipedia description of tatting which Google supplied:
Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace constructed by a series of knots and loops.^[1] Tatting can be used to make lace edging as well as doilies, collars, and other decorative pieces. The lace is formed by a pattern of rings and chains formed from a series of cow hitch, or half-hitch knots, called double stitches (ds), over a core thread. Gaps can be left between the stitches to form picots, which are used for practical construction as well as decorative effect.
Tatting dates to the early 19th century. The term for tatting in most European languages is derived from French frivolité, which refers to the purely decorative nature of the textiles produced by this technique. The technique was developed to imitate point lace^[2]
In German tatting is called Schiffchenarbeit, which means the work of the little boat, referring to the boat-shaped shuttle, and in Italian tatting is called occhi, which means eyes, referring to the rings which make up the lace.^[3]

                                      Vintage tatting shuttles from the early twentieth century.

 

                                                        Newer type of shuttle with hook.

This is only a piece of the information.  Just Google "tatting" and click on the Wikipedia entry so you can read all about this craft.  It is very interesting.

Till next time
Keep those fingers busy
Sharon

Crochet 101 done and dusted.

Ooooooh  I am so glad that I started the Crafty Ladies Club.  I have such a lot of fun at the meetings.  On Saturday we had two new ladies attending so we welcome Carol and Valda into the club and hopefully we will be seeing a lot of you in the future.  To Michelle, Sandra and Sue who were unable to attend due to ill-health, we wish you all a very speedy recovery and trust that you will be able to join us next time which, by the way, is the 1st June.

Brigette and I did a workshop on new crochet stitches which seemed to go down very well.  Congratulations to the girls who did the workshop.  Not all of the patterns were as easy as they seemed but no-one pulled out.  Each one decided that they would only use some of the pattern stitches in the future.  They were not all that impressed with the others but they can do them should they change their minds.

 

 Merle, Carol and Valda listening to the instructor attentively as good students should!

 That's me in the pink top watching over my sister Merle.  Beacuse she is left-handed, it is a little more difficult to teach her something!!

 Brigette with her x-stitch picture of dinosaurs which she is giving to the ESI at Wits.

I don't think that I have told you that Brigette is studying Paleontology at Wits.  She has just completed her Masters Degree although we are still waiting for the final results.  She has decided to move to Cape Town to do her PHD.  She will be working at the West Coast Fossil Park and based at UCT.  She will be going down for a week shortly to finalise the details of the project with her supervisors and once she has received the Masters Degree, she will make her move down.  In addition to all the studies, she finds time to make stunning jewellery.  Visit her blog at
www.africanabeading.blogspot.com for  more details.

Well, that's all for now.  Visit again soon.
Keep crafting
Sharon
sharon.tgc@gmail.com
ladiecrafter@gmail.com
+27 82 571+6883