taking up sewing

A few weeks ago I bought myself my first sewing machine after falling in love with this tatted dress drawer freshener which required a little bit of sewing.

I originally bought a really cheap thing from Hobby Craft (I guess it is the same thing as Hobby Lobby in the US) but the zig zag stitch didn't work and there was no speed control so I took it back for a refund and decided to splash out a bit and get me a Borther LX27NT

Now, knowing nothing about sewing machines and having not used on since I was about 14 in Home Economics class I really just went with the good reviews and the pretty pattern on the side but from the very first moment of taking it out the box i've loved it.

Of cource having spent the money to get myself what I consider a fancy bit of kit, I had to do more with it than simple sew up a tiny drawer cushion so I trawled the internet for some free patterns and have already made myself my first handbag.  I wont share the photos in this post as I only have camera phone photos which are rubbish so i'll wait till I get the photos off the DSLR camera.

Of cource with any shiny new hobby i've dived off the deep end and have ordered heaps of material and downloaded lots of patterns and have decided to make all the females I know handbags for xmas even though I have only made the one bag so far.

Unfortunatly I was about to head out to my local fabric shop when I got a phone call from the bank and it turns out someone has stolen my card details and has used my account to pay some short term loan company so I am signifcantly less well off that I though earlier this morning.  Luckily the loan company agrees its fraud so I should get my money back eventually but it meant my card has been cancelled and I have to wait till I get the money back.  It put a bit of a dampener on my day and I couldn't be bothered going out after being on the phone for 2 hours so i'll go in tomorrow insead.

My shopping list for tomorrow is to get stuff to make an ironing board and craft mat case. Since noticing when making my first handbag that I had no work space to iron my seams etc like I was supposed to (the house is being removated so there is no room to set up an ironing board).

Anyway, hopefully next time I post I will have photos of my bag, my iron mat and maybe even have my money back (fingers crossed).

Till next time...

Cat x

Rally season has begun!

I took the dogs to the first race of the season at the weekend.  We were racing at Aviemore which is about 2 and a half hours away and sure enough just as I was about to set off it started snowing.... badly.

Now you would be forgiven for thinking, "surely snow is a good thing when you race sled dogs" but in fact unless it is deep and bedded in snow you cant really use a sled and its horrible driving country roads when you cant see more than 100ft in front of you.

Still, off we went and I wasn't too phased as I knew I would be staying at a camp site with electrical hook up so I could use my electric fan to keep me warm when sleeping in the van over night so off we went and arrived before it got dark.

When I arrived I proceeded to let the dogs stretch their legs and releave themselves then I got to setting up the van.  plugged in the electrical cable, then my fan... NOTHING!!  I'd come all the way to find out my heater wasn't working!! I got the maintenance guy to have a look and we tracking the problem back to the van so there was nothing much I could do about it.  I phoned my Husband to ask if he had unplugged anything when he was working on the car the previous week but he hadnt so I resigned myself to a very cold night.

I went round to a challet some friends were staying in around 9pm to blow up my mattress and get a hot water bottle then about an hour later I was back at the van....... to find my Husband in there with the fan working!! He had driven 2 1/2 hours in the snow at night just to fix my heater!  What a hero!!

So we both camped in the van over night then the next morning he went back home while I went off to the race venue and went on to have a great weekend without loosing any toes to frostbite!

Here is a photo of us approaching the finish line on Saturday.  They did really well, knocking over a minute of last years time.  Look how happy they look!

i'm back

Well I have been very naughty and not done any tatting for well over a month!!

I do, however, have a very good excuse.  I am just back from getting Married in Hawaii!!

I did have a pattern looked out, my thread selected, hook free shuttles bought and a reel of dental floss looked out but I didn't touch it the whole time I was away, not even on the flights!!  I did have the time of my life though

The pictures are too small to clearly but you can see the trim on my dress that I made from tatted lace and mother of pearl coin beads.

This was the view from the honeymoon cottage we were staying in at the Turtle Bay resort:

And this is why it is called Turtle Bay:

And here I am after sitting under the waterfalls, sporting my little sassy turtle I made in Teri Dussenbury's class.

Now i'm back and settling back into my routine I should get some tatting done though it is now cool enough to start training the dogs for their first race at the end of October.  Lots to do and so little time to do it all in!!

Till next time,

Cat. x

a try at design

While I'm waiting for my turtle supplies to arrive for my second turtle class I am trying my hand at designing.  I haven't designed anything of my own since I swapped my needles for shuttles (and what I did design in the past was rather mediocre)

I colleague at work is am amateur photographer and he was showing me his work and we got talking about themes.  He noted an interest is steam punk and neo-vicorian (if you don't know what that is, think of the movie "Wild Wild West") and I showed him some of the tatting I did that would suit that theme.

He really liked the Portait necklace and I showed him pictures of other accessories.  He was really interested in tatted masks so I offered to make one for a photo shoot.

I was going to make one from an available pattern but then I decided I wanted to design my own for this project.

This is what I have managed so far.  There is going to be an extra section added above the central motif and I am going to have to adjust the stitch count on the small rings above the right eye so the rings join at the same height as the adjacent chain.

At the moment it is made in size 20 cotton but i'm not sure if it might look better in size 10.  I will finish it how it is and make another couple with different stitch counts and a different thread size to see which I prefer best.

turtles

I've been rather busy lately and with arrangements for going to Hawaii next month to get married and everything that entails.

I fair chunk of my free time over the last month has been taken up doing Teri Dusenbury's one-on-one class for making her sassy turtle.

I was given a list of supplies which I ordered basically as soon as I got the list but I was so impatient for the supplies to arrive that I started pracicing with what I had available and made my first turtle just before the real supplies showed up.

The pattern uses C-Lon micro cord which is hard to get in the UK and much thinner that what i'm used to.  Also being nylon it is different to work with in cotton. Once I got the hang of it, I loved it but you have to be very careful not to get ANY twisting in it or you can't close rings.

Anyway, to practice I used size 10 lizbeth cotton, size 9/o seed beads and 4mm beads and here is what my practice turtles looked like:

After my supplies arrived I had to start from scatch again to learn how to work with the C-LON thread. It was rather frustrating but after a fair bit of practice and being very systematic and constant with getting rid of twists I became quite good with working with it.

Here is a photo of my first real turtle.  Him and his buddies are coming with me to Hawaii (what better place for a sea turtle??)

Most people who know of Teri, know how protective she is of her designs but she gave me permission to share these photos and asked me to pass on her message that if anyone would like to learn how to make these lovely turtles themselves, to message her on facebook.

The classes are 1-on-1 and you must agree to buy the supplies and not share or modify the pattern and not to sell the finished pieces (you can give them away if you like).  If you join the class she adds you to her facebook page and gives you access to her tuorital videos which are very helpful support to the pattern.

So if you are interested, get in touch with her and have some turtle fun! :-D

'Till next time...

Cat. x

memory wire

I've been playing around with beads for the last week, making bracets for our up coming trip to Hawaii and in the spirit of Hawaii I decided to use really cute Plumeria clay beads to really set the mood.

In my last post I showed a couple of bracelets I made using elastic however I felt they were lacking something - more flowers!  So I decided to make a bigger bracelet with 3 rounds of pearls with a flower on each round.

To make the bracelet simple I decided to try using memory wire.  The stuff is great! all you need is wire snips and a pair of pliers and you can make lovely bracelets in less than 5 mintues.  Here is a couple of pictures of my first attempt.  (I have subsequenty made a second one with pink flowers for my mum but  forgot to take some pictures!)

I'm also quite excited about another new craft i'm going to be learning.  Teri Dusenbury is going to be teaching me how to make her lovely turtles.  I'm hoping to have completed at least my first turtle before I go to "TURTLE BAY" in Hawaii.  Wont that be cool!  Its going to be a one-on-one class and i've ordered all my supplies.  Now I just have to wait a week or two for the items from the US to arrive then we can get started. :-D

Until next time..

Cat x

The Christening

OK, so i've been very slack in updating the blog.  I've been at my new job now for a month and everything is starting to settle down to there are a LOT of things to do in preparation for our special trip to Hawai'i in September.

Eilidh was Christened in May and so was such a good baby, she slept through the whole thing and didn't even wake up when the water was poured on her head!

Here is a cute photo of her in her bonnet.  It was still too big for her but she was soo cute and lots of people complimented the bonnet so I was a happy bunny.

I have also dipped my toes into beaded jewellery with these simple bracelets for our trip to Hawai'i.  I've just bought some more beads and some memory wire to try and make something bigger after realising wearing two singles at the same time looked better than single bracelets.  More on that later.

Until next time...

Cat. x

bitten off more than I can chew?

I haven't posted for a while becuase life has been a bit hectic of late.

I handed in my notice at my current job as I was offered a new job with better pay and better prospects.  I'm going to miss everyone (with maybe a couple of exceptions) and so I stupidly decided to make some jewellery for the girls.  That is 7 bracelets in 3 weeks which may not sound like a lot but when you work full time and have other time commitments it is very hard to squeeze it all in.

This is my last week at work so I now have 3 days to finish the tatting so I can bring the work in on my last day for fitting the findings.

I have mostly been making bracelets like the one in my last post with everyone's favourite colour but I did make a celtic bracelet for a more mature lady and I made a chocker for another girl.

I will have to take a picture of my work when it is finished and post it to let you see.

It was also my niece's chistening on Sunday and everyone was admiring her bonnet.  It was still slightly too big for her but it looked lovely.  She also had a knitted blanked from her other God Mother and a knitted cardigain from her Grandma so she was fully kitted out in hand made stuff.

It was also an exciting weekend becuase I bought a new car (well, new for me).  Since I have a new job with more money I decided it was the best time to splash out as my increase in wage will cover the payments for it so i'm not going to miss the money.  Its a bit flash but you only live once..

a little something for me

All my tatting seems to be done with someone else in mind.  I have made jewellery for birthday presents and a bridal set for a wedding (including the bridesmaids) hearts for valentines day, bits and bobs for exchanges and now a baby bonnet.  This may not sound like a lot but I have only been tatting for a year so really I have been quite busy.

With this in mind I thought it was about time I made something just for me.  I bought Judith Connors contemprary tatting book becuase I loved the image on the front cover so I decided to make a bracelet out of the choker design on the front.  Here is the finished piece:

I modified it ever so slightly so that I could attach magnet clasps as both ends, this way I didn't have to worry about getting the exact right length around my wrist, I could just adjust the length of the chain as needed.

Making something for me was not the only first with this project. it was also the first time I have covered rings, the first time I have done split rings with shuttles and the first time I have used glue instead of hiding the ends using the magic thread trick.

I played about with a different ideas for joining elements together and in the end I did it as follow:

• I covered the first ring and made a small picot using a 5mm jump ring 4ds before the ring was completely covered.

•  the first ring was completed covered I took the second ring and holding it below the first ring and continued with the same thread to cover the second ring.  After the first 4ds I jointed it to the picot of the first ring and then continued round till it was covered.  

• Now the starting tail on the first ring and the finishing tail on the second ring are right next to each other so I simply tied them together using a square stitch.  making sure the knot was on the back of the rings I used a tiny blob of super glue over the knot and then cut the tails once it dried.

• I then tatted the outer motif of the centre design, making the picots that were to be attached to the rings as small as possible.

• Next I used invisible thread and a fine beading needle and starting at the point the two rings touch I ran the thread under the stitches of the ring, only bringing it out at the point where I wanted the outer motif to be attached.  Again I tied the ends of the thread at the back of the rings and used a tiny dob of glue to fix it in place.

• I tatted the band section till it was long enough to come round the back of my wrist.  (For me this was 14 rings but I have quite small arms).

• I inserted the band section through the double rings and positioned it so the bead between the centre rings of the band was directly over the middle of the covered rings. 
  I then took another length of invisible thread and from the back of the band ran the thread though the centre bead.  I then fed each tail though each adjacent plastic ring and tied the tails at the back of the rings and glue them in place.

The book didn’t tell me to fasten the band to the plastic rings but this keeps the band in the correct place so the overall visual effect of the piece is symmetrical and as shown in the illustration.  

I wore it to work yesterday and I got several admirers.  So much so that ive started makeing a second one, this time all black.  this one I might make into a choker and wear it on Saturday as we have a birthday dinner to go to.

Until next time...

Cat.x

The Bonnet is Finished!

This was most definatly a labour of love and after 3 months of tattingI finally got the bonnet washed.  I then used a balloon to shape it while it dried.

I'm very pleased with it, I just hope Eilidh will grow into in it time for her Christening in a months time.

Here are some pictures of the final piece.  I had to use my Mum's old doll to model it until Eilidh is big enough for it. I also added a picture of it in the ballon so you can see the detail from the back.  :-)

I'm really pleased with it but so glad its finished!

Until next time...

Cat.x

wow its cold!!

After almost record temperatures last week the mercury did a nose dive.  Aboyne had a record temperature drop of 20ºC in a week.  Of course it means the dogs are in their element and were so excited when they were let out this morning I had to take a snap of it..

If it sticks around tonight we might dig out the dog sled for its maiden voyage around the park.  So excited!!!

Until next time...

Cat. x

woopee!!!

Well i'm very pleased with myself.  I completed the baby bonnet yesterday like I hoped (on international tatting day too!) and even though I had a horrible moment when the tread snapped just as I was tieing off the thread a dab of superglue saved the day.

I now just have to wash it, insert the ribbon and tack the outer medallions to form the frill then wait it Eilidh grows into it!!

Till I get some photos of the finished article here are two more pics of the lovely Eilidh!

wow its been hot

It has been scorchio here is North East Scoland for the last week with a record of 23.8ºC.  thats hotter than every day we had last summer!

Apparently no-one has informed our dogs that they are huskies and therefore shouldn't like the hot weather.  My other half sent me this photo of them sunbathing in the last dregs of the sun in the back garden the other evening.

happy pups!

I visited my lovely niece on Monday evening and had a lovely cuddle before everyone died laughing at Daddy trying to change his first nappy!

I didn't get a chance to take any photos as I had my hands full of baby but I will be visiting them tomorrow afternoon now they are back home.

I got right back into the bonnet.  Having a girl means that there is still a fair bit more to do as I am now doing the frilly bit around the edge.  There are 23 heart medallions for the frill section and I have been doing them in every spare moment I have to the point I am seeing them in my sleep.  Last night I finished number 16 so i'm hoping that I will have them all done tonight which will leave me with the last round or rings and chains that frames the whole bonnet.

My sister had asked for red ribbon so i'm going to pop in past the craft shop on my way to visit them tomorrow to pick up a selection of shades for them to choose from.  I'm hoping to have the whole thing finished at the weekend!

I also got my pop-a-bobbin shuttles last night and used them for the first time.  They are great, I bit chunkier than I am used to handling but I find the longer hook very nice to use and I love the rusticness and simplicity of the pegs to secure the bobbin.

I bought a purple heart and a zebrano (zebrano is my favourite wook and purple is my favourite colour so I am well chuffed) and i'm looking forward to working lots of projects with these.  I've already decided to get another one next time they are on sale.  Maybe an apple wood or an olive wood.

Until next time...

Cat x

Introducing my Neice!

I would like to welcome me Neice, Eilidh Jess Duncan to the world.

She was born at 7pm last night after a 36 hour labour and weighs in at a healthy 8lbs and 7ozs!

Eilidh is pronounced Ay-lee so it looks like I no longer have the most difficult Gaelic name to pronouce!

here is a picture that I was sent from the Dad last night.  I'll be going in to see her tonight and I can't wait!  She looks like she is a big baby (I really hope my bonnet will fit her!)

Love you already, little one!

It's a girl!

:-)

i'm excited on two fronts just now.  My sister was induced yesterday and is in labour as I write this.  We are all waiting by the phone to get the news when the baby arrived and if I have a neice or a nephew.

The other exciting this which you guys will probably find more interesting is I also managed to grab two of Janes pop-a-bobbins that went on sale last night!!

I bought a purple heart and a zebrano wood, both with hooks (as I cant do without my hooked shuttles).

They are getting sent to me tomorrow so I will be finishing the bonnet with my shiney new shuttles.. I will post photos of both along with the new addition to our family very soon! :-)

Until next time..

Cat x

It's a beautiful spring morning today so I thought I would share this photo of our blossoming cherry plum tree.  I love this time of year because its still cold enough to take the dogs running but the leaves are starting to come out and the crocuses give the area a bit of long needed colour.

We are still waiting with baited breath for my sister to have her baby so I had an evening off from tatting and pattern writing last night.  We spoilt the dogs to an extra long walk instead.  We got home at 10pm and basically fell into bed pooped.

I've got a ball of thread waiting for me at the post office which I will pick up tomorrow and I hope to use it to make some more jewellery.  I would like to take inspiration from Totusmel and make a back drop necklace that has small elements hanging from chain down the back. (With copyright being a never ending issue I would like to clarify here that I will not be copying her work just using the look she has made to create my own tatting in a similar style.)

I'm going to dig around my free pattern library and see what I think will work and have a go at making something that will look good.  I might even be able to come up with my own little motifs that will work.

This will hopefully keep me busy till the little tyke arrives and I have to concentrate of finishing the bonnet. :-)

Till next time...
Cat x

a wee update

Last night I finally finished as much of the bonnet as I possibly can until the baby arrives.  My sister was due on Sunday so now its just a waiting game.

I have decided not to put in the frill if it is a boy, so if it is a boy then I only have one more round to do to complete it.  However if it is a girl I will have another boat load of medallions to do before the last round.

I don't want to spoil the surprise so I wont post any more pics until it is a finished article.

Since I have been bored out of my skull today, doing simulation testing on new firmware at work I decided to use the spare time working on my updated pattern of this bonnet (shhh! don't tell anyone!).  I am including lots of notes, diagrams and photos to help the tatter follow what is going on. I just hope that I wont over complicate it with too much text.

I'm using a free edition of Serif Draw to make my diagrams which is qutie limited as an arts package but just find for drawing rings and chains so hopefully my version will look rather professional.

I have a pdf in my google docs account of another pattern I re-wrote for a chocker but I haven't figured out how to make fancy links like some people have on their blogs.  I will have to try and figure it out and post it on a future blog entry.

Until next time...

Cat
x

Aaaaaaaaaaaa!

I did 7 medallions last night and thought I'd get started this morning as I had a bit of time before having to leave for a first aid course.

Lesson learned, never look at tatting when you are sleepy! I spotted a mistake on my last medallion and cut it out only to realise it was inside out and I'd cut the first medallion! No way to save it so I had to cut them all out Nd start from scratch!!!

On a positive note it was looking good and I have a photo of my progress last night. Hopefully I'll get back to that stage before bed tonight.

I'm am also now an official hard core tarter with cuts on my fingers and worn cuticles from working the thread!

the saga continues...

So I got a bit of feedback regarding my quandry with the bonnet and after reading a couple of posts on my thread on In Tatters I thought to myself, "I'm not happy with it now so if I keep going i'm still going to be unhappy with it so i'd might as well try and fix it."

I realsied i'd already made the decision so last night I was very brave and started cutting the joining picots to see how it looked with the tension relaxed.  I then re-made the first 3 medallions with 7mm picots.

So far it looks like it will work a treat but i'm not a fan of very long picots so i've decided to bling them up with 2-3 seed beads.  Hopefully this will mean it will look a lot sleaker as it will stop the thread spreading out if they are a little too long and it will make the extra long picots look like they are supposed to be that way rather than a fudging of the design.

It means I will have to nip into town during my lunch break and buy some beads and I will have to re-do the 3 medallions I did last night but it will be worth it.

I will post more photos once i've made enough progress to show off.

Till next time...

Cat. x

bonnet progress - opinion required

So I have made progress with the bonnet but I really need some advise...

here is a photo of the bonnet so far.

As you can see, the last row of hearts have pinched in the circumference of the bonnet making the back bulge slightly.

My question is, do I continue and hope it fits and doesn't look daft, or to I cut it all out and re-do 13 medallions with longer joining picots?  The baby still isn't here yet and it will probably take me 2-3 evenings to re-do the medallions (once I get my delivery of thread).

After the medallions I can only do another 3 rows until I know if its a boy or a girl and then i'll have around 6 weeks before the Christening.

So what do you think?  should I take the time to re-do, or just keep going?

Lizbeth Thread

since I haven't made enough progress with my bonnet to have a picture I want to show off yet I thought I would talk about a subject that has been bugging me for a while and have a wee rant about it.

Lizbeth thread....

Like so many people I LOVE Lizbeth thread.  I am not as adventurous and some people and prefer to stick with solid colours but even the the choice of colour is outstanding...

I imagine now you are thinking to yourselves, "so whats her beef then, if she likes the quality and the colour choice?"

I'll tell you, its the shipping!!!  I tried to buy 1 ball of thread for a cost of all of $4 and they wanted to charge me $40 to ship to me in the UK.

That is OUTRAGEOUS! I can get much more valuable, heavier and bigger packages sent to me from the US at a fraction of that cost so why is it so expensive?  To put into more perspective I had my dog sled (that's right, a dog sled) sent to me for 60 euros so why does a tiny ball of thread justify $40?!?

I did find a shop on amazon that used to send orders up to $20 for $10 shipping but now they are charging the same inexplicable amount.  I can only find one UK supplier but they only stock size 20 and 40 so if I want to work in my favourite size 10 I'm totally stuck.

On a positive note, my fiance managed to find a supplier that sells a good colour selection of Anchor Artiste Mercer cotton.  The quality is great but the colour choice is just not as exciting as Lizbeth.  I just want to cry into my tea cup!

If anyone knows of a supplier that sells size 10 Lizbeth to the UK without huge shipping charges, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know!!

Till next time....

big lack of progress on the bonnet front.  I feel like I was tatting all night but I actually stopped at 8:30 for a rest then "Suits" was on at 9pm and we love that show.

I tried re-starting the hearts attaching to one picot but then found it pulled it at a funny angle by the time I had joined another two medallions so I cut them out and started again for a second time.  I got to the last heart in my first madallion and ran out thread so had to start for a 3rd time (by this stage I was getting upset becuase it takes 20 minutes to make a medallion)

At last I got two medallions attached and they look like they are in the right place (breath a sigh of relief) so I decided to leave it there for the night so I could watch my programmes.

Back at it again tonight and hopefully have another progress report tomorrow.  I will be off work tomorrow as Nao is going to the vets to get his teeth cleaned so I will be sitting at home with a doppy dog all afternoon.  Lots of time for tatting!! :-)

Till next time... Cat.x

The book I bought myself with my birthday money finally arrived. 

It is a second hand copy and I have to admit I don’t think it is worth what I paid for it.  I missed out on a copy that was cheaper and instead of waiting to see if another cheap copy became available I just went ahead and bought the next available one which was about £20 more.

On a positive note there are patterns with lots of new techniques I have never tried before.  The first item I am going to make will be the choker that’s illustrated on the front cover.  Only thing is it doesn’t specify what size of brass rings to use.  The thread is size 20 so if anyone has any idea then please let me know!

The baby bonnet cap is frustrating me at the moment.  I did 4 heart medallions on for the 7^th row and decided that I attached the first one to the wrong picot and didn’t make the joining picots long enough what distorted the shape of it so this morning before I left for work I cut out the medallions and I’m going to start again tonight.  Longer picots seem to be tricky for me to do.  Looking at the old photo below it looks like picots used to be made very long and mine ended up about half the length of what these look like.

I think if anyone else what’s to do this pattern, I will re-write the instructions and have illustrations because some of the instructions are a little too vague with only one unclear picture of the finished piece, especially when the tricky bits are all hidden at the base of the bonnet.  Hopefully tonight’s tatting will be a lot more successful. 

While I was tatting away in vain last night we were watching a program called Ice Dogs.  Basically its a dcumentary about a guy trying to dog sled from Siberia throught the Bering Strait to Alaska.  I thought the guy was a bit of a tool and had no idea about sled dogs but my boy Nao seemed to enjoy it...

Until next time... Cat x

baby bonnet progress

My baby bonnet has progressed over the weekend.  I was working at it for a good chunk of the weekend and i've managed to get to the next section of hearts/clovers.

here is a photo I took yesterday.  I have done another row since the photo was taken and two heart medallions but I was so pleased by how it looks I thought I would share..

If I knew any Jewish men, I think this would make a nice Kippah to give as a gift.  I will have to keep this in mind if I ever do.

One thing I have learned is that doing a row of 25 rings and chains takes me FOREVER!  I was going a bit gaga by 9pm last night trying to tie and hide the ends on the last round.  I think I might have found my tatting limit for the day.

I had been looking for ages for a pattern I liked the look of and something that would be suitable for girls or boys with little success.  I’m not a huge fan of patterns with bare thread and since that was how most patterns were designed when baby bonnets were popular is has made my search even harder.

I finally decided to buy the pattern for this bonnet:

I know it has lots of hearts which isn’t exactly suitable for a boy (and knowing my luck it will be) but my Mum pointed out the could also be seen as four leaf clovers.  I can also change the design so that if it’s a boy I can leave out the frilly bit at the front of the bonnet.

So I have decided that if it’s a girl I will do the outer row of “hearts” in pink and if it’s a boy I’ll do the “clovers” in green and select a ribbon to match.

I started it on Sunday and so far this is all I have achieved:

The heart/clover medallions are harder than they look and I wasted quite a lot of time making lots of mistakes and having to re-do them but I’m now happy with how its turning out.  The only problem is the pattern doesn’t specify what thread size to use so I’m making this one in size 10 as it’s the only size I have in white.  I think it should be OK since the baby should grow into it by the time he or she is christened but I wont get a better idea of its size till I’ve done a few more rounds.  Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will at that stage and I’ll have time to order smaller thread it needs be.

Until next time... Catx

more about UK mushing

Mushing in the UK.

One of the comments from yesterdays post about my dogs mentioned the fact that dog sledding (by definition) is supposed to be in snow and it got me thinking that a lot of folk wont know a lot about mushing in the UK.

From my understanding mushing in the UK is different from many other countries.  We don't have the free open spaces and our weather is a lot milder than other places therefore we can't do the distances that other countries can.  Having two dogs I am limited to 3-4 miles at races and these races tend to be sprints.  It is recommened only to run dogs when the temperature is less that 12ºC which limits the training months to late september though to the end of March but even yesterday is was too hot to run the dogs as it was a balmy 16ºC.

Becuase of the lack of snow we usual use our land rigs to run our dogs.  These are usually 3 wheeled "chariots" like in the photos in my last post but there are also 4 wheeled tilter rigs that steer like a sled and scooters for running 1 or 2 dogs.

here is a photo of my dogs being run on a scooter at the end of a 3 mile run.  This is how I started out running with them before I got my van and my rig.  they are great for people with only one or two dogs that don't have the space or money for a rig.

Running dogs can be difficult logistically in this country too.  Some people have trouble finding a place they are allowed to train their dogs.  In Scotland we are lucky that there are "right of access" laws which permits us to basically go anywhere we like as long as its not a motorised vehicle but people in England need permits to train their dogs in the forests and other public spaces and getting permits to some places is like finding hens teeth.

Despite all these difficulties, mushing is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and I love being a part of it.

Here is a photo of my dogs pulling a traditional wooden sled on one of the rare occasions we had enough snow to use one:

Until next time... Cat.x

My dogs

Since my blog is also about my dogs and dog sledding I thought I would do a little introduction to my pooches.

I have two huskies, our female Karli who is a real daddy's girl and a huge tom-boy

and our boy Nao who is a big soppy pup who prefers cuddles to anything else (except running and food!)

They both love working in harness and we have been doing it every since Nao was big enough to start training at 9 months old.  We do it for fun and excersie but we also go to races during the winter months.  Its a great place to meet other dogs and owners and they get to run on new trails and practice overtaking and being over taken but other dog teams which is a great change as we nearly always train alone.

We never get great times as we are not serious cocmpetitors but we have a real blast which is the most important thing!  You can see from their faces that they love every minute of it!

So thats my dogs, I will leave you with a wee video made from clips of filming we did for a evening TV show.  Till next time... Cat.

I've put off starting a blog, convinced I have nothing of interest to say and sure nobody would be interested even if I did but since its a new year (ish) and a fresh start as it were, I thought I would give it a bash.

I probably should have started this last week since it was velentines day or even in January when I hit the big 3-0 but procrastination has put paid to that so i'm going to start in the middle of no-mans land and hope I have something worth talking about.  Well to be honest its not exactly an insignificant date as it is pancake day.

Anyway, since I am starting at an odd time I thought I might cover the significant dates of my year so far...

So I turned 30 at the end of January.  I woke up in the morning and looking in the mirror to see I hadn't sprouted any more gray hairs so I thought it wasn't as big a deal as everyone makes out.  I know some people get all depressed for at least the first 6 months of their 30's but to be honest i've been pretty cool about turning 30, but that is probably becuase I went though the angst stage when I turned 29!  I hated being 29 becuase I knew I was going to be 30 next. ironic that is doesn't bother me now.

Anyway after the birthday celebrations were over the next big thing was valentines day.  I made my other half a hand made card with a tatted heart from my Mark Konior's book.  I spent an hour in the craft shop getting help putting the card together then lovingly enscribed my message to him before sealing it with a kiss.  I left it in his pillow so he would find it in the morning when he came out of the bath and was prepairing myself for the gooey hugs and kisses to ensue....

NOTHING!  not a peep out of him when he opened the card.  He eventually came down stairs and gave me a kiss goodbye with a thankyou for the card and a sorry for forgetting it was velentines day.  So I went to work convinced he would pop out at his lunch break and get me a card.  Then I got home and still a big fat nothing!!  Maybe he was all romanced out as the previous year I got a card, chocolate and roses for the first time in our then 9 year relationship.

To be fair I wasn't that disappointed, we actually very rarely do anything for Valentines day and the year before was special as we had just got engaged! :-)

Thats me about caught up with the year. so my next post can be about current events.  in the mean time here is a photo of my lovingly made valentines card!

Until next time... Cat.