Less Of This And A Bit Of That

I started the giveaway on the facebook page yesterday morning and it will run until Friday, if anyone over here is interested in an elytra tatted came pendant. You only need to comment on the giveaway thread to enter. After that was set up it was tatting and child schooling until noon when the first of the vintage tatting books I ordered arrived. I won't lie, I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong it was in superb condition only it was a giant repeat book. It was by Coats & Clark from 1942 and seemed to contain not just patterns from their other books, but exact page layouts as well. There were a few ones I hadn't seen though even those appear to be derivatives of other patterns I am familiar with. I did eye a couple of things I will twist to my own devices here soon. In fact I did make up one prototype piece that I might do a final of today.

Still no new thread or word on it either. I think perhaps I have been spoiled by excellent online shopping experiences. You know, where they constantly update you on the status and you are never in the dark. Yeah...I like that better than this sitting around wondering crap. I have however, ordered so much stuff lately that I might have actually forgotten about some of it myself. See, this is why I need status updates.

I am currently working on a custom ordered set of a slave bracelet and a Quadra. The customer asks about some different colors and I immediately offered up a two color option. Why do I do that? I mean, it was my idea...I always seem to forget that I dislike working with two colors. It is such a pain in the...well you know what it's a pain in. As long as I'm doing the rings in one color and the chains in another I can easily work with one thread on the ball and cut only the other, but that's still one enormously long thread getting all up in my face and tangling and whatnot. Then there is the inevitable point where I realize that the cut thread wasn't long enough and I have to cut and tie new ends meaning new thread ends to hide later. I know...if I hate it so much, why do I even bother? Well, 1) It looks cool and 2) I do it so infrequently as to forget my disdain between projects. Surely then I will remember for next time as I write this out...yeah, no. I'll do it again and I'll complain again, it is my way.

Hopefully, I'll have that one knocked out today and I can get to the finishing work on all my recent custom orders and they should all be in the mail tomorrow. Then I can play with my new patterns while I wait for the other books and the thread. I'm crossing my fingers that there is a gem in one of the books that inspires me to greatness, but either way at least it's something new...to me anyway.

One last bit for the day. One Book, One Twitter officially kicks off today and I jumped the gun a bit yesterday. I wanted to see if I could read and tat at the same time. Guess what? I can. Sure, it slows me down on both fronts, but it is possible. I managed the first three chapters while propping the book open with my remote control. I think they make little weight things for this purpose and I might pick one up. I used to be an avid reader, but between the children and reading kids books all day and tatting not being conducive to reading, I haven't read a novel in ages. If I can manage to do the two things at the same time, then I can claim nap time in the name of reading and getting work done. I also remembered why this book might not be, um appropriate for all audiences. I mean, I love it, but I can't fault anyone for being all, 'what the hell is this mess?' It is still in my opinion a wonderful book and superbly written, so again it's not too late to join in. Follow @1b1t2010 and use the hash tag #1b1t to participate. There is a discussion schedule up to avoid spoilers and it gives a generous eight weeks to complete the book...just saying. Now, that's it for me.