Jane is a very funny and charming woman who just knocks me out with her delicious and wry comments.

I am dazzled by her ability to ‘draw’ with tatting. Just look at this incredible Kangaroo:

photo courtesy of Jane Eborall copyright. Used with permission.

I asked Jane some questions about her work, beginning with where she lives:

I live in a famous town in the centre of England.  To give you a clue – the most famous writer in history was born here!

photo courtesy of Jane Eborall copyright. Used with permission.

1.  Do you have a favorite kind of project to design?

I think my favourite design project is always going to be something that nobody has thought of doing before!!  I like designing small projects but ones that can be expanded too.

Not really.  I love using beads, though.

Getting started!  Oh, and designing a pattern with the fewest ’starts and finishes’.  I don’t like having to hide ends so wherever possible I avoid those situations.

I love to see my designs being made by other people and seeing how they can vary.

I’m not sure I’d be classed as a professional as I don’t ask for payment for patterns.  But I have been designing for probably thirty years. I started by accident in order to amuse a class of four/five year olds.  I made earrings!

Now this is difficult to answer.  Almost impossible.  It can be anything.  Something I see while out walking, something I see in a shop.  It can be something somebody suggests or just an idea that pops into my mind.

I dabble in sewing and have done a little work with crochet, netting and combining netting and tatting.

Hmmm, once a design is finished it’s of no further interest to me, I’m afraid!  I tend to put most of them onto my web site.  I do give to other sites and magazines too.  I’ve never quite ‘got round’ to doing a book as the next idea is usually ready to be started!

No, see above!  Too busy on the next idea!!

Nowhere!  They can get them for free from my pattern pages.

Yes, I do have a blog.  It’s the one place I can be really myself and talk tatting and make fun of myself!  JANE’S BLOG

photo courtesy of Jane Eborall copyright. Used with permission.

12. Do you have a tatting community that influences you and is important to you?   Is it important to you to be in touch with your peers?

I belong to lots of online tatting lists and am an avid watcher of blogs.  It’s very important to me to be in touch with other addicts and to talk to them regularly.

The next one but that’ll only be my favourite until the one after!  I think I have a certain special feeling for one or two.  The Tattysaurus because he was one of the first patterns I put up on the internet and the flower fairies too – they took roughly three years of ‘return visits’ to get sorted.

Oh yes, loads!!!  There’s currently an ostrich that’s lurking in the corner waiting to be taken out yet again!!

You could link to my WEBSITE- and just keep asking questions!!!  I’m really only small fry in tat land, though!

Bah, humbug, say I- Jane is one of the jewels in the crown of the tatting world, she’s just a very humble one.

Bless her funny and generous heart and hands! Yay, Jane!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

10 Reasons to Photograph Your Quilts
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork lists ten reasons for preserving your quilts with photographs…this can apply to other crafts, too.

Doll Festival for Girl’s Day
March 3 was Girl’s Day in Japan. It’s time for little girls to be celebrated and wished good health, and all good things. Traditionally a gorgeous display of heirloom dolls is arranged for the Doll Festival that accompanies Girls Day. Noreen has her own way of celebrating Doll Festival….

Help for left handed crafters
Are you a lefty who has problems with embroidery patterns? Check out this tutorial of basic embroidery stitches – made specifically for left handed embroiderers.

How to Rescue Family Heritage Photos
Eileen just completed a photo restoration class and made an exciting discovery in the process.

Layers Upon Layers
All this month, Cyndi will be featuring book artists and book making projects!

Providing Bird Nesting Materials
The best materials to provide, plus a creative way to house them.

(image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

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Tons of old patterns have been put into PDF format for you to download — knitting, crochet, tatting, embroidery and more. I have yet to take advantage of any of these (I already have a backlog of projects I want to do!) but one day, I’m going to make time to go through this extensive list and choose at least a handful of vintage projects.

This is perfect for anyone who loves patterns from the past.

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One way knitters and crocheters who want to have less of a harmful impact on the environment can help is to invest in organic yarn. There was a time when organic yarn was hard to find and when you found it, it was very expensive. Nowadays, with more companies (big names like Lion Brand included) trying to get into the eco market, organic yarn is not only easier to find, the price is becoming comparable to traditionally harvested and dyed yarns. It’s no longer cost-prohibitive to knit with it, which is a great thing. The more affordable organic yarn becomes, the more people will buy it, use it and that in turn will keep the price down.

Organic wool and cotton rely on different methods of harvesting and dyeing than conventional wool and cotton. Cotton, especially, when grown in traditional ways, has a big negative impact on the environment.

And if you think that organic yarn only comes in one color because you can’t dye with natural ingredients, think again. Not only do wool and cotton naturally come in a range of shades, but natural dyes that come from plants are often used to create a rainbow of colors comparable to traditionally dyed yarns.

Look into these companies for a selection of organic yarn:

• Eco Choices
• Jimmy Beans Wool
• Fabulous Yarn

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I haven’t yet been bitten by the spinning bug, but if you’ve always wanted to try, why not buy a spindle at 15% off while you can? Or some wool wash, which you can always use?

Image: Woodland Woolworks

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Signature Needles

Choose from points labeled blunt, middy or stiletto. You also have your choice in needle size, length and even needle cap. You can customize your needle to almost your exact specifications. This is almost like the Cadillac of needles, when you think about it. I’ve never used them, but I’ve used Addi needles (another Cadillac)…pretty swank.

Image: Signature Needle Arts

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Do you have favorite magazines? I like Vogue for inspiration, but for classic patterns that last beyond the season, I tend to favor Interweave Knits.

However, I love the articles in VK and as an inspiration source, it’s great. If you’ve already received this issue, tell me what you think!

Images: Vogue Knitting

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

ABCs of Knitting provides a free graph paper designer that allows you to input the number of stitches and rows you need. You print it out in a PDF format and voila — easy charts that make your pattern look professional and easy to follow!

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Wee hearts

Valentine cloth

Seven of hearts socks

Hearts dishcloth

Hot pad

Chain of hearts bookmark

Lattice hearts dishcloth

Enjoy!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

I’m giving you this much notice (you have until August 10 to get your entry forms and items submitted) because you’ll need to plan; plans may change; you might need to start over, etc.

You can enter in one of two categories:

• Full-size garments or afghans
• Accessories-sized hats, scarves, bags, baby blankets

What can you win? Prizes include cash, yarn and a year’s subscription to Vogue Knitting magazine.

Visit the AslanTrends site for entry forms and official rules to the contest. Good luck!

Image: stock.xchng

Post from: Hankering for Yarn