Feargal's 2nd stop....Toronto!

April 3rd 2010
Feargal and Finnbarr landed safely in Toronto on tuesday.

They spent International Tatting day in Canada.....this is what happened.....

mmmm! in the company of a lot of Swiss bunnies...they seem to have pigged out on chocolate......pretending they did some tatting!!!

This is what Nollaig did on International Tatting Day....

absolutely nothing........Tadgh says that he has to do everything now that Feargal has gone.

Meanwhile in Indiana...a miracle has happened.

Conor and Ruari (Rory) have found a baby leprechaun hiding in some Easter decorations.

Be sure to pop over to Battatter's blog to read ALL about it.

We are all waiting for more news from Toronto with baited breath!

Feargal writes from Zurich!

April 2nd
Feargal sent his first  postcard home! Postie just dropped it into my letter box.

 

Before I got the card, I had been sent lots of reports and photos.

the first message that I got said 

" Finnbarr and Feargal have disappeared. They said something about mates in Zurich and not waiting up ... At least the rain has stopped so they won't get wet!"

 

"The photo of them on the terrace was taken after 1pm - the first I saw either of them all morning. I have no idea what time they staggered in last night!" she said.

That's Finnbarr on the left...I don't think that you have seen him before.

He is reported to be taller than Feargal and with a lot more hair!! They thought that maybe he was Feargal's older brother...but no it's just that kids are getting taller and taller aren't they....he must have eaten better!!

It rained a lot during Feargal's stay so they didn't get to go out much.

Finnbarr made Feargal feel at home and offered to give him a suitcase.....he says that it opens on both sides so can hold tatting!! (he should be so lucky!!)and has a game inside. Feargal was delighted as he had only taken a small bag with him.

Is that cute or what!

Finnbarr is also insisting that Feargal take a Swiss Cowbell with him.....Finnbarr can hardly lift it!

Cute isn't it?

Finnbarr is also reported to be insisting on something else but i think not!

More about that later!

They went out on the town several nights and were pretty miffed when the clocks went forward and they lost an hour.

Here Scarlett has been hearing all about it and came to a decision to fly out and supervise/chaperone Feargal's activities....Feargal is NOT pleased.

The excuse that she gave was that she had forgotten to give Feargal the addresses of his hosts.....so being the good NPDA that she is she put each one in a sealed envelope and like Mary Poppins put them into her bag...and flew off!!

Feargal left Zurich on tuedsay for his next stop...this time he was accompanied by his hosts and Finnbarr so the two of them shared a seat on the flight.

Finnbarr and Feargal should have a ball in********* as neither have been there before. Scarlett hopes to meet them there.

"Finnbarr told Feargal about Scarlett meeting them in ******** and Feargal is now pouting. Much as he'd love for her to join him on his travels his intention was to sow some wild oats. He's not sure he can with Scarlett along for the ride!  If you ask me, this sounds more like something Finnbarr would say, not Feargal. The corrupting influence has begun". She told me.

feargal touches down!

March 26th  2010
Feargal landed yesterday at the first stop on his Grand Tour!!!

It was such a relief to know that he is safe.

Where is he????

Visiting his bro' Finnbarr,

in Zurich, Switzerland.

Finnbarr used to live in Dublin with his new mum Suneeti.....but.....

they have moved to Switzerland.

Wow what will he get up to among the Gnomes of Zurich!!

Tadgh and Nollaig have just got home form a visit to Northern Ireland....we will show you if we have time.

I asked them if they missed Feargal....... 

What do you think? 

they both said, in unison,

this is the first time we have ever got to go on a trip!!!

mmmmmmmmmm!

Leprechauns spread even further round the world.

Now..you all know my Leprechaun Fergeal and his siblings.

You can catch up on my blog by either searching for Leprechaun in my side bar labels..I see there are 10 posts OR in the search engine at the top of the blog. This helps me enormously when I can't remember if I posted some tatting or not! It might help you if you want to know how much thread to use for a project and I might have made it!
Also you can read ALL the posts in this blog.


sitting........................waiting for you to catch up.........................twiddling my thumbs.......................my hubby actually does this................while he is waiting at traffic lights.................who else does....................?

OK welcome back now I don't have to explain any more!



So lets start again.....

Fergeal has a list...(just like Santa Claus...only Fergeal checks his list every day). His list is all the tatters that he would like to have a Leprechaun.....

The problem is that he is such a gregarious little soul that his list gets longer and longer ...every day!!

I keep telling him "Fergeal, how do you think I can make all those Leprechauns, have you any idea how long it takes just to make one???"

Obviously he hasn't!

So I finally put my foot down and told him that I couldn't possibly make any this year.

He was not happy!

"If you stop that silly tatting you would have plenty of time!"

mmm I think I have heard that before!!

Well anyway, Fergeal decided that there was no option but to take matters into his own hands, handicapped as he is by his lucky Irish cent.

Nope, it's not what you think...he didn't borrow my felt, scissors, needles and thread.... he took the easy way out and he advertised in the Leprechaun Times....for Leprechauns willing to travel.... outside their homeland.....not afraid to learn new things...ambassadors for their country...and so on.

I didn't think that even one would apply..they are all so cosy at home....

But they must have been intrigued and so was I when he came and told me that he had seven applicants...seven!! (good job it wasn't the seven dwarves!!)

You might think that this was the end of the story...Oh no!

Fergeal decided that he had to interview them...to make sure that they were of good character and wouldn't let us down!!

There's more....

He said that he couldn't possibly interview them..where he normally lives...on top of the piano...watching me......Oh no!! he wanted his own office!!

I hope it keeps fine for him I thought!

Well it did..you may have noticed how the Leprechauns seem to get their own way...a lot. William has his own van and sets off whenever he feels the need....Oisin goes to college and let us not forget Brendan (the naviagator!) who was determined to see the world that he left his post and went AWOL! No we could never forget Brendan.

Fergeal didn't want a repeat of that.................and so I found myself in Leprechaun Office Supplies....with my credit card...bad move......

It seemed that not only did he want a desk and chair...but he wanted to upgrade his entire lifestyle!! He told me he wanted antique Irish furniture....solid mahogany circa 1850 ( he has been watching too many Antique Roadshows!

In yer dreams Fergeal!

Well to cut a long story short, he got ready for the interviews... I looked up and there was a line of Leprechauns waiting for their turn....pushing and shoving and nearly falling over each other, so eager were they.





A motley lot they look too!





Now there are no prizes...(but you can guess anyway)....for guessing which day Fergeal chose for his interviews???...think now think!.....or what he was going to ask them. All answers on a blank cheque please!

One by one they answered his gruelling questions, he even let them sit on his brand new rocking chair..... did they know what that mysterious object on his desk was?....



... the others relaxed on his new three piece suite!...and chatted amongst themselves...wonder what they were thinking...were they a teeny bit afraid of what they were letting themselves in for.



What was Fergeal holding in his hand and what was he going to use those books for that he had on his desk.....was he going to make them swear an oath....so many questions I was dying to ask...but i was going to have to wait...you can't afford to interrupt a Leprechaun doing his job.....remember that!



Every now and again he would get up and go over to his antique globe (note that it's an antique...well he thinks it is anyway!), give it twirl and peer into it and scratch his head.



Finally, finally the were all sent home, and I got to quiz him.

He was chuntering away to himself.

"What's up lad?" I dared to ask.

"One of them's a girl!!" was his reply.
"A girl, I ask you who has ever heard of girl leprechauns...no such thing!"

"mmmm!"I dared to reply, "if there are no girl leprechauns, where do you think you came from???"

Well if looks could kill!!

Looks to me like my brave little fellow fancies her, though he would never admit it.

I asked him how he knew it was a girl!!! He tapped the side of his nose knowingly and said that he knew all right, she may have been dressed like leprechaun but it was the little things that gave her away!!!

She was the first one that he called back and I did do a photo shoot while he wasn't looking.....but that's for another day.

As for the others he said they knew sod all about tatting, some of them had never heard of it.....but they were all keen....well wouldn't you be he said if you were offered the opportunity to travel the world.

I think he is jealous...he keeps on at me that I promised him a world tour!!

So anyway back to the job in hand....he has sent them away to the Lep Academy for their tatting/spy training and they just arrived back the other day.

I wonder where he has decided to send them.

I guess I will soon know.

Fergeal's additions!

Just gotta get a few things straightened out. My mom just got a CD full of photos...only another 286..that's all. She got a fab photo of them there Giants at the causeway.



Just look at those lips!!

I sneeked a look and found a photo of my mom. She hates photos of her but serves her right. You can see how tight she is holding on to me!!





Do I look like I am going to do a runner!!

Some of you have been asking about Toastie...well he is one special little bear. He came free in a winter survival pack from a well know tissue manufacturer. he came in a padded bag inn the post and all over the outside in big letters was written...

I'm here let me out!!

So we have always had to be real careful not to suffocate him.

He is a Hug me better bear

He has a hole in his back and inside him is a bag of wheat seeds that can be heated in the microwave and then when they are put back he is is Toastie warm inside.

Well the other advantage of the bag of seeds is that when he is going on holiday he can be eviscerated...ouch!! so he is very light. When he gets where he is going he usually gets a sock stuffed inside him to make him feel more human!

Here is a sketch she did of him in a jumper that he borrowed...





Here he is in real life on one of his holidays..crossing the Irish sea....



and on a coach. You should never travel without a stuffie!

Fergeal's Wonderful Weekend! Part 3.

The lady who had the Antique Lace brought in some more..this time bobbin lace. I had a good look. She said that it was ok to show these pictures. I wanted top learn as much as possible.





This one is Honiton Lace...gosh what eyesight they must have had.

There was a lady making bobbin lace



Good heavens all those bobbins!!

My mom was given a job...they told her to untangle all these threads!!! she didn't do it tho!!



The most fun that I had was when we went into a shop! and i found a lot of books that were soooh interesting.



Oh my he looks ugly!!, I never did find out what the truth was as she wouldn't buy it for me!



This one isn't quite so scary but doesn't look much like me.



But can ya see what it says on the back.. I am learning stuff here that I never knew !!!

Just in case ya can't read!! this is what it says.....


Leprechauns are supposed to know where pots of gold are buried and they guard this sectet very well. They are very hard to ensnare, and if you manage to catch one then you must hold him very firmly and never, even for a second, take your eyes off him, because in the blink of an eye he can dissapear and will use every trick he knows to escape..so be warned!!

Ooops! Brendan must have know this!! No wonder she held on to my feet at the Giants Causeway...as if I would!! Some of us know when we have a good thing going!!



One more book to read and this one looks like fun!

My mom showed me to the man behind the counter and he said that I was too tall to be a leprechaun...now how does he know that????
She told him tho', she said "He is a Cork Leprechaun, we breed them tall there!!"

See!!



Well she caught me trying to run off with this...so she bought it for me!!

I soon got rid of those chocolate imposters!.....



and now its MINE..all mine.





I'll be seeing ya!!

Gotta tell ya about Toastie tomorow...by request!

Fergeal's Wonderful Weekend! Part 2

I just found out while we were in the Bushmill's distillery that my name should be spelled Feargal and that it means Golden One....very appropriate I think. I found out also that i like a drop of whiskey...and a drop was all I got!!



We went on to the Giant's Causeway, somewhere I have always wanted to go...and we weren't disappointed. Here is proof!! I wuz there!!



They held on to me really tightly...I found out why later!!!





I think we saw some signs of the Giants.



Pretty scary!! I was really interested in the story of the Giants...this is what Wikepedia says..... remember Fionn is our grandson..this is another story about his namesake.

Legend has it that the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. One version of the legend tells that Fionn fell asleep before he got to Scotland. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Fionn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. In a variation, Fionn fled after seeing Benandonner's great bulk, and asked his wife to disguise him as the baby. In both versions, when Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Fionn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Fionn.

Another variation is that Oonagh painted a rock shaped like a steak and gave it to Benandonner, whilst giving the baby (Fionn) a normal steak. When Benandonner saw that the baby was able to eat it so easily, he ran away, tearing up the causeway.

The "causeway" legend corresponds with geological history in as much as there are similar basalt formations (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at the site of Fingal's Cave on the isle of Staffa in Scotland.


Oh man! we just couldn't stop taking photos. It was so funny when we heard a voice behind us say...."would you mind doing that again...I have never seen anything like that!!" So I was held up again in front of that wonderful view and he took my photo. I couldn't believe that he had never seen a leprechaun before. We are all over the place but you got to know where to look.

The bus driver told us a leprechaun story.... a woman went into a garden centre and asked for a leprechaun ( she really meant a garden gnome I think!) well the man behind the counter dashed to the door and ran outside. He came back a few minutes later and said "darn it they have all gone, there were 5 of them out there last time I looked!!"

We sure are slippery customers!



Isn't this amazing, I bet Brendan would enjoy coming here.

Fergal's wonderful weekend, part 1.

Oh my! I had SUCH a good time in Northern Ireland. I just never knew anything about the North of my Ireland. I expected it to be cold, being in the north and all...but in fact we had better weather than they did down south. It didn't rain at all the important times.

So what should I tell you about...
well firstly the food was delicious, just like me. Just look at the colours!




The room was plenty big enough for the three of us, 'her' and Toastie and me. You can just see Toastie peeping out of 'her' rucksack, 'she' always gives him plenty of air.



Well as you know i am a tatter but I decided to broaden my horizons and learn something new. First I tried to join the Guild, they asked if I was a good luck charm...huh!!



After that I laid low for a bit and just watched.



'Her' friend Carmel was doing something really interesting on a sort of roller. It looked fun so she let me take a peek.



Ok! I have gotta explain this one to you. First of all how to pronounce Youghal, it's Yawl. It's a seaside town in East Cork. This is what Lacefairy has to say about the lace:-

Of all the varieties of Irish lace that are known, Youghal lace is justly regarded as the most beautiful. It is at the same time the most difficult to make as it is worked stitch by stitch without any foundation. The Youghal lace industry had its birth in 1847, the Irish famine year. Mother Margret Smyth, a nun in the presentation, convent of County Cork, horror stricken at the sight of starting women and children around her, conceived the idea of starting some employment which might provide them with bread. But of what that employment should consist of perplexed mother Smyth. It so happens that one day, searching in out of the way nooks and corners, she chanced to light upon a scrap of rare old Italian lace. The moment of inspiration had come. Here was work which might yield bread for the poor hungry girls and children. That lovely scrap should be made to give up the secret of its construction. Setting to work, she picked the lace to pieces, unraveling it unraveling the thread, until at last she fully grasped all the details of the delicate and intricate pattern. Mother Smiths difficulties were however, by no means at an end. Her self imposed task was an arduous one; but at last, after many attempts and repeated disappointments she succeeded in establishing a school for lace which is now of European reputation.

It's a very difficult lace to make...I think as it has no foundation material to work on. That green stuff that you see does not become part of the lace. the stitches are worked on top of it.

Next I went to see what Jackie was working on....they were all doing a butterfly...'she' was doing a Carrickmacross mat...but she is so slow!!

Jackie was doing Tambour Lace and she let me have a go! She uses a hook and very fine thread. Can you see the Swallowtail Butterfly that she is copying. The net is stretched over a frame the Tambour like a drum and the hook draws the thread through the net to make a chain stitch.



See!!! aren't I the educated Leprechaun!!

Conor!

Well woweeee!! Would ya believe it!! We welcome a new leprechaun into the family.....and he is really special.

Little did I know that out there in tatland there are people who want a leprechaun so much that that they will go to any length to get one!!

Even to TAT one!!



Isn't he the cutest thing you have ever seen?? He is complete in every detail from his pointy shoes to his belt and his lucky shamrocks. He even has a sparkly stone on his neckerchief..well it looks sparkly to me. His face is sooh, soooh good.

Fergal is absolutely gobsmacked at his new cousin's appearance. He keeps asking me if she had my pattern, if she had met one and so on and the answer to all these questions is NO, she has only seen them on her computer screen.

Oh! I haven't told you who she is, have I!!!

She is of course Carol Amich otherwise known as Battatter, if you have seen her other creations you probably could have guessed. She is a genius..no other word for her.

Here were we....Fergal and I...having no idea that she even liked them let alone wanted one. Fergal has deemed him to be an honorary Irish Leprechaun even tho' he wasn't born in Ireland...and says that he is putting her on his list for a Real Irish one ...for whenever I get my finger out and make some more!! He also says that he would love a tatted leprechaun to come and live with us!! me too! I wonder if she is going to share the pattern...oh the mind boggles at a world full of tatted leprechauns up to mischief.

Now let me show you what she wrote


"Where to start. Well, I had seen these little leprechauns that were being sent to lucky tatters. They were made by Pamela, and were just so cute! They would just show up out of the blue, and get into all kinds of mischief in their new homes. I wanted one very badly, and so, I tatted myself one. (though the real ones aren't tatted). Though, I only had a few pictures as references, and I don't know what kind of coin the others are holding I tried to make them look like their cousins. I named him Conor, as that means "lover of hounds" and if you know anything about me, you know I love my dog! Conor is getting along great here, first thing he did was make friends with my tatted dragons. Here he is riding my big dragon (pattern by Sherry Townsend), as my little 3d dragon, PD, watches. I hope Pamela doesn't get mad that I copied my tatted one to look like hers, but I thought hers were so cute, and wanted Conor to fit in with his cousins.

Here is a photo of Conor consoling Rebel. He went to the vet today, and got shots and bloodwork (yearly thing) and look at the bruise on his arm! Ouch."



I can tell you we are so flattered, in our book copying really is the sincerest form of flattery. Thank you Carol, you made our day.