Despite being laid low by a stomach bug on Tuesday, this has been a fabulous week!
Play practice began on Monday, and although I didn't need to be there, I attended Middle School Drama Camp and participated in learning the dance routine... for as long as I was able. Oh, my goodness! I knew I was out of shape, but this is ridiculous! I'm going to have to do some training in the coming week so that I'm prepared for learning the dance routine I have to know! It was suggested that we practice jogging in place while singing "One" from
A Chorus Line so that we're prepared for the finale. Are you kidding me? The thought of jogging in place makes my knees and ankles ache. I've been trying to learn the lyrics, and my tongue gets all tangled around the words. What if they kick me out of the play? Can I get by with lip syncing? I'm the old lady in the cast, so hopefully the director (daughter Carol) will cut me a little slack. ;-)
The best part of the week was receiving a new tatting shuttle to beta test for Dave Stanbrough at Grizzly Mountain Arts!
It is awesome! Do you see the little handle attached to the top? It's to help with the winding process.
Can you see the deep slits? It does take a little longer to wind this shuttle because of the deep slits, but the shuttle is so smooth, I don't find it to be a problem. Winding shuttles is very therapeutic for me. If you're addicted to winding quickly, this shuttle may not be for you. I forgot to measure the thread as I was winding, but I do know it holds much more than a small Clover. I'll try to remember to measure the next time I wind it.
This is the hole where the handle screws in. While tatting, I put my thumb over this hole. I found that it helps me keep my grip.
The top is nice and smooth. I do love the feel of wood when I'm tatting. What are your thoughts on a shuttle like this? I'd love to give Dave some feedback from tatters. Would you be interested in a shuttle like this?
Dave told me in his email that he will probably never be able to make typical post shuttles again because of problems with his fingers and hands. However, he misses making shuttles, and he thinks he'll be able to make some of these as well as some of his flat shuttles with no problems.
You can always visit
Grizzly Mountain Arts to see what Dave has available, but beware... I'm an avid fan of his shuttles, spindles, and picot gauges, so if I see them first, you may not have the opportunity to buy one!
So, what did I make with this new shuttle?
Another Pineapple Parfait cross! I'm kind of addicted to this pattern now that I have it memorized. The Pineapple Parfait was sitting right next to my chair, and I just couldn't resist using this yummy color again.
Fox the Enabler got me into trouble again. We tend to do that to each other! She emailed me about a book that was being discussed on InTatters, and she wondered if I was familiar with it. I quickly searched for the book, watched the YouTube video, and decided that the book was not for me. There's nothing wrong with the book. In fact, it's wonderful! I just thought about all the books I have that are, as of now, unused... meaning I haven't tatted anything from them.
I did find the book on Etsy for about half the price I had seen it in other places. I sent Fox the information, and she also decided to pass on it for now. Then, one day I received an email from Etsy indicating that I had an item in my cart that needed to be paid for... oops! I didn't realize I had put it in my cart! Or if I did, I thought I had completed the purchase... I'm afraid the old brain just isn't what it used to be. Anyway, I figured that I needed to pay for the book because the seller had been waiting for payment.
It arrived this week, and there are some wonderful designs! One aspect that I find very interesting is the use of color, so different from what I would ordinarily choose. However, when I think of the bright colors in Ukrainian costumes and the gorgeously decorated Easter eggs, the color choices make sense. I'm very happy to add this book to my collection!
I chose the name Lace-lovin' Librarian for a reason... I am fascinated by all kinds of lace! I am always excited to receive my lace issue of PieceWork magazine, but this year's issue is especially wonderful. Can you see what attracted me on the cover? "Discover a Master Tatter"...five full pages devoted to Lily Mae Burley Patrick! I'd have to look through my past issues, but I do believe this is the most extensive article devoted to tatting in any issue I've ever read in PieceWork! I highly recommend checking out this issue!
After tatting "Sonnenschein," I knew I had to have
Happy Occhi. I can't believe it arrived so quickly! If I counted correctly, there are 25 patterns in this book... fabulous!
I managed to finish all my laundry last night, so I think I'll take a little time to tat today. :-)