Tatting time at last!

I'm starting to settle into a routine at school, if not at home, so I decided to take some time to finish my latest Spinning Wheel glass mat from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. The thread is Omega, and I like the way this turned out, even though it's not exactly what I envisioned.

I'm usually pretty good about winding off the correct amount of thread to finish a Spinning Wheel, but this time I goofed! I wound up using the shoelace trick after every ring and chain for the last two spokes. It looks okay, but I am tempted to rewind my shuttles and make another one with this thread so that I can get the effect that I think I would get... or maybe I'll work on something else. :-)

The Minimalist

That's what I'm thinking of calling myself! The start of school has really worn me out, and I have accomplished very little in the creativity department in the past week. So little in fact, that I have nothing worth photographing. Two rings and one chain would make a very boring picture!

We're busy aligning all of our curriculum to the Common Core standards, and we're building our curriculum online... very time consuming, and very taxing on this old brain! Additionally, we have a new copier/printer system, which has not worked well for me. Every time I send a print job, the error light goes on, and my print job disappears. To top it off, our school has a new web site, and I'm having to re-think the way I have students complete their computer lessons. I'm not complaining, really... I just don't seem to adapt as well as I used to!

Luckily, Labor Day weekend is coming up, and if I don't get time to be creative during the week, I'm sure going to find time this weekend!

First day back

Today was the first day back for staff members. We spent the entire day training, which was really pretty good. Who knew an inservice day could be so interesting? Still, I'm not used to the pace, so I'm pretty beat tonight.

I have spent a little time working on my latest Spinning Wheel glass mat. I find this pattern to be so relaxing!

Denise called me tonight with a name suggestion for my new Ladybug... Mary, because Mary Konior is one of my favorite designers, and the Spinning Wheel is my favorite pattern. I think I will have to give Mary very strong consideration! Any other suggestions?

I finished two more bags after school. They only needed the straps, which go together fairly quickly. 

I'm off to bed soon. We have more meetings tomorrow, and then we get to see the kids on Wednesday. I love the beginning of the school year!

Handi-wind shuttle love

So, I thought I'd try composing a blog post on my iPad. Apparently, there is a learning curve, because I've already had to delete and start over!

My newest Handi-wind shuttle arrived in the mail yesterday, and I love it! Dave at Grizzly Mountain Arts made this little beauty. One of the things I really like about the Handi-wind shuttles is that I have something to hold on to while winding my thread... that, and they're just plain gorgeous!

I spent some tatting yesterday. Do you recognize the pattern? Yes, it's Mary Konior's Spinning Wheel glass mat from Tatting with Visual Patterns. The thread is another Omega, a thread I'm really enjoying using. 

I also spent some time playing with another spinning wheel... my new Ladybug! I've never spun on a wheel before, but I found a wonderful class at Craftsy, and I'm pretty confident about learning. I just need to learn to coordinate my hands and feet!

What will I do with a spinning wheel? Well, with all the weaving I've been doing lately, I'm really intrigued with fiber. I'm hoping to spin well enough to create bags with my own hand spun yarn!

In the meantime, I'll just keep working with the yarn I have on hand. :-)

So, what are my thoughts about composing a blog post on my iPad? It's a little awkward, but I that once I get used to it, it might be a lot faster!

Update: I like the way the pictures taken with my iPad turned out; however, I do not like the way the landscape pictures show up on the blog post. I guess I'll stick with my computer!

A few of my favorite things...

It's been a long time since my last blog post. I've had lots of fun doing all the things I love, and I just didn't feel like taking time to sit down at my computer.

Yes, I've accomplished a lot since my last post, including finishing setting up for the start of school on Monday. Here's just a little of what I've been doing...

I'm sad to say that I've only finished one piece of tatting since my last post, another motif from Tatting by Myra Piper. However, I did start another Spinning Wheel glass mat! I'll post a picture when it's finished.

With school starting next week, I figured I needed a new supply of blinged shuttles. Here's one side,

and here's the other. I love the way they turned out! I'll have to work on some more this weekend, because I gave a few away.

Tollway Tatters met on Tuesday. Sue Anna told us all about her trip to Alaska. She brought back some really cool beads that she's planning to use for earrings.

We celebrated Marilee's birthday... 29 again!

Carol and Barbara took the lead in picture taking. I always bring a camera along, but I'm not very good at remembering to take pictures!

I've finished two more bags. They're so much prettier in person. I keep saying that I'm going to learn to take better pictures, but I guess it's just not at the top of my priority list!

I think this might be my prettiest bag so far! It's too bad the colors look so faded. It's really shimmery, with pretty sequins sparkling here and there.

I've also been watching a Craftsy class on spinning, and I've been practicing with my drop spindle. Can you tell I'm getting ready for retirement? ;-)

Spinning Wheel in Omega

I do love tatting Spinning Wheels in multi-colored and variegated threads! I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love seeing how the colors swirl around in this pretty pattern from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior.

The next week and a half will be very busy. My summer tatting students are coming today. Friday I plan to go to Stitches Midwest with my daughter and granddaughter. Tuesday will be our next Tollway Tatters meeting. Next Wednesday will be the last meeting of my summer tatting class. Then, it will be back to school on the 18th. Time flies when you're having fun!

I had fun playing with color yesterday. I really like the way the bag turned out, and I was thrilled to find an orange button in my stash. It seemed like the perfect focal point!

Spinning Wheel progress

It's time to get back in to my school routine, so yesterday I went in and set up the library for the new school year. Today I'll get some computer work done so that I don't feel overwhelmed once we get started on the 18th. I do enjoy getting ready for the new school year, but spending time at school makes me realize how much tatting, weaving, and reading time I'll be losing!

Every time I start a new Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior), I feel like I am spending time with an old friend!

I think I've had enough of this green Omega thread. It's nice to work with, but I have so many threads to try, I think it's time to move on! I'm willing to share, so if you'd like to try this size 20 Omega, email your address to me, and I'll send off a 10 yd. sample. I'll share until I run out.

I thought I'd lost my weaving rhythm last night until I realized that Dave only spent 45 minutes mowing. I really thought I'd lost my touch! I'm nearing the end of my warp. I'm looking forward to counting my bags to see how many one warp yields!

My favorite Myra

We all have our favorites, and this is my favorite design from Tatting by Myra Piper. It's motif No. 12, and it's the center I chose for my Tribute to Myra. The link to my pattern is one of the tabs at the top of this page. I no longer have the original piece. My sister had it framed for her daughter-in-law, and I'm happy that it has a loving home!

Believe it or not, Dave has been a great motivator for my bag making. He'll tell me that he's going out to mow grass for a little bit, and gives me "permission" to weave a bag. ;-)

It takes me about an hour and a half to make a bag from start to finish. So, can you guess how long Dave mowed grass yesterday?

Unplugged

Do you ever feel the need to unplug? Don't get me wrong. I've learned so much from reading blogs and having the instant access to information that the Internet provides, but there are days when I look at my devices and long for a simpler time.

Since last Tuesday, I just haven't had the desire to spend much time on my computer. I'm sure I've missed out on a lot, but I also found time to recharge my personal batteries! I spent time tatting, weaving, reading, visiting family, and taking naps... good old summer time fun!

I'm continuing with motifs from Tatting by Myra Piper. This is motif No. 11. I really should switch to a solid color for these motifs, but this green thread is so pretty, I just keep tatting with it!

As you probably guessed I would, I've started a Spinning Wheel glass mat from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. I'm curious to see how much this ball of green thread will yield!

My bag production has slowed down, probably a result of so much time spent reading and napping! I love using this chenille yarn that Mom sent to me. The fabric is soft, and I can make each bag unique by including snippets from other projects.

This bag did not yield the contrast I was hoping for. I used a bulky acrylic and a very soft bamboo yarn. Both had the same color scheme, but the textures are very different. You can fell the difference when you touch the bag, but you can't see the clasped weft results very well.

My summer tatting kids had a great time last Wednesday. There were 12 kids... 10 girls and 2 boys. We really have had wonderful weather for outdoor tatting this summer! The rest of this post is pictures of the kids and their tatting. Enjoy!