Why, yes...

... yes I did take time to tat today!

In fact, I'm almost half way around again, which makes me very happy!

I also finished ten more buttons for Rita. My plan is to go visit the shop for the first time on Wednesday, and meet the lady who is so in love with my crocheted button flowers.

It was not all tatting and crocheting today, though.

This morning Sophia spent time watching her favorite videos on her mom's iPad. I wish I could make my body go in that position!

Joanne brought along some crochet projects, but she really wanted to make a baby blanket for the new little one due in September. So, we headed off to Hobby Lobby for yarn and a pattern, and she set to crocheting right away.

Sophia really doesn't like to wear clothes, and they were all shed pretty early. There's another pose I wish I could manage. It sure is fun having a little one around!

Another busy day

Today was granddaughter Sophia's second birthday, and it was a busy one!

After her daddy headed home to Minnesota, Sophia took over the living room. She spent time watching her favorite show on her mommy's iPad, and like any other two-year-old, she had toys scattered everywhere!

Try as I might, I could not get her to smile for a picture, but as soon as the camera was put down, the smiles popped out again.

Sophia now has her own collection of headbands with crocheted button flowers.

It was much easier to crochet than to tat with a little one running around, so I finished ten more buttons for Rita.

Elaine called this afternoon and asked if I would make up some button flowers for her with pink in them.

Another lady contacted me through the shop to see if I would be willing to make a shawl for her to wear to a wedding in June. I think I'll be busy for a while!

Fifteen

Well, I'm fudging the numbers just a bit...

I did manage to finish ten more buttons today,

but I only tatted five pattern repeats on Renulek's Spring Doily. Still, that is a total of 15, right?

Ten

Spring break is finally here! I would love to say that I came home and sat down to do some serious tatting, but I needed to complete a few chores first.

While talking on the phone, I managed to complete today's ten button flowers. I find it easier to crochet than tat when I'm on the phone.

After Dave and I did a little cleaning upstairs in anticipation of daughter Joanne's visit, I managed to start round 8 of Renulek's Spring Doily. With a two-year-old granddaughter running around for the next week, I'm not sure how much tatting I'll get done, but I'll give it my best!

Ready for the next round!

I'm very pleased with the way Renulek's Spring Doily looks in the colors I'm using! I'm really looking forward to catching up in the next week. I'm now two rounds behind, with the next round being posted tomorrow.

When I got home from school, I decided I would only crochet five button flowers today.

However, I had a little down time while our pizza was baking, so I ended up with ten finished for today. I'll finish ten more crocheted button flowers for Rita tomorrow, and then I'll get back to doing some of my own. I have some hair clips and headbands to decorate, and I don't want to fall too far behind. There's definitely a down side to having multiple projects going at once!

Almost there!

I had a little extra time to tat this morning, and I managed to tat on my lunch break. It looks like I'll finish this round of Renulek's Spring Doily tomorrow!

I really was going to crochet only seven button flowers today, but Dave and I were watching t.v. and I got carried away. :-)

A first for me...

I used up the thread on both shuttles at the end of a pattern repeat! I wonder if that will ever happen again? I'll rewind my shuttles before going to bed tonight. It seems that once I get past the halfway point on a round, my shuttles just fly. Maybe I really will catch up when we're on spring break next week!

I managed to finish ten more buttons for Rita today. I think setting a goal of ten button flowers per day might have been too much. Maybe I'll cut it back to seven for tomorrow. I need a little more tatting time to stay happy! ;-)

Button lady

Yup, I'm turning into a button lady! I sent about 55 buttons to ReChic Unique Boutique in Demotte, Indiana, and they all sold in two days. Rita contacted me and told me that she had purchased 39 of those buttons and wanted to know if I would make some exclusively for her. Let me say that I am easily swayed by flattery, and Rita made me feel like a super star! So, we struck a deal...

Today a box filled with thread and buttons arrived. The buttons look pretty bland in this little tub, but with a little thread...

they have new life! Rita has ideas for ways to use these buttons, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she does with them. I'm not sure how many are in that little container, but I plan on working on ten a day. After all, I do need to have time to tat!

I've started on the next round of the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece. It looks like this round is going to take more attention to the pattern than I originally thought. The picots on the chains are not in an easily recognizable pattern repeat, at least not that I can tell at this point. I may stick with Renulek's doily for my evening tatting. I'm not sure I have the brain power to keep track of picots after a day at school!

for Shelly

I finally finished Shelly's throw today. It's super soft, but not quite as big as I thought it would be. I don't think I'll be making another one any time soon... size 36 knitting needles are not my speed!

I also found a little time to tat today. It looks like I'm pretty close to being halfway around!

I forgot to take a picture!

I attended a baby shower today for one of my former students and his wife. They're expecting a girl in May, so I decided to crochet some button flowers for pastel headbands. They turned out really cute, but I forgot to take a picture! Oh, well. I guess they all look pretty much the same.

I tatted some between laundry loads and a trip to the grocery store. I'm almost half way around!

My loom was calling today, and I was really in the mood to work with really bright colors. Can you tell? ;-)

It's funny...

There are days when I feel like I haven't accomplished much, and then I go to start my blog post, and I'm amazed at how much I really have done in the past 24 hours or so!

Last night I sewed some of my crocheted button flowers on to headbands.

This morning, I just had to make one more!

Taking a little time to tat before school, as well as tatting time before dinner meant that I managed to complete quite a bit of round 7 of Renulek's Spring Doily.

Eight-year-old Bella was over for a couple of hours after school, and she helped me design these three headbands.

My newest shuttles arrived from Russia today!

Veronica makes beautiful shuttles!

...and she'll customize them for you!

Hmmm... I wonder what I can accomplish before I go to bed? ;-)

Starting over

Not the whole thing, just this round!

I went to join the next ring this morning, when I realized I had twisted the fabric before making the second join. That put a twisted picot on the first join, and I just couldn't live with that. So... snip, snip, snip, snip.

At least I'm back to where I should have been this morning!

Back to blue

First of all, let me say thank you to all of you who gave me suggestions for a business name. If there are more suggestions, I'm happy to hear them! I'm going to sit down this weekend and make a decision... there are so many good ideas!

I decided to take a break from the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece today and work on Renulek's Spring Doily. I am seriously falling behind! Luckily, spring break is in a week and a half, and with any luck I'll be able to catch up. In case you didn't know, I love working with blues! I find the colors very calming. No, I didn't get far, but I did enjoy the little bit I tatted.

I decided to raid my crocheted button flower stash and sew them on to headbands tonight. My supply of headbands was getting low, and the little girls at school do love looking at them!

We had a fun day in 3rd grade library today. Isaac showed me his tatted chain, which he's been working on for a long time. I asked him if he knew how long it was, and he didn't know. I showed him and a few other boys that the tiles on the library floor are 12" squares. Isaac knew that 12" equals 1 foot, so he and his friends stretched out his tatting and counted the squares. They were excited to tell me that the chain was 36 feet long! I asked them if they knew how many yards that would be, and they weren't quite sure how to figure that out. I gave them a few hints, and I wish you could have seen their eyes light up when they realized they had 12 yards of chain! When we returned to class, they could hardly wait to tell their teacher. It was definitely a great day in the library!

I need a name!

There's a new little shop in Demotte, Indiana that is selling some of my handmade items. My crocheted button flowers seem to be a real hit... they sold out in the first two days the shop was open! Now I need a name for a business. Anyone out there have  an idea for me? It took me three months to come up with Lace-lovin' Librarian!

Feelin' good!

I finished round 8 of the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece tonight, and I feel good! I loved tatting this round, but it did seem to take forever. Yup... I'm feelin' good!

A wonderful weekend!

The high school kids did an awesome job in their production of Catch Me If You Can: the Musical. Of course, I might be a bit prejudiced since my daughter Carol was the director. The singing was terrific. The staging was amazing. The costumes were perfect. With so much going on, I didn't have much time for tatting.

However, I did manage to finish round 6 of Renulek's Spring Doily.

In case anyone thinks I've been lax in my shuttle purchases, here's a picture of my most recent buys. The top three are from Oldtyme WoodWorks. The shuttle with the rose is from Banyek, and the one on the bottom left is by "'im in the garage" via Jane Eborall. I do love my shuttles!

Feeling pleased

My crocheted button flower headbands have been unbelievably popular, so before breakfast I finished two more.

After school, I managed two more pattern repeats on the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece... only five to go!

I was asked for some bright colored headbands, so I started them tonight. I'm not sure how many I need, so I'll just keep going until I run out of headbands.

Opening night of Catch Me If You Can is tomorrow. I know nothing about this musical, so I'm really excited to see it! I doubt that I'll get much done over the next three days, but that's okay. Everyone needs a little rest. Right?

Think spring!

The warmer temperatures this week sure have me thinking about spring. Most of the snow has melted, so I'm ready for the grass to turn green and the plants to start blooming!

Thinking of spring helps fuel my desire to crochet button flowers. I don't like the way the flower turned out on the yellow headband. I think I'll find a different way to use those larger buttons.

I'm excited that the end of this round of the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece is in sight... only seven pattern repeats to go! We'll just have to see how long this actually takes. The high school play is this weekend, and I will be on call to help daughter Carol with any last minute emergencies. Drama club weekends are always very exciting and a lot of fun!

Well...

...the time change caught up with me! I fell asleep in my chair without posting and with only one pattern repeat completed on the Jan Stawasz doily. Maybe I'll get back into a routine now!

Dealing with the time change

I'm not a fan of Daylight Saving Time. It's not that I've lost an hour of sleep. That really doesn't seem to affect me, but somehow it really messes up my daily routine. I had no time to tat before school, and then after school time just seemed to run away from me. I know things will settle down in a week or so, but for now I'm feeling frustrated with the time change!

I did manage to spend a little time working on Renulek's Spring Doily tonight. One shuttle ran out of thread, so you know what I'll be doing next!

An afternoon with Jan

...Stawasz, that is!

Dave and I were supposed to attend granddaughter Eva's concert with the Elgin Children's Chorus this afternoon, but Dave forgot to change the clock at work and he got home too late for us to attend. So, while we missed the concert, I had some unplanned down time that I could use for tatting.

I'm amazed that I'm now 3/4 of the way around!

Early this morning, I finished the back side of the shuttles for the kids. I think they turned out really cute. I think I have about a dozen dedicated tatters this year, mostly third graders, although I do have a few second graders who just won't wait for third grade!

The headbands just keep multiplying!