One done!

It took me most of today to finish the first of the baby blankets. I figured I should start with one for baby boy since he will have two sisters. He may need extra attention!

My crocheted button flower collection continues to grow.

Right now I'm just crocheting and collecting. I have plenty of headbands and hair clips that can be decorated, but I'm not in the mood to use them for anything... yet! I like the idea of having them on hand so that they're readily available when I finally get inspired. 

Nothing to show

I sat down to blog last night, and I thought... I have nothing to show!

I've been on a cleaning binge... don't get excited... a cleaning binge for me means to focus on one room and work hard on a portion of it. I'm the only one who notices a difference! This cleaning binge centered on three places: the bench in the back hall (under and over), our trash cabinet (inside and out), and under the kitchen sink. It's been exhausting, but I'm feeling very pleased with myself!

Cleaning is not my favorite task in the world, although I do love a clean and organized home. I think I must have been wealthy in a former life and had a staff at my beck and call. However, I no longer have a staff... my four daughters each have their own homes far enough away that I know I'll never get my house clean if I wait for them! ;-) Dave is a great help, but once April hits, he's way too busy to help as much as he does during the winter months. So, I set my favorite pastimes aside and clean every once in a while.

This morning, while the coffee was brewing, I thought I'd better clear off the dining room table, and I realized that I have accomplished quite a bit since my last post.

I started prepping flannel receiving blankets for the twins my daughter is expecting in September. Today I'll have to hunt for my wing needle so that I can pierce evenly space holes all the way around for a crocheted edging... my favorite way to finish receiving blankets!

Dave and I watched the last 15 minutes of the Blackhawks game last night. I think this is the first time we've ever watched hockey! 15 minutes of any sporting event takes a whole lot longer than 15 minutes, and during that time period, I managed to crochet some button flowers for my collection. These weren't all done during the hockey game, but they were all crocheted last night.

I've also made pretty good progress on my shawl. Of course progress is much slower now that I have approximately 150 stitches on the needles. I do like knitting this pattern. I must be getting ready for a knitting binge... I've been watching knitting videos, searching for interesting patterns, and ordering luscious yarn.

Have I given up tatting? Absolutely not! I've just turned to mindless pursuits so that I don't mess up my doilies! My brain is kind of weary with all the end-of-year school activities and deadlines. We only have six more days of this school year, and then I will have all the time I like to pursue my passions!

Oops!

Thanks for the input, dear friends! After looking at the pattern again, I've decided that it really doesn't matter where I start round 10. The number of motifs in this round doesn't match the large motifs in the earlier round, so I can't see that it makes any difference where round 10 begins.

I kind of like that I will have to rounds finished when I've completed these motifs, but something looked off.

Oops! I joined the first ring of round 11 in the wrong place! I'm not going to fix it now. I'm going to work on the next round 10 & 11 motif so that I can see how it looks. I may even work all the way around before fixing this.

I wonder if my brain is just weary from all the end of the year activities at school? It seems like a good excuse to me!

Was it the weather?

I had very spotty Internet access over the weekend. I did manage to leave a few comments on blogs, but when I went to post my connection dropped... very strange!

I need some help here...

I finished one motif for round 10.

I decided that it made sense to complete the round 11 portion so that I could keep better track of how each pattern repeat fit in the round. As you can see, I'm almost finished with the round 11 portion of this motif.

When I was taking the photo, I realized that the motif does not line up with the large medallions a few rows back. I looked at a photo of the completed doily, and I'm not sure if it makes a difference.

So, tatting buddies who have finished this beautiful piece... do I cut off the little bit I have done and try to align these two rounds with the large medallions, or do I keep on going? Does it make a difference?

I'm stopping right here for now. I'd rather snip off this little bit if necessary, but I won't snip if it doesn't make a difference. Thanks in advance for your input!

Round 9 competed!

I was too tired to tat much last night, but I woke up bright and refreshed this morning and managed to complete round 9 of the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece.

Although this round was very simple, it seemed to take forever to complete. Maybe that's because it was too simple!

My living room throw rug has circle patterns, which is quite convenient for showing off a large doily. This beauty now measures 19". On to the next round!

Almost there!

Believe it or not, I'm almost finished with this round! It won't happen tonight. Two hours of tatting is plenty for me. Maybe tomorrow will bring the finishing touch to this round.

My newest shuttles arrived today. They're from Hungary, and they are beautiful! They're posted on the Tatting Shuttle Addicts page on Facebook. I wonder if I will ever tire of collecting new shuttles? I hope not!

This much more...

I've been tatting rings and chains in between working on invoices for Dave. It's amazing how much can be accomplished in bits and pieces!

I was up extra early this morning, so I was able to finish another pattern repeat on my shawl.

It's looking like another busy day tomorrow. All books are due in the library this week. I've been busy making sure the shelves are in order. Next week I'll print out a list of books that are still checked out. I'll double check the shelves to see if any were re-shelved without being checked in, and then I'll have to send out reminder notes with the hope of receiving all books before school is out. None of it is hard, it's just very time consuming, and it does leave me a bit brain weary by the end of the day. Thank goodness I have my tatting and knitting to help me unwind! How do you unwind?

Shuttle love

It's no secret that I love my tatting shuttles!

My newest shuttle from Grizzly Mountain Arts arrived last week. I really like these Handi-Wind Shuttles. The screw-in handle makes it easier for me to hold the shuttle while I'm winding it. I also like that Dave puts a little ring on the end of the handle so that it can be worn on a ribbon around my neck. I always know where my handle is when it's time to reload my shuttle!

Today's post brought my newest Pop-A-Bobbin shuttles. I was really hoping that the Spalted Beech shuttle would be available when I visited Jane's shop. Luckily, I visited right after it was listed! The Elm shuttle was too pretty to pass up. I really like working with wood shuttles. The wood feels so warm as I'm tatting... perfect for tired fingers!

I managed two pattern repeats on my shawl today. I do enjoy knitting, but I find that it's getting harder to knit for long periods of time. I guess that it pays to have multiple interests!

I've passed the halfway point on this round of the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece. I guess if I didn't take time to blog I would be able to get a lot more done, but I do enjoy posting my progress. It's a great way to keep me motivated!

Caribbean Spinning Wheel

I had another morning of riding in the truck with Dave to make plant deliveries, so I had plenty of time to work on my Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior). Size 10 is not my favorite for tatting, but I've been using it for these Spinning Wheels so that they turn out larger. Since blue is my favorite color, I think I'll be keeping this one for myself!

I did spend time working on my Jan Stawasz Masterpiece. I'm about half way around. I didn't take a picture of it opened up, because I would have had to vacuum the carpet first, and I was just too busy tatting!

I also knit a little more on my shawl. Although blue is my favorite color, I find this beautiful Lemongrass color to be very soothing. I've been trying to complete one pattern repeat every time I sit down to knit, but I won't be able to keep that pace up for very long. The pattern repeat is ten rows!

Focus?

That's the only explanation I have for not posting the past two days. I've been focused on finishing Rita's buttons so that I could deliver them today.

This has been a fun project, and it's been fun seeing all the different buttons in Rita's collection.

I love all these little peace signs. I hope I get to see what Rita makes with them!

I finished the last of the buttons this morning before heading over to the boutique. I will be crocheting more button flowers, only this time I will need to figure out what I want to do with them since they'll be mine!

I've been in the mood to knit a shawl, and I found this pretty Lemongrass Lace by Yarn Bee at Hobby Lobby today. The pattern is one I've knit before, "Garter Lace Triangle Shawl" from Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls by Martha Waterman.

Now that I've finished Rita's buttons, I can focus on my tatting again. My Caribbean Spinning Wheel is calling me!

Just a quick post...

The big news in our family is that daughter Joanne went for her first ultrasound yesterday. She was very excited to learn whether she was having a boy or a girl. The answer is... yes! She's having a boy and a girl! This is the first time for twins for both our family and Jan's... quite a surprise for all of us. The babies are due in September. Her original due date was the end of September, but the doctor told her she can expect them to arrive a couple of weeks earlier. I guess I'll be working on baby things this summer!

Dave's been keeping me busy with invoices, which is a good thing! I'm glad to see his business doing so well this spring.

I decided that since there was just a little bit of this thread left on the ball, I'd spend my time crocheting a few button flowers.

Apparently, there was more thread left than I thought! There's still a little left, but I'm tired of crocheting. Besides, some invoices are calling my name!

Now I remember!

I couldn't remember why I had given up on my dishcloth adventure, but now I do...

There was a mistake in the first pattern! If I get a notion that I'm going to work through something from beginning to end, I can easily get knocked of track. That's what happened with 365 Knitting Stitches a Year.

I started out with a moss stitch border, but I could tell after two pattern repeats that I was not getting the results I expected from the photo. This time I got smart and looked up the pattern on YouTube. Row 3 of the pattern is wrong!

I wasn't about to rip out all that knitting. It's a dishcloth for goodness sake, and it's for me. The correction has been noted in my book, and I'll know better for next time. :-)

At it again...

I can't help myself... I love this pattern! This Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior) is in size 10 Lizbeth, #122 Caribbean. This is one of my favorite Lizbeth colors.

I've had this book for several years. I can't remember if it was a gift or if I purchased it myself, but I've been meaning to make good use of it by knitting some unique dishcloths.

I started with the January 1 pattern, Basket Rib. It's a very simple pattern to follow. All I have to do is take time to knit!

I didn't make it over to the boutique this weekend. Instead I crocheted some more button flowers for Rita.

I hope to get there next weekend. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Rita has made use of these! 

Waste not, want not

My dish cloths are looking really dingy, so today was a knit day. Unfortunately, I did not have enough of this oatmeal colored yarn to finish the dish cloth, but since it's for me, I'm fine with a blob of color in one corner.

I decided to try a new pattern today. This is the Almost Lost Washcloth Pattern. It was a fun knit, and I think I'll probably make it again.

My button journey continues.

I'm hoping to finish up Rita's buttons by the time school is out.

I've enjoyed working on them, but I'm ready to do some of my own!

Who does that?

Apparently, I do! What is that, you might ask? Well, I packed up some tatting to work on at lunchtime today (that never happened), and I left my tatting supplies at school. Even though I live less than ten minutes from school, I was not inclined to go back and get my goodies, so I took an alternate course of action...

I put together my new cart from IKEA and reorganized my stash for making crocheted button flowers.

I took the supplies for Rita's button flowers out of the cardboard box and put them in this cute little carryall... much more attractive than the cardboard box!

I cleared off the clutter from my little table with my Jan Stawasz Masterpiece and Renulek's Spring doilies close at hand. I'll dust the table tomorrow. ;-)

Since I didn't have my picot gauges handy for my tatting projects, I decided to crochet some button flowers for Rita.

Tomorrow, I will bring my tatting supplies home so that I can tat. If I'm going to be this forgetful, I think I'd better not take tatting to school with me again... or I could just put together a tatting kit to keep at school that doesn't require the tools I need at home!

One tiny butterfly

The week before Mother's Day is Dave's busiest week of the year. It's the one that carries his business for the rest of the year, so it's really important. Because of two truck breakdowns, his Saturday plant delivery arrived on Tuesday. So, it was all hands on deck yesterday, and daughter Carol and I headed over to help out after school. Doing physical labor sure has a way of letting you know how out of shape you are!

After a quick bite to eat and paperwork, we were both ready to collapse by 8:30. Posting about tatting was definitely the last thing on my mind!

While I was getting ready for school this morning, I realized that I did get some tatting done yesterday despite all the activity...

...one tiny butterfly tatted before school. I'm thinking yesterday was a great day! :-)

Masterpiece Doily progress

I was able to tat for about an hour and a half today, and I'm pleased to say that I'm getting close to the halfway point on this round of the Jan Stawasz Masterpiece doily!

The kids at school are really in to these sliding knot paracord bracelets. Hobby Lobby had several packets of cord on clearance this weekend, so I put together some bracelets for the kids. I hope they're up to snuff!

Tatting in the truck

Dave had deliveries north of Chicago today, so I went along for the ride. We left at 6 a.m. and arrived home at 1:30 p.m., and that was a short day for Dave!

While we were waiting to unload at our first stop, Dave took a picture of me tatting... just to prove that I was tatting in the truck! ;-)

The big advantage to spending the day in the truck was that I was able to finish my Western Sunset Spinning Wheel glass mat. The down side is that my wrists are really sore right now, so I think I'll take a break for the night. I think I deserve a little down time!