A slow month for tatting

I only have five Spinning Wheel glass mats to show for the month of April. At least I've been keeping up with my goal of tatting one Spinning Wheel per week!

Today I spent most of the day working on mermaid scale necklaces for the drama club fund raiser this summer. My goal is to sell 100 necklaces at $10 each.

75 of them will have 16" chains, which I think is a good size for little girls. 25 will have 20" chains, just in case there are any adults who want one!

No tatting today

Why?

My new hand crank sewing machine arrived today, and I've been reading and watching videos about how to clean, oil, and use it. It's in beautiful condition. I've been looking for one for several years, and when I found this one on eBay last weekend it was love at first sight!

I do need to do a little cleaning and oiling, but I am thrilled to finally have my very own hand crank machine!

Winner! Winner!

No, not chicken dinner... a beautiful tatting shuttle!

When I learned there were going to be silver shuttles up for auction on eBay, I checked them all out! I think I bid on six or seven of them, but this was the one I really wanted! My great-grandmother was Eva Kresge Morris, and she would have been her late 30s or early 40s when this shuttle was engraved (her daughter, my Grandma Green, was 17 in 1916).

It's fun to think that this shuttle could have belonged to my great-grandmother, but I don't believe she was a tatter.

Eliz commented that as I finished a Spinning Wheel, she found herself wondering what the next color would be. That comment made me chuckle! This is size 20 Manuela that I've had for several years. I like the way it's working so far!

Michelle asked for a close-up to show the beads.

They're pretty subtle. It's hard to catch the shimmer with a camera, but there's just enough sparkle to make the bag extra special! I still haven't started the drawstring. Thank goodness the weekend is coming!

Lovin' the green

I finished another Spinning Wheel glass mat today! This one is in size 20 Omega. I don't know the color number, but I do love these shades of green!

Spring sure is busy!

Why is it that spring seems so busy? I guess it's because we've been cooped up all winter, and the chance to get outside takes priority. All I know is that somehow spring has been getting in the way of my fiber time!

I did make a little progress on my Spinning Wheel in size 20 Omega.

I also managed to finish the top of the beaded bag. All I have left to do is make and add the beaded drawstring, and it will need to be blocked. I think I'll look for my white hankies before I head off to bed tonight. That way I'll be all ready to look work on the hanky edging this week.

I did crochet two more rows on the mermaid tail afghan. I'm going to need to really focus on this once I finish the beaded bag and hanky!

A nice surprise

Yesterday morning when I arrived at school, this beautiful bouquet was sitting on my desk. There was no note or card, and I have no idea who it's from. My friend Robyn who is also retiring this year had a similar bouquet on her desk. We had fun trying to figure out who surprised us, but we still are clueless. Thank you to the person/people who decided to brighten our day!

I don't know where the time went today, but I sure didn't get much tatting done.

Maybe I spent too much time looking at my new goodies! These shuttles arrived from the Ukraine.

These new beauties are from ShuttleByDesign.com. I LOVE these shuttles!

I did spend quite a bit of time working on my beaded crocheted bag. I still have to complete the top edge and make the drawstrings. After that, I think I'll start a hanky for the bride-to-be!

From Russia with love

Today was mainly a crochet day. I know it's still April, and the production of The Little Mermaid isn't until the end of June, but I'm starting to feel the crunch!

I'm also wondering if I have enough yarn to finish this mermaid tail afghan. I sure hope so!

My newest Spinning Wheel is in size 20 Omega. I don't know the color number, but I do like the color!

So, what's with the post title?

Three more new shuttles arrived today from Russia. Aren't they pretty?

I'm at it again

...shuttle collecting, that is!

I LOVE my new shuttles from shuttlebydesign.com! The are beautiful, light weight, and hold a ton of thread. Well, not a ton, but I can wind the 15 yards of size 20 thread that I need for my Spinning Wheel glass mats, and that makes me very happy!

Do you see the dandelion shuttle? That's another one from shuttlebydesign.com. You can get an idea of its size by the large Clover shuttle in the picture.

I didn't get much tatting done today. However, any progress is a plus in my book! I did some sewing for a friend, and by the time I made dinner and cleaned up the kitchen, there wasn't much time left. Some days are just like that.

Ooh la la!

I love the way the Charcoal and Gold Spinning Wheel turned out! It looks even better than I imagined.

I've been asked by several people about my stash of Spinning Wheels. For now, my 2016 Spinning Wheels are in two stacks on the windowsill by my chair. The stack on the right is what I tatted January through March. On the left is my April stack. If I stick with my plan, there will be a picture of all of them at the end of December.

Now for those of you who have a little bit of OCD, yes they are in the order they've been completed! When my sister and niece came down to visit before Easter, they looked through my Spinning Wheels. Janet asked if they were in any particular order and I told her not to worry about it. However, as soon as everyone left, I opened up my blog and put them in the correct order. Whew! Thank goodness for blogs! ;-)

Charcoal and Gold

For days I've been thinking about a Charcoal and Gold Spinning Wheel. I woke up extra early this morning and got a good start on it before school. Then after school, I picked it up again. I love the way this one is turning out!

Focus

When I focus on a task, I can really accomplish a great deal. Today I decided to focus on one project at a time, with fantastic results!

First, I focused on completing round four of my Concentric Rectangles doily. I even managed to start round five.

Next, I decided to try and finish the second side of my beaded crocheted bag, and I did it!

I'm feeling really good about today's accomplishments. :-)

Pick up sticks

Not the game, the yard work! Yup, Dave and I spent time picking up sticks in the yard today, that was after a trip to Menards for mulch, a couple of new bushes, cat food, and a couple of fans. This is the weekend to get things done, because Dave's super busy time begins this week and will go until the beginning of June.

All of the shopping and yard work must have been too much of a distraction for me, because my latest Spinning Wheel glass mat has a big blooper!

Can you see it? I forgot the chain section at the beginning of one of the spokes. I don't know how I managed to do that. I have plenty of thread, so I will fix it. I'm not sure I'll do it right now, though. I'm itching to start another color. 

3 out of 4 isn't bad!

I managed to work on 3 of my 4 projects today.

Before school I rounded another corner on my Concentric Rectangles doily.

At lunch time I worked on my Spinning Wheel glass mat.

After school I worked on my mermaid tail afghan.

That leaves one project to work on tonight... my beaded crocheted bag... just as soon as I close my computer!

A slow tatting day

I didn't get a whole lot done today, but it's been one of those days when I'm happy to take what I can get!

I forgot to blog last night

I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner, talked to my daughter on the phone, did a little research on the Internet, and then headed off to bed. Blogging never entered my mind!

I did accomplish little bits yesterday...

another spoke almost completed on my Spinning Wheel glass mat,

a few rings and chains on my Concentric Rectangles doily,

another row on my mermaid tail afghan,

and quite a bit on the second side of my beaded crocheted bag! Our new fourth grade teacher got engaged on Sunday, so I've offered to make her a bag.

My friend Michelle's daughter will be getting married next year. I crocheted a bag for Michelle when she got married. She was daughter Carol's Sunday School teacher through most of elementary school. Anyway, I've offered to crochet a bag for Jessica as well.

Maybe I should go in to the bridal bag business when I retire! ;-)

Making the most of my time

I tatted before school, at lunch time, and after school... time well spent!

I was up extra early this morning, so I had time to finish the last two rows of this side of the beaded bag. The beads are all strung for the second side, so I'm ready to go!

I took my mermaid tail afghan to school today and demonstrated crocheting to the kids. I was able to finish two rows and get the kids excited about seeing The Little Mermaid this summer!

After dinner, I worked on my Concentric Rectangles doily, and now I'm ready for bed!

What a day!

I can't believe how much I accomplished today! The afternoon was cold and wet and Dave had to work, so I sat down in front of the t.v. with all of my projects surrounding me.

I finished my Spinning Wheel glass mat in size 20 Lizbeth, Purple Dk. #633.

I liked the color so much, I decided to combine it with Marilee Rockley's hand-dyed thread, Crocus. These are two of my newest shuttles from shuttlebydesign.com. They are lovely and light and they hold plenty of thread!

The beaded crocheted bag is coming along nicely. Yes, I did make several mistakes that I had to fix. Luckily, that's pretty easy with crochet.

I completed a few more rows on my mermaid tail afghan.

To tope it all off, I rounded another corner on my Concentric Rectangles doily. All in all, it's been a fabulous day!

Starting another project

The school drama club is putting on a community production of The Little Mermaid as a fundraiser in June. They're asking for donations for silent auctions and raffles. Last night I had a brilliant idea!

I was recently given some Red Heart Super Saver yarn. Pink, blue, and yellow are not colors I frequently use, but I got to thinking about mermaid tail afghans that I've seen. I looked on Ravelry and found a free pattern, and I didn't waste any time getting started. I hope some little girl falls in love with this pastel afghan.

Because I spent so much time on the afghan, I didn't get much tatting done today. However, knowing that I only have two spokes left gives me hope that I can finish it tomorrow!

I almost didn't post

I haven't accomplished much in the last couple of days, but I decided that I'd better post or I would quickly get out of the habit!

The beaded bag is coming along slowly but surely. I'd better get a move on if I'm to finish it before school is out!

My Spinning Wheel really hasn't progressed much. I sure hope I get some time to tat this weekend, because I'm starting to feel like I'm falling behind! ;-)