Whew!

I had to use the shoelace trick a couple of times, but I had just enough Campfire HDT to finish my coaster.

A couple of shots of steam, and it looks ready to use! The pattern is Rosette Coaster (Variation) from Robin Perfetti's Tatted Coasters. The thread is size 20 Campfire HDT from Yarnplayer.

I can't believe today is the last day of June, my favorite month of the year! Despite all the excitement this year (retirement parties, visiting children and grandchildren, a yard sale, etc.), I still managed to tat seven pieces. I'm quite happy!

Campfire Spinning Wheel

I spent quite a bit of time tatting today, so I was able to finish my Spinning Wheel glass mat. I do love this thread! It's size 20 Campfire hand-dyed thread from Yarnplayer.

I hope I have enough of this beautiful color left to finish Robin Perfetti's Rosette Coaster (Variation) from her new book, Tatted Coasters. So far, I'm loving this pattern!

New routines?

I had intended to blog in the morning, but that hasn't been happening. Oh, well. I guess it doesn't really matter what time of day it is. I just have to remember to do it!

I started my 37th Spinning Wheel glass mat this morning... 37th for 2016, that is. This is another beautiful hand-dyed thread from Yarnplayer, size 20 Campfire. I thought it was beautiful in the skein, but it's even more impressive tatted up!

Pond Spinning Wheel

I was so happy to finish my Spinning Wheel glass mat today. With all the activity last week, I didn't think I'd ever finish it! The pattern is from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. The thread is size 20 Pond hand-dyed thread from Yarnplayer. Have I mentioned how much I love hand-dyed thread?

Besides finishing this beautiful Spinning Wheel, my day was filled with mundane tasks. I loved it! Who would think that there could be so much pleasure gained from washing dishes, doing laundry, and sweeping the porch? I approached everything I did at a leisurely pace. I think I'm going to enjoy retirement!

The end...

The play is over. Company has gone home. I feel like I accomplished nothing today, and I have no pictures to post.

The End

P.S ~ Please check back tomorrow! :-)

Outstanding!

Dave and I attended The Little Mermaid with granddaughter Sophia last night. Sophia dressed up as Aunt Carol. It seems that Aunt Carol had on a Little Mermaid or Ursula t-shirt every time we've seen her in the past few weeks. Therefore, Sophia is pretending to be Aunt Carol!

The play was fabulous, and I do feel that Carol's performance as Ursula stole the show! No bias, of course. ;-)

Sophia did very well, although she was up hours past her bedtime. This was her first play. She knew the appropriate times to applaud, and she seemed to understand proper etiquette. She did very well for a three-year-old, far better than some of the older kids!

With any luck, I'll be able to finish my Pond Spinning Wheel today. I have not lost my love for this pattern. One might think that I'd tire of the pattern after making so many, but it's just not true. I find it very comforting to have a go-to pattern that doesn't require much thinking!

Today is the last day with Joanne and the babies. I will miss Sophia changing her clothes seven or eight times a day, singing songs, and chattering endlessly. I will miss Jan crawling over to me, climbing up my leg, and waiting for me to pick him up. Once he's on my lap, he blows raspberries, giving me extra showers that I really don't need! I will mis Karolina snuggling up to me, smiling sweetly, and making sweet baby noises. I will miss the conversation with Joanne, breakfast omelettes, and marathon crocheting. It's been a wonderful visit, but I'm sure Joanne and family will be happy to return home where they can re-establish their daily routines. Besides, it won't be for long... we'll be traveling to Minnesota soon for the twins' baptism. I'm glad I never thought retirement would mean rest!

Switching times

For quite a while, I've been blogging at night when Dave was doing his paperwork and watching his favorite political shows. However, I've found that with the summer heat I just get sleepy if I'm looking at a computer screen. So, I'm trying shifting to the morning hours.

Spinning Wheel glass mat from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior
size 20 Pond HDT from Yarnplayer on Etsy
shuttles from TattingLaceJewellery on Etsy

There was little time for tatting yesterday, but I did manage to get a little done. I'm always happy with any progress.

Joanne and I had fun shopping at Hobby Lobby yesterday, and for once, I didn't go crazy! I only purchased two packages of tapestry needles. For some reason, they disappear at an alarming rate, and I never seem to find those needles in my haystack. ;-)

Joanne doesn't have a Hobby Lobby near her, so she stocked up on quilt fabric and clearance yarn. She also found some fabric to make a couple of dresses for Sophia, which we started yesterday afternoon.

Carol spent the afternoon setting up the raffle and auction tables for the play this weekend. When I took some supplies in to her, I noticed the display of mermaid tail afghans. I didn't like the way two of the tails looked, so I took them home and adjusted the way they were attached. They look much better now!

The excitement for the play is really building. My job for the weekend is to supervise the activities on the floor, making sure there are volunteers working at the concession stand, raffle tables, auction tables, and souvenir tables. It will be hot and humid, so I will be sure to take my water bottle with me!

In the nick of time

I can't believe that I haven't posted since Monday. Oh, wait... yes I can! Joanne and I had to take down our yard sale display and box everything up for charity. Pick-up will be Monday. I will feel so relieved when all my "treasures" are on their way to new beginnings.

We also have been working in every spare moment to finish the third of the mermaid tail afghans. A little before 9 last night, our mission was accomplished!

I finished the large and small afghans by myself, but I knew I'd never finish the medium one without Joanne's help. She's a faster crocheter than I am, and her wrists are younger! Joanne crocheted the body of the afghan. I crocheted the tail, wove in all the ends, and attached the tail. I have one more mermaid tail afghan to finish for a friend's granddaughter, and then I think I will be finished with mermaid tails forever!

We will be making a quick trip to Hobby Lobby today so that Joanne can make a mermaid tail afghan for Sophia. We also need to pick up tissue paper so that we can help Carol finish up raffle baskets. It's hard to believe that the play is this weekend! My job will be to coordinate all activities on the main floor: donations, concessions, raffles, auctions, souvenirs, and whatever else may happen. I hope I'm up to the task! ;-)

Last week

This is the last week for Joanne and the kids to be visiting. We're trying not to think of how little time we have left. Instead, we're focusing on all the fun we've had!

We have watched The Little Mermaid many times over the past two weeks. I'm even starting to learn the words to the songs! Sophia was very excited to get a Little Mermaid nightgown today. She's not sure about Aunt Carol being Ursula, but she is very eager to go to her first play!

The twins were very active today, and we had so much fun playing with them, that I didn't spend much time tatting. Still, a little progress is better than no progress. I do like these shuttles. I found them on TattingLaceJewellery on Etsy. Yes, I have to keep a crochet hook by my side, but I don't mind. The shuttles are smooth, light weight, and easily hold enough thread to tat a Spinning Wheel!

Happy Father's Day!

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Father's Day. I know we did. There wasn't really a plan to do anything here, but by late morning it was obvious we were going to have a house full of company. I think I prefer unplanned parties. We had a great time!

Before breakfast, before we knew anyone was coming over, I started another Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior). This time I'm using size 20 Pond, hand-dyed thread from Yarnplayer. I don't see any size 20 in Marilee's shop right now, but it is available in 30, 40, 50, and 80.

We have a little man-made pond in our front yard, one of Dave's pet projects, and I was inspired to use this thread because he is in the middle of laying down a new tarp and refilling the pond. It needs to be cleaned out every year, which involves pumping out all of the old water and cleaning out all the debris. Every few years he lays down a new tarp, and this is the year for replacement. Honestly, I'm not real fond of the pond. I'd be much happier if he'd fill it in so that I could have a beautiful green lawn out front. Maybe I'll convince him to think my way once he gets tired of all the upkeep... that's what I've been telling myself for the past 20 years! ;-)

Time wasted?

For the past two days, daughter Joanne and I have been hauling all sorts of things up from the basement. We've sorted, cleaned, dumped, and arranged years worth of stuff, all done in an effort to rid ourselves of unwanted, un-needed clutter. Our motivation was the town garage/yard sales.

Lots of traffic goes by our house every day, but we're three miles north of town, not in town. In a way, we feel that our time was wasted. We've only had three people stop and buy from us for a total of $15. The good news is we've cleared a ton of stuff from the basement, and now we can call a charity group to come pick everything up. Which one? The one that can get here first!

As a result of all this decluttering, there's been little time for tatting. After all, we do have a three-year-old and nine-month-old twins to entertain.

Still, I did manage to finish my Helm's Deep Spinning Wheel glass mat. Life is good!

Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm 64?

I really need to know, because today is the day. Yes, I'm 64!

I remember when this Beatle's song came out, I couldn't imagine ever reaching the age of 64. Of course, when the song was released I was only 15 years old. My, how time flies!

Today is also my blogaversary! I started blogging on my 55th birthday, thanks mainly to Sherry Pence aka LadyShuttleMaker, who encouraged me to start my blogging adventure.

So, I guess it's only appropriate that this week's Spinning Wheel is in one of Sherry's hand-dyed threads (Helm's Deep).

Oh, and that T.A.T. binder in the background... Sherry gets the credit for that as well. You see, she blogged about participating in the T.A.T. program, and I just had to jump on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, I did not get going with the program right away. Luckily, I have a little more free time now!

Save the date ~ Tollway Tatters

It's been a while since we've been able to get together, but we have set a meeting date of Saturday, July 9. If you're in the Chicago area and would like to join us, we meet at the Hinsdale Oasis on 294 at 10 a.m. We've been known to stay as late as 4 p.m., but anyone should feel free to join us for even a few minutes. You'll be able to tell us by our tie-dye t-shirts!

Today was blistering hot again. I do not like hot weather. Sophia spent a lot of time in her puddle pool today, and I sat inside and tatted while watching her. She sure had a lot of fun! So did I!

I finished test tatting Robin Perfetti's Victorian Doily from her soon-to-be-published book of coasters. I love the way it turned out! I used size 20 Lizbeth, Wedgewood Dk. It's 4 3/4" across, just the right size for a coaster.

The shuttles are two that I blinged last year. I'm feeling the urge to bling again, but it will have to wait until I get a little more reorganizing done, and I have a few things to finish up for The Little Mermaid.

I also worked a little more on my newest Spinning Wheel glass mat. I'm using size 20 hand-dyed thread from LadyShuttleMaker, Helm's Deep. The shuttles are from Shuttle by Design. I do enjoy collecting and using patterns, threads, and shuttles!

Test tatting for Robin

It's a good thing I started my test tat last night after blogging, because this morning I woke up with a horrible headache. I tried to start the day out normally, but wound up going back to bed until almost 11. I missed getting together with Carol and Denise, but hopefully, we'll all be able to meet next week.

I don't want to give away too much of the design just yet. I'm tatting Robin's Victorian Coaster. There are three rounds, and the first two rounds are so simple that they really don't take any concentration. The third round is a little more complicated, but Robin's directions are so clear, the design is easy to follow. I can hardly wait for the entire book to be available!

Shuttles loaded!

I'm ready to start a new project... test tatting for Robin Perfetti's new coaster book! I don't know when the book will be released, but I do know that I have the honor of test tatting her Victorian Coaster. Now that my shuttles are wound, I'm ready to get started!

I did get some tatting done today, but nothing I can share. My friends Carol and Denise and I have decided to dust off our T.A.T. (Tatters Across Time) Tatting Proficiency Program binders. Mine's nine years old. Carol's is six years old, and I think Denise's may be the same age as mine. We're going to meet tomorrow morning to encourage each other. I haven't met tomorrow's goal, but I'm pretty sure I'll be forgiven! ;-)

Today was granddaughter Eva's 14th birthday, and I was lucky enough to have her here (with her mom and brother) for about half the day. Aidan's birthday was Friday, so we had a lot of celebrating to do!

Full house!

Daughter Alison came down to visit with Eva and Aidan. Daughter Carol came over for the afternoon. Aidan and Grandpa grilled hamburgers. The girls and I roasted broccoli and beets from our garden, and we made two styles of broccoli slaw... what a feast!

In addition to all the cooking, the girls helped me reorganize a closet and dispose of some unwanted items that have been sitting upstairs for years, making it a very productive day!

To top it all of, I managed to start another Spinning Wheel glass mat in another hand-dyed thread. This is size 20 Helm's Deep from LadyShuttleMaker. Gotta love that blue! The shuttles are two more from my collection of shuttles from Shuttle By Design.

Too tired to post again

I did it again. I waited until I was too tired to post. It's good thing that I'm not getting paid to meet deadlines!

Daughter Joanne has AT&T cell phone service, which doesn't work well at our house. She posted pictures on Friday that didn't show up until this morning!

Sewing the Ursula tentacles was quite a challenge because of the bulk and the elastic.

It really did take both of us to get the tentacles sewn on! I didn't think to take pictures yesterday, but Carol and I managed to make lace gloves (black on top, purple on the bottom) so that her arms are two of the tentacles. They look really cool! I will take pictures of Carol in her full costume. It's hard to believe that the final performance will be two weeks from today!

Sophia gets very excited when Papa gets home from work, because she gets to go outside and help him with yard work and gardening. Last night she got to ride on the lawn mower just before bedtime!

Today will be perfect weather for me, sunny with a high of 77°. The last two days have been miserable with high humidity and temps in the mid 90s... not my kind of weather! However, Sophia loved it! She spent most of the day in her puddle pool, and she didn't mind the cold water from the hose.

Spinning Wheel glass mat, Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior
size 20 hand-dyed thread, Raspberry Ripple with Real Vanilla by Tatskool
shuttles from Shuttle By Design

Yes, I did finish last week's Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior). Have I mentioned that I love hand-dyed thread? I'm not normally a fan of pink, but I do love this Raspberry Ripple with Real Vanilla from Tatskool!

I really did try

...but I just didn't have enough time to finish my latest Spinning Wheel glass mat today.

I did finish all the laundry, and I played with the grandchildren...priorities, you know.

And then there was the afternoon...

Daughter Carol and I worked on her Ursula costume. The skirt is basically done. We still need to maker her gloves. She is going to be a wonderful sea witch!

Not much on the tatting front...

...just one more spoke on my Spinning Wheel.

However, I did manage to register for Palmetto Tat Days! I'm very excited to be able to go this year. I'm really looking forward to meeting some of my tatting friends in person!

I also managed to sort through a ton of craft supplies that were in my sun room. Some of it was junk and has been tossed. Some of it I will use, and most of it has been organized to give away. Tomorrow, Joanne and I will be able to clean the room and enjoy it for the next two weeks!

Oops! I skipped a day!

I guess I've been having too much fun with Joanne and the kids. I didn't even think about blogging last night.

Today the elementary teachers got together for lunch to celebrate Robyn's and my retirement. Our talented friend Edna made another cake for us. How clever of her to incorporate mermaid theme!

Joanne dressed Karolina in this onesie that was a present from my friend Denise. Isn't the teddy bear adorable? The baby's pretty cute too! ;-)

We had quite a bit of broccoli in our garden, so I spent some time freezing it after supper. Yes, we had fresh broccoli for supper. After all that work (it really wasn't much work), I treated myself to some tatting time. I'd better step it up if I'm going to finish this Spinning Wheel by Friday!

Again, I spent the early morning hours working on the Mermaid Tail Afghan. Much more concentration will be need if this is to be finished in two weeks, leaving me with less tatting time. Oh, well! I guess sacrifices must be made for the Drama Club!

Cleaning day

Daughter Joanne said she was going to help me clean during her visit, so today we got started. Under Joanne's direction, we moved everything out of the living room, cleaned the floor, and then cleaned each piece of furniture before putting it back in place. We were finished in about three hours, and that was with taking care of babies and a three-year-old. It's been a while since my living room was this clean! Thank you, Joanne!

After a brief afternoon nap, I decided to finish the first arm of my newest Spinning Wheel. I hope to get more tatting time tomorrow.

Early this morning, after Dave left for work and before Joanne and the kids were up, I started my next Mermaid Tail Afghan. My friend Jill chose these colors, and I think they look terrific!

I gave Sophia some sewing cards today. She played with them for a few minutes, and then moved on to something else... not unusual for a three-year-old!

After their afternoon nap, the babies spent a little time in the grass. Jan was okay with it, but Karolina was not thrilled. We'll try again tomorrow.

Under the sea!

Daughter Joanne agreed to model for me. I love the way this mermaid tail afghan turned out! It will be available for raffle/auction at The Little Mermaid at the end of this month. I'm hoping to have a third one finished, but I'm not sure I'll be able to make that happen.

Sophia wanted to join Joanne and me in crocheting, so I found a ball of yarn and a crochet hook. She played with them for quite a while. I'm sure she'll join us on "the dark side" as she grows older.

Ready for the tail

8:45 p.m. and I just finished the main part of the mermaid tail afghan! All that's left to crochet is the tail, and I should be able to complete that and sew it on tomorrow. :-)
Spinning

I pulled another skein of HDT (hand-dyed thread) from my stash for my next Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. This is size 20 Raspberry Ripple with Real Vanilla by Tatskool.

I guess I  need to check my blog feed. Every once in a while I come across a blog that I used to read regularly, and I see that the person has posted and I never received notification. That happened with Tatskool's blog. I've now re-added her to my blog feed, and I can happily keep up with what's happening across the sea!

My little mermaid has arrived!

Sophia is all ready for the play! Doesn't she look adorable in her Little Mermaid costume? Believe it or not, this is the only picture I took of the kids today, and you can't even see Jan's or Karolina's faces. Luckily, they will be here for three weeks!

Isn't it amazing that my newest Spinning Wheel glass mat matches Sophia's costume? I think this is my new favorite, Lilac Sea from Yarnplayer. I think I may choose another hand-dyed thread for my next Spinning Wheel. I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoy tatting with HDT!

Getting ready!

Daughter Joanne and family are arriving tomorrow! Of course, there is plenty to do in preparation for their arrival. The morning was spent shopping for necessities such as baby food and a kiddie pool. Big shopping is a 40 minute drive away, so it's something that needs to be planned.

This afternoon I finished up packaging key rings and necklaces for the play. That part of the preparation is done!

Busy days mean frequent work breaks, even if it's just for a few minutes. Hopefully, I will have time to finish this Spinning Wheel while finishing up household chores tomorrow.

I also took time to work on my mermaid tail afghan. Only two rows to go before I start to decrease!

I managed to clear a path to my loom and start another scarf. I do love my weaving time. It's so relaxing... no patterns to follow, just a nice, rhythmic back and forth. I know Sophia will want to help me weave, so I'll have to make a little more space before they arrive tomorrow!

Another oopsie!

In the excitement of the retirement celebrations, I forgot to post my May tatting.

I wish I had completed more, but I'm happy that I kept on track with my Spinning Wheels.

I had a busy day today. I packaged 80 mermaid scale necklaces to sell at The Little Mermaid, as well as 35 key rings. It's amazing how time-consuming packaging is! I also finished six more rows on the mermaid tail afghan.

I spent time with my Spinning Wheel glass mat. I do love this thread! It's size 20 Lilac Sea from Yarnplayer.