A year of Spinning Wheels

I can't believe that this is the last day of 2016. The time sure flew by quickly!

I felt like I was falling behind in tatting Spinning Wheels, but I guess I was wrong. I managed to finish five in December, along with all the Ice Drops I've been making.

My goal for 2016 was to tat one Spinning Wheel each week in 2016. I exceeded my goal with a grand total of 66!

I don't think I'll set any goals for 2017. I think I'll just enjoy myself. How about you?

Loving color!

Before Christmas, I stuck with white thread and colored glass gems and beads for my Ice Drops. Now I'm having fun experimenting with color!

I was thinking beach colors with this one.

The ribbon looks more pink than I see on my monitor. I really like the way it looks!

I was going for Mardi Gras colors on this one. The gold gem picks up a lot more of the red than I anticipated.

So, I think this looks more like "When I grow old I will wear purple." I am having fun with color.

If you follow my postings on Facebook, you may have noticed that my Ice Drops have only been posted on my timeline and on the Ice Drop Addicts page. I have read some comments that I perceived as being negative on some of the other pages, so I've decided to only post where there are other tatters who understand my obsession. After all, it's all about having fun!

Shopping spree

Dave and I went to Menards today to order new kitchen counter top and to dream about what we'd like to do with our bathroom. It's amazing how much time dreaming can take!

We also took a couple of side trips.

I was looking for purple glass gems. Hobby Lobby didn't have any. :-(

Then we went to Michaels, where I did find purple! :-)

With all the shopping, I only managed to tat one Ice Drop today.

I wonder when I'll grow tired of these? Not too soon, I hope!

It's good to be back home!

We had a wonderful visit with daughters Andrea and Joanne and their families, but I'm happy to be home! I wish we all lived closer to each other, but I'm glad that my daughters are independent enough to live where they're happy!

I can usually get a lot of tatting done in the care, but not this trip. I fell asleep too often! I did finish this Spinning Wheel glass mat in size 20 Lizbeth #646, Purple Iris Lt. The shuttles are two of my newer ones from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design.

Andrea surprised with a gift card to Hobby Lobby, my favorite store!. Daughter Joanne looked for a shuttle maker on Etsy and found Banyek.

She had no idea I collect his shuttles! I guess my daughters are enablers! ;-)

I took a four day break from tatting Ice Drops. I had plenty to carry with me since we had Christmas gifts for all the kids.

After we unpacked and put everything away, I got right back in to Ice Drop mode! I'm feeling very festive this year, so the Christmas decorations may stay up just a little bit longer!

Merry Christmas!

Ice Drops with color were the order of the day!

I really enjoyed making these, but I'll be taking a break from them for a few days.

We'll be spending time with our grandchildren, so I'm going to set aside technology and tatting for the next few days and just enjoy the little ones.

Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful Christmas Eve!

We had a great time with our family gathering for Christmas Eve! We invited my friend Denise to join us, and I'm so glad she came. We had a wonderful time laughing, telling stories, and enjoying each other's company.

Denise surprised me with loads of goodies! We both love the Pioneer Woman, and Denise knew I had used up all my pretty bowls, filling them with glass gems. She found this pretty one and told me that it would hold four bags of gems... she had already figured that out!

The inspiration behind this cache of gems was Karey Solomon's Baubles, Bangles & Beads. There are marbles in the dish for making wrecking balls. At the top, there's a collection of sun, moon, and star gems. On the right are glass squares for tatting gift wrapped ice cubes. The bottom group is hexagons. I know I saw someone tatting with hexagons, but I can't remember who right now. I'll add in the name and link if I think of it later. On the left are larger glass gems. I've put a quarter next to one on the bottom so that you can get an idea of the size. The ornaments in the center got Denise to thinking about angels. I see a lot of fun tatting in my future. Thank you, Denise!

Breaking News! Linda remembered that it was Carolyn Craig who has a pattern for tatting with the hexagon gems! Thank you, Linda! The file can be found on the Just Tatting page on Facebook.

Most of the gems fit in my beautiful new bowl. Denise also gave me this pretty red dish. We had been talking about red glass dishes that we each used to have. Denise decided we each needed one for special gems.

Mine is filled with sea glass from Spain. I think it's a very good thing that I am retired!

Thinking of Rudolph

Denise and I were talking, and she mentioned that she was really enjoying working with the red glass gems, because they reminded her of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer!

I decided to join in the fun!

Last night, Dave and I stopped at Walmart on our way home. I don't get to Walmart often, as it's a good half hour from our house. We managed to find the few grocery items we needed, and then this force field grabbed my cart and pulled me to the craft section! The last time I was at Walmart, there were no bags of red, green, or frost white gems. I know... I would have snapped them up immediately! Sometimes you just have to get something when you see it, because it might not be there next time. As my cart pulled me around to the next aisle, I saw beads that would be perfect embellishments for my Ice Drops. Luckily, beads and glass gems are fairly cheap. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

My friend Maria received her Ice Drop and Lucky Penny in time for Christmas!

They look wonderful on her tree!

I need to unplug for the day. The festivities begin at our house at noon, and I have a few dust bunnies that need to find a new home!

Merry Christmas, dear friends!

Ice Drops ~ The Bow

I've had several people ask how I make the bow for my Ice Drops. Here you go!

I start with a 12" piece of ribbon. I've used 1/4", but I much prefer 1/8". Tie the first half of a square knot.

Thread the ribbon under the chains on either side of the ring from back to front.

Tie the second half of the square knot. Snug it up.

Make the bow.

Trim the ends to the desired length. I add a dab of Clover glue to the ends of the ribbon and the knot in the middle of the bow.

I ordered this bottle of Clover yarn settlement liquid from Japan: http://aphyu-tatting.ocnk.net/product/5. They accept PayPal, and I've had very good service from them.

If ordering directly from Japan is not your thing, I've also found the product on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XZSLLCK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

This is a very watery glue that dries quickly. I didn't want my ribbon ends fraying. I'm not sure if it helps secure the knot in the bow or not, but I figure it can't hurt!

The big thaw

It's hard to believe that school was closed on Monday because of the bitter cold. It was -8º in the morning. Today we got up to 36º, and we're supposed to be up to 50º by Monday. I'm guessing that our snow will soon be gone.

It's a good thing I have my Ice Drops to remind me of winter! ;-)

Holiday spirit

I'm really getting in to the holiday spirit!

Today some new shuttles arrived from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design. They arrived in an adorable little box that looks like a book... perfect for a retired librarian! I think my favorite is the white shuttle with the rose. I love roses!

I finished three more Ice Drops today. I'm slowly refilling my tree. It's looking a little bare, because I mailed some off to friends and relatives today. I am truly addicted to making these little ornaments!

I also finished my Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior) in size 20 Lizbeth #689, Mint Light. Yes, I do love my tatting shuttles, and I try to show how much I love them by using each of them at least once!

Where does the time go?

Christmas has snuck up on me again! Oh, I have all the presents wrapped and under the tree. The ravioli is made for Christmas Eve. I've even managed to tat a few ornaments! ;-)

However, it just struck me that today is Wednesday, and family will be descending upon us on Saturday! I need to mail off Ice Drops to some friends and relatives. I meant to do it earlier, but tatting got in the way. I'm pretty sure they won't arrive by Christmas, but I enjoy getting mail after Christmas... hopefully the recipients will feel the same way!

We're taking a two week break from sewing lessons, so the sewing machines can be put away. There's an awful lot of tidying and dusting and vacuuming to do, so I think I will crank up the volume on my iPod and sing my way to a Christmas-ready house!

I only managed to tat one Ice Drop yesterday. I subbed at the middle school, had a two-hour sewing lesson with my little girls, and took care of my sick hubby. Why is it that miserable colds seem to rear their ugly heads right before the holidays? I'm taking preventive measures for myself. I do not want to be sick this weekend!

Subbing at the middle school allowed for quite a bit of tatting time, so I made great progress on my newest Spinning Wheel glass mat. Many of the kids were taking end-of-term assessments, and I find it very easy to tat this pattern while keeping an eye on the kids. I felt especially festive using my shuttles from Rita Richmond... anything to promote the Christmas spirit!

Having fun!

I did do a little around the house today, but mostly I had fun!

I added three more Ice Drops to my little silver tree. I don't know if you can see it on your monitor, but the one on the left is iridescent, and the one on the right is a deep silver blue. All three are much prettier in person!

I also finished another Spinning Wheel glass mat from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. This one is in size 20 Lizbeth #615, Yellow Light. I like that I was able to choose two of Rita Richmond's beautiful shuttles that had the same yellow in them! (Shuttle by Design)

Baby, it's cold outside!

It has been colder here, and I know it's colder in other parts of the country, but it is still cold outside! I did not venture outside today. Instead, I sat in my chair and did a little tatting and a little napping. :-)

My little tree is getting full again, which is good. I want my guests on Christmas Eve to have plenty to choose from!

If only...

If only we had experienced the horrible storm that was predicted, I could have justified spending the day tatting. However, the storm did not materialize, so I was forced to continue with household chores. Drat!

Even though the day was filled with laundry, chatting with family and friends, and preparing ravioli filling, I managed to tat three Iced Drops in different shades of blue. These three gems are all from my shopping spree the other day!

It has been very interesting to see how others have interpreted and/or adapted my pattern to their individual tastes or needs. I tried a couple of those ideas out on the Ice Drop on the left. I didn't see a tremendous difference in the end product, so I've decided to stick with what works for me. I've developed a rhythm with my pattern, and I honestly found it confusing to try and adapt other ideas. I guess that just goes to show, there's more than one way to accomplish almost anything!

Two more!

Daughter Alison sold her house, so we went up to help her move a few things today. I didn't really do much more that watch, but I'm still exhausted!

Despite all the activity of the day, I did manage to finish two more Ice Drops. These two gems are from my shopping spree yesterday. I honestly don't know how so many glass gems managed to fall into my cart, and it happened in three different stores!

I guess I'll just have to find a way to use them all! ;-)

Brrr!

It was pretty cold this morning, but it's supposed to be colder early next week. So, I did my running around today, leaving little time for tatting.

I do need to replenish my little silver tree. I mailed off Ice Drops to my mom, sister, and nephew today. I also visited school to show the kids my tree. There are many 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders who took tatting lessons from me, and they really enjoyed seeing my little ornaments!

Yes, I've added to my shuttle collection. These two beauties are from Veronica in Russia. I had seen someone post a picture of a similar shuttle, and I contacted Veronica about purchasing one. She promised to let me know when one was available, and she kept her word! The large shuttle is about the size of a Tatsy. I love it!

I just can't stop!

I was subbing again today, but I still managed to tat three more! The one on the left is a tiddlywink. You can easily see that it is much flatter than the domed glass gems, and the color looks flat compared to the other two. However, on a lit tree it looks very pretty.

The blue gem in the center is one that just called to me from my little angel dish. It's not evident in the picture, but it has a silver shimmer to it that is gorgeous!

The green gem on the right is one that arrived today. This was part of my Etsy shopping binge over the weekend. I wish everyone could see this gem in person! The top is not a smooth dome. It has a ripple in it that causes a little bit of color change when viewed from different angles. I love it!

I have chosen a few Ice Drops for my tree. Yes, I have my own tree! Dave decorates his with traditional glass balls and white lights. I like colorful lights and a variety of ornaments. If you enlarge the photo, I think you might be able to get the idea of how the ripple in the top of the gem really makes this Ice Drop sparkle!

My friend Sandy sent me a picture of some Lucky Pennies she has finished for family events. I love seeing how others have interpreted my little pattern!

Old school

Today I'm feeling very much like an old school person. I was subbing at the middle school this afternoon, and I realized how far removed I am from keeping up with educational trends in such a short time. I'm not complaining, merely observing. Why does everything change so quickly?

I'm also starting to feel like blogging is very much old school. Again, I'm not complaining. It's just an observation. Back when I started blogging (9 1/2 years ago), it was the ultimate way to keep in touch with tatters. Now the best way to meet up with tatters online seems to be Facebook. Case in point... I"m amazed at the following my little Ice Drops have received through the groups I belong to on Facebook! It's been great fun to see others pick up on how much fun it is to tat up these little ornaments.

Today I worked on two more tiddlywinks. The Swarovski crystals add a little weight, which is nice.

My little silver tree is getting full!

Imagine my surprise when a box full of shuttles arrived from Handy Hands today! I guess that's what happens when one spends too much time window shopping on the Internet on the weekend. ;-)

Baby pink

I finished my Baby Pink Spinning Wheel glass mat today! I'm not really a fan of pink, but I had it in my stash, and it was the first ball of thread I grabbed. If you read my blog on a regular basis, you already know that this is my favorite pattern from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. I used size 20 Lizbeth this time, and the shuttles are from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design.

Since I had Baby Pink left on my shuttles, I decided to use it for my next Ice Drop. I'm trying to think of someone who had a baby girl this year. I think it would be the perfect ornament for baby's first Christmas!

Don't they look nice together?

Snow has come to the midwest, and granddaughter Sophia built her first snowman today! She was very pleased with herself!