Clean the shed!

Dave spent the day cleaning the shed. No, I didn't make him do it. I only go in the shed when it's absolutely necessary!

I was a good girl and stayed inside! I tried a variation with my Doodle Ice Drop. On the chain, I tatted 3-3-3-3 instead of 6-6. On the outside round, I did a lock join on the extra picots. I don't really like the look, but it was fun to experiment!

Another bookmark was in order today. This is "Wave" from Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. I really enjoyed tatting this one!

I have five rows left to knit on Clue 5 of the Sanditon MKAL. I still plan on having a drawing for one of the high school girls to win this shawl. I'm not sure if or when there will be prom this year. We received word today that there will be remote learning through the end of April. Prom is usually the first weekend in May. Still, I hope to make one of the girls happy!

There are 32 Ice Drops on my little tree. My grandchildren took three home, so I have a total of 35 for the month of March!

After taking a picture of my Ice Drops for the month, I've been carefully setting them in a box. I have two of these boxes that look like books. I'm guessing I'll be able to fit six month's worth of Ice Drops in this box. I'll have quite a collection to share when the holidays roll around again!

Taking it easy

Today was a low key day. Dave did some yard work. I did some laundry, and I managed to get a little tatting done.

Tatting a Doodle Ice Drop always makes me happy! I've been playing with variations of stitch counts and spacing. Slight changes give different looks!

Granddaughter Sophia asked for a bookmark when she was here. I had no tatted ones on hand, and I decided that it's time to rebuild my stash. This is Mary's Bookmark from Tatted Bookmarks by Robin Perfetti. The pattern was inspired by Mary Konior's "Corn and Chaff" in Tatting in Lace. I'm a big fan of both Mary Konior and Robin Perfetti, so this was a wonderful pattern for me to tat!

Birthday girl

Today is Sophia's 7th birthday. It doesn't seem possible. She was the first one up this morning, which meant she got to spend time playing games on Papa's iPad... always a special time!

Kara wanted a pink Ice Drop, so that's what she got!

Then Kara decided that Grandma needed a pink Ice Drop. Again, Kara got what she wanted!

Janko chose a blue Ice Drop, and Sophia chose a multi-colored one, both of which were on my Ice Drop tree. Janko said I needed another purple Ice Drop. Today was just one of those days when my grandchildren got exactly what they wanted!

Auntie Carol gave a copy of her favorite book to Sophia and took the time to read it to her. Auntie Carol is quite the animated reader!

I guess I was wrong!

When I posted yesterday, I forgot that I had finished another Doodle Ice Drop the night before using my new Gothic shuttle from Lorraine Kolasa. I really do enjoy tatting with these beautiful brass shuttles!

The kids were busy playing today, so I had time to catch up on Ice Drops.

I hadn't tatted any in the past few days, so I decided to go with a basic one pass pattern to quickly build my stash.

I did a little reorganizing in my sewing room before everyone was up this morning, and I found some shuttles from Ayumi Horiai that I hadn't used yet.

I must have been really attracted to this one, because I purchased two!

I think five Ice Drops in one day might be a record for me!

Nothing to show

Dave, Joanne, the grandchildren, and I have been very busy the past two days, but I really have nothing to show for it.

We've played many games of The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel. We've walked around the house, both inside and outside. I've been working on reorganizing my crafting supplies, a long and tedious process. It doesn't help that I get distracted by long-forgotten projects!

Tatting the day away

Yesterday was filled with tatting and knitting. Since my Sanditon shawl is getting bigger, progress isn't really obvious. So, I'll post a picture when I'm finished with the section I'm working on.

I put my Art Deco shuttle from Lorraine Kolasa to use again. I had no thread left on it, so I had no proof that it had been lovingly used! 😉 This time I used size 20 Lizbeth #686, Seagreen Lt. The colors show up differently when using a white glass gem instead of the crackled clear ones.

My grandchildren are fascinated by the box of little flowers I have for Vicki Clarke's A Celebration of A Classic, and they asked if I could make them necklaces. What's a grandma to do? Each of them chose a Liz Metallic thread, and I used small stitch markers that color coordinated with the thread in place of jump rings. Luckily, I have some inexpensive chains on hand!

Janko said he didn't want a necklace, because he's a boy, but he still wanted a flower with the little ring. I'm not sure what he'll do with it, but he's happy to have one!

Kara was the most excited about her necklace. I think she wore it with at least three different outfits yesterday!

Snow day!

The weather prediction was spot on for a change! Dave read that snow was supposed to start in the afternoon and last through the night, with an accumulation of one to three inches. By late afternoon, we had a beautiful snow-filled yard. The kids didn't mind at all!

The snow has stopped, but we woke up to a winter wonderland. Most of it will melt today. In fact, the snow is already starting to drop off the trees, and it's only 7:15.

The kids and I spent a lot of time playing The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game. It was tough at first. Four-year-olds tend to cry when their acorns are stolen or the wind blows them all back into the tree. The more we play, the better their reactions, so I guess we'll keep on playing!

I did a little organizing in my sewing room, and I do mean little! I became distracted by a long lost knitting project and spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what pattern I had been using. I finally gave up on that idea and spent a couple of hours looking for a new pattern. I've cast on for a pretty Seashore Kerchief and will probably spend time on it today.

Despite whiling away many hours with board games and Internet searches, I did manage to tat a Doodle Ice Drop in size 20 Lizbeth #115, Springtime. Since I've been decorating keys for the grandchildren, I've fallen behind on my Ice Drops. I not only need to tat Ice Drops, I also needed to show some love for my new Art Deco shuttle from Lorraine Kolasa!

I had enough thread left on the shuttle for three little flowers for Vicki Clarke's A Celebration of a Classic. I plan on tatting little flowers until the stay-at-home order is lifted, and then I'll mail them off. I have 33. My goal was to tat 49, the minimal number needed for the project. I think I'll meet that goal!

Joanne has been crocheting like crazy, and yesterday she finished Janko's Parasaurolphus. Can you tell that he loves it? Look at that death grip! He's been carrying it around by the neck, which is now well-stretched. He doesn't mind. Mommy made it just for him!

Fulfilling wishes

Life has been very busy with three of the grandchildren here. The little ones flit from one activity to another, and they get excited about so many things!

Sophia was very impressed with Janko's dinosaur key. She chose colors for her key, but couldn't decide what her key would be. So, I covered the key and waited until late afternoon for her decision. I used one of my new shuttles from Middy Clark of The Knotted Vine. I'm very impressed with this shuttle. The balance in incredible; it's light weight; it holds lots of thread!

Sophia and Kara were very impressed with my collection of little flowers for A Celebration of a Classic, a fund raiser for Palmetto Tat Days. So, I tatted "teeny tiny flowers" while the girls watched. I waited until the evening to order shuttles from Rita Richmond last weekend. I'm trying very hard to give others a chance to purchase her beautiful shuttles!

I used two shuttles for Janko's dinosaur key. The girls wanted me to tat a flower from each shuttle, so I did!

The girls are so funny! Every time I pick up a new shuttle, they tell me it's their favorite!

Even a Clover shuttle wins their approval!

Sophia decided that she wanted her key to be a flower. I'm not sure what kind of flower it is, but my other new butterfly shuttle from Middy Clark was perfect for the job!

This morning, Sophia reminded me that I needed to tat a flower with this shuttle, so I did!

I think she likes it!

Stay-at-home

Governor Pritzger announced a stay-at-home order this afternoon. It will begin tomorrow at 5 p.m. and go through April 7. Dave is a wholesale plant distributor, and since his business is not considered essential, he will be on his first two week vacation ever. I guess he'll get a glimpse of what retirement could be like.

Barbara Foster's timing for Hello Lizbeth: a Special Gift Box was perfect! No, I don't need any more thread, shuttles, patterns, or tote bags, but they do make a great pick-me-up, especially with a stay-at-home order starting.

Janko found my stash of keys and asked me to make him a dinosaur key. I had no idea of what to do. Janko chose his key and thread colors, and I got started. I finished right after he got up from his nap, and he was very excited! He told me it's a Dilophosaurus key. I'm not up on my dinosaurs, so I'll just have to take his word for it.

I did not write down what I did, so there will never be another. I had fun, and my grandson is happy. That's all that matters!

Finally!

I finally have time to post when my Internet is working! However, I have nothing to show. Oh, don't worry... I've been tatting, but it's secret tatting.

My friend Shelley Perreault asked me to test tat a pattern for her. She's going to teach it at Tatting Corner's Tat Days this summer, and it is adorable! It involves keys, beads, and blipless joins. It was a good challenge for me.

I can't tell you any more. You'll have to wait for Shelley to release the pattern!

Internet slowdown

Our Internet has been extremely slow the past few days. I'm not sure if it's because I'm stubborn and stick with a basic package, or if it's because of an increased number of people working from home. I'm guessing it's the latter, or possibly a combination of the two. At any rate, I've been trying to post for more than two hours, and I can't help wondering if I should try to post at a different time.

I spent quite a bit of time walking on my porch yesterday. It was chilly, but it felt good to walk outside with the sun shining!

Again, I only tatted one Doodle Ice Drop. This one is in size 20 Lizbeth #699, Harvest Gold. The shuttle is from Chris Hinton. I often wonder what happened to Chris. I haven't heard anything about him in years.

I spent time working on my Sanditon shawl yesterday. So far I've been okay with the eyelet rows, but I'm being extremely careful and knitting very slowly!

Ha!

I thought I would get so much done yesterday. Wrong!

I followed my morning routine, and went to school early to run off copies for teachers. There wasn't much to do, so I was home by 8:30. The day was mine!

Somehow, the day got away from me and I only managed to tat one Doodle Ice Drop. Maybe I'll do better today!

This weekend was pretty typical for us... housework, yard work, laundry, grocery shopping. We kept the t.v. turned off for most of the weekend, and found that it was possible to go on with our lives as usual. Dave and I are not social people, so the restrictions that have been put in place really haven't changed the way we do things.

Tatting was still part of my daily routine! This Doodle Ice Drop is in size 20 Lizbeth #138, Leafy Green. This has been one of my go-to threads ever since it was introduced. It goes well with so many projects! The ceramic shuttle is by Sherry Pence (LadyShuttleMaker).

Handy Hands recently introduced Elisa thread in size 10 and size 5. I ordered some for band weaving, but I wanted to see how it worked up in tatting. As you can see, size 10 fits five rings around the glass gem rather than 6. I prefer the look of six rings, but it's nice to see how the thread works for tatting. I'm very pleased with this thread. It's smooth, soft, and the colors are beautiful, although the colors are limited. The ceramic shuttle is another beauty by Sherry Pence.

I'll be going in to school to run off copies for teachers this morning, and then schools will be closed for the next two weeks. During the two weeks off, I plan to get my house cleaned, stay calm, and keep tatting!

Another lazy Saturday

I really meant to get some spring cleaning done, but I didn't. Instead, I watched a couple of movies and did some tatting. I even snuck in a nap!

I can't believe I'm still finding colors in my stash that I haven't used before! This one is size 20 Lizbeth #145, Pink Parade. I love this ceramic shuttle by Sherry Pence (LadyShuttleMaker).

My second Ice Drop of the day is in size 20 Lizbeth #177, Elderberry Jam. I love elderberries, so it makes sense that I love this color. This is one of my most special shuttles. It's the "Diane" shuttle from Sherry Pence. Cobalt blue, tatted lace, pic tip... designed just for me!

Lime Green

Well, the high school play has been postponed because of the corona virus scare. Illinois K-12 schools will be closed from March 17 to March 30 by order of the governor. School will be open on Monday to give teachers a chance to prepare students for at-home learning. This will be a new experience for both teachers and students, and I hope it goes well.

Today's tatting is in size 20 Lizbeth #679, Lime Green. The ceramic shuttle is from Sherry Pence (LadyShuttleMaker).

Since I won't be working for the next two weeks, I could finish an awful lot of craft projects. My other option is to do some spring cleaning. I'm guessing that spring cleaning would be a better choice so that we can stay healthy!

Pineapple Parfait

Although I'm not normally a fan of yellow, I do like Pineapple Parfait, Lizbeth #170. I think it goes nicely with this ceramic shuttle from Sherry Pence (LadyShuttleMaker)

My collection of flower motifs for Vicki Clarke is growing. I'm planning on mailing them off at the end of the month. In the meantime, I'm having fun using up threads on shuttles!

Feeling my age

I'm feeling my age today. Daughter Carol texted me this morning and asked if I could run copies of the play programs for this weekend, something I've helped out with for years. It's amazing how tired one can get from standing in front of a copy machine. By the end of the day, I was really feeling worn out!

I was feeling restless before I headed into school, and I had a hard time settling on what I wanted to work on today. I finally decided to just continue with another Doodle Ice Drop, and I'm glad I did! This one is in size 20 Lizbeth #156, Juicy Watermelon. I have loved this color ever since it was first introduced. The shuttle is another beauty from Sherry Pence (LadyShuttleMaker).

Since I was so tired after school, I decided the best thing I could do was sit and tat. I think it's a very logical choice! This time I used size 20 Lizbeth #683, Leaf Green Light. The shuttle is a Dreamlit from Handy Hands that I decorated with nail decals. I love working with pretty shuttles!