Still inspired by my binge watching of Downton Abbey, I spent the last two days reading Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey. This book was just as enjoyable as the first one!
Yes, I did do a little tatting. It's been a while since I've worked on a hanky edging. This one is "Clover" from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. The thread is hand-dyed size 40 from Yarnplayer, Brilliant Sunset. I think it's gorgeous!
Daughter Andrea came down for a visit with her daughters Lily and Ella this weekend. We hadn't seen them in nearly a year, so the time together was extra special. Daughters Alison and Carol joined us on Saturday, and even though we had rain and storms for most of the day, we all had a great time.
I did miss out on our Tollway Tatters Zoom meeting, and I missed the shuttles that Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design had for sale on Saturday. However, that's a small price to pay for a weekend of family fun!
It was wonderful to spend two days reading, but today it was time to get back to tatting. Any time I can't decide what to work on next, I find that working on a Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior) is a great way to relax and consider my options.
I haven't decided what I'll tackle next, but I sure had fun thinking about possibilities!
Over the past few weeks, I've been binge watching Downton Abbey while tatting. Of course I went to Amazon to find books related to Downton Abbey, and I ordered this one, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey.
The book arrived Monday afternoon, and I started reading it immediately. I just finished it a few minutes ago. When I find a book that catches my interest, everything else seems to fall by the wayside.
While I thoroughly enjoyed Downton Abbey, I found the story of Lady Almina far more interesting. Now I have a tough decision. Do I resume tatting or start reading the next book, Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey?
I managed to tat three more button motifs for ornaments and a necklace before running out of Yarnplayer's Primary.
My button ornament box is getting pretty full, and that's a good thing!
I need to determine prices for these ornaments, necklaces, and bookmarks. My goal is to raise at least $500 for the drama club, and I think that's achievable. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the autumn craft shows take place and that people are in the mood to buy!
I didn't get as much tatting done as I thought I would today, but I did get a lot of reorganizing done!
I have some little girls visiting at the end of July. I wonder if they'll choose necklaces to take home?
Today I worked with a very cheerful color combination, Primary from Yarnplayer. This is my December 8 pattern, and the thread is size 40.
One donut wasn't enough. This one was destined to be another necklace in my December 1 pattern.
Primary also makes a very pretty Workbasket cross. I may move on to using this thread with buttons next!
It's hard to believe that I started my blog 14 years ago on my 55th birthday. Where has the time gone?
Finally, I decided to try tatting Christina from Tatted Bookmarks ~ cross-shaped by Lene Bjorn. This time I left off the picots for a totally different look.
I still have a little bit of Daffodil Dell left, but I'm pretty sure I'll need to choose another color tomorrow!
Today was another donut day. I used up the last of my size 20 Just Daffodils by Tatskool. I'm always amazed out how much I'm able to tat from one skein or ball of thread. The partially covered donuts are from me using up thread left on shuttles. Waste not, want not!
I've found that I prefer blogging at night. That way I can keep a record of what I've accomplished in a day. That didn't happen last night, because I finished my last tatted piece too late. I just didn't have any energy left for blogging!
I started my day with another Workbasket cross in size 40 Lizbeth #117 Country Side. I left the picots off on this one, and I really like the sleek look. I laid the cross on a large white envelope, because I knew it would disappear on my Kindle cover. I like using my Kindle as a backdrop because of the texture, but I've realized that it seems to suck the life out of some colors.
With that in mind, I re-photographed yesterday's Curds & Whey bookmark. Now you can see more of the true beauty of this color combination from Tatskool!
I spent some time de-cluttering upstairs in the morning. Then, I loaded up the back of the car with items I no longer could use, and Mom and I headed to Goodwill. We visited daughter Carol for lunch and then headed back home. I was thrilled to see that Victoria Ong's new needle lace book had arrived in the mail!
This is Victoria's third book on needle lace, and I am thrilled to have it! It is very detailed and beautifully done. I've had the pleasure of taking a class with Victoria, and she has attended Tollway Tatters. She is a very patient teacher, and I am happy that she took the time to write three wonderful books on needle lace!
It took me until late afternoon to finish the Workbasket cross. I'm still adjusting to tatting with size 40 thread. I love working with it, but I haven't developed a feel for working with it, so it takes me quite a bit longer than when I use size 20. After dinner, I decided to tat another donut necklace. The donut is 5/8" donut and it works well with the size 40 thread.
My friend Sue has been using these 3/4" plastic rings in her sun catchers. They also work well with the size 40 thread.
So, why did I switch from hand-dyed threads to Lizbeth? When I'm experimenting, I prefer to use the Lizbeth. It's less expensive. Once I know my ideas will work, I feel better switching to the hand-dyed threads. Truth be told, I have way more thread than I will ever be able to use (both Lizbeth and hand-dyed). Still, I hate to be wasteful!
Somehow, I can't stop myself from collecting tatting supplies, and I love collecting bags. This weekend I received two of Jane Eborall's Roly Poly tatting bags. These are perfect for carrying around in my purse! I was only going to order one, the one on the left. However, those cute little bugs were calling to me, so I had to have two.
I finished the last of my skein of the pretty blue/green. I didn't quite have enough thread to go around the button. It still makes a cute pendant!
Moving on to another hand-dyed thread, I was in the mood to tat another Curds & Whey bookmark from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. The thread is Just Daffodils by Tatskool. I could not get a good picture of this thread. It is absolutely gorgeous!
I had fun tatting more pendants today. I finished these before dinner.
I found another skein of untagged hand-dyed thread.
It doesn't matter what the name of it is.
I think it's beautiful!
This is a busy week for Mom and me. Today I had my annual checkup. Tomorrow we go for hair cuts. On Thursday Mom goes to the doctor for a checkup, and my sister is coming to visit. We have lots to do!
I only managed to tat one thing today, another Workbasket cross bookmark. This one is in size 80 Choco Raspberry hand-dyed thread by Tatskool. I love this color!
This is the pattern that sparked my interest in tatting! I was given a cross bookmark as a thank you the summer of 1969. Mom knew that it was tatting, but didn't know how to tat. I remember that we went to the five and dime and purchased a shuttle, some thread, and a Coats & Clark book. For 20 years I periodically referred to the book and tried to figure out what to do. It never made sense.
One day, my friend Denise called and said she had found a video by Mildred Clark that would teach us to tat. Denise lent the video to me, and within 20 minutes I was tatting!
It took me years to identify the pattern as one from Workbasket. I have a copy of that Workbasket magazine somewhere. When I find its safe place, I'll let you know what issue it is.
