Where did the week go?

I really can't believe how quickly this past week went by. I did get a little done this week. I just forgot to post about it. One more dishcloth has been added to my stash, as well as a pretty blue bookmark.

I also finished a yellow bookmark. That, however, was all I managed to accomplish.

My sister and her husband came down this afternoon, and we planted a pagoda dogwood in memory of their son Andrew who passed away in April. They only expect to live in their house for another two or three years, and they wanted a place where the tree could thrive. I'm honored that they asked us if they could plant the tree on our farm. We found the perfect place in our side yard. The tree can be seen from the front porch, the side porch, and the fire pit. We've also been thinking of putting a seating area in the side yard. I'm sure that my sister will enjoy tending to the tree when she comes to visit.

Enjoying the weekend

The weather was glorious here this weekend, perfect for sitting on the porch and visiting with family. My brother arrived a week ago, following his fishing trip in northern Minnesota. He's heading off to central Kentucky today. He is certainly enjoying retirement!

My sister came down on Thursday, and stayed until late Saturday afternoon. Dave puttered around in the yard all weekend, while the rest of us were just plain lazy!

My brother asked me to mend his favorite pair of fishing pants. They're his favorite because they dry so quickly. The stitching was coming out of the pocket top, and he wanted it reinforced with a strip of denim. I'm not very adept at mending, but this fix worked out pretty well and David was happy with the end result.

It took me all weekend to crochet one hedgehog, but that's okay. For me, this weekend was all about relaxing and enjoying time with Dave, my mom, my brother, and my sister!

 

Lost and found

 

My craftiness slowed down this week due to the fact that I lost my crochet hook. Wouldn't you know, with all the crochet hooks in my house, I only had one of the size needed for my fidget hedgehogs.

After searching on and off for two days, I ordered a new hook from Amazon. Right after I opened the package, I found the missing crochet hook! Isn't that the way it always goes?

Getting back to normal

We had an exciting weekend here on the farm. We hosted our step-granddaughter's wedding. Everyone had a fantastic time, but setting up and cleaning up for a wedding with 260 guests is quite tiring. By 3:00 Sunday afternoon, no one would have known that a wedding had taken place here the day before. Many hands make light the work!

Needless to say, it took me a couple of days to recover. My mind says that I can do things that my body disagrees with!

Part of my recovery process was to choose a new tatting project, a Curds & Whey bookmark, and catch up on YouTube videos that I enjoy. 

One of my favorites is Fruity Knitting, and I was thrilled that this week's episode #157 included tatting! Madeleine married recently, and she learned to tat so that she could add a bit of lace to her wedding dress. She learned to tat by watching a class on Craftsy hosted by my dear friend Marilee Rockley! I was so excited, I messaged Marilee right away. 

I've been a fan of Marilee's hand-dyed threads ever since I discovered her when I started blogging years ago. My daughter Alison and I even drove to Wisconsin to meet her at a craft show. I felt a bit like a stalker, but I had to meet the lovely lady who provided me with so many gorgeous threads.We attended Palmetto Tat Days together one year with our friend Sue Anna, and we get to see each other on our Tollway Tatters meetings.

In other news, construction on our new room addition is well underway. This is something I have dreamed of for years. We finally had the money saved up to move forward, and we started the process in January. We're hoping the room will be done by the end of October, which is possible if the weather holds out. 

Life is good!

Slow craft day

 

There wasn't much time for crafting today, but I did manage to finish one dishcloth and one hedgehog. I guess I can only really claim the hedgehog for today, because the dishcloth was nearly finished. Still, that's two more completed projects.

There will be very little crafting over the next few days, if any. Why? We're having a wedding here this weekend!

Today we set up the chairs,

the dance floor,

the tents,

and we hung lights. There will be so much more to do tomorrow. The rehearsal will be tomorrow evening, and the wedding will be late afternoon Saturday.

It's going to be a busy weekend!

More, more, more!

I can't help myself!

With so many pony beads and so much acrylic yarn on hand, it's easy to keep crocheting fidget hedgehogs.

They're so much fun to make!

 

More hedgehogs!

School has started, and I am in the mood to make gifts for kids. Right now I'm in hedgehog mode. I know I'll be making gnomes at some point, but my gnome supplies are all packed away, so hedgehogs win!

 

Hot and humid

It was too hot and humid to do much of anything yesterday. I did shampoo porch cushions early in the morning, but I was done working outside by 7:30.

Before church, I started a hedgehog. It's been a few months since I've made one, and it was like I was making one for the first time. I can't believe how much I'd forgotten!

I finished him after lunch, and decided that I'd better make another one quickly while my mistakes were still fresh in my mind.

This one was completed with much less stress!

I have several shuttles with bits of thread left on them, so I spent the evening working on another Curds & Whey bookmark from Mary Konior's Tatting with Visual Patterns. The thread is size 20 Lizbeth #710 Bright Blue Lt. 

I think I have enough of this left to tat two more bookmarks. We'll see how that goes!

Curds & Whey

 

Ever since I figured out how to tat Mary Konior's Curds & Whey from Tatting with Visual Patterns, it has been a favorite for using up thread on a shuttle. 

This was all I had left of my hand-dyed Peach Pandorea from LadyShuttleMaker. It's a little shorter than I like my bookmarks, but it will be perfect for someone!

Another hat

 

I didn't intend to crochet another hat, but I wanted to see if using the same pattern and going up one hook size would make a hat that fit me well. 

Success! This hat fits me perfectly. Now I need to find the perfect pom pom to give it a feminine touch. 

Next up... finish the bookmark I started tatting the other day!

Hat time

 

After finishing my Clematis1 doily, I went back to working on an afghan I started last spring. It's a stitch sampler afghan, and the stitch I chose to use was too tight. So, I ripped out the section I had finished and decided to work on something different.

It's been a while since I've crocheted a hat. I thought that I might get on a roll making hats, but I don't feel inspired to keep going. So, I'm moving on to a new project!

Finished!

 

I just finished Renulek's Clematis1, and I'm thrilled with the way it turned out!

As I feared, I did not have enough of Sunshine from Snapdragon Lace to complete the last round. I did find a skein of Pear Glacé from LadyShuttleMaker, which is a very close match. If you look really closely, you will see that four of the pattern repeats do not have the touch of orange. However, I don't think too many people will look that closely.

The colors used for this: a partial ball of size 20 Lizbeth #628 Salmon Med, 1 skein Peach Pandorea hand-dyed thread from LadyShuttleMaker, 1 skein Sunshine from Snapdragon Lace, and a partial skein of Pearl Glacé from LadyShuttleMaker. The finished size is 13" diameter.

I haven't decided what my next tatting project will be. My sister has asked for a Concentric Rectangles doily. She'd like it in either white or ecru. I'm not sure that I'm ready to work on an all white project right now. Maybe it's time to make some more bookmarks!

Round 9

 

Round 9 went very quickly, probably because the rings were much smaller than in the previous round. I sure hope I have enough of Sunshine from Snapdragon Lace for the final round!

Round 8

 

Round 8 of Renulek's Clematis1 was very simple. It was perfect for pick-up tatting over a busy weekend. I really like the color I used for this round, size 20 Sunshine from Snapdragon Lace.

I only have two rounds to go!

Round 7

 

It took me quite a while to finish round 7 of Renulek's Clematis1, mainly because I was concentrating on finishing the Pizza Rat bag. I'm quite happy with the way this is looking. 

The Drama Club summer production is this weekend, so I really don't see myself getting much more done before Monday. Still, I never know what I'll be inspired to do!

Pizza Rat bag

 

My former boss asked if I would crochet this Pizza Rat bag for a friend of hers. Almost always up for a challenge, I said yes. 

It's crocheted with worsted weight yarn and a 2.5 mm hook, would it was very hard on my wrist and hands. It took me three and a half weeks to make, mainly because of the small hook size. The instructions were very clear, so following the patterns was not at all difficult.

If I'm ever asked to crochet this pattern again, the answer will be NO!

Tree time

 

I needed a break from tatting, knitting, and crocheting, so moved myself back into tree mode.

The school drama club is performing this weekend, August 2 & 3, and they're going to have a raffle table to raise funds for future performances. I had such a positive response to my bejeweled trees at the last raffle, that I decided to give it another try. 

Daughter Carol likes it, and that's all that matters to me!

Round 6

It took me all day to tat this round, so I don't think I'll be finishing a round each day any longer. 

I don't have enough of the Peach Pandorea hand-dyed thread for another round, so I'm thinking of switching to Sunshine from Snapdragon Lace, another hand-dyed thread that has been in my stash for quite a while.

I'll tat one more round in size 20 Lizbeth #628 Salmon Med before making my decision. 

The high school drama club has their performance in a week, and I've been asked to help with dress rehearsal this weekend. I'm guessing there won't be much time for tatting!

And then there were five!

 

I didn't feel like doing much with the heat and humidity yesterday. I did do a little bit of house maintenance, but most of my time was spent reading and tatting. I pretty much plan to have the same kind of day today!

4 rounds!

 

I spent a lot of time tatting both yesterday and today, which means four completed rounds! I really am enjoying tatting Renulek's Clematis1. We're expecting extreme heat tomorrow, so maybe I'll get some more tatting time in... or Dave might help me with housework!

Busy weekend

 

I thought about starting another hanky edging, but instead I chose to start a new doily. This is Clematis1 from Renulek. I've chosen two colors to work with, of course hoping that I have enough of each! 

I started with size 20 Lizbeth #628 Salmon Med.

Alternating rounds will be done in size 20 hand-dyed thread from Lady Shuttlemaker, size 20 Hakelgarn Peach Pandorea.

A couple of weeks ago, I started knitting the Bramwell shawl. 

I'm on a quest to use craft materials that I have on hand, because I have way too much. Honestly, I could open a small shop if I lived in a tourist area where visitors look for unique items and are willing to pay premium prices. However, I live in a small farming community. Therefore, I will use up my materials to the best of my ability and enjoy working with my treasures!

Finished!

 

I'm happy that I finished my hanky edging. The corners didn't quite turn out the way I imagined, but I think the bride-to-be will like it as it is.

On to my next project!

At last!

 

I finally finished my hanky edging. All I have to do now is attach it. 

I've been very slack in my crafting these past few weeks. I've been spending a lot of time reading. Over the past few weeks, I read all nine of the Anne of Green Gables books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. 

I'm really considering moving to audio books so that I can craft and "read" at the same time. My problem with audio books is that the narrator never sounds like the voices in my head. I much prefer my own voices!

Dendrophile

 

We had a great Tollway Tatters meeting on Saturday. I managed to get quite a bit done on my hanky edging, but when we finished up our meeting, my hands were done for the day.

I've been doing some knitting so that I'm using my hands differently. It really does help. I finished this bunny that I started at Easter time. I don't add ears, whiskers, or a tail. So far, the recipients have liked them just the way they are.

I have an awful lot of beautiful sock yarn to knit up, so I figured I'd better get started. Dendrophile from Expression Fiber Arts was a very enjoyable project. It took me four days only because I was distracted by reading. The yarn is Mushroom 75/25 Superwash Merino Nylon (fingering weight) from Bad Sheep Yarn. I've had this yarn in my stash for a while. I love the way it turned out!

The pattern does show up better in a solid color, but I am very happy with what I made. I might make another in a solid color, but for now I'm enjoying exploring a variety of patterns.

Next up? I may start a shawl!

Turning another corner

 

We had a family cookout last Saturday. Not everyone was able to attend, but those who did had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect, and the food was delicious. I love when everyone chips in with their favorite dishes. There always seems to be a nice mix of old favorites and new temptations. 

We've been doing a lot of work outside, so I didn't get in as much tatting time as I would have liked. I do admit to sometimes feeling too lazy to tat. Sometimes it's just nice to sit and enjoy the scenery and the weather!

Southern company

Daughter Joanne and family are visiting from Georgia for the week. We've been doing lots of work around the house and yard while enjoying each other's company. As a result, I haven't put much time into my tatting.

I am making slow progress with my hanky edging. Since I don't have a deadline, I'm just enjoying a few minutes of tatting here and there. No pressure!

Change of plan

 

After making several more mistakes, I decided to abandon the simple ring and chain edging I had chosen. Sometimes I do better when I have to pay attention to a pattern, and I found that to be the case this time.

Last night, I thought about this vintage tatting magazine that has some fascinating patterns.

The Spool Cotton Co. published this magazine in 1944.

The pattern is #8902, and is meant to be an edging for a neckline. I've decided to use it for my hanky edging. I have to figure out my own corner, and while I have a set of rings and chains for now, I may decide to add something else to make the corners more interesting.

We'll see how long this idea lasts!