Celebrating

We celebrated Christmas and the New Year with Dave's sister and brother-in-law yesterday. We always have a great time together, and yesterday was no exception.

They loved their gifts! Mom knit a June Shawl by Lisa Overby in a beautiful sea foam green. This is the shawl pattern that Mom and I used for all our Christmas gifts. 

Larry is modeling his scarf that Mom wove in Patons Kroy sock yarn. The color is Woodsie. We had great fun knitting and weaving for Christmas this year, but I don't think we'll ever put that kind of pressure on ourselves again!

Even though we were gone for about eight hours yesterday, I did manage to get a little crafting done. I finished a skein of gray on my Granny afghan. I enjoy working with the Granny pattern. It's so easy to pick up for even a few minutes.

I also finished another Dorset button ornament for my project idea. There's not much thread left on the spool of DMC Diamant. I'm pretty sure I can only get one more ornament out of it. That's okay... I have lots of thread stashed around the house!

Time flies!

Time did fly by today! I sprayed clear coat on all of the ornaments decorated by students and staff, and I worked on adding hanging cords to them. I still have quite a few that need hangers. I started hanging them on one of my trees so that I can determine how many trees I need to take with me to Christmas in the Village. It's too dark to take a picture now, but I'll try to remember to take one tomorrow.

While waiting for  the clear coat to dry (I put three layers on the front and back of each ornament), I worked on another Dorset button set. The ornament looks okay, but I didn't have enough thread to make the center as dense as I like it. I might add more to the center tomorrow.

I also worked a little on my collar. I'm feeling a little worn out from the day's activities, so I think I'll take a break tonight!

Finishes

 

I finished two ornaments today. I love the way this button ornament turned out!

It took me several days to finish this Dorset button and ornament set. Somehow, it just kept getting set to the side!

One more spoke of my collar is finished. This is going to be so pretty!

Takin' it slow

 

I've been doing a lot of reading the past couple of days, so I've been doing very little tatting. That's okay! A change of pace always does us good!

Rainy day activities

Saturday was a beautiful, cool, sunny day. Dave and my brother David worked on our shed roof while Mom and I puttered around in the house.

Today was rainy and gloomy. 

Mom and I agree that rainy days are perfect for reading books! After watching a movie about Queen Victoria last week, I went searching for books and this one caught my eye. It will go to daughter Carol, who loves European history. She told me she won't have time to read it until Christmas break, so I'm reading it first.

I started this set of Dorset button and ornament yesterday, but I didn't finish it until this afternoon. This is another color that I never would have purchased separately. However, I think it's really pretty, now that I've worked with it.

I switched from non-fiction to fiction this afternoon. Jo Tulip is helping to solve a murder mystery. She's drawn into the investigation because of her knowledge of household tips. This one's a light read, and I'm really enjoying it!

Rainy days seem like the perfect time to bake, so now we have some fresh bread to eat!

Easy weekend

I've been taking it easy this weekend. I spent most of my time yesterday on the computer. I read blogs, watched videos, and let myself be led from one thing to another. This morning I decided that I couldn't waste another day. So, I started with finishing up another bottle cap ornament.

Next, I decided to start another set of Dorset button ornaments with my new box of perle cotton. It's easier to keep going when working with a simple pattern, and with all the subbing I've been doing, easy is good!