My little mermaid has arrived!

Sophia is all ready for the play! Doesn't she look adorable in her Little Mermaid costume? Believe it or not, this is the only picture I took of the kids today, and you can't even see Jan's or Karolina's faces. Luckily, they will be here for three weeks!

Isn't it amazing that my newest Spinning Wheel glass mat matches Sophia's costume? I think this is my new favorite, Lilac Sea from Yarnplayer. I think I may choose another hand-dyed thread for my next Spinning Wheel. I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoy tatting with HDT!

Getting ready!

Daughter Joanne and family are arriving tomorrow! Of course, there is plenty to do in preparation for their arrival. The morning was spent shopping for necessities such as baby food and a kiddie pool. Big shopping is a 40 minute drive away, so it's something that needs to be planned.

This afternoon I finished up packaging key rings and necklaces for the play. That part of the preparation is done!

Busy days mean frequent work breaks, even if it's just for a few minutes. Hopefully, I will have time to finish this Spinning Wheel while finishing up household chores tomorrow.

I also took time to work on my mermaid tail afghan. Only two rows to go before I start to decrease!

I managed to clear a path to my loom and start another scarf. I do love my weaving time. It's so relaxing... no patterns to follow, just a nice, rhythmic back and forth. I know Sophia will want to help me weave, so I'll have to make a little more space before they arrive tomorrow!

Another oopsie!

In the excitement of the retirement celebrations, I forgot to post my May tatting.

I wish I had completed more, but I'm happy that I kept on track with my Spinning Wheels.

I had a busy day today. I packaged 80 mermaid scale necklaces to sell at The Little Mermaid, as well as 35 key rings. It's amazing how time-consuming packaging is! I also finished six more rows on the mermaid tail afghan.

I spent time with my Spinning Wheel glass mat. I do love this thread! It's size 20 Lilac Sea from Yarnplayer.

The end

It's hard to believe that I have finally arrived at the end of my teaching career! Yes, it's the end of that phase of my life, but that means it's the beginning of the next, and I'm pretty excited about the possibilities!

My friend Edna made our retirement cake. The top left is for Phyllis (high school secretary), bottom left for Robyn (2nd grade teacher), bottom right for Ken (high school guidance counselor), and top right for me.

Obviously, Edna pictures me traveling and tatting!

Robyn and I received crystal bowls as our retirement gifts.

I started my newest Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior) is in luscious hand-dyed thread from my friend Marilee Rockley aka Yarnplayer. The color is Lilac Sea. Isn't it beautiful?

I love working with hand-dyed thread. There's something about the dyeing process that makes the thread extra smooth, and I love the colors!

High school graduation 2016

Tonight was high school graduation, the last one I will attend as a staff member. I thought I might be a little teary at this one, but I wasn't. It was great to see another group of students graduate, knowing that I met most of them when they were five years old. Congratulations class of 2016!

I asked another teacher to take a picture of daughter Carol and me in our master's gowns and hoods. Carol completed her master's degree in history last year. I completed my master's degree in education 13 years ago.

Since neither one of us could see our own back view, I had Katie take a picture of that as well!

I did achieve my goal of completing a Spinning Wheel glass mat by Friday! In case you didn't know, this is my favorite pattern from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior.

The thread is size 20 Fiore, manufactured in Slovakia. It's slightly heavier than size 20 Lizbeth. The thread has a nice firm finish, but it's not my favorite. The thread would twist up on me, so I had to drop my shuttle about every four double stitches to let it untwist. I also had to be careful closing rings. Closing it too swiftly caused the thread to twist up, making it difficult to close the ring.

Even though it's not my favorite thread, I would buy it in other colors if I could find it. I purchased this from DS9 Designs. There are only three balls left, one pink and two yellow. I may have to write to my son-in-law's father to see if he can find it other colors for me! ;-)

I did a little experimenting with picots for this Spinning Wheel. I've had this set of picot gauges for years. I like them because of the ring that holds them together... very convenient! I usually use the smallest size for my Spinning Wheel glass mats, but this time I decided to go up one size. I was pleased that the Spinning Wheel worked up a little flatter than normal. I think I might try going up one more size on my next one to see if that makes an even greater difference.

Some new threads arrived in the mail today, Lilac Sea hand-dyed thread from my friend Marilee aka Yarnplayer. I love this color combination!

Now the big question is, should I experiment with picots with this beautiful new hand-dyed thread, or should I use one that I have in greater quantity?