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!

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!

Sanditon

Last night I recorded Sanditon, a PBS series based on Jane Austen's last unfinished novel. I first heard of this series when I signed up for the Sanditon MKAL from Kristen in Stitches. I've finished 11/35 pattern repeats that make up the first clue. The next clue will be released next Sunday. So far, I'm really enjoying this project!

I'm also continuing to work on Joanne's Sneak a Peek cowl. I finished two more stripes today with seven left to go.

My newest Grizzly Mountain Arts shuttle arrived today.

I love both the front and the back!

It just so happened that I had chosen another Grizzly Mountain Arts shuttle for today's Ice Drop. I had intended to tat another Doodle Ice Drop, but I didn't have enough thread with me. Luckily, I was able to wing it!

Lorraine Kolasa offered some of her enameled shuttles to raise money for Australian relief. She had a blue shuttle that I would have loved to have purchased, but I forgot to go online when she listed them. I was lucky that when I looked, there was still one left!

Play practice

I knew I was going to be helping daughter Carol with play practice tonight, so I spent the morning doing mundane things like getting dinner ready for Dave, getting steps in, and organizing craft supplies. I spent a little bit of time tatting, but nothing was finished today.

My carry-along project is still Mary Konior's Curds & Whey in size 10 crochet cotton. I'm now up to nine finished bookmarks. Although they only take me about two hours to tat, I'm finding that the two hours is spread over two days!

I was eager to try out my new silver shuttle from Lorraine Kolasa. It's wonderful! I'm using size 20 Lizbeth Snow White, and the pattern is Motif #1 from DMC Festive Tatting, a book I've had for years. However, I'm not sure I've ever tatted anything from it. There's no time like the present!

Ooh!

Look what came in the mail today! This is my new silver shuttle from Lorraine Kolasa, and I love it! I chose the hammered finish with a pick, and I can hardly wait to try it out!

Now that I've given you my exciting news for the day, I'll get on to what I've accomplished. 😄

We had a lot going on over the weekend, but I did manage to tat an Ice Drop yesterday.

I also finished another bookmark. I haven't tired of Mary Konior's Curds & Whey pattern yet. I'm really feeling the urge to tat it in size 80 thread!

I decided to do some fall cleaning this morning, which really cut in to my tatting time. Sometimes I just have to make the choice to set my tatting aside. If I were wealthy, I could have a full time cook and maid so that I could tat full time!

The gem for this Ice Drop is slightly larger than the gems I usually use. I tried using it for the Ice Drop I tatted yesterday, but it was way too big. The only adjustment I made was to increase the size of my picots on the encasement round. It worked out perfectly!

Back to work!

Drama club took over my life for the last several days, and I loved it!

The cast of Mamma Mia! did a fantastic job! All three performances were outstanding, and it seemed to me that there was record attendance at each performance.

While tatting was not my priority over the weekend, I did manage to finish a couple of Ice Drops.

I mailed off all of the St. Patrick's Day themed Ice Drops to Mom today. I'm sure she and her lunch bunch will love them!

My shuttle collection increased over the past week... surprise! These pretties are from Middy Clark of The Knotted Vine. Aren't they gorgeous?

I'm very happy with my new goodies from Grizzly Mountain Arts: one pyrography doodle art shuttle, and two picot hooks (fine crochet hooks set into wood handles). Dave has another shuttle listed that I am really tempted to purchase, but I'm going to wait a day or two to give someone else a chance at owning one of these beauties!

My newest Lorraine Kolasa shuttle arrived from Tatting Corner. This one is textured with no pick. I only have one left to order to have a complete set! That will happen after I make sure I have all my bills paid.

I finally finished my Wortham scarf from Sequence Knitting by Cecelia Campochiaro. There are many mistakes in this scarf. If I saw the mistake within two rows I fixed it, but there were several mistakes I didn't see for a dozen or more rows. Those stayed!

Daughter Joanne has decided to pick up her crochet hook again. She's found that spending time crocheting helps with her writing process. Sophia is modeling her new sweater. Aren't they cute? I mean Sophia and the sweater! ;-)

Janko loves his new bunny blanket toy. Joanne had fun making it, so the girls will each get one too!

Busy week

It's play week again. This time is for the high school production of Mamma Mia! While I'm not directly involved in the production, I do help my daughter out in any way I can. Along with all the excitement of play week comes fatigue, both mental and physical. We love it!

I used my second brass shuttle from Lorraine Kolasa to tat another St. Patrick's Day Doodle Ice Drop.  This one has a smooth finish and no pick. I thought the finish might be too slick, but I was wrong. The finish is fabulous, and I had no trouble holding on to the shuttle. I have another one coming from Tatting Corner that should arrive tomorrow. Shuttle collecting is fun!

Shuttle love

I do love tatting shuttles! I love collecting them. I love using them. This new shuttle from Lorraine Kolasa is no exception. I love the weight, the feel, the color. The shuttle warmed in my hands as I tatted. I'm so glad I purchased it! These beautiful shuttles are available from Lorraine's web site and from Lisa Adams of Tatting Corner. The price is the same from both sites.

I'm still knitting away on my Wortham scarf. It's much easier to knit when my hands are cold, and my hands have been very cold for the past couple of days. I'm getting a lot of knitting done!

Found!

I went to school early this morning, and sure enough, I had left my knitting in the 5th grade classroom. Whew!

I didn't really think my knitting was lost, but there were a few minutes of panic when I couldn't find my bag!

Alison's waffle stitch afghan was my focus for the weekend. This shot is of three skeins of yarn completed for a total of 26". I also used a good bit of the fourth skein, but I haven't bothered taking a picture yet.

It was back to Doodle Ice Drops today! I want to send off some for Mom's lunch bunch in time for St. Patrick's Day. Guess what I'll be working on this week?

Today was a great day for collecting mail! This is my latest pyrography doodle art shuttle from Dave Stanbrough of Grizzly Mountain Arts. I was also thrilled to purchase one of his picot hooks (a fine crochet hook set in in a beautiful turned wood handle). I love working with beautiful tools!

Two beautiful new brass shuttles arrived in the mail today. These are from Lorraine Kolasa, an artist in Michigan. I've been eagerly awaiting the listing of these shuttles ever since Lorraine posted about them on Facebook. They're available in both a smooth and a hammered finish, with our without a pick tip. They're also available from Lisa Adams at Tatting Corner. It's nice to have options!

The packaging is wonderful. The shuttles are tied in place so they can't shift around in the shipping process. A plastic bag with a wooden dowel is included, along with instructions on shuttle care and how to loosen or tighten the tips using the piece of dowel. Lorraine suggests storing the shuttle in the plastic bag if it isn't going to be used for a while. The plastic bag will help reduce tarnishing.

Of course I started winding thread on to one of the shuttles right away! I decided to start with the one with the pick, because I find picks very helpful when I have to retro-tat. :-)

I like the way the tips flair, and the shuttle was very easy to wind. I've only tatted a couple of rings so far, but so far I really like this shuttle!