Finishes

I can't tell you how happy I am that Blogger and Safari are working well together again. After months of tinkering around and trying to figure out what I accidentally clicked, everything is magically working again. What a relief!

Before school yesterday, I managed to complete Clue 4 of the Sanditon MKAL. I did have a little trouble with the last eyelet row. I dropped stitches twice, but I realized it right away and was able to get them back in place before they became too much of a problem. This is the end of the main color, the light blue, and as you can see, I have plenty of yarn left. I'm glad I switched from the recommended size 4 needles to the size 2. I'm pretty sure I would have run out of yarn!

Yesterday was another two blue Ice Drops day. I love this shade of blue, size 20 Lizbeth #656 Wedgewood Dk.

This one is size 20 Lizbeth #657 Ocean Turquoise Dk. I do love both blues, but when they're side by side, the Wedgewood Dk is my favorite. The shuttle is my newest one from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design. I believe the art work was done by Rita's college friend. It's beautiful!

I didn't post yesterday, because it took me until 9 p.m. to finish grafting the two ends of daughter Joanne's Sneak a Peek cowl. I love the textured side!

The striped side is pretty, but I know that I goofed on that center stripe. It's one row larger than the other stripes. Luckily, it's in the center and looks like a design element! I'll block it this morning, and then it will be ready to mail off to Joanne. I hope the weather stays cold in Minnesota so that she has a chance to wear it this year!

Takin' it slow

I just didn't feel like doing much today, maybe because it was so dreary. So, I did a little cleaning, a little Internet browsing, and a little bit of tatting. Probably the most ambitious part of my day was walking the porch, something I've been trying to make sure I do every day. I only walk in 15 minute increments, but I find that I feel better and sleep better if I take some time to walk!

I actually started this Ice Drop last night. This is my Pink Fudge pattern.

Next, I worked on my Spring Garden pattern.

Before making dinner, I finished my Minty Fudge pattern. All three are tatted in size 20 Lizbeth #657, Ocean Turquoise Dk. I love this color because it is so cheerful!

Lazy day

Dave asked me what I did today, and my answer was, "Apparently, not much." I could not think of what I had accomplished!

I did manage to tat one Ice Drop pendant in Ocean Turquoise Dk. I now have the dozen I wanted for Christmas in the Village. Any more that I make will just be icing on the cake!

I did work on a Swedish band pattern today. The first two pattern repeats did not look good at all, but I did develop a rhythm by the third pattern repeat. I think I'm going to enjoy weaving this band!

Tollway Tatters!

Save the date... October 21 Tollway Tatters will be meeting at the Hinsdale Oasis on 294 at 10 a.m. If you are in the Chicago area, we would love to have you join us! Look for tie-dyed t-shirts and tatting supplies. We try to sit between Starbucks and Panera Bread. Sue Anna said she's bringing a carful with her!

At the local level, yesterday was a snoozer! Thursday night I stayed up to watch the Cubs/Nationals game, which didn't end until 11:45. I usually hit the hay around 9, so I was up way past my bedtime. I managed to sleep in until almost 5:30 yesterday morning, and I did complete all my normal chores. However, I found myself taking several cat naps throughout the day. I guess I'm not the party animal I thought I was! ;-)

In between laundry loads, I managed to tat one more Ice Drop in size 20 Lizbeth Ocean Turquoise Dk. Have I told you that I love this color?

I made a little progress with my Curds and Whey piece (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior). I have about 3" to go for my project. I hope to reveal it next week!

More turquoise...

I decided to stick with Ocean Turquoise Dk today. The frosted glass gem is slightly larger than the ones I usually use, so I increased my stitch count on the top rings to 7-7-7. I also increased the chain count to 9. It worked out perfectly!

I didn't work for a long time on my Curds and Whey piece, but it is getting longer. I'm starting to develop a rhythm with this pattern. It seems that once I really get a pattern, I can come back to it months later and remember what worked for me. I think this is going to work perfectly for...

Ha ha ha! I'll reveal what it's for later! 😊

Ocean Turquoise Dk

Cleaning and reorganizing in the bedroom is pretty much done. There are a couple of drawers I need to go through, but that won't take long. 

As before, I made sure I took time for tatting breaks. Today my thread choice was Lizbeth #657, Ocean Turquoise Dk. I love this color!

I've attempted Curds and Whey from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior many times, but this was the first time I've managed to tat more than two pattern motifs. I did make a couple of joins in the wrong place that needed to be corrected, but that was pretty easy to do. Now I wonder why I had so much trouble with this pattern in the past!

Ocean Turquoise Dk Spinning Wheel

It's too bad it's dark outside, because the beautiful color of this thread just doesn't show up well in this light. Despite falling asleep in my chair this evening, I did manage to finish my Spinning Wheel glass mat from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. I used size 20 Lizbeth, # 657, Ocean Turquoise Dk.

I think I'll search for my beads tomorrow so that I can join Jane's TIAS!

More than halfway

Despite the fact that school is back in session and we've been busy taking down Christmas decorations, I did manage to get a little tatting time in today. I'm past the halfway point on this Spinning Wheel glass mat. I do love the rhythm I get in to with this pattern!

The curse of the UFOs

I'm not sure if I put down Kencana because I realized I had made a mistake or if I made the mistake last night while trying to stay awake in my chair. At any rate, Kencana has been snipped from the shuttles and thrown in the trash. It just didn't seem worth my time to try and retro-tat to fix it.

To get myself back on track with my tatting, I did what Jane suspected I would do...

I started a Spinning Wheel glass mat in blue! This is my all-time-favorite pattern from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. I have no idea how many of these I've made over the years, but whenever I get in a tatting funk, this is my go-to pattern. It always gets me back on track! What's your go-to pattern?

In addition to unearthing a mountain of shuttles, I've stumbled upon a bit of thread. I'm a sucker for a good sale, and it seems that Hobby Lobby just rotates supplies to the clearance shelves once it's been on display for a designated period of time. How can any reasonable tatter turn down a price reduction such as this? So, how much thread have I uncovered in my sewing room? Enough to fill an 11" x 11" fabric cube! I shudder to think how much more there is stored in the upstairs closet!

I don't often recommend books, because I find that my taste in books tends to be a little different. However, I do like to read books that others recommend. A friend of mine put together a list of possible books for her book club. I don't attend, because it's too far away. When I saw her list, this title caught my eye. When I was younger, it was my dream to own my own book store. That was back in the day when there were little book stores all over, and there were very few large book stores. Anyway, I started reading it after school today. I've only read 15 pages, but the story line has caught my interest. Have you read any good books lately?