Pineapple Parfait

Although I'm not normally a fan of yellow, I do like Pineapple Parfait, Lizbeth #170. I think it goes nicely with this ceramic shuttle from Sherry Pence (LadyShuttleMaker)

My collection of flower motifs for Vicki Clarke is growing. I'm planning on mailing them off at the end of the month. In the meantime, I'm having fun using up threads on shuttles!

Mini-beauty!

There was so much I wanted to accomplish today... instead, I tatted! My doily looks a bit distorted here, so I think I'd better give it a proper blocking. My doily also looks more open than Renulek's sample, so when I tat it again I think I'll try using larger picots. This was a very easy pattern to follow.

The pattern is Renulek's Napkin mini-beauty and can be found in her Etsy shop. The finished size is 7 1/4". The thread is size 20 Lizbeth, #170, Pineapple Parfait. I love this color!

Ready for round 4!

I just finished round 3 of Renulek's Napkin mini-beauty. Round 4, here I come!

Moving on to round 3

The heat and humidity are stifling, and I know we're not the only ones feeling it. Luckily, we're expecting a cool-down tomorrow. Yup, there's supposed to be a 3° drop in temperature. I'll take it!

We had a few rows of corn ready today, so Dave and I canned 16 pints and froze 3 quarts. I prefer frozen corn to canned, so now I have Dave researching freezers. I'm not sure if we'll get one, but it's fun looking.

Napkin mini-beauty by Renulek
size 20 Lizbeth, Pineapple Parfait

It was nice to sit down and tat while the pressure cooker was doing its thing. Also, since it's so muggy, Dave and I both spent a lot of time just sitting and relaxing. Isn't that what Sunday afternoons are all about?

Too hot!

It was way too hot and humid to do anything today. Luckily, we have air conditioning and I was able to sit, relax, and tat.

I'm working on Renulek's Napkin mini-beauty in size 20 Lizbeth, Pineapple Parfait. The pattern can be found in Renulek's Etsy shop.

At last!

Snowflake Cappuccino by Renulek
size 20 Lizbeth Pineapple Parfait
finished size 4 1/2" point to point

There were no missteps this time. I had enough thread. I followed the pattern correctly... and all this happened while daughter Carol and I canned another 16 pints of beets. I'm really getting tired of canning, but I'll keep going as long as I have the supplies. I'm sure I'll appreciate having all these veggies come winter!

Three times is the charm

Today was very busy! Right after breakfast, Dave went out to the garden to pick green beans. He also found a few cherry tomatoes and a cucumber.

It took a while to clean all those green beans, and I knew there were way too many for us to eat over the next few days. So, it was time to do some more canning!

I canned 16 pints of beans, froze 3 pints, and cooked up a pound of beans that we ate for lunch and dinner. Cooking is not my thing, but I carried on like I knew what I was doing, and now I'm ready to rest!

I made the mistake of trying to tat in between chores today. I should have stopped until I was finished dealing with veggies, but I tend to be a bit stubborn. I messed up on the third pass of Renulek's Snowflake Cappuccino. It just looked a mess, and rather than try and figure out what I did wrong, I snipped and started over.

I got stuck almost right away, so I snipped again.

The third time was the charm, and now I'm back on track! I'm using size 20 Lizbeth, Pineapple Parfait. I'm taking this one slowly!

More Korean tatting

This morning I tatted the second motif for the Butterfly Effect doily from Tatting Lace with Your Life. The first motif is in Lizbeth #616, Daffodil Med. The second is in Lizbeth #170, Pineapple Parfait. I managed to get quite a bit done between laundry loads!

This afternoon I decided to be lazy and watch t.v. So, I had time to tat the third motif for the doily! This one is in Lizbeth #138, Leafy Green.

Dave came home early today, so he helped me can beets. I have never canned before, and I now know that I hate canning! It took me two and half hours to finish seven pints of beets. I know there are many people who love canning, but I now know that I am not one of them!

Unplugged

I've spent the last few days away from technology, and I will admit that it felt good to be disconnected from electronics. Why? We drove to Minnesota for the twins' baptism. We had a wonderful weekend that went by way too quickly.

I was so unplugged, that I didn't even take out my phone to take pictures. Luckily, several other family members kept track of what was going on all weekend.

Because I ignored technology, I was able to get quite a bit of tatting done.

On the way to Minnesota, I tatted a Spinning Wheel glass mat in size 20 Lizbeth #616, Daffodil Med.

I started this Spinning Wheel when others were sleeping in size 20 Lizbeth #170, Pineapple Parfait.

There were still a couple of hours left of our drive, so I pulled out my carry-along project that has been in my purse for probably two years. I only had three spokes left to tat, so I was able to complete it before we arrived home. This one is in Perfect Quilter #088, Leaf Me Alone. Unfortunately, Perfect Quilter by Superior Threads has been discontinued. When I checked the site, there was only one color remaining. I do like this thread!

Josephina

This sweet little motif is "Josephina" from Happy Occhi by Petra Tornack-Zimmerman. I used size 20 Lizbeth, Pineapple Parfait #170.

This was the perfect pattern to tat while trying to learn the words to songs... always tough for me. Thank goodness we have the words printed out. Can you imagine my embarrassment if I belted out something like, "There's a bathroom on the right!" on stage?

One fantastic week!

Despite being laid low by a stomach bug on Tuesday, this has been a fabulous week!

Play practice began on Monday, and although I didn't need to be there, I attended Middle School Drama Camp and participated in learning the dance routine... for as long as I was able. Oh, my goodness! I knew I was out of shape, but this is ridiculous! I'm going to have to do some training in the coming week so that I'm prepared for learning the dance routine I have to know! It was suggested that we practice jogging in place while singing "One" from A Chorus Line so that we're prepared for the finale. Are you kidding me? The thought of jogging in place makes my knees and ankles ache. I've been trying to learn the lyrics, and my tongue gets all tangled around the words. What if they kick me out of the play? Can I get by with lip syncing? I'm the old lady in the cast, so hopefully the director (daughter Carol) will cut me a little slack. ;-)

The best part of the week was receiving a new tatting shuttle to beta test for Dave Stanbrough at Grizzly Mountain Arts!

It is awesome! Do you see the little handle attached to the top? It's to help with the winding process.

Can you see the deep slits? It does take a little longer to wind this shuttle because of the deep slits, but the shuttle is so smooth, I don't find it to be a problem. Winding shuttles is very therapeutic for me. If you're addicted to winding quickly, this shuttle may not be for you. I forgot to measure the thread as I was winding, but I do know it holds much more than a small Clover. I'll try to remember to measure the next time I wind it.

This is the hole where the handle screws in. While tatting, I put my thumb over this hole. I found that it helps me keep my grip.

The top is nice and smooth. I do love the feel of wood when I'm tatting. What are your thoughts on a shuttle like this? I'd love to give Dave some feedback from tatters. Would you be interested in a shuttle like this?

Dave told me in his email that he will probably never be able to make typical post shuttles again because of problems with his fingers and hands. However, he misses making shuttles, and he thinks he'll be able to make some of these as well as some of his flat shuttles with no problems.

You can always visit Grizzly Mountain Arts to see what Dave has available, but beware... I'm an avid fan of his shuttles, spindles, and picot gauges, so if I see them first, you may not have the opportunity to buy one!

So, what did I make with this new shuttle?

Another Pineapple Parfait cross! I'm kind of addicted to this pattern now that I have it memorized. The Pineapple Parfait was sitting right next to my chair, and I just couldn't resist using this yummy color again.

Fox the Enabler got me into trouble again. We tend to do that to each other! She emailed me about a book that was being discussed on InTatters, and she wondered if I was familiar with it. I quickly searched for the book, watched the YouTube video, and decided that the book was not for me. There's nothing wrong with the book. In fact, it's wonderful! I just thought about all the books I have that are, as of now, unused... meaning I haven't tatted anything from them.

I did find the book on Etsy for about half the price I had seen it in other places. I sent Fox the information, and she also decided to pass on it for now. Then, one day I received an email from Etsy indicating that I had an item in my cart that needed to be paid for... oops! I didn't realize I had put it in my cart! Or if I did, I thought I had completed the purchase... I'm afraid the old brain just isn't what it used to be. Anyway, I figured that I needed to pay for the book because the seller had been waiting for payment.

It arrived this week, and there are some wonderful designs! One aspect that I find very interesting is the use of color, so different from what I would ordinarily choose. However, when I think of the bright colors in Ukrainian costumes and the gorgeously decorated Easter eggs, the color choices make sense. I'm very happy to add this book to my collection!

I chose the name Lace-lovin' Librarian for a reason... I am fascinated by all kinds of lace! I am always excited to receive my lace issue of PieceWork magazine, but this year's issue is especially wonderful. Can you see what attracted me on the cover? "Discover a Master Tatter"...five full pages devoted to Lily Mae Burley Patrick! I'd have to look through my past issues, but I do believe this is the most extensive article devoted to tatting in any issue I've ever read in PieceWork! I highly recommend checking out this issue!

After tatting "Sonnenschein," I knew I had to have Happy Occhi. I can't believe it arrived so quickly! If I counted correctly, there are 25 patterns in this book... fabulous!

I managed to finish all my laundry last night, so I think I'll take a little time to tat today. :-)

Pineapple Parfait Cross

Pineapple Parfait is a beautiful bright yellow, although it looks more gold in this picture. I had thread left on my shuttles, and this seemed the perfect pattern for using up that thread.

I know I won't have much time for tatting this week. Daughter Carol is running a middle school drama club camp, and I'll be helping her out. She's planning a summer showcase the end of July, and I'm going to be in it! This will be my first time in a drama production. I am very excited!

Sonnenschein

The Online Tatting Class featured "Sonnenschein" from Happy Occhi by Petra Tornack-Zimmerman. This is a beautiful little pattern that I totally messed up!

First, I didn't follow the pattern. I looked at the diagram and thought... oh, I get this! When I was well into the design, I looked at the beginning of the pattern and saw that I was supposed to start with a chain. Oops! I started with a ring!

I'm not sure if that mistake led to the angular chains or not, but I know that I will re-tat this piece following the directions! I hope my second attempt looks more like Petra's sample!

The thread is size 20 Lizbeth, Pineapple Parfait #170.

Georgia posted that this book will be available in English. Frivole, did you see that it's a book of square motifs? Right up your alley!