And now for four beads!

It's been weeks since I started this band. The pattern was very easy to follow, so I don't know why it took me so long. The top and bottom are the right side of the band, with the middle two being the back. I sent a picture to Mom this morning and told her I saw N for Nancy (Mom's name). Mom responded that she saw Zs. I guess it's all in your perspective!
😉

Today's Ice Drop has four beads in place of the picots.

Another pendant is done. I now have six! Christmas in the Village is December 9. I wonder how many Ice Drops and pendants I'll have finished by then?

Feelin' blue

I started off the day feeling blue...

Caribbean blue! I kind of like the pink glass gem, and the pink ribbon seemed to be the perfect touch.

I did some band weaving on my new mini loom. I made a mistake on the first pattern repeat, but I decided to let it be and keep going. So far my tension is good, so maybe I'm finally catching on!

I was inspired to pull my Korean tatting book, Tatting lace with your life, off the shelf when I read Jeff's post this morning. I do like this book, and I haven't done anything from it in a while.

So today I started the Hanging Garden doily. This is the first round, and it's the most complicated round. It won't be a huge doily. It's only four rounds, and the other three rounds are not as deep. Right now, this piece is about 3 1/4" across. I'm guessing it will be about 6" when it's finished. We'll see if I'm right!
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Rise and shine!

I don't know where yesterday went, but I was up bright and early. I can hear cheerful little voices upstairs, so everyone must be feeling better!

Sophia spent time decorating my Ice Drop tree. She has informed me that I need to make more!

With all the snuggles and playing outside, it's been easier to weave a few rows here and there than it has been to pick up my tatting. I love the way this purple and blue band turned out!

As much as I love the purple and blue, this blue and green band just might be my favorite so far!

Joanne and I cleared out my kitchen bookshelves yesterday. I'm really not much of a cook, but I do enjoy reading cookbooks! As we were sorting, I found multiple copies of some... oops!

We've been trying to do a little bit each day, and although I don't have one single room organized to my liking, I do feel we've made progress.

Time to go... here come the little ones!

Splish splash

It rained on and off today, but I didn't mind.

I just played with Rainbow Splash!

I also finished weaving my Sami band. This one is in 5/2 perle cotton. I enjoyed weaving with the perle cotton. It makes a nice, substantial band.

Daughter Joanne and family are arriving tomorrow, so I spent time cleaning. I had to shoo some of my dust bunnies out the door to make room for the grandchildren! 😉

Tuesday tatting

I subbed in 5th grade today, so I only had time to tat one Ice Drop in Rainbow Splash. One is better than none, right?

I did warp my Hard Maple loom this morning. This is another Sami band pattern in red, blue, and green. I have two bands in progress right now, and I'm planning on warping another loom tomorrow. A girl can never have too many shuttles or too many looms!

Plenty to post

I have plenty to show, but I just wasn't in the mood to blog yesterday. I was having too much fun!

I finished my pretty yellow band early Sunday morning. When I finished it, I found that the finished end was about 1/4" wider than the beginning end. I guess I'm just not good at eyeing something for size, which is why I use picot gauges when tatting!

I had watched a Sami band weaving video by Durham Weaver. She used a piece of plastic marked with the proper width of the band. I didn't have any plastic that would work, but I did have some card stock. It came in very handy!

My friend Carol took this picture of me at Tollway Tatters. I don't like many pictures of me, but I think this one really looks like me. It must be that I wasn't paying attention to the person taking the picture! I kind of like my new glasses. What do you think?

Early this morning, I finished my band. Using the card stock measuring piece really helped. This is my best band so far!

Today I subbed for high school math. The kids were busy studying for their ETAs (end of term assessments), so my role was strictly supervisory, which gave me plenty of time to tat!

When I got home, I decided to set up my Shining Glen loom with another Inkle pattern. Tomorrow I plan to set up my Hard Maple loom with a Sami pattern. I do love variety!

Another addict

My dear friend Tatskool has started blogging again, and guess what her first post is? She's tatted an Ice Drop!

Please visit her page and see what she's doing...

http://tatsakoolchallenge.blogspot.com/2017/05/blogging-again.html#comment-form

I subbed in 4th grade yesterday, so I didn't have any time to finish an Ice Drop. Two are nearly done, and I will post pictures of them later.

I did take time to finish my green and gold Sami band last night. The top and bottom strips are the right side, and the two center strips are the wrong side. I think they're both pretty!

Two by two

I seem to be doing things in twos lately! Today I tatted two Ice Drops.

I finished the ball of Spring Garden. There was enough thread left to tat the first round of an Ice Drop, but not the encapsulating round. That's okay. I think it makes a pretty little motif all by itself.

For my second Ice Drop I used size 20 Lizbeth #184, Rainbow Splash. It does make a pretty splash of color!

Since I now have two small looms, I decided to try warping an inkle pattern. I failed. I just haven't figured out how to warp following the patterns yet. So, I decided to do a little free form band weaving, and I do like the way it's turning out.

I made a big mistake with this warp. I put it on the loom backwards! The ratchets belong on the right, not the left. Luckily, with this style loom it doesn't really matter which side is which. I just need to advance the warp left handed, which makes me stop and think rather than advancing the warp automatically with my right hand. It's not a big deal. It just slows me down a little.

I'm making good progress with my Sami band. I've woven over half the warp, and I really like the way the pattern works up.

Tonight I'm going to take a break from tatting and weaving and do a little reading. Daughter Carol is going to be teaching AP European History next year. Her students are going to be reading Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder and A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich. I started both books several years ago, but never finished them. So, today I pulled them both off the shelf, and I've read the first chapter of each. They've both caught my interest again, so now is the time to start reading!