A little of this, a little of that

There was no school today due to parent/teacher conferences, so I had time to catch up on some housework and play with all of my goodies!

I practiced my needle lace again. There are lots of mistakes here. I was able to "pose" it to hide my mistakes. I'll probably try again tomorrow.

I worked some more on my 12 Step Sampler Blanket. Working in color was more interesting, but working in one solid color makes it easier to see the stitch patterns.

I worked on my hanky edging for a while. I'm already wondering if I have enough thread!

Knitting has taken a back seat for a while. Luckily, "Reyna" is an easy pattern to pick up and put down. I'm planning on going to visit daughter Alison on Sunday, and since we're planning on going yarn shopping, I figured I'd better get back into knitting mode!

Just a little bit

I finished the needle lace edging, and after looking through several of my favorite tatting books, I decided on Handkerchief Edging No. 6 from The Craft of Tatting by Bessie M. Attenborough. I don't have much done, but I do like the way it looks!

Reading time

I admit it. I've been caught up in reading The Forgotten Seamstress. Usually I don't care for stories that jump back and forth between time periods, but this one has really caught my interest.

Walking on my porch was interesting today. Some of the chickens spent a good deal of chicken in the front yard. They are fun to watch!

This is Henry, our rooster. He's quite a handsome guy, and he really enjoys strutting around the yard and keeping the hens in line.

It took me two days to complete the next set of spool pin doilies for Mom. I do like the blue and white!

I made a little bit of progress on my hanky edging. I didn't get very far because... I kept reading my book! I think I'll do a little more reading before heading off to bed!

Not much to show... again!

Today was jam packed with fun! Becky and Kami came over for a sewing lesson this morning. The girls are making kimonos for themselves. They didn't finish, but they did get quite a bit done! It was the last lesson before school starts next week. From now on, lessons will be after school. Where has the summer gone?

I went to daughter Carol's house for lunch, and then we did a little shopping. We found a shoe sale, and we each bought two pairs. I felt like I was being quite extravagant, but I haven't bought a new pair of shoes in over two years. Mine were looking a bit shabby! We also found a clothing sale, and Carol was able to find a few things to freshen up her back-to-school wardrobe.

I did start a hanky edging in Marilee Rockley's "Beach Cafe," a very cheerful color! The pattern is from page 42 of The Craft of Tatting by Bessie M. Attenborough. I know size 20 thread isn't ideal for hanky edgings, but it was what I was in the mood to work with. So there!

I was checking Facebook this morning and I saw a post from Madhur Dadlani from a few years ago showing how she uses up bits of thread on her shuttles. I decided to give it a try. It looks pretty good so far, but I'm not sure how long I'll stick with it.

Not much progress was made with spool pin doilies today. I'll try to finish the second one before I head off to bed tonight.

When I saw that Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design was selling Madeira thread, I ordered some right away! It's much finer than the Liz Metallic. So far, so good!

Hanky!

I finished my hanky today!

It was really easy to keep track of where to join using safety pins. It took me 35 minutes to pin and attach each side... not bad!

The hanky is from Handy Hands. The thread is size 20 Lizbeth, Springtime #115.

The pattern is Handkerchief Edging No. 6 from The Craft of Tatting by Bessie M. Attenborough.

I single crocheted around the edge of the hanky. I attached the edging on the second round, which was single crochet through the back loop only.

I think it looks pretty on both sides!

Helping out

Since summer, Dave has been helping daughter Alison with some remodeling projects she's wanted done. Today he started on her downstairs bathroom and flooring in the hallway and laundry room. I say Dave is helping, because all I do is stand and watch!

Being gone all day didn't leave much time for tatting, but I did accomplish a little.

I managed to get a little further along with attaching the hanky edging. I haven't developed a rhythm for it yet, but I know that once I do it will be finished quickly!

My friend Carol told me about these little stitch marker safety pins. I can't remember where I purchased them, but I love them! These are what I used to hold my hanky edging in place. I'm only attaching one side at a time. I'm afraid they'd get all tangled if I pinned all the way around at once.

I have not tired of Mary Konior's Spinning Wheel glass mat. This is what I managed to tat on the ride to Alison's this morning. She lives an hour and a half away. Not bad for tatting in the car!

This one is Lizbeth #138, Leafy Greens. There was just enough left on the ball to fill the two shuttles. I don't finish off balls of thread very often, so this is truly a memorable piece! ;-)

Crocheting on the edge

I've done a single crochet around the hanky, and now I'm crocheting in the back loop only and joining the tatted edging. It's slow going, but I do like the look!

Ready to attach!

I finished Edging No. 6 from The Craft of Tatting by Bessie M. Attenborough. Now all I have to do is attach it to the hanky!

Zippin' along!

I've been carrying my hanky edging with me and tatting every chance I get, and it's paying off!

Chillin'

It's pretty cold here today, so I just sat around and tatted after doing a little more organizing in my sewing room.

I have almost half of the hanky edging tatted. It's amazing how quickly this seems to go after tatting a gigantic doily!

And yes, I did start another Spinning Wheel glass mat. I think I should have one to match every hanky that I edge with tatting, don't you?

Handkerchief edging No. 6

I've been wanting to tat a hanky edging, and as I was working in my sewing room today I found this ball of Lizbeth Springtime, #115. I prefer using a finer thread for hanky edgings, but this color was really calling to me. The pattern is from The Craft of Tatting by Bessie M. Attenborough.

So far, this pattern is a breeze! Of course, almost any pattern is a breeze after spending a year on one doily!