Choices

Yesterday was so much fun! I took my Swarovski rivolis and my box of Sulky 12 wt thread to school, and the girls made their choices for their necklaces. It took a while, because they kept changing their minds about what they liked. It was like being in a candy shop! The girls' choices...

Ashley

Sydne

Karina

Kylie

Alexa

I am really going to enjoy making these!

To get myself ready for tiny tatting, I finished up an Ice Drop that I had started with Madeira thread over the summer.

I got a bit distracted with bottle caps, and forgot about this until I was straightening up my tatting supplies over the weekend.

All I need to do is add a jump ring and a chain, and I will have a necklace!

I finished Lily's afghan last night. I'm so pleased with the way it turned out!

I've decided on a Waffle Stitch afghan for Aidan. I've now started it five times, changing the width, the yarn, and the hook size. I'm finally happy with my choice, and I plan on getting back to it so that I have time to finish both Aidan's and Eva's in time for Christmas. Luckily, my wrists are holding up!

Another round?

Tatting is on hold as I work on afghans for Christmas presents. Lily's is a nice lap size now, but I really want it to be a little larger. I know I have enough yarn for one pattern repeat, but I'm hoping for two. I do like the way the colors flow with the Mandala yarn!

Have I told you how much I love lighthouses? I just couldn't resist this beauty from Grizzly Mountain Arts! There was another lighthouse shuttle listed, but some lucky shuttle collector snapped it up before I could even see the listing. That's okay. I was able to get one lighthouse to add to my collection, and that makes me happy!

I'm a big fan of Dave's shuttles, and I love his pyrography!

Some of the high school girls are fascinated by Mandy Kerwell-Bez's tatting. Mandy tatted a beautiful necklace for me, and I'm going to try and follow her lead to make necklaces for the girls. It was very difficult to choose Swarovski rivolis for the girls to choose from! I'll be taking these to school tomorrow, along with threads, so that the girls can make their choices. I've already warned them that they probably won't get their necklaces until after the holidays. I have way too much going on right now!

Special request

A friend asked if I'd make a messy bun hat for his wife's birthday. I found this pattern on Ravelry, Ribbed for Her Pleasure Messy Bun Hat by Nataly Navarro. I started four other patterns that just didn't catch my interest. This one worked out quickly and easily, and it had something really different that I really liked. The first round is crocheted over a hair tie. I'm not sure if having the hair tie in there will wear the yarn out more quickly, but it does make a nice, neat start to the hat.

I'm just about finished with the second ball of Mandala yarn for Lily's afghan. This Virus Blanket really works up quickly. I think one more ball of yarn will do it. There are other tutorials for this blanket, but I really like Fiber Spider's instructions.

Yes, my shuttle addiction continues! These are my two newest ones from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design. Recently, there was quite a bit of discussion about the direction the hook faces. I'm right handed, and I prefer to have the hook facing to the right, away from me. If you look closely, you can see that the bottom shuttle has the hook facing right, and the top shuttle has the hook facing left. This is not a problem for me. I just turn the shuttle over and tat away!

No, I haven't given up tatting. I'm just really focused on finishing these afghans for Christmas. I'm working on a snowflake design. I'm not sure I like the way this is turning out, but I will finish it as is and then determine whether or not it's worthy of a repeat tat!

The day after

Today was a typical day after the last performance school day... lots of tired, but happy students! Dave and I have been busy doing our usual cleanup... washing tablecloths, coffee pots, and coffee cups. We must have a good routine down, because we're almost finished cleaning and putting away. It's a good feeling!

Today was a fabulous mail day! First, I received my newest shuttle from Grizzly Mountain Arts. I do love lighthouses, and I was thrilled to be able to purchase this one.

I also received several new shuttles from Emiko Suenaga of PaintatPlus. Emiko is celebrating two years of having an Etsy shop. There were several shuttles that I wanted, so I waited until I had enough set aside to purchase all I wanted at once. It was well worth the wait!

Back

Front

I love the "Forget me not" theme!

Back

Front

The shuttles are available in both large and small sizes.

Back

Front

They're also available as Clover bobbin shuttles, which I love!

Back

Front

I also couldn't resist this beautiful blue butterfly shuttle!

Emiko also sent along some beautiful resin disks with flowers from her own garden. I am thrilled to have these, and when they become Ice Drops, they will be ones I treasure for years to come! Thank you, Emiko!

Lily's afghan is growing quickly! I have high hopes for finishing it within the next week. Unfortunately, that will mean less tatting time. It can't be helped. Christmas will be here in no time, and I have two more to go after this one!

Play week

It's play week, and that means lots of hustle and bustle around here. This week I've been repairing rental costumes, helping put together props and costumes made by those supporting the drama club, fetching meals for Madame Director, running off programs... anything and everything that is asked of me. My responsibilities have expanded with retirement!

We had a glorious sunrise this morning. I wish my phone camera could catch the true beauty. Maybe it can, and I just don't know enough about photography!

With the hope of achieving my goal of an afghan for each grandchild for Christmas, I started the Virus Blanket for Lily. I really like Fiber Spider's video tutorials. They're so clear and easy to follow. I now have this pattern down pat, so I'm carrying it with me and crocheting whenever I get the chance. This pattern works up much more quickly than the one I just finished for Ella. The yarn is Lion Brand Mandala that I found on clearance at Walmart last year. I love clearance sales!

Yes, my tatting still travels with me. This is destined to be a snowflake, but I need to take out the last ring I tatted. It wasn't time for a ring! I have an idea of what I want the next round to look like so that this looks like a snowflake. We'll see if I'm able to tat what I envision!