More Primary

I didn't get as much tatting done as I thought I would today, but I did get a lot of reorganizing done!

These pendants in Yarnplayer's Primary are adorable!

Can't you picture them on a little girl?

I have some little girls visiting at the end of July. I wonder if they'll choose necklaces to take home?

Primary

 

Today I worked with a very cheerful color combination, Primary from Yarnplayer. This is my December 8 pattern, and the thread is size 40.

One donut wasn't enough. This one was destined to be another necklace in my December 1 pattern.

Primary also makes a very pretty Workbasket cross. I may move on to using this thread with buttons next!

Celery

Today was another busy errand day, but I still found time to tat! 

I tatted the last of my Celery thread from Yarnplayer. I had enough for two pendants.

I have quite a variety of necklaces, so I decided to try a couple of them. It will be interesting to see which type of necklace is most popular.

Recently, I started saving empty thread spools. For several years I've thought that they would be great for hand-dyed threads, and I was right! I wish I had tried this years ago when I first thought of it!

Play day

Yesterday was play day. The high school drama club was finally able to perform Back to the 80s, the musical that was supposed to happen March 13, 14, and 15 of 2020. Except for one, the cast members who graduated last year were able to return for this year's performance.

Mom and I attended the noon performance, and our timing was just right for getting a picture with Carol aka Madam Director.

Dave and I attended the 7 p.m. performance, and Mom requested a picture of the cast. I was happy to oblige!

Between performances, I wound Yarnplayer's Celery on to shuttles. I have loved this color for many years, and this skein was one of Marilee's giveaways that I won a few weeks ago. I hadn't tatted a cross bookmark in a while, and I like to keep them on hand. One of my favorite patterns is Christina from Tatted Bookmarks ~ cross-shaped by Lene Bjorn. I decided to try something a little different for the top instead of the one in the pattern. I think I prefer Lene Bjorn's tassel!

I found some coconut wood linking rings on Amazon. I think they look good with the Celery thread, but I don't like the black necklace with it. So, I ordered some brown ones! They should be here in a couple of days.

It seemed silly to order just one thing from Amazon, so I also ordered natural abalone donuts. I think this one looks pretty good with the black necklace.

Oh, I didn't stop there! I also ordered smaller coconut spacer beads. I think they work pretty well!

More Sugar Maple

 

I couldn't help myself. I just had to tat with Yarnplayer's Sugar Maple again! This time I actually followed my December 8 button ornament pattern, and I really like the way it looks. The two flowers are #14 and a variation of #14 from Mary Maynard's Tatting Rings of Flowers. 

Playing with Sugar Maple

 

Sometimes I feel inspired to keep working with a color, and today I felt like playing with Yarnplayer's Sugar Maple. Yes, I've tatted another button ornament, and I played with a couple of flower designs from Tatting Rings of Flowers by Mary Maynard. My flowers look very different from the ones in the book, but I think that's okay!

Feeling better

I've been officially released from quarantine! I still have a bit of a cough, but that cough is consistent with my springtime allergies. 

This is Snowflake #2 from Four Dozen Tatted Snowflakes by Robin Perfetti. It really looks better in person than it does in the picture. My photography skills are very sketchy!

Snowflake #3 is in size 20 hand-dyed Sugar Maple from Yarnplayer. The shuttle is another beauty from Rita Richmond of Shuttle by Design.

Inspired by the beautiful color, I decided to tat a button ornament. I love the stability that comes with using a button, glass gem, or doo-dad in the center of small tatted motifs. Speaking of doo-dads... I wonder where I put my stash?

Surprise!

I was thrilled to find out that I was one of the winners in Marilee Rockley's drawing last week! The surprise was the amount of thread that was included. Yes, I saw the picture. Still, it looked like so much more when I opened the package. To say I am thrilled is an understatement!

 Following Jane's lead, I focused on completing five pattern repeats today. It worked!

Little Miss Muffet

I may have to give myself a new name if I keep tatting Curds & Whey bookmarks! Now that I understand the pattern, I have a new design that I really love. What took me so long?

If you haven't tried tatting with hand-dyed thread, I highly recommend it. This one is Lantana Citrus dyed by my friend Marilee Rockley aka Yarnplayer. It does make a lovely bookmark!

Finished!

I am thrilled with my finished Eightsome Reel mat! The pattern is by Mary Konior, and the thread is the gorgeous Lantana Citrus from my dear friend Marilee Rockley aka Yarnplayer.

This is exactly the size I wanted to sit under my yarn bowl!

Another pendant?

I finished another Doodle Ice Drop variation in Marilee Rockley's hand-dyed thread, Lake Effect. I love the frosted glass gem, and I think this might be pendant-worthy!

The beautiful shuttle is from Emiko Suenaga of PaintatPlus on Etsy. I do love my shuttles!

Ooh! Ahh!

I knew I liked this new hand-dyed thread from Marilee Rockley! "Lake Effect" looks great with this deep blue glass gem. I think I may try and see how many Doodle Ice Drops I can tat out of one skein of hand-dyed thread. With different colored centers, each will be unique!

I've finished the second garter stitch section of my Blue Jean Saturday shawl by Deby Lake. The pattern is so easy to follow, making it a very relaxing knitting project. I'm even dreaming about what I'll knit next!

Changing threads

I've grown weary of tatting with pink. I'm still carrying what's left of my ball of thread in my little roly-poly pouch in case I get inspired to tat with it again, but I'm definitely ready for a change!

Recently, my friend Marilee Rockley listed a new colorway called Lake Effect. I fell in love instantly! You know I couldn't stop with just one new thread! I'm guessing I wasn't the only one who fell in love with it, because I don't see it listed in her shop.

Yesterday I pulled out my little tabletop swift and wound the thread onto a Starlit shuttle. I love my little swift. It's perfect for my hand-dyed threads.

I like using the Starlit shuttle for hand-dyed threads, because it will all fit on one shuttle. I can then wind off what I need on to a smaller shuttle. The Starlit serves as my ball thread, and if I find I need a second shuttle, it's already attached!

Yesterday was low key for us. The weather was beautiful, with all the midwest storms passing to the north and south of our little farm. Dave spent most of the day outside improving the living quarters for the ducks and chickens, as well as cutting grass. My day was pretty mundane... grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning up. I did read quite a bit, finishing up The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters.

I also worked on my Blue Jean Saturday shawl by Deby Lake. I've finished the first lace section, and I'm ready to move on to the second garter stitch section!

Sky blue pink

When I was a little girl, I remember asking my mom what color the sky was. She replied that it was sky blue pink.

This morning, Dave and I looked out our front window and saw sky blue pink! What a glorious way to start the day!

Last night we had a soup club meeting. Judy and I sat on one side.

Edna and birthday girl Peggy sat on the other. We thought about going to Olive Garden, but our local restaurant, U.S.A., was just a few minutes from Peggy's house, and it wasn't nearly as crowded as one of the bigger restaurants a half hour away.

We had a wonderful time eating, talking, and laughing, as we always do. Of course, I had to pass out Ice Drops! 😊

I'm still enjoying tatting with my skein of Candy Mint hand-dyed thread. I wasn't sure if a red glass gem would look right, but it works for me!

This Ice Drop features a clear crackled glass gem. I love that it picks up the thread tones!

My interest in band weaving has led to some new purchases. I found an Etsy shop that features some beautiful rigid heddles made in Poland.

FolkTalesPi also has some beautiful box looms. This one is about half the size of the one Dad made. I'm eager to try it out!

My dear friend Laura posted the first of her pair of socks of Facebook. My friend Denise knits more socks than anyone I know. Between the two of them, I decided it was time to pick up my knitting needles again. However, since it's been so long since I've knit a pair of socks, I decided that I should start some with worsted weight yarn rather than sock yarn.

I've finished the first part of the sock this afternoon, and I'm ready to turn the heel. My brain is too tired to follow the directions tonight, so maybe I'll turn the heel tomorrow!
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Specs

I went for an eye exam yesterday. It had been seven years since my last one... oh, my! My eyes are fine, but my prescription has changed quite a bit. I must have tried on a dozen different frames, narrowing the choice down to these two. I was going to go with the frame on the right, because it was less expensive, but the frame on the left is a mottled blue and purple. It just made me smile!

It will take about a week to get my new glasses, because of my prescription. I sure hope I made the right choice!

As soon as I got home, I finished up the Ice Drop I had started the previous evening. Yes, I chose another hand-dyed thread from Marilee Rockley aka Yarnplayer. This one is size 20 Candy Mint.

I finished weaving another band. I stopped at 26" only because I must have made a mistake in warping the loom. When I got this far, I couldn't get the warp threads smooth enough to weave through. So, I snipped the warp, tied a knot, and called it a day.

This band was an experiment in how tightly to weave. By the time I finished, the band was about 1/3 wider than at the beginning. I wonder if that caused the warp to be uneven? In any case, I need to do some more reading, watch some more videos, and do some more experimenting.

Before bed, I finished another Ice Drop in Candy Mint. I think I'll be keeping this one!

Today's Ice Drop

I really thought I'd have more time to tat today. Still, I did finish one Ice Drop. This is my Blue Fudge pattern in Marilee Rockley's hand-dyed thread. I do like the look of the crackled glass gems!

Another one Ice Drop day

I subbed Monday through Thursday this week, which meant I had a lot of catching up to do at home today.

The last time Tollway Tatters met, I chose this beautiful hand-dyed thread created by my dear friend Marilee aka Yarnplayer. I have been a fan of her threads for as long as I've known about them, about ten years I'd guess.

I just finished this Spring Garden Ice Drop. This just may be my new favorite!

Square Coaster finished

I finished Robin Perfetti's Square Coaster today, with a couple of hiccups. I was watching the Chicago Cubs baseball game and messed up a corner. I decided to retro-tat rather than snip. Looking back, I wish I had snipped! It took me over two hours to get back to my mistake and fix it. I really think I could have re-tatted in less time. Then when I was pressing it, I noticed that one of the chains is missing a picot and three double stitches. I haven't decided yet, but I may snip the second round and tat it over again.

I do love this pattern, and I was very happy that Lizbeth #709 River Blue Dk is such a good match for the hand-dyed Pond from Yarnplayer.

So what do you think? Should I fix round two or leave well enough alone?

Whew!

I had to use the shoelace trick a couple of times, but I had just enough Campfire HDT to finish my coaster.

A couple of shots of steam, and it looks ready to use! The pattern is Rosette Coaster (Variation) from Robin Perfetti's Tatted Coasters. The thread is size 20 Campfire HDT from Yarnplayer.

I can't believe today is the last day of June, my favorite month of the year! Despite all the excitement this year (retirement parties, visiting children and grandchildren, a yard sale, etc.), I still managed to tat seven pieces. I'm quite happy!