Getting ready for winter

I'm on a crochet binge! I just can't help myself. These scarves are so much fun to make, and I'm managing to use up some of my stash!

My friend Denise...

She walks. She talks to me on the phone when we can't get our schedules to coordinate. She's one of the most upbeat people I've ever met. To top it all off, she tats!

This isn't a very good picture, but I wanted to show off the goodies Denise dropped off at school yesterday for the kids. I brought the tatting home to put in baggies, and then I forgot to take them back to school. Luckily, there is school tomorrow! ;-)

I want to thank all my very generous tatting friends who have donated pieces for the kids. We now have two Whitman Sampler tins filled with tatted prizes. The kids go through the tins every day, hoping that their favorite pieces will be there when they reach their next goal. I apologize for not remembering to take pictures of everything. Sometimes I just get caught up in what the kids and I are doing, and photos take a back seat!

Speaking of photos...

Paige forgot to bring her tatting to school yesterday, and she had a whole lot to show off! The black piece is an experiment with picots and sections of bare thread. It's really pretty, and it's in size 80!

Paige chose this very pretty heart as her prize. As you can see, she carries a bag of tatted pieces with her. She's also becoming a shuttle collector. She bought two more shuttles, bringing her grand total to five, and she told me that she's asked for shuttles and thread for her upcoming birthday. She's a girl after my own heart!

Delaney is a budding designer! She figured out on her own how to switch shuttles to create a pattern. Note that her second shuttle is a floss bobbin! Delaney chose a bookmark as her prize. She's also a great influence... her brother in 4th grade signed up to take tatting lessons!

My hanky edging is growing slowly but surely. The kids asked me if I tat when I watch t.v. Of course the answer was yes!

I've also been doing a little crocheting. I didn't think I had much thread left on my ball of Flora, so I decided to try out a pattern I found on YouTube. I love this woman's directions, and the videos are so clear. It turns out that I had far more thread than I thought, so I almost have a length long enough for a pillowcase trim... looks like another project is on the horizon!

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my 55th birthday, and I have decided to celebrate by starting something new... my first blog! What's up with the name? I love lace... I knit, crochet, and tat. I also love to read... mysteries, ghost stories, craft books, cook books, and children's books. Just a note... I read more than I do, so I plan on using this blog as my personal inspiration to complete projects.

I'm also a collector! I have way too much fabric, yarn, thread, books, and knit/crochet/tatting tools. I feel the need to justify my collections, so I'll try to share my collections when appropriate.

There are some very special people I want to thank for inspiring me to begin this endeavor... Mom, thank you for teaching me that part of learning is making mistakes, and mistakes can be fun! Dave, thank you for putting up with all my clutter these past 26 years, and for building spaces for all my stuff! Alison, Andrea, Carol, and Joanne (my daughters), thank you laughing with me and teasing me about my obsessions. Denise, thank you for being such an inspirational friend... your "flights of fancy" have kept me on my toes! Sherry, thank you for "hinting" that I should start a blog!

There won't be much more today... I have to wait for Joanne to get back from Minnesota to help me with pictures!