This week's focus...

crochet!

I had one mermaid tail afghan left to finish, and with the cooler weather I was determined to finish it this week!

I delivered it today. The recipient's birthday is in a few weeks, and her grandma is very excited to give it to her. I am excited that I finally finished it, even though it meant spending much less time on the computer and putting my tatting shuttles to rest for the week.

Once again, I am resolving not to do custom work! Once I take an order for something, I lose all interest in it. Instead, I will make what interests me. If someone want to purchase it, and I'm willing to part with it, I will strike a deal.

As for craft shows, I'm skipping the one next week. I've decided I'm just not interesting in sitting outside and having people critique my work. I think I'll just stock my gift closet and be prepared for gift giving!

Just another manic Monday

I really don't know how the day got away from me so quickly, but I did manage to pack a lot into it.

I did manage to work a little on my Spinning Wheel glass mat in this gorgeous Japanese thread. Taking time to tat between laundry loads makes laundry day a lot more fun!

I also spent time on the mermaid tail afghan that I should have finished a month ago. Luckily, it's been too hot and humid for anyone to want to use an afghan!

The best part of my day was giving Bella a sewing lesson. Bella comes to my house every day after school, so we have plenty of time for lessons. Today she made her own little thread catcher. She did a great job, and she was very pleased with her finished project!

In the nick of time

I can't believe that I haven't posted since Monday. Oh, wait... yes I can! Joanne and I had to take down our yard sale display and box everything up for charity. Pick-up will be Monday. I will feel so relieved when all my "treasures" are on their way to new beginnings.

We also have been working in every spare moment to finish the third of the mermaid tail afghans. A little before 9 last night, our mission was accomplished!

I finished the large and small afghans by myself, but I knew I'd never finish the medium one without Joanne's help. She's a faster crocheter than I am, and her wrists are younger! Joanne crocheted the body of the afghan. I crocheted the tail, wove in all the ends, and attached the tail. I have one more mermaid tail afghan to finish for a friend's granddaughter, and then I think I will be finished with mermaid tails forever!

We will be making a quick trip to Hobby Lobby today so that Joanne can make a mermaid tail afghan for Sophia. We also need to pick up tissue paper so that we can help Carol finish up raffle baskets. It's hard to believe that the play is this weekend! My job will be to coordinate all activities on the main floor: donations, concessions, raffles, auctions, souvenirs, and whatever else may happen. I hope I'm up to the task! ;-)

Oops! I skipped a day!

I guess I've been having too much fun with Joanne and the kids. I didn't even think about blogging last night.

Today the elementary teachers got together for lunch to celebrate Robyn's and my retirement. Our talented friend Edna made another cake for us. How clever of her to incorporate mermaid theme!

Joanne dressed Karolina in this onesie that was a present from my friend Denise. Isn't the teddy bear adorable? The baby's pretty cute too! ;-)

We had quite a bit of broccoli in our garden, so I spent some time freezing it after supper. Yes, we had fresh broccoli for supper. After all that work (it really wasn't much work), I treated myself to some tatting time. I'd better step it up if I'm going to finish this Spinning Wheel by Friday!

Again, I spent the early morning hours working on the Mermaid Tail Afghan. Much more concentration will be need if this is to be finished in two weeks, leaving me with less tatting time. Oh, well! I guess sacrifices must be made for the Drama Club!

Cleaning day

Daughter Joanne said she was going to help me clean during her visit, so today we got started. Under Joanne's direction, we moved everything out of the living room, cleaned the floor, and then cleaned each piece of furniture before putting it back in place. We were finished in about three hours, and that was with taking care of babies and a three-year-old. It's been a while since my living room was this clean! Thank you, Joanne!

After a brief afternoon nap, I decided to finish the first arm of my newest Spinning Wheel. I hope to get more tatting time tomorrow.

Early this morning, after Dave left for work and before Joanne and the kids were up, I started my next Mermaid Tail Afghan. My friend Jill chose these colors, and I think they look terrific!

I gave Sophia some sewing cards today. She played with them for a few minutes, and then moved on to something else... not unusual for a three-year-old!

After their afternoon nap, the babies spent a little time in the grass. Jan was okay with it, but Karolina was not thrilled. We'll try again tomorrow.

Under the sea!

Daughter Joanne agreed to model for me. I love the way this mermaid tail afghan turned out! It will be available for raffle/auction at The Little Mermaid at the end of this month. I'm hoping to have a third one finished, but I'm not sure I'll be able to make that happen.

Sophia wanted to join Joanne and me in crocheting, so I found a ball of yarn and a crochet hook. She played with them for quite a while. I'm sure she'll join us on "the dark side" as she grows older.

Ready for the tail

8:45 p.m. and I just finished the main part of the mermaid tail afghan! All that's left to crochet is the tail, and I should be able to complete that and sew it on tomorrow. :-)
Spinning

I pulled another skein of HDT (hand-dyed thread) from my stash for my next Spinning Wheel glass mat (Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. This is size 20 Raspberry Ripple with Real Vanilla by Tatskool.

I guess I  need to check my blog feed. Every once in a while I come across a blog that I used to read regularly, and I see that the person has posted and I never received notification. That happened with Tatskool's blog. I've now re-added her to my blog feed, and I can happily keep up with what's happening across the sea!

Getting ready!

Daughter Joanne and family are arriving tomorrow! Of course, there is plenty to do in preparation for their arrival. The morning was spent shopping for necessities such as baby food and a kiddie pool. Big shopping is a 40 minute drive away, so it's something that needs to be planned.

This afternoon I finished up packaging key rings and necklaces for the play. That part of the preparation is done!

Busy days mean frequent work breaks, even if it's just for a few minutes. Hopefully, I will have time to finish this Spinning Wheel while finishing up household chores tomorrow.

I also took time to work on my mermaid tail afghan. Only two rows to go before I start to decrease!

I managed to clear a path to my loom and start another scarf. I do love my weaving time. It's so relaxing... no patterns to follow, just a nice, rhythmic back and forth. I know Sophia will want to help me weave, so I'll have to make a little more space before they arrive tomorrow!

For Mom

If finished my Concentric Rectangles doily today! I chose these colors with Mom in mind. Mom loves red, and these colors seemed perfect for her. So Mom, this doily is for you if you'd like to have it!

I have 18 rows to go before I start decreasing on my mermaid tail afghan. It takes me about 20 minutes to crochet a row, so I guess that means I have a good 6 hours of crocheting before I start decreasing. I don't see how I can possibly finish a third afghan before the play, but I'm sure going to try!

For some strange reason, I haven't been able to add pictures to Blogger the past two days. There didn't seem to be much point to blogging without pictures. This morning I went through my settings and found a couple of draft posts, so I deleted them and now Blogger seems to be working fine.

One of the third grade girls wanted to make a necklace out of the neckband of her t-shirt for the play. So, Sunday afternoon, I made the necklace she wanted. After looking at the picture, I can see that it needs a little cleaning up, which can be done fairly easily. Maybe I'll surprise her and crochet a little edging around it to clean it up!

My latest Spinning Wheel glass mat in Fiore from Slovakia is coming along nicely.

I love the way the newest mermaid tail afghan is working up. It really looks like it belongs under the sea!

Last night the four retirees (two teachers, one guidance counselor, and one secretary) were invited to the school board meeting.

We were recognized for our years of service... 91 years of combined service!

...and we were given a gift certificate to a very nice restaurant. I will miss the daily routine, but since I plan to sign up as a substitute teacher, I know I will be able to keep in touch with the students and staff for as long as I like. Will I sleep in? Probably not. I'm an early morning person, and I think I'll be much happier if I stick to my morning routine!

Costume and set day

Daughter Carol called on Drama Club and community members to help make costumes and paint sets for The Little Mermaid today. So with sewing machine in hand, I headed off to school today.

Cast members who were able to come today had the opportunity to create their own costumes.

T shirts were slit, painted, beaded, and ruffled in a variety of ways.

The set pieces were all built a couple of weeks ago, and today a great deal of the set was painted.

There are 55 cast members, and it's great fun to see moms and dads participating along with their children!

I'm making progress on the medium sized Mermaid Tail afghan. I found out today that one of the moms is making mermaid themed quilts to be raffled off. I think this is going to be an amazing fund raiser!

As Eliz guessed, I started my newest Spinning Wheel is in the pink Fiore thread. So far, I'm really liking this thread! I wonder where I can get more colors?

No-tatting Tuesday

I can't believe I've had another tat-less day! Until the last few weeks of school, getting to school early has always meant time to get ready for the school day and then spend about a half hour unwinding, usually through tatting. However, I'm in inventory mode, so every spare minute is spent working on book shelves.

The good news is the fiction and easy reader sections are in perfect order, and I'm ready to start the Dewey section tomorrow. The Dewey section is always the hardest to keep straight. Kids just love reading about real things, especially space, dinosaurs, animals, and sports. The kids tend to get distracted as they're looking, and books often end up on the wrong shelf. Luckily, I enjoy reading book shelves!

I did manage to crochet a couple of rows on the medium sized Mermaid Tail afghan. The pattern I'm using is YARNutopia by Nadia Fuad. I'm using Red Heart Super Saver Macaw and Jade. The dark blue is Red Heart with Love Peacock. I really like this color combo!

Winding down...

Well, at least at school. I can't believe we only have three weeks left! This week is filled with straightening shelves and reminding kids to bring their books back. Next week inventory will begin in earnest, my 31st and final inventory. I can hardly believe it!

I did take time to tat this morning. I'm enjoying using this Manuela thread. When I'm finished, I'll show this red compared to the other red I used.

Two new shuttles arrived in the mail today from Hungary. I'm a sucker for plaid and paisley! If you like these two, I saw that Banyek still has them available on Etsy.

I took my mermaid tail afghan to school today to show the kids. They loved it! Now I hope they show up the play and convince their parents to buy raffle tickets! ;-)

Last night I started the medium sized mermaid tail afghan. This one is in blues and greens. I think I'm really going to like this one!

Busy weekend

This weekend was my granddaughter Eva's 8th grade graduation ceremony, so Saturday was a busy family day... and fun!

Eva and her brother are home-schooled, and they attend a co-op once a week. Her graduating class was small, but the ceremony was just as nice as any I've ever attended. Eva is on the far right.

The kids all posed for a silly picture at the end of the ceremony.

When I was doing up the dishes after lunch, I saw a squirrel in the back yard. We've lived on this farm for 34 years, and this is our first squirrel! Can you see him on the porch rail? Now I need to find out where he's nesting.

I spent all of my free time this weekend working on the mermaid tail afghan. I really wanted to finish it so that I could show it to the kids at school this week. The yarn was donated by Michael's, and I only had enough to make the small afghan. This is much smaller than I expected, but I'm sure some little girl will love it. I'm hoping to finish an adult-sized one in time for the play.

Now that this afghan is finished, I feel free to spend more time tatting! ;-)

Spring sure is busy!

Why is it that spring seems so busy? I guess it's because we've been cooped up all winter, and the chance to get outside takes priority. All I know is that somehow spring has been getting in the way of my fiber time!

I did make a little progress on my Spinning Wheel in size 20 Omega.

I also managed to finish the top of the beaded bag. All I have left to do is make and add the beaded drawstring, and it will need to be blocked. I think I'll look for my white hankies before I head off to bed tonight. That way I'll be all ready to look work on the hanky edging this week.

I did crochet two more rows on the mermaid tail afghan. I'm going to need to really focus on this once I finish the beaded bag and hanky!

From Russia with love

Today was mainly a crochet day. I know it's still April, and the production of The Little Mermaid isn't until the end of June, but I'm starting to feel the crunch!

I'm also wondering if I have enough yarn to finish this mermaid tail afghan. I sure hope so!

My newest Spinning Wheel is in size 20 Omega. I don't know the color number, but I do like the color!

So, what's with the post title?

Three more new shuttles arrived today from Russia. Aren't they pretty?

3 out of 4 isn't bad!

I managed to work on 3 of my 4 projects today.

Before school I rounded another corner on my Concentric Rectangles doily.

At lunch time I worked on my Spinning Wheel glass mat.

After school I worked on my mermaid tail afghan.

That leaves one project to work on tonight... my beaded crocheted bag... just as soon as I close my computer!