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!

Switching to 20

I finished edging the hanky with size 10 Wedgewood Dk, and I think I'm going to leave it as it is for now. I haven't found a needle lace edging that I like to go with it, and I don't think the size 10 thread really works for a hanky.

This morning I decided to switch to size 20 Garden Afternoon hand-dyed thread from my friend Marilee Rockley. I figured this would be good practice for future projects. My plan is to add a tatted edging once I finish the needle lace round. I've crocheted around a hanky before adding a tatted edge, so it will be interesting to see how this looks in comparison when finished.

It's Spirit Week at school, which means lots of extra activity. In turn, that means little time for tatting while supervising. Still, I managed to tat another Ice Drop today!

Shrek Jr.

The middle school kids performed Shrek Jr. this weekend, and it was fabulous! It's so much fun to see kids grow in confidence through the drama program.

Since I was helping out with the play, I didn't have much time for my own pursuits. It took me three days to finish this needle lace flower. I think I'm really getting the hang of this! Now I need to move on to following patterns.

Although I subbed today, I still managed to complete an Ice Drop. I love blue and white together!

Over the weekend, I decided to try practicing the needle lace stitch on a hanky. The size 10 thread is way too big for the hanky, but I'm getting better with my stitches and I can see what I'm doing!

Needle and thread

Today I was in the mood to practice needle lace. All it takes is a needle and thread.

I'm still making lots of mistakes, but I'm learning. The yellow flower only has four petals because I snipped a thread when I shouldn't have. Rather than be discouraged, I started another flower in red.

This is my best effort so far. There are still mistakes, but I can tell I'm improving.

Feeling confident, I started a fourth flower. Once again, I goofed. I skipped the second loop, so there wasn't a place for the fifth petal. Oh, well. Maybe the next one will be better!

Feelin' the heat

It's been hot and humid here the past few days. It's been a lot worse, but I'm a wimp when it comes to the heat. I know I'd never make it in the deep south!

Today I worked on Tamie Alliss's Beaded Bloom in size 20, with beads this time! It's okay, but with this pattern I think I really prefer the size 10 thread. I asked Tamie for some guidance, and she said she uses an 11 mm bead with size 20 thread. This is a 20 mm bead, so maybe that's why I'm not happy with the result.

There's one less ring on the beaded version. I really like this pattern, so I know I'll do more experimenting.

Raspberry Pink Lt was the perfect cool color to use on a hot day!

I added another Masquerade motif to my doily. By tatting one motif a day, this doily will be complete in a few weeks.

It's hard to believe that my needle lace class with Victoria Ong was a week ago. This is the best flower center I've made so far, and I could actually see where my needle needs to go for the next round!

My leaves are getting better. I just need to practice!

Been There, Done Tat ~ Part 3

Although it was not technically part of Tat Days, Lisa did offer two needle lace classes with Victoria Ong on Sunday. I've been wanting to learn needle lace for a long time, and Denise was interested also, so we signed up. Victoria's new book is available exclusively at Tatting Corner.

It took me quite a while to get the feel for making the knots, but I was happy with my progress, and now I feel confident with practicing on my own.

Dave came in with broccoli before leaving for work this morning, so my first task of the day was to prepare nine quarts of broccoli for the freezer. It looks like time for peppers next!

I've added a third Masquerade motif to my doily. I don't think this is going to turn out as I originally thought, but that's okay. Today's motif is in Lizbeth #680, Spring Green.

Of course I had to tat a matching Ice Drop!

I finished another bag today... three down, thirteen to go!

I finished the day by tatting Beaded Bloom by Tamie Alliss. My last join looks a little funky, and my chains don't snug up, but I get the idea now, and I have plenty of beads that I can practice with!