Garden walks and lace...

Even though I've been working on my lace curtains, I haven't completely forgotten my tatting! The top left edging is "Itsy, Bitsy, Baby" from Nice and Easy Tatted Edgings by Diane DiRosa Biswas, Altin Basak size 50, Sherry Pence (Lady Shuttle Maker) ceramic shuttle. Bottom left is a daisy edging I learned from watching Bev Dillon's video, Tatting from Start to Finishing, Hakelgarn size 20, "Diane" shuttle from Sherry Pence (yes, it's named after me! I feel so special!). I've been using this edging to decorate bobby socks for my granddaughter, Lily. I have 4 pair completed, 2 to go! On the right is Basket Edge from Vintage Tatting, Cebelia size 30, Peter Cua shuttle. I love working on edgings because I can evenutally memorize the pattern!

Yesterday I went to the Crete Women's Club Garden Walk & Bazaar, "A Day in the Country" with my friends Pat and Brenda. Despite a few showers, we had a wonderful time. Pat and Brenda are really into gardening... I'm into looking at gardens and I leave the actual work to Dave! Two of our Grant Park friends, Amy and Ingeborg, each had vendor stalls. They both make the most beautiful cement pieces out of leaves. I have three for garden accents and three in the house... one is used as a decoration in my dining room, one is a soap dish from my friend Kris, and one is in my sewing room as a pin dish. I have a rhubarb leaf, 4 hosta leaves, and I can't remember what Ingeborg said the other one was (my pin dish).

One of the gardens we visited was at the home of Bill Aldrich, publisher of Chicagoland Gardening... what a wonderful surprise! We each purchased books from him, which he kindly autographed. I can't wait to read, and Pat and Brenda can't wait to garden... life is good!

Elation and frustration!

I'm elated because I finally finished a curtain panel that I started several years ago! I'm frustrated because I can't figure out how to add pictures to my blog! I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, and it might help if I tried in the morning when I'm more alert!

I decided to crochet curtains for my living room, but quickly changed my mind and decided to decorate the bathroom window which is much smaller! I tend to start large projects and then abandon them when the process becomes routine, so this is quite an accomplishment for me! I started the second panel about an hour ago. My goal is to finish and hang the curtains by the time my parents visit in mid-July.

My friend Denise is also crocheting curtains. Hers is a much larger undertaking for the cottage she and her husband have on the Kankakee River. When I saw how much Denise was able to accomplish, I was determined to finish my much simpler pattern!

I found a beautiful basket edging at Vintage Tatting, which I've started making in size 30 Cebelia. The pattern looks difficult, but I was amazed at how quickly I caught on to it. Once the first pattern repeat was finished, I didn't need to refer back to the pattern!