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!

Another exciting day!

We had a lot of excitement at school today! First, I was able to tell the kids that more goodies came in the mail. That's right... more goodies! I was so surprised to seen an envelope filled with gorgeous tatting from Stephanie. The kids were awestruck! I forgot to take pictures of the beautiful pieces, but as the kids earn them, you'll be able to see just how generous my tatting friends have been!

Alicia has been working hard on her Fancy Pants, and she was excited to earn a Stumpy bookmark!

Shelby was the first to choose from the new pieces from Stephanie. She's been working on her picots, influenced by Paige. She fell in love with this giraffe!

Several of the 4th graders stopped by to see me after lunch, and they were very excited to start putting their tatting packets together. Today they wound thread on floss bobbins. Tomorrow they'll wind thread on their shuttles. I wish I could share with all of you just how much fun this is!

I received an email from Handy Hands today... the new Moonlit shuttles are available! Yes, I did order a set. I can hardly wait! I also ordered a Japanese tatting book, enabled by Fox. We are a very good/poor influence on each other, depending on your point of view!

A most eventful weekend

This weekend was the high school performance of The Music Man. I know I'm a bit prejudiced because my daughter is the director, but it was fabulous!

The cast of 50, including some middle school students, were outstanding. I watched the movie this morning (we had the day off for Casimir Pulaski Day), and when the movie was over, I realized just how wonderful a job they all did!

Can you tell I'm proud of my daughter?

I did spend some time tatting today, using up Flora thread on my shuttles. Patti Duff's Minitats is a great source for motifs that don't require a lot of thread.

I finally tatted Motif #3 correctly. All I needed to do was turn off the t.v. so that I switched shuttles instead of reversing my work at the proper spot!

Motif #5 gave me practice with the shoelace trick. Most of the time I prefer using two shuttles to using the shoelace trick, but I think it worked out nicely this time!

Motif #6 is very simple, yet I somehow manage to mess up the final two joins and have to unpick my work every time I make it.

I had eleven 4th graders ask me to teach them to tat on Thursday! This is going to be an exciting week!

Look at them go!

Has it really been since Monday that I posted? I guess I've let time get away from me.

My third graders have been tatting up a storm, and I'm sad to say that I have not remembered to take pictures of all of the progress made. I just can't keep up with them!

As I looked through these pictures, I realized that I can't remember whose tatting is whose!

I know this is Paige's ring and chain combination. I remember her saying that this is one of her bags of tatting!

I think this may also be Paige. I'm pretty sure she's chosen from the tin every day this week!

This must be Shelby... I recognize her shuttle! Rings and chains are the theme this week!

I have drawn a blank. I just can't remember whose tatting this is. When I find out, I'll let you know!

Shelby earned a second motif this week!

Owen is not the only boy tatting, but he is certainly the most determined. He wanted to earn this bumble bee, and there was no way he was going to let anyone beat him to it!

As for me, I finished my latest Spinning Wheel glass mat. This one is in size 20 Flora, a lovely thread that is no longer available.

I have a couple of ideas rolling around in my head... nothing original, just projects that interest me. I wonder which one will catch my fancy?

Bazooka or Double Bubble?

That's the question that ran through my mind all weekend as I worked on my latest Spinning Wheel. I'm a Bazooka girl, or at least I was. I can't imagine sticking a wad of that sticky sweet stuff in my mouth any more... my fillings might fall out of my teeth! I remember reading the comics while softening that pink chunk in my mouth. I never did care for the taste of Double Bubble, but there were times when any pink would do... except for that awful stuff that came with baseball cards!

So, enquiring minds want to know... which bubble gum do/did you prefer?

Or maybe as a tatter, you'd rather say which thread you prefer. This is size 20 Flora, #37. I haven't checked in a long time. Is Flora even available any more?

There was a lovely surprise in the mail on Saturday...

goodies for my tatting students from Tatting Marie! The kids were so excited! Thank you, Marie!

Paige chose this pretty snowflake as her reward for tatting a ring and chain pattern... two of them, in fact! Paige told me that she has tatted a whole ball of thread at home. It must be time to go shopping!

Grace has been practicing her chain and picot pattern. She chose an adorable tatted nativity.

Yesterday at church, a friend of mine whose oldest child is in second grade, asked me if her daughter would be learning to tat next year in third grade. I guess the word is spreading!

I give up!

I've spent the past hour trying to catch up on reading blogs, and I still have 136 to go. I can't do it, so I give up! I need to get back into my morning routine of reading blogs while I have my morning coffee. A little bit here, a little bit there, and soon I have caught up with all my friends in the blogosphere. Somehow, I've lost my routine and I must get it back! I've marked all posts as read, and I'm starting with a clean slate. Let's see how I do this week! ;-)

My little tatters are progressing nicely!

Paige has been using the thread and shuttles she purchased at Hobby Lobby to make bunches of rings. She's hoping to get more for her birthday... Diane the Enabler strikes again! ;-)

Shelby practiced her rings on one continuous thread. Isn't her little purse adorable? Several of the girls have these little bags for carrying their works-in-progress. They also have larger bags for holding their samples and prizes. I might have to go shopping for one of these little purses. They are so adorable!

Owen finished his six inches of Fancy Pants and claimed the tiny tatted bumble bee that he fell in love with. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture. The four 5th grade girls have been practicing, but are not ready to show their progress yet. 

I'm making slow progress on my hanky edging...

and my Spinning Wheel. Why? To be honest, I've spent too much time playing games on my iPad. My grandson got me started on Hay Day, which he no longer plays. I am totally addicted to harvesting crops, producing and selling goods, and moving on to higher levels. One of the teacher aides at school finally got me to try Candy Crush... stay away! Danger! Danger! Why do I feel the need to earn a Sugar Crush? Maybe it's because after playing with all that candy, I have no desire to eat sweets. I think it's time to unplug!

It's amazing!

I now have four 5th grade girls learning to tat! Guess who's teaching them? If you guessed 3rd graders, you are right!

When do we get our work done? Before taking time for tatting, of course! The kids come in for about 10 minutes after lunch every day, and then if they finish all their required library/computer work, there's usually about 10 minutes at the end of class, time for reading, research, or tatting! I don't have time to help everyone with those time constraints, but I am able to teach a few at a time, and those few help their classmates. The kids are very good about helping each other. They're even learning to recognize their mistakes, and they're figuring out how to correct them. It's wonderful to see them all working together!

Kate has been practicing her picots, earning an adorable tatted spider!

Delaney has absolutely perfected Fancy Pants! I was very flattered that she chose a two layer flower that I tatted.

What have I been up to, you ask?

Why, I've started another Spinning Wheel, of course! That size 20 Flora was just crying to be made into a Spinning Wheel!