Lazy day

The weekend wore me out, so I spent the day relaxing.

It felt good to tat an Ice Drop after taking two days off from tatting.

The picture isn't very good, but I was too lazy to move my little trees for better lighting. They hold the 31 Ice Drops I managed to tat in April.

I really am having fun crocheting these spool pin doilies.

They're kind of like potato chips... you can't stop with one!

Spool pin doily pattern

I've been pleasantly surprised at the response to my little spool pin doilies, and I've been asked to share my pattern.

So, what are spool pin doilies? They're little doilies that go on the spool pin of your sewing machine. They take the place of the little felt rings you can buy. I read that the felt rings are meant to keep the spools from scratching your machine as they spin. They're also supposed to help keep the spool from continuing to spin when you stop the machine. Spool pin doilies are not only cute, they're functional!

The pattern is very simple. For these I used size 10 crochet cotton and a size 10 hook. I normally use a size 7 hook with #10 cotton, but the size 10 hook was right next to me, and it worked!

I use the magic ring method to start; chain 3 (counts as first double crochet), 19 double crochet into magic ring, close ring leaving a hole big enough to fit over your spool pin, slip stitch into top of beginning chain 3. 

Round 2: chain 4, double crochet chain 1 into each double crochet going around, slip stitch into top of 3rd chain of beginning chain 4. 

Round 3: slip stitch into first chain 1 space, chain 6, double crochet into same chain 1 space, double crochet in next chain 1 space, double crochet chain 3 double crochet in next chain 1 space, continue this pattern around and slip stitch in 3rd chain of beginning chain 6. 

Round 4: slip stitch in chain 3 space, chain 3, 6 double crochet in same chain 3 space, single crochet in middle double crochet from previous round, 7 double crochet in next chain 3 space, continue this pattern around, slip stitch in top of beginning chain 3, cut and pull through thread to finish. Hide ends.

There you go! Some day I'll take the time to figure out a tatted version!

Here, chick chick chick...

Dave brought his chicks home today. They're now about five and six weeks old, two batches of ten each. They are cute, but they are Dave's project, not mine!

While Dave played with his chicks, I searched for spool pin doily patterns. A spool pin doily goes on the spool pin of the sewing machine. It was three purposes that I can identify: 1) it protects the machine from being scratched by the spinning spool of thread; 2) when the machine stops, the doily helps keep the spool of thread from continuing to spin; 3) they look awfully cute on top of the sewing machine!

I found lots of pictures of spool pin doilies, and I even found some patterns. In fact, I tried a couple of patterns and found I just didn't like them. So, I sat down and crocheted something that I like.

I like the way the first one turned out so much, I crocheted another.

...and another.

...and another! I may spend time crocheting a bunch of these over the next few days. My wrist and hand have been bothering me, and I find that switching from tatting to either crocheting or knitting helps tremendously. I'm sure that the different hand motions cause the muscles to be used in different ways.

So, what happened yesterday? Denise and I traveled to Valparaiso, Indiana, to take a class on knitting German short row heels for socks. We had both done our homework of knitting 40 stitches in the round for 6 rows, so that when we got to class we were ready to start in on learning how to knit the heel. It was really interesting to see the heel develop, and the technique is really very simple. I meant to take a picture of my heel, but I got distracted and forgot all about it. The sample has already been taken apart so that I can practice again. It's been a while since I've completed a pair of socks, so I've decided that I'll knit at least one pair in worsted weight to refresh my sock knitting knowledge. The socks won't go to waste. I know they'll be too thick to wear inside shoes, but they'll be nice for walking around the house!

A new day

Yesterday I accomplished nothing. I was laid low by a sinus headache, something that seems to come with changes in weather patterns for me. The good thing is, I got plenty of rest!

Today I accomplished a lot! All the laundry is done. I finished ironing and folding all the fabric I washed the other day. I worked on the curtains for the treehouse, and I hope to finish them this weekend. 

I also had time to tat an Ice Drop. Tatting with spring-fresh colors certainly is uplifting!

I'm making slow progress on round 11 of Renulek's Wiosna 2018, but I have the pattern down pat now. All I need now is more free time for tatting!

Internet down

We lost our Internet connection mid-afternoon yesterday, which proved to be very inconvenient for Dave. He had a lot of work to do last night, and he could only get access on his phone. It's still slow this morning, but at least there's a connection. Sometimes technology baffles me!

I only managed to tat one Ice Drop yesterday.

I spent the day washing, drying, ironing, and folding fabric... after making a new tablecloth for our dining room table.

I had planned on finishing the curtains for the treehouse yesterday, but as soon as I started pressing the fabric for the tablecloth, I started getting a gummy buildup on my iron again. I talked it over with Mom, and we decided that there must be something in the sizing that's put on the fabric that gets gunky with heat.

Mom had always taught me to pre-wash my fabric, but I had bought into what I was told... the newer fabrics don't need pre-washing. Hmmm. I still have quite a bit of fabric to iron and fold, and I have no buildup on my iron. I think I'll be taking the extra time to pre-wash my fabric from now on!

Chicken!

I decided I needed to get on board with Dave's new found interest in chickens. I like eggs and I like to eat chicken, I'm just not thrilled with the idea of taking care of the little critters. However, I know my help will be needed, so I bought a pair of Sloggers decorated with chickens. I figure I need something that can be washed off on a regular basis. I think they're pretty cute!

I've been leaving thread on my shuttles so that I know which ones I've actually used. Since I had lots of thread left on these two shuttles, I decided to make a two-tone Ice Drop. It doesn't show in the picture, but the glass gem has a bit of iridescence that picks up the pinks in the thread.

I worked on the curtains for the treehouse today. The valance is finished and I have the sides finished for each of the five panels. My iron started sticking to the fabric, so I decided it was time for a good cleaning. It was gunkier than I thought, so it took a while to get it nice and clean. Now I'm ready to work on the curtains again tomorrow!

It's going to take a while to tat round 11 of Renulek's Wiosna 2018. I don't have the pattern repeat memorized yet, but I'm sure I'll have it soon. I think it will be really pretty when it's done!

Spring at last!

It finally is starting to feel like Spring around here. We still needed to wear light jackets, but there was a pleasant warm breeze and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day!

Dave decided he wanted to have chickens this year. While he was outside building a home for them, I accomplished a lot indoors.

In anticipation of a beautiful day, I started out by tatting an Ice Drop in Spring colors!

It's been a long time since I've done any spool knitting. I actually started this yesterday, and then I doubled the length today. Spool knitting is very relaxing, and yes, I do have an idea for using my new found fiber fun. I'll let you know if my idea works!

I finished my Granny Square afghan today. This is child sized for one of my grandchildren.

I enjoyed working on the Granny Square afghan so much, I started another right away!

Dave has been asking me to make curtains for the treehouse for a couple of years. I finally gave in and cut out the fabric today. I think curtains are out of place in a treehouse, but Dave is busy making the inside nice for the grandkids, so I guess it won't hurt to do my part. I wonder what the grandkids will ask him to put in this year? They already have a chalkboard and chalk, a captain's wheel, and a slide. I'm guessing they'll want a table and benches or chairs of some sort so that they can sit out there and pretend. They'll be visiting before we know it, so I'm sure we'll have fun fixing the place up!