for Phoebe

I finished my niece's hanky tonight. Looks like it needs a little pressing before I send it off to her! ;-)

I also finished putting the bag together.

I think they make a pretty pair. I sure hope Phoebe likes them!

Worth the wait

I've been waiting for a special package from Janemactats, but it turned out to be far more special than I ever expected!

First, when I opened the package I found a gorgeous pair of knit gloves. Aren't they wonderful? They fit like, well, a glove! I had trouble taking a picture of both hands, but trust me, they fit perfectly!

Next, I found this beautiful Celtic bookmark. I love the contrasting colors. Who knows, I may even be inspired to try this some day!

Can you believe that Jane tatted a shuttle bag for me? It's even in my favorite color, blue!

Now here is what I was really expecting... my very own silver shuttle with my initials engraved in it! Do you remember Jane blogging about her shuttle? Well I contacted her, and her wonderful husband arranged for the jeweler to make one for me! The price was, as Jane warned me, "eye-watering."

However, the weight is perfect. The silver is gorgeous, and the jeweler did a fantastic job! I can hardly wait to start tatting! It won't happen tonight, though. I have a school board meeting to attend. Sigh! Maybe when I get home.

Thank you, Jane! This has been a wonderful start to the new week!

Doily VI, Round VI

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I finished Round VI (from Tatted Treasures by Jan Stawasz) last night, and I love the way this doily is looking! I'm so happy with Latte Foam (size 20 Lizbeth #168) for this project. It may be difficult to see in the picture, but the thread looks tea-dyed, something I have never tried and never plan on trying. Why should I when this beautiful thread is available?

Margaret asked for a close-up of Grandfather Clock, so...

front,

back,

one side,

and the other. Carol aka Battatter has told me I can do this. I'm a bit skeptical. I don't think I have the imagination for it, but some day I'll probably get the urge to try, then look out!

2013 Indiana Lace Day

The Lafayette Lacemakers held their Indiana Lace Day today, and Denise and I headed out early this morning! Well, we thought it was early. We forgot that even though Lafayette is only an hour and a half away, they're in a different time zone!

Before we did anything else, we chatted with two friends we made at previous Lace Days, Carol and Carolyn. Unfortunately, I never thought to take even one picture! So, you only get to see pictures that I took after I arrived home.

Let me tell you, I am the luckiest girl alive!

Way back in January, Battatter asked what we would like to see in 3D tatting. In case you didn't know, she does fabulous 3D tatting. Her bats are unbelievable! Anyway, I replied that I would like to see a grandfather clock. I love grandfather clocks... it's kind of a family thing. I was so surprised when she gave me my very own 3D grandfather clock today!

Do you recognize the face? It's Grandfather Clock from Captain Kangaroo! Grandfather Clock was my favorite character! Thank you, Carol! This will be my most treasured tatting gift forever!

Oh, and do you see the pretty blue origami pouch in the background? I won it! It was made by another dear tatting friend, Lelia from Stitches of Life II.

...and it was stuffed with goodies! I wish you could have been there, Lelia. It was a great day, and now I have one of your origami pouches!

Yes, there was some retail therapy today... tatting shuttles, thread, books, patterns, bobbins... but I'll save all that for another post. I wouldn't want you to be too jealous of all the fun we had!

Pure indulgence

I had no time for tatting tonight. I was busy doing some research for school, and I had to pay bills... yuck! Nevertheless (Don't you just love that word?), I had to share something tatting related.

Did I need it? No. Did I want it? Yes! I already own this book in soft cover, but when I found it in hard cover for almost the same as what I paid for the soft cover, I bought it.

Yes, indeed... pure indulgence.

Falling behind...

It seems I'm falling behind in everything! Yes, I have excuses, but who wants to hear excuses? Let's talk about fun stuff!

This weekend we drove to Minnesota to meet our newest granddaughter, Sophia. Isn't she a sweetie? She's wearing a sweater that her Great-grandma Green (my mom) knit for her. Mom was afraid it wouldn't fit for long, but Sophia will be wearing this one for a while. She's so tiny!

I received this book in the mail, and it is wonderful! The illustrations are well done, and it came with a tatted bookmark. I can't remember who posted about purchasing one motif, but I decided to purchase the whole book here. I'm glad I did!

I'm still working on my niece's hanky. It's going slowly, because I've restarted attaching the edging several times. Thanks to Frivole, I think I am finally getting it right!

Happy International Tatting Day!

Yes, I did get some tatting done today, quite a bit in fact. I only have ten pattern repeats left on the hanky edging... great progress for me!

My new Zoom Loom arrived today, and I really like it. Do you see the little notch at the bottom left? This may be the best part of the loom... no need for a starting knot! I misunderstood the description of the loom, and I thought there would be a slope on the outside. Not so! The slope is on the inside of the frame, and it does make it easier to manipulate the needle.

I'm using I Love This Cotton. If I stay inspired, there may be a baby throw made out of these little squares. Time will tell!