Thinking green

Back when I was in high school, there was a major snow storm in the Chicago area. Everything came to a stop, and we couldn't wait for Spring. It seemed that everyone was saying, "Think green!" in anticipation of warmer weather.

I was thinking of that winter and of the contests on the radio as I tatted today's Doodle Ice Drop with my new shuttle from Middy Clark of The Knotted Vine. My sister Janet entered a radio contest. Winning the contest meant listening to the radio, waiting for your name to be announced, and calling the radio station within a specified time limit. We were at home working on sewing dresses, Mom's way of keeping us from going stir crazy. Mom must have needed a break from the constant noise of the radio, because we had to turn it off for a while. When Mom let us turn on the radio again, we heard the dj say that Janet Green hadn't called in, so another name was chosen. We were thrilled to hear Janet's name on the radio, even though she didn't win the contest. That was big excitement for 1967!

Just for me

You might think I'd had enough of St. Patrick's Day themed Ice Drops, but I haven't. I decided I would tat some just for me. I'm pretty sure they'll all wind up as gifts to someone else, but for now I am enjoying tatting just for me!

Back to work!

Drama club took over my life for the last several days, and I loved it!

The cast of Mamma Mia! did a fantastic job! All three performances were outstanding, and it seemed to me that there was record attendance at each performance.

While tatting was not my priority over the weekend, I did manage to finish a couple of Ice Drops.

I mailed off all of the St. Patrick's Day themed Ice Drops to Mom today. I'm sure she and her lunch bunch will love them!

My shuttle collection increased over the past week... surprise! These pretties are from Middy Clark of The Knotted Vine. Aren't they gorgeous?

I'm very happy with my new goodies from Grizzly Mountain Arts: one pyrography doodle art shuttle, and two picot hooks (fine crochet hooks set into wood handles). Dave has another shuttle listed that I am really tempted to purchase, but I'm going to wait a day or two to give someone else a chance at owning one of these beauties!

My newest Lorraine Kolasa shuttle arrived from Tatting Corner. This one is textured with no pick. I only have one left to order to have a complete set! That will happen after I make sure I have all my bills paid.

I finally finished my Wortham scarf from Sequence Knitting by Cecelia Campochiaro. There are many mistakes in this scarf. If I saw the mistake within two rows I fixed it, but there were several mistakes I didn't see for a dozen or more rows. Those stayed!

Daughter Joanne has decided to pick up her crochet hook again. She's found that spending time crocheting helps with her writing process. Sophia is modeling her new sweater. Aren't they cute? I mean Sophia and the sweater! ;-)

Janko loves his new bunny blanket toy. Joanne had fun making it, so the girls will each get one too!

Busy week

It's play week again. This time is for the high school production of Mamma Mia! While I'm not directly involved in the production, I do help my daughter out in any way I can. Along with all the excitement of play week comes fatigue, both mental and physical. We love it!

I used my second brass shuttle from Lorraine Kolasa to tat another St. Patrick's Day Doodle Ice Drop.  This one has a smooth finish and no pick. I thought the finish might be too slick, but I was wrong. The finish is fabulous, and I had no trouble holding on to the shuttle. I have another one coming from Tatting Corner that should arrive tomorrow. Shuttle collecting is fun!

Shuttle love

I do love tatting shuttles! I love collecting them. I love using them. This new shuttle from Lorraine Kolasa is no exception. I love the weight, the feel, the color. The shuttle warmed in my hands as I tatted. I'm so glad I purchased it! These beautiful shuttles are available from Lorraine's web site and from Lisa Adams of Tatting Corner. The price is the same from both sites.

I'm still knitting away on my Wortham scarf. It's much easier to knit when my hands are cold, and my hands have been very cold for the past couple of days. I'm getting a lot of knitting done!

Found!

I went to school early this morning, and sure enough, I had left my knitting in the 5th grade classroom. Whew!

I didn't really think my knitting was lost, but there were a few minutes of panic when I couldn't find my bag!

Alison's waffle stitch afghan was my focus for the weekend. This shot is of three skeins of yarn completed for a total of 26". I also used a good bit of the fourth skein, but I haven't bothered taking a picture yet.

It was back to Doodle Ice Drops today! I want to send off some for Mom's lunch bunch in time for St. Patrick's Day. Guess what I'll be working on this week?

Today was a great day for collecting mail! This is my latest pyrography doodle art shuttle from Dave Stanbrough of Grizzly Mountain Arts. I was also thrilled to purchase one of his picot hooks (a fine crochet hook set in in a beautiful turned wood handle). I love working with beautiful tools!

Two beautiful new brass shuttles arrived in the mail today. These are from Lorraine Kolasa, an artist in Michigan. I've been eagerly awaiting the listing of these shuttles ever since Lorraine posted about them on Facebook. They're available in both a smooth and a hammered finish, with our without a pick tip. They're also available from Lisa Adams at Tatting Corner. It's nice to have options!

The packaging is wonderful. The shuttles are tied in place so they can't shift around in the shipping process. A plastic bag with a wooden dowel is included, along with instructions on shuttle care and how to loosen or tighten the tips using the piece of dowel. Lorraine suggests storing the shuttle in the plastic bag if it isn't going to be used for a while. The plastic bag will help reduce tarnishing.

Of course I started winding thread on to one of the shuttles right away! I decided to start with the one with the pick, because I find picks very helpful when I have to retro-tat. :-)

I like the way the tips flair, and the shuttle was very easy to wind. I've only tatted a couple of rings so far, but so far I really like this shuttle!

Lost

I subbed in first grade yesterday. The kids were wonderful, but I was exhausted by the end of the day. There was no creative activity for me last night!

Today I was called to sub for one of the fifth grade teachers. I knew I would have a little free time today, so I took my Wortham scarf to work on. I did get to knit a few rows during the day, and when I got home I decided to put together a pot of chili before sitting down to knit a little more.

I'm sure you can imagine my dismay when I couldn't find my knitting! I triple checked every possible location. The only thing I can think of is that I left it in the classroom. There won't be any chance of checking until Monday, so I just need to relax and work on other things until Monday morning.

Today's basic Ice Drop has a black glass gem in the center. I'm not sure I like it, but the black certainly makes the light green rings stand out.

The Mardi Gras Ice Drops arrived safely, and Mom and her friends loved them! From left to right, the ladies are Elaine, Marie, Mom, and Glenda. It's nice to know I have Ice Drop fans in Alabama!