The BIG count down.

This is a picture my daughter had on her blog that she took on YellowHill. (In Metelakata, Alaska) If you look carefully at the shadow you can see her silhouette in the background. And it reminds me that the final countdown has begun before she comes home!
8 DAYS TILL BECKI- 23 DAYS TILL SCHOOL OUT! But who's counting.LOl. And that means that there will be only a few more days after that until THE TRIP! I'm not excited at all- can you tell! :)-

New bags, yarn, and not enough time!

Well the only excuse I have for not blogging sooner is that I have been working alot and working on time consuming projects. I know poor excuse but it is the Truth! Lol.
Here is a pic of a flyer from a lovely yarn shop I found on one of my long field trips I took to Rockford. Sorry I am not that suave with buttons and still don't link so you have to do it the old fashion way and enter it. For those of you not fortunate enough to live near yarn shops they do have a web site and do deliver.
OK a little blurb in here. We use to have places around were I live that sold yarn, thread, needles, tatting supplies and patterns. And I'm talking the good stuff not just the $2 a skein synthetic yarn(not that there is anything wrong with it) but not really good for wool socks. Then the scrape book invasion hit. Goodbye yarn,needles, thread, and tatting supplies hello cut out things to spend $$$ on. Hobby Lobby and Micheal's still have a limited selection, but looking for anything other than metal shuttles, larger than size 80 thread in limited colors or quality knitting needles is not there. To be fair to scrape Booker's, I hold no grudge but some times a picture is not the same as seeing the real thing. This summer I have plans to go east and I hope to find something in Maine or Vermont or on the way.( I will have to visit Goose Pond in Maine a great place for quality supplies for wool.)

This is a skein of orange creamsicle. It is 85% wool 15% mohair. Below is a pic of my socks. I was further along with a different size knitting needle and torn it out because it was making Paul Bunyon size socks. This is wool and will felt if washed in warm/hot water. But will be ok if washed in cold.

I am doing 2 socks on 2 circular knitting needles. You get both socks done at the same time and they are the same length! There are several books and instructions online about this technique. You can even do 2 socks on 1 long circular needle.( I would loose half my stitches doing it that way!lol)

I choose wool because wool/synthetic blends wear out so much faster than wool or wool blended with other natural fibers. And lets face it when you have a lot of hours in making socks or anything you don't want it wearing out too soon.

'Black magic' in Lizbeth thread. Finally! finished bookmark.(click pic to enlarge). I made it for a friend's b-day who likes flowers. I think the colors look like flowers, I hope she like it. I've already started on another.

Here it is! (pic courtesy of Jane) my new tatting bags by Jane Ebroll. It is already in use holding my latest project- a book marker using 'Marble' Lizbeth thread and Mary Konior's pattern 'Black Magic' found in 'Tatting with Visual Patterns'. (Pic of finished book marker above)

I am very excited for years I have been clumsily tatting how I learned from a book and I finally bought the 'Learn to Tat' by Jenette Baker. It has an interactive DVD with it that shows a faster way than I was doing. (OK I'm an audio/visual learner and have to hear and see it done- so to learn just from a book I repeat it several times and try to make it look like the few drawings. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.)The motions I was doing are pretty much the same, but I spend way to much time with how I pass the shuttle. I have seen 'UTube' videos of other tatters and could not fully get how they did it. I have to recommend this book . It always amazes me on how we can learn always learn something new from someone else!

Well, I will end here. There is always more things to do than time. I hope all of you had a wonderful Mothers day. My children sent me flowers and my son took me out. It was wonderful to hear from them all. But it was bitter sweet as this is the second Mothers day without my mom. You don't always know what you have until you lose it.

I hope life is good out there in blog land and that you all enjoy the beauty that God has created for each of us. Ta Ta for now.

For all who waited to the end...

Happy tax day tomorrow. I have a t-shirt that says" Procrastinators Unite, Tomorrow". And with tax day that would be so true- but I did them already!

So for all those who still have to do them, good luck!

Now that they are done I can concentrate on more important things like -tatting! LOL. :)-

(Picture is of Becki and a stray buck we called Bob. He must have been raised by someone and let go into the wild. He wondered into our property and stayed for three weeks until he left.)

ITD shorthand for .....

Sorry for confusion, but I can be kind of shorthand crazy( comes from texting). ITD was my shorthand for International Tatting Day. Hope this clears up any confusion. (Sorry Tatting Chic you are not missing out on anything!) :)
P.S. Happy Easter!

My tatting results from break and ITD.

Ok here is what I did during spring break- earrings! This lot is 'Encore' and 'Dove' done in 'Roses', 'Snowflake' and Lizbeth thread that is a variegated turquoise and blue. All earrings are a size 20 with the exception of the 'Snowflake' thread which is a 50.

This group (OK it's earring again-SURPRISE!) are all done in 'Peace' hdt by none other than Yarnplayer! The patterns used are from L to R 'Tatted Oval Earrings', "Quadrille' and 'Encore'. 'Dove' and 'Tatted Oval Earrings' are the only patterns not by Marilee.

Yes outside of getting Harriet and Ozzy( once know as Bob) tatting earrings (because you can NEVER have enough earrings) is about all I did. When it gets warmer I get my dye going and start to tie dye things, batik and work on my quilt again. Of course this will in between canning peaches, making corn relish, jams, jellies and tomatoes sauces and salsa! Oh yeah maybe I'll get some work in there too. LOL. :)-

Meet Harriet and Bob.

This is Harriet. A grey winged green English Budgie. She is about 9 months old.

This is Bob. A grey winged blue English Budgie. He is about 1yr 9 months old. (My husband calls him 'Ozzy'.

This is the 'happy' couple in their new cage. I can't say my husband was happy, but I missed Harry so much and I always planned on replacing him. My friend Janice and I went to a bird show in Racine, Wis. She came home with a Amazon named Fanny Mae that is about 2 months old. She was a really sweet parrot. (a little too rich for my blood at 700 $). I think the price of English Budgies was bad enough($35 for Bob and $25 for Harriet), but it is still cheaper than some I've priced. They are from a breeder my friend knows and trusts. Birds are safer from breeders than pet shops.

They are a little shy and it takes about 3 days for them to get use to their new home. I can't say my family is as enthused as I am. But I'm happy Bob and Harriet are here! :)

Happy International Tatting Day!

This the apron on my husband's recaneing project so you can see how big it is.

Another view(sorry for fuzzy pic)

Against a blue chair back ground.

Close up detail of embroidery.

I thought I'd share with you a piece of my family history that started the wonderful world of tatting for me. This was my Great Great Grandmother Alice Atkin Gary's skirt apron she tatted and embroidered herself.(Sorry it is stained and because it is over 100 yrs old I don't know how to remove the stains without hurting it.). My Great Grandmother gave this to me when I was 15 and told me it was tatted by my gggrandmother , Alice. My ggrandmother , Bertha, didn't know how to tat( she was a wonderful cook and taught me cooking and sewing.) but it sparked my curiosity in tatting.

My gggrandmother Alice was a remarkable women for her time and died in 1040's. She supported herself by giving music lessons(in a time period that women didn't work), because her husband was confined to wheelchair. She taught my ggrandfather how to play the mandolin and she herself played the piano and sang.( I know were the music genes come from!).

There was no one to 'show' me how to tat so I taught myself from a book on how to tat. For the first several tries I almost gave up(glad I didn't.). But I was the one who caved her own crochet hook so I could teach myself to crochet because I wanted to make a crocheted poncho(yea I'm THAT old). So with being tired of making knots I finally found someone who could show me that little 'flip' that causes the thread to flip on itself.(I didn't release the tension on my left hand.) WOW! how simple was that and like they say the rest is history! I have been tatting now for close to 40 years and I think of Alice and how something she made out of necessity sparked a desire in one of her posterity. Now it is my job to pass it on. I have taught my daughter and look forward to teach grandchildren when they come.

Thanks for sharing a piece of my history with me on this important day!(Oh, don't forget the chocolate-I know I won't!) :)