The Year isn't over yet!

Oh, my, I haven't been on here since January 2011.  Must be I have been busy this year.  I haven't done a lot of tatting this year, mostly been on a knitting binge.  But, I am going to be teaching a tatting class starting next week!  How cool is that?  I was a bit apprehensive about doing it as I do not consider myself to be anywhere near an expert but we always want new tatters to join the ranks.  I will be teaching in Tawas, Michigan I am planning maybe 6 weeks of classes.  Will see how well versed the tatters I have are and how long they want to go on.  This whole teaching thing started because I dropped off a pair of tatted baby booties last April at the knit shop and she showed them off and now I am teaching tatting.

This year I also had two additions to my family, a new grandson in Alaska and a great granddaughter in Michigan.  I now have one granddaughter and four grandsons and one great granddaughter.  I am a lucky grandma.

This weekend we are celebrating my fathers 82nd birthday.  We are so blessed to still have him and 22 of us will be home to help him celebrate.  That is only about half of us.  The rest could not make it home as they all live out of state.  All five of us girls will be here tomorrow.  Only my brother will be missing and he refuses to come home without an "engraved invitation".  We don't mind anymore as we have learned to adjust to his stupidity!

Going Home

My time here in Alaska is almost over. I will be going home tomorrow, we are leaving her about 2:30 tomorrow afternoon. I don't fly out until 10:15 tomorrow night and I won't actually get home until after 9:00 pm Tuesday. A long trip but really only about 15 hours of flight time. It has been snowing here and it suppose to continue and my daughter does not want to have to drive home on slippery roads after she drops me at the airport about 6:00 pm. I really don't blame her as it will be dark as she drives the 80 miles home.

It has been an interesting trip, my grandson decided to go home to North Carolina while I was here and that was a fast trip. He did have a return trip ticket so it only cost us $100 to change it. We were able to get him on a plane the day he decided he wanted to go home. I think he was homesick for his family and friends. He had been here about five months and it is pretty isolated out here. No one, but my daughter and the dogs to keep him company. He was working, cutting, stacking and hauling firewood at $10.00 an hour. Not bad for a kid just out of high school. The only problem was the guy he was working for just didn't keep him busy enough.

I didn't get much tatting completed while here. I finished a bookmark and started a second one. I did find my stork pieces and did work on them a little bit, but did not complete one. I do have a headless one and I did get a new crochet hook so I could do some joins and some beads for the eyes so I can finish one when I get home. I also had to order some more thread for the baby body and the blanket as I didn't bring any with me. But it looks like I won't finish one until I get home now. Good thing I still have time to make my cards. Baby isn't due until the end on January.

Dhamana Bookmark

After finishing my 7th pair of baby booties I was looking for something else to work on before I start another big project. On InTatter, Kersti posted the October Challenge. To tat something with some thread you had lurking around in your stash that maybe you didn't care for the first time, or you didn't like after you brought it home. I had some Coton Perle 8 that I purchased some time ago and didn't care for. (And still don't care for!) So, I looked up a bookmark pattern that I wanted to try and here it is! Since it was a challenge piece I think I will count it as number 20 in my 25 Motif Challenge. I only have 5 more to go and only three months left this year. I better get busy.

Next I hope to make the Stork by Jane Eborall. I hope to make a plethora of them for announcement cards for my daughters baby in January. I hope I have bitten off to much with this project. At least I have time to make them before the baby gets here. I think they will make adorable cards. Oh, yes, three of our babies have arrived. Joshua Lewis was born 9-12. Annaleigh Barbara, 9-25 and Sawyer Jean 9-28. Only 4 more to go! Along with the tatting I have been sewing up a storm for all of the babies. Fleece sleeper and flannel kimonos. So many babies, so many sleepers!

Today, was my last day at work, I am official retired, again! It is a good thing too as I am going to Alaska October 22 for three weeks. So far I have a baby shower and a costume Halloween Party to attend. I don't think I have every been to a costume party, or at least not since I was in grade school.

I had better close have lots and lots to get done!

Where is this little piggy going?

Not to market I don't think. However she does become number 7 for the 25 Motif Challenge. She is from Christel Weidmann's Tatting Farm Animals. I think she will be finding a new home in Nebraska when my sister gets home next week and see's her. At least you can be sure she is going to a good home. As this is the sister who wanted to grow up to be a "pig". She have a collection of pigs that she has gather up from all over or that have been given to her over the years.

I have been stuck in front of the tv today watching the inauguration of the president. It was mesmerizing to watch. I did not plan on watching it all day it was just to hard to stay away from all the pomp and circumstance. We do put on a great party. At least the whole world gets to see how we do it here in the United States and it is a great statement on how system works. We are so lucky to be able to have this smooth transition of power.

Now on to other things. Like tatting. I do not have anything new in the works at the moment. I was too cold to work on anything today. Had to keep my fingers warm. So what to do tomorrow. The booties are on hold for the moment. While we find out about the baby. My daughter is going for an ultrasound tomorrow and then we will know more.

Baby Bootie Round 2

I completed round two on the pattern for the baby bootie. It wasn't as difficult as I first expected last night when I was reading the pattern. I just had to remember to take it one step at a time and it worked out just fine. I remembered what my mother taught be about reading crocheting or knitting patterns. Don't read so far ahead and to do the work from one comma to the next one. That works the best. I also copy the patterns and cross off each section as I complete it so that I don't get lost. Now it is on to the sole of the bootie.

I also started an edging for a hankie for my Aunt. She is 81 years old and game me a tube to store my tatting in for Christmas. I am sure she will be happy to get some tatting and a hankie is best for her. It is the hen and chicks pattern so that I don't have to study a pattern and I can take it anywhere to work on. I hate to sit waiting for an appointment with nothing to do. I usually take a book to read but the tatting will work just fine. Plus I can show it off.

Booties attempt Number 1!

My first attempt at the baby bootie and it is dismal. First I missed a whole section on the first corner and I didn't pull the center chains in enough as it doesn't lay flat. Then when I joined the last corner I turned it somehow and unless I cut it apart I can't do anything with it. At least I know what to do when I make the next one. Lessons learned are always helpful. This is made out of Size 20 Flora verigated greens. I like the color. It is just a soft green and will be perfect for the baby no matter what it is. I want to make the booties and an bonnet to match. My oldest daughter is making a crochet blanket out of a green organic cotton. Hopefully the colors will blend together.

Time to start attempt number two.

Number 13

It is a good thing I am not superstitious as I have just finished snowflake number 13 and it appears it will be the last one before Christmas. I was delayed in finishing as I had family over Saturday for Christmas, then we went to the casino Monday night. I did not come home any richer, either.

I think I working on a simple edging although I am not sure what I will be putting it on. It is worked with black and white. I am thinking of attaching it to a small jewelry pillow of black or a wine colored velvet. I have an order coming from Handy Hands and am anxious to get it. I ordered several balls of thread and a new tatting pattern book. My picot gauges arrive from Georgia and I love them.

I made five pounds of fudge yesterday. Good thing I am sharing it with my step-mother. She really wanted it for her family. As I live alone I don't need that much fudge hanging around for weeks. Most of my cookies were given away or ate on Saturday when my sister was here with her family. So I won't have a lot of Christmas goodies to get rid of.

My daughter in Alaska finally went to the doctor Monday and she is pregant with her first baby. We are so excited, I will be spending some time in Alaska again next year. I promised her six weeks after the baby gets here. I want to tat a hat for the baby so I think that may have to be my next project. They are not going to find out the sex of the baby as they want to be surprised. So I will not be doing gender specific projects. She also wants to go "green" and use cloth diapers. I have purchased a dozen so far but plan on making most of them. Since she lives 90 miles from Fairbanks she can use lots of diapers.