Woohoo! On to the citrines.....

The top band went much quicker than I had anticipated. I've now got to figure out exactly how I'm going to do the bottom part with the dangly stones and such. Here's a pic. I put the crystals and citrines on the scanner so you get an idea of the color and scale. I'm hoping this works out like I'm seeing it in my head. If it doesn't, well, it's only beads and thread. They can be cut apart and redone. Ah, the beauty of the flexibility of tatting. Ain't it grand?


Off to mop floors, now.

Egads! It's Monday again, already!!!

The students are returning to school, too. Didn't Summer semester just start last week? How did it get to be August already?

In three days it will be four months until Christmas. Do you know where your projects are? I do. In bags. Waiting to be started. Yikes.

I've been working on the necklace and the Very Bright Doily (tm) this week. Here's where the necklace stands on day 9. So, like, I'm not going very fast with this, but I am happy with the way it's turning out thus far. I like the contrast between the black and the gold. Those gold beads are pretty cool, too. They're actually gold plated glass, so they're actually the right color.

The doily on the left is the symphony doily. I had to run one of Mattie's pals to the emergency room on Saturday (Mattie kept her company in the examining room while I tatted in the waiting room). Got quite a bit done. We decided since it goes with nothing in my decor to declare it a perfect neutral. As it goes with nothing it goes with everything. Made sense to me.

Buhlawgging off....

Blooooo Monday

Well, not really. It was a wickedly hot and humid Monday. I was good and went for my daily "walk for health" in spite of it feeling like a Turkish bath outside. My hair was literally soaked in the back by the time I got back to work. I blistered my feet, too. Oh, well, that's why we have the Band-Aid.

Here's a post of my progress on the necklace thus far. As you can see, the rings are getting a little larger. I now plan on creating the mechanism by which I'll attach the subsequent rows of framed citrine briolets. The necklace will also have a straight band attached to the top. I'm varying a pattern by Nina Libin from her book, Tatted Lace of Beads the Techniques of Beanile Lace. You can find out all about it here on her website. Nina's such a neat lady. I've had the opportunity to take two classes with her.
Raymond buried Chunky today. He's in the backyard next to Listerine. I need to get more plants to add around his grave. Thus far I've got pink bleeding hearts, white astilbe, a white hosta, some pink impatiens and a Lady in Red hydrangea planted next to Listerine. Lady in Red is a new hybrid lacecap. It hasn't bloomed this year. I'm anxious to see what the blooms look like up close and personal. Every time I mention Lady in Red I hear accordion music (rather than that dismal song from the 80s). Wonder why I keep thinking "Lady of Spain" instead of "Lady in Red"? Here's a funny one....when I used to play in a band in a past life we did that "Lady in Red" song. We changed the lyrics to "Grady and Fred..." instead of "The lady in red".

And for that I shall be leading the large weiner/marshmallow roast in Hell. Bring songbooks, girls!

Ah! The weekend.

I've been working on a couple of items this weekend. Firstly, I'm starting a necklace. The thread I'm using is Coats and Clark Bonded Nylon upholstery thread. The stuff is great for beadwork. Heavier than the Nymo I've seen around here. Here's the first little bit - I guess I've got about 30 minutes in it thus far.



And yes, those are my new tortoiseshell shuttles. I feel so elegant using them.

My other project I'm working on is a little doily from a pattern Sherryberry shared with me. I'm using Valdani thread in the "Gem Symphony" colorway that Sherry sent. It's pretty dreamy to tat with - and check out these colors! Is this going to be riotous or what?




















The last pic I have to share is one Raymond found this last week. The black blob in the back is Chatty. On the left is Chunky, and the kitty on the right is Listerine. Listerine was the funniest little imp! Can't tell it here, though.

Happy Trails, Sweet Chunky Boy.
Sometime in the spring of 1995 - August 9, 2005

I can't tell you how much it would touch my heart to see these two every evening as Chunk would hop up in Raymond's lap for his evening grooming and petting. Theirs was a rare mutual admiration society. Chunk you will be sorely missed.

Evidently sometime last night in his sleep Chunk passed away.

Mondays are just too much fun...

It was pouring rain this morning. Boy, did I have a big hair day. And sleeeeepy! I couldn't keep my eyes open all day.

I wish I had worn my latest acquisition. Found these at the Walmart Valley (where the South Knoxville Valley girls do their shopping - a different breed from the San Fernando ilk).

Those little white things indeed are rhinestones. Lots and lots and lots of teensy tiny rhinestone buttons. These shoes are so me.

And that's a scary thing.

Oh, I've been busy - I finished two more of the painted shuttles. It's really a shame that the glitter on the blue and purple one doesn't show up quite right.

These were so much fun to do. I'm going to have to do some more!

Gaaa! It's August Already!

And if no one has reminded you lately, it's less than five months until Christmas. Fifteen ornaments to tat and not enough time. Yikes.

I was speaking with a coworker today about how time goes faster the older you get. My dad used to say, "Tempis fugits." And it does.

I'm having one of those bittersweet days today. A pal found out that he has Stage IV liver cancer yesterday. He's in his mid-fifties. That pretty much sucks. I was poking about on the internet and the general concensus seems to be a life-expectancy of 2-4 months. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. Anyway, it was a big fat reminder to live in the moment and be grateful for what I have today. I've been blessed in many ways.

Here's a boring picture of the ornaments I did last year. The little "wall tree" is one my dad made around 1963. It's a wooden triangle with nails that you wrap garland on. I find it a great place to hang the ornaments while I'm getting them together. I leave the tree up year round - sometimes in the middle of summer I'll plug it in. The ornaments, of course, go to family for Christmas. Oh, those are cheap plastic snowflakes. I have two tatted snowflakes I made for myself about 20 years ago. That's sad.

Oh, and today's stoopid cat picture...Chatty and Chunky (who act manly and hiss at each other and stuff when they're anywhere else):