Round Robin Bookmarks #2

Hello all!

I do hope everyone is having a great week! I have been busy spending this last week catching up blogging, checking out blogs of fellow tatter, trying to catch up some of my lists, etc, not to mention replying to comments. I still have several to catch up with yet (on comments, I think anyway) LOL! Besides that, I have been busy using the snow shovel, clearing paths, parking space, mailboxes, and today helped our son clean off our roof. That was a little spooky since it has been YEARS since I have been up on a roof! I think I surprised our son, hubby and to be honest, surprised myself LOL!

With all of that I have even managed to get in a little tatting. Not much knitting though.

To start with here is a neat goodie package I recieved from Karen (some vintage thread) THANK YOU Karen!!! AND it included a SURPRISE!!!! A TATTING SHUTTLE!!!! yippeee!!! Yeppers it didn't take me long to fill'er up either and start using it!!!! These threads are all JP Coats, and Coats & Clarks along with one DMC and a couple with missing labels. All look to be size 80 thread or 70 as they are 'tatting-crochet' threads. I have another bookmark all planned out using these threads!


Here is what I made using my new shuttle and thread!!!!

This was my bookmark for round number 2 going to Lynn. Yellow is her favorite color. The pattern is from my new bookmark book I recently posted about. Called "Beginner's Choice" by
Barbara Foster (adapted from Modern Priscilla book 1) .

Here is the bookmark I received for round 2 from Cathy.
Thank you Cathy! Very nice.

Remember I posted awhile back I had received another goodie package of thread samples???? Well I just HAD to try the beautiful yummy colored Olympus thread from Maggie!!! I REALLY like that Olympus thread!!!! Well here is what I made, using again a pattern from my bookmark book,,pattern by Jill Hanna called "Flowers" and then I used a tassel idea from our wonderful Wally Sosa (who I miss hearing from. I am quite worried, it has been so long). Where are you Wally????

I ended up trying two different techniques here I have never tried before,,,so ALL comments are welcome (good and bad). EXTRA EXTRA long picots and tatting a chain surrounding a ring! Course the twisty tail was a little more trickier than I expected as well. I kept this bookmark because the thread was a little thicker than we were to have for our exchange, and it was also on the short end. Besides I really like it myself.

Well I think this almost catches me up now. I have a couple more bookmarks to show you, but I have to get them downloaded from the camera first. Then I will post my bookmark round 3.

And another 'goodie' package I got! I have been sooooo blessed by fellow tatters,,,I just can't THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!! I feel soooo honored ladies! Again Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart!!!!! (Including you Abby!!!!)

Oh one last note,,,on knitting,,,my neighbor's hubby was gone for a week, so we had plans to do some knitting (more dishcloths) and she was also (still planning to) teach me spinning using a drop spindle. She can't find just where she put it, since she uses her spinning wheel for spinning. Oh I guess I did do some knitting. I knitted a dishcloth with a blue heron on it for a friend of mine who was thrown from her horse just a couple days before Thanksgiving. I'll post a pic of it too when I get the pics downloaded from the camera.

I pray everyone is having a wonderful and safe week! Keep warm those in cold climates. We have ourselves now about a total of about 16 inches of snow, just in this month of Dec. And it is still snowing outside. At least we are finally warming up and hit a heatwave of 25 degrees F today!

Blessings everyone!!!!!

The Employee Party Update!!!

Hello Ladies N Gentlemen!!!

First of all I would like to thank each and everyone of you that replied to my blogs n guest book and give me TONS of support!

No on to how the party went (Hi Sheryl),,,, Here is a photo of all I had in my gift package (except for the 3 pints of homemade jam I put in, 1 caramel apple jam, 1 plum elderberry jam and 1 plum apple conserve):

Now for how the party went,,,,
First we all caught a bus at the office, which took us all down to a guest ranch in Sandpoint Idaho. There was I think probably between 25-30 of us. After arriving, we all went for a sleigh ride (first one of the season)!!! It was pretty chilly as it was a moon light clear evening (yep it was after dark). What a BLAST it was too!!! I think I would really like to get a horse drawn sleigh!
Then we went back to the lodge, where we had appetizers until the meal was ready, which was really delicious! Prime rib roast, grilled chicken, roasted red potatoes, steamed veggies, home made hot rolls, fresh tender green salad, and then for dessert there was a choice of blueberry cream pie (sort of like a blueberry cheese cake), dutch apple pie with ice cream, or pumpkin mousse (I think it was). I had the blueberry which was really tasty!!!
After that we had the gift exchange. Wouldn't you know it, I drew like one of the very first numbers (number 3), so since I was so close to the beginning, I chose my own gift. The boss's wife almost stole it from me, but in the end a 'massage' set won out. Oh well,,,I ended up giving her the scrubbies (she had mention she wanted some, when she was considering 'stealing' my bag), and I also gave her one of the 'tribbles' bath pads, which really tickled her pink!
When all the gift opening and stealing was over with, we got tables all our and (after some 'after the gift exchange' did some gift swamping LOL) we played a really AWESOME game of Bunco, which hubby won second place (cash prize too)

Truthfully, I thought I would be kind of down when no one took my gift,,,,but I really wasn't. I think it had a LOT to do with all the wonderful support from all my online friends!!!! THANK YOU so much. I also know that I have plenty of close friends around here too, that love the things I made.

Soooooo on that note,,,,THANK YOU ALL again soooo much for all of your support!

I know I don't celebrate Christmas,,,but all the same I do wish each and everyone you a HAPPY and SAFE season!!!!

Hugs N Blessings from my house to yours!!!!

Playing catch up

I realize some of you have already seen this,,,,

Awhile back in November I posted a photo of a doily asking if it was 'crochet' or 'tatting'. Well the answer I posted later was 'crocheted' .
Then a WONDERFUL tatter took the same pattern an TATTED it!!!! She gave me permission to post it on my blogs. I am just now getting caught up on a lot of answering, replying back etc. So please forgive my tardiness LOL!
Here are the photos:
The top one is the crocheted version from the pattern

This is the tatted version by Wanda aka tattrldy, You can find more about this gorgeous tatted doily by clicking on her name. (Thank you Wanda for sharing your beautiful tatting and permission to post it!

Please stop by her blog and leave her a comment!

Round Robin Bookmarks

Well here I am again behind in posting, after I said I would post my newest tatting in a couple of days. I have been so busy trying to get more knitting done for the upcoming party gift exchange. That and cleaning house as our two oldest sons are coming with one daughter-in-law.

So without any further delay,,,here is the GORGEOUS bookmark I received from my Winter 2008 Round Robin Bookmark exchange partner - Abby

Abby made this beautiful bookmark from a pattern by Debbie Arnold and used Opera size 20, which seems finer than size 20.

Thank you Abby, I LOVE it!!!! The green ribbon looks just like this adorable seahorse is swimming among the sea kelp!!!

And here is the bookmark I made and sent to my partner Bonnie:

This bookmark I made using DMC size 80 in variegated pinks (or rose). This pattern is by Ellen Lai aka Singtatter the name of the bookmark is Dancing Kristine. My ribbon unfortunately is kind of on the 'wide' side. But I didn't have any that would better. Feel free to change it Bonnie if you would like.

I also got to order me some thread (LOL my once a year order). I got some DMC Cebelia threads in size 30 and one ball of DMC size 80 a varigated purple, along with a book of bookmark patterns. Here is my order:Then I had inquired in Here-Be-Tatters if anyone could tell me much about Olympus thread and would be interested in trading some samples. Bless Maggie's precious heart,,,She sent me some WONDERFUL samples of not only a YUMMY Olympus thread size 40, but also some Altin Basak - size 50 in teal, green with metallic, and a yellow/orange along with some Oren Bayan -size 50 in green variegated and red & pink variegated, and also some Omega -size 30 in the wonderful colors red n white variegated and a light turquoise. I have already started working on something with the yummy colored Olympus, you will have to wait and see what it is when finished! LOL! THANK YOU MAGGIE!!!!

I would also like to Thank you all of those that replied to me in HBT about the Olympus thread! I think I will be working on saving up to order some of the Olympus along with more DMC Cebelia and DMC size 80. This bookmark exchange has helped me remember just how much I like the size 80 thread. I just need to practice TONS MORE on using the 'magic thread' technique.

Thank you all for coming by and looking at my work and for those that leave me all of your wonderful word of encouragement. I do appreciate it tremendously!

Blessings All!

I'm In A Dilemma!!!

I need some suggestions please!!! Hubby boss is having their yearly party on the 13th of this month. They have a gift exchange and have set the $ value to $40. per guy's gift and per lady's gift. I thought this year I would try something a little different and make something handmade.

Here are a couple of problems I'm dealing with:

1. I don't know how well the 'handmade' will go over, so I am finding myself second guessing everything.

2. I REALLY feel I am lacking in 'goodies' as what I have put together so far. Need more help here with some ideas. Here is what I have so far:

(2) dishcloths, knitted- one pink with a rose, one ecru with a seashell

(2) scrubbies, crocheted - one pink, one ecru (both made from nylon netting)

(2) potholders, crocheted- one pink, one ecru both to match the cloths.

(2) tribbles, knitted- one pink, one ecru again to match the cloths. (a tribble is like the scrubbies but made from the same 100% cotton yarn the cloths are made from.

I thought about making matching hand towels, but not sure I would have time, or even that I could get the 'rose' and 'shell' patterns centered right. I also thought about making a 'sack sock' combining the two colors in like a striped sack sock. I am currently thinking about making 2 more cloths using the same colors only no pattern. One more thing I thought about adding in, is a 'natural' colored doily I have crocheted using the 'pineapple' pattern.

Oh I am also going to include a couple of pints of my jams.

Here is a photo of what I have so far. (sorry the photo isn't the best. Will take another today, since we actually have sunshine!

Here is the photo of the doily:

Sure looking any suggestions you can give me. If you think it would be better to scrap this idea and buy something,,,PLEASE let me know.

Thanks!