Here is my trial of dimpled rings using Sue Hanson’s method with Jane Eborall’s wonderful diagrams and instruction:

And before you think that this type of multi dimpled rings works best with larger threads…..nada. I used size 80 thread as I normally do and works out fine. A bit fiddly because you are fighting with the twisting thread. But I get that with any tight twist cord. Just be sure you gradually work your dangling loops one after another until there are no more and the last loop made is the last one to finish. Worked better that way.

Thanks for the fun Auntie and Mum!!! I plan on making more!

Was a weary but nice day. After delivering my mom her BL rose and said good bye because they were on their way to trek to OH to visit her mom, we braved the aweful 50 mi/hr windy and rainy weather to Springfield, IL to meet with Kim’s folks for Mom’s day. We toured the state capital which is awesome! The 1887 architecture and marble walls and columns and gilded trim was awe inspiring. We also walked and drove around the gardens at Washington Park just down the road from the capitol. Yes, even in the rain! We were the only ones there, aside from the curator HAH Crazy, but was nice to not fight a crowd We will have to revisit this gardens because it is very large and has lots of flowers(that weren’t opened yet, but could tell) and the landscaping was to die for! It has ponds and walking trails and tons of geese and ducks that are too friendly waiting for a handout. We then went to eat at Applebee’s. We did do some shopping, but soon all became tired and we went home.

We were hoping to get in a nap before tackling the house cleaning from the aftermath of the wedding cake we did this past weekend(pictures later). But we got a call from the mother of another bride for whom we have been working on their wedding for 2 months now. So we went over to their house to do more wedding planning. Wedding is in 2 weeks!!!

So much for our nap and house cleaning. OH WELL!! Didn’t want to clean anyway!!

JUST IN TIME!!!! I finished the rose this evening. Now to mount it and wrap it up for my mom for Mother’s Day tomorrow.

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We will be meeting Kim’s folks in Springfield to celebrate Mother’s Day with them and go to the state capitol and Washington Gardens. Hope the weather is nice to us.

Thought I would show you what is in progress on one of my pillows

Another Schneeberger lace and I love this rose pattern. I am working directly from the photo as you can see. It is printed on card stock and am using it as my pricking. WORKS! It is for a gift for my mom for mother’s day. I am doing it in Oliver Twist thread in a varigated lavendar. When I get it off the pillow, the thread will show up better.

Funny/frustrating thing happened yesterday. My dad borrowed our car. I loaned him my keys and Kim has her set when she goes to sub at the school, which she did this day. We both remember her having her keys. But when school was out and she got home she couldn’t find her keys. She walked to my folks to call me to find out if I knew where they were. She ended up having to wait at my folk’s place until my dad got home with the car to use my keys to get in the house. There her keys sit where we normally have them, by the phone. There ya have it! Aging memories!!!! But it was a good thing Kim went to my folk’s house. My mom had a package for me. When I got home from work the package that was given was of tatting items from a dear old lady in my town that we knew who had passed away and her items were selling at a garage sale. I didn’t even realize she knew how to tat! I knew she was quite the artist and she did gorgeous porcelain painting on dishes and such. The garage sale was to benefit a church related Bolivia missions trip. One of the church members had rescued the package of tatting and had asked my mom if she knew anyone that tatted who could use the stuff.

“Did she know anyone that tatted”…….HAH

Guess church members don’t know that I do even tho I taught a class at the church for the public and also had my items on display at the church two years ago. Guess we aren’t the only ones with aging memories

Items in the package included an interesting article by Myrtle Hamilton from Old Needlework Mag 1976 featuring patterns from a 1917 needlework mag. It is a good read. Also there were samples of our lady friend’s tatting and she even started the parasol pattern. Also in the package were her shuttles and threads. And lastly a Jiffy Needle Tatting packet with instructions and patterns and one needle. I guess she tried needle tatting, but from the little tatting bits, I can tell she shuttle tatted them. It was fun to fish through them. Maybe I should make items from the patterns using her thread and give them to the church to sell at a garage sale for the Bolivia trip. Hmmmm…….

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Read the little tatting advert at the bottom of the above picture. Boy do they have it wrong!!

We had a good time again at the Paducah Quilt Show on Saturday. Except I missed the HLG lace display and demo! Guess they cut out on Friday so they can do their workshop weekend starting on Sat. I was going to shop for lace thread and bobbins which I can’t get at any of the other vendor booths. I think the whole AQS event should go back to Thurs - Sun like they used to so those of us that have to work can get in on some of the action. Plus it makes more sense to use all the weekend for us weekenders. Not everyone is retired and doesn’t work. I know…..the vendors like it that they get to pack up early for travelling on Sunday. Been there myself. But my thinking is consumer is the one to be benefitting, not the vendor! Off my soapbox……

I didn’t go hogwild on spending of threads this time. I did however find these COOL hand dyed cords from vendor “Sally Houk Exclusives” that sells silk ribbons, braids, cording, etc. Aren’t they just lucious colors???? They will work great with thread work….particularly as a gimp for tatting and bobbin lace. Be looking for upcoming projects using these cords in an interesting, but not so new way. The balls of thread are Valdani, just to add to my stash. Nothing in particular, just the colors caught my fancy. The varigated DMC perle coton size 8 I bought at this show to use to finish a doily for a friend. Haven’t been able to find this color locally. Hmmmm…….

Yesterday was the first day of the annual AQS Paducah Quilt Show in Paducah, KY, just 3 hours south of us. We make this special trip to do our shopping for our little business. I try to feel out for new threads, buy some I need more of…”need”….HAH, get some extra bobbins and what not. Kim shops for silk ribbons and silk fabrics and other various sundries. Because of my work schedule, we make the trip on Friday night and just go for the last day on Sat. A lot less crowd to view the quilts, even tho we don’t get the best pic of stock from the many vendors. Still worth the trip!
We of course first stop at the HLG lace display and demonstration at the Grace Episcopal Church on Broadway. There I get to meet my lacing friends and chat and SHOP SHOP SHOP at Susan Grohs’ sales booth, Unique Expressions. YEAH FUN!!!

I finished this piece just a few days ago and sent it to my friend Sherry, aka Celtic Dream Weaver to help cheer her up.

I believe it is a Schneeberger lace. Let me know if I am wrong. I got it from a picture I found on the internet. It was so long ago that I don’t know where it came from. So if you happen to know who the creator of this pattern is, I would appreciate knowing so I can give it credit. The original was done in all white. But I didn’t want to keep with that tradition and wanted color. The thread I used was DMC 80 tatting cotton in white and pink and the outer edge and tallies are done in Oliver Twist thread size 30 in green. Because I chose to do it in color, I had to improvise on the technique on the outer edge. The original had a “four about the pin” edge and I had to opt for the “winkie pin”. I think it still worked out nice. It was a fun pattern and went fairly quickly even if I was working from just the picture and no pricking.

At 4:33am this morning we awoke to what felt like a train rushing through the house. We quickly decided that it was a tremor. It didn’t really shake anything off the walls which I feared. But things are ok. Stirred the cats a bit, because they stayed up and started playing. Which meant I didn’t really get back to sleep. I was about an hour from getting up anyway. So that is our exciting morning and everyone is talking about it. The earthquake was a 5.2 intensity and stemmed from West Salem, IL.

I went on my usual morning run. Starting running for my health in the mornings back Oct 2007. Did 3.4 miles, a route I have ran before. Tomorrow is a church event at 9 am, Family Fun 5K run and I plan on running that. A bit later time than I usually run. I run early in the morning from 5:30 to 6:30 and I also run by myself. This will be different since I am running with others. Maybe it will be a good motivation.

Call us crazy, but we adopted another kitty into our family about a month ago. Tammy is a 2 yo that my great aunt had to give up because of allergies. So we graciously accepted her into our home. Took Tammy quite a long time to come to agreements with us and Liza and Guy. But she has gained her ground and is easing into a new life with us.