LOOKIE what I can do and I will be eight months old on October 25th. I can sit, I can stand on my knees and on my own two feet. You can see Grannie in the background there. Maybe you can see why Grannie isn't tatting much...she is always playing with me...the "Little Movie Star" ....that is what my Grannie calls me. My Grannie looooovvvveeessssss me....and I am so happy....

I had been thinking awhile about trying my hand in micro macrame'. I might even do some designing on my own eventually once I start to feel more comfortable in doing this work and maybe marrying it to tatting. We will see what will happen with that as time goes buy...which time keeps right on moving so fast that is is tomorrow yesterday. Anyhow...here is my my necklace. I got this pattern from Donna. Here is her blog url incase you are interested.
http://www.knotgypsydesign.com/ Donna sells kits and patterns. She also has downloaded free patterns and a downloadable tutorial incase you want to learn. She also has an Etsy shop. You will find all of this information on her blog.

Also I got a huge surprise in the mail today. About two weeks ago someone on Arachne List had given his accounting of what he thought of some of the stuff he saw here in America. There was also a discussion of chocolate. This person was from Belgium I believe. Anyhow....I had written to the list and mentioned how I LOVE white chocolate and it was funny how I had to go all the way to England in order to buy a huge white solid chocolate candy bar without the cereal or cookie crumbs in the chocolate. Well, Margery Allcock from England saw my message.

Yes Folks, I got a big solid white Belgium Chocolate candy Bar in the mail but that wasn't all...she sent me some Foreign Postage Stamps and also....another real big surprise...a pair of painted Bobbins for Bobbinlace making. The pair both have a mouse painted on them. One mouse is eating berries under a mushroom and on the other bobbin the mouse is in a strawberry patch. I love both of the bobbins. I should mention that I wrote to Margery earlier this year and was able to buy a few things from her that she was selling so she knew I collected foreign postage stamps and that I also did bobbinlace.
What a surprise huh? I was so thrilled with the package which was a huge surprise. THANK YOU Margery!!! You sure brightened up my day. Things are hard right now for me since my husband lost his job earlier this year and all of our dreams were flushed away from Corporate Greed.

Here is a picture of the necklace I made using the Fringe Element Heart Pattern designed by Jane Eborall. Note how I did the catch and how I attached the two side arms to the heart. It is one that is used in macrame' necklaces and bracelets alot. Anyhow...I would model it for you...but to save everybody's eye sight I decided to just post a picture of the necklace without me. Enjoy it! Let me know what you think. I love this heart pattern.

Take a look at this beautiful colorway. Isn't it just stunning. The colorway name is Purple Splendor and the number is 129. I made this heart today and it will be winging away to a friend. This is another of the new colorways of Lizbeth Thread that will be soon available to buy. You can buy all the Lizbeth thread here

http://www.handyhandstatting.com/index.html

This pattern is called "The Fringe Element Heart" designed by Jane Eborall. You can find the pattern for this neat heart here

http://www.e.n.e.btinternet.co.uk/

If you really look at this heart I think it would be great tatted up as a focal element for a necklace. The chain for the necklace can be lark headed through the two upper parts of the heart. I bet it would make one pretty necklace.

Here is another motif from the same book Tatting by Jan Stawasz. This motif is from a beautifully designed centerpiece that is on pages 84 and 85. I think this motif will be the begining of this centerpiece which I am going to tat it using the same colorway you see here. This colorway is called Spring Garden and the color number will be124 if you want to write that number down. I think is has to be one of my favorite of the new threads that will be available soon. Don't worry...I will give you all the heads up on my blog here when the new threads will become available to purchase.

There are still more great colorways...more stuff for me to tat up....LOOK out...

I am still laughing here....Mark....

A couple more new colors that will be coming out soon. The patterns I used to show these new colors off are both from Jan Stawasz's book entitled "Tatting Therory and Patterns". The motif with the pink,yellow,melon and violet pink colors is from his doily design on pages 80 and 81. Can you all see a doily done in this colorway...it all looks so yummy. I also used a solid violet pink with the varigated thread. The color is called Sherbet Delight color number 108.

The other motif is also from Jan's book. This was a snowflake pattern and it was on pages 83 and 83. The color name for this varigated thread is March Breeze and the color number will be 128.

These new colorways will be getting here soon. I will try to tat something more so you all can see the new colors.

I have just also started a new motif also from Jan's book that is varigated pink and green. I really love that combination. Sooooo stay tuned to see more of the new colors. I can envision...doily after doily after doily after doily made with these new threads.

I should also say...I love some of the older colorways in Lizbeth thread too. OOOhhh which colorway should I tat after the pink and green one.....I wonder.

Here is the url for Jan Stawasz web site where you can see more of his beautiful designs. I really do love his book. There is so much I want to make from that book...give me more years....give me more years....

http://www.frywolitka.slupsk.pl/

I got some Lizbeth's new size 40 thread and decided to try it out. It does tat like a dream. I decided to do Jane Eborall's motif #3 from her site of many ooglies, ooglilys patterns which you can get this same pattern here.

http://www.e.n.e.btinternet.co.uk/

Jane has so many patterns. This one was a whole lot of fun to tat up. I used in the middle color # 650 and I also used color #643 and#111

Can you stand it...here is another beautiful snowflake design. The designer of this snowflake is Jon Yousoff. Here blog url is:

http://tatsaway.blogspot.com/

It was made in another of the newer colorways of HH Lizbeth thread that will be coming out soon. This colorway is called Wildflower number 109 when it comes out and I used the solid color Spring Green 680 for the center round of the snowflake. It turned out pretty I think. I love this new thread. But I can't wait for the size 40 in this thread too.

Enjoy!!

Here is another of Ruth Perry's Celtic Snowflake. This time I did it in one of the new colorways that Handy Hands will be having out soon. It isn't available yet. This one is called Western Sunset. But to me it reminds me more of fireworks. I love this colorway. It is so pretty done up. It is one of my favorite new colorways that will be coming out. I will let you also know that the new size 10 and size 40 threads in Lizabeth thread is on the boat so it should be available soon. I can't wait for the size 40 thread myself. I think size 20 is good for snowflakes though. You don't want them to be too tiny unless you are putting them on a minature Christmas tree. I think size 20 is good for something that will be either worn or put out on a table...in another words...if it is something that will require washing periodically...then you need size 20.

Sometimes I like to do doilies in really fine thread for my notebook or to put in a frame and hung ...not necessarily on my tables. The fine threads make you get the whole design in a much smaller size to just preserve the design.

I have been thinking of getting some size 10 thread ...been looking at Midnight oil I think it is from "Yarnplayer" to design something in macrame'. I have these crystal beads and I have been thinking about using them in a macrame' design. I use to do a ton of macrame' in the old days of lore'.

I have also been thinking of buying some linen thread from Yarnplayer too actually...for bobbinlace. I don't have the funds at this moment but I will sometime maybe.

Okay...I am rambling now...so I will say...until I write again..."lacing is a foot."

First of all I am showing a tatted snowflake. This is the Celtic Snowflake designed by Ruth Perry. It came about while making a tatted snowflake for an exchange on the Tattinggoddess Tatting List. This is one of the snowflakes I have made. I just can't show everything you know. I am even in the process of making another one in a thread sample of some new colorways that Handy Hands will be coming out with soon. Handy Hands will also be carring size 40 in all the different colors including some newer ones. That should happen sometime before the Summer is over. This snowflake was made with size 20 Lizbeth thread in color number 144 & 147 with gold beads. I think the snowflake turned out "Purdy."

The other bit of news has been unsetting to me. My daughter Chrystal ( who is my oldest daughter) found out last week she is a diabetic. She has been complaining for awhile of not feeling good, being tired and so on. She had some blood work done a couple of months ago that was showing then she had a problem but she didn't want to follow up with the other test that she needed. Last week she did...her blood sugars was over 400. That glucose reading is very very high. She has to have insulin and monitor her blood sugars now to try and get the sugar under control. I don't know what all the results of her blood work were but I have a feeling she had liver blood work done too and they must have also been off. She had to have a Ultrasound on her liver which showed she does have a fatty liver which they feel is the results of having such high uncontroled glucose level in the blood. When there is alot of sugar in the blood insulin comes in and takes the glucose out of the blood and sends it packing to the liver to be stored as glycogen for future use if needed. If it isn't needed and it keeps accommulating in the liver the glycogen eventually becomes fat. Tomorrow Chrystal has to see the dietitian again and she also has to have a Cat Scan of her liver or pancreas. Chrystal wasn't sure for they saw something on the ultrasound and want to have a better look at it to determine what they were looking at.

Like I said this is upsetting to me. I have always been scared of getting diabetes myself since it is on both sides of my family, but so far I haven't gotten it. Usually when the scale starts to move up I start dieting like I am doing right now. ( I got weight gain right now the doctor feels was from the antidepression medication I was on but am not taking now) and it is a really battle for me this time because it is so much weight and it came so fast. My doctor says I should loose it again since I am no longer taking the antidepression medication...well that may be...but it isn't going fast enough to suit me so I am dieting like crazy to get the weight back off. Anyhow...I feel I might have passed the diabetes on to her. Diabetes is hiereditary so I don't know. So I will be thinking of her tomorrow and hope all is okay from the tests.

Sorry to dump this on my blog here...but I hate diabetes for I have seen what it does to people...I didn't want it...and I certainly don't want my children to end up with it.

Now I will show you something that is upbeat and happy ...Some of you may have heard that I won in a give away that Gina Brummet from the Tatting Goddess blog. I won this beautiful lady which I have named Anastaisa. She is really pretty with her purple dress and with the purple tatted trim on that dress. I love the way her hair is ontop of her head and I love the cute paint job that Gina did on her face.

Well I have to tell you my elf friend from Ireland Fergus Og saw her his eyebrows twitch up down as he was eye balling the beauty and the next thing you know...he whisked her right off her dainty knotted hemped feet and started dancing to some of my old records with her. Yes, someday those records will be antiques. Anyhow...you should have seen then twilling and dipping and dancing away...I think I might have even seen some hip gyro going on...LOL.

Take a look at what my camera caught through the kitchen window this morning. Nope, it was not a dog...but doe a deer a female deer....hmm along now...The blurry things you see in the picture is some of my sun catchers which I have all over my kitchen window. Enjoy the pictures...I sure did...I know the deer are around here for I see them all the time along our road...but don't usally get pictures of them.

I have uploaded a bunch of pictures of this piece of beaded lace that my husband found today while out and about with his use to be work buddies ( my husband no longer has a job...) at a junk sale. On of the pictures I took with an ruler so you can scale the size of the lace.This Beaded lace is sewen onto net. I am wondering if it might have been on the front of a dress...maybe a wedding dress. The beads I have a feeling were all silver lined glass for I think the inside of the beads are looking a bit tarnished. The design is so pretty and I am wondering how they went about doing this. This Beadwork looks pretty old looking. And the last person who had it sewed it onto velvet looking material. What do you all think about it? Please leave me your response here or on the arachne list. I thank you in advance for coming to my blog to look at this piece of what I am calling "Beaded Art."

Hi everybody. Just a couple pictures to show you. One is two pictures of the blanket I knitted for my Movie Star Kiara ( my granddaughter) I am showing two pictures so you can see the whole blanket and then another picture which I hope shows you the castle that is in the middle of the blanket. You can also see eyelet lace,stars and the flowers I knitted around the boarder. It took me awhile to get this knitted because the stars are patterned on the front and back of the blanket. I gave it to Kiara a couple weeks ago.

Here is a recent picture of the "Movie Star". It is hard to believe she will be five months old pretty soon. She is such a beauty.

Here is a picture too of my other two grandchildren. Timothy and Peyton. Peyton is now 3 1/2 years old. He is just about all potty trained now. Whew...thank the Lord for that. Timothy is 12 years old. I see Peyton and Timothy just about everyday since I baby sit them while Chrystal and Gary work. The "Movie Star" I usually see at least once or more a week. I really enjoy my grandchildren.

Today I worked a bit on my thistle book mark in Bedfordshire bobbinlace and either later on tonight or tomorrow I will be back to working on my Summer Mystery Shawl. Clue 4 came out today. The shawl is purple using Merino Lace yarn.

Hi, I am not going to write about lace today. Instead I will write about what I did this afternoon.
I spent the afternoon in front of my computer watching the streamline memorial for Michael Jackson from CNN and Facebook.
I would like to say that the flower I hate the most is Galds. They remind me of unhappy times ...mainly when a love one had passed away. They make me sad. I am also the type of person that cries at funerals. I think I would do that even if I didn't know the person....so....
This afternoon I sat here in front of my computer balling my eyes out and using the hanky tissues that my friend Erin Halloway gave me. The hankies are cute with hat boxes piled one on top of another with this puff balled high heel shoe ontop. The puff ball is pink...so like Erin huh??
Anyhow...I was sadden greatly.
I decided to watch it for when I was a teen ager this is when the Jackson 5 were putting out music and hitting the charts. I can even remember where I was when I heard some of their songs. I have some of the old 45s and albums still. They and especially MIchael have been a part of my life ever since I went from watching TV person to I love music person. That means I am a music lover. I have always admired Michael's dancing and I also love MIchael Flatley's dancing. MIchael Flatley's dancing is noted from the show "Riverdance", "Feet of Flames" and "Lord of the Dance". Both dancers have some pretty fancy footwork.
I will always remember the first time I saw Michael Jackson's MOON WALK dance steps. I was amazed and I remember trying to figure out how he did that. I never could figure that out...but I can do Irish dancing.
Yes, I dance in my house...and yes....I did alot more dancing years ago and I use to do it in my kitchen in the morning and at night after getting home from work at midnight or thereabouts. Dancing was my exercising and yes...I lost weight doing that. As a matter of fact I have gained some weight and my doctor tells me it is from my antidepression medication I was taking . I don't take it anymore and now I have this weight to get off. So my son who remembers me doing this all the time...keeps telling me I should start doing that again. Maybe I will...right now I have been doing alot of walking and playing basket ball in the driveway. And have removed the pleasure of my life and that is enjoying food. Ice cream is my downfall.
Anythow...I did alot of crying this afternoon. I lost it when they were showing pictures of the different MIchaels over the years, I lost it when I was hearing his his voice the different espects of his feelings, and I really lost it when his daughter Paris said how much she loved her Daddy and how good he was.
Anyhow...I just wanted to share my thoughts. I have been a fan of Michaels over the years. I loved his music and I loved his dancing. He was a true gift of artistry. I really feel he did alot to make the different races come closer together. He crossed alot of boundaries.
Maybe tomorrow I will share lace or knitting or something. That will be only IF I find my computer first...LOL

A short post here. First of all here is a picture of Iris's TIAS doily. This is the second one I made. Same colors and everything. I tell you I so hate it when I finish something and I see mistakes after I have cut the threads and there isn't anything I can do about it. ....I bet you all have been there and done it...anyhow...here is a picture of the second one I made without the mistakes. I love the color play in this. Threads info and link to Iris's blog on the post before this one.

I also got an email from Marion Amber from the tatting list. She is from eastern Ma. Come to find out she was at Herkimer Diamone Mine the same day I was. I emailed her back and told her I remembered an older woman with a wheel chair with a big dog in the quarry and she told me it was her cousin. If she had taken a good look at my shirt she might have guess I was a tatter too and who knows...a conversation could have started on tatting. She had a three year old with her and I understand perfectly that she had her mind on him. Who knows...we might meet up again next year...planned this time. What a small world huh?

Can you say Bling...bling...I think Fergus Og and Connor Macleod can. They both got to go on a treasure hunt today with Celtic and Gary today.
We visited Herkimer Diamond Mine today. What fun!!! What work!!! boy is Celtic's arms burned...stupid person...she forgot the sunblock and here she has red naturally under her hair dye. And she wore a black tee shirt... even if it had the word tatting with a tatted heart on front of it...it was too hot to be out in the sun wearing black. Celtic almost swooned from the heat. For shame...but we are now home showered,(boy were we filty and Celtic kept saying she couldn't stand to even touch her hair doo). But we did find some treasures there. In these pictures you can see Celtic,Fergus Og and Connor Macleod and Gary having a dirty fun time working.

You can see in some of the pictures the people working on the mine...chiseling way, or sleg hammering away ...any way to get the diamond out that was all that mattered. The guy wearing the black tee shirt is Gary my husband.

In one of the pictures you can see the street named like Diamond Drive for instance. You can also see Fergus and Connor watching Celtic smashing the rocks...and guess what ...any diamonds you find...you get to bring home...and we did and here is a picture of us showing off the bling. In the first picture you see Fergus sitting on a rock...but guess what is inside of that rock> A crystal. We can see it but we haven't figured out how to remove it yet without breaking the crystal. So for now it is a crystal in the rough.

Now Celtic needs to find someway to make some kinds of jewerly out of the stones where they will be nice and secured and won't be easily lost. Celtic is thinking of some kind of cage setting. There are two crystals that are amost perfectly matched for a pair of earrings. Those are the two big crystals you see at the bottom of the picture. We had all our crystal appraised and I believe our treasure is worth $80.00.

Anyhow...have fun enjoying the pictures.

We are thinking of going back again. Herkimer Diamond Mine is a couple hours drive from us in the Adirondack Mountains. Here is a link that you can read about Herkimer Diamond Mine. There is also a place called The Ace of Diamonds. It is located on the same road and is close to Herkimer Diamond Mine. We might go there next.

Http://www.herkimerdiamond.com/

Herkimer Diamonds are not really diamonds but crystal. Their hardness as far as a gem goes is 7 whereas I believe real diamonds are a 10 on the hardness scale. The thing about Herkimer Diamonds is when you find them...they are already faceted. How cool is that.

This was something we wanted to do last year but it didn't happen. Have you all ever seen the show "Digging for Treasure" on the Travel Channel? This place was on the show once. It was also a topic among some serious minners.

Anyhow...I thought I would share with you all the adventure Celtic, Gary, Fergus Og, and Connor had today.

First I am going to start you off with a tease. Take a look at these two pictures...lol...what are you seeing ....? More later on here...

I am now a real worried Mom. My son Ryan has bought himself a new motorcycle. This really scares me after what happened to my Dad on his motorcycle. Here is a picture of my youngest Ryan on his new bike. Here also is Peyton my Grandson on the bike with Ryan...

I know alot of you saw the message that Iris sent to the tatting lists about some of the economic troubles she is going through. I know she mentioned she was going to give up on the tatting. I hope she doesn't. For me tatting is therapy from my troubles. As long as I am trying to figure something out...I am not thinking about all the stresses of my life. The only stress I find when I am tatting is...I want to see what I am tatting on finally finished....LOL. Hence, I have been tatting Iris's TIAS doily. You can read more about her TIAS doily on her blog here

http://irisniebach.blogspot.com/

and you can see some of hers and other TIAS here

http://tatitandsee.blogspot.com/

Here is a picture of mine that I have been working on. It isn't done yet...but I am working on it. I have been tatting it in Sherry Pence Hand Dyed thread called Marina. It is a very pretty colorway the other thread I am using is Handy Hands new Lizbeth thread lt. Turquoise 662. It is taking me some time to make it...but that is okay...I am loving it so far.

Next is a couple pictures of my front flowerbed. It now has some color but wait...everything hasn't popped open yet...but it is a begining. I love playing with my flowers and breathing in the fresh air.Oh and those pictures of the threads I showed you earlier...well...these are just a few of the new threads that are coming out from Handy Hands

http://www.handyhandstatting.com/index.html

and their new Lizbeth thread. There will be more but...I was the first to see these new colors and you are now the second to see these new colors. Also...size 40 in Lizbeth thread will be coming out soon too. Can y'all say YEAH!!!! new colors...new threads...I betcha you can...

I don't have much to share right now. But ...today I have been working on proofing a pattern for Martha. And oh look...I have my little audience watching me tat and figure things out. I have Fergus Og my leprechaun belting out "A Song For Ireland" Fergus knows it is one of my favorite Irish songs. The melody is so pretty...but then there are others like "Fields of Anthenry," "Mary From Dungloe." just to name a few. I bought a CD when I was in Ireland years ago called "Favorite Irish Ballads" I bought it unheard by my ears but I am so glad I did for it is one of my favorite CDs and I have transferred this CD to my iPod so I can listen to it anytime. It is kinda funny but I just realized the musician on the CD are non other than the Irish Rovers. I remember some of the songs they did years ago. I might even have their records (remember those), that my parents had. Anyhow...next to Fergus is his trusted friend Connor MacLeod named after his favorite character Connor Macleod from the "Highlander" movies played by Christopher Lambert. Connor's tail was swishing to the ballads Fergus was singing. A couple of times they both got pretty rowdy and my shuttles, beads and all went flying. But they were enjoying the time we were spending together...Fergus...kept saying in between ballads..."is it done yet".

Gotta go now...the "Movie Star" will be here soon. I get to play Grandmother again tonight. :>)

I thought I would let you all know about the sale that Handy Hands is having. I got this email from Handy Hands this morning. Now is the time to get some threads you may have been wanting at a lower cost. Better hurry before all the thread is gone.
Sherry


***SPRING CLEANING THREAD SALE** at Handy Hands TattingThere are several threads that are no longer made or we cannot get them anymore, so we decided to have a SPRING CLEANING on some of them.

Available while supplies last.Flora Size 50 - No longer made - Retail $4.25 - SALE $1.95.Hakelgarn Size 20 - NO longer made in colors- Retail $5.50 - SALE on certain colors

$3.25.Manuela- No longer get - Retail $5.95 - SALE $3.25. Omega 30 - Certain colors NOT made Retail $3.25 SALE $1.55.Omega 50 - Colors NOT made Reatil $3.80 SALE $1.95.Opera - NO longer Made - Retail $4.50 - SALE $2.15.

Handy Hands, Inc.www.hhtatting.comClick on "SPRING CLEANING THREAD SALE"Questions (217)379-3802 Monday - Friday 9-5 central time.