OH MY GOSH.....Celticdreamweaver has blogged two days in a row...what happened I wonder.

What happened was PALMETTO'S TAT WEEKEND is what happened and now I have things to write about and pictures to share with you all that happen to stop by my blog for a relaxing read, viewing and that cup of Cafe' Mocha...( that is what I am drinking right now after having some blood work done. I go to see my doctor next week).

Anyhoo....now for the fun part...First of all I left my house on Tuesday morning a week ago today. Hard to believe that time has flown by so very fast. I flew to Knoxville, Tenn. to visit with my friend Erin. So my fun began at the moment I got on the jet. I love flying. The earth is so beautiful from way up high. I had a safe trip. Did some tatting on the plane and looked at my knitting magazine that I bought and put in my suitcase unlooked at.

As I came down the esculator...what did my wondering eyes see but my friend Erin...."Hey Erin"....off to Erin's house we went getting the scenic tour of Knoxville on the way...I even got to see where Erin works. So when I talk to Erin again while she is a work...I will evision her inside a huge multi brick buildingsThen we got to Erin's house. There was Raymond...funny as usual. Erin has a nice house. When you look in you can see a craft person lives there. It felt right down homey. Erin has three kitty cats...all with their own personalities. I have allergies to cats...but I was not bothered by my allergies while staying at Erin. Of coarse I didn't pick them up and pet them alot either.

Erin showed me all the brimming ideas she had for her classes she was teaching. She put alot of time and effort in getting her samples ready...and she even went shopping to give out goodie bags to her students.

Wednesday she took me shopping to some of the haunts that she visits. One was a bead store. So of coarse I bought some beads there. I also even saw a pieces of raw Aquamarine which is my birthstone. I really wanted one of them. But at $29.00 for one I didn't buy any even though I am thinking $29.00 isn't really a bad price for a piece of Aquamarine. These were pretty good size with a hole drilled through them. I wasn't thinking it would be pretty in a center of a tatted necklace with the Aquamarine as the focal point. Well...it was a thought.

We went to a yarn store and yes I bought a big beautiful hand dyed hank of lace weight yarn for a shawl that I would love to knit someday. Yes folks, I do know how to knit and have been back into the knitting mode this past year. I did have my knitting with me in my suitcase but only got it out to show Erin the back of my sweater. Erin is making the same sweater using the same yarn as me but hers is a dark plum color whereas mine is a soft greyish blue color. The yarn is a Shetland type. Here is a picture of the yarn I bought. Tell me...are those colors me or what?

We stopped in the afternoon for lunch at and ate at what is now one of my favorite places to eat, The Macoroni and Grill Restaurant. I love the Rosemary Bread that they serve in there and they even gave me a couple loaves of the bread to take with my doggie container. I couldn't eat my whole meal....but it was just as good warmed up in the micro for my supper later on that evening. I did take that bread with me to South Carolina and flew it home with me. It is now gone...it is what I had for supper last evening with some cheese and crackers. It was just as good and still was a treat for me.

The free time Erin and I had at her house was painting bobbins and spangling them and coating tatting shuttles with nail polish. It is so nice to sit at a table with someone that enjoys the same crafty kind of things. Erin painted these bobbins for me. One has a bunch of shoes painted on it...Too funny!! One has a Fairy...and the other two have pretty flowers. She also decorated two white Areo wanna be shuttles for me. They are very pretty!! Thursday morning was loading up for our drive to Columbia, South Carolina for the Palmetto's Tat Weekend. Once we got going on the road after the kitties were dropped off at their baby sitters. Erin and I sat sewing and putting Monkey Sock parts together and creating their individual faces. These were presented to Riet at the Banquet at The Palmetto Event. I think Riet was very much surprised. She didn't get just one monkey but a Mommy and Daddy and brother and sister monkeys. A whole family. Here are a couple of pictures of the monkeys and Riet with her new family. Doesn't that picture with Riet and the monkeys look sweet? Back to Thurday here...once arriving at White Oaks Conference Center we got to greet and see our tatting friends again as they were arriving. White Oaks Conference Center is a really nice place for the event. So peaceful and I really enjoyed the wooden real rocking chairs that were here and there.

Friday was buy...buy....buy day. The vending room was open and there was a whole lot of things for sale in there. I bought a Terry Steiner inlayed wooden shuttle and I got the Hinton commemorative purple heart wood shuttle. I got the last one they had for sale. I love purple heart as a wood so I was lucky to get mine.

I didn't go hog wild over all the thread though I did buy some...but not much. I have alot of thread here at home so I didn't buy much of that.

What I did get lucky to get was a new book by Martha Ess on different kinds of hearts. I love the patterns in that book and I know I will be making lots of hearts out of that book. I did some proofing for Martha and got a complimentary copy signed by the designer herself. She also gave me a beautiful bookmark using the Maltese Ring in the design. Ahhh another treasure from a tatter. The bookmark is so pretty! I saw Terry McGuffin and all her very pretty Christmas tree ornaments. I was very lucky to be given a glass bell to make one of her bell ornaments. Hers on display had purple thread and beads. I want one like that. Now, I have no excuse not to have one except finding my bag of time which is hiding from me. I have been looking for that bag since I came out screaming when I was born and still can't find it anywhere. I also bought one of her kits to make a round ornament. So my tree might have real glass ornaments to go with a couple I have already that were gifts to me from Ginny Weathers. I did see Janey and she was going around slugging everybody...but there were not the ugly slugs that we have all seen but these slugs had beauty. I never did get a flea from her a couple years ago...but I have a slug from here. I always love to bring home tatting and other crafty things that are made by other people. Mark and Kim always have their beautiful crafty things to sell with them. So I bought one of Kim's needlecases in the shape of a butterfly. Very pretty! I bet that body has some of Mark's tatted castoffs. I also bought a piece of tatting made by Mark that uses the half closed rings and if you look in the center of it...it looks like a spider that is seen in bobbinlace. That is so cool how he did that. Being a bobbinlacer too....I could see that spider right off in the center.

It was great to see Riet again. This time I pronounced her name correctly. When I first met Riet I pronounced her name as Riot and maybe she is a riot. I had asked Riet about a shuttle that she had gotten back in Holland that I thought was so pretty and asked her if there was a way she could get me one...I was willing to pay her...but she graced me with a gift of that same shuttle. It is so tiny and pretty. Here is a picture of the shuttle. Aren't I the lucky one?? :)

I bought a Clover shuttle that was painted by Hope Bates. As you can see it is blue and on the other side it had a frog and butterfly on it. Since I was taking the Tree Frog Pattern of Jane Eborral I was going to take it to class and use it for that class but I forgot it and it was left in my room. By the way of the three classes I took...Jane's frog was the only project I finished. But I knew before going that I wasn't going to be able to finish Mark's flower petal or Iris Niebach's doily slice...I will be doing those soon and get them finished. After writing this blog I am going to practice cluny tatting and Maltese Tatting for the day. I have the day off from baby sitting so I can concentrate today on trying to get these two techniques somewhat down. Here is a picture of Hope Bates decorated shuttle, front and back.

Now for my second cup of coffee today which will be just a straight up black java regular coffee. My Cafe' Mocha is gone. :(

Now to move on here....

Before going to Palmetto I finished two projects here at home. One was my purple hat that I started making two years ago. My original intent was to make it and enter it in the competition last year. But when the strike thing happened at my husband's work...survival was more important so I couldn't go to Palmetto last year so my hat got put away. So....I got it out a couple months ago and finished tatting my hat. I wore it all over the place in South Carolina but don't have a picture of me wearing my hat...or a picture of my hat. So you will have to see someone elses picture of me and my hat.

The other project I started was making a huge tatting bag using scraps of brocade that I had around the house. I made the pattern using quilting pieces for My Grandmother's Flower Garden. I will say it is bright...but is pretty to look at. The pieces of material just shimmer with lots of color. This a big bag which will hold quite a few of the usual tatting bags at once.

For my classes as I said...I took Jane Eborall's Tree Frog class. You can see my finished frog here.

I wonder what Jane and Mark were doing here...hmmm??

I took Mark Myer's Florabunda rose Class. I didn't get this project done. Not enough time....and I really think I was being good and stay focused on working on my flower...just not enough time...but will finish the flower here at home on my own. I hope I can figure the rest out and do it some justice. Mark's examples were so very pretty. I am making mine in light pink and a varigated orangish peach and yellow WildFlowers' thread made by Caron. I want my rose to look like the coloring you see in a Peace Rose. Here is Mark...all smiles. I took Iris Niebach's doily slice class. I was intrigued with the doily for it had a ton of techniques in the pattern....something to really work my brain. The doily is very pretty when finished. She had samples of the doily and the doily slices in different combinations of colored thread. I did buy some thread to make the whole doily. I got an yellow that isn't bright, peachy orange, pink and a light orange Altin Basak. There again using threads that remind me of a Peace Rose. Not sure how it will turn out...Iris was so very nice and gave each of us in her doily class a tatting shuttle that is sold in Italy. I have never seen this shuttle here in the states before. Anyhoo....I have two projects that are not finished that I will be working on...and unlike some people I have a tendency to finish projects started in a teaching class after I get home. Hey...when you pay money to take a class I figure the least I can do is finish the class projects so...you will be seeing them eventually here. Stay tune for them down the road here on my blog.

I have the day off from baby sitting today so it will be mainly a practice cluny tatting which Mimi showed me how to do outside of classes. That was so nice of her and I will be practicing my Maltese Rings today since I can concentrate pretty much without a bunch of interruptions. The teachers were really, really great in taking the extra time to show those of us that weren't even in their classes how to do different techniques. I thought that was so great of them! :)
Here is a picture of Mimi and Mark...Mimi teaching and Mark practicing.

The display of tatting was wonderful. I did see Mark Myer's 3D angel that he designed and made. I have to say honestly...the pictures of his angel on his blog do NOT do this pretty angel justice...so I am sure Mark will not mind me sharing my pictures I took of his angel with you. In the pictures on Mark's blog you can not see the really cool looking hair doo the angel has...and I didn't even realize that his angel had arms and hands that come together like she is praying. I took some really close up of his angel that I am sharing with you. Mark...if you are reading this...you can either take my pictures of your angel off my blog or you can email and I will send you the angel pictures so you may put them up on your blog too. But the angel was beautiful to behold.

I got to see Iris Niebach's tatting that I have seen pictured in my books by her. Which I will say that I took a couple of my Iris Niebach books with me for her to sign for I knew she was going to be there. And took some pictures of her beautiful work.

I also got to see the display of a Flower Garden that was made by Mary Donohue. To me her garden was very much so a representation of a Flower Garden which was the theme for this year. I loved that.

But the flowers in the vase was also very nice, but to me didn't represent the theme. Flowers in a vase are from a flower garden. But I will say the tatting in that was obsolutely perfect. Just perfect and beautifully displayed too.

The banquet was a hoot. Georgia Seitz was the speaker for the banquet and I just loved her speach on the faries. I would so love to have a copy of her speach so I can look at it again. IT was beautiful. And seeing one of Georgia's one of a kind shuttle go for $150.00 I think it was was truly amazing. If I had the money I would have put my money up too...but I don't have that kind of money. The money from the shuttle is to go into a scholarship for tatters in the future.

This is Georgia and Gina Brummett. And a picture of Gina Brummett by herself.




















This is Gina Brummett's mask with tatting applied on the outside. Isn't it cool looking??

There was some really fun times. Erin and I presented sock monkeys to Riet during the banquet which I think I mentioned earlier. We also present Mark Myers Mr. Tatman with his very own trash metal can with a picture of Batman actually on the can but instead of Batman's face ....you are looking at the blue eyed, sandy reddish blond hair of Mark Myers. We even gave him his very own Tatman action figure. It was so funny that I just about died of laughter which Mark if you are reading this...Erin and I were laughing about this even before I left home. And your face was so very red from the presentation for all to see....it was a REALLY BIG HOOT...( is there an owl somewhere?) I don't have any pictures of this time of the banquet and hope somebody out there will share their pictures with me...so I can see the fun too from the audience point of view. All I know was that was great fun...my heart got such a jolt of good laughter which is healthy for the heart and mind.

Mark also gave me a good size purse that he told me was a one of a kind and I believe him. IT was bobbinlaced out of yarn and lined with material. That bag Mark is my very first piece of bobbinlace that has been made by a friend and given to me. I will treasure it always.

I just want to say here that I treasure things that are made for me and are then given to me by my friends. They mean more to me than anything store bought. ( Excuse my bit of mush here...but it is the truth.)

This is Ruth Perry and some of her tatting.

Anyhow....I am now going to start uploading some picture here...and I will make my comment if there are any next to the pictures. Enjoy the eye candy. We have here Pam Freck.

STAY TUNE FOR ......for my next book written by yours truly on my vacation this past week and the Palmetto's Tatting Event that I attended. I will be sharing pictures....and hopefully other pictures that may show up in my inbox at:
celticdreamweave@yahoo.com
aAAAHHhhh....am I teasing you????
Sherry

Let me ask you all a question. IS THERE A TATTER WHO IS NOT LIKE ME WITH ONLY FINISHED TATTING IN THEIR TATTING BAGS? If there is a tatter who is not like me with NO unfinished tattings in their tatting bags....well...all I can say is you are a marvel, truly.

Here is a picture of an unfinished tatting that has been in my tatting bag since the Palmetto Tatting Event in the year of 2005. I finally finished it. This was a piece of tatting that Mark Myers http://www.tat-man.net/blog/ , Tatman was playing around with. I took some pictures with my digital camera and I believe I might have started it even before I left South Carolina...This piece is made with tatting size thread so this doily is delicate and small...measuring about 6 inches in diameter. I have encouraged Mr. Tatman to come up with more brain storming to continue on with this doily which I called myself, Palmetto Doily2005. The main techniques in this design are daisy picot technique, and some spiral tatting. Anyhow....I think it is pretty ...Celtic is hoping Mr. Tatman can come up with more ways to add onto this doily....she has more of the thread left over.

WHAT A HUGE MESS, HUH??

No, I did not flip my bobbinlace pillow off my table...it is a work in progress...and I think it is going to take me a huge long time to finish it. Some of you may not know this...(well, maybe most of you don't) but about 8 or 9 years ago I went overseas for about a month. I visited the UK and Ireland. I loved it so much I was a changed woman when I came back from there searching high and low for Celtic Music and books on Celtic Artwork. I know have quite a bit of both. Anyhow, the first time I went to Ithaca, New York for the public lace display was just about right after I came back home from overseas. I saw this one bookmark on display done in white. I loved the bookmark...and said to myself....self...I want to make this bookmark...again self said...I got to learn how to make this kind of lace. So ...I was introduced to the tryout bobbinlace pillow...and from there I have been making bobbinlace since. I joined the Fingerlakes Guild and was attending their meetings regularily. I was also the guild president for a couple of years. I have painted bobbins twice for the commemorative Lace Guild bobbin for out big event that happens in Ithaca every October. I was honored that I was asked. ....anyhow....I managed to get the collection of Jean Leader's flower bookmark designs...I have had it for years now....and I could hear myself saying....Sher....when are you finally going to start and make that bookmark. Well, I finally started making it a few months ago...just barely got the bobbins on the pillow but earlier this past week I had the day off from babysitting and got my pillow out and worked on that bookmark all day...this is as far as I got with it. I have found that this is a difficult pattern for me to make. It is what is called Bedfordshire style of lace. It takes alot of bobbins and they are constantly coming and going in and out of the lace. I really have to have my thinking cap on when working on this piece of lace...and when I baby sit....I don't have a thinking cap on. Next weekend I will drag my pillow out again and see how far I can get with the lace. I would like to get some of the leaves done in the time of working on the lace.

Note my cover cloth on my pillow....its Scooby Doo...where are you...?? I love Scooby Doo....he is my hero....LOL

Erin this picture of my knitting is for you....I really love the color this time...and it is working out pretty good. The yarn in this picture looks pretty gray...but there is some vibrate blues also in this yarn. I now have five pattern repeats...how many do you have now?? My goal is to have at least the back finished before I come down to your neck of the woods so you can see my knitting. Maybe we can find some time to knit together....hmm...here are a couple closer pictures of my sweater back to "Beadwork" a pattern designed by Jade Starmore.

Which leads me to the next topic to my blog entry...I will be going to Palmentos in South Carolina in September after all. But...I am taking a detour first. I will actually be flying out of New York and will land in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday early afternoon and will be spending some time with my friend Erin Halloway. I am really excited...then...Erin, Raymond and I will be making the trip together to Columbia, South Carolina. I am so excited about this trip. Erin has been wanting me to come down...and I dropped the idea right into her lap...and she took it hook line and sinker....So that is my news for now... not sure when I will be writing again....

Until the next time I blog...stop and smell the flowers that I am sure are blooming here and there...somewhere near you.

BECAUSE SHE TOLD ME...that is why...I have to post...you all can thank ERIN...LOL

A couple of weeks ago I flew to Florida. My brother was a real sweetheart and sent me airline tickets so I could go and visit him over the weekend. I hadn't seen my brother since last spring.

I had a really nice visit and had window seats on the planes going down and back up to New York. I love looking out the window whenever I am flying. I do have to say there wasn't much to see on the flight back home for it was pretty cloudy looking out the windows.

I actually tatted some on the plane working on my shawl. I also read some and just relaxed.

Of coarse it was warm in Florida...but it was pretty steamy here in New York before I left home. Speaking of weather I hear it is going to be pretty steamy around here again next week, and we haven't had any rain in about a week now...and we really do need it...my pooor, sweet flower beds are going to wilt away into the sunset.

Anyhow....here are a few wildlife pictures I got when I was in florida. The pictures were taken right out my brother's sunscreened room. I can't remember what they are called. Jill ( my sister inlaw told me...but I don't remember)

Here is a bird I saw next to the same pond. He has a red beak and is mostly black...and yeah...you guys will have to look at this picture sideways....I forgot to turn the picture...sorry about that....

As I was sitting outside at the front of their apartment I heard something big fly by me....and I looked up into the tree and saw this....It looks like a duck...sitting up in the tree. Ducks do not sit in trees here in New York...they either waddle on the ground and paddle their feet in water. I see ducks alot since I live near the lake...but can you find the bird in the tree....when you do say....Look the bird....Look the bird....( can you tell I watch too much "Nick Jr." on TV???? Oh I hear the "Twillight" music now....

Look really heard .....LOL

While I was in Florida there was a surprise cooking up for me and it wasn't the heat outside the door.

When I flew to Florida my intention was to just visit. So I didn't pack any dress up clothes...I packed just clothes...so on Saturday I went to their local mall and my brother and Jill took me shopping...I felt like I was on..."What NOT to Wear" which we all watched on TV the night before. ....

Well...now to the surprise that was in store for me....

Sunday evening came...and it was time to dress to the "NINES" we went out to dinner...I discovered the restraunt wasn't the surprise since we went to the same restraunt teh first night I was there...after we ate we went over to pick up Jill's sister. She was also dressed up...and then we drove to downtown Orlando...and came to a big building....outside the building there was a sign.....Here is the clue see picture below for what the surprise was...

I really do love Celtic Woman and I had seen them on TV and I also have a few of their CDs...but I don't think I ever mentioned to my brother about being aware of them or liking their music...but then they both know I have a Celtic Music Collection and I enjoy listening to it...even the Celtic Christmas songs I find very relaxing even in "The Dog Days of Summer". But was all of this so very SWEET of my brother. We had V.I.P. parking and seating. I was so surprised and I had such a good time on my mini vacation. My brother and Jill really went out of their way to make sure I had a good time. BTW...I guess it had been in the works months ago for me to come to Florida when I did. The concert was planned then. If it wasn't for my brother I could not have made the trip to see him. He is all the family I have now besides my husband, my children and grandchildren...so it was very good!!! Just in case you are reading this Chuck and Jill ...thank you very much!!!

THERE NTOU HAVE IT ERIN...A BLOG UPDATE. Now it is YOUR turn....

I have been knitting off and on lately. I have been doing knitted swatches for a sweater called "Beadwork" designed by Jade Starmore. I didn't have any problems doing the swatches for the knitted diamond textured pattern...but then it came to the heart looking textured pattern. And the problem started.

I have been knitting off and on for over 30 years. I had a girlfriend who was my bridesmaid at my wedding teach me to knit when I was expecting my first child Shawn. That first project was a pink knitted sweater. Shawn happens to be a male...but I was so sure I was having a girl that I knitted it in pink. I then embroidered it with flowers down the front of the sweater on both sides. Needless to say...he never wore it...but Chrystal did until it was stolen. Now I don't have it my first knitted project. I do have a picture of me being very pregnant knitting it though somewhere. LOL....lost....

I have knitted sweaters...Fair Isles, cables...and just plain ones...I have also knitted afghans hats...with no problems until this sweater...I am going to make if it drives to "Wilward" which use to be a mental hospital here not too far away from where I live.

Normally when I do the knitted stitch I knit into the back of the stitch. But this sweater pattern wants you to purposely knit into the back of the stitch causing the stitch to twist. Well...how can I purposely do that when it is the way I knit the knitted stitch anyways. Let me add here that when I knit in the round...I place my needle into the front of the stitch because of the way the stitch is presented to me before it is knitted.

Well...this really fustrated me. I couldn't figure it out...so I finally had to go and do some looking on the internet for answers and some friends from knitting lists have helped me. I have found that I have been knitting all these years in what is called the "Combine Method" of knitting. So I have found that I need to change the way I wrap my needle when doing the purl stitch. This way when I do the next row the knitted stitch is presented the same way it does when I knit in the round. So I would now go into the front of the knitted stitch normally and then go into the back when the chart calls for it...hence my fustration is now over.

I have done my knitted swatch that calls for knitting in the back of the stitch and it has actually come out right.

Here is a pictures of my two knitted swatches and now I will start the actual back of my sweater which is a cardigan by the way.

I am making my sweater in Shetland Wool from Harrisville Designs in New Hampshire. The color is called Periwinkle and it is a tweedy looking yarn. I think the color is very pretty. My friend Erin, gave me this yarn for my birthday. I was one very happy and lucky person to receive this yarn.

I should mention my friend Erin is also making this sweater pattern and she is using the same brand of yarn but her color is called Purple Haze. I think if I even knit another sweater calling for this weight of yarn...I might go with that color. You can see Erin's begining of "Beadwork" on her blog just by clicking the link to it on the left here.

I have also been working on what I am calling right off the bat a UFO. It is a shawl and I am using the swirl pattern from Mary Konior. I am making it in some DMC thread that I have never heard of before. The thread was given to me last year by my friend Ginny Wethers. The color is ecru. I am not crazy about that color so I have been thinking of trying an experiment and tie dye the shawl if I ever get it all tatted.

Anyhow...the thread is size 30 and it tats up nice and crisp. I really like this thread. I have now eight balls of this thread. I am on my second ball in my shawl. Here are pictures of the label from my thread and what my pattern for the shawl looks like so far. It now covers my scanning bed.

Until I write here again...have fun at whatever you maybe working on.