nuntium sextum decimum (16th post) 3 3/4 and dream thread?

I have a question about blog etiquette.  If someone comments on the blog and you want to respond, do you respond directly and privately or do you respond on your own blog?  It feels weird not to say anything sometimes but I really don't expect anyone to look at the post again.

The long weekend was a busy one, birthday party, my husband's students over for dinner- couscous royale (takes me all day to make) and the dread grad class kept me up until 1:30am on Saturday. 

But Sunday I treated myself and decided to do another quatrain.  I'd messed up and put too much thread on for #2 so I thought I'd try to do squeeze out another one.  But as you can see, not quite enough thread.

So I've tucked in in the pattern and started #3 again.  I like it and only 151 to go!

And thanks to Diane and speedy Jennifer at Tatting Corner, I now have the perfect thread for the graduates' crosses!

School is crazy and fun right now so it'll be a while before I can post again.

Latin for today:  ad posternum = See you later!

nuntium quintum decimum (15th post) Iona cross

Yesterday in reader, I saw Jane's Iona cross and was just charmed by it.  I make crosses for graduates who remember their old Latin teacher and have been sneaking them in here and there when at meetings or waiting.  I really want to work on the Frivole's Quatrain but no time to sit in the comfy chair, two weeks from now though, I shall be unstoppable!

And look what came in the mail from Diane!  I thought it was lovely in her pictures but in person it's even more!  My dear husband who doesn't even like pink, commented on it when he saw it too.  Thanks, Diane for such a glorious handkerchief!

Back to the crosses, I wish I knew where to find variegated red and white thread.  These are the school colors and as a keepsake, it would be nice.  I don't really like the plain red and with split rings, I can't do one shuttle of one and one of the other- too busy for me.

I don't like the solid red with the red/white tassel at all - it's a great pattern(can't find the link) - but the chain and tassel don't go so I think I'll redo that one.

And here's Jane's Iona again, closer.  I like it but it's very little even with size 20 thread.

I really struggle with joining on the "dead spider" side of a split ring as you can see.  I think my recipient won't care...

Latin for today:  nihi curo = I don't care.

nuntium quartum decimum (14th post) something old / TWO!

Of course this had to happen.  There are three weeks of school left and all tatting has pretty much ceased.  The correcting frenzy has begun!  And yesterday after school, two of my newbie tatters showed up after school because they wanted to learn joins and chains.  They are so fun and excited!

I was so thrilled to get my thread to start the Quatrain runner but I've only had time to do two motifs.  I like how they look though.

And then I thought I'd show you something from the pre-children/pre-technology days. It's about 15 inches across and I don't have any idea what the pattern is.  I'm sure it's in my books but I can't imagine which one!

If you have kids, you know what I mean about that kind of time and the "pre-technology" is just that.  I distinctly remember someone telling me when I first started with them that computers were "going to save me time".  Well, at this point, I must have about 10 years banked up! 

Somewhere.

If you follow Asfina's blog, she has started doing a Latin phrase too.  I can hardly believe it- what fun!
Latin for today:  ordinatrulum mihi (non) arridet = I (don't) love my computer!

nuntium tredecimum (13th post) 3.5 more tatters

Today in school was an exploratory learning day.  We don't have our regular classes but instead offer different things for kids to explore/try.  In the morning, I taught a "basics" of photography class.  I can hear you chuckling but it's true. 
And this afternoon, I did a tatting class!  80 uninterrupted minutes with 4 kids, shuttles and thread.  I even took my high school age daughter out of her last class to help me.  We got three of them started and thrilled to tat.  The last one of the four, well, maybe not as much. 

No pictures though because they're students.

But three kids were on fire today with passion for tatting!  yay!

On a separate note, I'm wildly irritated by my local Michael's.  I went there last night to get more shuttles for the class today and guess what?  Michael's no longer sells tatting shuttles.  Tatting crochet in boring white, black and ecru and now, no shuttles. 

harumpf.

On the other hand- THREE new tatters!

nuntium duodecimum (12th post) In which there are ericae (hedgehogs)

I have a dear friend who is almost my twin.  She lives in Texas, two kids, Latin teacher, geek but not a tatter.  Her birthday is this week so I thought I would surprise her with her favorite animal, a hedgehog.  She loves having a zoo in the house- NOT me.  One silly dog is enough.
Ordinarily I don't go for this kind of tatting but for my amica, well, I can do it.

This pattern is from Nancy Tracy at Be-stitched.  Isn't it clever?

And in other news- the lavender thread came today!! My husband has borrowed my camera (what!!?) so I'll have to do a picture later but I can't wait.  Now if only I didn't have this silly grad class, grades, quizzes and google docs to correct...

Latin for today:  sol lucet (tandem)  = The sun is shining (finally)

nuntium undecimum (11th post) happy birthday, true confessions and no tatting

felix natalis tibi, sorella mea amata!  Happy birthday, little beloved sister!

You are really the “goddess of cake”.  (Be careful if you click on this link, firstly you will see my true sense of humor-somewhat dark but painfully accurate (confession #1)- and although I don’t use it, the author does sometimes use the “f” word.  I hope I haven’t alienated my new tatting friends who all seem so gentle and kind.)

You will notice that my post now has an English title, this is thanks to a very gentle suggestion from one of my new tatting friends.  It makes so much sense but sadly, never occurred to me despite the fact that I subscribe and look at 208 blogs plus use that kind of title when looking myself.  Duh.

So on to the next confession.

I am a geek or nerd.

Sometimes my dear middle schoolers will blurt out, “Magistra, you are so cool!” to which I laugh heartily and say, “Sweetheart, I am a Latin teacher which, per se, makes me the biggest geek you’ll meet.”  Then we all chuckle because, of course, they are Latin students!

Back to the geekiness.  I also love technology (well, I love it when it works and hate it with a blinding passion when it doesn’t.)  In fact, I’m pursuing a master’s degree in technology in education.  A Latin teacher- technology in education - tee hee - now why does that make me giggle? 

I’ve been blogging for about a month now and I find that I am addicted to the “stats”.  I check every day to see where the people who look at my blog are from.  About a week ago, I was talking to one of the school’s tech team and we started talking about blogs.  I told him of how fascinating I found the stats and he opened up a whole new world to me- Google Analytics. 

Perhaps you all know about this already but WOW. You just put your blog’s url in, put the code on your page (you just put in as a gadget- if you want to do this and can’t figure it out, just ask me and I’ll explain) and that’s it.  It takes about 24 hours and then hang on to your hat! 

You can see not only the countries but if you click on the country, you can see the city/town where your viewers are.

I can't take a screen shot AND hover over the town show it shows the name but you'll have to trust me.

It’s not 100% accurate as I just found out with Frivole but darn close.  I know that there’s someone in or near Glasgow who looks almost every day and someone in Bari, someone in Warsaw, someone in Sydney and someone in Canada in a town called “Salmon Arm” (Of course there's Fox too in Toronto! 

You can also tell if the viewer is new or returning and how many times s/he’s been.

And how long they look at the site.

Somewhat creepy but at the same time, infinitely fun!

I am currently on a coach bus, using the wifi.  (Really?  Yeah, technology)  My students and I are off to Concordia Latin Days, hosted by Concordia College in Moorhead, MN (my alma mater) and dangerously close to Ladytats' stomping ground.  It will be a 4-hour ride and when we get there, these kids, who have voluntarily come, will take tests about Latin, hang out with other Latin students from the tri-state area and even compete in quiz bowls.  This event has been going on since 1978 and I have gone every year except three.   1978 (Before I started Latin), 1996 (had a baby in June- we used a school bus back then and it seemed like a bad idea) and 2000 (had a baby in May).  Even in college, I helped run this event.  We’ll stay overnight, do more competing and have a toga/stola banquet tomorrow and then home again by 8:00pm.
Exhausting but I love it and if you could see the kids’ faces, you’d know why.  They have so much fun - with Latin.

Well, and I can tat on the bus...

Latin for the day:  felix natalis tibi = Happy birthday to you!  (And I sneaked in two Latin expressions, can you find them?)

nuntium decimum (tenth post)

154.

That's the magic number.  My darling husband is a math whiz and figured out for me how many motifs I'll need to make the runner from Frivole's beautiful Quatrain pattern.  The thread is being shipped tomorrow!  Frivole says she can make the motif in 29 minutes.  I hope I can too- first try 1 hour- at that rate, one per day, it would be five and a half months!

I made three more crosses.  I've modified Julie Patterson's pattern a bit because I didn't like how *my* centers were turning out with the big split ring on the bottom "arm" of the cross.  I've added in 2 ds before joining.  It's not perfect still but I like it better.  I don't mean to suggest the pattern isn't great, it's just me!

What do you think of the background?  Yep, it's the Formica in the kitchen, serviceable,  innocuous and plain.

Latin for today:  formica = ant

nuntium nonum (ninth post)

Alas, no news on the bracelet.  Perhaps the woman in charge will tell me later.  I asked but no response - maybe that's not the thing to do?  I'm sure I'll survive either whether I find out or not.

For Mother's Day, I asked my dear husband if he would get me thread for a small runner I would like to make.  He said sure! I fell totally in love with Frivole's quatrain when she first shared it.  But I've been working on other things so it had to wait.  But if he was going to get the thread, he needed to know how much so that's why this prototype.

It's not nearly as nicely done as Frivole's but I like it well enough to continue and make the runner.  It's unblocked  but even so, I like the look.  I can see that I'll have to work on tightening up the start- which Frivole clearly cautions in her pattern.  And those are my first-ever Josephine chains.

The thread is Lizbeth 20, spring green.  It's not my favorite color by itself but for practicing, it's just fine.  The motif is a little more than an inch square and took about an hour to make.  Hmmm--- could take a while....

Latin for today:  necesse est mihi exspectare.  = I'll have to wait.