nuntium vicesimum quintum (25th post) Look who showed up

Where there is one dragon, I guess there must be two.  Or is that where there is one daughter with a dragon bookmark, then there must be two?

Anne Bruvold's mini-dragon, slightly modified

I know the first photo isn't very clear but I took it last night after 9:15pm.  Sunset is quite late for us this time of year and it's so wonderful!
My daughter wanted a "fiery dragon" so that's why he's the same color as his "tongue of fire" - Lizbeth size 20, Falling Leaves.
Remember the Quatrain runner?  Nothing!  Nothing, 4 days after I completed the big paper and nothing on it.  Just dragons, angels and a certain sister has requested a dragon too so...

Latin for today: draco linguam flammarum habet. = The dragon has a tongue of flame.  Click to listen:  (Yes, it's not a coincidence about Draco Malfoy's name. The majority of the names in Harry Potter and the spells are either true Latin or very close.  It's so fun to see the kids' faces in class when we learn "ludo" which means "I play" and we realize that the Head of Magical Games and Sports has such a wildly appropriate name.)

nuntium vicesium quartum (24th post) still spoiled!

Last week was such a fun week for mail.  I love the computer and getting emails and comments too but getting a real letter or card is one of the best things ever and a package- well a package beats all. I even love ordering stuff online (and paying for it) so that I can get a package.

Last week was three days of packages including one from Anika.  I pestered the poor young lady about her shuttles and she was kind enough to send me one!  It's very sturdy and has some weight but I like that.  She made it (and others) out of vinyl tile- isn't it grand?

And Anika also included some hand-dyed thread!  This is my very first skein so I'm struggling to figure out what would be the perfect thing to make with it.  I'm worried that it will sit forever in the "it's so pretty, I don't know what to do with it because it has to be something special" place.  I'll have to devote some thought to it.
I'm still making angels for thank you bookmarks.  Happy Bluebird suggested that I leave off the picots on the bottom (like one of the alternates on Sharren's pattern) so I gave that a go.

motif #4 (butterflies)

And a few butterflies to finish off thread.

Latin for today:  My husband's coming home in three days! = maritus meus abhinc tres dies reveniet.  

nuntium vicesimum tertium (23rd post) So spoiled!

It's been a busy week so I'm catching up but on Thursday I received the sweetest hair pin from Randa.  She's been making these and giving directions on her blog so when I commented, she offered to send me one!

tatted by Randa Gray

But she also sent some of her precious Flora thread for more, findings and even another one for a pendant!  Very generous, Randa- thank you very much!

I was at a national conference today for Latin and Greek teachers, it was so fun and exciting- AND- I got to tat.  I'll show you what I made.

Both my daughters said they were lovely crosses!

But they're angels.  sigh.  I really like how the variegated thread turned out on the burgundy one.  They're both in size 80 Lizbeth, Country Grape Swirl and Royal Wave.  I guess I'll have to tell the students in my thank yous that I hope they like their "angel bookmarks" or they won't know!

motif #3

This is a wonderful little pattern from Sharren, easy to do while getting great, new, amazing ideas for class.

Latin for today:  re vera, angeli sunt, non cruces! = Really, they're angels, not crosses!  preme hic ut audias.

nuntium vicesimum secundum (22nd post) "Maman, can you..."

My little daughter asked me about a week ago, "Maman, can you make me another dragon ... for a bookmark?"  (Never mind that I had to write a dreadful paper this week.)
I've made Anne Bruvold's minor Norwegian dragons before but I wanted it to be more of a bookmark so with some input from my two girls, we came up with this.

motif #2

Is it too dopey?  The tassel is supposed to be a tongue of flame.  It's Lizbeth size 20 but sadly I can't remember the name of the color of the dragon but the "fire" is Falling Leaves.

My mailbox has been a series of treats this week, more to come about that soon.  I'm still SO lucky.

Speaking of lucky, today I had the chance to get together with some local tatters for a couple hours.  We had so much fun!  We worked on Jane Eborall's no blip join and the struggled to remember how to the SSSR which I taught the others in April.  Just shows you have to continue to use techniques once you learn them.  We had a great time exploring the Happy Bluebird's color nook (and looking up Jane E's pattern and techniques page to refresh our memories.  Mainly it's just so fun to get together with others with our unusual common interest.  To talk about tatting and have someone understand is so great!

Now the other daughter wants a dragon too so that will keep me away from the Quatrain a little longer.

Lastly, does anyone have a suggestion for a easy, simple cross?  I would like to make some for thank yous, the kind of thing I can make easily while waiting or during a presentation- I'm going to a conference tomorrow and Sunday.

Latin for today:  tandem confecta sum = I'm finally done.  Audi hic (Listen here)

nuntium vicesimum primum (21st post) internet friends

Without a doubt the very best thing about the internet is finding new friends.  I'm not talking about Facebook types of friends but finding others with similar interests and in this case TATTING!
Some of you know that I've started this crazy, stunning beautiful pattern of Frivole's called the Quatrain.  Frivole has been so very patient with me as I repeatedly ask her questions.  So when she said she liked Aunt Rose-E's hankies, I just had to send her one- well two because I couldn't decide.  Look what she does!  In true Frivole fashion, she said she would like to send me a little thank you so I thought "Well, isn't that sweet" but never in my wildest dreams did I think what she described as a "little thank you" would be this!

First, you must look at Frivole's amazing calligraphy!

Secondly, I don't have any idea how Frivole knew that I have been secretly lusting after La Cossette shuttles.  If you've never seen them, check this shop out.  As I opened the card and saw the trademark pea pod, my hands started to tremble, how could she have known?  And then I opened the La Cossette package (which was so lovely, I didn't want to change it).  Inside was the most beautiful shuttle in the world!  Look!

Even personalized!  I had to stay up late and make another motif in the Quatrain, easily the best of the six I've done.  Only 148 to go!
Thank you, merci and gratias, Frivole.  I am so lucky to be able to call you my friend!

Latin for today:  quam fortunata sum! = I am so lucky.  Click to listen.

nuntium vicesimum (20th post) flores

Finally a summer day!  We started out grey and dreary but then this afternoon the sun came out!  I think everyone knows about Minnesota in the winter but our summers are glorious!
The rose bush is still amazing but now some of the petals are falling.  It's like the cheesy movies when there are rose petals draped on the floor except it's right by the house and the back step.  I love it!

And the double petunias have finally bloomed too.  Such color!

We started a perennial garden in the front last summer and that's showing promise.

I love summer!  (Doesn't hurt that I don't have to get up so early in the morning either...)

Tatting on its way, the camera battery died tonight.

Latin for today: per multos annos = for many years (see periennial in that one?) Click to hear:

nuntium undevicesimum (19th post) rosae, rosae, rosae

We've had guests most of the week and in our family this means pinochle!  Sadly though, pinochle does not allow for tatting so there hasn't been much, if any.

On the other hand, our William Baffin rose bush is in its full glory so I thought I'd share this picture.

3 more grad parties and then I think I'm done (no more red/white crosses) and it's back to the Quatrain (from Frivole) runner!  Okay, I did get one motif done on Tuesday before they arrived. So I'm at 5 motifs with 149 to go.  tee hee.

Latin for today:  rosae mihi valde placent = I really love roses!  Click to listen.

nuntium duodevicesimum (18th post) school's (almost) done

School is done for the kids, last Wednesday. They were so sweet and wonderful, even hugging me- 8th graders and their curmudgeonly Latin teacher!  Tee hee.  We do get attached to each other after three years and it's always hard to let them go.  But at the same time, I'm going to graduation parties from seniors who remember back and want to invite me so I see them again, all-grown up and I can let them fly away.
And then there's the college students come home or the graduates from college who seek me out.  One yesterday (at a grad party) very sweetly yet purposefully introduced me to the young woman on his arm.  He did introduce me though as his "old Latin teacher" to which I said, "former!  former!  not old!"

Maybe the very best thing about email is getting one from one of these grown young men and women as they tell me about their lives and the great things they are accomplishing. 

Jeepers, I intended this to be a blog about tatting but it's been a week of the above along with the end of school with grades and big girl's birthday, plus my dear husband left for France yesterday morning with his students so there's been very little tatting.

So, on to tatting.  I have been looked at the 4 motifs of Frivole's Quatrain that I've done.  They aren't as nice as hers but look at how they are in my intended spot!

I'm very pleased and will love the runner there.  (Do notice too the top-down/bottom up Roman (tee hee) shades I made for this room; the Venetian plastering that my amazing sister let me help her do in this room too; and the radiator that the wonderful husband found, sand-blasted, painted and plumbed in).

I wish I could say that I will tat all day but there's school work left and tomorrow there's more but then it will be done.  So today's Latin is : paene confecta sum = I'm almost finished.

Here's a little story about the word "paene" which means almost.  I have loved this little word since about the third day of my Latin studies.  We had a little vocabulary list which included "paene" and "insula" = island. When I realized that 'paene + insula" became "paeninsula" and that meant "almost an island", I was SOLD.  Never again would I have to memorize gigantic words that seemed ridiculous, I could break them up and they would have little meanings together!

Of course, now I love those words and the hunt for the little Latin words inside.

And here's a new thing.  I've used vocaroo with my French classes for oral tests all year but never thought that I could use it for this blog.  Now, if you want, you can hear Latin with a classical pronunciation (different than Ecclesiastical pronunciation) too.  Just click!

nuntium septimum decimum (17th post) instant shuttles

Maybe you will remember two weeks ago when I had the opportunity to teach some students how to tat.  However I found out that my local Michael's and others in the area no longer carry tatting shuttles, despite carrying tatting thread.  Go figure.

Well, Jeanne (Ladytats) sent me a pattern which she thought was from Cynthia-tatsaway for a homemade shuttle.  Then Cynthia told me it wasn't her pattern and directed me to Georgia Seitz who assured me this is now public domain.  If anyone knows differently, please let me know.  You can use "shrinky dinks" (do you remember them- so fun!!) and make a great little shuttle.   Nowadays, you can get shrinky-dink paper that you can run through an ink-jet printer so I gussied it up a bit, cut them out and baked up them.
Before:

The first batch went well.

Then I tried another set and they went bonko!  They curled up and looked like dead bugs.  (My mom baked the last shrinky dinks I ever did about 100 years ago.) I was so gloomy but figured I had a few so felt mild success.

Then I thought maybe I can throw them in the oven again and see what happens- they couldn't get worse and most amazingly it worked!!
Recooked:

What do they say?

So, if you would like one of these, I'll share.  How about the first 8 comments?  And here's the pattern if you'd rather print your own.

Most have printing on both sides but a few do not (printer issues).  Pick your color and let me know. (pink, green, blue, yellow)


Latin for today:  dies Veneris est!  = It's Friday!