dictum centesimum tricesimum (130th post) 95 year-old tatter

I made this basket not too long ago but for some weird reason wanted to do it again.  I just wanted to do split chains.  Crazy reason, I'm sure.  (It's from an old Tatsy booklet and the thread is Romanian "macrame", kind of stretchy and weird to work with.

I've been teaching teachers the last three days.  We have a 1:1 ipad initiative but some of the teachers needed or wanted some training first.  I'm no expert but I read some tech blogs and am willing to push buttons until things happen.  The point of this ramble though is one of the teachers brought in some tatting from her family.  Isn't it beautiful?  The picture in the corner has the tatter too.  He tatted this when he was 90 and continued tatting until he was 95!  His name was Aaron Kraft.

And on the other end of the spectrum, here is my younger daughter's first piece with rings and chains.  

And here is tonight's dinner.  We call it English tea with cucumber sandwiches and Earl Grey tea.  I'm sure the English wouldn't recognize it but we love it.  The other sandwiches are egg salad with curry, raisins, carrots and cashews.  

nuntium centesimim undetricesimum (129th post) Angeline's book

Here is the little motif I made from Angeline Cricelow's book which Fox has so generously been sharing with the tatting community.

motif #14 unknown colorway, size 80

Fun book, fun tat!

nuntium centesimum septimum (127th post) graduation

Another end of the year, another round of graduation crosses.  I teach middle schoolers but I do get invited to graduations each year.  It's an honor to be sure and I figure if they remember a teacher from middle school, I should go if I'm able.

motif #12

Our school colors are red and white but I get tired of that so I figure it's okay to branch out.  This cross is Lene Bjorn's which I saw on pinterest.  I think it's Camilla.  I don't have the pattern so I guessed but isn't it lovely?  Does anyone know where I can get this book?

And lookie, what came in the mail!  I'm just like a little kid- I love to get mail and to get tatting surprise is so wonderful.  Anyone want to guess what generous Canadian sent this lovely stuff?  Yes, yes, our lovely Fox!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Fox' tatting is so, so gorgeous and even.  Wonderful!

nuntium centesimum vicesimum sextum (126th post) Jane's cross bookmark

This little cross was a present for a colleague.  It's Jane's bookmark that Grace Tan converted into this lovely bookmark.  I wish I had used two colors because I've seen it that way on Jane's blog here and thought it was gorgeous.

motif #11 (Oliver Twists)

Anyone know what book this is?  (tee hee)

nuntium centesimum vicesimum quintum (125th post) Where is this from?

If you read my blog regularly (tricky if I don't post regularly), you maybe realize that I've been posting tatting backwards from the end of the school to my last post in March.  The problem with this method is that I can't remember where things are from.   For example, I know I saw this on someone's blog in May and I wanted to do it.  I don't even know where the pattern is from- Gina Brummett maybe?  This is more of Anika's HDT, both colors.  (now edited, thanks to Margaret:  This is Rita Weiss' design.  I know I got it from the internet somewhere because I don't have the book and I didn't count from the picture.)

motif #10

Yikes.  And they let me work with young people?

nuntium centesimum vicesimum quartum(124th post) Black lace!

Have you ever seen Madeline "Lost in Paris"?  Here's a little clip on youtube.  Go in to the 6 minute mark.

My darling girl decided to go to prom this year.  She went with a group of her friends and had a blast.  I was feeling really bad because I was taking my students on an overnight field trip the day before and wouldn't be returning in time to help her get ready.  But wonderful Frivole to the rescue.   She has the loveliest bracelets in her shop called "Dentelle de mon jardin" which I adore.  She most generously shared her pattern with me so I could make one to match "the dress".  I hope that we can convince her to make this pattern available for purchase so go to her blog and encourage her please!

But the base is BLACK and here's where we get to Madeline.  I'd watched these videos with the girls (who are both bilingual) many, many times and that refrain kept going through my head as I made this part!

Here's the final- a wrist corsage keepsake.  What do you think?

motif #9

It really matches the dress perfectly!  (Tardis blue- haha!)

nuntium centesimum vicesimum tertium (123rd post) basket

I really enjoyed making a basket and doing split chains in April and managed this one after Easter.  It's from the same little pamphlet from Tatsy (I got it maybe 20 years ago?) where I made this from.

motif #8

The thread is glorious HDT from Anika who dyed it specially for me for shamrocks but I loved it so much I had to make something else with it too!

On Pinterest (evil, time-sucking invention), I saw this and thought I could do it with my vintage threads from Aunt Rose-E.  My sister, queen of finding everything anyone could ever need, found these large Vlasic pickle jars for me.  But I think I need a 4th one!  Or two smaller ones. 

I'm pleased with this instead of just having them stuffed in a drawer in a closet.  My younger daughter and I had a fun time deciding which colors went where.  She still disagrees...

nuntium centesimum duodetricesimum (128th post) Priscilla?

Here's another one I don't remember where I found it. I think it might be from Priscilla Tatting patterns?

motif #13  Lizbeth size 20 Scottish Thistle

nuntium centesimum primum (121st post) Lucky!

I'm a lucky pig!

Look what I wom from God's Kid way back on May 3rd! Isn't this just lovely and so kind?  There was already a winner and she sent me one too!  (And it's taken me this long to acknowledge and say thank you!)

So a HUGE thank you, God's Kid.  It made my day!!!

And here's some more cooking fun.  Our birthday cake is always the same, banana cake with chocolate frosting, usually in the form of a bundt cake.  My girls' friends even love it and know when they come for birthdays this silly cake will be there.  It's more like banana bread than anything but yummy!  This year younger daughter learned about cake/cupcake decorating during exploratory learning day and was so excited to decorate big sis' cake.  Here's the result.

Pretty darn cute.

nuntium centesimum secundum (122nd post) Brilliance!

Don't you love it when someone figures out a way to do something that you really want to do but can't/couldn't?  This, my friends, is sheer brilliance from God's Kid.  She figured out how to do interlocking rings with a shuttle!  I just had to try it and it worked on the first time.

Now, what to do with this new-found knowledge?

Thank you again, God's Kid- you are brilliant!

nuntium centesimum vicesimum (120th post) Tardis

It's been a while but now school is done.  My girls have birthdays only three weeks apart (and a few years) but they have become Whovians so I made them Anne Bruvold's Tardis.

Tardis motif #7

They were to go on Cindy's lovely tatting pouches but the tardis(es?) are too big.  So I think I'll get the Lizbeth Royal blue in size 80 so I make some to fit on the pouches.  So these then became bookmarks.  I'm not a true Dr. Who fan although I'm familiar with it enough to know the Tardis has a light on top which shines and spins so I made the tassel a little differently than usual.  This really bugs the organized part of me but the girls thought it wonderful.
One of the most exciting things about summer is that I have a chance to really cook.  During the school year, I don't get to do much except slapping things together.  Below is one of the family favorites, salade niçoise.

This is the true beginning of summer and we usually eat it on our lovely patio but not this year.  In fact, I even turned the heat back on this day because it was just too cold even with sweaters.  It takes me about 2 hours to make and I don't think I can express how happy it makes me to do it!  Almost as happy as uninterrupted tatting, I think.