Pot o' flowers - - nuntium centesimum octogesimum quintum

Today is the first day to go back to school.  Students are next week but we start now.  People always ask, "Are you excited to go back to school?".  It makes me chuckle.  I am but I'm not.  I love getting up when I want to, being able to schedule dentist appointments whenever I want, having time to exercise (I ride my bike around the nearby lake for about an hour and half each day), cooking real meals and being able to sit at table.  And of course the time to tat is wonderful!  These things are hard to give up.

But do I love seeing the kids when they walk in the room and watch them grow and learn? Guiding them along their path during these often awkward and hard years? Enjoying their goofy and developing senses of humor? Of course!  So let's say, I love to be where I am.

I found these pictures of a Christmas gift I made for a teaching friend/colleague last winter.  She loves to garden and in December in MN, there's not much chance of that!  So I made her a rose garden and even had a little watering can with it (why isn't that in the picture, I wonder?)

Off to school!

What is wrong with me? - nuntium centesimum octogesimum quintum

Why is it that Robin Perfetti makes such beautiful, clear, easy to understand diagrams and yet I consistently ignore her directions and make ridiculous mistakes?

Look at this pattern.

Now look at what I've done to it!

Argh.

Hanky - nuntium centesimum octogesimum quartum

A dear, dear friend is getting married tomorrow Friday so I made a hanky with Frivole's beautiful Iris edging.  I've made it before and just loved it.  These two are special people so I wanted something extra special for them.

Lizbeth size 80

Don't pay attention to my miserable crocheting!  : )

A little birthday tatting - nuntium centesimum octogesimum tertium

I've been cleaning the basement out - for a week!  It's been the most beautiful weather and I've been in the dungeon.  Ugh.  But it needed to be done.  Stuff like old notebooks (my children's and my own), where I ripped out pages and pages so they could be recycled and threw the spirals away.  Seriously the recycling guy had to empty the truck sides FOUR times.  Typically they go up and down the block and then empty it once.  The trash was epic too.  and my poor porch is filled with items to donate.  (Hopefully Friday)
But I did manage to get some tatting done and found this dresser mirror for an interesting display.

From  the book New Tatting by Tomoko Morimoto

I wanted to make more coasters for another friend for her birthday.  I tried a different motif but disliked the center when it was complete.  So back to this one which I made before.  The weird thing, this motif is supposed to be 4 1/4" but even though I used the same size thread as recommended in the book, mine are 3". Happy Bluebird says I'm a tight tatter but seriously.  I packaged them up and mailed them before I took a picture of them in the coasters- oops but they are gorgeous.  You'll have to trust me.

Back to the basement,