TCT 2018 retreat - nuntium ducentesimum octogesimum quintum

Wow did we have fun or what!  Many thanks to Cindy  who did so much of the organizing and the shopping.  She's so organized we even are ready for next year!

The Timberhaze is an amazing location which again was an oasis of calm and lots of laughter and tatting.  In fact I'm not sure it's a good idea to tell everyone how wonderful it is because we want to go again and it fills up fast!  The craft room alone is amazing. 

Photo by Cindy

We had another lovely commemorative shuttle from Frivole. 

Another wonderful photo by Cindy

We went to a nearby winery one day and out for dinner the first evening but the majority of the time was tatting, tatting and more tatting!

My first goal was to get my four lucky pennies done.  I finally found them in ND when we were there last week.  So here's the first thing I made:

That doesn't seem to be a lucky penny.  Right!  Diane had brought a pattern for the peacock bead from Shelley Perreault.  I tried the metallic Lizbeth (isn't that a gorgeous color?) but it was too big so I made an ice drop.  Go figure, Diane was in the room....

Diane is so, so generous.  She brought a lot of supplies including all of the metallic Lizbeth threads.  She offered and offered so I happily took some (a lot- gulp!).

My plan is to make a snowflake in each of the colors I chose and see which I like most.  Then I order my own stash.  It's much nicer than most metallics and doesn't seem to hurt my hands.  But it isn't regular Lizbeth for sure.

Next, my penny.  I've made about 10 of these and suddenly I couldn't get it to work!

Grr, I tried altering the stitch counts and NOTHING worked.  I even called in the expert - Heidi and she couldn't figure it out either.  Turns out the size of large picot on the back side is VERY important.  Mine was too small.

Finally success.

Isn't that the cutest box ever?  Diane, of course.

Next I tried tatting on a button like Cindy does.

Cindy has tatted on buttons for a few years now and always makes such lovely things.  With the Mocha metallic and Cindy's guidance on the beads, I gave it a try.  (This is Cindy's pattern.)  And in case you haven't noticed it, look at the gorgeous "bin" that she made for each of us.  Mine has wine corks- how appropriate!

Next, then more pennies!

Where did the picture of the fourth one go?  I don't know!  Who cares!  

Now I'm off on my next tatting adventure- where will it be?

TCT retreat - nuntium duocentesimum septuagesimum primum

Our retreat for Twin Cities Tatters was SO fun.  There were 8 of us and we spent most of 3 days tatting, laughing and tatting some more.  The retreat center was fantastic although the temptation is ot say that it wasn't (less competition for the place!)  We were at the Timberhaze Retreat Center in Center City, MN.  Cindy of Happy Bluebird fame and I organized it  (she did the lion's share of it including the shopping) and it went very smoothly.

Cindy made us these lovely bags and then we all decorated them.  Our motif of the year was Twinkle, Twinkle by Frivole.  

 Frivole most kindly gave us a shuttle for our retreat when I met her in England.  Tempting to just add to my collection...  Here's Heidi the happy, happy recipient.

 The craft room was beautiful and amazingly well-appointed.  Actually the whole place was so well done, down to the finest details.  Everything we might have wanted was there and available.

 And Diane brought a HUGE supply of things to share with us all.  So generous!

We did take a brief break to go to the Dancing Dragonfly winery.  So fun!

Maybe next year?