Tatting thread in the mail and knitting baby booties

 It felt like my birthday finding this in my mailbox!  Thank you, Diane, for sending me some Perfect Quilter Thread to try out.  You are so kind and generous!

As you can see, I'm tatting the Spinning Wheel and it's going to be gorgeous!

Kim sparked a knitting frenzy in me to knit these baby booties up.  These are knit with Dale Baby Ull in Inox US sz 0  double points.  I've got two pair finished.  I am going to do as Kim did and knit an I-Cord for the lacing's.  Mine will be cranked out on my Antique Circular Sock Machine.

You can find the pattern for the Jane's Baby Booties on Kim's website as well as some great notes and photos as she knit them.

Lots of knitting.....and canning Bread & Butter pickles....

 Hemingway Boyfriend Cardigan with my version knit in Andean Silk in the Barn Red color.  Took about 13 skeins.  Elizabeth Zimmermann would have you notice the "dreaded frontal droop".

 This is called Caireen and is a beautiful Celtic wrap I knit with 3 skeins of Briggs & Little Regal in Forest Brown.  It took me 10 days.  Should be dry tomorrow.

Sometimes I want something sweet in a pickle and these hit the spot.  These Bread & Butter pickles couldn't have been easier to prepare and can.  I was able to get into them the next day.  Yum!

Tat, dig, weave and eat

 August Be-Stitched pattern.  I suggested a 2 round square pattern that can be tatted into a tablecloth and this is what Nancy Tracy came up with.  

I used Baroque Thread.

 Not a good year for the garden....only a little over 2 1/2 pounds from 6 seed potatoes.

 This is a cotton blanket I wove for my son and sewed a blanket binding on.  Just look at those mitered corners!

Breakfast.  Two poached eggs from the chickens on my homemade sourdough bread lightly toasted.  Yes......I like pepper.  :)

Knitting......and Tatting, too

 EZ Camping Pi in Salsa Dancing lace weight merino

 Round and round I went with this tatted "Occasional Doily" with Ecru sz 10 thread.  The blocking was a challenge (ALL those picots!!) and dried at 9 1/2" x 15".

Can you tell I like to take pictures?  ;)

It's a Boy! It's a Girl!.....

It's No. 1's FIRST egg!

Time to celebrate!

Mystery Doily Tatting.....

First Round from Be-Stitched.

The next round will be in two months.

Flight of the Wild Silk Moths

Did you know this is National Moth Week?  

Well now you can celebrate it with this wonderful pattern released just in the nick of time!

It's designed by Denise of LostCityKnits in her lace-weight 100% silk.

You will now see what I've been busy test knitting.

 A ball of  Wild Silk Moths all knit up with a little left over.

{photo used with permission from Denise of LostCityKnits}

 Falling softly into place.

{photo used with permission from Denise of LostCityKnits}

Smooth landing.......

Peas and teaching knitting

Peas growing above the canopy! 

....and Kim's knitting.  First time ever knitting.

It was fun as she learned not to put her knitting down 

until she knit the entire row.  Why?  So she wouldn't have to guess which direction she was going.  :)

Needless to say, she caught on very quickly.

More No-Knead Bread.......and Pickled Eggs

 This No-Knead Bread is 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 all purpose with 3 Tablespoons Black Strap Molasses added and a couple other things.  It is a beautiful dark bread.

 Left over pickled beet juice is perfect for boiled eggs!  Just look at that color!

This is what it looks like opened up.

Tatting and peas

 Ahh, the Occasional Doily in the process of being tatted with sz 10 thread.  I was afraid of using such a big shuttle but find I rather like it.  Did you know it holds about 210 yards of sz 10 thread?  Wow.

Shelled peas from the garden.

This is the one thing that is growing nicely.  The carrots, beets cukes, zucchini and onions are not doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Unknown, to me, plant......

This was left on the lot.  Does anyone have any idea what this plant is?

Tatted Star Fish

I could not wait to show you this beautiful and quick piece of tatting!  Still need to hide a couple of ends and then block it but it was fun to do!

First time use of shuttle without a removable bobbin.  I also had to use one of my crochet hooks as my picots were too small for the tip to sneak in and bring the thread through.

Thank you, Nancy Tracy of Be-Stitched!!

Tatting ideas

Diane, Lace-Lovin' Librarian is a tatting friend that I've never met....yet, we encourage each other with tatting and even knitting through email and blogging.  

She and I both love the Spinning Wheel Glass Mat.  I told her I had the idea to use a green color for the chains and floral colors for the rings.  Well, Diane obviously has a nice stash of thread and came up with a gorgeous combination.  She's even knitting some tatting for her grand daughter.  :)

I had some blue and white in sz 40 thread.  This little beauty is 4 inches wide unblocked.  You can really see the direction of travel!

Thank you, Diane.  This was fun.

PS:  Notice that the camera made the ruler look curved!

Flying Disc Tatted Doily

 Blocking with some thread here and there.

Blocked with thread tails cut off (eek! except for one which I have cut since this photo)

Pattern can be found in 'Easy Tatting' by Rozella F. Linden.

Size 20 thread by Flora

La Chickens (aka: The Girls)

 Their new home.

 One came down the ladder wayyyy before the other 3.

 "What is that noise beneath us?  It sounds like something is eating and drinking!"

No-Knead Bread

So you see.....There's more going on than knitting, lately.

My garden groweth!

 Just LOOK at those pea plants!  They have loads of flowers here on June 5th.

A baby pea pod and a few more found after I noticed some flower petals on the garden soil below!!!

There was also a strawberry ready to eat.....um, I failed to take a photo before it was eaten.

Flowering Peas and a Tangled Mess

 This is the first flower I saw.....

 ...then I saw these!

Oh, what a tangled mess.

Shuttle tatting again...

....on the Flying Disc Doily

Houston..........they left the nest

 05-01 at 1214 hrs

This is the last, in the nest, photo since their eyes are watching me as much as I'm watching them!

 05-02 at 1848 hrs

From the kitchen window.

 05-04 at 1101 hrs

From the dining room window.

 05-05 at 1208 hrs

It's HOT!

 05-07 at 0710 hrs

Who would have thunk they were planning on leaving today!

 05-07 at 1402 hrs

Just before taking a short, yet permanent, flight from home.

05-07 at 1721 hrs

The last one to leave.

NOTE:  Mom and Dad will continue to feed them another 4-6 weeks.

Pictures of the 3 Birdies

 April 27

 April 28

 April 29

April 30