I'm ready to start row 85 on the filet crochet snowman. I somehow missed sticking the bag of that and my tatting into my carryall this morning so I have nothing to work on during lunch. I've been working on a new tatted bookmark. It's fun to notice how much better I am able to read patterns these days. I started this pattern a long time ago and had so much trouble with it that I discarded the small bit I did. It's a floral edging/insertion in an older Frivolete which has many versions here and there. I don't know where the original pattern came from but I can see why it's been adapted in different ways. I continue to follow the directions though. I can revise it for the next one if I need to.

I added the search engine to my site the same evening I mentioned it in the last entry. It really saves me some searching! I just enter the keyword of the project, such as "crinoline" and it brings up all my entries related to that. Now all I need to do is fix the photos in older entries that I've accidently replaced with the wrong one.

I'm hoping to finish the snowman up over the weekend and there are 2 more bookmarks I want to make. Then it's on to the elephant!

I bought 3 more porcelein hearts at Walmart last night. It took me awhile to find them. They had moved them from an endcap to a inside aisle location and there were only 6. These had green ribbons instead of red ribbons - but I also saw a little tag by them that said "new item" so I don't think it is seasonal. These were $1.97 each. I don't like the green ribbon so I'll be replacing those for sure.

Unfortunately, I missed the online tatting classes again. I just can't seem to get back in the habit. The tatting guild in Greenfield/Indianapolis meets on January 24 and I intend to go to this one. I'm glad they moved it to a later Saturday in the month. I'd like to join our local embroidery guild but I'm having enough trouble keeping up with the lace group.

Today is a day of meetings. My morning one, a training actually, was 2 hours and 45 minutes. We did have breaks, but it was cold and I was having a lot of trouble staying awake. Ironically, it was about facilitating meetings and how to make them interesting. This afternoon is a safety committee - another 2 hour meeting that I'm not looking forward to sitting through, even though I really like this group and their enthusiasm. Not enough sleep, I guess, so I'm not sure how much crocheting/tatting I will get done this evening. I also came in an hour early this morning to meet someone for a chair fitting. Maybe I'll just have an early night.

I got my I.O.L.I. bulletin and new membership book on Saturday. I didn't see any tatting patterns but there was an article about either reading patterns or creating designs. I haven't taken the time to read it yet. I subbed to Anna magazine for another 6 months. It's one of the few that I still feel is worth the money, packed full of projects each month, even if I don't do all of them.

I'm looking forward to having the snowman done but at the same time, I have at least 2 more that I want to do. I'll have to work on the elephant first and then do mat #2. I have one that says "Cookies for Santa" that I've wanted to make for years. I think there is another with reindeer or deer that I particularly like too. I wish I knew a way to mark what I've made so that when I'm gone, my kids will know which ones I made vs the ones I've picked up elsewhere. Ahhhhh.............this is what I was thinking of at the weekend when my sister and her friend were talking about scrapbooking. I want to scan or photograph each project I've made and kept and document the thread, pattern, date, etc. and then when I kick the bucket they will have it all in one place and won't have to wonder.