I've been busy while waiting for the tree to be cut up and the debris moved out. They had to come back today to finish up and did a very good job of it. Another company came out and sealed up the house to prevent further damage in case of snow or rain. Now...to find out who will do the work and when. Lots of offers. I just want it done right.

One of the things I did was review my Anna Magazine collection. They've been out of publication for two years now and I realized how much I miss it. They had courses annually in tatting, knitting , crochet, embroidery of all kinds.....very inspiring. One thing that came to mind, and I wanted to scan a photo but don't want to dig through to find them now, was that tatting was used extensively to embellish linens as edgings and inserts. We (tatters in general) tend to make a lot of motifs rather than putting them into larger projects. A tablecloth does not have to be completely tatted. Small motifs strategically placed as insertions and an edging will still create a beautiful and possibly more serviceable tablecloth or even a table runner.

Anyway, I was specifically looking for crochet inspiration. I'm working on a beginning thread crochet class for my lace group as preparation for a crochet lace project, yet to be determined. I'll run the class in early spring at the library for 4 to 6 weeks, not sure how long yet, and that should end right before our regularly scheduled meeting/program. I've learned with tatting that if you have something going every week so that the student has to practice on a regular basis, that they will pick it up much faster. I also need several samples of different kinds of crochet and that's what this piece is. It's a simple bag in filet crochet. I don't lke the thread at all. I didn't want to use my good tatting thread so I used a ball of Southmaid Crochet Cotton that I have from my old crochet stash. It feels thick and rough compared to my beautiful tatting thread! The instructions are actually for size 30 thread and this is size 10 but I want my students to be able to see the stitches easily. Some of my samples will be in 3 sizes of thread to show different results from the same pattern.

I've also been knitting, trying to finish up my granddaughter's foldover mittens. This is why I seldom knit anymore. It seems to take forever and ever to complete something. My first mitten looks so bad ....ladders all over where my needles met. The second mitten isn't showing ladders at all but I changed my technique slightly which apparently made a huge difference. No, I won't be doing the first one over. I had already done a large part of it over and these will be mostly for horsing around outside. And as a learning lesson for me!

As I caught up on computer stuff today, I kept looking at this "Deluxe Wild Wire writing system" that I bought on clearance last year or the year before. Thought it was time I tried it out! So I opened it up, put the pegs in the jig to spell my name and went at it. I didn't like the "G" to begin with or the "i" but it really wasn't hard to do. I'm sure with practice I could turn out some pretty good wire-writing, but it seems to me that the wire bends too easily. It would be okay for a scrapbook, where it wouldn't be disturbed, but not for wearing. I remember as a child that my mother had a wire name pin - her and dad's names (Dot & Sonny) in gold, attached together by a fine gold chain. I have no idea where it went but it's one of those early romantic/nostalgic childhood memories that stays with me.

So...I want to finish up either the knitting or crochet so that I can TAT! I may just take a break from both and do that anyway.