There I was, wondering why we hadn't seen more use of the false plait technique, and it seems Jane Eborall has been putting it to good use already. Jane's recent bracelet pattern and an older bug pattern both have excellent graphics and instructions. I believe these are from the 4 shuttle technique, which is what I used for the butterfly necklace.

Yeah, I know, 2 shuttles are a challenge for some, let alone 4, but it's worth the effort.



Remember the hanky bonnet I made in February? My coworker brought in a pic of the recipient yesterday.


Here's an adorable pic of my sister's grandchildren in their Halloween costumes.
Carter received the baby book with tatted critters. Laina got a little hobby horse for her baby book. That was still in my early tatting days. LOL!

I received the notebook for the Tatters Across Time Proficiency Program last night. Looks like I'll have to get some size 10 tatting thread for some of the projects. I commented to a friend at lunch yesterday that the big thread I used when I first started tatting seems klutzy to me now. LOL! So it may be a challenge to try to tat with it again. I think it will be much easier on the evaluator's eyes though.

One thing I'm not seeing is the purpose of each segment. I can sort of guess but I'd like to see something stated, so that I can understand the groundwork being laid and what will be built from it. I already see one thing that I've never done and does not seem logical to me. I've never dropped my shuttle inside the ring before closing. I would think it would twist it - but I guess I'll find out what happens and if it really is advantageous as explained.

I cut out my boo-boo critter a few days ago but still haven't had time to do more with it. Tonight I'm scrapbooking with my sister again - first time in months. I started sorting kids pics out last night but I'm not anywhere near to starting their books.

The latest Piecework goes on sale in a few days and features some lovely tatted snowflakes! If you explore the Interweave Press website and the different magazines they publish, you will also find links to various projects and articles online. I just increased my "wanna do's" by about 200%.

False Plait Method Two

This tatted up fastest of all.....but it's such a pain to work those rings through rings!


Here are the two lengths of split rings, 8 ds on each side. I used white and a varigated to give a little contrast.


Here I've started pulling the ring length from the bottom through the upper length just like the chain plait shown yesterday. It was a tighter fit and I wouldn't want to do this for a long length.


This is the completed plait. According to Jean Sharples, the front and back will look different. The only difference I saw was that they appeared to be running in different directions - similar to a nap. One side flows in one direction while the other side flows in the opposite direction, but that was all.


At first, I didn't think this one was very flexible either. In the first scan, it was starting to cup, but with a little manipulation, I was able to double it over as shown in the 2nd scan. I'm not sure that it would lay well on it's own, but if anchored elsewhere, I think it would work.

More False Plaits

I'm really quite fascinated with these "False Plaits" as they are named by Jean Sharples in Tatting 2000 - Ring of Tatters. Jean originally published these techniques in the Autumn of 1994, 10 years ago. I'm wondering why I haven't seen the technique used more?

I used contrasting threads in size 20 for these samples. Each length is made up of chains. Start out with ch ds 8, then flip over and ch ds 8 of the other color. The shuttle is still attached to the ball in each case. Then you take the 2 shuttles together and ch 1 ds of one color and then flip over and do the same with the other color, still using the 2 shuttles together. The entire length is chain stitch.



This is one length in progress.


Here are two lengths complete. You then place one on top of the other.


Pull the bottom length through the top loop or opening. Then pull the bottom loop through the next top one. Continue to do that all the way down, always pulling the bottom up through the top.


In this case, I kept the two colors opposite when they were laid one on top of the other and this is the result. It looks the same on the back side.


I took the one above apart and then laid them so the same color was on each side and went through the pulling up process again. Of course, if you used a single color, it wouldn't matter.

The 2 stitches using the 2 shuttles as one between sections of ch 8 ds is called pearl tatting here. Jean comments that you can change the effect by making that section longer - using 4 stitches for instance instead of 2. You could also alternate the colors during the tatting by switching ball threads, adding picots, or even using 4 different colors.

This makes a nice flat braid, a substantial cord. It's not very flexible however, so you wouldn't want to use it on the edge of anything curved unless it was a wide curve. It will curve but not as readily as the split chain plait. This was the first of 3 methods. I used the 3rd method for the butterfly necklace, but this probably would have gone faster. I don't think I could have added beads with the same effect however.

After this, I'm going to try the second method which is really a combination of this one and the third. It's 2 lengths like this, except the lengths are each split rings, and they are put together the same way this one is. In this case, Jean says the appearance is different on each side. I suspect the split rings will be somewhat more rigid than the chains and possibly more difficult to pull through.

A Day for an Adventure!

Here's the tatted picot star we did in tatting guild on Saturday. It's a result of what was learned from Gary & Randy Houtz during the retreat last month. I've been noticing a trend this past year in doing more complicated techniques with the shuttles - moving them from front to back, dropping one shuttle and picking up another to do the job of the first, etc. It really does require your full attention.

Afterwards I paid a visit to the J.R. Emporium and rescued a few linens.



The top piece is a collar or jabot. I believe it was purchased and the tatting added later. The runner is hand-embroidered with an additional line of yellow cross-stitches at each end and then the tatting is a little strange. Each end is a double row of rings followed by a row of rings and chains, but on the long sides, the edging is clovers separated by single rings. My first thought when I saw it was that they didn't finish the sides as I noticed they were shorter in width than the ends, but when I looked closer, I saw they were two different patterns. I passed up one runner or centerpiece that had a gaudy green tatted edging to go with the satin-stitched shamrock on it.

I also bought a crocheted bag which is quite old. It's soaking right now - hopefully the soaking will remove the brown and yellow cast on it.

I then picked up a few old issues of Stitch and Sew. Only one has some of Myrtle Hamilton's tatting. I just realized one issue I got has part 3 of a quilt series called "Umbrella Bouquets". I love this! I may have to go back and try to hunt down the 2 previous and 1 subsequent issue to get all the blocks. Oh my.....IDEA FLASH! Wouldn't it be pretty to have a block with a fabric umbrella filled with tatted flowers???? And using fancy elegant fabrics with crazy quilt embroidery and silk ribbon embroidery....oh my.....



So, if anyone happens to have the June, July, and September 1978 issues of Stitch 'n Sew, I'd be mighty interested!

Today I spent 2 hours driving each way to track down this phenomena! It was quite the adventure. Once I found the State Park office, it was closed, but I did find a map. Then while following the directions, I found the road with a little stream running through it, but it was shallow and I drove through. I was going down narrow gravel back-country roads and more than once thought it was a lost cause. I did find it however, along with 2 couples I met on their way back and the 5 who were already there. I figured I'd be the only person there - who else would be crazy enough to try to track this down? I have another pic taken with 2 fellows standing by it to show how tall the tree is compared to the men. The tree is 4 or 5 times their height. It was a beautiful day for an adventure!

I Almost Forgot!

I bought these neon hairpins last weekend at the Beauty Supply Store when I got some hair highlighter, thinking they would be great with some tatted florals with gold or silver or some other bright metallic blending filament. Oooooh.....maybe even some of Pat Steven's Fantasy Flower trailers. Not that I have any place glitzy to go to on the holidays, but you never know. LOL!

I'm frequently amazed when I get around to cleaning out my tatting supplies to see what I've stashed away and forgotten about. Kinda like having eyes bigger than appetite. I really don't know how one lifetime would ever be enough to do all the ideas that race through one's mind.

Tomorrow is Tatting Guild in Greenfield. I wasn't going to go, but it looks like rain and I really don't plan to traipse around in wet woods. Maybe I'll shop a little and then hit the woods in Brown County on Sunday when it's supposed to be nice. The instructions on what supplies to bring were vague as far as project.....really can't miss out on that, can I?

At Camp Wannatat, I saw some filet tatting done by Camilla (?) that looks the way I would expect filet tatting to look. That's another hazy area in tatting I would like to explore at some time.

That reminds me - there is one more filet crochet mat I want to get done this year. I started the year out with the filet crochet snowman and there is one with "Cookies for Santa" in the mat that I would like to get done before Christmas gets here.

LOL! Well...thinking about it realistically - it may have to be my beginning project after the holidays. There's no way I can get it done with everything else I have in mind already.

Didja ever wonder if you really did have 2 sets of hand if you could effectively do twice as much?

Well, gotta finish laundry and pack for the overnighter.

Exchange complete!

I love it when an exchange goes well!

Necklace from Janet Hartley

The node stitch shows up very nicely in this thread. Great job Janet!

I became somewhat cynical about exchanges a few years ago when nearly half my exchanges fizzled out. Often I received nothing. There were those who did reciprocate and those were all the more appreciated. After an absence from any exchanges, I joined some of the round robins that were immensely popular and all but one were completed and returned. That renewed my interest in exchanges. I'm still disappointed that I haven't received my angel round robin back, but who knows? It might mysteriously appear some day. LOL!

We've had some exchanges between members of the list associated with this blog and those have gone well. I've shown some of the results here from time to time. In fact, we have two exchanges going on right now; a seasonal tatted motif on a quilt square and a boo-boo exchange. One of the more rewarding elements of tatting is the sharing, be it by word, by pattern, or one's own tatting.

I haven't shared much of my recent tatting because it was for the exchange and I didn't want it posted until Janet received it. We mailed on the same day and got each others necklace yesterday. It was so late when I got home last night and I had connection problems - I didn't try to make an entry.

I'm really happy with the way this turned out. I mentioned earlier the pattern from a December 1915 Needlecraft magazine - the Butterfly Slide necklace by Sarah Ethel Compton. I had made the butterfly before but I didn't like the cord. I wanted something a little more substantial and found it Ring of Tatters Tatting 2000 - the false plait by Jean Sharples. I posted my test samples of that in an earlier entry too. I decided to add beads to the butterfly and incorporate them in the cord. It took me awhile to get the hang of how to make the split rings space nicely. You have to start the next ring by making sure the first stitch is within or right on top of the current ring. If it was just outside or at the base, you could see a slight gap. It was time-consuming but if I had not been adding beads with each ring, it might have gone faster.



The first two show more detail than the last one does. The last one is mostly to show length and how it will look on someone. I've been wanting to make this, in terms of necklace design, ever since I first laid eyes on it. Now.....I've got even more ideas to pursue with it!

Homework done. And I emptied 3 shuttles!

It's hard to believe that it's almost November. It's almost too late to start anything for Christmas that is very involved....like the chess set. I'll be gone a week in November in Las Vegas, at a seminar....well, end of November beginning of December. And I'm traveling to another 2 day seminar in Ft. Wayne in a few weeks. No, I'm not going to stress myself out making something. It's harder to make it fun at this point. LOL!

I have 2 projects in the works anyway. And I'm getting the craving to knit or crochet something ...... and sew. For some reason I've really been wanting to do some sewing. Now that's going to be a major motivator. My sewing machine is right behind me but the table it's on is covered by...fabrics and notions and some tatting odds and ends. I have to sort through all that before I can sew. I have a stack of slacks that need hemming waiting on me too.

I think I'll be gone this weekend, so that's out. aaaarrrrgggghhh!

I just remembered a 3rd project too. I have a teneriffe motif to finish and then I wanted to try tatting an edging around it - maybe one of the false plaits. I want to play around with those more. Well, I can take those with me if I plan well enough and don't just try to grab something on my way out the door.

I bought a couple of wire baskets at the dollar store tonight. They're on suction cups. Says for toothpaste and toothbrushes but like the typical tatter, I'm wondering what kind of tatting stuff I can put in them? Here's my initial idea - balls of thread. The baskets rotate on the suction cup and easily give up their booty.

Looking at these more, this would be kind of handy as a portable project holder. With a baggie or a cloth bag to fit it so things don't slip through, it could hold thread shuttles, a vial of beads - and you could hang a chateleine in the side loops. I could suction it on the file cabinet by my desk at work or on the end table by my chair in the living room. For a working project anyway. I tend to carry stuff in little plastic containers, but once it's out, I like it to be handy.

I was seriously considering the workshop in Ohio but the deadline was October 15 for registration. I'm sure they'll take more if there is room, but I've already got a lot going on in November so I better pass it up this time. I dunno.....I'll read it over one more time before I decide for certain. I'd definitely have to skip the Friday night event though. I'll already be gone earlier in the week and won't be able to take Friday off.

Well, I'd like to get a little tatting in tonight. I got a haircut and highlighted my hair so the evening was pretty much gone by the time all that was done.

Missed Class!

Well pooh! The latest Microsoft update has such stringent security that I missed the online tatting class tonight. I had trouble with my email at the weekend and restored my pc to pre-update. Then I let it update again this morning. Email loaded okay but when I tried to get into the class site, it blocked the applet, saying there was a problem, but wouldn't tell me how to fix it. I tried several things, including restoring the system again, but I went to the wrong date and it still had the updates. I think I'll give it a rest and try it again tomorrow.

I had all the homework done except the snowflake and I'm nearly there now with that. I'm going to run out of thread though so I'll set it aside until I can reload the shuttles.



Here's the first part, a bookmark with split rings and block tatting. A apiral made with tied ds join - that was new to me. I've also done a heart with split rings and block tatting, but it's blocking/drying, plus the snowflake. I don't know if I've ever done the homework in these classes.

I missed my treadmill walking because I was going to class....so I missed out on 2 things.

Oh well. I sent my necklace to my exchange partner today...and got an email from her that she had sent mine today too! Can't wait.

Found a cool site to make cards today. It's through Hewlitt Packard and I believe they have some other sites to make newsletters, postcards, albums and brochure. I used a graphic I had made on another site, titled it "Tatter's Heaven" because those are the words I used in the graphic generator, and used that as a photo in the card. Way cool!

Christmas All Year

For a few years I've belonged to a Christmas All Year yahoo group. It's one of the best sources I've found for finding crafty things to make for holidays. Even though they say "Christmas", they really address all the holidays.

Below is a sample of recent posts. They have certain days where members post recipes relevant to the holiday or season.


Spider on Web Crocheted Pin

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes


2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons oil

In a bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon,
nutmeg and salt. In another bowl beat to blend milk, pumpkin, eggs
and oil. Add flour mixture and stir until just blended.

Metallic Christmas Decorations
Making Good Scents A template for a bath salt pouch and labels and ideas!

Dishtowel Scarecrow

I'm working on an exchange project that needs to be sent out by Monday. Unfortunately, I managed to catch a cold that is doing me in pretty good today. Muscle aches, stopped up nose, burning eyes. I tatted some at lunch and some this evening. I'll probaby go tat a little more before I go to bed too. As soon as I finish this one, I need to start on another one, a Boo-boo exchange. I've got plenty of boo-boo's around! Just need to figure out how best to use them.

I got an Anna magazine that I won on Ebay yesterday. I also got a lot of painting magazines and a book on watercolor fairies that I'm dying to try out.

It started raining last night before I went to bed and continued off and on today. Just what I needed on top of the cold, but we did need the rain.

Oh, here is another goodie from the Christmas All Year list: Seasonal/Holiday Projects. I find a lot of printables through this list.

Cleaning out the INBOX

http://www.blueridgeneedleart.com/ catalog
http://www.meriwanderer.blogspot.com/ tatted button
http://string-or-nothing.blog-city.com/ filet crochet dragon
http://creativestitchery.tripod.com/freetatheart.html tatted heart pin
http://www.minimilliner.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/page4.html miniature tatted hats
http://www.edit.ne.jp/~minako/blogger/e/ Little Stitches blog
http://patchworkbutterfly.blogspot.com/ quilt blog with tatting

Besides the http://www.churchsigngenerator.com/ church sign generator, we have http://www.acme.com/heartmaker/ the candy heart maker, http://www.acme.com/labelmaker/ the labelmaker, http://www.acme.com/licensemaker/ the licenseplate maker, and… http://tombstone.dogcrap.net/create.php the tombstone generator.

I send myself links all the time and then don't get around to posting them. I think I've used most of these, but I hadn't added the links for the Meri Wanderer blog or the Patchwork Butterfly blog. I might have mentioned them within a post but didn't add the links. I often wait until I hear back from the writers too. I think both of these ladies commented on how busy they were and that tatting wasn't featured too much....but still, I'm grabbing them where I can.

I'm getting ready to make the false plait for a project. I have one pair of shuttles strung with beads and wound and I'm getting ready to do the second pair. Hopefully before the night is over.

My coworker who went to Texas to be with her daughter while she had her baby and now gall-bladder surgery, called me tonight. I'm picking her up from the airport on the 30th when she returns. Everyone likes the picture of the christening gown with the lace celtic cross. I picked up a pattern at Hobby Lobby on Friday when I saw their McCall's patterns were only 99 cents. I know I already have some christening gown patterns but another won't hurt, for sure! I'm also hearing about sources for heirloom fabric. The christening isn't until April so we've got lots of time.
Famous Last Words

False Plaits

I'm way more tired than I oughta be for a Saturday.


I was up pretty early since we had a Lace meeting starting at 9:00 a.m. Not a big crowd, just a small cozy group. A few are in Ithaca. A few others were elsewhere. We had one new member. I told about my travels for tatting. Palmettos, Camp Wannatat, and Tatting Day in Greenfield. There's a year's worth of play right there if I ever get around to it.

After the presentation and some small talk, we were working on individual projects. I had taken my butterfly that I posted about yesterday but decided keeping track of the beads and stitches and talking was not a good idea. So instead, I decided to try the "false plait" that caught my eye a few days ago. I was looking for something different to use as a cord - thicker than the lockstitch chain, more substantial than split rings, but not as big as an edging. Tatting 2000 by Ring of Tatters has some false plaits that have intrigued me every time I saw them. It's on page 71 of the book and came from Jean Sharples. There are some earrings by Jean on page 52 and they looked like what I wanted, only I want them straight, not curved.



I had a couple of different colors handy in size 20. The yellow is Manuela and the peach is Regina - actually a size 16 but it's the same as 20. The sample on the left was my first try. I really like the way it looks. After I got home, I tried adding some beads like I do when I want the bead centered in the split ring. It didn't work out too well. It was much harder to close the ring and the shape just didn't look very pleasing. So then I strung some beads on the shuttle thread and started over in the second sample. The beads make it more obvious that spacing needs to be watched. There is one spot there where I must have twisted the original ring somehow before I pulled the shuttle pair through.

This involved 4 shuttles, probably best if each set is CTM and then tied together. When you wrap your thread around the hand, have one bead there. You make your stitches for the first half of the split ring and then before you start wrapping the 2nd shuttle thread for the second half, slide the bead up from the bottom to the pinch point, and then start your second half of the split ring. Then BEFORE you close the ring, bring your other pair of shuttles through the ring. This was the part I forgot a few times. I was so intent in keeping the threads and shuttles untangled and getting the bead just right - it was hard to remember to poke the shuttles through. I tried Riet's suggestion to keep the other pair of shuttles tucked in a scrunchie on my wrist. Sometimes I decided it was too cumbersome and other times it was a lifesaver! LOL! I just need practice, I think.

I do like the way this looks. I'll only be using one color thread for my project so I think spacing won't be such an obvious issue then. But then, the beads will be a different color so maybe it will be. It probably took me a half hour or a little less to do sample #2 which is slightly over two inches.

Everyone seems to be going through a strong inspirational mode right now. I'm seeing new patterns right and left. Mark Myers created a new Red Hat pattern. Jane Eborall has 2 new additions to her prolific designs. And my friend Gail sent me her diagrams for an acorn and leaf she designed. I had hoped to resize and group them to show here, but I guess it will have to wait another day. My legs are doing the achey-brakey and it's almost midnight anyway.

Notes from the Universe

Whosoever may torment you,
harass you, confound you, or upset you,
is a teacher.

Not because they're wise, but because
you seek to become so.

Notes From the Universe, Mike Dooley www.tut.com





I started this butterfly last night and worked on it a little bit tonight. This is the first time I've used beads, only the 2nd time I've made it. It's from a Needlecraft 1915 pattern. I'll post it later on. I'm using some Flora size 20 thread, a little bigger than what I've been using but I think it will work out. Not sure where the beads came from so I hope there are enough!

Ever since I saw Teresa Woods at Tatting Day in Greenfield, I've been meaning to mention Tatters Across Time. I heard reference to it at Camp Wannatat but didn't pay too much attention - I was already on overload. After Teresa brought it up, I went to the website to see what it was about. It seems to be a way to help you improve your tatting with specific techniques and goals to accomplish. Every so often I decide to try something new or work at improving something I already do, so I think this might be a more consistent approach. The site has a link to contact Bobbie Demmer and also get the application form.



Here's something else I forgot. My tea infusers arrived! One duckie and one teddy bear.

Now, I need to get to bed since I'm giving a talk at Lace Group tomorrow.

Looking for my Groove

I've been having trouble getting back into a groove since the return from my trip. I'm blaming it on having slept in 4 different time zones in one week. LOL!

Part of it is having my son at home and knowing he may move out in only a few weeks - so I avoid starting anything major....or even minor. He's been doing a lot for me. Took the window a/c out. Recarpeted the basement steps with the old carpet that I took out of my bedroom last winter. I'd only had it for a few years, the kind you buy outright, no pad, a remnant actually, so it was in good shape. Then he put a little door on the basement crawl space access. He's bored while waiting for jobs to line up. And he has stuff filling up the spare room and some stuff in the basement and also in the new living room closets. So it's hard for me to find places to put stuff away....and I hate getting other stuff out to sort through when it's such a clutter anyway.

I decided this morning what kind of necklace to make my exchange partner. I have no idea if she reads this, but just in case, I won't tell. But it's an old pattern, one I transcribed a very long time ago, before the blog, and that I've wanted to test. I've made part of it before. Now I think I'll gussy it up and make some changes.

Last night I tatted, working on the Fantasy flowers. I got 4 strands of the trailers done. This is going to take awhile I think. I will need at least half a dozen flowers and I think probably double that to look good.

I was reminded yesterday that I agreed to give a program on my travel related to tatting this summer at our next lace meeting, which is Saturday, so I will need to track down all the projects I started and possibly finished. LOL! I wonder if I gave anything away? So there's my next 2 evenings.

I won 3 auctions, all for different kinds of magazines, nothing cool-tatting related.

Just remembered, I have a teneriffe wheel in progress. Aaacckk!

Surfing

I've been surfing today, looking for a particular style of fabric bag. Haven't found it yet, but I've sure been finding enough treasures along the way to make up for it!

In spite of her evil deeds, I still like Martha Stewart's style and the way she has upgraded crafting in the home. Even so, I found this concept hilarious!
Martha Stewart Gothic: http://www.toreadors.com/martha/index.html

Somewhere in my many shelves and boxes of printouts, articles, and magazines, I have the directions to knit a summer halter top from fabric strips. Then you sew a matching skirt. That always appealed to me but I still haven't done it. Now I've got something else to add to the ensemble. A knitted bag from fabric strips! Kits are here at Nordic Needle, but I don't think I need a kit to figure this one out.

You might remember that I'm partial to Redheel Work Sock Monkeys. I found a site that sells fabric based on this theme for quilts. LOL!

I have a lot of cloth embroidered napkins that I've been wanting to find a way to use and still preserve the needlework. I think these aromatic dream pillows might be the thing. I can add a tatted edging to add that little special touch to them. I won't be using the glue-on velcro fastening however. hmmm.....might have to do search on origami envelopes.

Last night as I saved more pics from my online photo album to my hard drive, I came across the little crocheted sachet pillows I made one year and gave as Christmas presents. I've been meaning to make some for myself.




BTW, at Tatting Day in Greenfield, one inventive member brought some purses made out of bras. It's the 8th item down on on this page. You know, those satiny bright colored hard stiff foam bras? LOL!

I was trying to find the Boogie Bra too - seems the website is down.

I ended up bidding on the book that has the bag I want on ebay. If I win, it's only going to be about half the book club sale price.

These are my teapots and the cup with a matching infuser. They are by Chantal. I just remembered there is someone on the member list named Chantal. LOL!

Tonight I'm drinking "Hiker's Heaven", a loose tea I bought in Missoula. It's flavored with black cinnamon and orange spice. It tastes very much like the spiced tea I bought at the Feast today.

I spent 3 hours at the Feast of the Hunter's Moon today demonstrating tatting. I got hot and sweaty which I didn't expect, but once I was done and got up and walked around, I cooled off. I kind of ate my way through. LOL!

I noticed lots of people knew the difference between tatting and bobbinlace. They weren't calling it knitting or crocheting for a change. So many people said these 3 things:
My grandmother tatted.
I want to learn how to tat.
It's a dying art.

sigh.............

We have an interactive bobbinlace pillow. I'm going to work up something that will be interactive in tatting for next year's Feast.

I've been working on another finger-purse. This one has a blue rose in the center and variegated blue for the outer part.

I managed to add a "to do" list to the right but I named it "wanna tats". I figured out how to do a strike-through so now I have to finish something so I can cross it off my list!

I'm really congested tonight - I think from the wood-smoke and being outdoors. I took an allergy pill but it didn't help. Also ate my son's cream of crab soup which is very spicy and made my nose run last night, but it didn't do anything for me now. I know there is a nasty cold virus going around right now. I think I just need to drink lots of water and flush everything out.