Finger Lakes 2014 Post 4--Secret Angel Gift Exchange

One of the unique things about Finger Lakes is their Secret Angel gift exchange.  This year they had a interesting rule about your gift.... it all had to fit into a quart size ziplock bag--perfect for traveling from Oklahoma!  I had a little purple handmade fabric bag which contained chocolates (of course), a magnifying pen, a small hand crank flashlight, and a really cute covered notepad of paper with pencil.  On the bag I put two pins that were tatting related.

This year the ladies at Finger Lakes organized the Secret Angel gift exchange differently.  When you signed up, you turned in your gift.  At the end of the day, you were given a gift.  This ensured that everyone who signed up, received a gift, something that has not happened in the past...unfortunately.  I think this was a GREAT idea!!

I was sitting next to Monica Braxton, and immediately I knew that she received my gift.  She got my gift last year--in the same purple bag!  She says that it is her favorite bag, so I hope she enjoy the second one!  What I didn't know was that in a few minutes, I would receive Monica's little quart size bag of joy!

WOW!! Packed inside this little package was a treasure trove!  There were SEVEN packages of beads--all of which I like, but one of which I've fallen absolutely in love with!! A package of needles, a folded measuring tape, a needle threader, and a box of (buttons, pins, and safety pins).  Here are the two fantastic items.... A skein of Monica's hand-dyed thread....in a gorgeous dark blue/black/green color-- and then Monica insisted that I chose one of her hand carved shuttles!  I got an oak one that felt just right in my hand!  I couldn't believe the way it glided!  Monica's Etsy store where she sells her thread and shuttles is NAGStudio

Thank you ladies at Finger Lake for organizing this exchange!  Thank you Monica!! 

Finger Lakes Post 3--"Goodie Bags"

Every year, I anticipate the "Goodie Bag" from Finger Lakes.  It is like a little Christmas present!  This year did not let me down at all!  Inside my lovely little turquoise bag--which will be a lovely tatting tote in the future was (let me take you on a clockwise tour.).  At 11:30, we have some wonderful 3X3 post-it-notes.    At 2:00, resting on an orange tulle bag, are a neat pair of hand-tatted earrings--what was really neat, was looking around, when everyone opened their goodie bags--everyone's earring's were different!  Down at 5:00 was a star eraser and a mini-altoid tin that held a striver (a striver is a place-holder for your tatting, if you didn't know.)  It also held two bread ties, these are great for using as emergency shuttles for teaching people to tat, or for winding bits of thread on.  It also had a beautiful beaded pin in it--once again, the strivers and beaded pins were different in everyone's boxes.  At 6:00 we got to chose from a basket that held little boxes of beads or little tiny statues of birds--I picked the beads.  Towards the left of the altoids tin is a strip of nylon cover for a ball of thread.  At about 7-8:00 came the part that will have me thinking for the next year--the challenge item.  It is gorgeous-- dk. to lt. green, gold, and  ecru thread, donated by Ginny Weathers, hand-dyed by Karey Solomon and a charm... with next year's theme: Lake Sea and Shore.  

Thank you so much to all who donated--to all who put organized and put it together-- I appreciate all you do to make this weekend special!

Finger Lakes 2014 Post 2

We (Cynthia Stevenson and I) arrived in New York in time to go to Karey Solomon's Graceful Arts Fiber Studio.  We got to decorate some 50 cent shuttles with nail polish, stickers, and glitter.  I really like my magenta and turquoise ones, they are done with sparkly nail polish and stickers.  The green one is done with nail polish and glitter, and I'm afraid the glitter will make it too rough to be usable. It was a fun time of fellowship and swapping ideas around the craft table.  You actually had time to get to know some of the other ladies a little as they came in the store one by one. Karey also had tea and stew available for those who arrived hungry.

Later we went to the pot luck dinner at the community building/Fire house building in Lodi.  OOPS!  There was a big mix-up and there was a horse auction going on where our pot luck dinner was supposed to be being held!  We sat in the back of the horse auction for a little while.  I kept waiting for something to come up for sale that could be used for tatting--I mean, you never know where you are going to find something that you can use for a tatting tool!  Later, they cleared out a bay in the fire house next door, by moving out a fire truck-- and we held out pot luck in there!  Everything turned out great!  We had great conversation, I heard there was great food (I had my applesauce and ensure -- that I ate the whole trip) and I saw some wonderful tatting (lots of people were doing the Renulek doily.)  

During dinner was the first time I actually tatted since January.  While in the hospital, I had a nerve in my wrist hit putting in an IV (she was only doing her job), and my pinkie and ring fingers on my left hand have been "pins and needles" since then.   The dr. didn't listen to me, and said that I had been tatting too much and that I had carpel tunnel--but it suddenly appeared and not tatting hasn't made it go away.  It's been such a blessing to learn that I can still tat!!! I tatted all weekend and most of the way home!!

Finger Lakes 2014 Post 1--My Blessings!

I've had an interesting winter, spending 16 days in the hospital since January, and spending the first 3 months on a liquid diet.  That creates the basis for me saying I was in no way, in any way, capable physically or financially, to go to Finger Lakes this year.

Up stepped Cynthia Stevenson.  Cynthia talked to people behind the scenes and my husband, and urged me to fill out a scholarship application.  I was ecstatic when I found out that I got a scholarship to Finger Lakes!  

This is the fourth year that I've ridden from Oklahoma to New York with Cynthia Stevenson  and up till now I've always paid my fair share of the gas and tolls.  This year Doug and Cynthia Stevenson generously paid the whole trip.

The Stevenson's in-laws provided us hospitality in Ashtabula, Ohio, saving us hotel bills on the way to and from Finger Lakes.

Monica Braxton (one of the nicest people at Finger Lakes) had a time-share condo near Lodi for a week.  She very graciously allowed me to stay with her during the conference at no charge.  

Thank you to all of you!  You have enriched and blessed my life once again.  

Dragon Pillow

My youngest son (who is now 25) requested Martha Ess's Regal Dragon from her new Flights of Fantasy book on a black pillowcase for Christmas.  He went through my thread stash and picked the colors for this beast.  He is done in Lizbeth, size 20, colors#671-Christmas Red, #611-Gold, and #100-Falling Leaves.  I found the black pillowcases at Walmart.  This was a fun pattern to work!  Martha holds your hand all the way through all the thread direction changes and changes in bobbin colors with well written directions.   I regret not scanning the dragon before I sewed it on the pillowcase with the "transparent" thread... the "transparent" thread shows up so badly.

Joyful Bell Earrings

My Lace Guild Christmas party is scheduled to be Saturday at noon...although right now it looks like it we may be iced in and it may be cancelled, but ... 

The theme of the anticipated event is bells.  I have been very lax at participating in "theme" events that my guild holds.  I am usually too busy tatting for my personal interests.  Right now I am very behind in my Christmas tatting.  But, I saw this lovely pattern of Marilee Rockley online, and thought they would make lovely quick earrings.  I will have something made of lace to put into the "bell" competition and can say I participated this year!

Here is the pattern:  http://yarnplayertats.blogspot.com/2008/12/bell-pattern-for-you.html  I changed the stitch count slightly to add some of the beads.  My bells are made out of Lizbeth size 20, color 603, Ecru.  I used Bead Treasure beads from Hobby Lobby size 11/0, color Pearl.  Each of the earrings is an inch and three-quarters long by an inch and a half wide.

TIAS--The Little Engine that Could!

      

     Thank you Sherry Pence!  She designed an autumn TIAS.  TIAS stands for "Tat it and See", it is a mystery tatting pattern that is revealed a little bit at a time until the entire thing can be seen.  This little engine came to us in eleven little parts, and I had NO clue what it was until the last piece!  I loved the way that Sherry really made us sharpen our tatting techniques, as we worked our way around the ouside.  As a bonus for finishing the TIAS, Sherry gave us two more patterns, a coal car and box car!  Thank you Sherry!
     My "Little Engine That Could" is done in Lizbeth, size 20, color #112, "Carousel."  Sherry was counting, and she had people from over 100 countries/states doing the TIAS!  Thank you to all those who participated in the TIAS and a big big thank you especially to Sherry for this cute cute design and the hard work getting out on the internet for us.