Short

Well I have good news and, well not really bad news, but you get the set up. I managed to do at least what I set out to do yesterday, but not a stitch more. We did head off to a field trip with the kids in the late morning to the Bowling alley. Now, we don't actually know how to bowl, but we do it when there's a field trip and it's always a good time.

When we got hone, I did go to work on the mask I've been making for what seems like a week and I finished the darn thing. It's now back up in the shop and that's great, but that is about it. The rain kept waking me up again last night and granted me a lovely new headache to wake up to, so I think I will cut this morning's missive short.

Hopefully this weekend will see some good news in the shop, some creative tatting adventures, or at the very least, some days free of headaches. Here's hoping.

Unmotivated

Another long day, made longer by the weather keeping us inside for much of it. Don't get me wrong, here in California, we need the rain very badly, but I was just getting used to the Spring-like weather that sent us on lovely afternoon walks to break up the day. Yesterday threatened rain all day with intermittent showers and it rained hard much of the night. Does that mean I got more tatting done than usual? Nope, not at all. I seem to be stuck in an unmotivated state that breaks only for an hour or two at a time. Then I seem to be back to doing nothing of any consequence.

Again, I worked on remaking a mask that should have been done after just two days of work, but I just kept putting it down to do nothing. I still have the outside row to finish on one side and then I have to cover the wire which is a terribly time consuming task in itself, but hopefully I can get that at least done today.

I wish I had more things to share, but that was about it for me yesterday and I don't really have any good plans for today either. There may be a field trip with the kids, I might get the mask finished and I'm just hoping some outside force brings some life into the shop for me to kick me back into gear because clearly I'm not getting the job done myself.

Thank You

Well, that was a busy Tuesday, but first I want to thank everyone who commented here or elsewhere to remind me that they were reading the blog. No, I don't really need daily comments to keep blogging, I'm going to do it anyway, but it sure is nice to have the occasional reminders that I'm not shouting into darkness. I do appreciate everyone who takes time out of their day to read my ramblings and thanks also for putting up with my occasional need to be validated that presents itself as childish whining.

Back to the busy though, I started the day with a custom request to make a bigger heart necklace. I was asked for a particular size which would usually be met with a, 'tatting doesn't work quite like that' response, except in this case where I had already modified the design to several different sizes and one was already just right. The original design this is modified from does not belong to me, but rather from a bookmark by Betsy Evans. I have however, mucked with the stitch counts so liberally over the years, I don't even remember the original anymore.

After that, some errands and a walk with the kids, the oldest one seems perfectly fine now, I actually got the choker listed. I know, I know, it's almost unbelievable. It's true though, it's finally listed and now I'm going to have to come up with something else new soon to not list for weeks and keep mentioning until you're sick of my excuses.

Thank to your comments, I do now have a good idea what pattern may make an appearance for April 1st. So over the next few weeks I'll actually have to write up a pattern and get it suitable for posting. There's also a chance that I'll do two, one for sale in the shop and a second as a free gift on the blog, but it's still too early to make promises.

I still have a mask to finish today and the husband is coming home from a  conference that he's been at since Sunday so it promises to be an eventful day. Too bad it will most likely end with copious amounts of man laundry.

One Down

There's nothing quite like a kid who's not feeling well to take all the air out of the day. The oldest child was out of it all morning with a sore throat, though I maintain that it was just as likely an allergy attack as a cold since Spring is exploding all around us and I cleaned a bit, tossing so very much dust and cat fur into the air. Either way, it slowed up schooling a bit and kept us from leaving the house the rest of the day.

The one thing it might have actually helped with, was getting me to work on projects that I've been slow to get started on. I got one more snowflake done for my mother-in-law and a custom pair of earrings to match my Celtic triangle necklace for a customer. I even got to work on the mask that needed remaking.

Most surprising though, I actually photographed and listed the bracelet I made to match the necklace that I still haven't listed yet. I waited too long in the day to get it done, so there just wasn't enough light to photograph a necklace properly. I'm going to try and motivate myself to do that after schooling today. Then I'll get back to the mask I'm remaking and maybe I'll finish it and feel like I've accomplished something.

I got no feedback on possible patterns to publish for April, but I'm not quite ready to give up on the idea yet so I'll think on it myself and try to come up with something I think people will want to make and I just won't mention it again until it's much closer. While I certainly have no intention of stopping the daily blogging, it's feeling more like I'm talking to myself or just a couple of other people recently which I'll admit takes some of the usefulness out of it. Nothing for it though, it's too much of a habit to stop now.

Weekend Recap

Friday was a busy cleaning day as I prepared for more guests. At least I didn't have to cook as well. My mother-in-law took care of all that. Of course I was right back to cleaning afterwards because honestly, I've gotten used to the house being less cluttered than usual and I don't want to slip back into bad habits. The only way cleaning really works for me is if I make it a habit.

Saturday was mostly adventures with the family. There was the clinic at Lowe's in the morning to make a claw game, haircuts at my sister's house and then our normal running about and a family walk after that. At some point I did manage to tat up the matching bracelet to the most recent choker, that is getting less recent by the day. I was lucky that the repeats created a good length with no further adjustments from me. I thought maybe once that was done, I would feel the immediate urge to get both pieces listed, but I didn't.

The husband was off to a conference early yesterday morning, so our normal Sunday was replaced, by a slightly lazier version that included no tatting. In fact I used my extra time to clean out cabinets that have been getting more stuffed over the last few years. Then the dust allergies hit and I spent the rest of the evening a little miserable and tired. At least I managed to accomplish something...that no one will ever notice.

So now we have a fresh Monday ahead and I am going to make a real effort to get these pieces listed and get back to my tatting queue. There were no new orders over the weekend, so it's still just the mask and barefoot sandals that need making. I know I still have a month, but I'm also starting to brainstorm ideas for International Tatting Day. Should I just design another simple pendant to sell inexpensively along with it's pattern, or should I try something else entirely? I'm thinking about maybe releasing an older design's pattern, if I do that are there any requests? There are a few I will probably never write up for public consumption, but I really do have tons of designs at this point, so there should be something folks want that I'm willing to share. There's plenty of time, so if you think of anything, let me know! Now off to a new week.

Calmer

Yep, yesterday was a much calmer day. With no deadline on pieces, I was able to much more calmly work on tasks. I only managed to finish one necklace during the day, but I'm good with that. I even remembered to stop and take a nice, in progress photo, so today's blog will at least be visually interesting. It's probably still a pretty boring read, but there's not much I can do about that unless I get into fiction.

There are more family guests from out of town visiting. Well, they're not visiting us exactly, they're here for my in-laws, but they will be over for dinner with the family this evening. That means that after schooling, I've got some cleaning to do again. I really didn't let it get too messy around here since last week when we had house guests, but the floors and the counters will most assuredly need a good once over and there are so many of those that it will take a few hours at least.

Once that's done I've still got a mask that needs making and I should make another pair of barefoot sandals as well. I've currently got those listed as a custom order, but life is always easier when I have fewer custom listings in the shop. I honestly haven't forgotten about that choker I recently designed either, I've just put it on the back burner. Maybe I will get the matching bracelet made up and then list the two of them at the same time. Either way, I will share when I finally get it listed. I suppose that's it for the week. Here's hoping for a weekend of sales to make next week a little like this one.

Mistakes

It was another busy day around these parts. The children's schooling has pretty much established itself as the only thing before lunch, so I'm getting used to have less time to be lazy before I start "work". After we eat, it's straight to the lace. I actually thought that I would have less that needed to be completed yesterday, but then I pulled a necklace I sold and realized that I must have been drunk when I made it, as it was all wrong. Okay, so it is much more likely that I made it while I was sick, or completely distracted, or something because the stitch counts were all wrong. I even used different counts on the same sections without realizing it. Seriously, it was such an embarrassing mess.

So I spent the afternoon speeding though custom orders so I could get this necklace remade as well. I manged to get it all done, but I was thoroughly spent by the evening. I didn't answer any messages, I didn't spend any time on twitter. I was basically a tatting machine. I think this also led to a poor night's sleep because I tossed and turned and did not want to rise this morning at all.

So I start today more exhausted than usual, but still with a queue of tatting to get to. I have a mask, barefoot sandals and a necklace that all need to be remade and listed. Not to mention all the little things I neglected yesterday. There is, of course, no way that it is all getting done today, but it's all on the list. None of these things is expected by a customer though, so I think I might slow it down a bit today and attempt to do things at normal speed.

Thank the Universe

What a difference a day makes. I had a busy morning with schooling and thankfully, a busy day in the etsy shop. I know, I know, it's been ages since I've been able to write that sort of sentence.

Schooling ran right up until lunch, so I couldn't get back to the custom order I already had until then and I'm still not quite finished with it. While I was working though, I fielded another smaller, custom order and had a few more orders come in throughout the day. I've been going days without an order, so to have more than one in a single day is actually cause for celebration. I don't know what happened in the Universe yesterday, but I'm sending a hearty thank you out for it.

I also got a replacement order in the post and received back one piece I'm exchanging, so I can send that replacement this morning. That finishes up all the depressing work of undoing and repairing other transactions.

Today is jam packed with tatting tasks. I have this custom order to finish, the next one to do and then I have two pieces that will need remaking. I feel busy and just slightly overwhelmed. It's wonderful and I do hope it's a sign for the future and not a fluke.

Done

As I feared, I used far too much time yesterday morning to garden, and by garden what I really mean is, pull weeds. Gardening implies that I have the least idea how to properly prune or care for the plants in our yard. My rule is, if it lives without intervention from us, it was meant to be, if it dies it wasn't and we move on. The weed pulling however, I have down and it's left me quite sore this morning, but at least I can look outside and see that I accomplished something quite clearly.

After that though, I finished up the final day of the TIAS, the cat ears I needed to do, and wrapped up a few other odds and ends. I'm fairly certain that this would look more like a sailboat had I bothered to use a different color for the bottom and mast, but the lazy in me struck again and you just have to squint a bit to see it all correctly. I do enjoy these little projects to make things I never would otherwise.

After that there were some family errands and wanderings and in the late afternoon I got a custom order for a pair of tatted cuffs in dark purple. They're one of my largest cuff designs so even though I started shortly after receiving the order, I haven't even finished the first one yet. They should give me at least a day or two worth of work.

Today should be back to our regular schedule so hopefully I can get out of house guest/vacation mode quickly and get back to work. Sometimes routine is like a nice warm blanket on a cold day.

I'm Not Lazy...

I was going to open today by lamenting about how lazy I must be that I haven't yet gotten the choker finished and listed yet. Then I thought, sure, I've been a bit lazy with the tatting lately, particularly the finishing bits, but the amount of other stuff I've done should counteract that, right? I mean, we had house quests all weekend so other folks were also visiting to see them. I was constantly cleaning or visiting myself, not to mention all the food. Then yesterday I even helped with some lawn work that needed doing before Spring decides to take hold and my body is pretty annoyed at me for that decision.

I did tat over the weekend but save for the TIAS, it was mostly to undo things. The missing package to Latvia still hadn't arrived, so I had to deal with replacing that and playing with the shipping insurance stuff. Then there was a pair of kitty ears that didn't want to behave for their owner that I had to make a replacement for and I'm still not done with that yet.

Speaking of the TIAS though, since the last day was released this morning and I saw it in my blog reading list, the final design is spoiled for me even before I posted this next to last piece. I admit, until the two triangles were joined together I had no idea what it was, but I guess it's pretty clear here. So I'll get the last day done to post tomorrow and I'll just have to work harder to make lace I can post photos of once this 'go-to' project is done.

The husband and the kids all have today off, so again I'm likely to get little of consequence done. If the weather is nice again, there's a slight chance I might tackle the backyard, just to get it all over with, but I really would much rather get all my tatting tasks done and follow up with listing the choker and maybe even starting the matching bracelet that I've already got worked out in my head. The odds, however, are not in my favor.

Guests

Well, yesterday was a better day, if not a more productive one. The kid's schooling site behaved and we got through their classes in record speed. I suppose that was partly because I was expecting the site to still go down any second and I didn't want to waste a minute.

It wasn't long after schooling ended that our weekend guests arrived, my brother and sister-in-law. We haven't seen them in well over a year, so you can imagine that the afternoon was given over to catching up and other nonsense. It wasn't until late afternoon that they took a rest and I got a little tatting done.

Of course all I really got done was day 14 of the TIAS. With just two more bits left I should know what is that I'm making, but I still haven't a clue at all. It's better that way though, it keeps the mystery alive and confuses the family as well.

If you hadn't guessed, I did not get the choker finished nor listed yesterday and the odds are not in favor of getting that accomplished today either. I'm much more likely to finish schooling and spend the rest of the day just hanging out with the family and talking until my throat is sore. Maybe I'll manage to do so while my fingers fly over some thread. At the very least I'm hoping to have the new choker listed by the end of the weekend so I can at least emerge triumphant on Monday.

Whew

I feel a bit like a broken record, but man was yesterday a frustrating slog of a day. The children's school site is still undergoing great difficulties which seem to be the result of some sort of attack on the site. This means we're constantly being kicked out of the site and having to constantly try to get back in, so schooling takes longer and is slightly more rage inducing. To make matters more complicated, there was a teacher meeting in the morning we had to go to as well as errands that needed running before we could get back to schooling to finish it.

Then there was the floor cleaning, more laundry, counters and a dozen other small tasks including some awkward email exchanges most of which were never resolved. I am honestly sore this morning and a bit mentally exhausted. It wasn't until late afternoon that I was able to sit down and tat anything. I was fortune to get a bracelet order in, so I remade that for my sitting time. This one is a little fiddly to make with the woven sections and the false ends, but I do like the way it looks. I made so many of these in multiple colors and none of them got the least bit interest save for this one in sepia tones.

The choker is done save for hardware and since most of my cleaning is done, there is a slight possibility that it will get photographed and into the shop today. Our house guests will be here sometime this afternoon, so I don't think there will be much else accomplished for the day aside from that though. Honestly I'm just hoping for an all around calmer and more positive day, so here's to that.

Adpating

After a very frustrating morning with the kids schooling because the web site was tossing us out over and over again, I was determined to make the rest of the day as productive as possible. I had actually set the wheels in motion before schooling. I had decided that I was going to adapt a vintage edging. I grabbed the first book from the 40's in the pile and picked one that I had tried and failed with in the past. While drinking coffee, I worked on a prototype, changing something new every repeat. I got this far before schooling and once I was back I knew what else I needed to change.

Of course it did take a while to get back to it as there were copious amounts of cleaning to get on with. Blankets to launder, counters to clear off and floors to vacuum. Of course I still have another set of tasks saved for today because with 6 cats and four people in the house, I never clean the tiled floors until the last minute to reduce the chance of befoulment. Not to mention more counters to clean and laundry to do.

So, exhausted I sat down to my tatting. After evaluating my earlier changes and deciding on a few more, I was satisfied with the stability of the design and started to work on what will become a nice choker. When I muck with these classic designs, I'm trying make sure they can stand on their own without getting stretched out of shape. The original pattern had many fewer joins and would have been fine attached to some linens, but would have been a mess on a neck. I also have a different aesthetic sense than designers of that era and I try to make each piece my own with new choices. While I'm fairly certain a few of you will recognize the original edging within the design, my hope is that I've made it entirely new in feeling.

Today should be another crazy, over-packed day. I have a teacher meeting to attend for the older child, schooling, more cleaning and some errand running. If someone finds me curled up in the fetal position later, don't be surprised. I am hoping that I'll get this choker all the way to finished sometime today, but I'm not holding my breath. I guess it's a good thing the shop is dead, at least for today. If I had to add orders to complete to this list I might snap. On second thought, I'd be glad to do that. I work great under pressure, just not too much.

Hmmm

Unfortunately all I have to show you this morning is my recent progress on the TIAS. We're up to day 13 now and I still haven't a clue. The recent piece kind of reminds me of an opossum head, but I'm fairly certain I'm nowhere near the mark. This was all the tatting I managed during the day.

I tried to get some schooling done in the morning, but the kid's online school site was down. Then the day got hard to manage. The kids went off with their grandparents for a spell while I attended the first of two doctor's appointments for the husband. Then the kids came back, but not for long enough for me to settle and get anything done before we were all off again. They with their grandma again and me to the second appointment.

Most of the day was spent waiting in places other than home meaning nothing of consequence could get done. So today it's back to regular schooling and I'm hoping to get some cleaning done before our weekend guests arrive. I generally let the house fall into a state of functional clutter when the holidays are over and I'm not expecting to host any more dinners or get togethers. This means the house really needs a good cleaning.

Still no new sales in the shop, but I did get a rather unexpected phone call regarding ordering some pieces. I say unexpected because my phone number is not attached to my business at all and it is a bit uncomfortable to be tracked down in that way. I'm honestly uncertain how to respond as the request was to buy away from Etsy and I generally do not do that save for very occasionally, locally partly because of all the protections Etsy affords me regarding payment and shopping. Plus I really prefer interacting with strangers through email, me and the phone are not really friends. Yeah, the whole thing just has me very uncomfortable and I have no idea what I'm going to do about it.

So to recap, today will be schooling and cleaning and if I'm very lucky I'll sit down and tat something that will relax me. I really do need to unwind now.

Slow

Another slow weekend with not much to share I'm afraid. It's been nearly a week since I got a sale in the shop and I think I got a bit burnt out on snowflakes, so I took a break for a few days. Times like these are when I'm reminded that a big part of my motivation to create new pieces, is knowing they have homes to go to all over the world. When sales slow down, I start to contemplate stopping altogether, because what good it is to create if those pieces are just laid in a box and never seen by anyone else. Yes, I am aware that this is a bit of an overreaction, but it happens nonetheless. Luckily it has happened enough times that I recognize it and I push through to the other side, albeit slowly and with prodigious amounts of complaining.

I was in enough of a tatting malaise over the weekend that I completely forgot to do the last day of the TIAS. I pulled up the instructions, but then got distracted by something else and failed to get back to it at all. Of course day 13 is out today, so that means I have two days worth to do today. We did go see The Lego Movie over the weekend and that was a damn fine time. There was also a nice walk and some errands, but that was about it.

The kids have the day off of school, but there are other things I need to attend to. Doctor's appointments for my husband and cleaning the house in anticipation of my brother and sister-in-law's visit at the end of the week. All this has me a bit distracted especially since nearly every floor cleaner I have has recently given up the ghost and with sales so down I can't justify replacement purchases. Wow, I am getting whiny this morning. My apologies. I will try to get some tatting in today so I have something cheerful for you tomorrow. In the meantime, there are always cat pictures to share.

Shame

I'm a little ashamed. Yesterday, after schooling I downloaded a new game for my phone on a whim. I just wanted something new to play, you know, between tasks. Then after lunch I started playing it. Oye, it sucked away hours from my day. Before I knew it, the husband was home for work and I had gotten so little accomplished that I rushed all evening to make up for it.

Before schooling I had gotten the cat ears I needed to make finished, so I wasn't technically neglecting anything that I had to get done. Still I'm on snowflake retainer and I got back to them as soon as I rose back out of my shame spiral. Of course I did only get one done, but then I cooked a nice meal and ended the day feeling slightly less like I had wasted it.

Today promises to be extra busy as well. We got in the books for the oldest child's new courses, so we have to go full steam ahead on them in order to finish everything by the end of the year. On top of that we have one teacher meeting this morning which should take about an hour from our morning. That all means schooling should go well past noon whether the kids like it or not. Hopefully the weekend will bring some business to the shop so I can get focused to work. I would hate to lose anymore days to Spell Quest: Grimm's Journey, though I probably will. I am weak.

Well, That's Done

The morning was all used up by errands and schooling, so again it was into the afternoon before I had any time to call my own. The children had seen me inking over my pencil drawing and when I explained what I was doing, they both 'had' to do it as well. So one of our errands was to Michael's to get more "real" pens. As the oldest child immediately discovered, it just doesn't work right with a ball point pen.

So we all drew and they painted with stencils and made a mess. It was quite the creative artist retreat around here for a few hours. I did finish the piece I was working on, so I felt like at least I had accomplished something for the day. Of course I've no idea what I'm going to do with it, but it's done, so I can get back to tatting, until the urge hits me again.

I did make up the tatted ears I needed to, but I also realized that the headbands I have left needed another coat of paint before I sewed them together which meant drying time would also be needed. So that's what I get to get back to this morning, sewing ears to headbands. Then I suppose it's back to snowflakes for my mother-in-law. It sounds as if she's putting me on retainer for whenever she'd like some to give out. Again, I don't mind too much as she is not asking me to do all this for free. After all the horror stories I've heard from other makers whose families ask for labor intensive free things all the time, it's wonderful to know that mine respects my time...mostly. I think that's about it, no new orders, no new ideas and a nice rainy day ahead.

What I Really Wanted To Do

So, as I thought, schooling again took up the entire morning, so I didn't even get to worry about what I was going to tat until well after lunch. I had started the kids on the task of writing a letter to some cousins and drawing some pictures for them. While they were at it, I kept feeling compelled to make something new. So I tried and I tried again and I failed repeatedly to come up with something interesting enough to keep working at it.

So I sat down my black thread and picked up the white and worked on the TIAS. At least then I would be focused on making something, if just for a few minutes anyway. Yep, still no clue what these are pieces of. Unfortunately, it really did only take a few minutes to get day 11 made up and then I was right back to this strange, undeniable urge to create something.

It took me a while to realize that it was the kids drawing that was compelling me. What I really wanted to do was draw something. I can't tell you how long it's been since I took the time to do that. So I buzzed around the house looking for my drawing pad and good eraser. Then I drew for a while. I drew long enough to get the piece inked before I headed up to watch television with the family. It felt good, though it's not great art or anything, it felt nice to create something from scratch...in a different way than usual.

I'll likely finish adding ink to the piece today. I don't want to stop until I've finished it, but after that I've got cat ears to tat up again. In fact I think it might be time to finally order more headbands. I'm always terrified that the ones I use won't exist anymore and they work so perfectly for sewing the lace on. Most headbands are covered using satin ribbon and they just don't lend themselves to the process as well. So here's to finishing art, finding supplies and maybe an order or two for the day as well. Yep, that sounds like a fine plan for the day.

Busy Day

The oldest child just started working on the next grade level language arts courses yesterday. The plan is to try and finish a year's worth of those classes in the half a year we have left. So as you can imagine schooling is taking a bit longer and is slightly more draining. We also don't have all the books yet, so we're reading The Hounds of Baskerville together as a fill in since we know she is suppose to read it later in the course. I guess the point is, lots of schooling yesterday and that is likely the new normal.

I did get the new necklace finally listed yesterday. I'm not overly fond of the photos I settled on but I just did not have the energy to go all out for them. At least I got it done though. I also finished up the barefoot sandal order I had started on Sunday. Sometimes I forget how long those things can take to make. There are just so many steps involved.

It was nearly evening before I remembered that I had yet to do day 10 of the TIAS, so I got that made up quickly. Still no clue as to what is forming. Luckily day 11 is today, so no waiting to continue to not know what is is I'm making.

I finished the day with a custom length bracelet which I thought would be a walk in the park to adjust. I was a little wrong there and it took some time to work out how to properly reduce the size. Once I had that worked out though, it was simple enough to get made. So I start today without anymore orders in queue save for the never-ending mother-in-law list. Honestly, I'm kind of grateful for that list of things to make. It means never getting bored because I haven't anything to do. Of course I will still get bored with what I have to do, because that's just how it is, but that's still better than having nothing to do. Here's hoping for another packed day with lots to tat.

Distracted

It was a bit of a distracting weekend and the sad part is, I can't even think of a good reason why. I know on Friday the husband unexpectedly took the afternoon off and we went out to lunch. That was my excuse for not listing the new choker. Saturday was pretty normal, but I had a pair of barefoot sandals to make as well as more things for my mother-in-law. It seems that the bits I've been making her to give as gifts have gone over well and now she has more ideas as to occasions for them. I think it might be because everyone she knows has already received every knit or crochet thing she makes and this is something entirely different. Either way, that was Saturday.

Sunday morning was more of the same. I had finished the sandals I was making as well as many of the bits for my mother-in-law, when I got an order in for another pair of barefoot sandals. This time in white, so they would need to be made as well. The family headed out to said mother-in-laws house in the afternoon to watch the great commercial fest and eat copious amounts of food I didn't have to prepare. While there, I worked on my order, but didn't quite finish it.

I did manage to get day 9 of the TIAS made over the weekend, but I didn't even remember to download day 10's instructions yesterday. So I guess this morning I'll get to that as well as finish the last order. After that I really must get the new necklace listed in the shop. At this point I really need one of those big orders from a gift shop or a hefty commission to dig out from the holiday deficit. I'm only putting that out there so the Universe hears it. I think things might be picking up, but it's really, glacially slow, so I thought a lament was in order. That being done, I suppose it's time to start the week.