And the results are....

 One blue ribbon

 

It's always uncertain about my tatted entries in non-tatting categories. But apparently they judges like this one. I really hope the judges left comments.

This is what surpassed my framed piece (the only one in a tatting category). I've done this pattern, although not 4 of them to make 1 doily. It's so pretty, isn't it? I know the tatter and she's really good.

I really thought my hankie would do better. It's size 80 for goodness sakes. But it's not an original pattern so maybe that eliminated it. On the other hand, they did an absolutely lovely job displaying it.

I'm at the fair. Of course, I have to try some fried food. Unlike my younger years, I didn't eat my way from one side of the fair to the other.

I don't know who made this, I'm not even in this category. But it's such a lovely dress.

This was in the garden competition. This one is my fave.

I made a split ring bracelet. I need to find my jewelry findings. The brown color isn't typical for me but I wanted to do something understated.

My tablet (my main 'camera') was low on power so I took photos with my phone camera, too. I just need to download them. I'll save them for next week. And talk about what I photographed.

Social Media and staying social

I miss Google+, I had some real communities there. I've tried Pluspora but I lost my log in and my interest. I have an instagram account now. And I'm in a couple Discord communities. I've had twitter since practically the beginning but there's so much negativity (attacks, news, etc) that it's hard for me to use. I still sometimes pop in and check on people. Now I have a ko-fi account. I'd like to (someday, somehow) get enough money to buy a new iPad. My iPad's screen is cracked and it's old enough that it doesn't have the latest iOS and some apps won't update anymore.

I'm doing the 26 day racial equity journey with a friend and a friend of hers. We just finished the 2nd week. There's been some eye opening information, some expansion of information I already knew, some new to me viewpoints or aspects, and also review of information I know.

On Saturday I had a zoom meeting with the Palmetto Tatters' Guild. Since they can't meet in person they scheduled a zoom one. Considering their location, I can make the zoom one, unlike the physical meeting. I finished another bracelet during the meeting, using Martha's pastel 8:1 HDT, with silver seed beads this time. Due to the whole Empress thing, Tonya convinced me to get out my tiara and wear. She was wearing hers in my honor.

I'm using the same thread to make some edging for my other masks.

I also ordered a Goulet pen, with converter, and a pack of ink samples. It writes very smoothly. The nib is a tiny bit bigger than my (Monza) pen's fine nib. So far I have the included ink cartridge (blue black ink) in it and I haven't tried the samples yet. I had to find my pen/ink sample notebook. Keeping track of colors, names, and brands will help me in the future.

I have started the 3rd round & 4th of Coronavirus doily. I ran out of shuttle thread on the 3rd round, so I had to pull some yards from the ball and wind it on a shuttle, so I could reload the ring shuttle. I'm about to run out on the ring shuttle again, but the 4th round is all chains, so we'll see how long it lasts.

I don't know what I had done with the thread for the 3rd round so I had put it aside. I found the thread, and resumed work, in Lizbeth 10 Country Grape Dk. I'm thinking about donating it to the NC History Museum for the (future) Covid 19 exhibit. I contacted them about it, and I'm waiting to hear.

I wouldn't object to donating a mask, but I still need mine.
I played with a masked selfie

Still at home

I'm still staying home but I've bought masks to supplement the ones I've made. I've decorated anther one of my masks with tatting. I go back to work onsite in just over a week. I wanted enough to wear a different one every day.

I made a couple bracelets. One is with Martha Ess's pastel rainbow in size 10 (part of the dyeing experiment for Palmetto Tat Days). I used agate beads. I finished another one, but I'm blocking it so I don't have a photo.

Shuttle I ordered arrived. Isn't it pretty? On the bubble wrap that protected it.

I joined a drawing zoom class. Not bad for a mechanical pencil, huh?

Another storm today.

Still staying at home

Heavy storm hit this afternoon and an online friend asked for a video. But they were too large to upload to the site in question, so I'm putting them at the bottom of this post. Take your pick.

I made fingerless mitts and a headband/earwarmer to match my cape. The headband isn't done; I haven't affixed the braid.

The mitts don't exactly match; the downside of long run variegated/ombre yarn.

I also made these mitts (too small for the original recipient, but a friend has a teen who wants them).

Played around with this edging. I think I might like it better with dark green instead of the pale green/tan.

The 1st cotton yarn trivet/hot pad is my attempt at a 10-stitch blanket; it works great as a trivet

 This is deliberately a trivet/hot pad. The yarn I plied from 2 strands of cotton worsted; one yarn ombre white and blue, the other solid blue. I ran out, so I plied some more, using navy with an ombre navy/white.

I made some masks. These are the same mask; machine sewn. Below are the masks I hand sewed, including a bit of metallic thread lace I added to one.

 Oh, I finished the feather and fan scarf. I ran out of black (as I mentioned), so I ended with red.

I finished the tatting on this bracelet, now to block it, trim the thread ends, and add fasteners.
Rain

Breaking Silence

I got distracted and didn't post the last two weeks. I went to Mom's two weeks ago, and I often start my blog post over the weekend. Last weekend was Triangle Tatters meeting and other stuff, just kept busy.

I've kept up quite well with Lettermo, and only 1 day to go. I already know what I'm sending, I just need to write the note and go to the post office to get packaging and postage.

Wednesday was interesting. We had tornado warnings. We sometimes get watches but warnings are rare (except during hurricanes, when we've already have enough on our plate). My office is in the basement, so I didn't bother moving. However, the rest of the building came to camp in my office and nearby. Again, because basement. After work, the sky looked like a Brothers Hidlebrandt painting.

I literally pulled over and parked to take this picture

And a few minutes later

I finished another bracelet, then started one in the same pattern but completely different beads.

HDT thread, coppery beads

HDT, dyed howlite and seed beads

I got the 1st one loaded during the meeting and started loading the 2nd one. However, I did not get very far for a very good reason; I was helping someone learn to tat. She had heard of the group and showed up for the meeting, hoping someone could help her. She'd looked at the video tutorial on YouTube but it never quite worked for her. She had all the motions right, just missed the key flip of thread tension. She was doing quite well by the end of the meeting. And we had 21 people show up, all told. At least three of them were learning to tat.

I'm sticking to my budget, but it was hard this month. I had an unexpected purchase to make, plus I couldn't find all my stamps and had to buy more.

I've started using Evernote for tracking my letters. I'm not sure it's a good idea; as I'm having a learning curve trying to figure out how to separate the scans into the separate letters. And so far, searching has not been as successful as I'd thought it would be.

 I took a 8-hour training on sustainability through work. A good part was what had been done, what is being done, and what's in progress at work. Then there was what we can do and get our offices to do; things like purchases, water conservation, energy, composting, and recycling. I'll be giving a report to the managers at the staff meeting in March.

And the moonstone bracelet, plus 2 others

HDT thread: Snowy Day & moonstone cubes

15000 words+

Yes, I'm behind. Yes, NaNoWriMo is still eating my brain. Plus I had the spreadsheet from hell this past week at work. It wasn't not a truly difficult spreadsheet, just data entry. But I had to find the correct reports (new system) to get the information and even then it took two help tickets to find out why some of the data was not there.

Tri-Tatters meeting was Saturday. ~19 tatters there, including 5-6 who were either new or re-learning how to tat. Pretty cool. I've made one bracelet and one more would be done, but the thread shredded. I'll be helping monsterunderthebed with the scans of Tatting Times. Whee!

Playing pathfinder tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

RG got a job! About 2 weeks after her severance ended, so the timing was pretty good. Not great, but pretty good.

Have a picture from Neko Atsume, a tablet game I've been playing. They finally made a version in English. Too late, I've already renamed all the cats I've found so far.

Briefly cooler

Thursday night we had a serious thunderstorm, complete with thunder, lightning, and hail. It shredded leaves and broke some branches but I didn't see anything more serious.

CD and I did some final work on the dryer hose. We didn't need to pull out the dryer (thank goodness), I could sit on it and pull up the new hose over the old one until it was straighter. I finally got some laundry done.

Unfortunately, I misplaced (not lost) my wallet on Saturday so that was the only useful thing I did.

I still need to check for used iPads. I want to check the local places before I check eBay. I'm tired of not being able to take pictures.

At least yesterday the high was only in the 80s and the humidity was quite lower. I sat outside for lunch on Monday and it was nice, most of the time. Too bad it won't last.

I've done the tatting for another bracelet. I think the beads are small malachite spheres and these green seed beads with a hint of blue. The thread is Vineyard Harvest (I think).

I resolved my edging issue. I cut open the ring, tied a knot and kept going. I think I have close to a yard made now.

BTW, at this point, most home doors do not simply open when you walk up to them. You have to use your key to unlock them. This brought to you by high humidity, high temperatures, and a stress-filled day.

Jury Duty and other matters

Do you like to play board games? Are you uncertain about what board games to get or play? Here's a flow chart.

Do you want impetus to try more games? Or just to play games more often? Try 51in15; play 51 discrete games in 2015. These games can be tabletop, board games, card games, played a thousand times, never played before, published, unpublished, playtested, etc. You only count each game once. There are badges, to post, to gloat over, however you choose to use them. The site I linked to has the badges and some ideas. Enjoy.

C got a KitchenAid for Christmas. Now we need to find a place on the counter to put it. We have a possible place, if we get rid of his knife block and do something with our hot chocolate collection. Since we've been trying to eat healthy and I started having problems with milk, we haven't been drinking as much. We had a couple different flavors, and been getting some as presents. We need to decide what to do with it. Unopened boxes will probably go to the food bank or something similar.

This just makes me want to scream. (article about San Francisco seeking exemption from the ADA for police interactions.)

And in case you missed it, Muslims did react to the shootings at Charlie Hebdo. 

Tuesday I had work thing, a half-day retreat. I didn't go. Instead, I had jury duty. Whee?

First, photogenic, project from my new Japanese tatting book. 

The one on the right is the one I did first, and my tension was too tight. I did better on my second try.

And here are the first two bracelets I made this year.

 And I finally finished my lace wristlet. And its a leeeeetle too small.

And here's a picture of a neighborhood in Greensboro, NC. They hang these lighted balls for Christmas.