New Beginnings..

Hi all! I know most of you might not remember me.. It's been almost two years since I've last posted.. Well, things have been both rough and strange at the same time.

I've not crafted much in the last little bit. Instead, I've been trying to focus on everything that is in my life and get it all in order. I'm still dreaming of having my own farm, and hopefully that will take off soon!

M and I are still going strong. We've almost hit the 7 year mark, as well as the 2nd year since the passing of his father. It's been a bit rough since he's been staying with his mom and helping out his sister with her kids, and I've been mostly stuck up farther north where we don't get to see each other as much as we would like.

However! I've recently obtained a job where I have closer to steady hours, and a pretty significant salary raise from what I was making at my old job. Hopefully things will continue changing for the good!

I've also recently (as in the last few days) have decided to try out a new to me craft: quilting! I've not done too much just yet, but here's the first bit that have come close to being "finished":

Wait.. How is this picture animated? Um.. yeah.. sorry about that.. Huh. Well, that's part of Anna Ruby Falls in Helen, GA.. I clicked on the button to upload from my phone. Weird.. lol

So, yeah. I'm kinda creeped out, so I'll update again sometime later..

Happy crafting?

Of Life Changes..

Sorry to all -- I know it's been close to two months since I last posted, and this will be a picture-free post.

I have taken some time off of crafting nearly everything since I last posted. I've started several half-attempts at a project, but have only really managed to complete two projects (and one I'm going to have to revisit when I have some more yarn to finish). No, with the Christmas season in full swing (and so soon after the Back to School rush!!), I've found myself so tired that I can't do much more than rest and sleep when I'm at home.

I had thought that just after my birthday at the end of September that I could get back into the swing of things. Then October happened. So many things have happened that I don't really know where to begin.

First off, I got my first antique spinning wheel. I'll post pictures at some point -- haven't had the energy to take it outside for some beauty shots (my lighting everywhere in the house is terrible except at about 1pm, which happens to fall when I'm either at work or at lunch with Nan and Pa). This will have to be done later, since hours have been doubled, so hopefully on my next day off I can have a picture day?

I've found myself really looking at trying to start a farm, so the early part of October was spent looking at possible garden layouts and supplies that I may need. It also opened my eyes to freezer meals and budgets and all that comes along with it. I haven't really had any money to purchase supplies, so I've been trying to make do with what I have and use all the thread/yarn that I've stocked up on for the past two years. Organizing my craft room took a lot out of me, but now the closet in here is (nearly) done!

Second, M's and my 5th year passed on the 25th. That's when everything went so wrong. I had to open that morning and we were planning on making dinner at home. Not too long into my shift, I got The Call.

M's dad had been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer earlier this year. He had been responding to all his treatments and had finished his first round of experimental chemo. Near the end of it, it was kicking his butt though and he wasn't really looking forward to the second round.

That morning, on the 25th, M called me at work. His dad had passed earlier that morning, and we needed to get down there.

That entire weekend was spent playing everything by ear, arrangements, and getting the house ready for the family that drove in from Mass. Let me tell y'all, the hardest thing I've had to do in the last few years was to drive home after the service knowing it'd be a while before I could make it down again.

I've spent the last month in a daze, torn between staying up here and being down there for their family. It's really only just hit me what has happened, as this is the first time I've tried to type it all out and really let myself think about things. I'm finally getting into a rhythm where I can partially function on a.. and I don't really know what to call it.. I'm no longer on auto pilot? Does that make sense?

Sorry to ramble so much in this post. I really.. I don't know.

I have hopes that sometime next week that I'll have something to show, even if it's my half-hearted attempts at some tatting and knit projects.. But we'll have to wait and see, right?

Please, I know that I've made this request before. Keep M's mom and family in your prayers. This has been a hard two years for all of them, and we're praying for a better year.

And, since I'm late with it, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, and happy crafting.

Some Tatting and a Question..

So I found some of my all-time favorite beads that I stole from an old pair of earrings and my silver Lizbeth thread, and this is the result:

The pattern is the "Quadrille" from Yarnplayer's store as well as her new book. They have findings on them now, and I have worn them since this picture was taken. I have found that my tatting looses its shape during the day, and will have to starch these before I wear them again..

I also finished the small motif from last post, but haven't gotten it blocked and photographed. ^^ I'm falling a bit behind!

I'm also working on a hanky at the moment, and this one will have six different rounds. This is what I've already got:

My question is, for the corner on the first round, the pattern (at least in my book) says this:

"Repeat rs and chs until corner is reached, when there is but one r, and the chs next to it join by 1st p."

The copy that's on Georgia's website (located here, and called "The Priscilla Tatting Book #2", page 9), says this:

"Repeat rs and chs until corner is reached, when there is but one (3 r joined together)."

Can anyone help me figure this one out? This is the picture of the pattern (and sorry it's so dark -- I couldn't get a decent photo and this was the clearest I got):

To me, it looks like the corner should have two rings instead of just one, but the picture is really hard to see. Anyone ever completed this pattern? I know it's a "traditional" one (and one that I've already done but with different stitch counts), and it's written in long hand, which has always confused me..

Happy Tatting, all!