Adjusting!

We've had several changes to learn to adjust to over the past several months.  First, my company merged with another and we've made adjustments to learn to be a single business entity.  It hasn't been bad at all - about the worst is learning to adjust to the new payroll schedule!  We're paid mid-month and end-of month now instead of every other week, (I'm going to miss those two months each year with three paydays in them!) and have to budget accordingly.

Yes, I'm saving up for Tat Days in September!!  I plan to apply to teach and have four patterns written and being tested, and a couple more that are in the final stages before I write them up.  There is a new angel for 2012, and a butterfly, a bracelet, a wreath, and a 2d bell.  Wish me good luck!

Other than working on tatting patterns, I bid on some 1940s Speedball pens and holders - it's a nice little set.  I was the only bidder, and my bid came in for less (including shipping) than a comparable modern set at Hobby Lobby.  I used to do some pen-and-ink work - we'll see if I still can!  I did buy a new bottle of ink in hopes of winning!

Is everybody working on Jane Eborall's Tat It And See for 2012?  Here's mine - there have been some very funny guesses as to what it is, but it now looks to be the other half of an animal.  David guessed a centaur, but I think he was pulling my leg! 

The top shuttle is one that was decorated by Hope Bates, whose shuttles I've shared before on my blog.  This one has a rose on the other side - it's pictured on the TIAS blog along about Day 3.  The other is a metal shuttle I bought from eBay last year. 

I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions this year, but I hope to blog a little more often.  Some folks find the time to blog daily - I can't, although I've tried - but I'm going to try hard to blog at least once a week starting now! 

I Make Plans - Other People Change Them For Me!

And so it goes...the story of my life.  No new bracelet to show you, in fact, nothing at all (tatting-wise, that is)!  I fooled around with shuttles and thread for a couple of hours, with nothing to show for it but a couple of abortive attempts at a pattern I've been working on for this year's Tat Days.  I've kind of-sort of got the pattern written up, but it needs tweaking before I'd think about submitting it to teach.  Yes - it's an angel!

We did get out of the house for a bit - David gets cabin fever, while I'm content to sit indoors with my threads, shuttles, and needles.  I'm looking forward to springtime - windows open, warm, tatting in the porch swing.  Bring it on!!

Not exactly Fay Wray, is it?

Later today... We've only been past this Christmas display a couple of dozen times since it was set up by a local towing service, but never had the camera with us.  Today, after taking advantage of the 80% off (of whatever was leftover from Christmas, which wasn't much) at Hobby Lobby, we stopped back by home and picked up the camera and took a couple of pictures.  Yes, that's King Kong - usually he glowers at whoever pulls into the parking lot from his perch on the building's roof, but for Christmas they set him out near the highway on this lovely tractor.  Before Christmas, he was holding a candy cane - a BIG candy cane - but evidently the Grinch got it, and now he's got the Grinch!

I'm almost afraid to ask what they're going to display for Valentine's Day!

Is it just me, or is this a mixed message?