The bane of my existence these days has been the tiny little burrs I find while winding thread.  This last week I’ve been winding and winding and winding some more.  I’m hoping to actually get around to some actual dyeing of thread sometime this weekend.  In the meantime, I wind lots of thread and end up cutting out lots of these little burrs so that my skeins can be as perfect as possible.  They’re probably not actually perfect, but they’re as perfect as possible, so I’ll be happy with that.

I should have taken a picture of my new awesome swift and the way I’ve set it up with a digital counter to track the skeins as I make them.  I feel like this week I’m finally getting organized with the thread dyeing and I’m very excited about that.

Lots to do before Shuttlebirds.  I still need to take the pictures for the instructions for one of my classes, but otherwise I’ve got all my instructions in to Patti, so I’m feeling slightly more relaxed about the teaching stuff.  If I get around to taking the time to get all my samples together into one place and ready to go then I’ll really be able to relax.  Once everything for the teaching is done I’ll get to spend my time getting things ready for vending.  Since no one is “counting” on me for anything there I can take it a little more easy and just get done what I can get done without stressing out.

Four weeks till Shuttlebirds!  Can’t wait!

I have been super busy this last month with my new job, with taxes for my accounting clients and with lots and lots of new thread dyeing.  Here is the first few rounds of a new doily from Priscilla Tatting Book #1.  I’ve been really focused on the first book since I’ve decided to publish my patterns in the same order that they are in the original books.   There’s another couple rounds left on this doily, but this was all that I could get out of the little mini-skien that I dyed in this batch, so the rest will be white.  I make mini-skeins for myself out of the leftovers from winding the 50 yard skeins that are for sale.  This one I’ve named Wisteria and it’s available in my Etsy shop.  It’s exactly the soft color change I’m going for with my HDT and I had a good time tatting with it.  Over the weekend I finally went through and got all my new threads listed.  Well, all of them except for the few that were still drying.

I have plans to do some more dyeing tonight, but we’ll see how my time goes.  Things have been so busy that I’ve basically just made a list and am getting to whatever I get to, but not trying to actually predict anything.

Let’s see… What else is new?  Mostly it’s the thread dyeing, but the other big thing is getting ready for Shuttlebirds.  Yesterday I finished up the instructions for the carnation hair clips, so I just have one left to do and then I’m ready for my classes.  Patti wants the instructions by the 28th so I should have it wrapped up by then.  The thread dyeing is a large part of getting ready for Shuttlebirds too, since I’m planning on selling there too.

I’m teaching this weekend at the Lacemakers of Puget Sound meeting too, so I’ve got to take some time to get ready for that.  I’m going to be teaching split rings and beaded split rings.  I’ll be teaching projects that I’ve taught before so the patterns are ready, I just need to get around to getting them printed out and double check that my teaching kit is in good order.   Nothing that will take long, but I’ve just got to sit down and do it!

That’s been a lot of my life lately.  Things that I’m super excited about and things that are mostly not too complicated to do.  Just need to get around to doing them.