Tell a Little Yarn

First, these are the motifs for my Tatted Shuttles.  I didn't make a ring to go in the center, just these for the blades.  The colors in these photos are not exactly true, but I've been having a dreadful time with my photos lately.  I think I need to get my camera cleaned.  The first is Lizbeth size 20 Island Breeze and Bright Turquoise and the second is Lizbeth size 20 Salmon and Tropical Fruit. 

And these are the earings I won on Wendy's blog - Umi & Tsuru.  Wendy also offered up a Blinged Shuttle Exchange a couple of weeks ago for the first two posters.  She has her posts moderated so I thought I was the first, but I was the fourth or so.  She kindly got more shuttles and offered to let more people take part in the exchange and sent this lovely shuttle with the earings. It is lovely with it's delicate little flower - and it's the palest lavender pink, one of the new clover colors.  The shuttle I sent her won't have arrived yet because I couldn't send it till I got back from all my car trips to and from Virginia.

 

There is a Snowflake a Month challenge over on The Tatting Forums.  I didn't make one in September, but here is my October 'snowflake'.  Ok, it's not really a snowflake, but I'm going to use it as a Christmas Ornament anyway so I'm counting it.  I think I might make several more of these to put on Christmas Cards because they are so pretty and they are reasonably quick to make.  This is the Posy pattern from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior in Lizbeth size 20 Christmas Green Mix.  

There is also a Bookmark a Month tatting challenge going on The Tatting Forums as well.  This is my September bookmark - it is Kersti Anear's Floral Tatted Bookmark in Lizbeth size 20 in Island Breeze and Bright Turqoise.

This is my October Bookmark for the challenge.  It's another Kersti Anear pattern, Zahra in Lizbeth size 20 Salmon and Tropical Fruit.

And now, it's time for a little yarn!  On the way home from dropping the Girl Far From Home off at school, I stopped at a yarn shop that a friend recommended.  It's not your average yarn shop - it carries handspun and hand dyed yarn and much of it is gorgeous.  And naturally, since I drove a bit out of my way (ok, almost two hours) I had to buy some yarn.  

The first yarn is 200 yards of 40% Angora/60% Merino handspun dyed in lovely shades of blue.  It's so soft and so nice that I'm going to make Girl Far From Home a nice warm cowl to keep her little neck warm up there in the cold north hinterlands.   The tag on it says Under the Dark Star, Exquisite Angora Rabbits, Hand-Spun Yarns, Spinning Fibers, Sally Campbell, angoraspinner@gmail.com, www.underthedarkstar.net.  I might need help finding the perfect cowl pattern for this lovely stuff.

 This is lovely handspun in glorious shades of purple is 7 ounces, 343 yards of 50% shetland/50% silk fingering weight yarn.  I think it would make a lovely shawl for someone who likes glorious purples and lavenders.  I must think of someone who does.  This one's card says Lil Bit of Heaven Fibers; Roving, Yarn & Handspun; lbohfibers@yahoo.com, www.lilbitofheavenfibers.etsy.com

This last yarn is sock weight - also by Lil Bit of Heaven.  It is 412 yards, 4 ounces of "Coral Bronze" in a 50% Merino/50% tencel mix.  I don't think it is hand spun, but I fell in love with both the color and the sparkle.  I don't think I adequately captured it in either photo, but you can see a bit of it in the second one.  It is for me, but I don't think it's going to be socks cuz I never wear any of the socks I knit.  I think it is going to be a shawlette or a scarf.  Not sure - need help finding the perfect pattern for it.

And naturally, I had help while trying to take pictures.  My faithful helpers are always with me, where ever I go and what ever I do during the day.  You can see they both managed to pick up more than a bit of pine straw and leaf debris in their fur.  They helped me by bringing that in the house and depositing it on the clean kitchen floor.

The fierce tiger found a lovely hiding place in the jungle and protected me from all the dangerous creatures lurking about in the yard and gardens.  She was most helpful!

And last, but not least, this is the front and back of the free tshirt I get for helping with the Latin thing at the school tomorrow.  I will try to take a few pics during the day, but no promises!