I wear my blue pendant so frequently that I thought I would make one for myself and my mom using the thread kit that I bought from Lacy Susan at the IOLI convention.  This one is going to get a lot of wear also because I seem to have a lot of browns and greens in my wardrobe this year!

I finally finished my Schneeberger lace bookmark that I traveled to Moline to take the class in August.  It was good practice for me since I haven’t done any Schneeberger in about 10 years!  There were LOTS of sewings in this project and I don’t think I would recommend it for a beginner. 

So, now I’m ready to start some of the bells from the Brigitte Bellon book that I bought this summer at convention.  I have the bobbins wound and the pricking ready to go; BUT I have two projects that must be finished first because they have a deadline.  I hope to finish one of those things tonight and maybe I’ll start the bell tomorrow?  That is, if I don’t get sidetracked by knitting…

On the knitting needles I have a pair of socks for me and a vest for me.  I’m a very selfish knitter right now.  But that’s only because I’ve finished one Christmas present already and am waiting for the yarn and needles to arrive so I can start more presents.  I feel pretty confident about my ability to complete the items on my list except that OMG it’s October already!  And nearly halfway into October!  That’s okay, I know I can start one more project this weekend and get it done then I’m 2/7 of the way through my list…

Just something I’ve been carrying around and working on during ball games, waiting in the car, etc.

It’s not my design; and I couldn’t find the pattern in my file so I had to copy it off an existing bookmark I made many years ago. It’s one of my favorites.

Yes, it’s that time of the year when I do lots of knitting that I cannot post about because one of my few readers might be a family member and that would spoil the surprise of their holiday gift.  Darn!  Maybe I ought to start something else just to have a public project?

Last weekend I was invited to attend a workshop held in Moline, Illinois with a group of local lacemakers and members of the Doris Southard Lace Guild from Iowa.  I’ve done some Schneeberger before; I took a class with Lia Baumeister-Jonker at my very first IOLI convention in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1996.  At this year’s convention I bought a lovely book by Brigitte Bellon and I knew I needed to brush up on my technique before starting some of the great pieces in this book.

Jacquie was the host and we set up our pillows and stands in her living room.  We had some show and tell before lunch and then started the bookmark piece after lunch. 

I got almost halfway through the piece in the afternoon and have worked on it some more since I got home.  I would like to finish it before going to make lace in Dubuque next Monday.

Isn’t the wood in my pin pot gorgeous?  John Aebi does such a wonderful job with wood.  It was one of my purchases at convention.

The kind that move a breeze, that is!  I am a sucker for fan patterns and am likely to buy them whenever I see one.  Once upon a time I tatted a mini fan in a variegated black and grey thread.  This was before I learned how to hide the ends while I’m tatting, so this little piece is absolutely hidden beneath all the thread ends that need to be darned in.  Needless to say that thing is lying in a drawer!  Also, the best advice I ever received was to buy the fansticks first and make sure the pattern you choose fits the sticks instead of spending HOURS making the lace and not finding sticks to fit it.  I had started the ’s Gravenmoerse fan pattern that I bought last summer, but I was unhappy with the start and decided to cut it off and start over. 

In the display room of the IOLI convention, there were many beautiful fans to look at.

At the IOLI convention we saw a fantastic display of sculptural pieces made in copper by a lady named Lieve Jurger.  She was born and raised in Belgium and learned lacemaking there.  The large lace cube is featured in some of her other artwork in the book The Winged Tiger and the Lace Princess.  http://www.wingedtiger.com

Here is the cube.  I think each side was at least 18 inches squared.  In the background you can also see a collar she designed and made.

Sorry for the size of the photos, but the piece is so impressive I wanted you to see it close up.  She is also working on a life-size carriage.  Only part of it is done; for scale know that each window is 20″ wide!

Absolutely awesome pieces!

I just returned yesterday from the IOLI (International Old Lacers Inc.) convention held in Los Angeles.  It was a week of making lace, learning techniques, looking at lace displays, visiting with friends from all over that we only meet at convention, and buying lacemaking supplies from the excellent vendors.  I’m exhausted!

I took a 12-hour class in ’s Gravenmoerse lace with Susan Wenzel.  I would have gladly taken the class all day if it had been offered, but I still managed to get a lot done in the afternoons on my own.  I completed the pendant and bracelet this week.  The bracelet was still on my pillow when I came home, but I proudly wore it today.

I also took two bead knitting classes with Kathy Kirchner, but both those projects are only at the halfway stage, so I’ll post photos of them when they are done.

I felt like all of the month of June was spent looking forward to the last full week of the month when I had a week of vacation.  Of course we went camping!  It was the hottest week of the month and while I don’t usually do too well in heat I wanted it hot so we could go swimming.  Boy did we!  Some days we went 3 times!  Of course I did a little of this:

Ian and his cousin Thomas did their things:

And I finished the socks by the end of the week.  I had to…I had the next pattern picked out already.

Now, who should I give these to?  I was thinking of my sister, but not sure if the colors are a little too loud for her.  They do fit me, so if she’s not interested they won’t go to waste…

We recently had the warmest day of the year so far so I took my bobbin lace pillow out to the porch and enjoyed the sunshine.

I finished the bookmark over the weekend while camping and already have another one started so I can build up my stash.

The pattern is by Lacy Susan and the thread is size 70 Venne Colcotton with a Gold Rush gimp.  It’s a pretty mossy green.