After the holiday in the holiday!

Well, back in Cincinnati and life got back to normal duties helping out with the little kids that Karen 'minds' during the day (oh, the joys of an iPad with Angry Birds on!) and lifeguard duties when required.

I'm now going to tell you about a second kidnap attempt!!!  This was with Sue Anna.  YES, woweeee, I finally got to meet her and MORE.  

Remember that Gina travelled a vast distance (well, by UK standards) to meet?  Well if Sue Anna had travelled the distance that she did in the UK she'd have fallen off the edge and drowned in the sea!!!!  

Not only did she drive a humungous way but she also picked up Diane (Lace-lovin' Librarian) on the way!!!!  WHAT a treat for me - two wonderful people in one 'hit'.

Now one of the things I find so different in America is the fact that here we were - 3 tatters with no place to go to natter.  Remember that part of the USA was suffering a major heatwave and we would've melted outside.  So we went to Panera Bread which is a food outlet chain which spreads all over America (I think!!!).  There we commandeered a corner for the entire afternoon.  Here's a picture of the three of us!!!

Now, if you ever get the chance to meet these two lasses - be warned.  Be VERY warned about them.  They laugh loads and talk lots (well, I guess I do too!!!!).  Both are beyond generous which I'll show you on Monday.

We were in our wee corner of the restaurant for about six hours just talking and tatting.  WHAT a joy.

So, it's finished!

Well, here it is finished.  Did you think it was finished two days ago?  Sorry, forgot to mention that I wasn't happy with it like it was.

Well, it's not really totally finished as it still has to be mounted on fabric.  I will add a doweling rod to the top so that I can hang it up on a wall somewhere in the house.  Of course, this depends if it ever DOES get 'mounted' as it will probably (knowing me!!!) just get 'filed' in a drawer somewhere.

Statistics on this are.

Each diamond took roughly 3/4 hour to make.  

There are 354 diamonds (222 form the actual stars of which there are 37)

There are 18 triangles in the final round.

Then, of course there's the border and all in all the whole thing measures from side to side 27" and just over 31" from point to point!!!!

Quite a lot of work but something I would tackle again - or even more!!!!!


Oh, in case you didn't know - the patterns are here and here!!!

Sadly

There was one big disappointment during the trip and that was not being able to meet up with my hostess with the mostess from South Carolina.  


DJ (short for Dear Joanie) emailed me JUST before we were due to go on the 'holiday in the holiday' to say they were a 'few miles away' and could we meet up.  Unfortunately due to lifeguard duties in the yard, me not picking up the message in time and the family taking a united decision to leave for the ocean a day early this turned out to be impossible to achieve.  I was very sad about this as Joanie is such a dear friend who has given me a bed to sleep in and sustained me throughout two Palmetto Tat Days.  Which reminds me - don't forget that Tat Days registration is now open here.  Well worth a visit for fun, tatting, great company etc.

I mentioned that Joanie said they were 'not far away' and I still can't get over the size of America or the fact that people drive such HUGE distances to visit each other.

When Gina came to see me she drove nearly 180 miles and this makes me feel quite strange.  I'm going to tell you about another meeting in a few days - one which was just as extraordinary.

Oh, this picture is for Gina!!!!  Why?  Well, Buster is one of the family dogs and he totally and utterly fell in love with Gina.

Found it!!

I knew I'd taken a photo about the diamond mat in progress and how much thread I took with me - just took a while to locate it on the camera's memory cards!!!   Oh, and in my memory cards too!!!

I took four ezybobs full of thread - 2 with the lighter green and 2 with the darker one.  Here's a picture of what I had left!!!  You'll see how and why I was getting worried in the last few days of tatting the final round!!!!  There was enough light green left for perhaps another 3 diamonds!!!

So, this is the 'mat' once I'd finished that round.

Back to other things

I keep remembering bits and pieces but not in any particular order so please, please bear with me - signs of a disorganised brain.  Good news is that the jet lag has gone at last (I hope) - caught it really badly this time.  Must be a virus!!!

When I arrived in Cincinnati there was a package waiting for me from Sue Anna.  Well you know full well how that lass spoils me rotten and this was no exception at all.  

Look at what was in there this time - MORE Lizbeth, MORE Yarnplayer's HDT and also my favourite ezybobs to put the HDT onto too.  

As I was well prepared for this trip I'd taken what I needed for the border of the diamond mat.  BUT as soon as I saw this choice of threads that idea went right out of the window - along with the bath water but not the baby!!!!

Why not the baby?  Didn't have one with me at the time!!!

Moving on to the next bit!

I guess you don't really want to hear about my fabulous holiday!!!  Nobody wants to hear about the July 4th celebrations (several), going blueberry picking or going to the Monster Jam and the Pit Party beforehand.  


Nobody wants to hear about the stupendous week on Hilton Head Island where the sea was as warm (if not warmer!) than a hot bath at home.  Where the sun shone every day and it was HOT, HOT, HOT.  Or about the beach which was miles and miles of glorious sand.  So, you're not going to!!!!  Well, maybe just one picture and that's it!!!  A picture of the small wooden bridge over the dunes to the beach which was 200 yards from the house we were staying in.  It was taken as the sun set.

What you really want to know about (I think) is what I was making and doing while I was there!!!  I can't sit and do nothing so there's no point in trying!!!  


I made progress on the diamond mat!!!  Here's the first picture!!!  I think I'd just started on this final round when I left you.  I took the two 'greens' to the USA with me with sufficient (so I thought!) wound off the large balls onto ezybobs.  I worked out that there was enough on each full shuttle bobbin to make four diamonds and the rest was 'guess work'!!!!  This is a picture taken on the 'holiday in the holiday' and  you can see (just) that I'm almost there!!!!  I'll tell you more in a few days!