We made it back from a wonderful vacation at Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We explored the area a bit, saw the town of Pagosa Springs, and just kicked back and relaxed. We stayed at Club Wyndom Pagosa while we were there, in a house right on the water.
This is the view from the back yard of the house we stayed in. I took a picture of the sunset every day I was there, it was just so beautiful. It was pretty nice during the day as well.
This was the view one morning. We saw balloons almost every day, many of them doing a splash and dash on the lake. Most days were clear and calm, with this being the only morning that was cloudy.
This was also common view from our balcony.
The San Juan River runs through Pagosa Springs, with some of the hot springs flowing right into it. Some of these hot springs can be accessed free when walking along the river. This is the river about 7:30 AM as we drove through town, the steam natural hot water where it runs into the river.
There are a lot of spas in Pagosa Springs where you have to pay to enjoy the hot springs, with a large variety of accommodations - and prices. We went to Overlook Mineral Springs Spa, which is in a building built in 1908. By not being on the water's edge, they were more affordable than some. They have tubs on the roof, where you can soak, enjoy the sun, and overlook the San Juan River. We had a lovely time, though I had to buy a sun hat. The one I brought was left at the house...
The tatting I took with me turned out to be just too complicated to work on while on vacation. I was too distracted by talk and scenery to get anything done. Even making this much could get me in trouble by forgetting the stitch count or where I should join.
I also goofed when I packed. I knew I would run out of thread, so I brought the ball so I could add more. Or so I thought.
Not quite. I couldn't even use it to make a two-tone piece. Ugh! That is the main reason I switched to purple thread and made earrings!
Since we've been home, I've had a molar tooth extracted and the funeral of a close relative. Not a good week to get much done. I'm finally feeling well enough to concentrate on tatting, so I think I'll be doing more soon. I have a list.
I love travel, I love coming home, and I love the memories and pictures I acquire on the way.
How about you? Do you like to travel?
"Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs." Susan Sontag
I have heard of Camp Wanna Tat for years, but due to working
full time, I never had the opportunity to even think about going. It is
currently held at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp close to Kalispell, Montana,
which is a long way north for me. This year I got to go!
My wonderful husband thought a trip to Montana would be fun.
I asked my sister, Elaine, if she would like to go, and she said yes. So we
packed the car and took off for a two-week vacation that included Camp Wanna
Tat.
We had a marvelous time at Camp! The facility was wonderful,
and the company was amazing. It had an easy-going atmosphere where learning and
sharing tatting was entertaining and educational.
The
dining hall at FLBC
The views from the camp are spectacular!
View
of the lake
We had the camp almost all to ourselves for a while. The
other camp visitors for the first couple of days were pretty quiet and kept to
themselves.
Quiet
neighbors
All of the attendees of CWT had the same class at the same
time, all in one room. There were four classes, one each morning and one each
afternoon. I loved them! The second class was Mad Zar Jwl’s Mini Pine Cone,
taught by Deb Johnson, with permission of the author. It is challenging, but
fun.
Mini
Pine Cone by Mad Zar Jwl
I actually finished my pine cone during the class. On the
way back to my cabin I picked up a real pine cone of similar size to compare.
Mini
Pine Cone with a real cone
Mini
Pine Cone with a Clover shuttle
This is the only project I finished while in class. I’m
looking forward to finishing the other three.
We had a fantastic vacation. I’m sure I’ll share a few
pictures later on.
I’m in the process of making a few changes to the blog. When
I started the Word Press blog I was working, and didn’t have a problem paying
for it. Now that I’m retired, I don’t have that disposable income, and the blog
does not bring in any money. I have to do something different. Time will tell
what that may be. I’ll keep you posted.
“You know more of a road by having traveled it than by
all the conjectures and descriptions in the world.” William
Hazlitt
I’ve done it again, haven’t I? It’s been several weeks since I last posted. It’s not that I don’t have things to post about, it’s just getting time and pictures to do it.
I’ll start with the Luther’s Rose pattern I promised. Do you know how much harder it is to diagram and write out a pattern than it is to just tat it? I’ve been working on it and it seems to keep getting longer and longer. I even took my computer with me on a trip just so I could work on this pattern. And it still isn’t done! It didn’t help that I had a bad attack of allergies while we were gone, making it hard to concentrate. Now that we are home again I’ve made a lot of progress but still have a bit to go. And I have not reviewed it to find mistakes! I have the cross, the heart, and the white rose parts diagrammed and, I think, tat-able. If anyone would like to get started on it to have it done by Reformation, and don’t mind taking a chance on the pattern, email me. (wandasknottythoughts (at) gmail.com) Update 10/24/2024: pattern can be found on the My Patters page.
We’ve been traveling quite a bit lately. My last post was right after we got back from Branson, Missouri. A week after we got home from there we went to Colorado to visit our daughter and take her dog back. They moved at the start of September and it was easier for us to keep her dog until they got into their house. After a month we took the dog to their new home and stayed a week with them. This is where I had the allergy attack. I am allergic to their male cat. I don’t have much trouble unless I pet him and then don’t wash my hands right away. The good news is that I had time to tat in the car on the drive, which is about nine hours each way, as well as the trip to and from Branson.
Bookmarks
My other daughter, who still lives close by, requested more bookmarks. These paperclip bookmarks are easy to do while riding in the car. I don’t have to try and keep track of where I am in a pattern, which is great. My daughter still wants more, but this was a great start.
I also started on snowflakes for Christmas while we were traveling. I’m not fond of tatting with white while not at home due to the chances of it getting dirty, but I did it anyway. I have plans for small snowflakes this year and need quite a few. I wasn’t following any patterns, just making easy ones.
On a more serious note, have you read Jane Eborall’s post of October 14, 2024, on her ‘Tatting and Not a Lot Else’ blog? She found several “tatting” books that are awful. I’ve been hearing about a lot of fakes out there that are possibly made with AI or people stealing other’s work. I highly recommend that you use caution when buying any new craft books of any kind.
Besides hoping to get the pattern finished, I hope to have pictures of some of the other tatting that I’ve been doing ready soon. And to post faster!
I’m still on a bookmark kick. They are quick and easy to make and are great to have on hand for a last-minute gift. And a not-so-last-minute gift.
More paperclip bookmarks
These bookmarks are also great to do while traveling. Since I have no set pattern for any of these it’s easy to do in the car or a hotel room. And we happened to take an impromptu trip last week to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sunday, on the way home from church, my husband asked if I wanted to go. We left early Monday morning for a week in New Mexico.
We didn’t have any plans of things to do while in Santa Fe, but we found plenty to do, a couple of hikes, and several wonderful places for food and beverages.
La Cieneguilla petroglyphs
Not too far outside of Santa Fe are the La Cieneguilla petroglyphs. It is a short hike, about a half mile, but some of it’s uphill over rocks. We hadn’t thought to bring our hiking boots, so we wore our tennis shoes. We made it, but next time…! It was worth the climb. I understand there are many more petroglyphs than what we saw, but we saw enough to appreciate them.
View on the road up to Ski Santa Fe
We did take a much easier trip up to Ski Santa Fe ski area. No hiking is required, it’s just a beautiful drive with a few lovely views.
A few places where we ate in Santa Fe were Herve’s Wine Bar for lunch and a cocktail, Rowley’s Farmhouse Ales for lunch and beverages, and The Flying Tortilla for several meals. The Flying Tortilla is close to the hotel we stayed at and we took advantage of their good food several times. All three of these restaurants have patios that allow dogs, which is great as we took our dog with us.
I do not get any compensation for mentioning any of these establishments.
Tsankawi Prehistorial site
We also hiked the Tsankawi Loop, which was probably not very smart. It’s 1.5 miles long with ladders. We went at 8:30 a.m. when it opened but it still got hot. We took plenty of water, but we aren’t in as good of shape as we should be for this. We made it, but we were feeling it before we finished. Our dog did great, even going up ladders, but going down was another matter altogether. My husband carried her down the one we didn’t go around. This is an amazing hike, but I’d not take her if we do something like this again. And be in better shape! We didn’t do much the rest of the day.
Wheat harvest started while we were gone. I’m somewhat disappointed that I missed them cutting the field in front of our house. Around the area we live wheat is a major part of most of the farms. Harvest means a lot of slow-moving vehicles as farmers move from one field to another, lots of trucks hauling wheat to the elevators, and lots of dust in the air. It’s good that it only lasts about three weeks.
Now that I’m home I’m gearing up for Tatting Corner’s Tat Days in July. Another trip, this one planned, that I’m looking forward to.
“Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs.” Susan Sontag
Is it Friday already? The week has gone by so fast! It has been an extremely busy week. Last weekend we took a trip to Missouris and I feel we’ve been running ever since.
My husband and I traveled to Springfield, Missouri last weekend to meet up with a few tatting friends. Kristina Fry arranged for a room at The Library Center where we could tat and catch up. It was a great location for us to spread out, share what we’ve been doing, and do a bit of tatting together.
Tatting with Kristina, Kay, and Peggy
Kristina Fry, Kay Pettyjohn, Peggy Rogan, and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of tatting. We all met at tatting events put on by Tatting Corner and went on the Tatting Cruise last year. Our time together went by so fast! My husband left us to our threads to go to Bass Pro Shop, where he enjoyed himself much more than if he had stayed with us.
Tatting and chatting
Thanks to Kristina for taking a few other pictures than the one I took. I was so busy doing I didn’t even think about pictures.
Ladies, I’ll see you in Anderson, Indiana in July for the next Tat Days.
From Springfield, Jack and I went on to Branson, Missouri. The only plan we had there was to see the Titanic museum. We’d seen the outside before but had never gone through it. It is amazing!
Titanic Museum, Branson, MO
It takes about two hours to go through and you must purchase tickets before showing up. There is limited space inside so they restrict how many people can be inside at one time. We spent a bit over two hours inside, there was so much to see and hear. It is self-guided, but they give you a device with audio descriptions. I highly recommend this place!
Presidential suite on the Titanic
This is a recreation of one of the largest accommodations on the Titanic, one of the two presidential cabins. The portrait is of the couple who were in this one on the fateful voyage.
All of the people working in the museum dressed as they would have if they were actual crew members.
Musicians of the Titanic
This gentleman’s name is Tommy, who explained how the musicians from the Titanic were paid and lived, and then sat down at the beautiful piano and played for those of us in the room.
If you’ve never been to Branson, MO. before, it has lots of things to do and see. Just driving around is fun (at least for us!). Here is a couple of pictures I took (of the many I took).
Wax Museum of Branson, MO
This is the outside of the Wax Museum at night. King Kong can be seen from a long distance, especially at night.
Aquarium in Branson, MO
The outside of the Branson Aquarium. The water is a show all by itself. We stopped in the parking lot to watch it.
There are a lot of shows in Branson and many choices for places to eat. If you don’t mind the crowds, it can be a lot of fun. It’s a fun place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” Martin Buber
I have no affiliation with anyone linked in this post and earn nothing for mentioning them.
During Tat Days, Lisa Adams, of Tatting Corner, has an auction to raise money for a good cause. This year the auction was for The Animal Protection League. Representatives from the League were there to explain their mission, which is a beautiful cause. The auction raised $3,695! The auction consists of tatting-related items, including books, threads, and shuttles, among other things. It was fun to watch all the action at the auction as tatters bid on the different items. My husband and I contributed by having the winning bids on a few shuttles.
Pawel Pekalski shuttle
This is a stainless steel shuttle from PekaloDesign. I haven’t tried tatting with it yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I hear they are wonderful to tat with.
Etched bone shuttle
How about the etching on this shuttle? It feels nice, too. There were two like this, and I was lucky enough to get one.
Brass shuttle
This brass shuttle is a type I’ve never had before. It’s numbered and dated which must mean it is a limited edition. I’m looking forward to seeing how this one feels to tat with.
While I was attending the tatting classes, my husband was finding other things to do. On Friday he went to several antique stores and flea markets. He surprised me with another shuttle.
Celluloid antique shuttle
My husband has been around my and my shuttles enough to know what to look for in a shuttle. This one is a bit misshapen from use, but the tips are tights and the point is in good shape. He didn’t spend nearly as much on this one as the other three shuttles.
Since I’ve been home I’ve been tatting a lot, but on a new pattern and not so much on the class projects. I did finally finish tatting the body for Craig’s Tatted Pocket Toddler.
Tatted Pocket Toddler body
I enjoyed tatting this. Craig put a log of work into the pattern and the directions. I’m currently working on the dress for this doll. Maybe I’ll have it done by the time I post next time.
Tat Days were only Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but my husband and I made a week of it. We left home on Sunday afternoon and went to Kentucky to see the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. We visited the Ark on the 4th, and the Creation Museum on the fifth before heading to Anderson. We have heard a lot about these and were glad we had the opportunity to visit them.
Jack and me at the Ark Encounter
The Ark is BIG. We got there just after opening and there were already a lot of people there. We had bought our tickets online, so we got on the bus at the parking lot with minimal wait to be taken to the Ark. This is a very cool place to visit if you are in the area.
At the Creation Museum
The Creation Museum is not just items under glass. There was a lot of walking here and at the Ark. We spent about five hours at each place and still didn’t see everything. Both places also have zoos, with interesting animal interactions. We didn’t personally do anything but look at the animals, but the opportunity to feed and interact with some of them was available.
The entire week was wonderful! We saw some beautiful country, visited interesting places, and had a wonderful time at Tat Days! We are both looking forward to going again next year!
I have been tatting but nothing I can share. I designed a pattern I hope will be accepted for Tatting Corner’s cruise next year. I have sent it to a couple of test tatters, two for shuttle and one who also needle tats. The shuttle tatting pattern has been approved by the testers, now I’m just waiting on the needle tatter to help me with needle notations. I can’t share this until sometime after the cruise.
Yes, I still have things to share from Tat Days. It was a busy week, from when we left home until we returned.
When we got to the Tatting Corner shop Thursday (7/7) morning my husband immediately started looking for things for me. I had to stop him as I had plans for the auction on Saturday – we couldn’t spend all of our money right away! We did keep a few things he liked and a few things I picked out.
Mahogany shuttle
This is a Mahogany shuttle that Jack liked. I’ve already been using it and it tats nicely. The clover shuttle is there for a size reference.
Celic shuttle
This is a redwood Celic shuttle. I thought at first it was a Celtic shuttle, but it’s too wide for that style. I finally looked it up online. Celic is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina according to Wikipedia, make what you will of that. Google maps show it in the northeast part of the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I take it to mean that it is from or like shuttles of that area. I haven’t tried it yet.
I picked up a couple of shuttles from nekonomekoubou. I don’t know that I’ll ever use them but I think they are so cute!
Cat shuttleBird shuttle
Aren’t they gorgeous? My granddaughter loves the cat one. The clover shuttle is there for size comparison. I’m afraid to use them yet, afraid I’d drop them! For now, I’ll just admire them.
On our way to Indiana, we stopped for the night in Hannibal, Missouri, which is the boyhood home of Mark Twain. The area we were in looked intriguing but it was so hot we didn’t feel like getting out to look around. We went to the Riverside Inn where we had a room for the night and didn’t go out again. Our rooms had a view of the Mississippi River and a Mexican restaurant down the stairs and through a door. That was the extent of our exploring that evening. The next morning we did drive through the area but it was too early for most things to be open.
The lighthouse in Hannibal
We had planned to meet with Diane, the Lace-lovin’ Librarian, and her husband for lunch on Wednesday but they had problems with their water well and couldn’t make it. It was disappointing but completely understandable. Instead, we stopped in Springfield, Illinois to see the area where Abraham Lincoln lived just before they went to Washington, DC. Neither Jack nor I had ever been there. We only spent a couple of hours there but it was interesting.
Abe’s house
Lincoln’s house was the only building you had to have a ticket for and go on a guided tour of. The timing wasn’t right for that so we only saw the outside of it, plus the neighborhood. If we get back in Springfield we’ll try to go back again.
On the way home, we went through Vandalia, Illinois, and stopped there for a bit of lunch. We were surprised to notice they have a miniature gateway arch.
Vandalia arch
You can see that it is much smaller than the one in St. Louis, LOL.
Jack was going to turn back and get on the Interstate the same way we got off, but I saw something interesting on the map that I wanted to check out. It was easy to get to and close to the next Interstate entrance.
The Kaskaskia Dragon
The Kaskaskia dragon actually breaths fire, for a few tokens. We didn’t buy any so I didn’t see it breathe fire, but the mouth sure looked like it did.
Kaskaskia DragonVandalia knight
The knight looks like he’s gotten the rough end of the deal.
I don’t recall seeing the sign, but I understand this tourist attraction is to draw people to the Kiskiskia Dragon RV park. I’m not advertising for them, we just enjoyed the dragon.
I’m hoping to have some tatting done by next week that I can share. I still have things to share from Tat Days, like the items I bought at the auction. Let’s see if I can post by next Monday!
“Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs.” Susan Sontag
We went on our yearly vacation last week. After days of getting things unpacked, laundry done (mostly), and the yard mowed, I can finally start going through all the pictures I took, some of which you’ll find in this post. I only got a small amount of tatting done while we were gone, and nothing at all completely finished.
I take a lot of pictures, hoping that a few will come out without blurring, missing the subject altogether, and be worth keeping. I love digital pictures! Remember when you had to buy film, take pictures that you have no idea if they are what you want, and pay to get them developed to see even if they were bad? Yeah, I like digital pictures. But now I take so many it takes a while to go through and I rarely get any printed, good or not. There are always upsides and downsides to everything, aren’t there? There is a lot of pictures included in this post.
We went west again, to Idaho this time but we did make a stop at a place I’ve wanted to go to for years, coming close but never getting there, Devil’s Tower, Wyoming. Some of you may remember it from the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It’s very impressive. This picture doesn’t do it justice.
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming
While in the car headed to our destination I thought I’d empty the shuttles of the Harvest Orange Medium thread I had left from the August Split Ring Cross I had made with it. I liked where this was going until I made a core thread join and split the thread. I could not get the join undone! I might try to save it later, but it was impossible in the car.
Tangled thread while emptying shuttles
Before leaving the house I grabbed a couple of balls of thread to take with me. As usual, I didn’t really have a plan on what to tat while on vacation so I just take several colors of thread and hope for the best. Why I grabbed Lizbeth #674 Garnet Dark in size 20 I don’t know. I like the color but it is very dark which makes it hard to see in uncertain lighting. But after emptying the shuttles of the Harvest Orange, I wrapped them in the Garnet and started tatting. I think this is partially why I didn’t finish anything.
I started this next with a vague idea of what I wanted to do. There were too many distractions and I only got this far. Another idea I might come back to at another time.
An idea in Garnet Dk
One of the distractions was Yellowstone National Park. It is a huge park, with many features to see as well as wildlife. We stopped to see Old Faithful, the famous geyser that erupts at somewhat regular intervals. Recently it erupts every hour to an hour and a half for two to five minutes while everyone just sits around and waits for it. We watched it twice the day we were there, and some of that waiting time was a good time to tat.
Waiting on Old Faithful
Old Faithful
Me tatting at Old Faithful
Here’s another start that didn’t get finished. I don’t like this much, it didn’t go as planned at all. Yes, it was a vague plan, but not this. I didn’t have good backgrounds for my tatting pictures so I used postcards I picked up. This one is of a Pronghorn. We saw a lot of these on our trip this year.
Another unfinished object while on vacation
This year we stayed at a cozy cabin outside of Victor, Idaho, which is about five miles west of Wyoming and west of Grand Teton National Park. It is cheaper to stay this far away from Yellowstone, anything closer can be quite pricey, though it makes for long days in the car. For all that the cabin was in Idaho, we spent most of our time sightseeing in Wyoming.
Tatting at the cabin in Idaho
We frequently travel in autumn hoping to catch the color change of the leaves in the mountains. When we got there this year there was some color and when we left there was more. I think we hit it about the right time. We also got there just after it snowed in the mountains, in fact, we had to detour because some of the roads in Yellowstone were closed due to snow.
Idaho fall color
This was a road just outside of Victor that we checked out early one morning hoping to see some wildlife. We only saw two deer, one maybe a 6-point buck, the other a spike (only one point). It was still a nice drive.
Snow-covered mountains in Yellowstone
This is looking east over West Thumb, a part of Yellowstone Lake. The weather was warm after the snow, so these mountains probably lost most of that snow cover within a few days. It was great seeing them with this much snow.
View of the Teton Mountains, Wyoming
We took a little jaunt up to the Grand Targhee Resort, which was recommended as a pretty drive. It was. Once there we turned around and drove back down. There was a lot of color and some beautiful views.
I did get one piece of tatting done shortly after we got home. I’m not all that happy with it and it has a few mistakes (dang that dark thread!) which I’ll share next week. Now I get to go back and enjoy all the pictures a little more slowly and re-live a bit of the vacation.
“Happiness is enjoying the vacation, then enjoying them again through the pictures we take.” Wanda Salmans
