ArtBin® Giveaway Winners!

Today is the big day! And a little surprise is in store for one lucky giveaway entrant...

Congratulations to all the winners!

The random number generator chose:

#6 – Val
#27 – Tatterme

And Surprise! Because I neglected to double check that all entries had been published to the blog before running the random number generator, one more name was drawn.  *drumroll*

#23 – JB

Ladies, I have sent individual emails to each of you. If you have not already received an email from me, please send me a note at the email address listed above (in the About Me section) with your mailing address so I can send your prizes out promptly.

Thanks again to everyone who entered!

RIP Wilma Walker

I just read on Facebook (posted by Lily Qualls Morales and Bina Madden) the sad, sad news of the death of a dear lady. Wilma Walker, 81, passed away peacefully at 12:25 a.m. today.

Lily commented that Wilma fought valiantly and I couldn't imagine her any other way. She had a valiant and indominable spirit. Such a lovely person whose laughter, joys, sorrows and perspective on life were an inspiration to us all. She tats with the angels now.

Sadly, I don't have a photo of Wilma to share, but Ruth Perry (aka Rozella Linden) posted a video of her telling us all how she learned tatting. You can view it here: YouTube - Wilma3

On Ruth's blog post from January 14, 2007, she writes about a Riego Narrow Edging from the Royal Tatting Book and notes "Thanks to Wilma Walker." If you would like to see this edging pattern, it is available in the Tatting Pattern Calendar. Once there, search for "Riego Narrow Edging" and scroll down to the second post, dated January 15, 2007.

UPDATE: Ruth just sent me a link to the pattern:
Riego Narrow Edging Thank you, Ruth!

Today I shall set aside my other bits of tatting and start the Riego Narrow Edging while I remember Wilma. Sadly, I never got the chance to meet her in person. But from 2003 - 2007 so many tatters mentioned her in their writings that I began to feel as if I had met her.

If anyone has a sample of her tatting (perhaps received in an exchange) or a fond memory to share, please post it. Reading it will help celebrate her life. Rest in peace, Wilma. We will miss you.

Dog Attack Progress Report

Thank you for all your support and well-wishes regarding last week's unfortunate event. It means so much to know you all are out there offering your thoughts and prayers.

Julie, my beagle-hound mix, is on the mend. She exhibits many signs of recovery, including boisterous barking to protest her confinement. She turns up her nose at dry dog food and holds out for table scraps. She has devised two ways (so far) to remove her "comfy cone" safety collar. And she begs to go out for walks.

In short, our smart, stubborn beagle is milking the situation to every canine advantage.

Who could blame her?

I have been debating whether or not to show you a photo of Julie's injuries. It looks a bit gruesome for a "minor laceration." That said, I'm guessing that now you want to see for yourself, eh?

The poor thing! The indignity of having your backside shaved is bad enough. But the drainage tube just looks so drippy and nasty. Plus, the bite is close to her dirty areas. Not good.

The neighbors who own Sophie the Saint Bernard, (or "the BIG dog who bites," as The Sprout tells it) have given us a check for $663 to cover the initial surgery. They say they will cover any follow-up expenses. We are holding onto receipts so we only have to hit them up for one more payment.

A further sign that Julie is feeling better — yesterday she yanked out her drainage tube three hours before the scheduled appointment to extract it. That prompted an early trip to the animal hospital when it started seeping bloody fluid. (Ouch!) And today she nosed the boxes and blanket-barricades off the couch so she could jump up and get comfortable. Beagles are nothing if not resourceful.  *sigh*

All is well, except for a bit of swelling which we are treating with cold and warm compresses.  In a week her sutures will be removed and she will be free to climb stairs again.

Tatting Derailed by Dog Attack

Tatting Tea Tuesday was derailed today by a dog attack. The neighbor's Saint Bernard  (who normally is not seen outside of the backyard fence) was out jogging with one of the college-aged daughters, who was home on break, I presume.

The Sprout, two hounds and I were just finishing up our mid-morning walk -- outside our home and just walking up the driveway -- when the Saint Bernard began lunging hard on her leash and pulled her master over to our sidewalk.

It happened so fast I didn't have time to panic. I just barked out "Get back!" to The Sprout as I protected my two medium-sized, mixed breed beagles from snarling, snapping jaws. One dog came through with only minor scratches. The other needed surgery to the tune of $800.

Guardian angels were clearly watching over The Sprout. He was out of the way and very brave through the whole ordeal.

Today I had no car, so I had to ask another neighbor to drive me and the injured dog to the vet. Luckily (again -- thank you angels!) the neighbor's husband was home (had the day off) and offered to watch over The Sprout for me. The Sprout chilled out in front of cartoons and played with the neighbor girl, pretty much nonplussed.

We pick up our dog Julie after suppertime and start her at-home recovery care. We're thankful her injuries weren't more severe.

The County Animal Warden arrived in short order to the neighbor's home -- we didn't call them. The Vet did, since the dog's vaccinations were over a year out of date. The dog is currently under quarantine for rabies, and perhaps other diseases. I won't know for sure if the attacker will be spared or euthanized (euthanitised, for UK residents), unless I get a call from the Vet or the Warden or the neighbor.

But thankfully, the neighbor did offer to pay for our dog Julie's vet bill. (Let's see if he follows through once the Warden gets done with him.)

Cross your fingers that the St. Bernard owners act responsibly and make good on their offer -- i.e. reimburse us for the damages. I would hate to have to sue.

It was a big scare, but thankfully we have good relationships with our neighbors and could call on them in a time of need. The good Samaritan neighbors are getting a fresh-baked, strawberry-rhubarb pie from me as a thank you.

Tatting will resume soon. In the meantime, thank you, dear readers, for letting me unload my troubled heart while I await the release of my pet from the animal hospital. Big hugs to you!

Tatting Tea Tuesday Poll

Tatting Tea Tuesday is taking on a new dimension for me. I will be doing my tatting during the evening instead of the afternoon. Why?

Two weeks ago I stumbled upon a stitching group that meets on Tuesday nights close to my home. They are a group of crafty ladies who used to meet at a local knitting shop before the shop closed its doors.

A few of the ladies said they tried to learn tatting but were unsuccessful, so last week I spent a few hours tatting and teaching and marveling at the creative talent assembled around the craft tables.

Can you believe my Optometrist's assistant is a regular of this group? I have been seeing the same Optometrist since 1990 (wow, 20 years!) and this same woman has been his assistant. Their office is not near my home. Never in a million years would I have expected to see her in my neighborhood. Small world, eh?

This new evening tatting routine will require a shift in my regimen. The tatting will actually be done earlier in the week. Theoretically this will enable me to prepare the photos in advance. That is my goal.

Which raises the question:  when do you do your Tatting Tea Tuesday tatting?

Crazy Quilt Block Tatting

A quick update to share some of my tatting attempts to help Georgia Seitz in her 2010 Tat Days Scholarship fundraising project. Georgia has asked for help with crazy quilt block #86.

Here is a link to other crazy quilt blocks for the project: 2010 Scholarship PTG Fundraiser. At this juncture I am unsure if all of the blocks shown are unclaimed or if they are spoken for, but if you are interested in helping out I am sure Georgia will steer you in the right direction.

I have one last snippet of pumpkin on a vine edging left over from 2009's Halloween quilted ball ornament (closer look) that I think will look beautiful on block #86.

Birgit's spider should look right at home on quilt block #86. This is how far along I am in tatting the ingeniously constructed little arachnid.

With her long legs she looks a bit gothic, Tim Burton-esque? Just wait until those legs are finger-tatted.

Also in mind for the blue wavy segment of the quilt block is a baby whale from Heather, the Tarnished Tatter's book, "Afternoon Tatting." You can see a sample of the wee whale baby from Heather's Etsy page.

Cross your fingers that I will have finished the spider and started the baby whale in time for Tatting Tea Tuesday.

ArtBin® May Giveaway

Enter for a chance to win one of two ArtBin® Hook and Needle Nook storage cases. Color: Periwinkle.

Do I have your attention?

Your wonderful and helpful comments did wonders to lift my spirits last week. I also indulged in a bit of HDT shopping therapy. Unrepentant thread junkies always feel better after buying new threads!

But tatting snafu-ery continues. So for a few moments I'm sipping tea and having a rant.

The good news is that there will be a prize at the end for two lucky winners!

First, the Rant
It pains me to place an online order only to see it go through twice. What makes it worse is not finding a contact telephone number on the web site – only customer service email – and then being told via email – several days later – that "there is nothing we can do, the order has already shipped."

*Blarg and bother!* But my pain can be your gain.

ArtBin® May Giveaway

ArtBin® (tatting supplies not included)
I've put an assortment of tatting supplies in one of these storage cases to give you an idea of what it will hold (besides knitting needles and crochet hooks).

PLEASE NOTE: Twenty(20) to 25-gram spools of tatting cottons, such as Lizbeth and Altin Basik, will NOT fit in the divided compartments.

Smaller spools will fit, plus shuttles, picot gauges, crochet hooks and of course, hand-dyed thread.

Here's how to enter:

1. Comment on THIS POST to be entered for the drawing. Only one entry per person.
2. Leave me a way to contact you: email or blog link. (Entries that do not include valid contact information will be disqualified.)

Giveaway ends at midnight (EST) on Monday, May 31st. Good luck!