Coming Soon - Macaron Day!

Just a tiny teaser, some are calling it a harbinger of Spring -- Macaron Day 2012 -- March 20!

Hee hee, I think I shall call the little flying macaron "robin" in honor of another harbinger of Spring.

MacTweets is ramping up for a full-on celebration challenge:  Mademoiselle Macaron

Last year I missed it, so this year I propose Tuesday, March 20, a special Tatting Tea Tuesday event in honor of Macaron Day.

Celebrating the arrival of Spring by settling in with your favorite cuppa and a tasty macaron sounds like a lovely way to ring in Spring, n'est-ce pas?

Some fun macaron links:
How About Orange:  DIY macaron coin purse
Daily Craft: Easter Macarons

And because I am still sad, missing Gina, the Tatting Goddess, here is a macaron in honor of her Gingerbread Man:  Gingerbread Man Macarons

So mark your calendars and spread the word. Let's make March 20 a special day!

Guiness World Record Update & Supple Knees?

The Palmetto Tatting Guild has posted the results of their Tatting World Record attempt from September 2011:

UPDATE from Tat Days 2011, February 23, 2012: THANK YOU to everyone that participated in our attempt in Septebmer to set a world record of the most folks tatting at one time. We have heard back from Guinness and they said we needed more than 250 tatters to break the record. We had around 120 when counting those at Tat Days and those around the world that joined us. We may try again one day. Again, THANK YOU to ALL that joined us!

And a phrase from the quote at the end of Wanda's blog post, Gifts, piqued my interest.  

"Youth is not a time of life: it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it it a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life."
~ Samuel Ullman

The poetic quality of "supple knees" is a point to ponder. I freely concede the state of mind, rosy cheeks and red lips. But supple knees? I never had supple knees. (Maybe as a swaddling baby?)

Isn't it funny what we think about as we tat?

I never miss Wanda's lovely posts. They are always clever, honest and never fail to satisfy. Her knack for finding quotes to fit her posts is as remarkable as her tatting.

So for the rest of my tatting time today I will ponder supple knees, will, the quality of imagination, vigorous emotion and the freshness of spring.  Especially "the deep springs of life."

Keep up the great work, Wanda!

Downton the Dumps

Happy Tatting Tea Tuesday!  Lingering thoughts of the season 2 finale of Downton Abbey ran roughshod over today's tea-time tatting post. Please pardon the change.

The title of today's post reflects my mood regarding the hiatus.

Seriously, how are we to muddle through until Season 3 starts in (cross your fingers) September?

One way, could be to act out our favorite scenes using Kyle Hilton's Downton Abbey Paper Dolls (You bet your sweet bippy I'll be doing this.) Dowager Countess doll here I come.

Or, one can always win a trip to Highclere & Leeds Castles to live your own Downton experience: Win a Trip to Briton

Fans can (and should) seek out blogs dedicated to Downton Abbey:
Downton Abbey Cooks

Or play dress-up! Haven't we seen a tatted choker closely resembling the one pictured here?
Downton Abbey - Madame Guillotine
Hand-Me-Downtons: Why those costumes weren't quite as lavish as they looked onscreen

Not everyone adores DA as much as I. The New York Times Art Beat has this report in its "Culture at Large" section:  Another British Critic Torches ‘Downton Abbey’

But to those who see Downton Abbey as a “steaming, silvered tureen of snobbery,” I say, "Pass me a third helping, if you please."