Easter's gone...now it's time to pack!

In just a few short days I'll be heading down south to the balmy Finger Lakes region for the Hector Tatting Seminar. I've got my shuttles ready and my fingers limber for a weekend of tatting! Of course, on the way I've got to do a little shopping and there's a boarder to cross so it may take more than the regular 4 hours to drive.

I have to stop at Bath and Body works to pick up some pretty smelling soap and of course I can't drive past the Waterloo Outlet Mall without a peek! Taxes are due shortly so I'm on a strict budget so it'll be a quick look. There's a winery next door to the fire station (where the classes are held) and some time over the weekend I need to go next door. I think a bottle of wine would be nice to sip over the weekend.

However, I have a strict list of things I need to buy once the seminar starts. (need is such a relative term) There's a few patterns I'm looking for. I really enjoyed making Karey's dragon last year so I've got her book Here-be-Dragons on my list. I'm also looking for Martha Ess's new book Tea is for Tatting and a few others. I regretted not buying her books last year.

I must eat shuttles in my sleep because I can never find any empty shuttles but I keep buying them. I'm damn sure that there are 30 shuttles either somewhere in my house or my intestines! So clover shuttles are on the list.

There's always a few goodies to be found in the grab bag and I'm looking forward to seeing what the Hector crew have up their sleeves. We got surgical clamps last year in the grab bag. It was something I had never used before and it took me awhile to start but once I did I loved it. Its handy when the ball thread is running out to hold the thread tight. Its definitely a tool that I'm happy to have in my tatting kit.

Last year I made the mistake of driving down early Saturday morning. That meant I was up at 4 am. I'm definitely not an early morning person so by the time I arrived I was ready for a nap. Sue Hanson showed me a quicker method of pearl tatting and I thought I understood but now I don't...too tired to even realise what she was showing me. No more early morning drives. This year I'm leaving Friday morning so I can take my time, make a few stops and arrive in plenty of time.

If you are coming, I'm the wide awake and alert red head (other than Karey, she has red hair too), please come and say Hi!