Bookmarks, Old and New

I opened a book the other day, one that had been sitting on a shelf for ages. Inside was found a bookmark I had made quite some time ago. I don’t know how long it has been since I tatted this, but it was time enough that the rings are facing up and the chains are facing down. I have been tatting with all elements facing up for years, so this bookmark must be 20 years old.

Old bookmark found in a book

I was reading the book to my grandchildren when we discovered the bookmark. One of the children mentioned they would like a bookmark like this. That’s all it took to twist my arm enough for me to decide to tat them one.

Blue bookmark with ribbon

I happened to have a blue thread with me, which is a favored color, though I didn’t have any ribbon. A trip to Joann’s made short work of that problem. It wasn’t much later that this bookmark was done. I realize it isn’t exactly like the old one, but close enough.

I couldn’t make one child something without making something for the other. As time was running short I made the second one a bit different from the first because it took less time to tat.

Pink bookmark

This one went much faster. The thread is also size 10 instead of size 20, which helped make it as long as the other with less work.

Both bookmarks were received with enthusiasm. Which makes grandma happy 🙂

Three bookmarks, one old, two new

I find it interesting to see how much my tatting has changed over the years, not only in techniques but the thread used. The old bookmark was made with DMC pearl cotton, a very soft thread, which was what I could find if I wanted any variety of color at the time. The new bookmarks are made in Lizbeth thread from Handy Hands, which is not nearly as soft. How many colors does HH have now? Lots!

I have two other grandchildren that haven’t yet received bookmarks. Hmm, what colors, what patterns?

“Change can be frightening, and the temptation is often to resist it. But change almost always provides opportunities – to learn new things, to rethink tired processes, and to improve the way we work.” Klause Schwab
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Not part of the plan

There I was, trying out another idea of where I wanted to go with this doily when I noticed something didn’t look quite right.  It wasn’t laying flat like it should have. What was going on?

Something’s wrong

Then I saw it! I’d skipped a chain and joined in the wrong spot!

Mistake found!

Ahhhh! Look how far I had gone before I noticed!

Bummer!

Now the question “what comes next?” is “to cut it off” or “un-tat it”? Either way, it put a damper on my enthusiasm.

After debating about it for a while (several days, in fact) I decided to undo it to keep from having more ends to hide. Great idea, but I have broken the thread several times now, so I’ll still have ends to hide.  Bummer!

Other than this, I haven’t done much tatting lately; instead, I’ve been potting flowers. I’ve done more this year that I ever have, but I have more spaces to put them since we’ve done work on the house.  I got a bit adventurous about it, too.

Tower of Flowers

I have had this rod for almost 10 years and never tried to use it. The rod is formed with legs at the bottom to fit inside the large pot at the bottom, then goes straight up to hold the other pots. I put a couple of bricks and a large rock in the big pot to weigh it down. I couldn’t find quite the right size pots for the rest, but this time I wasn’t going to let that keep me from using it!  Some of the pots are a little light on flowers, but that is easily remedied. I even painted the pots!

Nice thought, huh? It lasted about a week.

Tower of Flowers fell down

Then a cold front came through with a bit of wind. The tower was suddenly much shorter, looking more like a sad motel that has seen better days rather than a lofty, new tower. The top four pots broke. 🙁   I was able to rescue the flowers and re-pot them. They are currently perking up in their new home, a single story group home instead of high-rise apartments.

As the temperatures outside soar, I will probably be doing more tatting and less working with flowers outside. I can enjoy the view of flowers while I enjoy relaxing and tatting, maybe inside in the airconditioning, maybe outside if there is shade and a breeze.

“You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen. ” Paulo Coelho
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