The last few weeks have seen several losses of family or friends, though none close to me. Our pastor lost his father and my mother lost a close friend, both to illness. For such occasions, I give cross bookmarks with sympathy cards. I found that I am out of any bookmarks and in need of making more.
Cross bookmark for our pastor
I chose Lizbeth thread ‘Caribbean’ in size 20 to make the bookmark I’m giving to our pastor. It’s a beautiful color that doesn’t seem too bright to give for a solemn occasion. I used my Graduation Bookmark pattern, which is based on a traditional cross pattern. I haven’t made one for my mom yet, but that’s next.
As the name implies, I also use this pattern for graduations. I have a couple of those coming up, so I need to make several more. Let’s see if I make them in this pattern or something else.
I’ve been tatting more than this, just nothing quite ready to show yet. I did take some pictures the other morning when we had a bit of fog.
Fog at sunriseTractor in fog
Sometimes there are beautiful views in places we see every day.
I’ve kept working on the green doily from several weeks ago. I am particularly delighted with this doily. I think I’m done but I may yet do another round. Right now, it is six inches across. I am, slowly, working on the pattern for this. I’ve named it “Shae”, meaning good, favorable. An Irish name, as I made it in March, and one I can pronounce!
Shae doily
I’ve been thinking about how to use tatting in different ways. In October, I put a tatted sunflower on a bottle by hanging it on a thread around the bottleneck. Not bad, but more could be done. I took this idea a bit further, putting a few more decorations with the tatting.
Sunflower bottle
This was something of a fortuitous accident, as I had added the leaves to the sunflower and held it up to the bottle for placement – and I got it too close. At that point, the sunflower was where it was going to be. Good thing I like it there. I also added lights to the bottle.
Sunflower bottle with lights
The pictures don’t do the bottle justice. I took it as a prize to a bingo game on St. Patrick’s day. It was very well received. I see more decorated bottles in my future, probably with more tatting on them.
Now I need to work a bit on Easter tatting, or maybe things for spring.
“A book is simply the container of an idea like a bottle; what is inside the book is what matters.”Angela Carter
I almost forgot to get a picture of these. I worked until the last minute to finish all of them (because I decided to do this the morning of the meeting) and left the house on the way to the meeting without taking a picture. I had to stop at my daughter’s house on the way and remembered at the last minute! All the ladies at the meeting were happy to get them.
I had wondered if I would finish the clovers off on paperclips, but I like how they turned out.
Are you wearing green today? Orange? Or the white for peace?
“May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.”
It’s March, that time of year I see hints of spring and green things. It makes me think of Leprechauns and clovers. I’ve had shades of green on my shuttles for several weeks now, making clovers.
Playing with clovers
I’ve been having fun making these clovers. I haven’t quite decided what I’m going to do with them, which is why they still have their tails. I might need them to sew them down to something.
Clovers on paperclips
I put some clovers on paperclips. I think I like them like this, but I’m not sure enough to cut off their tails.
A field of clovers
I’ve made clovers in several shades of green. I think they look good in both, though I’m partial to the brighter shade.
Clover lapel pin
I even made a clover lapel pin using a large, springless safety pin. I received some very nice compliments on it at church Sunday. I’m very happy with how it turned out.
Clover colors
The clovers are all in Lizbeth thread: the lapel pin in size 3 #684, Leaf Green Med; the paper clips in size 20 # 676, Leaf Green Dk; and the loose clovers in size 20 #713, Kelly Green.
I made a few clovers a couple of years ago from the same pattern, including a pair of earrings. Maybe I need another pair in a different shade of green. Here’s my pattern for them if you are interested. They don’t take long to make.
Simple clover pattern
Having green on my shuttles for clovers and bookmarks was one of the reasons the doily I’ve been playing with was in green. I like how it looks without the button in the center.
Two green doilies
The centers definitely change the look of the doily. I also changed the outside round stitch count to have it lay flatter. I’m liking this doily!
“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few.” Emily Dickinson
There have been sad news for tatters several times this year already.
First, Rebecca Jones, the author of The Complete Book of Tatting, has died. This book was one of my first tatting books. It has so many wonderful ideas for tatting though it doesn’t really have a lot of patterns in it. I referred to it frequently for many years and still do on occasion. I recommend it to new tatters. Rebecca had wonderful insights into tatting and shared them in an engaging way. It was very disheartening to hear of her passing.
Then I learned that @torontofox passed away in February. I followed Fox on her tatting blog for a long time. When she tried Zentangle, I followed that, too. More recently she was sharing her cross-stitching on Instagram. I don’t do cross-stitch, but I followed her on that, as well. Over the years, she would leave me wonderful comments here on my blog, full of encouragement and humor. She will be greatly missed.
Recently, I have been looking around for ideas of where to use tatting. A lot of people don’t use or like doilies, they read on electronic devices so don’t use bookmarks, and some don’t have much use for snowflakes or other such things, so not ideal people to gift tatting to. I’ve found there are a lot of videos on Youtube for junk journals, showing ways that use small laces and papers to decorate journals. I have always loved paper things as they use for these journals, and think this would be a fun way to use up some of my bits and pieces, ones that are finished and those that might have a mistake or two.
Flea market find for a junk journal
While watching one the other day, the video creator was showing items that she found that are inexpensive that can be used in these journals. I was a bit dismayed by her flea market find of a small tatted doily. It saddened me to think she would cut it up to use in a journal. She did say that she probably wouldn’t cut this one up but possibly use it whole on the outside of a journal, which cheered me up a little. I have a lot of things I’ve tatted laying around or hidden in drawers, some finished, some not. I tat because I love to tat, not because I necessarily have a plan for each piece. It is a depressing thought that one day some of them could be in a flea market somewhere, waiting to be picked up for a few cents. Which is probably better than being thrown away… Or maybe a small piece picked up by someone who has never seen it before and will be inspired to try it, a happier thought. But I will continue tatting, finding joy in the making. Tatting is my happy place.
My something green from the previous post has grown. It is still not a bookmark but a small doily.
Something green has grown
I do not like the button in the middle for a doily, so I have started it again without one. That does change the look, but I am tickled by the look of it. I’m liking where it is going.
Now, I’m going back to my happy place. Where’s yours?
