Split RIng Cross Modifications and Mistakes

 I usually keep a few tatted crosses on hand for different occasions, like weddings, graduations, and funerals but my stash is low. About the time I was debating what crosses to tat I learned of the death of one of the members of our church. I had to quit procrastinating and make one. I decided to do my Split Ring Cross, but with a few modifications. 

Split Ring Cross

I changed the stitch and picot count on all the arms, lengthening them a bit. On this one I left off the long picot at the top and bottom to add the tassel to the rings instead of the picots. I like the overall look more than on the original pattern. 

This is actually the second cross I made. I made a bit of an oops on the first one. 

First cross

This cross is mostly the original pattern, except the long arm has one section with more picots. But it also has a mistake at the bottom, one of the rings is too small. It may or may not be all that noticeable, but I see it. This cross will be used in my Bible, but I won't be giving it away.

When I started on the second cross I had already decided that I'd lengthen the arms with a few more picots. I like the dimensions better.

Both crosses

Which one do you like better?

I'm not sure how I like it with the tassels added to the top and bottom rings without use of the picots. If I do it that way, I may have to make that ring bigger. Maybe.

Split Ring Cross finished

I give crosses to families that have lost loved ones as a way to acknowledge their grief and show my sympathy in times when I rarely have the right words. I pray that in some small way it helps them remember their loved one. 

 

I still need to make a few more crosses to have on hand. It is getting close to graduation time, though I'm not sure I know anyone graduating this year. Better to be safe than sorry. The crosses might not be this pattern, I haven't decided yet. 

I wasn't going to tat around any eggs for Easter this year, but that may change. I've been presented with a new challenge. We'll see how it goes.

"There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief." 

Aeschylus 

Sympathy Tatting

Since the last time I posted, we have had two deaths in the family. Neither was unexpected, but it still means many things have to be done in a short amount of time including the viewings, the funerals, the dinners, and the family visits. In one case there was taking care of bills and property and other associated issues after. Sad times with a lot of family get-togethers with many happy memories shared.

During all this, I have done quite a bit of tatting but without a lot of computer time to share them. Things may be slowing down a bit, finally, with other, more normal, happenings to take up my time now. Grandkid sports for one thing – or two, or three. I’ve been able to get tatting done but again, not a lot of computer time.

Something I’ve been making a lot of lately is my newest cross. I call it March SR Cross because I’m so ‘good’ at coming up with cool and memorable names for my tatting.

March SR Cross

Those of you familiar with my August SR Cross may notice some similarities with this one. The March one is based on the August SR cross but the center is different. The center on this one is layered over the main body, which is pretty, though I don’t know that I’d want to keep it in the center of my Bible.

I made it in several colors, mostly two shades of green, and pink and blue.

March SR Cross in green

I made them to give out in the sympathy cards, and to other family members.

March SR Cross with card

I usually add a bit of tatting to the card as well, mostly butterflies and single-ring flowers aroundd the words. This time I added a bit more.

Additions to the sympathy card

The card had plenty of open space and I had a few minutes. It’s nice that a small amount of thread can add that little bit extra to make a card personal.

I’ve been working on the pattern for the new cross in fits and starts. I think it’s about ready, I just need to tat through it to see if it works. It helps that most of it has been done already with the August cross, but that different middle is a bit tricky to re-diagram.

There are several more things I’ve been tatting that are only partially done and I have several more patterns that I’d like to write out. Plus the grandkids will be keeping me busy with sports and visits. This is the kind of busy I enjoy.

“No matter how prepared you think you are for the death of a loved one, it still comes as a shock, and it still hurts very deeply.” Billy Graham

Two Cross Bookmarks

It seems like a long time since I last posted. Oh, it has been! Every time I tried to sit down to post something more urgent or import came to my attention. If it wasn’t for the family it was for the church. There were grandchildren’s ball games to attend, their concerts to enjoy, a few birthday parties to celebrate, and several activities with the church. All of these events included some length of travel. Unfortunately for my tatting, I was driving instead of a passenger to most of these events, so very little was accomplished.

Sadly, what little tatting I have completed lately has been for funerals; one of my husband’s cousins and the father of a friend of mine passed within a week of each other. Both had been ill for some time so they weren’t surprising, but that doesn’t make them any less hard on the families.

Traditionally, I put a tatted cross bookmark in the sympathy card. I usually have several already made, kept in a drawer to be handy for such occasions. I’m sure I have a couple somewhere, but they are temporarily misplaced. Still, I needed two. One I started on the way to work and finished on the way to the funeral. The other I was actually able to sit down at home and do.

Tatted Cross Bookmark in Autumn Spice

This one was finished on the way to the funeral. The best background I had was my leg. It is in Lizbeth size 20 #136 Autumn Spice.

Tatted Cross Bookmark in Vineyard Harvest

I took the time to tat this one at home. It is in Lizbeth size 20 #131 Vineyard Harvest.

I am now trying to figure out how to I’ll find the time to tat Christmas ornaments. Every year I include them in Christmas cards for family and special friends. I haven’t even started. I haven’t even decided what I’m making yet.

Do you think I could tat them in my sleep?

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”  Norman Cousins

www.brainyquote.com

Joy's Heart Cross Bookmark

Joy's Heart Cross Bookmark © Wanda Salmans 2016

The center of this cross is Joy's Heart (pattern found on My Patterns tab) with arms added. It's done in one pass with shuttle and ball only, no fancy or difficult techniques. Made with Lizbeth #670 Victorian Red thread in size 20. 

This was made in memory of my sister-in-law who loved anything hearts who lost her battle with cancer this last week.  We were the same age and though we didn't see each other often we always enjoyed each other's company.  She will be greatly missed.

I had almost a week to make a bookmark for my brother-in-law but I had a hard time getting started - maybe denial?  I finished the last arm and hid the ends a few minutes after the funeral.  The picture was taken in the foyer on a table there.  I should have found a better background but there were other things to do.

Funerals are hard to attend but can help so much with dealing with loss.  Besides all of the memories shared you also reconnect with extended family that unfortunately doesn't get together often enough.  I also find myself reviewing my own life and wonder if I'm doing things I might regret or what things I might regret if I don't do them.

As family and friends mingled, shared memories and tears, many of us kept saying "we have to stop meeting just at funerals."  Someone decided to do something about that - plans have been started to have a family reunion later this year.  I've added it to our calendar and we've made plans to go.  We not waiting until the next funeral.

 There is a wonderful poem by Linda Ellis called "The Dash". It really makes you think.

Long time no see

Hello again! I see that it's been almost a month since I last posted. It's been almost a month since I did much browsing, too. And in all that time I've no tatting to show, either.

Last month I'd gotten in kind of a slump with my tatting but I had a plan on what I was going to do. I had a cute picture planned for International Tatting Day and Easter. And then we got the phone call that my brother-in-law was killed in a motorcycle accident. All thoughts of those plans were dropped and not really thought about for awhile.

Why is it that it takes a funeral to get families together? Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins come together to mourn the loss of a family member, then reconnect with stories of times past and memories shared, now shared again. We see how all the children have changed, startled to see how grown up they are since that last time we got together. We make new memories with them to be shared the next time we gather, hopefully for a more happy occasion, like a wedding or maybe even just a family reunion.

Our daughter from Washington, D.C. was able to come home with her baby for the funeral but her husband wasn't able to make it. She stayed just over a week, going home yesterday. It was wonderful to see them and get reacquainted with the grandson again, though I wish it hadn't been because of a funeral.

Now life can get back to normal for a little while, though that normal will be a little different than it was before. With the little one gone home and there aren't any little fingers getting into just everything I'll try to get back to tatting some. I do have several things I want to get done, so maybe next week I'll have pictures to post. I'm hoping to have time to check out what everyone else has been doing, too. I haven't been on the Internet much for weeks now so I've got a lot of catching up to do.

That probably isn't going to happen today, though. I've got to do a few things I've put off, like dishes and laundry, those mundane things that come in second when there is a choice between them and spending time with the family.