Category: St. Patrick’s Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I’m a bit late to the party, but I made it! The day isn’t over yet. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Clover earrings on wandasknottythoughts
Clover earrings

I wanted a pair of green earrings for several events this week. I waited until the last minute to make any, so they couldn’t be too fancy, but I wanted something a bit more than thread. I’ve had these little keys for years, never knowing what to do with them. They looked good for these earrings. They did end up being a bit longer than what I usually wear, but I like them.

I am a member of the lady’s bible group at my church. I decided this year that I would gift each of the members a bit of tatting for their birthdays, in their birthday month. There were none in February, four in March. I was planning on making crosses for them but ran out of time. They were not disappointed with these heart paperclips, even if they weren’t crosses.

March birthday gifts on wandasknottythoughts
March birthday gifts

Of course, I forgot to take a picture before giving any away. I did remember before I gave them all away. Too bad it’s a bit out of focus.

The weather here is mostly warm, trees and flowers are starting to bloom. Now we are expecting a hard frost… My poor apple tree.

“I don’t want to brag or make anybody jealous, but…I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school.” author unknown

A Doily and a Bottle

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 on wandasknottythoughts
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 on wandasknottythoughts
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 on wandasknottythoughts
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

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2023

St. Patrick's Day 2023 on wandasknottythoughts

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.”

Playing in Clover

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.

Clovers on wandasknottythoughts
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 clips on wandasknottythoughts
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 on wandasknottythoughts
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 on wandasknottythoughts
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 on wandasknottythoughts
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 on wandasknottythoughts
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 on wandasknottythoughts
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

A Touch of Green

Can you believe we are halfway through March already? The temperatures are mild, the grass is green, and some trees have leaf buds, ready to open and welcome spring.

I’ve done a little tatting in green also.

Clovers in metallic green on wandasknottythoughts
Clovers in metallic green

In my last thread order, I bought Liz Metallic #343 Christmas Green. I thought this was an opportunity to try it out. I’ll add a safety pin or something to these so they can be worn on St. Patrick’s Day this week. All you need to celebrate is just a touch of green, right?

Something I noticed using this green was the color came off on my hands. Maybe I didn’t notice the other colors of Liz Metallic I’ve used recently because they are a lot paler, the color not as deep. You can see the green left a trail of color on my finger.

Leaving a trail on my finger on wandasknottythoughts
Leaving a trail on my finger

A week or so ago I emptied a shuttle of Lizbeth Twirlz #404 Mermaid Lagoon. There aren’t that many Twirlz colors, so it wasn’t hard to know what the thread was for once. I was rushed when finishing these earrings as I wanted to wear them and we needed to leave. I got a bit sloppy sewing in the ends, which is why the tails show a bit.

11 Clover earrings on wandasknottythoughts
Twirlz Clover earrings

I’m happy enough with the earrings that I’m wearing them anyway. There was just enough thread on the shuttle to get these two clovers done. How lucky is that?

I’ve been seeing a lot of Easter-themed tatting recently, mostly Easter eggs. The eggs I’ve seen are very inspiring, but I don’t know that I’ll get much done in that regard. Other than around buttons like I’ve done recently here and here. But it isn’t Easter for another couple of weeks, so, who knows?

Are you tatting anything for March or the Easter season? 

One rainy day in the spring  
A tatter made ring after ring  
The thread 'round her finger  
She found it to linger  
A colorful mark from the string

For the lady who asked for the pattern.

Out of the habit

It has been a while since I last posted, mostly because I haven’t been tatting a lot lately. I kind of got out of the habit. We were very busy for a while, then I got sick and had no interest in doing anything, then I found other things to do. This didn’t mean I didn’t think about tatting, I just didn’t do very much of it.

Happily, I’ve gotten my tatting groove back! I even made a few things for St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick's Day Penny Ice Drops on wandasknottythoughts 2018
St. Patrick’s Day Penny Ice Drops

I made these four Ice Drops with penny centers to send to one of my daughters. I think you could say these are made with the basic Ice Drop pattern found on the Ice Drop Addicts Facebook page. I didn’t actually follow it, but I’ve made it before. I did adjust counts to accommodate the pennies, but there is a pattern for that, too.

Because I didn’t refer to the patterns I made a few – let’s say, minor adjustments, that I didn’t think through very well. It still worked, just came out a little different than expected.

Two St. Patrick's Day Penny Ice Drops on wandasknottythoughts 2018
Two St. Patrick’s Day Penny Ice Drops

The Ice Drop on the left was the first one. I miscalculated when I put the penny in, putting Lincoln’s head in the wrong location (I thought it would look funny with him looking down instead of out).  I made the hanger long and joined it so Lincoln would sit correctly. Then I noticed the chains didn’t sit quite right, either. Do you see it?

I made a couple Ice Drops with the chains the same way before I figured out what was going on with them.  After that, I ordered them the other way.

I mailed four pins to my oldest daughter to get them to her before St. Patrick’s Day. We were visiting our other daughter on the Friday before, so hers I hand delivered. Because of another project I was working on – non-tatting related – I didn’t have all of them tatted by the time we left. Guess what I was doing on the trip up there? I made sure to take the beads and pins with me so I could finish them up before they were handed out.

I needed four pins for my other daughter but forgot to make one for me. So I finished that one on Saturday afternoon and promptly gave it away as well. The pins were a big hit.

I’m glad I’ve finally gotten back into the habit of tatting.

“Positivity is like a muscle: keep exercising it, and it becomes a habit.” Natialie Massenet    https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/natalie_massenet_653263

Happy St .Patrick’s Day

Tatted clovers for St. Patty's Day on wandasknottythoughts
Tatted clovers for St. Patty’s Day

May those who love us, love us;
And for those who don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts;
And if He doesn’t turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we will know them by their limping!

🙂

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/inspiration/2009/02/irish-blessings-for-luck.aspx?p=7#0aPyHZH9ASLklDlm.99