A Bookmark and Scissors

Saying ‘bookmark and scissors’ together gives the impression of something bad happening, but that’s not what happened. It’s all good!

I’ve been thinking of what I might do for International Tatting Day and came up with the idea of making a few tatted buttons that I might give away. They are quick and fun and look pretty, a fun way to introduce or expose people to tatting. While looking through my thread, and different places I’ve put thread, I found a bag with a mess of threads in it – as in a terrible tangle. While de-tangling all of them, I found an almost finished cross bookmark.

Cross bookmark on Grandma's Bible on wandasknottythoughts
Cross bookmark on Grandma’s Bible

After finishing the bookmark all it needed was a spritz of water to flatten it back out. It was a bit curled up, but it came out great. Just in time for Easter. I’d been thinking about making one for my mother, and there it was!

The scissors were found by my wonderful husband. He randomly will look for things he thinks I might like and found this lovely pair for sale on-line.

Scissors with crosses with crosseswitand cross bookmark on wandasknottythoughts
Scissors with crosses

Aren’t these an interesting pair of scissors? I don’t know much about them except they look like they have been used a lot. I didn’t find any makers marks on them. They are not exactly thread scissors as they are too large. I tried cutting some thread scraps and they cut very cleanly. A bit stiff but that might be remedied.

I didn’t know I had a scissors collection, but I must have. This isn’t the first pair he’s bought me. He’s such a sweety! Now I need a way to display them, right?

I’m hoping things go well for Thursday, April 1, ITD. If all goes as planned I will tat in public, sip on a tasty beverage, and share chocolates.

Let everything you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

Decorated Eggs 2021

Last week I thought I wouldn’t be decorating any Easter eggs with tatting. But during the week I found the box that had the fake eggs I bought several years ago. Then I decorated them with just a touch of tatting, not encasing them. This year I was inspired by so many people encasing the eggs with tatting that I decided to give it a try.

Decorated egg for Easter 2021 on wandasknottythoughts
Decorated egg for Easter 2021

This is tatted with Lizbeth # 662, Turquoise Lt., a ball that was in a box of miscellaneous tatting things I found in my craft room, one of many such boxes. This color was found in one of the first boxes I went through that day and goes well with the pink egg.

Easter egg 2021 on wandasknottythoughts
More of the top of the egg

This egg is the size of a real hen’s egg. Doesn’t it look real? It is light but not fragile like a real egg; I didn’t have to worry about dropping it. (Drop it? Me?!) If I did this pattern again I would definitely change the very top, so that each ring of the next round could attach to it. The second round does stay up okay, but I think it would look better joined to the top. This is my pattern, made in four rounds plus the bare thread used to sew the top and the bottom together.

When this one was finished, I tried something else on a much smaller, wooden egg.

Small decorated wooden egg on wandasknottythoughts
Small decorated wooden egg

This one is made with only two rounds, a bottom round with the top added next, then a thread going through each of the picots of the top to enclose the egg. I don’t use a picot gauge very often but I did while making this. Did you notice that the egg isn’t painted? I thought about painting it, but decided I’d rather just leave it as is.

2 Easter eggs 2021 on wandasknottythoughts
The two eggs side by side

I used the same thread on both. It looks about right on the larger egg but a smaller thread would have been better on the small one, don’t you think? Give it a more delicate look.

2 Easter eggs measured on wandasknottythoughts
Easter egg size difference

I have these eggs hanging from the bottom of the light shade next to my computer. Other than that I don’t have any Easter or spring decorations out. As I have the decorated eggs from 2016, maybe I’ll put those out as well. Will I decorate any more? I’m not sure.

International tatting day is coming up on April 1st, just over a week away. I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to do anything special for it, or just make sure I have chocolate and time to tat. How about you? Any plans?

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked. Bernard Meltzer

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.

More decorated buttons

I am still working on emptying a few shuttles. I’ve had fun deciding what to do with the thread that I have to work with.

Decorated button in a turquoise blue on wandasknottythoughts
Decorated button in a turquoise blue

The picture doesn’t show the true color of this thread, it has more green to it. I’m not sure how many shades of blue/turquoise I have, but a lot, so this is hard to match. I had enough to go around this 7/16th inch button (11 mm). The longest measurement of the finished button is 1 1/2 inches (about 4 cm). I’m sure the thread is Lizbeth size 20.

Decorated button in pink rootbeer float on wandasknottythoughts
Decorated button in pink cocoa

This one looks to be made in size 40 thread. I think it is Lizbeth #166 Pink Cocoa. I started off with one idea and transitioned into something else when it wasn’t going to work out as expected. It still came out kinda cute. It also measures about 1 1/2 inches (about 4 cm) long. The button is also 7/16th inch (11 mm).

This medallion was not made emptying shuttles. I was trying out a new ball of thread, Liz Metalic #325 Gem Stone. I used a metal ring about 15/16th inch across (23m mm) that I found at JoAnn’s last week. I think the thread would look a bit richer with a gold center, but I like how this looks. Especially with the right background. The Metallic thread does not show up in pictures as pretty as it is in person.

Decorated ring in Gem Stone on wandasknottythoughts
Decorated ring in Gem Stone

The finished medallion is about 3 inches across (75 mm). Originally I planned on another round but decided against it – at least this time – when I finished the second round. I like how it looks just like this.

I’ve been happy with my thread endeavors recently, even though they start out with few intentions other than to tat. Lately that has been enough.

“If you get up in the morning and think the future is going to be better, it is a bright day. Otherwise, it’s not.” Elon Musk

Evening tatting

I’ve had a bit more time to tat lately, a couple of unplanned evenings at home. Not a bad thing. I listened to a couple of audio books while I tatted, which made them very nice evenings.

Metallic thread coaster on wandasknottythoughts
Metallic thread coaster

I started the individual medallions of this coaster a week or so ago, with three of the medallions joined. I was just playing around with the thread, no pattern in mind. I decided to add a fourth, which looked a bit unfinished, so I added the round of silver. It’s not quite three inches (75 mm) across. I’ve been debating whether to add a silver ring, or rings, to the center, but haven’t tried that yet. What do you think?

I used Lizbeth #320 Steel Blue Metallic and #190 Silver Ice Metallic for this. The pictures just don’t show up that metallic look very well.

I was thinking of Easter and Easter eggs when I tatted around this button. I was aiming for an egg shape. It kind of looks egg shaped, doesn’t it?

Decorated button Feb28 on wandasknottythoughts
Hints of Easter decorated button

Whatever the shape, I enjoyed making this. It is in Lizbeth #632 Purple Medium size 20 and about 2 1/2 inches (65 mm) across. If I do it again I’ll do the top just a bit differently using either a SCMR or a ring below the clover.

For a while, I had not had much enthusiasm for tatting, reading and web surfing instead. I’m happy that I’ve gotten back into the swing of it.

“One thought driven home is better than three left on base” Fortune cookie

Cleanup In The Shuttle Aisle

I don’t actually have a shuttle aisle, but I have a messy craft room that needs to be cleaned up. While going through things in my craft room I came across a bag that had a lot of miscellaneous itmes in it, including a bunch of shuttles. I need to “clean up” all of these so I can use them for other things!

Shuttles and other stuff on wandasknottythoughts
Shuttles and other stuff

Almost all of these shuttles were partially wound. Some of the threads I recognize and can match, but others are shades that are not so easily done. So what to do with them?

Some shuttles had more thread than others. There was enough on most to do more than single ring flowers and four ring butterflies, which are my go-to for snippets of thread left on shuttles. The little flowers and butterflies can easily be added to cards and notes. I did finish off a couple of shuttles with these.

Flowers and butterfly tail ends on wandasknottythoughts
Flowers and butterfly tail ends

But the ones with a bit more thread I put on buttons. The two small buttons are just doodles, simple things just to get around the button. These work well as accents on bags and collars. Or just to do with no purpose other than the joy of making them.

Buttons and doodle on wandasknottythoughts
Buttons and doodle

The two-color button is trying to recreate the decorated grey button that I did a couple of weeks ago. I made a couple of changes that seem to change the overall look of it, not what I had in mind. But I ran out of one of the blues. And I have a lot of threads that are shades of blue. It may be hard to match it and finish it.

The metallic doodle was not started with shuttles found in the bag. This was an idea that I got when I found the doodad in the middle as I was looking through other things in my craft room. I started it before I made last week’s decorated button. I haven’t decided if this is done or not.

I really need to do more cleanup in my craft room than I need to with the shuttles. But the shuttles are more fun!

“You never know what you have until you clean your room”

Brrrr!

It’s cold! I’m sure that a lot of you are also in the deep freeze here in the USA, as most of the country is seeing record cold temperatures. At 3:30 p.m it is a breezy -1 degree F with a feels-like temperature of -19. And that is warm compared to some places farther north. At least we still have power. I understand the power company here is going to start rolling blackouts tomorrow to save energy. Wonderful.

I’m home today due to some of the machines at work not liking the cold temperatures, causing work to be canceled until tomorrow afternoon. This has given me time to work on my blog, right? I keep getting distracted by all the birds at the bird feeders. There are a lot of them today.

Birds and squirrel in the cold on wandasknottythoughts
Birds and squirrel in the cold

Yes, there was a squirrel visiting also. But many more birds and they keep coming. I’ve seen Blue Jays, Cardinals, house finch, Red-wing blackbirds, sparrows and others that I’m not sure of. I’m new at bird watching, but it is entertaining.

Cardinal in the cold on wandasknottythoughts
Cardinal in the cold

I’ve taken so many pictures today that I had to stop to charge the camera. So I finally can take time to type this up.

I have tatted a bit, and I have plans to do more.

Decorated button in blue on wandasknottythoughts
Decorated button in blue

This decorated button is in Lizbeth #320 Steel Blue in size 20. It is one of the metallic threads and is very hard to take a good picture of. It either washes out because it is so shiny, or it looks dull like regular thread. After multiple tries, this is the best I could do.

The button is 1/4″ across (about 12 mm). I had thought I was going to tat a heart for Valentine’s Day, but it didn’t come out that way. I like it anyway.

I hope all of you in the deep freeze are staying warm.

Brrr! on wandasknottythoughts
Brrr!

Decorated Grey Button

I’ve still not decided what project I’m going to do next, so I keep doodling. I doodled around most of the weekend without accomplishing a lot. A little, but not a lot.

I doodled with the grey button I started last week.

2nd round decorated grey button on wandasknottythoughts
2nd round on decorated grey button

I thought on this a while before doing the second round, then gave it a try. The picots that attach the first round to the button on a bit loose making it interesting to block. It is still a bit frilly, which will probably correct itself with a little bit of water and a flat surface.

I started a couple of other doodles but didn’t get to a good stopping point on any of them. Maybe later this week I’ll get one of those done.

Like other parts of the country right now it is cold and white here. For the first time in years the temperatures are supposed to stay below freezing for over a week. The snow makes for some pretty pictures, if you can see them while in a nice warm place.

Black Kettle Creek in the snow on wandasknottythoughts
Black Kettle Creek in the snow

While I can I will stay inside and enjoy the white landscape and the cold from inside where it is warm and maybe get some tatting done.

Is it cold and white where you are?

“The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love.” Margaret Atwood

Nothing as planned

Since I finished the 10 point coaster I’ve not decided what I want to do next. I keep thinking I should keep a physical list, maybe digital, of things I want to tat, but I haven’t yet. When I’m in the middle of projects I think of all kinds of things I want to do when I’m done, but when I’m done I go blank. And that’s where I’m at now.

I’ve been seeing a lot of decorated buttons lately, and I have several buttons that would be good centers. I did work on one, without any pattern or plan. It doesn’t look bad but it didn’t turn out all that great.

Decorated button in greys on wandasknottythoughts
Decorated button in greys

I miscalculated stitch counts so my (vague) idea didn’t come out as I thought it might. I’ve been debating with myself if I should do another round and see where that takes it, but I’ve not decided which side has won yet, to do it or not. It is made in Lizbeth #607 Charcoal Med and #190 Silver Ice, which did not come out well in the picture.

I also started a little something in a couple of the Lizbeth Metallic threads #311 Silver and #320 Steel Blue I recently got from Tatting Corner. I had another vague idea about what I wanted to do with these but very soon took a wrong turn.

Metalic doodle on wandasknottythoughts
Metallic doodle

When I realized my thoughts had gone astray, I went ahead and finished it, sewed in the ends. I might use this as an accent on a card or something, no reason to throw it out. This picture doesn’t do the metallic threads justice at all, they work well together. I’ll be using this combination again.

I like working with the Lizbeth Metallic threads but threading a needle with them to sew in the ends is somewhat problematic. You can see in the picture how they separate. Which makes me glad I have a Clover needle threader.

Clover needle threader on wandasknottythoughts
Clover needle threader

Using this makes threading a needle with the metallic threads easy. I keep it on my tatting tool keeper all the time even though I don’t use it often.

Tatting tool keeper on wandasknottythoughts
Tatting tool keeper

I use this tool keeper instead of a chatelaine. All the tools are on a badge reel, so I don’t have to take it off to use any given tool and it doesn’t hang in the way when I’m not using them. I also don’t drop anything on the floor and lose them, lol!

I do not make anything for mentioning Lizbeth threads of Clover tools.

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” Gloria Steinem

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/gloria_steinem_121278

Coaster and Buttons

The two color 10 point coaster is finished.

Two color 10 point coaster done on wandasknottythoughts
Two-color 10 point coaster done

I like how this turned out! I also like how it was done in one pass. Much improved from the original.

When I finished the coaster I needed to empty a few shuttles of leftover thread. I’m not sure what the color is so I couldn’t get more thread for a chain thread or anything other than a small project. I pulled some thread off of the shuttle for the chain thread, which limited the size of whatever I finally made. I’ve been seeing a lot of decorated buttons on the Facebook page which inspired me to do a little something,

Decorated shank button on wandasknottythoughts
Decorated shank button

This came out very simple, but it didn’t take much thread. I’ve never used a shank button before and I didn’t do a great job on it. I know I’ve seen instructions on how to join to a shank button somewhere online but I didn’t take the time to look it over, I just gave it a try.

Speaking of buttons, when I recently visited my mother I got to go through a few of hers. I found a couple of cards with buttons that I like. I also recently got a shipment of thread from Tatting Corner, a couple of which I think will go well with one of the buttons.

A button and threads on wandasknottythoughts
A button and threads

I’m debating with myself about what I could do with this combination. What do you think?

“Every project is an opportunity to learn, to figure out problems and challenges, to invent and reinvent.” David Rockwell