Tag: cross

Eenie, meenie, meinie, moe

Two tatted Medallion Cross Bookmarks on wandasknottythoughts.blogspot.com
Medallion Cross Bookmarks © Wanda Salmans 2016
in Lizbeth #122 Caribbean size 20
I shared this bookmark a few weeks ago.
Original tatted Medallion Cross Bookmark on wandasknottythoughts.blogspot.com
Medallion Cross Bookmark © Wanda Salmans 2016
This is how I made it originally.  Well, not quite, but almost. After looking at this picture I thought there must be a way to make the medallion center look a little better. For the last several weeks I’ve thought about it and tried a couple of different things.
Tatted Medallion Cross Bookmark version 2 on wandasknottythoughts.blogspot.com
Medallion Cross Bookmark v2© Wanda Salmans 2016
This version has several changes.  In this one the chains are joined at the arms to make it a bit less likely to twist.  The long, bottom arm is also made with one ring at the top of it instead of two.  The picot count has been reduced making it less frilly.  It came out pretty well, but is it the way to leave it?  Maybe the long arm should be a bit thinner?
Tatted Medallion Cross Bookmark version 3 on wandasknottythoughts.blogspot.com

 Medallion Cross Bookmark v3© Wanda Salmans 2016

Version three is the same as v2 except for the long arm.  It was made a bit skinnier by making the ring and joins between the sides a little different.  Not bad, but good enough? Is this the way to leave it and write the pattern?
The chains are joined at the arms where they weren’t before and now both of these versions cup slightly.  In a book they would probably soon loose the cup and wouldn’t be noticed, but it’s not pleasing.  Looking at the picture of the original it’s obvious that the way the chains were modified changes the look of the medallion more than planned. Maybe the chain stitch count needs to be altered back to how it was.
Hmm.  What do you think?
Which version should make it to the pattern page?
“Eenie, meenie, meinie, moe
Catch a tatter by the toe
If she hollers make her tat
Rings and chains to make a mat
My mother told me to pick the very best one
and you are not it!”
 
Children’s choosing game –
modified 🙂

Hanging Basket Edging Winter Runner

I made this edging for a table runner back in August.  I hadn’t been sure I was going to be happy with it, but it turned out looking good.
'Hanging Basket Edging' © Wanda Salmans on a runner November 2015 found on wandasknottythoughts.blogspot.com
Hanging Basket Edging © Wanda Salmans
I was in a hurry when I took this picture and I didn’t notice how crooked it looks.  It didn’t look like that when it was hanging up.  This just shows that I’m better at tatting than I am at sewing 🙂  This runner was given as a gift for Christmas.
"Medallion Cross Bookmark" © Wanda Salmans found on wandasknottythoughts.blogspot.com
Medallion Cross Bookmark © Wanda SalmansI noticed a bookmark in my Bible that I made several years ago and thought I would make it again.  I couldn’t find anywhere that I had written down the pattern so thought I would.  Jotted it down on paper and lost it.  Re-wrote it.  Then tried to diagram it and found my vector program has a problem just after I upgraded to Windows 10.  Serif Draw X8 is supposed to be compatible with Windows 10 so maybe it got corrupted during the upgrade.  I uninstalled SDX8 and re-installed and still get an error.  I tried installing an update but still no luck.  I have put my problem on their forum and hope to get an answer.  If not it will be direct contact with Serif.  I’m used to this program and like it, it’s a real problem to not have it work.

It has been quite a week.  Besides the program issue we’ve had some trouble with the Internet so I had trouble posting.  We’ve also had a lot of things happening at the house getting ready for a bit of remodeling.

There has been some other distractions as well.  You may have heard about the shooting at Excel Industries in Hesston, Kansas.  Hesston is just down the road from us.  It was quite a shock to have something like this hit so close to home.  I don’t personally know any of the people that were shot but people I know do.  In such a small community, something like this effects everyone.
It’s wonderful how the entire county has joined together to get through this ordeal and help those who need it.

Joy’s Heart Cross Bookmark

Joy's Heart cross bookmark wandasknottythoughts January 2016
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.

Two Crosses

I’ve mentioned before that my go-to gift for some special occasions are cross bookmarks.  Recently I had two such occasions, one sad, one happy.
I made a cross for my sister-in-law when they recently lost their son.  I couldn’t make up my mind which one to tat so I made up one.  I’m not sure I like it that much, but it looks okay. I’ve tried coming up with a name for it, but they are all sad – “Sorrowful Cross,” “Funeral Cross,” that type of thing.  I’ll come up with something sometime.
"Two Crosses" tatted lace cross made as a gift for a funeral. On wandasknottythoughts.blogspot.com
© Wanda Salmans September 2015
The other occasion was much happier.  We just installed a new pastor at our church, and what better gift to give him than a bookmark for his Bible?  This is a traditional pattern that I’ve made several times.  It tats up quickly and is a nice size for a Bible.

"Two Crosses" tatted lace cross bookmark from a traditional pattern. On wandasknottythoughts.blogspot.com

Both bookmarks were made in Lizbeth size 20 thread, in, I think,  #652 Royal Blue.  After making the first I still had plenty of thread for the second one.  It is a suitable color for men or women, don’t you think?
I’ve been doing a lot of tatting lately and still feel I don’t have enough time to do all that I would like.  The holidays are fast approaching as well as several birthdays and a craft show in November.  I just can’t tat fast enough.  Isn’t that the way it goes – when you’re busy you keep finding other things to do as well?  I’m thinking I should be making a few more cross bookmarks so I have a few handy when needed.
Oh! another something I want to be doing.
“People give one another things that can’t be gift wrapped.”
Nadine Gordimer
brainyquote.com

Simple gifts

I took a page out of Diane’s book 🙂 and added buttons to several headbands.  Diane talks about some of hers in this post on her blog Lace-lovin’ Librarian.  She’s been crocheting around buttons but I put tatting around mine instead.
I have tatted around buttons before but never thought to put them on this kind of hair accessory.  It adds a little something to these bright but plain headbands that’s quick and simple.  And fun.  They were gifted to my daughters and granddaughters for Easter.
Last year I tatted around buttons when I made Easter eggs.  This year I put a few of them on paper clips as simple gifts for my mother and her sisters.  They make really great toppers for them.
On a sad note a friend of mine lost an aunt the week before Easter.  I gave him one of my go-to sympathy gifts of a cross bookmark which was put inside the card.  

As usual I just had to try for something a little different.  This cross is made in Lizbeth #115 Springtime in size 20. I’m not that happy with this pattern, probably because I had trouble making it even though it is a simple pattern.  I was a little distracted and I kept making mistakes.  And I’m not sure I like the center.  It did turn out better than I thought once it was blocked, which straightened it out.  I should have joined each arm to the center in more than the one place to make it a bit more stable.   Maybe next time.

Do you have any favorite things you give for simple gifts?

“Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness.”
Richard Bach
www.brainyquote.com

Disclaimer: There were no books hurt in the production of this blog post

Oops

Cross in Lizbeth  #605 and Manuela #019, both in size 20
This is all I’ve accomplished in the last two weeks.  I’d finished it off and then noticed that I’d made a very noticeable boo-boo, making a ring in the wrong place.  I’m thinking I’ll give it a try to tuck in the ends and touch it up with glue then keep it for myself, a reminder to PAY ATTENTION!  If it still comes out awful I suppose I could cut back both threads to the mistake and redo that last arm.  I’m not sure I like the rings on the chains anyway, so maybe it’s just the way it is.
I’ve been working 10 to 12 hours days for the last week on a different shift than normal, so there hasn’t been time or energy to do very much of anything.  I’m finally back to the usual hours but have a lot of things going on at the house so I’m not sure how much tatting will get done any time soon.  This is why it’s carried with me at all times, to grab a moment here and there when free moments present themselves.  Here’s hoping to many free moments!
“If you don’t want to work you have to work to earn enough money so that you won’t have to work.”
Ogden Nash
www.brainyquote.com

Workbasket Cross Bookmark

While doing some cleaning – okay, consolidating things from multiple boxes into one box – I came across this pattern from Workbasket magazine.  Although I have several things I could be working on I decided to make it instead. This is a simple ring and chain pattern using only one shuttle and ball of thread.  As I had Victorian Red on a shuttle already I chose this color. 
The first thing I did was write out the pattern in my shorthand.  I have followed many patterns written in long hand from Workbasket but I much prefer something a little easier to follow.  Writing it out gave me where it started and stitch counts.  The stitch counts of all rings and all but a few chains are the same throughout the pattern which makes it an easy tat, just have to remember to look where the joins are. 
Lizbeth #670 Victorian Red size 20
Tatted Cross Bookmark
From “The Workbasket Magazine”, February 1987

The only part of the pattern I don’t like is the flower at the top.  I’ve read the instructions several times and as far as I can tell it doesn’t tell you how you are supposed to attach it to the chain so I just did what I thought would work and I’m not happy how it came out.  I am thinking of cutting it off and doing something else on the end instead.  We’ll see.

This has not been blocked and it lays a little wonky, but I think putting it in a book for a little while will tame it without doing anything more to it except make sure it is adjusted correctly right before the book closes.

I think if I make this again it will be with a few changes besides the flower.  Making those extra short chains at each corner looks good but it makes a lot of ends to hide!

“Cleaning is just putting stuff in less obvious places”

Ramblings on Tatting Tea Tuesday

Believe it or not, I’ve actually finished the cross bookmark pattern.  For once everything went smoothly while I diagrammed it, and it was even finished a few days ago.  I’ve added the pattern to My Patterns page. Look for “April’s Cross Bookmark”.  
I’ve started a couple of new projects this week but neither are to a point I want to share them yet.  This is becoming a very busy month with several birthdays, Mother’s Day, and graduations to find gifts for.  I actually found the cross bookmarks I had lost – I’d put them in a safer place, where I could find them. Sure.  But they are found so I don’t have to rush so much for the graduations.  The birthdays are something else.  Not sure how those are going to go. 
This morning while I drank my tea (Twinnings of London’s Pure Peppermint Herbal Tea) I was sitting in the front yard enjoying the day before it gets really hot and watching the barn swallows try to get me to leave.  They have a nest on the side of the house and were trying to distract me from it. I wish I could have gotten a picture of them but they fly and dart around pretty fast.  Also sharing my front yard today was a rather large turtle.  He was going through the tall grass (we need to mow) and I almost didn’t see him.  He was at least 12 inches long – around here, that’s a pretty big turtle.  What he was doing so close to the house I don’t know. I went back a little later and he had moseyed on to where ever he was going. Hopefully out of the yard, as my husband is supposed to mow tonight.
As I don’t have much tatting done this week I thought I’d share with you an edging I did a long time ago from thread my got from my grandmother.  She had some crocheting left on the ball, which will remain forever unfinished.  But I made a tatted edging for a napkin with it, which will always make me think of her.  She gave me the teapot when I was a little girl.  It presided over many tea parties over the years.  One day I hope to use it at a tea party with my granddaughter.
Tea parties with grandmother – happy memories in a teapot.

A good idea

It has been a very busy week and I’ve not gotten much tatting done.  Between being busy and all the things going on in the weeks before I’ve lost some of my motivation and my plans for future projects.
And somewhere in the last couple of weeks I’ve also lost the bookmarks I usually have on hand to give away as gifts.  So I thought it would be a good idea to start my stash again and an excellent way to start getting back into the swing of things. 

Cross bookmark made with Lizbeth #184 Rainbow splash size 20.
The shuttle is a Moonlit, about 2.75″ without the hook.
Cross bookmark made with Lizbeth color #658 Ocean Turquoise Lt. size 20.
The shuttle is a Boye, about 2.75″ long.
The top arm is different than the first cross because I was distracted and made the turn a little early.  I didn’t want to unpick anything so I kept going. I think it was a good idea.
Another good idea would be to put up my feet, sip a little tea, and tat a bit, perhaps another cross…
An itty bitty tatted doily is size 70 thread and an itty bitty tea set.

Travel tatting

We went to visit one of our daughters this weekend to celebrate one of the grandson’s birthday.  Our other daughter and her son were also able to come up, which made for a great weekend!  All the grandkids together equals not much time for tatting, at least while we were there (I don’t plan on it, either!).  We left on Friday evening, which meant in the dark as the sun now sets so early.  Almost five hours of driving time – in the dark.
I have a booklight, one of those that clip onto a book so you can read in bed or wherever in low light.
And the battery was dead.
But I did have a small, regular flashlight that worked just fine.  I just tucked it behind the seat belt across my chest. I had to re-aim it every little bit, but it put light where I needed it.
I didn’t want to try following a pattern in those conditions so my best bet was something that I could do without a pattern.  What better than a bookmark?  A very basic cross bookmark is the result of our drive. 
I also emptied a few shuttles by making birds, butterflies and flowers.
We left earlier in the day Sunday to come home so I had light to tat by for a while and I still did simple things.  I got several snowflakes done, which I’ll be putting on some items for the craft show that’s coming up in a couple of weeks.  I might have pictures of those next week.
We had such fun this weekend. As our daughters live so far apart the cousins don’t get to see each other often, but they got along great.  We’ll have another chance to get all together in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.  I’m really looking forward to it!
#grandma #grandpa #grandparents #grandkids #grandchildren #quotes