Tag: Christmas

An Ornament for Christmas

Did you all have a merry Christmas? We have had a wonderful Christmas season. We’ve seen a lot of family and friends and created wonderful memories. We even had a bit of snow!

I was able to make as many of my Christmas ornaments for this year as I needed and in plenty of time. Amazing! I didn’t even feel rushed this year. In fact, I got through most of December without feeling pressured, which is pretty amazing. I almost always leave things to the last minute and then feel stressed and anxious. This year I got the gifts purchased early and had the house in good shape for company before the day of the get-togethers. What a wonderful feeling!

My Christmas ornament for 2023 involved beads again. Some were even the same ones! I am very happy with these.

2023 Christmas ornament snowman on wandasknottythoughts
Christmas ornament 2023 with Snowman

These snowman beads were used in the original attempt for ornaments this year. This time the tatting was a bit quicker and the ornaments did not use the bangle bracelets or anything else under the tatting. This made them easier to tat on the go, which I did quite a bit.

I have a variety of beads that I used for these. I made ornaments specific to several family member’s likes. Cats, dogs, penguins, and owls.

2023 Christmas ornament with penguin on wandasknottythoughts
Christmas ornament 2023 with penguin

I went through several versions before I settled on my final ornament style. They all were given away – the people receiving them didn’t know I changed my mind! I even did a few that weren’t white.

2023 Christmas ornaments with owls on wandasknottythoughts
Christmas ornament 2023 with owls

I made all of the ornaments in size 10 thread so they were big enough and sturdy enough for the beads. I also used Balanced Double Stitches (BDS) for the chains. I had learned this stitch a long time ago but never incorporated it in my tatting before. Then I did a few patterns from Mike Lyon, the Shuttle Commander, and now I seem to use them a lot! Thanks, Mike, for showing me how well they can work in a pattern.

Speaking of patterns, I have finished the pattern for this year’s ornament. For any of you who are interested in trying it, I have added it to My Patterns page (Christmas Ornament 2023).

In a few more days we will say goodbye to the year 2023 and hello to 2024. Are you ready?

“The light of the Christmas star to you. The warmth of home and hearth to you. The cheer and goodwill of friends to you.” Sherryl Woods, An O’Brien Family Christmas

A Little Tatting for Christmas

Christmas is only days away! Are you done with all your Christmas tatting? I have one more ornament to finish. The good news, it doesn’t take long. I’ve not only been doing tatting for friends and family, I’ve been doing a bit for me, too.

Snowflake 2010 on wandasknottythoughts
Snowflake 2010

This is my Snowflake 2010. I only tatted this to get the thread off the shuttles. I needed shuttles to tat with size 10 white and this is size 20 white. Yes, I have other shuttles, but these shuttles were right there, I might as well use them, right? You can never have too many snowflakes.

Christmas tree earrings on wandasknottythoughts
Christmas tree earrings

I have a Christmas shirt that is not a traditional Christmas color and I needed a pair of earrings to go with it. I used Lizbeth thread LizMetallic 323, Christmas Green, to make me a quick pair. These trees don’t take long to make and they are shiny and festive. They worked well with my shirt.

Both of these patterns can be found on My Patterns page here.

I’m finishing up my tatting for Christmas, what about you?

Wishing all of you a wonderful and merry Christmas.

“Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance – each beautiful, unique, and gone too soon.” – Deborah Whipp

It’s Christmas Time

It’s hard to believe Christmas is less than two weeks away. It seems like Thanksgiving was just the other day! I have been busy tatting, but time seems so short! Will I get everything done in time?

Every year I try to make a special ornament for family and close friends. I don’t usually think what they will be until I pick up the shuttles to start. This year I had a vague idea several months ago. I had found some cute beads at JoAnn’s that I just knew would look good in a Christmas ornament, I just didn’t quite know how. I tried a few things.

2023 Christmas ornament 1 on wandasknottythoughts
2023 Christmas ornament 1 try

This ornament is on a bangle bracelet. It is made with size 10 white thread and size 6/0 clear beads. The snowman almost looks like it’s in a snow globe, don’t you think? I like the look, but it took longer to make than I was happy with. I gave it away in a gift exchange with our women’s group at church.

I tried again using a bangle bracelet. It is also made with size 10 white thread and 6/0 clear beads. Without the ribbons, I wasn’t that excited about it, with the ribbons I was much happier. I gave this one to my mom.

Bangle Christmas ornament for Mom on wandasknottythoughts
Bangle Christmas ornament for Mom

Neither of these has become this season’s ornament. I’ve been working on what I have decided to be the ornament of the year but I’m not sharing that until I have given them out. And I still have a few to go.

The other day before I went to the party for the ladies at church, I realized I didn’t have a pair of earrings that I wanted to wear. I decided to make a simple pair.

Christmas earrings on wandasknottythouoghts
Christmas earrings

They are not elaborate but still festive and went with the clothes I was wearing. I just love that a few minutes with a shuttle, thread, and a few beads left me with a cute pair of earrings. These are made with size 20 white and little red beads, 10/0 (?). A lovely little gift I gave myself.

I am leaving a gift for you, too. The pattern for the Compass Rose has been added to the My Patterns page.

Will I get everything done in time? Maybe, maybe not. But I’m going to enjoy the doing and not worry about the time. It’s a self-imposed goal anyway. I think I’ll relish the season instead of stressing about it.

What are you tatting for Christmas?

“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things, not the great occasions, give off the greatest glow of happiness.” — Bob Hope

Ornaments and Runners

Every year I make a unique ornament for close family and friends. Sometimes it is tatting only, some years other media is incorporated. This year I decorated glass ornaments with sheet music and tatted angels. I shared the idea of it a few weeks ago. Not much changed other than tatting the angels out of size 20 thread instead of size 10.

Glass Christmas ornament for 2022 on wandasknottythoughts
Glass Christmas ornament for 2022

The hardest part was deciding what to do at the top of the ornament. I worked with greenery and raffia, but doing that took me a long time with each one before I was happy with them. Then I found a spool of gold metallic ribbon. This looked good and was much, much faster! I didn’t redo any of the ones with greenery. When we had our Christmas dinner at our house, I let everyone choose.

Ornaments for Christmas on wandasknottythoughts
Ornaments for Christmas

Before everyone got here I put them in a fabric-lined bowl for a more finished look. They went over very well, each going to a happy home.

Our dinner was the chance to give my daughter her table runner. While making a runner for a lady I know, I ended up making edgings that looked good but had a lot of stitch differences as I figured out what I actually wanted. I thought my oldest daughter might like it, even knowing it wasn’t perfect. She did want it, but finding time to get it to her was an issue. We decided the date of the dinner would be okay, as it is a winter runner, not a Christmas runner.

My daughter's winter runner on wandasknottythoughts
My daughter’s winter runner

These edgings don’t have the outside row of tatting on them, and I think I like this better. For all that they are not shaped like snowflakes, they look good with the snowman and snowflake material. She sent me a picture of where she put it.

Snowman runner with snowmen on wandasknottythoughts
Snowman runner with snowmen

Can you tell that she collects snowmen?

Years ago I gave my mother-in-law a Christmas runner. She had it out all year. My father-in-law gave it back to me after she died and he moved out of the house.

Old Christmas runner on wandasknottythoughts
Old Christmas runner

This year I found some fabric that will look wonderful with that green edging. I’m planning to transfer it to the new runner. It makes me happy that she had so much use out of it, but I think it’s time to repurpose the edging.

We, along with most of the US, had a dose of Arctic air this last week. For us here in Kansas, it only lasted about five days, and we only received about an inch of snow. I have seen how hard other areas were hit by this, and feel blessed to have had it so mild. We had another little bit of cold weather Christmas night, along with ice. So glad we didn’t have to go anywhere! It is only the beginning of winter, so I anticipate more of the cold weather is coming, but we will have nice weather through to New Year’s Day (at least, that’s what the weatherman is forecasting, LOL!)

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas season! Stay safe and well!

“I happen to love creating handmade ornaments even when I mess up I still have fun.” Hilary Farr

Christmas Gifts

It’s almost Christmas, and boy, have I been busy!

I attended our church ladies’ Bible study group Christmas dinner and gift exchange a couple of weeks ago. Each of us was to bring a gift for a random gift exchange. I tatted a cross bookmark that I put in a book of devotions. And I forgot to take a picture of it! It was my August SR Cross, made in Lizbeth thread HH20-181 Cranberry Bush. It looked good, and the lady who received it was happy with it.

The dinner was good, the company was terrific, and the gifts were fun to see. We all were given three gifts: one from the gift exchange, and two from the hosts. The gift I got from the exchange was a beautiful quilted centerpiece. One of the gifts from the hosts was a cute Christmas tree ornament; the other was a machine-embroidered tea towel.

Gifts from the dinner on wandasknottythoughts
Gifts from the dinner

The Bible study group wasn’t the only gift exchange I’ve had this year. This last Sunday my side of the family had our Christmas dinner and gift exchange. We play a form of the White Elephant game, with all of us interacting and having a good time. A few of us also give gifts outside of the game, which isn’t required but is a lot of fun. My sister gave all of the ladies hand-embroidered tea towels.

Little red truck tea towel on wandasknottythoughts
Little red truck tea towel

Last year I started decorating with Christmas decorations in the little red truck theme. She knew this and did my tea towel with the theme. It is so cute!

My birthday is coming up so she also gave me another embroidered gift. Previously, she had given me the runner – which I am supposed to put an edging on – and now she gave me the pillowcases. One day I’ll get to the edging, maybe for both the pillowcases and the runner.

Matching runner and pillow cases on wandasknottythoughts
Matching runner and pillowcases

In the previous post, I shared my new pattern, September Angel. This is the 2022 ornament that I am giving to close friends and family. While I’ve been making them I’ve noticed that it wouldn’t take much to make a tree with the pattern. So I tried it.

Christmas Tree 2022 on wandasknottythought s
Christmas Tree 2022

While coming up with the stitch count for this little tree I could see how the angels and the trees might make cute earrings, so I made some of those, too.

Christmas Tree earrings on wandasknottythoughts
Christmas Tree earrings
September Angel earrings on wandasknottythoughts
September Angel earrings

I gave these earrings to my daughter. And, again, I was in such a hurry I forgot to take pictures of them. My daughter was very sweet and did a photo shoot with them. They were such cool pictures I had an awful time choosing between them for which ones to use. The earrings came out as well as I hoped they would.

I’ve posted the pattern on the My Patterns page. Unfortunately, when I did that I seem to have broken the links to all the other patterns. This pattern is the only one currently that works. I’m working on the others but won’t get them all fixed tonight. If you’re interested in another pattern but it won’t come up for you, please email me and I’ll get it for you, or try again a bit later.

Here in Kansas, we are expecting an Arctic cold front in a couple of days, along with some snow. How much snow depends are where you are located, anywhere from one to six inches. Listening to the weatherman, it sounds like we won’t have it as bad as a lot of the country. Here, mostly very cold with a few hours of blowing snow. We might even have a white Christmas! We don’t have that every year. I think for the next few days I’ll sit back, tat, and try to stay warm without going outside.

Snowman cup and tatting on wandasknottythoughts
I think I’ll stay in and keep warm while I tat

My husbands’ side of the family is not having the family Christmas until after the 25th. There are some family members that will be gone until after that. The day isn’t as important for gatherings as is the family that will be there. Having it after Christmas is okay by me, it gives me a bit more time to get ready for it.

What are you busy with?

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” — Burton Hills

Angels and Ornaments

The pattern for the September Angel is finished! Thank you to my test tatters, Wally and Ada for checking the pattern out for oopsies. And thank you to all those who volunteered to test tat. I appreciate the offer.

September Angel on music on wandasknottythoughts
September Angel

This angel was done in size 20 Lizbeth thread, making it not very big. It looks good in size 10, but that’s not much bigger. I think a pair of these would make cute earrings, both in size 20 and in a smaller thread.

The pattern has been added to the My Patterns page. Funny story, while trying to put it on the page we lost power. Everything was off for about 15 minutes before coming back on. I was concerned about it going off again, so I delayed turning my computer back on until this morning. I suspect the high winds caused the outage, but I wasn’t sure.

I’ve been contacted by several people who have trouble reading the patterns from their location on Google Docs on their phones. It has something to do with the size of the page that Google Docs doesn’t like. I have not yet gotten it straight, though no one has had trouble seeing them on their computers. If you have trouble, please contact me and I’ll send you the pattern instead of what is on the Docs page.

I’ve been thinking of what my yearly Christmas ornament will be this year. I like the September Angel, but it’s small. I’ve come up with an idea, but it’s not yet ready. What I have tried so far is looking promising.

September Angel on glass ornament on wandasknottythoughts
September Angel on a glass ornament

I have these clear glass ornaments I picked up at Micheal’s a few weeks ago. I cut strips of music, curled them, and put them inside. The greenery at the top could maybe have a bit more, but I like the idea. The angel is in size 10 thread, which looks a bit big to me. I’m going to try it with an angel in size 20, and see if that looks better.

I have a list of things I would like to tat before any of our Christmas get-togethers – one of which is before the 25th – but time is getting tight. If I don’t get them done by then, I might have to hand deliver them when they are.

How are your plans for Christmas coming?

“Every gift which is given, even though it be small, is in reality great, if it is given with affection.” Pindar

Tatting Corner’s Tat Days part 3

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since Tatting Corner’s Tat Days. I still haven’t finished Pearl as I’ve been busy tatting for several other things, but everything else from Tat Days is done.

Circle be unbroken on wandasknottythoughts
Circle be unbroken

I finished Mary Anna Robinson’s ‘Circle Be Unbroken’ covered cabone ring while we were on the way home. I’m not sure I got it quite right but it looks good, so I’m happy with it. I had fun in Mary Anna’s class. Thanks, Mary Anna!

Dona's Christmas Stocking on wandasknottythoughts
Dona’s Christmas Stocking

I also finished ‘Dona’s Christmas Stocking’ on the way home. I made at least one wrong join on one side, but it worked out okay when I put the two sides together. I’m not sure I got the fringe at the time quite right, either, but there is an opening at the top, so it came out alright, too. This is very cute. I can see myself making more of these, maybe for my family Christmas ornament this year.

Dorset Button with Tatting #3 on wandasknottythoughts
Dorset Button with Tatting #3

I worked on Mike Lyon’s Dorset button on the way home also but didn’t finish it. I actually started the center weaving again, which is still off-center, but it looks better than my first try. I made the picots on the cabone ring waaayy too big, which messed up the sizing on the outside tatting. I’m still happy with it though I’ll try to do better on the next one I make. I’m sure I’ll be doing Dorset buttons again, though I don’t know when.

I have several time-sensitive projects right now so I am waiting to finish Pearl until they are done. I’ve been seeing other people’s mermaids on Facebook, which has me itching to pick her up again, but I must be strong! I WILL finish her, but later.

I’m so excited about next year’s tatting cruise. My sister, who is coming too, and I have been talking about things we’ll need and things we want to do. Yes, it’s next year, but there’s a lot to think about when you haven’t done it before. Some of it we definitely need to start saving for. While I’m writing this post I have Dishnetwork’s Dishscape of a coral reef on the TV, keeping me in the mood for the trip! (A screen saver with sound.)

DIshscape of a coral reef on wandasknottythoughts
Dishscape of a coral reef

I am not associated in any way with Dishnetwork and make no income from this mention.

“God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.” William Cowper

The Week before New Years

Did you all have a wonderful Christmas? I hope you did. We did. We had family get-togethers, presents, a Christmas Eve program, and a wonderful Christmas day. Now we are in that week just before the calendar year changes from 2021 to 2022. Are you ready?

I finally finished the wings for my tree-topper angel, the day after Christmas. But that’s okay, I still have my tree up and the angel is now ready for next year.

Tree-top angel with wings on wandasknottythoughts
Tree-top angel got its wings

I made the wings in Lizbeth # 601 Snow White in size 10. I had wanted to make them in # 602 Natural but I didn’t have any in size 10. I thought the color would go better with the rest of the angel, but this looks okay. I modified my Angel Wings pattern to make the wings come out larger than I made them before. I even stiffened them so they would stand out nicely. I’m very happy with how the whole angel came out.

At Christmas, our families play a white elephant gift exchange game so we don’t have to spend so much on presents, but there are still a few gifts some of us give because we want to anyway. My sister embroiders and always makes something for the women and bakes goodies for each family (the guys and kids don’t complain!) She enjoys embroidering tea towels throughout the year so we all get them at Christmas. The women don’t complain, either. This year they all had gnomes on them.

Gnome tea towel on wandasknottythoughts
Gnome tea towel

I love my new tea towel, isn’t it cute? Unlike some, I am not afraid to use the embroidered tea towels my sister gives me. I have them out almost exclusively. She put all that work into them, I’m not leaving them in the drawer!

This year has been unseasonable warm here. We’ve been hearing of snow in some other parts of the country, but here in the middle of the USA we have had warm temperatures and haven’t had any moisture but a few sprinkles in over a month. The weather is supposed to change a bit on New Year’s Day.

Weather forecast for the week before New Years 2021 on wandasknottythoughts
Weather forecast for the week before New Year 2021

It’s too far out to know if we really will have any moisture or in what form it will take snow, rain, or ice, or a combination. I’ll take it in whatever form we can get it.

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I don’t, I just review what’s been going on, what I’ve been doing, and consider if I’m going in the direction I want to be going. I do sometimes make a list of tatted things I would like to make, but I usually lose it. As I’m retired now maybe I’ll post that list on the refrigerator and remember to make a few of the items on my wish list. Check back at the end of next year to see how well that goes, LOL!

New Years’ Day is this coming Saturday. Are you ready?

“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.” Nido Qubein

No Wings Yet

Last week I showed you the tree-topper angel I have been working on. I didn’t think it was quite done but was looking good. I’ve worked on it a bit since, though it still has no wings.

Tree-topper angel without wings on wandasknottythoughts
Tree-topper angel without wings

I added the Jasper snowflake to the front of the skirt, which I think made it look much better. I had been thinking of something different for it, but I had a snowflake that needed a home due to an oopsy on my part.

Jasper snowflake with a problem on wandasknottythoughts
Jasper snowflake with a problem

Notice the one arm that is different than the others? That is the third arm I made and didn’t notice the mistake until I was done with the last arm. I went ahead and hid the ends and figured I’d hang it on my tree. And then the light came on with a solution to the problem. You can’t even see there is a problem with it once it was attached.

What I didn’t show in the previous post was how I made the head, which is a wine cork.

Tree topper angel cork head on wandasknottythoughts
Tree topper angel cork head

I had the body figured out easily but had been stuck about the head. What is something I had on hand that was the right dimension? I thought of buttons and beads but nothing I had looked right. Then I thought of a wine cork. I cut the back off, the part that fits in the bottleneck, cut a circle of felt, and added a bit of tatting. The tatting is stitched to the felt and the felt is attached to the cork with a thumbtack. That was all great, but I wasn’t sure how to attach that to the angel. My solution is a toothpick. The body is sturdy enough it works.

That looked good from the front, but a little bulky from the side. I did a bit of re-thinking and decided to make the head a bit thinner.

Tree-top angel with modified head on wandasknottythoughts
Tree-top angel with modified head

I’m much happier with this. It looks good on the tree.

2021 Christmas tree on wandasknottythoughts
Our Christmas tree

I did get enough Jasper snowflakes done to give to my family with the Christmas cards this year, but just barely. I keep getting distracted by other things, including trying to come up with wings for the tree-topper. I also made a scissors keeper for my sister. Which I forgot to take a picture of – she had to send me one.

Scissors keeper on wandasknottythoughts
Scissors keeper

I have made several keepers for myself and she liked the idea. This one is made in Lizbeth #122 ‘Caribbean’ in size 10. She embroiders a lot and likes that you can use the scissors without taking them off and without losing them. These scissors have a sheath that covers the points so you don’t get stabbed while wearing them.

We had our last-of-the-season family get-togethers at our house this last weekend. After cleaning up after that I can now relax and enjoy my clean, decorated house for the rest of the holidays. And remember the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas to all!

Joy to the World

Joy to The world! the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let ev’ry heart prepare him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing

Joy to the world! the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonder wonders of His love

Getting Ready for Christmas

I had a plan, one that would have the house ready for guests and get my Christmas tatting done in time for cards and other gifts. I say ‘had’ as I’m not doing a good job of sticking with it.

We are having my side of the family over for Christmas, so some house cleaning is needed and some decorations put up. I’ve been doing a bit of both cleaning and decorating but I keep getting sidetracked, so some things are done, others not so much. But sometimes cleaning one area creates a mess in another area. It would be very helpful if I was better organized. I’ve gotten more of the outside decorations up than the inside. It helps that we’ve been having unseasonably warm weather the last several weeks, which makes it nice to be outside.

I’ve also been working on something for myself, not exactly what I need to be doing right now. Every year at Christmas I think how great it would be to tat an angel for a tree topper, and every year I haven’t done it. This year I’m doing one, but not how I expected to do it.

Tree topper angel on wandasknottythoughts
Tree topper angel

I’ve always envisioned one completely tatted, or maybe white, frilly material edged and decorated with lovely, dainty, white tatted lace. Instead, I’m working on a felt angel with red tatting in size 10 thread. Not exactly dainty or frilly.

I was playing with a piece of white felt the other day while watching TV, not really paying much attention, rolling it up and such. I found it in a cone shape and thought about how it would make a good body for an angel. Then I had to figure how to do the head and arms. I’m still trying to decide how to do the wings, and will probably do more on the skirt. I’m not sure if that will be this year or next. All of the tatting on it is in DMC #816 is size 10. It already looks good on top of the tree.

Felt angel on top of the tree on wandasknottythoughts
Felt angel on top of the tree

What I should have been doing instead of working on the angel is working on snowflakes to put in the Christmas cards. I’ve made a few but not enough, and not all of them have the ends sewn in. None of them are stiffened.

Jasper snowflake on wandasknottythoughts
Jasper snowflake

This is Jasper, a snowflake that takes less time than the Pinwheel snowflake. I am not sure, but I think I may have seen something like this elsewhere but I don’t know where. I was not looking at anything when I made this except whatever was on TV at the time. I have several finished, most in some shade of red in size 20, one in size 40, and one in size 10 threads. This last one will have to be mine as I didn’t notice a major mistake on one leg until I was on the last leg. It will look good on my tree. But I need more so they can look good in my Christmas cards! I really must get on them before it is too late.

There are less than 15 days until Christmas. Are you ready?

Christmas is coming. Keep calm and Tat on!