Trashin' It

Continuing with more hearts to empty my shuttles, here's Hearts on a Paperclip by Ellen Lai:

And I was so enjoying this pretty heart pattern!  This one is the Clover Drop Heart by Nancy Tracy on Be-Stitched.

I was happily using up thread on two shuttles, and it was looking like I would have enough to finish with little to spare.  And then . . . when I attached the 2nd clover to the center ring  . . . I realized I'd attached the first one wrong.  %#$@&%$@!  I am NOT picking this out to go back and correct the join.  Apparently I attached it to the 9th picot of the ring from the wrong direction.  I seem to do this fairly often - and then go back and unpick when (if) I realize it soon enough.  The maddening part on this one is that I had attached it the first time, thought I had it wrong and went back and "corrected" my mistake.  Hhhmpphh.  It was probably right the first time.  I will get 2 more emptied shuttles out of this - but not another heart for my stash.  I'm trashin' it and starting over because I really like this pattern!

**************************

And speaking of "trash" - I'm so enjoying dabbling in upcycling and trying to be creative.  Well, I'm a good copier anyway.  Ha!  I have a trash stash now too.

Here are a few basic instructions on those wine bottle stoppers since Diane asked:

I used 7/8" corks and a #16 finishing washer.  The sizes and the name of the washer took the longest to figure out - but with an energetic Home Depot employee, we got it by looking at a picture!  Nice guy - must have experience with crafters :)

Hubby drilled holes in the corks, and used the original keystock (the piece between the 2 knobs) and cut it to go into the corks about 1/3 of the way or so.  (That keystock may need to be glued into the knob to be sure it's going to stay there.)

He glued that finishing washer to the top of the cork, and then used a lot of glue in the hole to place the knob.  He then used a clamp (?) to hold the pieces together while the glue dried. These photos are from a couple that are being taken apart to do again, as the cork ended up crooked.  I heard a voice in the garage that said something like, "Gosh darn it these little buggers are hard to take apart.  That's some fine glue!"  Well, that voice said something like that, anyway.

In any case, my photo isn't the greatest here, but I thought I'd show you how nicely these stoppers go with my decor. 

I'm thinking it would be fun to find doorknobs to sort of match some of the fun wines out there. (I'm thinking Marilyn Merlot, Mommy's Time Out, Elephant on a Tightrope, Arrogant Frog, etc.)  That would be a fun gift!

Shuttles and . . . Doorknobs?

I have too many shuttles with leftover thread on them just waiting to be used.  Sooooo, I've been making hearts to keep ahead of Valentine's Day with whatever thread is on the shuttle(s) I grab.  This is making for some odd colored hearts, but I will certainly have a nice stash to add to Valentines.  I have sort of been on a mission to find and save small heart patterns too.  Wow!  There are so many wonderful patterns out there.

This is the Tatted Heart found HERE.

 I really like this pattern - found HERE.

And this is one from a 1988 Workbasket. Looks a little lopsided!

I like that it looks lacy with all those picots. 

(Too bad I didn't try a little harder to keep the picot size uniform.)

 

I've been tatting little hearts during my lunch breaks too. 

I think I'm just excited to be AHEAD of the holiday for once :)  Ha.

**************************

 Remember those old doorknobs I have ?  Diane was right.  Wine bottle stoppers.  Just something I saw for a ridiculous price and thought "I could make those!"  So, of course, I was on a mission to figure out how to make them.  Hubby and I looked at pictures and visited the hardware stores until we finally got it, and then voila.  Another project for hubby - much to his dismay delight.  He loves it when I come up with new projects.  (Well, projects for me, anyway.)   We have about 15 of these now. I craft in bulk, remember?!

**************************

I got these from a very good friend in the mail last week. 

She said they just reminded her of me.   

She knows me well, don't you think?

I Craft in Bulk . . .

Even though it seems like books and bookmarks are being replaced by e-readers, I felt the need to get another bookmark done for my stash.  Since I love the Lizbeth Island Breeze, I dug out one of my favorite bookmark patterns found HERE, and whipped this one up in no time.  Michelle also recently used this pattern for a great bracelet HERE.  What is it about bookmarks?  I think I love to tat them because they are a quick accomplishment!

While I was sitting in my "woman cave" sewing in the thread ends on my bookmark, I used my little needlekeeper.  I love this little thing because it's so small, and easily fits in the smallest of tatting containers.  And while I was taking photos for my last post, I realized that Island Breeze thread matched some felt I had purchased to make some more of these needlekeepers. I always seem to have to make everything in BULK.  Why?  I dunno.  I just do!  Does anyone else do that?  I think the habit lingers from my days of being a daycare provider and having craft supplies to make everything in multiples.   I won't say how many years it's been since I did that . . .

So, I quick sewed up a few needlekeepers!  And then tatted a short section of the bookmark pattern for one cover.

And then on with another heart pattern for another cover.  Ah, something I can use these little motifs on!  This is the Peacock Heart, and is done in Size 20 Lizbeth Tropical Punch.

So, I now have a little stash of needle keepers.  Ha!  I need one for every tatting bag, right? 

Either that or everyone is getting one for Christmas!

Hearts and Shuttles

My teardrop pendant gets better each time!  This is a wonderful learning piece for me - the pattern is fairly simple, but I'm learning about tension.  I seem to pull rings closed nice and tight, but I have trouble keeping the chain tension consistent.  I won't post another picture until I get it the way I want it :)  In the meantime, I've taken a break to tat some other small motifs.

Frivole posted this wonderful diagram of Irene Woo's Butterfly Heart.  I had to try it - such a pretty little heart to have on hand with Valentine's Day coming up.  I think this may lead to more hearts, as I've been digging in my patterns for every heart I can find.  Frivole also posted another wonderful diagram of Susan Fuller's Hearts Desire - a big favorite also.  I am so grateful for diagrammed patterns after looking through all those wonderful old books and having my eyes cross trying to read the patterns!

Here's the Butterfly Heart in both Lizbeth Size 20 Island Breeze & Size 40 Mocha Swirl.  Not bad except for the  final join and hiding of ends.  Sigh.

I really love the colors in that Island Breeze thread.  It just happens to match several pieces of felt I have in my cave.   Hhhhmmmm.

 And something else I've been waiting for from Frivole's Etsy shop . . .

Ta Da!  My new shuttles.  I was jealous of everyone's beautiful shuttles from LaCossette, but now I have some of my own.  My first request was . . .

A BLUEBIRD (what else?!)
He looks quite happy!

And then I saw these gorgeous PANSIES and had to have one also:

I think the pansies will live in this cute shuttle sock (that Teresa was so kind to gift to several of us way back in December) - they match!  Knitting something this tiny is just amazing to me.  It could be a new . . . NO . . .  I don't need any more hobbies.

 

OK, I will stop admiring my new shuttles sometime today, and start using them :)

I Wonder about Her

I wonder what she was like.  I mean my Great-Grandmother Rise, who came to the U.S. from Norway as a young woman in the late 1800's.  Who was she?

I have the spinning wheel that she brought with her to this country in 1880.  It must've been very important to bring with in order to haul a piece this large all that way on a ship.  I would love to know what else she had with her.

 The wool carding tools are handmade and came with the wheel, and the ball of yarn was supposedly made with this wheel too. I am not sure where the bobbin or the darning pieces came from, but I keep them just the same.

I also have her Autograph book - it looks like she received it for Christmas.

Did you notice the year?

Here's a closer look:

It amazes me to have this little book.  It makes me wonder about her, her friends, and what her life was like in this new country.  I've often thought of my various ancestors and what they were like, but having these things that once belonged to her make me wonder even more about her.

The autograph book is interesting to look at.  Most of the entries are in Norwegian, and the cool thing is that there are a couple of entries by my great-grandfather from before they were married. Signed "your friend".  This entry is on Christmas - the same date written inside the cover.  Maybe he gave this book to her when they were dating?

And another entry by my great-grandfather is about a year and a half later. 
It says:  "The world is round and has no end, and so is my love for you my friend."
How sweet is that? 

I can't find the date they were married at the moment, but their first child was born in May of 1890.  That child even made an entry in this book!  I wonder if Rise chuckled at her little girl's entry to Mama:

I remember my grandmother used to wear this locket containing pictures of her parents when I was a little girl.  I am lucky to have this locket now also - my great-grandparents Rise and Thom.  Another connection to the mysterious Rise.

I plopped it on a new chain, but it wouldn't pass over the little pearls on the chain.  

 So, I added a beautiful old clip on earring of my mom's to cover up the clasp and voila!

I have a beautiful new necklace to wear, and carry my ancestors with me.

And every time I look at the pictures, I just can't help but wonder what Great-Grandma Rise was like.  Obviously she spun yarn.  So, did she knit?  Crochet?  Did she tat? Did she sew or quilt?  Certainly any of those things would have been done out of necessity - not for pleasure or crafting like we do now. 

I wonder if there will be anything I have now that will make MY great-grandchildren wonder about me?