Christmas Spiders - 2012

Do you know the "Legend of the Christmas Spider"?

While I was looking for information to share with you about it, I found this page which shows that there are a few different versions of the Christmas Spider poem, but the idea is relatively the same.

In case you haven't heard of it (or choose not to visit the spiderwisdom.com page) here is one we like:

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CHRISTMAS SPIDER


(A folk legend from Germany and the Ukraine)

Once upon a time, long ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year.... The day on which the Christ child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner in the ceiling to avoid the housewife's busy cleaning. They finally fled to the farthest corner of the attic.

T'was the Christmas eve at last! The tree was decorated and waiting for the children to see it. But the poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the Christ child's visit. But the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could peep through the crack in the door to see him. Silently they crept out of their attic, down the stairs, and across the floor to wait in the crack in the threshold. Suddenly, the door opened a wee bit and quickly the spiders scurried into the room. They must see the tree closely, since their eyes weren't accustomed to the brightness of the room... so the crept all over the tree, up and down, over every branch and twig and saw every one of the pretty things. At last they satisfied themselves completely of the Christmas tree beauty.

But alas!! Everywhere they went they had left their webs, and when the little Christ child came to bless the house he was dismayed. He loved the little spiders, for they were God's creatures too, but he knew the mother, who had trimmed the tree for the little children, wouldn't feel the same, so He touched the webs and they all turned to sparkling, shimmering, silver and gold!

Ever since that time, we have hung tinsel on our Christmas trees, and according to the legend, it has been a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the tree.

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It took a bit of coaxing to convince Matilda that we could create Christmas Spiders that our friends wouldn't be afraid of.  After she saw how cute they were, she was excited to play with them until one by one they went to spend Christmas in Christmas trees at their new homes.

We wish you and your family A Very Merry Christmas!!

~Matilda and Bonnie

A Creative Life

ginger at bearbits recently did a post entitled to live a creative life  It is about her daughter's creativity. 

It starts with this ....

That saying is me right now! 

I'm sure I interpreted it differently than what some others will, but this is how it relates to me. 

For more than a year I have been an active part of a campaign to save our county ran nursing facility (you can see me here towards the bottom of the page at one of our many rallys - as of today the photo is still there. )  That being said when I am home I am exhausted .... and for the most part worried and unhappy.

I haven't tatted more than a few minutes here or there in months. And now I find myself intimidated by it. I look at my patterns and HDTs and wonder if it is worth even starting something?

I got some new HDT  from Jess at Tatilicious hoping it would jump start my creativity again.  (I know I said I wouldn't get more until I'd used up some of what I had, but I was desperate - so I won't beat myself up over it *smile*)  But even that didn't help.

Somehow I must lose the fear of  "what if I spend my limited time tatting and it ends up being a waste".

You know .... what if it ends up being the wrong pattern and I don't enjoy it so it doesn't get completed, or I use the wrong color for the pattern, or the thread size is wrong for the pattern, or ... well you get it.

I must lose the fear of being wrong in order to become creative again.

I greatly enjoy being creative, it is part of what makes me ME  :-)

Happy Creating - or whatever it is that you do that makes you YOU.

Blue Heart - 2012 UIU Project

On Wednesday my friend, Rose retired.  I wanted to tat her something special to go inside her Congratulations card. 

The pattern is Romantic Heart - with Directions by Beelizabeth.  I recently learned about this pattern via the InTatters website.  Specifically this series of posts.  If you are not a member of InTatters, I encourage you to check it out.  It is an interactive website for tatters of skill levels. 
 

The pattern can be found here.

It was made using HDT thread I already had wrapped onto a yarn daisy.  I can't tell you the thread size or name or who the dyer was because, of course, I didn't have any thread info attached to it.  

The lovely Matilda showing you my HDT version of Birgit's Romantic Heart.

'Knot Tonight Josephine' Exchange

Awhile ago I told you about Fringe Tatters and their "Knot Tonight Josephine" exchange?
Here is what I sent to my partner, Heather ... wait I can't find a picture.  I know I took some, with Matilda, I know I did.  Shoot.  Oh well. 

So I'll just go right to showing you what I received from my partner, Ruth.

Her sun catcher is so very pretty. I did put it up in the window,
but not sure if I will let it remain there because I don't
want the sun to bleach it out, but for now that's where it is.

Ruth said the lilacs on the window card are made
with two different size threads. 
They are very pretty, but look way to complicated for me to tat. 



Ruth also told me that she's been tatting about 40 years and that she doesn't have a favorite size thread to work with that she likes them all.  I'm still not sure how people tat with size 80 or 100, my eyes will not allow it.





It still upsets me that I can't find the umbrella (from Martha Ess' Holiday's on the Block) that I tatted for my partner.  Shoot.  Checked cellphone, checked digital camera, checked all thru the computer.  Oh well. 

WAIT, one more pass threw the computer and I found the pictures.

I made the blue handle and the yellow rim of the umbrella to be the Josephine Knots that I needed for the challenge.

I greatly enjoy working with HDT so we sent a skein to Heather too.

Since both the yellow and the blue are threads I had (and we gifted a skein of HTD, which although I didn't use it - it is no longer in my possession) this definitely counts towards The 2012 UIU Project.  



It's Raining Men.......???

... no not Men, but tatted Butterflies.

When Isdihara wrote this post that in part featured Jane Eborall's Very Small Butterfly, I knew it was a pattern I could memorize and be able to use when there's just that little bit of thread left on a shuttle that I can't bear to waste.  (bear - no pun intended... sorry that made me giggle)



It's Raining Butterflies


Matilda and I got busy emptying shuttles making Jane's butterflies.  My original intention was to get pictures with Matilda and the people we give the butterflies to, but I get excited to share them and I forget to take pictures.  So rather than stress about not doing it, we decided to just show you some of the ones we had before we gave these ones away too.

I get to count these towards The 2012 UIU Project, because I was able to empty 2 shuttles making these.

Oh and to explain today's post title:

Matilda said these pictures make it look like it's raining butterflies on her, which she's right .... but when she said that it made me think of the song ....  It's Raining Men.  (Which again gave me a giggle.)