Crafty Christmas

Purple Wreath Bookmark

Here's the small gifts I put together for my mom, sister and nephew after I learned Monday evening that we were going to have gift exchanges here after all and I panicked at the thought of being the only one not giving anything.  I wasn't expecting it as our family did not celebrate growing up nor did Mom as a child.  Our church considered it pagan and nothing to do with Christ.

In the first few years they lived here Carri and her son, who was then in his pre and early teens and had celebrated all his life, kept their celebrations private and limited to their rooms downstairs.  But I guess my sister has been slowly acclimating Mom to the concept and she now joins in and seems to enjoy it.

I  had several projects in the works for each of them (for Mom it was birthday presents for her birthday January 3rd) but most were too far from finished to get them ready in time.  So I started new tiny things.

For my sister this purple wreath bookmark.  Actually it was a total accident as I was trying to whip up a quick finish to one of my projects for her and was experimenting with using the Solomon Knot aka Love Knot as the solution for making an approximately 4x4 inch square as the back side of something for which the more complex front panel was already complete.  After putting in three rows tho I realized it was massively distorted.  It was ruffled and when I tried to lay it flat it formed the wreath shape naturally.  My first thought was 'Christmas tree ornament' and that was my intent as I stitched the edges together and tucked the tails.  But then I had a idea for how to turn it into a bookmark.

Double Tasseled Blue Mesh Bookmark

This was one of the things already in the works for Mom.  The pale blue 2 chain mesh was already complete and one row of the variegated 3 chain mesh border was on.  I whipped on the second row and added the tassels.  The second long tassel with the beads on the end is an innovation I've started adding to some of my bookmarks (even the store bought ones) and its for anchoring the bookmark in place to prevent loss.

Below I demonstrate with the cover I needlepointed some years ago:

Bookmark Demo

The weighted string or braid is placed in the back of the book (or anywhere that is at least a dozen pages or so ahead or behind your place.  The bookmark itself marks your page.

I miscalculated the length for this one and it will only work for books slightly taller than paperbacks and smaller.  Ideally it should be long enough to work in a full size hardback with an inch or more to spare for crossing over several hundred pages.

'L' Key Fob

Carri had told me Tuesday afternoon of her intention to sign Levi up for driving school for his 'Big' gift.  Which gave the idea for the key fob.  This was the third version.  The second one was nearly done when I decided it was too lacy and flimsy and bright for a guy's fob and unraveled it back onto the ball.  That had been Christmas green using a patter of alternating single and double crochet with a single strand of size 10 thread.

For the final version I used double stranded size 10 in frosty green and fudge brown with the solid half-double stitch.  The border is fudge brown size 3, also half-double crochet.