Relaxing in the new year

I am retired, so it makes sense that I should take some time to relax. I plan on doing things at an easier pace. Today I chose to spend most of my time crocheting, and I managed to finish the first section of daughter Carol's 12 Step Sampler Blanket. No goals were set, I just enjoyed the day!

I also had fun with buttons. I found a spool of WonderFil Dazzle metallic rayon that I must have purchased a long time ago. It was pretty dusty. There's more sparkle than shows up in the picture. It's a pretty nice thread to work with as far as making Dorset buttons goes. I'll have to see if I like tatting with it.

It was fun playing with my Christmas tree idea today. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, but there's so much I will do differently next time. I was eager to finish this one just so I could see how it would all go together, so I didn't do as much as I could have. Now that I have a prototype, I can let my imagination go wild!

Still playing with buttons

 

Last night I decided to give the Lychett Basket pattern another try. I did the casting before heading off to bed. Casting is covering the ring with the blanket stitch. This morning I did the slicking (pushing the bumps formed by the blanket stitch to the back), laying (wrapping the spokes around the ring), and rounding (weaving the pattern. 

Although this looks better than yesterday's attempt, it's far from being acceptable!

Since I wasn't doing very well with the Lychett Basket, I decided to set Dorset buttons aside and work on a button ornament. It's very satisfying to tat a familiar pattern!

I have a little tin that's holding the buttons, donuts, and findings that I plan on using with size 40 Lizbeth #669 Poppy Red. To make things more interesting, I just reach into the tin and pull something out. It helps keep things interesting!

I was going to try another Lychett Basket, but after three false starts I decided to make it into a Dorset Crosswheel. It looks like I need to work on my tension!