Gingerbread Snowflakes - A blog about winter celebrations

Make Your Very Own Scandinavian Shaved Wood Ornaments - from a Kit!!

Pam — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:05:11 +0000

Look at these beautiful Scandinavian shaved wood ornaments! Created using REAL wood savings! I love them to pieces! Just finished making them using a Shaved Wood Ornament Kit which I am very excited to share with you!!

Some of you may remember this post from July 2010 in which I shared two shaved wood treasures that have been in my Christmas tree ornament collection since I first began collecting Christmas ornaments. I also put out a plea for help finding a source for shaved wood or the ornaments.

You may remember that my amazingly kind and generous friend, Gill, sent me several rolls of "hobby spaan" (as it is called) from Norway. And since the day the Spaan arrived, I have spent many blissful hours making Scandinavian shaved wood ornaments. BUT I could never get the hang of making tight or spiral curls.

And, the European supplier was not too eager to ship directly to the USA. So I have been disappointed that I could not share a source for the material with my readers - many of whom are of Scandinavian heritage!

But making those sweet little curls is no longer a problem because now, thanks to a lovely woman in Michigan, I can order them already made for me!!

And as you can see above, I have successfully duplicated one of my original shaved wood treasures which was constructed from several spiral curls. (Darker wood is the original)

What has me more excited than making the ornaments is that now, finally, I can point you, my lovely readers, to "Olsen's Scandinavian Ornaments" where you can order a kit, just like the one above, and make your own Scandinavian Shaved Wood Ornaments!!!

For just $12.00 (which includes shipping within the continental USA) you can order a kit just like this one. Look at all the perfect little wood curls! There are enough curls in the kit to make 7 to 8 ornaments!

And because this is a kit - along with instructions, clips for holding your little curls together as the glue dries and strings for hanging are included! All you really need to supply is glue!

Once my kit arrived, I took a few pictures for the post and then began making ornaments!

In no time I had glued together the elements needed for four ornaments - and still had half the curls sent in the kit left - to share with Diane of course!

I could hardly wait for Aleene's Tacky Glue to dry so that I could begin assembling the elements into ornaments!

Drying!

Four beautiful brand new Scandinavian Shaved Wood Ornaments for my collection!!

And this beautiful woman is the ornament artist! Jan Dolland!

(Her daughter sent me the picture which was recently published in a Detroit nerwspaper.)

Actually, she has been making Scandinavian Shaved Wood Ornaments for years and years! Her daughter shared with me that she has many memories of sitting at the kitchen table watching as her mother made shaved wood ornaments to sell at local craft fairs.

Patti (Jan's Daughter) tells the story in her own words!

"It all started probably 35 years ago when she saw pictures of wood shaving ornaments in the Sunset magazine. She spent a year in Europe while in her 20's and was familiar with the ornaments. My grandfather was an avid woodworker and figured out a way to make them. One difference was the ones in the magazine were made from long strips that needed to be cut down and soaked in order to get the correct shape. My grandpa made short shavings that curled on their own. The only time she soaked them was to make long tear-drop shaped shavings. My grandpa and father made the shavings by hand for years, doing exactly as your husband said, with a plane. Then quite a few years ago, my dad, being a draftsman, came up with a machine to automate the process. It makes it much easier and the shavings turn out the same way."

And not only does Jan make ornaments, but she is an accomplished chocolatier who shares her knowledge and expertise by teaching classes. According to Jan, chocolate is her "first love"!

ANDÂ…there is more! She lectures around the country sharing her knowledge of the small quilting community of Gee's Bend, Alabama.

And, she still makes Scandinavian wood shaved ornaments to sell at fairs! She sent these little beauties with my kit order! They are so pretty wrapped in the cellophane bags that I can't being myself to open them! Currently I am displaying them in a beautiful hand thrown raku bowl on the dining table!

HERE IS HOW TO ORDER A KIT FROM JAN!!

Send a check or money order made payable to Jan Dolland. Each kit including shipping within the continental USA is $14.00.

Send to:

Jan Dolland; 34305 Mulvey Road; Fraser, Michigan 48026

Be sure to include your return address. (Don't laugh - in my excitement, I forgot mine the first time I ordered!)

If you are interested in ordering completed ornaments, or have any questions, you can e-mail Jan here: oshavings@gmail.com

And if you live in the Detroit area, check in with her as I understand she will be teaching four ornament classes in the fall! Lucky you if you live nearby!!

How to Knit a Fairytale Pumpkin

Pam — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 21:21:52 +0000

Rarely will a knit pattern appear here as I do not consider myself a designer or pattern writer. However, occasionally I can be persuaded to share how I made something, and since there have been requests, I am providing this guideline.

Most of what I am sharing here is based on techniques learned while knitting patterns created by Alan Dart, Marie Mayhew and Arne and Carlos. I have found their patterns especially useful in learning to knit and applying increases, decreases and purl and knit stitches to create three dimensions. I take absolutely no credit. The guideline is based on what I have learned from these three amazing designers.

If you choose to knit this pumpkin, be aware that some knowledge of knitting is needed.

I used 1 skein of Rooster Amerino Aran yarn and five US #5 dpn needles to make the pumpkin life size. It is nearly 10" in diameter. I used the same guideline to make the Queensland Blue above and a Porcelaine Doll (pink). Google either one for pictures of the real pumpkins. As these pumpkins are becoming more and more popular, you can find them at many pumpkin patches. I get mine at The Original Pumpkin Patch Sauvie Island, Portland, OR.

I have used the designation M1sb in this guideline to designate an increase method I learned from Arne and Carlos while making their fabulous Christmas balls (also knitting their Christmas balls is brilliant practice for learning to knit fairisle). Basically it means that to increase without a hole in the fabric, the right leg of the stitch below the working stitch on the needle is picked up and knitted - this makes a new stitch M1sb. The stitch still on the needle is then knitted and designated as k1. Google "lifted increase" or "M1 in stitch below " for great demo videos. I make mine slightly differently but arrive at the same result.

Here is my guideline.............

Cast on 12 stitches; divide stitches among 4 needles, three stitches per needle; join in the round being careful not to twist the row.

Round 1 : Knit front and back in each stitch - total 24 stitches.

round 2 : 1 kfb, 1 p to the end of round - 36 stitches

rds 3 & 4: k1, p1 to end of rd.

round 5 : knit to end of rd.

round 6 : k1, M1sb, k1, p1 to end of round - 48 stitches

rds 7 & 8 : k3, p1 to end of round

round 9 : k1, M1sb, k1, M1sb, k1, p1 to end of round - 72 stitches

rds 10 &11 : knit 5, p1 to end of round

round 12 : M1sb, k5, p1 to end of round 84 stitches

rds 13 & 14 : k6, p1 to end of round

round 15 : k5, M1sb, k1,p1 to end of round 96 stitches

rds 16 & 17 : k7, p1 to end of round

round 18 : M1sb, k7, p1 to end of round 108 stitches

rds 19 &20 : k8, p1 to end of round

round 21 : k7, M1sb, k1, p1 to end of rd. 120 stitches

rds 22 & 23 : k9, p1 to end of round

round 24 : M1sb, K9, p1 to end of round 132 stitches

Rows 25 to 49 (25 rows) k10, p1 to end of each round (for taller pumpkin, add more rows, for squat pumpkin, knit fewer rows.)

round 50 (begins the decreass from fattest part of pumpkin to the stem end.) ssk, k8, p1 to end of round 120 stitches

rds 51 & 52 : k9, p1 to end of round

round 53 : k7, k2tog, p1 to end of round 108 stitches

rds 54 & 55 : k8, p1 to end of round

round 56 : ssk, k6, p1 to end of round 96 stitchs

rds 57 & 58: k7, p1 to end of round

round 59 : k5, k2tog, p1 to end of round 84 stitches

rds 60 & 61 : k6, p1 to end of round

round 62 : ssk, k4, p1 to end of round 72 stitches

rds 63 & 64 : k5, p1 to end of round

round 65 : ssk, k1, k2tog, p1 to end of round 48 stitches

rds 66 & 67 : k3, p1 to end of round

round 68 : ssk, k1, p1 to end of round 36 stitches

round 69: ssk, p1 to end of round 24 stitches

Stuff pumpkin until fairly firm but not rock solid. Some squish is needed to create the lobes. Once stuffing is almost completed, proceed with next decrease round.

round 70 : k2tog to end of round 12 stitches

Cut yarn leaving a 10 " tail. Fill in the top if needed, not too firm as we want it to sink in. Gather the last twelve stitches together and secure.

Cut 12 pieces of yarn about 24" long each. We will call them silhouette yarns. Thread a tapestry needle and pull the yarn through the center of the pumpkin so that one end is extending from the bottom and one end from the top. Repeat with each of the 12 yarns. I tie a bow in mine somewhere on the pumpkin body along one of the purl rows to keep the yarn ends together. Otherwise the ends will get mixed up.

Once all silhouette yarns are in place, select one, and while pulling the pumpkin body toward the center along a purl groove, tie the ends together with a firm knot near the bottom depression. Working with silhouette yarns and purl grooves that are opposite eachother, continue pulling and tying the yarns as above. In this way lobes and grooves are created.

You will have 12 puffy fat lobes when you have pulled and tied all the yarns. If you are not satisfied with how the lobes look, you can always cut a new yarn, cut out the previously used silhouette yarn, and replace it with the new yarn in order to give your pumpkin a more pleasing shape.

Thread both ends of a silhouette yarn through the needle as if they were one. Draw the needle and yarn into the bottom of the pumpkin at or very near the knot, and pull through the center to the top, and then pull back through the center to the bottom and come out in the center of the depression. Continue with all 12 yarns.

Once all yarns have been secured in this way, cut them about 2/3 inch long. I left mine just this way but you can needle felt yours to the deperssion for a neater look if you wish. Or you can bury them in the pumpkin body.

Finally, hot glue a pumpkin or gourd or squash stem that you have saved and dried for a week or so (even a year) right into the top depression.

Your fairytale pumpkin is done!

Please, if you find any mistake, let me know so I can correct. I am not accustomed to writing pattern like posts. I welcome your help if mistakes have been made or anything is unclear. Thank you.

Making a Fiber Arts Advent Calender

Pam — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 04:46:04 +0000

Advent, also known as Count-down to Christmas, is only two months away and I am back working on my newest advent calender. It is all fiber arts, very big (30"x40"), and a work in progress! As you see it in the image above, it was at the point of being usable last holiday season (2017 season). But by no means completed.

The story I am sharing in this post is more of a guideline to how it was constructed. I am not offering specific patterns because I see this as an artful process that reflects the many media of creative expression I most enjoy. My hope here is to point you in your own direction, to engage your own muse, and reflect what you love.

At this point I have actually removed the "snow" and the blue tree topping the building on the left. I really don't like either. Snowflakes, embroidered, appliqued and shisha, will fill the sky and some may drift down onto the village itself. Pine trees and rose hips will frame the scene and more embellishment is needed on some houses. These are the directions I am heading now and will share the results near the beginning of advent.

So....enough intro! Let's start at the beginning!

I joined a Christmas Club featured on Carina's Craft Blog a couple years ago. 24 holiday themed miniature embroideries - approximate dimensions 3"x 3". Very soon after beginning this delightful project, I noticed a village themed quilt on an Instagram post and the idea was "born". I would create a felt Christmas village and hidden behind windows and doors would be this set of tiny embroideries.

I purchased roving that wet felts easily and made my own felt following the many tutorials that exist around the web. They all employ pretty much the same techniques. I placed my layers of fiber on bubble wrap, added a layer of mesh, bubble wrap, thin packing foam, and rolled this up inside a cheap plastic place-mat secured with rubber bands. The placemat provided just the right amount of stability while rolling the bundle. I suggest purchasing your roving from Living Felt. The lovely staff will point you to the right choices.

Design and draw your village at life size or use graph paper and draw at reduced scale. Cut out your pattern pieces and lay out on your calendar background. Once you are satisfied with the patterns, cut the felt and lay it in place.

Working piece by piece, begin cutting the "windows" and "doors" by referring to your original design. I measured mine on the paper pattern and used the measurements to mark my felt houses before cutting. As my designs are a little less that 3" x 3", I used that as my guide for the dimensions of the openings.

Once all openings have been cut, press each embroidery and place it behind an opening, pin and then tack in place.

I used a heavy manufactured wool felt for the background, so at this point I needle felted the felt houses right onto the background. It took awhile but it was actually very enjoyable. I would be very surprised to find felting foam in two foot x two foot sizes, and I do have a very large supply of packing foam so I simply stacked up many layer of packing foam to make a base for the needle felting process. It works beautifully. If you haven't saved your own supply, it is available where packing materials are sold. Or purchase a felting pad from Living Felt.

Next step...embellishing the houses, windows, doors, and the village itself. To me this is the most fun. I am finding wool embroidery thread and hand made felt are made for each other.

All the felt cut to create window and door openings became the doors and windows used to hide the embroideries. They were embellished to reflect many of the fiber and other crafts I enjoy: crochet, tin, shisha, knitting, needle felting, terniffe...even an Arne and Carlos Christmas ball!

The white tree (in first image) is cut to resemble Danish paper cutting and embroidered using patterns purchased from Carina Craft Blog shop. The Snowman, Santa and Penguin (also appearing in the first image) are designs purchased from the Seasons of Joy Etsy shop...crayon bonded to fabric and then embroidered. I will share more in the next post about both.

All those little doors and windows are hung from tiny tiny tiny pompoms available at most craft stores. Mine are hot glued in place. So far that system is working very well. Each door is numbered and simply removed as the count down progresses.

I hope this will inspire you to create your own count down calendar using the skills and techniques that appeal to you...quilting, paper, fun felt, regular felt, weaving........there are so many, many possibilities. Let your imagination be your guide.

And watch for the follow-up post in late November! My countdown calendar will look much different than it does now!!!

How to Make a Gnome...EASY

Pam — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 23:05:39 +0000

A Gnome, most especially a Scandinavian Gnome, is all about three things...the hair (and beard), the nose, and the hat. The rest - ie the body and head are really only structural and require nothing special. As a result, making one is very easy and can be done with almost anything you have on hand.

For the gnome I am making today, I am using fabric scraps left from other projects, one of those super wonderful paper cones you can find at craft supply stores for next to nothing, a bit of roving and other fiber from ancient stash. Tools are simple - scissors, glue gun, marker, box cutter, and if you choose, a needle felting tool but...it is not necessary.

But you can substitute almost anything - hair could be a mop, or yarn or twine; nose could be a fabric covered styrofoam ball, small ball of yarn, a plastic ball or old holiday ornament; the body and hat can be burlap, old bath towel, old sweater, fleece pajamas, felted sweater...so just look around at what you have on hand and use your imagination.

Step 1. Make the body. In this case, since the body will not show at all, I am able to use an oddly shaped bit of wool left from another project. It doesn't completely cover the cone, but that does not matter.

Step 2. Cut the fabric so that it fits the part of the cone you need for the body. Mark the top edge of the fabric on the cone.

Step 3. Using a box cutter or exacto knife, cut off the pointed end of the cone and glue the fabric onto the cone with hot glue.

Step 4. While the hot glue is hot, glue on the head. Anything round will work for the head. It never, ever will be visible. My usual preference is to make a needle felted or wet felted ball, but in this case to keep things simple I used an old ball of yarn I know I will never use.

A fiber or yarn ball is best if you will be needle felting the hair and beard in place. If you plan to use the glue gun for that step, make sure whatever you use for the head will not melt - a styrofoam ball wrapped in a layer of batting or heavy fabric would work. A large ball - again wrapped in batting or thick fabric so it won't melt. A ball made of newspaper would work. A ball of yarn - but not synthetic. You can always find balls of yarn at the thrift stores. Wrap in cotton batting if you are unsure of the fiber content.

Step 5. Make and attach the nose. Either needle felt it into place or use hot glue. It doesn't have to look great because only the tip will ever show. I needle felted a nose, but again, a nose can be anything round.

Step 6. And now the hat! (My hat is cut from an old Pendleton wool chair seat cover). Cone shaped hats are a favorite, but I have seen several gnomes with unusually shaped hats and I love them all. Shape is not as important as that it fits loosely and has good drape. Soft felt or fleece or good quality wool, or felted sweaters...anything that will not ravel easily are perfect because all you must do is cut it out, sew the seam, and plop the hat on the gnome's head. To keep it easy, use a simple, over-sized cone shape.

Like this!

In this case, the shape of the hat requires no support, however, most times it is helpful to glue the pointed end of the cone onto the top of the head as shown below.

Amazing transformation, isn't it? And fyi...the hat is not attached. The cone is an excellent support

Step 7. Attach the hair and beard all the way around the head just above the join between the head and body.. I prefer needle felting but glue guns are quicker. The hair can be as short or long as you like, just be sure it covers the connection between head and body and place some along both sides of the nose. Once the hair and beard are as thick as you like, all that is left to do is to plop on the hat and you have a beautiful new Gnome.

Usually, I like my gnomes to have soft flowing silky hair so I use roving. If you are not familiar with roving, go into any yarn shop and ask. They will help and show you how to pull it apart. Never ever cut it! You can also order from a super fabulous selection of rovings and locks available on line at Living Felt... google it!

Note: for those interested: the fibers I used for the hair and beard all have a history. The brown I purchased in 1975 (please no math) and it is about as unfinished as fiber can be, heavy with lanolin and knotted and tangled. The golden cream fiber was a gift from my MIL who brought it home from a long summer spent on a sheep farm in Greece about the same time as I purchased the brown fiber.. It is free of lanolin and is like pencil roving but is full of burrs and grass etc. Very course, dull fiber as opposed to be brown fiber which is lustrous and soft. And finally the white ... a good use for my learning to spin failures.

I wanted my gnome to resemble a wild old Merlin who lived in the deep woods and never combed his hair. I think, using these fibers, I managed that. I am thinking that my Merlin gnome really needs a walking stick, however.

Primstav: About the Symbols - Second Half of Winter Side

Pam — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 18:03:49 +0000

Welcome! This is the final post describing the symbols used on my embroidered Primstav. And pretty much my least favorite part of the yearly cycle. The days are short, nights are long, it is cold, cloudy, and wet most of the time, Nothing is blooming. The time between Holiday merriment and the first signs of spring. I make a big deal out of anything I can celebrate!

January 20th Brodre Mass - and the day that is set aside to chop wood for the coldest days ahead. An ax is the symbol and since it was not used to murder - it is allowed.

January 25: St. Paul's Mass AND Bobby Burn's Day. On the Julienne Calendar, this day was the midpoint of winter. A snowflake seemed an appropriate symbol as opposed to the traditional bow or sword which represent Paul. I like snowflakes - a LOT.We get them usually at this time. January 25th ist also the day the celebrated Scottish Poet Robert Burns is remembered. Hopefully my symbol resembles a fountain pen! Scottish dishes are served in my family.

February 2: Brigid's Day, Candlemas, Imbloc, and Groundhog Day. Now days officially the midpoint of winter. The church celebrates this day as the day of the purification of Mary and candles brought to the church are blessed. Candles represent this important date on the traditional calendar stick and on mine. It is also an important day in Wicca, a day of rebirth and awakening of the earth. Personally I celebrate it as Brigid's Day: Brigid, the virgin goddess of fertility and creative inspiration, by making Brigid's crosses, lighting candles and floating them in my small fountain pond dedicated to Brigid (water is a symbol), seeking signs of green peaking through the soil, making something of my own creation, and eating pancakes because they are wheat based and are in the shape of the sun. My symbol is a tiny embroidered Brigid's Cross.

Find tutorials for making the traditional cross, a beautiful Brigid day Candle using pressed flowers, and an embroidered cross by entering Brigid's Day in the search box on this blog. You will also find links to posts sharing more in depth meanings of the beliefs associated with this day.

February 14: St. Valentines Day. A couple of saint days fall before this day, but I have jumped straight to Valentine's Day! I know it is a made up day but...I use it as an excuse to thank people who have enriched my life in many ways even if it was simply assisting me in finding some obscure item in a grocery store! Kirby loved this time because we baked cookies for all the businesses that referred us as photographers and he was the official taster. And it delighted him seeing the smiled and happy eyes when we showed up with our 18" round platters of dozens of cookies. As we drove around delivering 18 platters, he got to snack on 'rejects'. My symbol is a big pink and white Danish Woven Heart. Traditionally they are for Christmas, but many bloggers and crafters have also adopted them for Valentines Day.

February 22: St. Peter's Day. The traditional symbol is a key because it is after all St. Peter who holds the keys to the gates of heaven. I have used ice blue thread because according to one account I found, this is the last day of the year it is prudent to walk on the still frozen lakes and ponds. Do so and expect no rescue from your folly.

February 24: St. Matthias' Day - the believer who replaced Judas. Since this day was counted twice in leap years, young women could, if they wished, ask a young lad for his hand in marriage! Hummmmmmmm beginning of Sadie Hawkins Day?? My symbol is two suns, one bright yellow with dark blue rays and one dark blue with yellow rays. In my research, I learned that superstitions around this day involved predicting the weather for the coming year. Not unlike ground hog day superstitions!

February 27 Cream Puff Day! And in case you can not tell, the symbol is a cream puff which both Kirby and I loved. We passed a bakery on our way home after school and would use our allowances to buy the most exquisite custard filled cream puffs ever. I made us a batch one year the day before Lent. Kirby, knowing how much I loved creating reasons to celebrate, asked it this could be official Cream Puff Day. He loved my custard filled cream puffs that much!

March 1: St. David's Day - patron saint of Wales. It is a day to celebrate both St. David who founded many Welsh churches and to celebrate Welsh cultural traditions and history. A red dragon on a green and white field is the flag symbol displayed this day and many people wear daffodils or leeks on their lapels. Special foods are served and no doubt lots of singing because the Welsh are blessed with incredibly beautiful singing voices. Since a big part of my gene pool is Welsh, I celebrate with daffodils (hence the daffodil on the calendar) and learning to make Welsh foods.

March 9: Forty Soldiers. Forty Roman Soldiers were martyred this day in 320AD in Sebast, Turkey. This day was chosed to remember them because it always falls within the 40 days of Lent. The symbol it traditionally a half sun.

March 12: St. Gregory Day. The symbol is usually a dove for St. Gregory; but a crow was used on the calendar sticks. The birds are among my favorite symbols on the traditional calendars. I made sure every one of them appeared on my own calendar - coocoo, dove, goose, crow. They were also loads of fun to embroider!

March 14: Pi day. The symbol is the mathematical expression for pi - 3.14 (rounded off of course) - the ratio of the circumference of a circle to it's diameter. I celebrate the day becaues math has been such a valuable tool throughout my life and I celebrate by baking a new to me pie! And eating it up, of course!

March 17: St. Patrick Day. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Widely popular day in the US and Canada as well a the UK for celebrating with irish food and lots of beer! The lucky shamrock is the symbol.

March 20: Grandson's Birthday

March 21: Spring equinox. It is a day to sit outside near my little Brigid fountain pond and float candles to celebrate. And most years Spring's imminent arrival is heralded by plum trees in full bloom and tulip tips showing above the soil, helebores in full bloom. My garden springs into action now and surprises will appear every single morning from now until late summer.

March 25: International Waffle Day. I eat waffles on this day too, just like everybody else! My symbol is a lopsided waffle because my waffles are always and forever lopsided...and delicious!

March 28: Feast of the Annunciation. The day celebrated as the day Gabrielle shared the news with Mary, mother of Christ, that she was pregnant. The symbol is an open book from which it is thought the message was read.

April 1: April Fool's Day. A court jester seemed a good symbol.

Aptil 12: Special day to honor my friend Nancy in Seattle. We became acquainted through my blog and discovered we have many mutual interests. One of them being Primstavs. She is hoping one day to carve her own version having been inspired by a wooden bowl carved with Primstav symbols. She is a good friend and we are constantly inspiring each other and she has been a huge supporter of my Primstav journey including sending me a book created and published by her Sons of Norway chapter in Seattle which shared a whole section of the meaning of Primstav symbols. So a special day for her is a must. March 12th was chosen because it is before April 14th, the first day of the summer side because...we talked about making and shared our interest before my project began.

Although I have not yet attached it (because it is packed away in my great grandmother's trunk with Christmas ornaments), a lovely red crocheted heart will soon be placed in the very center. I also need to figure out an attachment method that will allow me to turn it as the calendar is turned from summer to winter. The heart was made for me by my friend in Norway, Gill. She also has been a friend from the early days on my blog - we met over my interest in shaved ornaments and our shared love of all things Christmas. She sent me a lovely book, written in Norwegian, "Arets Rytme Vi Lager Var Egen Primstav av Vera Molland, which I translated using google. Questionable translations at times but along with other sources written in English, I was able to put it together. Translation - This Year's Rhythm - We create our own Primstav.

So now you have the whole story! It began as a journey designed to take a year and has actually taken three. If you missed the two previous posts, be sure to read them. And you will find links to the earlier posts describing the design phase and the summer side symbols.

I hope that some of you will be inspired to make your own version of a Primstav Calendar Stick. You can leave out the Saint days altogether if you wish and simply create a calendar that your own family can relate to. Major holidays you celebrate and family member birthdays would be a good start. I wished to be somewhat faithful to tradition, but you don't have to! If you make one of your own, be it drawn, carved, painted, pasted, embroidered, quilted, felted...please send me a picture.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

The full Primstaf image is here along with links to the earlier posts describing construction and meanings of spring and summer symbols.

Primstav: About the Symbols - First Half of Winter Side

Pam — Sat, 24 Jun 2017 01:21:40 +0000

October 21: The date our leaves begin to turn in Portland, and are at their peak in the mountains. I marked the day with an aspen tree even though on this side of the mountains, they are rare - too wet.

October 28: St. Simon's Day and the day the sleighs are removed from the sheds to make room for livestock in winter. The day is marked with a sleigh.

October 31: Halloween and my daughter's birthday. She always teases me because all my jack-o-lanterns are happy, so this one has an extra big smile in her honor!

November 1: All Saint's Day. Apparently there were just too many Christians martyred to honor every one with a day, hence a day set aside for for remembering all saints. The day is also All Hollows Eve - an ancient pagan belief that witches roamed the earth this night. The traditional symbol is a church with three sections. I chose to use three candles to light the darkness which fits both.

November 11: St. Martin's Day. The symbol is a goose and one of my favorites found on the ancient sticks. St Martin was a simple unassuming man who founded a monastery and was later sought out by church leaders who wished to make him a bishop. He hid from them in his goose pen, but was found and eventually became Pope. Farmers slaughtered animals to be eaten during winter on this day as the meat would remain frozen until spring.

November 15: Bare Oak tree signifying that fall is gone and winter has set in. Frost may occur at any time and the long dark days of winter have begun. I used the bare oak because its beauty cheers me in winter.

November 23: St. Clement's Day. St. Clement met his awful end by drowning in the sea - thrown overboard tied to an anchor. Ships do not sail from their harbor this day but rather remain anchored in place. The symbol I used is a small black ship.

November 25th: St. Catherine's Day - St Catherine the spinner. Her symbol is thought to be a spinning wheel even though it has no such resemblance whatsoever. Although it seems a bit late to begin to me, this is the day women began their spinning for the winter, so I chose a great wheel as my symbol.

November 30th: St. Andrew's Day. St. Andrew was also Andrew the apostle and became the patron saint of fishermen. His symbol is traditionally a fish hook; however, since he is also the patron saint of Scotland, I chose to use St. Andrew's cross as my symbol.

December 4: St. Barbara's Day. Ancients believed the sun went away on this day - which it actually does due to the earth's tilt. I have used a black "sun" to mark this day.

December 6: St. Nicholas Day. Nicholas was a much loved, kind and generous soul who is celebrated in much of the Christian world as the bringer of gifts and is the inspiration of Father Christmas, Santa Claus. and Sinterklaas. I have chosen to represent his day with a wooden shoe setting sail for Spain to honor the rich (and controversial) celebration of Sinterklaas in the Netherlands. I unpack and display my Father Christmas collection this day

December 8: Both the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, mother of Jesus ; and Precepe Day in Italy, when everyone sets out their beloved Precepe ( nativity scene, creche). A nativity scene marks this day. Very tiny stitches! I set out my nativity collection this day.

December 10: Angel Day. A personal day I made up as a result of the long treasured memory of the picture behind door 10 on my very first advent calendar. Beautiful angels. It is the day I set out my small collection of Angels.

December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe Day and the day the Julesvenier (similar to Nisser or Tomte but not nearly as charming) begin their journey from Icelandic mountains to the villages below. Children are given a treat or a potato, depending upon their behavior. Both Guadalupe and a tomte symbols mark this day. I must be certain all my Nisse, Nisser, Tomte, Tonttu, pakapik, and julesvenier are all set out by this day or there will be trouble in the house. For dinner I always have Chile Verde and Sopapillas.

December 13: St. Lucia Day and the beginning of Christmas celebrations in Scandinavian countries. On this day, the eldest daughter dons a crown of greens and candles and brings her sleeping parents coffee and gingerbread and Saffron buns. This day was once the Solstice long ago (Julian calendar) and was cause for celebration because the sun returned to the earth. Lucia's crown is my symbol.

December 16: Las Posadas in some Latino Countries and in New Mexico. The 17th, Novena begins in Italy. A time of devotion, prayers and nightly processions to visit Nacimientos and Precepe of friends and family followed by food and fellowship. In Mexico, Pinatas are hung for children to knock down as part of the nightly celebration, so I chose the pinata as the symbol as the nativity had already been used.

December 21: St. Thomas Day. The day of doubting Thomas but older traditions of brewing ale and inviting friends and neighbors to come to taste resulted in this day being called Thomas the Brewer day. I used a goblet to mark the day.

December 22: The Winter Solstice represented by a dark earth and hint of sunshine. I bring fresh greens into the house this day and light candles in the evening.

December 23: Juleaften - Christmas afternoon and the time set aside to trim the holiday tree. Marked with a tiny red and white woven paper heart. My own tree goes up a week before Thanksgiving, so I bake cookies or wrap gifts on this day. Every Christmas preparation must be done by nightfall.

December 25: Christmas and the symbol needs no explanation!

December 26: St. Steven's Day and Boxing Day and the First Day of Christmas. A lovely Plum Pudding seemed appropriate!

January 1: New Year's Day. The horn of plenty is actually the traditional Primstav symbol for Christmas Day. But I wanted a Christmas tree on that day so the horn of plenty was moved on my calendar to New Years.

January 6: Twelfth Day of Christmas and also known as Three Kings Day. In Italy, La Befana - the Christmas Witch (a witch who is still looking for the Christ Child after having missed her chance to accompany the three wise men) brings gifts to children; and in many countries it is traditional to serve a very special cake - a Three Kings Cake. I always bake a cake that is unusual - at least one I am not familiar with. So...big surprise I marked the day with a cake!

January 8: Rock Day - the day woman must begin spinning once again following the holiday celebrations. I created a tiny skein from hand spun yarn as the symbol.

January 13: Twentieth Day of Christmas; St. Knutes Day; Plunder the Tree Day in Sweden. Festivities are absolutely officially over, all goodies are eaten from the tree, decorations removed and packed away, and the tree is taken down. My symbol is a holiday tree that is but a shadow of its former self. Better than the traditional Ax, don't you think?

We are now at the end of the third quarter of the year. I will share the forth and last quarter (second half of the winter side) on Monday.

Thank you for your interest.

Follow this link here to view the completed Primstav and find links to previous posts sharing construction, design and the meanings behind the spring and summer symbols.

Primstav Has Been Completed!

Pam — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 16:47:20 +0000

My embroidered Primstav is completed and hanging - summer side up!

Thank you to all who have been so patient in waiting for me to complete this project. I have no excuse except that I have become addicted to knitting. lol

I believe I left you at the end of the second quarter, so obviously I have a lot to catch up on - like the whole winter half. So I will share all the symbols and meanings in two posts which will follow in the next week as the information is way too much for one post.

For anyone viewing this and new to my blog: A Norwegian Primstav is a very old tradition in Norway and a means of keeping track of the days in the yearly cycle for when to carry out farming activities such as when to sow and when to harvest, as well as when to bring cattle in from summer pastures, sheer sheep, prepare special meats for the Solstice celebrations. The arrival of Catholic Christianity found the stick useful for reminding farmers of Saint and Holy Days. Eventually, the stick reverted to its earlier use though many of the Christian symbols remained, and of course now it is no longer used and few remain.

Completely fascinated upon my first encounter, I decided to make one of my own. I have almost non-existant carving skills and did not wish to have a 36 inch long x 3 inch wide piece of wood on my walls, so I created the interpretation you see above. A few round Primstav do exist and I decided to use this more compact form - my calendar measures 20 inches across.

Then followed weeks of research. Some explainations of the symbols appear on the internet, but I also translated from Norwegian via google descriptions provided in a book sent to me by a very dear friend, Gill, in Norway. Gill has been a friend since I began blogging and we share many interests but most especially Christmas. More information regarding the holiday season symbols appeared in a book given to me by another dear friend in Seattle, Nancy, who has been with me since the very beginning of this project. We agreed over three years ago to both make Primstavs. However, since that agreement, we have both lost our husbands, our lives have completely changed and our work on our mutual project was set aside.

The design phase included drawing out the pattern "life size" so it could be traced onto linen and working out the individual symbols. I remained faithful to many of my favorite symbols on the ancient calendar sticks; however, I took enormous liberties with others. The symbols on many of the surviving sticks often depicted the manner of death of martyered saints - knives, swords, hatchets.... As this was meant to be a joyful project in the end, I took liberties to create symbols that make me happy or have special personal meaning to me.

And, finally the embroidery! You might notice each season has its own color pallet. Months are inticated with colorful markers - which did not exist on the original sticks. And yes, there is a tiny stitch for every one of the 365 days in the year! Basic stitches were used to keep the design from becoming too busy.

Earlier posts appear here showing the design phases and discussing the symbols on the summer side:

http://www.gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/821

http://www.gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/838

http://www.gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/880

And posts covering the winter side are:

http://www.gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/926

http://www.gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/927

And lastly, my Primstav is dedicated to my sweetheart who left this life all too soon. Had it not been for him joining Sons of Norway and subscribing to their quarterly publication, I would never have encountered the Norwegian Calendar Stick - Primstav - in the first place. He was here for the research and design phases. I wish he could see it completed.

Holy Toes and Soles

Pam — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 20:21:10 +0000

Why is this happening?? I NEED INPUT PLEASE!!

These are hand knit socks made using pattern suggestions for needle size and yarn. Are hand knit socks known to have a short lifespan? Is that why people knit drawers full - so they don't wear them often? Are they meant to be worn for everyday or only for special occasions or when mostly sitting?

Or is there stuff I don't know yet? Mistakes I am making?

Top yarn is Shibui sock yarn knit using 2.75mm needles. Both pair knit in this gorgeous yarn had holes in the toes and soles in relatively short time. Bottom sock, was knit using a Churro DK and 3.25mm needles. I also have a pair of Knit Picks Swish worsted weight socks knit using a Knit Picks pattern that is about to have a hole in the sole.

I have found that fingerling weight sock yarn with a tight twist as well as stranded Yarnia PDX yarns perform well as socks. Socks knitted with Regia and Ziawoolz yarns seem to be nearly iron clad.

Any thoughts, advice, shares would be most welcome. Thank you!

Cure for Holiday Frazzle

Pam — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 18:38:55 +0000

Feeling a little frazzled and maybe your brain is fried? Take an UNSTRUCTURED Day. You will be amazed by its restorative powers. Trust me. I know stuff!

An unstructured is a day you set aside for yourself and make no plans NONE NADA. Mark off a whole day - all 24- hours - on your calendar and when that day arrives do ONLY what you WANT to do in that moment. Even if it is nothing. Sleep all day, stay in your pj's and knit, read or watch old movies. Eat Chocolate cake all day. It is not important what you do. it IS important it is what you really really want to do in every moment.

Even if you have young children, with a little advance planning and help from a friend who will reciprocate, you can do this.

And it will make such a difference. It is not about what you do but that you are spending the day in the moment and doing only what strikes you that you want to do in that moment.

Set the day aside, make advance plans if needed for meals, kids, etc, take a sick day, and then on your day just show up and let the day unfold.

How to make Temari Holiday Trees

Pam — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 17:33:27 +0000

Happy Holiday Making everyone! A very special post for you today, a project that Diane (Craftypod) and I began several years ago. She basically gave me permission to share it about three years ago, but my life has been pretty much upside down in that time. Finally, I am sharing, and just in time for you to make one for your own holidays.

You may remember Diane's brilliantly simple Temari Christmas tree Ornament designs which she featured on the very first Holiday season Gingerbreadsnowflakes began tas a blog in 2008. I recently became the happy recipient of them all! If you are interested, instructions can be found here.

Here is the Temari inspired tree I am currently working on. I am using wool embroidery floss and sport weight yarn (tapestry yarn) for my designs because I do NOT have Diane's precision capabilities and using perle cotton is not so forgiving.

I tucked a mirror in behind one of the guidelines so you could visualize better my intention to use a shisha embroidery stitch to attach mirrors in these intersections. Mine will have a much different feel - more consistent with my skill set and taste. Once the basic tree is wound, the sky is the limit! The cushion of thread built up on the surface of the cone is wonderful for embroidery and innovation.

So...let's get started!

You will need thread and a styrofoam cone. Diane and I usually purchased our thread on big cones and whenever possible at thrift stores or on sale. Same with the cones. A little damage or dent will not matter.

Wind the thread on the cone in the three directions shown here. I wrap much more deeply in each direction, but wanted you to see the patterns. Change from horizontal to vertical to diagonal and then start over again. Your goal is to not only completely cover the underlying cone but also build up a lovely cushion of thread for embroidery.

Diane suggests tacking your stitches in place every so often, especially on the diagonal rounds. I have never found it necessary. Diane is not as good as me at diagonal wrap!!! lol. But diagonal wrap is the least stable so it may be best for you to tack. I just make sure I end my winding with a vertical or horizontal wrap.

Once winding is complete, Place long straight pins into the north pole at the top of the tree and the south pole at the center of the bottom.

Using a contrasting yarn or the same color of yarn, divide the tree into four quadrants as shown. I begin by leaving a 10" tail at the top, wind around the pin to secure and then move to the bottom pin, wrap around that and return to the top; back to the bottom and then the top.... It is not necessary to wrap the yarn around the pin every time, only the first time. Just keep the yarn close to the pins while wrapping.

Create more divisions if desired. OR Create no divisions at all! See Diane's purple tree above!

Keep the pins in place until the yarns are secured with the yarn tails. Several tiny tack stitches should do the trick. See left above.

If you wish to have horizontal (equatorial) guidelines, use pins to mark the intersections, wrap your yarn around the cone using the pins as guides and tack in place before removing the pins. See right above.

And you are ready to begin embroidering your design!

The tutorial referenced above and this one here for my Temari Easter Eggs will offer help for the embroidery. I like the simple weave shown here. It really is just like creating a God's Eye but in place of sticks, you are weaving around threads.

Once winding is complete, your tree is like a blank canvas awaiting your own personal creativity. You could create tiny beaded garlands, or single beads as Christmas balls. Personally, I think the trees are fabulous even without embellishment. A whole forest of thread trees in various colors and sizes would be stunning! Or if you are detail oriented and good at precision embroidery, embroider finely detailed Temari designs as Diane has done. A few basics for these designs can be found here on my Temari Easter Egg tutorial.

The whole point is to have fun and let your creativity have a long leash!