Danish Paper Stars

Bits and Pieces

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Latest Socks

Finished these socks last week. Good colours, zippy patterning. They took a bit longer than usual – I didn’t knit my usual 20-30 rows each evening – maybe because I wasn’t feeling like knitting. Anyway, they’re done and added to the sock stash.

I started a new pair – can’t leave the needles empty but that knitting has been interrupted with Danish Paper Stars.

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Adding the Points
Folding Completed
Finished, Trimmed Star

I’ve been handing out Danish Stars to neighbours and friends for the past six years. Everybody knows where they come from when they find them on their door handle. Some have become so bold as to ask whether I’ll be making more this year. No way out of it – I had to make another batch of paper stars.

I started by cutting the 1/2″ strips of legal paper and began making stars. Two evenings of paper folding and I have 18 stars. I will need at least 40 (more likely 50) before I’ve finished. I’ve used up the paper I prepared; I need to cut more paper today. The knitting is suffering – I’ve had to put it aside to make time for star construction!

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My sister Barb called me on Sunday evening to sing me a verse to a song wondering whether I remembered it and might know where it came from. Sounded like a Disney song from something like Snow White – except it wasn’t. Two hours of searching with Google and ChatGPT returned nothing. Usually if I ask Google for lyrics using the bits I remember a song turns up. Not this time. I finally gave up.

The next evening however it dawned on my it might be a song from our childhood, one we learned in school. When I was in 5th grade (1953) the woman in charge of music for the city schools recruited a group of girls from our class to sing some songs from the songbook being used in the schools at that time:

I was one of that select group and I still have that vinyl recording! A very long time ago I managed to have the record digitized so I have the 22 song tracks on my computer. Didn’t I find the song there in the first group of four songs!

Going To The Fair

The birds are singing, the bells are ringing
There’s music in all the air, heigh ho
As altogether in golden weather we merrily go to the fair, heigh ho!

We have no money for ribbons bonny,
Our clothes are the worse for wear
But little it matters in silk or in tatters
We merrily go to the fair.

The lads and lasses, the time it passes
?????????  [There’s fun to be had everywhere], heigh ho
As altogether in golden weather we merrily go to the fair, heigh ho!

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There’s that one line I can’t make out on the recording – it has to be something like the lyrics I’ve guessed.

I called Barb to tell her I’d found the song – I still can’t find the lyrics anywhere online although I know the song must be in the “unison” High Road of Song Book One for elementary grades.

I learned that song 71 years ago! Imagine still remembering it.

Catchup

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It’s days since I posted anything but I’ve been chugging along as always.

Danish Paper Stars

Danish Paper Stars – it’s become a seasonal tradition to make stars to share with neighbours and friends. I’ve made a total of close to 60 this year. I started with about 45 – which I distributed the other evening (one star per apartment). When I got home I realized I didn’t have enough left for friends so last evening I made another 15! That’s it for stars this year. It takes me about 8 minutes to make a star. [The website I found a couple of years ago describing how to make the stars is still functioning so click here if you want to try your hand at making a few!] [If that link doesn’t work try here.]

The Quilt Top – it’s been a chore but I finally managed to piece the panel together. I rummaged through my stash looking for fabrics to border it with. I came up with something.

Quilt Panel
With Border Fabrics

The challenge with the burgundy “cork” fabric is that it’s directional so I’ll have to consider how to use it on all four sides – it will require some piecing, I think. Deciding to include a thin strip of the backing fabric ties the whole thing together. It don’t see any appliqué that will enhance this panel which is already way too busy!

Can’t say I’m ecstatic about this creative effort – the background fabric [Free Spirit: Tim Holtz, Eclectic Elements, Abandoned, Rusted Patina PWTH126] turned out to be much busier than I anticipated. I loved the colour combinations, but cutting it up just accentuated the “busy-ness” and adding the solids as I did made the whole panel out of control. That’s the challenge of improvising – it doesn’t always work out as you’ve imagined it.

The Rusted Patina fabric should have been used as very large pieces which is what I’m going to do on the back. I managed to purchase enough from a number of online sources to do that. I want to see what making a small strip through the dominant backing fabric will do. In any case I want to use up what I have. I don’t intend doing anything more with it. Lesson learned!

I just keep carrying on.

If you have time I recommend Barb Emodi’s recent Substack piece: Comes With The Territory.

Danish Paper Stars

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Danish paper Stars

It’s become another recent Christmas tradition – I make a few Danish paper stars to hand out to my neighbours and friends in the apartment building. I finished the two dozen I was planning to make last evening. All they need now is string so they can be hung on a tree or wreath. I’ll pass them around as soon as I get that done, later today.

If you’re interested in trying your hand at making these I found, after a lot of searching, some instructions online: Danish Paper Stars. Let me know how you get on.

It took a star or two before I wove the initial paper strips in the right counterclockwise direction (short arm on top). Once I got the initial steps right, my hands remember the twisting movements and the rest of the folding and twisting are there.

I learned to make these stars at least 40 years ago. Didn’t make them for many years. Started again four years ago. Another few years and people will have enough stars to decorate an entire tree!

Sparkle Socks & Danish Paper Stars

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You can’t really see the sparkle in the photo but there’s a polyester strand in the yarn that glitters. Click on the photo and you can see the sparkle.

Finished these socks last evening. The pattern was interesting enough that the knitting went reasonably fast. When the pattern changes in short intervals the knitting always seems to go faster – probably doesn’t but I feel I’m making progress more quickly.

Sparkle Socks

Danish Paper Stars

Years ago I used to make Danish Paper Stars for tree ornaments and give them as gifts. Haven’t done them for ages but I thought they’d be a good addition to the silk scarves I’ve done for the knitting ladies.

I tried remembering but the critical part is getting the initial intersecting of the strips going in the right direction and in the end I had to find instructions online.

Danish Paper Stars

After three stars my hands have recovered the moves – particularly the twist needed for the 3-D points on each side. My intention is to make about 20 stars but in years past I often made as many as 50+. I’ll add string to them so they can hang.