Friday, August 10, 2012

Diamond Willow Buttons

When the kids were younger and we were spending a few days at my in-laws, Kate wanted to work with her Grandpa in the garage.  I had been crocheting a sweater for her and was grateful for the extra quiet time when my father-in-law took her for a walk in the woods in search of diamond willow branches.  They selected the perfect branches and removed the bark.  Then Kate watched, with her way-big safety glasses on, as Grandpa sliced the branch into little coins of varying thickness.  Having decided to make buttons for Kate's new sweater, they started experimenting with drilling holes in the delicate slices.  I remember it took quite a few tries before they could drill four holes without the button cracking.
I finished the sweater that weekend and varnished the buttons when we returned home.  They turned out so cute.  Unfortunately, Kate outgrew the sweater far too quickly.

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