[I am following Anne Brooke‘s 2021 #52tagshannemade slow stitch challenge to make a little tag every week of the year – see them all here!] Anne’s theme for the week was to use a Suffolk puff (aka a yo-yo) and some lace. I dug out one of my gramma’s “raspberries” rather than making my own. I felt like white lace is expected, so I dug through my lacey ruffles, which never get used (I’m not sure how to use ruffles since I make mostly flat pieces). I found a nice pale green and cute little yellow laces.

In thinking for the mental theme of the week, I met the neighbors down the road a bit in a very odd circumstance. One of those misunderstandings that could go very badly, but through neighborly kindness, we sorted it out. For that reason, I chose to put a face on my tag (a little chimp printed on some fancy felt). To brighten it up, I stitched on some glasses, and added knots on the bowtie. Xs and Os (in the form of knots) for the kindness.

Ultimately, I think Covid’s lingering oppression is just making us all feel a bit taxed. All I can say is that this time last year, we had no idea what we were in for. And I hope by this time next year, we are in a brighter space – not only with it being mostly behind us, but also with all the lessons we’ve learned along the way.