"It's a String Thing" #244

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

Looking at the week ahead, in the United States we will celebrate Memorial Day on Monday, May 28.  It is a day set aside to remember and honor those who died in military service to our country.  

My grandmother used to refer to this day as "Decoration Day".  I later learned that the practice of decorating the graves of those lost, dating back to the late 1800's, is where that name originated.  In 1971, Memorial Day became an official observance in the United States designated to be celebrated every year on the last Monday of May.

I did a little research and found that similar holidays are celebrated around the world.  Here is a short list:

Remembrance Day in England
Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand
Dodenherdenking in The Netherlands
Armistice Day in Belgium
Volkstrauertag in Germany

While we do not all celebrate at the same time, we do share an appreciation for the brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our countries.

To mark this great day, let's begin with a star-like string ~

IAST #244 String by Adele Bruno, CZT

Then, let's revisit the classic tangle Auraknot - a tangle that Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas introduced in 2012.  (They demonstrated it at the CZT training I attended that same year.)

Click here to view the write up about Auraknot on TanglePatterns.  In addition to a link to the Zentangle® newsletter, there is a link to a video demonstration by Maria.  

Feel free to simply create a monotangle, embellish it to your heart's desire, and/or add more tangles to your tile - whatever you wish.

This string has five points, if you are tangling away and find that your Auraknot is asking for more, by all means, follow that lead.  The string is just a suggestion, not a 'hard and fast' obligation.  

Have fun!

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines: 
* Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.
*Use the string posted for the week and some or all of the suggested patterns
* Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or scan your tile (300 dpi or higher) and save as a jpg
*Email your jpg file as an attachment to - brunoadelem@gmail.com
*Entries for IAST are to be submitted by Saturday evening of the week issued
*Photos, notes, and the 'Tile for Honors' are (usually) posted on the following Monday 

Send in your photos - you will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle® enthusiasts all over the world. WHEN YOU SIGN YOUR NAME, PLEASE INCLUDE WHERE YOU LIVE. 
FOR EXAMPLE: ADELE BRUNO (FLORIDA)

PLEASE NOTE: It is not necessary for you to have a blog or website to participate. 

If you do have a blog or website, I will add a link upon request. 
Please include the site specific URL. 

I look forward to your emails.