Staycation Day Four

Celtic Faire

Good afternoon, dear readers!

 

We have had an absolute ball today!!!  After a lazy morning, we headed out to Corney Lake.  The picnic lunch Jocie & I packed was delicious.  We lazed around in our lawn chairs for a bit, then proceeded to play off road in the Jeep.

 

 

Here's Jocie behind the wheel of the Jeep- ripping through a trail.

 

Rosie Fey was riding shotgun and did very well.  She was securely buckled into the backseat via her harness.  At the lakeside, Rosie was most interested in the coots that were feeding nearby.  She would cock her head and listen to their noises, but could not work up the courage to go charging in after them.

 

Rosie is ready to get back in the Jeep and go again!

 

We will be heading out on a little jaunt tomorrow, so I probably will not be able to post until much later.  Hope you are having as wonderful a week as we are.  I am still slowly working on the Easter pendant and will have it finished soon.  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 

 

 



Staycation Day Three

Celtic Faire

Good afternoon, dear readers!

 

Yesterday I did very little tatting.  It was so gorgeous outside that I could not stand it once I finished with the laundry.  Jim & I headed to the back acreage, cleaned some of our favorite outdoor areas and played with Rosie Fey.

 

Here is a view looking up from the chaise lounge that's close to the tatting shanty.

 

Rosie Fey was especially playful when we took a water break in the front yard!

 

She loves to play tug-of-war with Jim!!!

 

And here she is after she untied my shoes and slobbered all over the laces.  Is it just me or does she have a very self-satisfied smirk on her little face?

 

Jim is mowing the grass and readying our fire pit for later this evening.  It's been a while since we've had a marshmallow roast, so that's on the evening agenda.  Since I've done the laundry and goofed off outside, I really should finish organizing the portable Ateliers and work on the Easter pendant.  I'll try to get something done to post tomorrow before we head out on an off-roading adventure in the Jeep.  Have a great day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Staycation Day Two

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

 

Today is going to be full of laundry chores, tatting and the cleaning out and organizing of my various portable Ateliers.  I have a large chest that I use when on extended trips and several small boxes and such for shorter trips and jaunts.  As I am in the midst of designing a new collection, they all need revising and organizing.

 

After playing with Rosie Fey, I worked on the Easter pendant.  This is where it is at now:

 

 

I plan to add another round or two with some interwoven chains around the perimeter and am still contemplating what to do with the center.  Any suggestions?  I'm leaning toward a pearl with a purple seed bead accent, but may see how it looks with a picot laden ruffle center in lavender.

 

The washer just quit, so I need to pop that load in the dryer and start the next load.  Then it's onto ironing and folding.  Jim is busy with various yardworking chores.  Jocelin is supposed to be cleaning her room...yeah, right.  After I get 3 more laundry loads done, I plan to take care of organizing the portable Ateliers and then work on the Easter pendant this afternoon & evening.  Hope you have a great day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Staycation Day One

Celtic Faire

Good afternoon, dear readers!

 

It was so nice to sleep in this morning and be lazy.  We are in the midst of a bit of Spring cleaning and a few other activities.  Jim is bottling his most recent batch of stout beer, Jocelin is tending to her chickens and I've been taking tatting breaks in between Spring cleaning chores. 

 

I found some lovely lavender AB Swarovski bicones whilst cleaning and had to stop and play a bit.  This is what I'm working on:

 

 

The thread I'm using is Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk in S49 (Subtle Elegance).  There are also quite a few Czech seed beads, too, in a nice purple/lavender color.  I'm trying to decide what I want to do with the center- add a lavender freshwater pearl or do a fluffy picot center in a complimentary purple.  What do you think?

 

Our Rosie Fey is growing like a weed!  She is 10 weeks old and is so full of energy and attitude.  Here are some shots from our walk in the Piney Woods yesterday:

 

"Where's that squirrel, Mama?"

 

Pollen is everywhere!  My boots are a very dark brown, but they were totally covered in pollen with just a few strides in the woods.

 

Here she is, being sweet for her Mama.

 

Well, I had better get back to the cleaning.  I'm sure the scrubbing bubbles have done their thing in the bathroom.  When I'm through there, I hope to get back to my tatting project.  Have a great day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Up & Running

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

Obviously I finally got in the new battery for my laptop.  It seems that the last one was defective, but the wait for the replacement was NOT fun.  At least all seems to be running as it should now.

 

For the past few days, I have been working on various tatting projects for family members and just picked up my needle to begin work on a piece for myself this morning.  I purchased a lovely peach silk blouse to go with my ivory pantsuit and decided that I needed to tat myself a new pendant.  This is the very beginning:

 

 

I am using a vintage button for the base.  The tatting is done with Caron Wildflowers thread in color O53 "Coral Blush".  Light peach Swarovski bicones and light bronze Swarovski pearls serve as accents.  I plan to flesh this out quite a bit and will be adding an 8mm Akoya pearl to the center.  After it is complete, I'll post an image.

 

Jocelin has Literary Rally this weekend, but will be out for the Spring/Easter break next week.  Jim is taking some time off, too.  We plan to have a family "staycation".  I'll be busy next week with Spring cleaning, off-roading in the Jeep (along with driving lessons for Jocelin), puppy playing and possibly a camping trip.  If I can fit in some tatting, I will, but please, do not expect much as I need some time with my darlins!  BUT-  be sure to check out the blog on April 1st, which is International Tatting Day.  There will be a VERY nice little surprise for you, dear readers!!!

 

Well, I need to get back to work on my pendant.  have a wonderful weekend and many thanks for your patience during the "technical difficulties".  I appreciate it!  Until later~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Still Waiting

Good afternoon ! Yes, I am still waiting for the laptop's battery to be delivered. It is listed as "out for delivery" as of 7:22 this morning, but no sign of it yet.

Rosie has discovered the wonder of chasing her tail! We were playing with her last night when she got distracted by her tail then commenced to spinning. I laughed so hard my sides hurt! She is a blessing & treasure.

Tatting wise, I have a couple of projects going that I hope to share with you soon. I'll leave you today with an image of my dogwood, which is just starting to open its blooms. Until tomorrow-
Happy Tatting!




-Rachel Colvin Jackson, the Piney Woods Tatter

Tiger Swallowtails Everywhere

Good afternoon! According to the UPS tracking app, my new battery will arrive tomorrow.

Since it is such a gorgeous day, I set up a lawn chair and tatted for a while in our orchard. After a bit, I noticed that our plum tree was full of honeybees and 4 tiger swallowtails. I managed to get an image or two that I'll leave you with today. Have a great day & perhaps I'll get the battery in before posting tomorrow. Until then- Happy Tatting!




-Rachel Colvin Jackson, the Piney Woods Tatter

Computer Problems

Good afternoon, dear readers!
My laptop is having problems so until I get a new battery, I'll just have to post via iPhone.

I have been tatting a bit even though my allergies are giving me fits. I'll leave you today with an image of my current work in progress. Have a great day & until me new battery comes in- Happy Tatting!



-Rachel Colvin Jackson, the Piney Woods Tatter

Pollen, Pollen Everywhere!!!

Celtic Faire

Good afternoon, dear readers!

Yesterday was a lovely St. Patrick's Day.  Hope you've enjoyed the FREE pattern I posted.

 

It has been lovely these past few days, but there is a huge downside to living in the deep South (other than the heat in Summer)- and that is POLLEN!!!  The pine trees have all produced prodigious numbers of "pine noodles" and the pollen is falling from the trees in curtains.  The wind gusts and pollen blankets everything.  Jim and Jocie washed my pretty little red Jeep on Saturday, but you could hardly tell it on Sunday morning.  It had a thick coating of yellow pollen.  As you can imagine, my allergies are truly horrible right now, so if my posts are not as regular or interesting, please bear with me.  I do have some images from our yard you might enjoy:

 

Here is a cute little purple flower in the midst of clover and weeds next to our garden.  Yes, we need to mow, but I like the purple flowers.

 

This black butterfly has some gorgeous blue on the top of it's wings, but I couldn't manage to get in the right spot before it took off from the plum tree.

 

And this is a close-up of a peach blossom.  Our peach trees are starting to burst with blooms.  Let's hope it means we'll have a good crop this year.

 

Well, I am off to take more allergy medicine, curl up on the couch and possibly tat for a bit.  Have a great day & I'll try to have something more interesting on the blog tomorrow.  Until then~

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



St. Patrick's Day FREE Pendant Pattern

Celtic Faire

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Piney Woods!!!

 

 

Here is the finished pendant featuring the beautiful Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk in S9 (Herb Garden).  The foundation can be found on this past Friday's blogpost, but I will include it here, too.

 

 

Using a size 8 tatting needle, Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk in S9 (Herb Garden), 8 Swarovski 3mm bicones in a Spring green, and 8 dark green Czech seed beads, tat as follows:

To begin with, string 1 seed bead, Swarovski, 1 seed bead onto silk thread 4 times.

Each ICR has the same counts, so repeat these 4 times:

ICR 13 very small - 4 - (as you form this picot, slide 1 Swarovski bicone onto tatting needle, then finish picot with 1 seed bead, Swarovski, 1 seed bead) 4 very small - 13 CL.

After tatting the last ICR, tie the ends and leave a length of thread as you will need it later for anchoring the center accent.  Or you may leave the center plain- just tie & hide the ends.

 

 

For this round, string 12 dark green seed beads onto thread.  Run needle through (join) any picot to the right of the previously tatted bead cluster and tat as follows:

Pick up 1 seed bead, CH 4 - with 3 seed beads 4 CL + to next -.

Pick up 1 seed bead, CH 5 very sm- 3 very sm - 3 very sm - 3 very sm- 3 very sm - 5 CL + to next -.

Continue around motif using these counts, tie ends, hide & cut.

 

 

For these final 5 CH passes, CHs 1, 3 & 5 have the same counts.  You will be using the first half of the ds for the first 5 stitch counts and the second half of the ds for the following 5 stitch counts, alternating for a total count of 80.

Run needle through the 1st - of previously tatted CH and tat as follows:

Pick up 1 seed bead then CH ZigZag 80 CL + to corresponding - on next previously tatted CH.

You will repeat this for the 3rd & 5th pass on this final round, weaving the CHs as you tat.

For the 2nd and 4th CH counts, simply pick up 1 seed bead and CH 40 CL + to corresponding - of previously tatted CH, weaving the CHs as you tat.  At the end of each pass, tie ends, hide & cut.

REMEMBER- use a small dot of jeweler's adhesive if you are working with silk to keep it from slipping free of the final knot.

 

I hope you all will enjoy this pattern.  Rosie Fey is VERY sorry she chewed the first pendant.  I was able to salvage the beads and re-tat it.  Thank goodness I made a note of my counts!

 

May you have a charmed and blessed St. Patrick's Day!  Until Monday~

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



4 ICR Motif Foundation Pattern

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

 

Well, I have the 4 ICR Motif Foundation Pattern ready to post, but NOT the finished motif.  There was a little bit of a snag with it.  Rosie Fey chewed it beyond repair as I was readying the background for taking images of the finished piece.  It is my fault for putting it within her reach.  I will tat another one this weekend and do a special St. Patrick's day post with the COMPLETE pattern.  In the meantime, here is the foundation of the upcoming piece-

 

 

Using a size 8 tatting needle, Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk in S9 (Herb Garden), 8 Swarovski 3mm bicones in a Spring green, and 8 dark green Czech seed beads, tat as follows:

To begin with, string 1 seed bead, Swarovski, 1 seed bead onto silk thread 4 times.

Each ICR has the same counts, so repeat these 4 times:

ICR 13 very small - 4 - (as you form this picot, slide 1 Swarovski bicone onto tatting needle, then finish picot with 1 seed bead, Swarovski, 1 seed bead) 4 very small - 13 CL.

After tatting the last ICR, tie the ends and leave a length of thread as you will need it later for anchoring the center accent.

 

My apologies for the snafu with today's pattern.  Rosie Fey says she is very sorry for gnawing Mama's tatting and that she will try her best to resist temptation in the future.

 

May you all have a wonderful day and a fabulous St. Patrick's weekend!  Until St. Paddy's day~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Gorgeous Day in the Woods

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

It is an absolutely gorgeous day in the Piney Woods!  The temperature is slightly cool and the sun is shining.  Rosie and I have been in the woods behind the house playing and tatting.  The FREE pattern is almost ready.  I'll post it tomorrow, so be sure to check out the blog then!

 

I happened up on a nice little goody during our last antiquing/junquing expedition-

 

 

It is a lovely Whiting & Davis intaglio bracelet.  This piece will be a OOAK original in my upcoming Olde West Collection.  The thing that makes W&D pieces so desirable is that the intaglios are made from rock crystal not glass.  I snapped this beauty up quickly!

 

Rosie Fey is growing daily and seems to be thriving in our home.  She loves going for rides in the Jeep and looks forward to helping me take Jocie to school and also picking her up.  Here she is yesterday as we were waiting for Jocie's AlgebraII class to let out:

 

 

My face was throoughly licked after I snapped this image!

 

Well, I am going to have a bit of lunch then get back preparing the FREE pattern for tomorrow's post.  Have a wonderful day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 



Busy & Eventful Day

Celtic Faire

Good afternoon, dear readers!

Today has been busy with yard and garden work that simply had to be done and it was also very eventful as my Catholic friends have a new Pope.

 

After picking up Jocelin from school, we arrived home just in time to watch the announcement of Pope Francis.  We are most impressed with this humble, gentle man.  How wonderful that he asked the people pray for him before bestowing his blessing!  I remember being a child and watching the proceedings for Pope John Paul II.  Jocelin watched the conclave and proceedings for Benedict XVI and now Francis I.  What an amazing day!

 

I plan to put the finishing touches on the next FREE pattern this evening and tomorrow so it will be ready to post on Friday.

 

Well, I am going to get back to tweaking that FREE pattern and planning what to plant in the garden this weekend.  Grace & Peace to Pope Francis I and all my dear Catholic friends!  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!



Working On A New Motif

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

It was a little chilly this morning with a temp of 34F.  The forsythia and azaleas did not seem to mind.

 

After Rosie Fey settled down a bit yesterday, I actually got in some design time.  Here is a 4 ICR foundation motif I'm currently working on-

 

 

After I finish this prototype, I plan to tat the featured version using Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk.  What do you think of it so far?

 

Rosie Fey is dancing at the door ready for a romp in the woods.  Guess I need to grab my portable Atelier and head to the back acreage.  Hope you have a wonderful day & be looking for a new pattern on the blog later this week.  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



What A Day!

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Jocelin's 17th birthday.  I can't believe my baby is almost a legal adult!!!

 

With everthing going on, I did not get nearly as much tatting time as I had hoped for.  But I do have some images from the yard to share with you today-

 

 

The plum tree is blooming up a storm!!!  The peaches are beginning to bloom and the bridal wreath is bursting with blossoms.

The blueberry bushes are loaded with blooms and the fig tree is beginning to bud out.  Perhaps this will be a good year for putting up jams, jellies and preverves.

 

Rosie Fey had her second round of shots at the vet's this morning.  She did very well and after the ride back home, she has been a little tasmanian devil whirling everywhere.  I need to spray the fruit trees with dormant oil as it is not too windy at the moment, but this is very hard to do when a certain little dog is racing all over the yard, getting into everything- and I mean EVERYTHING!

Rosie has discovered that she likes the taste of the chicken's feed- go figure.

 

Well, I have got lots of work to do and a puppy to wear out so I can get to it.  May you have a wonderful day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Happy Birthday, Jocie!

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

Seventeen years ago, we were blessed with the arrival of our lovely daughter, Jocelin. 

 

Here she is with Jim at her school's Homecoming formal.

Time has flown by!!!

 

I've been busy baking her cake and let me tell you- it is particularly difficult this year with Rosie Fey underfoot.  She barks at the mixer and shadows my every step.  Guess a little dog never knows when she may luck up on a bit of food hitting the floor.

 

I have a number of projects in progress that I plan to share with you next week, but today is all about Jocelin.  Hope you have a fabulous weekend full of creativity!  Until Monday~

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 



Where Did My Mojo Go?

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

I had planned to have a lovely new pendant motif to show you, but nothing seems to work.  Perhaps it is the chicken thief that is throwing off my mojo.  We haven't lost any other chickens, but an attempt was made by the nefarious thief to get into the bittie (young chickens) pen.

 

We have been busy securing the chickens and trying to fortify their enclosures.  They are only allowed to free range when we are outside with them.

 

 

Rosie Fey has been helping whenever and however she can!  She was "helping" Jim reinforce the damaged coop areas yesterday afternoon.

 

Well, after I pick up the kid from school, I'll see if I can find my tatting mojo and get some work done.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Hope you have a wonderful day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Not Much

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

The chicken thief tried it again last night, but could not find a way into the hens.  We are going to put out a few traps this evening and see if we can catch the guilty party.  I still think it is a raccoon.  We've had foxes come through before, but they are never as persistent as raccoons seem to be.

 

The pendant I was working on using the Trinity foundation did not work out as I'd planned, so it's back to the drawing board.  I've snipped off yesterday's efforts and will begin again in a few minutes.  I did tat for a bit on a necklace project using Sulky Blendables 12 wt. quilting cotton-

 

 

The thread colors are very close to this little antique butter pat I use for working with seed beads.

 

Rosie Fey is getting revved up for her romp in the woods.  As soon as we finish, I plan to spend the day tatting away.  Let's hope I have better luck with different counts for that Trinity pendant!  Have a wonderful day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 



Trinity Motif, Option One

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

There is trouble in the Piney Woods!!!  Something got in our chicken coop and made off with one of our good laying hens.  Jim and I have been repairing the coop and checking the other hens for injuries.  I think it was probably a racoon.  We will remain vigilant over the next few nights to make sure there is no repeat.

 

Well, after the chicken coop repair delay, here is option one for the Trinity motif from yesterday-

 

 

This will make a great earring set!  What do you think?  I have another Trinity motif tatted up and will experiment with other counts today.  What shall I aim for- a pendant, a brooch or a larger earring?

 

Rosie Fey is whining at the door so I'd better take her out before we have an accident.  Plus she hasn't had a good romp in the woods yet due to our earlier chicken drama.  Have a great day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 



Trinity Foundation

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

Hope you had a great weekend.  Ours was busy and full of puppy mischief. 

 

Here is the basic foundation of 3 ICRs that will be used for this week's tatted items:

 

 

It is tatted with a size 8 needle, Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk in S9 (Herb Garden) and is accented with light creamy pearl Ornella Czech seed beads and 3 Swarovski 3mm bicones in a lovely Spring green color.

 

To begin with, string 9 seed beads onto silk and tat the 3 ICRs with the following counts:

First ICR 5 very small - 5 very small - 4 - (slide 1 Swarovski onto needle then finish forming picot with 3 seed beads) 4 very small - 10 CL

Second ICR 10 very small - 5 - (slide 1 Swarovski bicone onto needle then finish forming picot with 3 seed beads) 5 very small - 10 CL

Third ICR 10 very small - 4 - (slide 1 Swarovski onto needle then finish forming picot with 3 seed beads) 4 very small - 5 very small - 5 very small - 5 CL

Bring both ends of silk thread to front and tie knot, leaving ends to be worked in later.

 

I have a couple of projects lined up using this base that I hope you'll like!

 

Well, Rosie Fey LOVES the Piney Woods!!!  We went for several walks this weekend and she explored and sniffed until she was worn out.  She was so funny looking for squirrels that were running through the trees overhead.  She'll eventually figure out that she needs to look up, but she was on high alert, nonetheless.

 

 

After taking the kid to school and doing a quick grocery store run, I plan to take Rosie for a romp in the woods then get down to work in the Atelier.  Let's hope Rosie is ready for a good, long nap after her romp!  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!

 

 

 

 



Celtic Faire

Celtic Faire

Good morning, dear readers!

The blog theme for March is Celtic Faire.  I have several new interlocking chain ring motifs to share.  Each week will feature an ICR foundation with different options to flesh it out.  We will begin on Monday with an ICR motif of 3, the next week 4 and so on.  The Valdani threads I have put aside for this month are fabulous!

 

Rosie is slowly adjusting to being an Atelier dog.  She wants to chew everything!  I've gotten her some puppy teething chews, but she prefers my boots and socks.  Let's hope she learns to settle down on her dog bed and not chew my feet while I tat.  That is very distracting- puppy teeth are very sharp!  Jim says she just wants my attention regardless of how much tatting I need to do.

 

Well, I am off to dig in the Atelier closet and see what items I can find that are St. Pat's or Celtic themed.  There should be some nice sterling silver shamrock charms in there along with some triskelions.  Have a nice weekend and be sure to check out the FREE pattern on Monday's blogpost.  Until then~

Happy Tatting!