Old Patterns Revisited

I thought I'd post a couple of free patterns from my Piney Woods Atelier website.   These were originally designed in 2004 and posted to my old Piney Woods Tatting website in 2005. Hope you all will enjoy them!

Saint Patrick's Day Shamrock Earrings- you will need a pair of earwires, green thread, and 2 green Delica seed beads. The technique used is a dimpled ring. 

Working off ball, string one bead onto thread. Make sure the bead is slid onto the needle side thread before beginning ds. Ch 7 Cl. Use your fingers to situate the seed bead. Dimple R 12-5 clip and Cl. 5+ (to the - you previously made) 12 Cl. Drop clip & run needle through space. Repeat the dimpled ring 2 more times, or if you want a 4-leaf clover, 3 more times. When last dimpled ring is formed, pull threads to the back, tie & cut. I use the picot in the middle dimple ring to run my earwire through.

Copyright Rachel Colvin Jackson, 2004-2012

This is a simple pattern I've used for many years. It is very easy to make these more elaborate with Swarovski crystal beads and Celtic overtatting.

Celtic Valentine Heart Earrings- you will need a pair of earwires and thread.  Interlocking Chain Rings are used in this pattern.  If you need help with this technique, I posted a pictoral tutorial a few months back.

Working off ball, do 3 linked chain rings of 25 ds each. After 3rd ring is formed Ch 27 Cl. Run needle through top of double stitch close to the bottom of closest linked ChR. Ch 7 Cl. Run needle through top of middle ChR ds. R7-7Cl. Ch 7 Cl. Run needle through top of ds near bottom side or 3rd ChR. Ch 27 Cl. Run needle through top center of ChR group. Tie & cut. Run your earwire through the top.

Copyright Rachel Colvin Jackson, 2004-2012

If you want a fancier heart, add lots of frilly picots to the outer chains.  Beads are always a nice touch, too.

There are so many ways you can adapt these patterns to make them special and unique.  Just have fun playing!

I hope to get more design work done this weekend with a few more patterns and goodies to share wih you next week.  Oh- you may want to keep your eyes open for the next Piney Woods Event.  I'll be announcing what it is this weekend!  Until later~

Happy Tatting!

Sweet Sixteen

Today is our Jocie's "sweet sixteen" birthday!  We have had a full day of birthday celebrations and activities.  The big finale was our family dinner at her favorite local restaurant.  I cannot believe my little girl is almost grown.  Here is an image of us with her when she was barely three hours old:

These past sixteen years have been a wonderful adventure.  I can only imagine what the future holds for her, but I hope it is full of wonder and joy!

Sorry for the lack of tatting this week, but a daughter only turns 16 once and I had to do what I could to make it as memorable for her as possible.  I hope to be back to my normal routine soon with lots of tatting goodies and a few new patterns for you.  Have a lovely evening- I am going to take a bath and crash.  I am thoroughly exhausted!  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!



Gardening & Yard Work

It has been an absolutely gorgeous day!  The low temperature was 63F this morning and it is now a comfy, warm 77F.  I have spent the day doing more yard work and garden preparation.  It was too nice to sit in the house or even to be still long enough to tat.  Sorry, but I've not tatted a single stitch- yet.  I will make it a point to tat this evening.

Let me show you some of the treasures in my yard:

The forsythia is a mass of yellow blooms and is spreading at a rapid rate.  I'll need to prune it back so it doesn't choke out other nearby plants.

I added fresh pinestraw around the flowering almond.  Don't you just love how the buds are acccented with pink on the petal edges?  Silk thread in this colorway would be fabulous!

Bees are everywhere.  The entire yard seems to hum and buzz with their activity.  This one lit long enough on the wild citrus for me to get an image.

And my blueberry bushes are loaded with blooms!!!  I hope we have a good crop this year.  We had very few the previous season as it was so dry.  The bees were all over these, too.

The last image I have to share with you today is the mockingbird nest-in-progress in one of our peach trees.  I tried to get an image of them bringing twigs to it, but never timed it right.

Tomorrow is our daughter's birthday and I have got to get busy baking and then decorating her cake.  Let's hope I have something more interesting to share with you all tomorrow.  I really did intend to tat today, but could not help myself when I got busy in the yard.  Days like this are rare and I had to enjoy it the its fullest!  Hope your day has been as wonderful!  Until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!



Center Accent Added

Since my dear readers indicated a fat pearl should be the center accent of the Valdani doily WIP, I added it this morning:

And here is a closer view of the pearl:

I hope to get back to work on the doily this evening.  Perhaps I will have round four ready to share tomorrow!

Are any of you geting ready for St. Patrick's day?  We are.  I have been getting out the decorations and have put up a few.  What should I do for a blog event in honor of St. Pat's?  I'll put up a poll and decide on an event before the end of the week.  Feel free to leave your comments if you have an idea not listed on the poll, or if you'd care to elaborate on an event idea.  I appriciate all input!

It's lunchtime and I've so many errands to take care of this afternoon, so until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!



Yard Work

Today has been just gorgeous!  The temperature is very comfortable and I truly could not have had a better day for doing yard work.

To be honest, I had to go ahead and get some things done before the rain moves in. 

Our peach and plum trees are in full bloom and are filled with bees!  The yard literally "hums".  Unfortunately, I did not get any tatting done, but I must admit, there was plenty of artistic inspiration all around me.

Here is an image of a peach tree blossom:

And plum tree blossoms:

If the growing season goes well, I'll have plenty of peaches for preserves and plums for jelly.

Now, does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for something to tat after looking at the blossom images?  Let me know if anything strikes your fancy.  I already have a number of ideas percolating and have made it a point to write them down whilst I was waiting to pick up Jocelin at school.

The poll has resulted in a fat pearl being chosen for the Valdani doily WIP center.  I'll have that to share with you tomorrow.  Well, as it is so nice out, I think the dogs need a nice, long run in the woods.  Have a marvelous day & until tomorrow~

Happy Tatting!



Crochet Project

Well, this Friday has been a busy one filled with a variety of things.  As our daughter's birthday is next week, I did a little special shopping this morning.  I hope she will like all of her "goodies"!

The next thing I did was to check the poll.

The responses were tied, so I extended the poll on what I should use as the center accent of the Valdani doily WIP until Sunday morning.  If you've not voted, please do.

Since my usual schedule was rather off kilter, I decided to take a break from tatting and crochet with some lovely aqua cotton a friend gave me.  This color matches some of the birds and flowers on a favorite Vera Bradley tote.  I debated crocheting an edging, but chose to do a scarf instead as I have 3 large balls of this thread.  Here is what I've done so far:

It is a simple off-set shell pattern worked with a size 7 hook.  I use this particular pattern a lot- it is a favorite because it that allows one to crochet on auto-pilot!  Very simple and easy. 

The kiddo is waiting for our afternoon "Gin & Tonic".  Jocelin & I both LOVE to play gin rummy, so at least once or twice a week, we take an afternoon to play several hands and snack on something yummy with our tea.  May you have a wonderful weekend doing whatever makes your soul sing!  Until next week~

Happy Tatting!



Next Round Done

It has been a nice, quiet morning in the Piney Woods- albeit a bit humid and balmy. 

After taking the kid to school,  I settled in my comfy chair and picked-up the doily I started yesterday.

 I had a couple of different ideas for the third round, but decided to go with the one that was similar to the second round to fill it out a bit more before tatting the other idea bouncing around in my head.

The center is something I am contemplating- shall I add a Czech art glass button, a small carved MOP button, or a fat bronze pearl?

What about adding another color to accent the piece?  Overtatting?  Some Celtic work?

Would any of you care to make your opinions known?  Simply click your choice on the poll to the right.

This afternoon will be filled with more button cleaning/organizing, and thread winding.   I have oodles of skeins that need to be wound.  May you have a wonderful day doing whatever makes your soul sing!  Until Friday~

Happy Tatting!