Hen & Chicks

Again I avoided making the one thing I've said needed making for the last two days. I just wasn't feeling it. I needed to do something different, something that required I figure out something. So I started flipping through my antique pattern collection for inspiration. It didn't take long to get a hit on the perfect project. I got so much satisfaction out of working the last one shuttle medallion into a needle pattern that I thought I'd tackle another classic, the hen and chicks pattern. I mean it doesn't get any more classic and well known than that. Heck it's the only tatting pattern I know of with a name. I've worked it with cut thread before, but I hate all that extra thread, so a little zig-zag chain and it's loads more fun to work.

Of course I wasn't finished with the pattern as worked. I decided to add the dropped rings on the other side as well and it worked up into a bracelet rather well. Of course I now saw a few more projects hiding in this newly revisited classic. First up was a simple pendant design made using just one repeat of the pattern. I love the way it looks, but I still haven't decided which way to hang it. I'm leaning toward the way it is in the picture because it looks more interesting, but it looks more natural hanging from the larger ring.Or I might use chains and attach them to the top small side rings.

I found one more project in the pattern and I'll be working that up today. I'm going to do a choker with the hen and chicks not doubled and add the pendant bit at the center. I've done this before with the original version of the pattern, hanging actual pendants from the center, but I think this should have a nice unique look to it. I also finally have a couple of other pieces in queue to be remade and maybe I'll feel like a little production work now that I've got the creation bug out of my system. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.