An Iris Blooms in March

 So very happy this evening as I finished off the last of the french knots for the stamens, worked under a few loose ends and could say I was finally done my iris.  I'm very pleased with the outcome but have to say it was a tough piece to stitch especially with getting the angles of the threads right.  It became easier with each petal and drawing pencil lines to help with the thread placement was an absolute must. I'm ready for something a lot easier where I don't have to concentrate so hard on each stitch.

 I continue to work on my tatting and figured out how to do a split ring.  It's rather neat as after 3 double stitches, a picot and 3 more double stitches, you turn the needle around, un-thread the needle and tat 3 ds, a picot, 3 ds over the eye of the needle.  Then you turn the needle back over, re-thread it and then slide them all off onto the thread.

Every morning my mother goes out and scatters cracked corn for the dozen or more Sharp-tailed Grouse that make their daily visit to our yard.  They are so enjoyable to watch especially when they start chasing each other around. Lately, a few of them have taken to flying up onto our deck.  My mom shoos them off but I was glad of this shot taken through the window of a grouse and a redpoll on the deck rail together.  Quite the size difference.