Interlaced Rings - I

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Tatting Tutorial

Part 1 : Over & Under Rings : Front to Back Shuttle Movement

Judith Connors shared a beautiful Interlaced Rings Braid in a thread she had started on InTatters : Reverse Stitch.

The photograph revealed a braid consisting of 2 columns of  interlinked split rings.

All She revealed was that it was made using 4 shuttles ! Yup, that was our only clue .

I have been trying out Interlocking Rings using shuttles . So I jumped right in, in order to assess how much I had learned, how much I could apply, how much I could transfer, … 

I did not refer to any tutorial this time ( a self-imposed challenge).

What started out as personal memory aid to refer back to in future, has now been converted into a tutorial that I'd like to share with you in the hopes that it may help some new tatters. If there are already some tutorials out there, I’d be happy to include the link(s) in my Resources page. Please leave a comment with any details you may have. 

A Brief Note :

Firstly, when asked about designer & credits, Judith wrote : “They were illustrated in four colours (one for each shuttle) in the mid-1990s in an IOLI Bulletin. It is an advanced braid which anyone could devise, so there is really no designer to credit.”

Secondly, there are 2 ways the rings can overlap:

Each ring in Column 2 can go over & under the corresponding ring in Column 1 (Front to Back movement of shuttle #3).

Or,

Each ring in Column 2 can go under & over the corresponding ring in Column 1 (Back to Front movement of shuttle #3).

Thirdly, the major part of the tatting process remains the same; it is only while interlacing, that either of the 2 movements mentioned above, come into the picture. And this one step determines how the rings will lie in relation to each other.

And there is no right or wrong side in the braid; it is reversible – the relative overlap direction remains the same from both views. (Compare Figs. 7 & 8 below)

To avoid confusion, I am posting the tutorial in 2 parts, each part tackling one overlap direction.

Common Details :

Thread used : Anchor Mercer Cotton size 20.

Lemon Yellow – 4054-0293  &  Mehandi Green – 4054-0256

Length of braid : 13 pair repeats = 5 inches.

It took less than half a bobbin of each shuttle to tat this length. So fully wound shuttles should give you a length of anywhere from 12-15 inches.

Abbreviations used :

CTM – continuous thread method

Sh – shuttle. Each shuttle is numbered from 1 to 4 : Sh1, Sh2 form one pair ; Sh3 & Sh4 form 2^nd pair.

SR – Split Ring

RS – Reverse stitch (used in some pictures to indicate 2^nd half of split ring stitches)

DNCR – Do not close ring.

Directions/Preparations :

Start with 4 shuttles & wind threads :

1^st pair - Sh1 & Sh2 : Wind yellow thread CTM

2^nd pair – Sh3 & Sh4 : Wind green thread CTM

Each Split Ring : 9/9

                                                     

FRONT  TO  BACK 

INTERLACED  RINGS 

Update : Step-by-step tutorial on how to make the 1st pair of Interlaced rings is here.

1. Make Split Ring (9/9) with 1^st pair of shuttles (Sh1 & Sh2) in yellow thread, but Do Not Close Ring (DNCR) !

It is through this unclosed loop that the adjoining SR will be interlaced.

2. Pass Sh3 through the unclosed yellow ring from front to back. Fig. 1.

3. Wrap this Sh3 thread to start the green split ring & tat SR2. Figs 2, 3, & 4 show the SR2 being completed. 

UPDATE :  See how to pick up and wrap the loop around the hand to start tatting this ring in this pictorial.

4. Both rings now have their complete count of ds, but before starting to close, Pass the Sh3 through SR1 from front to back again !  Fig. 5 

This is an important step as explained & shown at the end *

5. Now close both rings. Pull on Sh 1 to close SR1, the yellow ring; and pull on Sh3 to close SR2, the green ring.  Figs 6 & 7.

Fig. 7 : Notice that both pairs of shuttle threads are in opposite directions from each other : both the yellow threads are in front (above), while both the green threads are at the back (behind).

Continue in similar fashion, starting with SR1, for as long as you would like the braid. 

*  Step #4 : This is an important step because you want both Sh3 & Sh4 threads to lay side by side together. If one forgets to pass the shuttle a second time, then the Sh3 & Sh4 threads will lie in opposite directions, as seen in image below, & will interfere when making the next green SR. (I made this mistake on my very first attempt & had to unwind Sh3, manually pull that long thread through the ring front to back, & then rewind again).

TIPS : Working with 4 shuttles 

Working with 4 shuttles can be quite fiddly with tangled threads to track !

I find that laying the 3 unused shuttles in proper sequence, on a flat surface such as table top or bed, keeps the threads untangled & also helps maintain even tension while working. Simply pull out a comfortable length of thread from the 3 ‘non-working’ shuttles so that they lie separately on the table, without getting in the way of tatting.

Judith has another useful tip : To save the shuttles tangling, use a piece of BlueTak (modelling clay) to stick the unused shuttles together. Then swap it over as you change shuttles.

TIPS : Applications of Interlaced Rings Braid

There are loads of possibilities for Interlaced Split Rings.

* Edgings, Bracelets, Braids, etc.

* Use single color, 2 colors, 3 colors, 4 colors for variety

* Placement of colors can alter the look & focus of the pattern. eg. Sh1 & Sh4 with same color while the 2 center shuttles are of a different color. Thus one will have overlap in centre, and a kind of outline at the sides, all along the length.

* Add picots, thrown rings, Josephine knots/rings, etc. etc. to make it more interesting.

* Add beads along the edges or in the center !

These are only a few that come to my mind.  

What would You Creative Tatters do ?

Love to read your ideas & see your projects :-))

Part 2 of tutorial has been posted : Back to Front movement for Under & Over Interlaced Rings

UPDATE : Patterns using interlaced rings have also been uploaded in 2020. Click to see all posts with interlaced rings.

Related Posts : Interlaced Rings II & Interlaced Rings III
Interlaced Rings revisited ; 2-Shuttle Interlaced Rings.