continuing belatedly

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 This is how I feel ... 2025 is simply continuing into 2026, LOL. Not looking for anything special, anything different, anything grand. I am more than happy to continue as is. 

Since I did not prepare any special image, and I do like a post with at least one pic, let me borrow what I did for our Endrucks 1920 Project Facebook group. And all the tatting you see is by our Endrucksian tatters!!!

So wishing all who visit my blog and especially those who take the time to read and comment, my 

💗heartfelt wishes for a happy, healthy, and fun-filled 2026 with tons of creative time to fulfill all your desires! 💗

Under one of my recent posts in FB, I noticed one question - What is the Endrucks 1920 Project? 

Now that got my curiousity and I immediately clicked on it and this is what Meta AI has to say about our Project ... 

All stars on the border are tatted by
🌺Anita Schaeder 🌺Anna Bonelli 🌺Anna Tedesco 🌺Antonia Lai 🌺Cristina Reb
🌺Daniela Galli 🌺Irma Noemi Figueroa 🌺Jane McLellan 🌺Jiamrat Supapol 

🌺Krystyna Mura 🌺Lella Loops  🌺Manju Talekar 🌺Margaret Davies 🌺Muskaan 

🌺Ninetta Caruso 🌺Paola Bevilacqua 🌺Paola Emilia Rotuletti 🌺Reiko Akamatsu 

🌺Ruth Palsson 🌺Sally Biggers 🌺Silvana Buonvino 🌺Stephanie Wilson 

🌺Ulrike Klauser 🌺Winnie Ho

Majority of the stars & snowflakes are derivatives of E3 & E12 for the Tat Me Endrucks Dec2022 game and the rest are the E15 Leafy Stars which I showcased recently. Links to roundups for details are listed at the end of this post.

🌺💗🌺💗🌺

A brief recap of the year gone bay to emphasize the continuity since there are a lot of fairly big to medium sized projects underway ....

• Net Best's book that I am editing - the Glossary which I considered almost done last January with merely some samples to be tatted ... turns out there was so much more to add and improve. At present only some models need to be tatted and a bit of clean-up is required. And then to get to the chapters.
• The updating of all PDFs in our EP collection is still ongoing, though Ninetta and I have covered some ground there. This may carry on through the year.
• Since late late August, we are also compiling a tutorial resource doc dedicated to techniques and effects used in our  Endrucks' patterns and derivatives. This doc will be released very soon though some PDFs remain to be completed.
• Manju had derived the entire alphabet from E17 which I am diagramming and presenting. While she has sent me the pattern and pics for all, I have managed to finish A to N. So the rest will continue through the next several months. The HAPPY you see above is Manju's!
• My blogging might continue to be sporadic if I follow in the footsteps of 2025 and I might not be able to respond to each and every comment, though I definitely read and appreciate each. 

I lost almost six months at a stretch last year when I couldn't focus on any 'heavy' thinking (the updating came at the right time in that sense). This year I hope no such problem will loom up. I have learned to not stress myself out trying to reach a deadline - I do what I can, when I can, and how I can, to the best of my ability and circumstances .... enjoying the journey and each moment.

Meanwhile I learned a lot, read and researched, discussed with experts, and concepts became clearer, and I also received patterns and books from friends!

💗many many thanks to all of you for being a part of my journey 💗

Roundup Posts 

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2024/08/roundup-1-stars-and-snowflakes-for.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2024/08/stars-and-snowflakes-for-tatme-dec2022.html

https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2024/08/it-was-my-turn-stars-and-snowflakes-for.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/10/leaf-to-star-spinoff.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/12/more-e15-leafy-stars.html

full of options tatting

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 In our endeavour since July 2025 to update patterns in our Endrucks 1920 Project collection, some PDFs posed a dilemma. For instance whether to leave the E1 shamrock and it's butterfly offshoot in the same PDF or to separate them. A survey in our FB group voted overwhelmingly in favour of the former. We took the opportunity to include a stepwise pictorial, add some missing portions, as well as options to work certain parts through some mini-pictorials.

E1 Happy Hands Shamrock and Butterfly by Diana Howe and Muskaan : 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_D5xY68NyfsKMB4LDr0GUv-WYC0VCba6/view (updated pattern link)

Following are some notable features -

This Way or Tat? (TWoT Notes): This is one of those patterns where many paths and options are possible.  Diana had diagrammed both clockwise and counterclockwise pathways (my E1 Happy Hands Heart from which it was derived could also be worked either way), and my working of the shamrock followed a third. Since it is a two shuttle pattern, just follow the shuttle which is in the right position, but adjust the instructions accordingly.  

I used contrasting colours in size 10 knitting cotton for the pictorial to clearly indicate which shuttle is in use.

Dimpled Yorkie: Since the heart ring is fairly large, it is a good idea to apply the two-step closure option as in the dimpled yorkie. Notice the bare thread on the left, just before the ring starts? It is part of the false picot ....

False Picot: Since there will be two back and forth chains at the base of the heart, a false picot is needed to prevent overcrowding. And the bare threads need to be long enough to accommodate them.

False Picot v/s Mock Picot): I distinguish between a false picot and a mock picot. The former is just bare thread left before and/or after an element to simulate a picot. The latter usually uses an overhand tie, a lock stitch, or a paperclip/spacer to make the picot. False picot is a much more vintage term than a mock picot, often used interchangeably, and the construction is left to the discretion of the tatter. However one should be aware of this since it may affect which of the two shuttles you will be using to continue. Does it coincide with what the designer intended? If not, the tatter will need to adapt accordingly.

Lock Join and Under-Over Join (U-OJ) aka Alligator Join: During my early trials with the original E1 pattern, I finally settled on making a lock join through the false picot in order to keep the chain in place. This was followed by ensuring that the two threads/shuttles were on either side of the picot (one above and one under).  

However the lock join can be eliminated completely and only the U-OJ can be used if so desired. And which thread you wish to keep above and which under is entirely up to the tatter. Just make sure to adjust instructions accordingly.

The first heart motif is complete in the above image. 

Armadillo join: While in the above model we went with the original consecutive joins (picot join on top and lock join below), this can be substituted with the armadillo join as explained in my previous post. https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/12/armadillo-join.html . 

Over The Top Join (OTT): This is an adaptation of the U-O join when the space is too small for a shuttle to pass under (or one forgets to position the shuttles ahead of the final chain segment in the pattern). Above image shows Ninetta working it in the 2nd or 3rd repeat.

 

Ninetta's E1 shamrock and butterfly versions! Can't thank her enough for all her enthusiastic and prompt support in so many unexpected ways!

Stem : Diana recommended the BDS or padded chain for a stem. However, any decorative chain or cord can be applied such as the lock chain in above model, a pearl tatted chain, etc. 

Never let it be said that tatting is just rings and chains and picots, LOL.

We will soon be releasing the EP Tutorials document which endeavours to list all tatting techniques, effects, and terms used in the Endrucks patterns - original, reworked, and derived. Until then you can find tutorial links in the Tatting Resources tab above (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/tatting-resources.html).

Please give credit to the designer and pattern, and use the tag #Endrucks1920Project when you post your version of the pattern.

armadillo join

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 Back in 2015 when I first ventured into tatting Eleonore Endrucks' patterns from her 1920 book, Die Schiffchen-Spitzen, (I had started with E22 for the summer homework by Georgia's Online Tatting Class) there were patterns including the very first one where the 2nd repeat/motif joins to the first with two consecutive joins. One is a normal picot join to a picot lying above the line of tatting (on the previous motif) and one is a lock join to a hidden picot lying below (on the same motif).  

I tried various methods to incorporate both joins into one continuous movement but was unsuccessful - the result just didn't seem neat. So you can imagine my immense excitement when I encountered Gretchen Miller's Armadillo Join earlier this year (July 2025)! She came up with it as a solution to linking two pieces of enameled metal for one of her patterns. She uploaded a video here -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JRveDx6Wf4 . When I sought her permission to share a pictorial she was happy to note that the join could be used in pure tatted lace as well. And what I had missed in my 2015 trials was the final step, LOL.

ARMADILLO  JOIN

Gretchen Miller (Tattered Armadillo) July 2025

video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JRveDx6Wf4 

Since I have created a PDF for the pictorial which can be downloaded by clicking this link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PfM7UMj9YIIW3cA8fEVB1OgaXabFeo_L/view - I will keep the text below to a minimum.

Shuttle 1 - mustard thread ; ball or shuttle 2 - blue thread.

Note: The join is worked with a single shuttle.

Normally, one would consecutively make a lock join to the chain picot below and a picot join to the ring picot above and then proceed with the current chain. Armadillo join allows us to make both linkages simultaneously.....

... by pulling a loop of the ball thread up through the picot above and then bringing it down through the picot below.

Then shuttle is passed through it. Notice how it is basically a picot join, except that the loop goes through two picots on opposite side of the current chain.

But here's one extra step where the shuttle is brought back to the left by passing it under the loop.

The linkage is complete and now all we need to do is remove all slack.

Now steps 7 and 8, I find, require some practice and dexterity to remove slack from all the threads and loop.

Thus we have not only linked the current chain to two picots, but have simultaneously moved across to the right! Clever, right?! 

I haven't been able to experiment and explore it too much, although I did make it backside on the E1 sampler at the top. And my next post will feature a derivative pattern where it can be used.

Many many thanks to Gretchen for sharing this join!