stop tatting

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Not literally, of course! But do read on for the full story ...

I didn't want to bore you with the continuing saga of my Just So Coaster, but it is one of the few pieces of tatting I can show at present; one of the very few that doesn't need too much effort to present. 

After round 5 the only thing I was sure about was to bring back the cream shade from round 3. After rejecting several design ideas, when I finally zeroed in on what felt good, I started second-guessing my choice of the shade. Asked hubby (all cream or cream rings with pink chains) and he said go ahead with all cream cautioning me that I would need to add another round with the dark pink shade outlining the piece. No problem, it was intended!

This is another scroll round with a slight difference. That is Not gapsosis you see between the triad rings. It is a deliberate design element and a version of stacked rings. Last year Anita Barry reworked a doily from the 1970s (by L. Uteg) which had 7 or more such contiguous rings with bare thread deliberately left at the base to maintain the curvature of the round and also act as a picot for joining future elements/rounds.

I only used three rings per set so it is essentially a trefoil here with overlapping rings.

ROUND 6: A scroll with stacked ring sets.

Start with the 1st ring and move counterclockwise.

Each ring has 14 stitches and is joined in the middle to a picot on Round 5.

Chain counts are inked in the model above, with a lock join to Round 5.

TIP: For the mirror-image sets, each subsequent ring is worked or positioned 'above' the other. In the right set, leave a bit of bare thread space (yes, gapsosis!) between each ring and while joining to the previous round, position it behind the previous ring.

In size 10 Anchor Knitting Cotton, and after 6 rounds, the coaster now measures 15.5cms in diameter.

Sadly the pics don't do justice to how beautiful it really looks on my glass dining table. Anyways, when I showed hubby the coaster, he said stop tatting! It looks complete and beautiful just as it is, Just So! 

Yes, I agreed. I will certainly stop with this piece since I wouldn't know what to do with this thick 'hot pad?' when it grows larger.

However, I'm not done designing. I still feel the urge to continue with more rounds. The only way out is to start afresh with size 20 or 40 crochet cottons. Let's see ....

Related Posts
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/04/just-so-tatting.html
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/05/comfort-tatting.html
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/05/identity-tatting.html

identity tatting

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 It was called a coaster, and coaster it shall be!

Padma Madayam surprised me with her Rounds 1 to 4 of my Just So Coaster soon after I had posted the pattern last month! However it escaped her notice that I was using size 10 knitting cotton which is a pretty thick thread. Worked in size 20 crochet cotton, her 'coaster' turned out to be too small for a coaster! And after my coaxing, she embarked on a journey to make her coaster a coaster! This is the beauty that emerged ....

Her coaster now measures 15.5 cms after the addition of two more rounds designed by her and which she has kindly shared with us. No more identity crisis ;-D

This is her first four rounds following my pattern here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/04/just-so-tatting.html

And following is her pattern for rounds 5 & 6, inked in the image as well as written notations ...

ROUND 5 (designed by Padma Mandayam) - a scroll with rings facing outwards.  This can be worked with a ball and shuttle, continuous thread, if working as separate round.  See NOTE for continuous tatting ... 

  Ring1: 4 - 3 - 3 - 4. RW

Chain1: 5 + 2 + 2 + 5, RW

  Ring2: 4 - 3 - 4 - 4. RW

Chain2: 5 + 1 + 5, RW

Repeat all around. Join last chain to base of first ring, tie, cut, hide ends. 

 

ROUND 6 (designed by Padma Mandayam) - this scroll round has trefoils and all rings face inwards (towards the center).  This can be worked with a ball and shuttle, continuous thread, if working as separate round.

  Ring1: 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3. do not RW

  Ring2: 3 +(to ring1) 3 - 3 +(to round5 ring) 3 - 3 - 3. do not RW

  Ring3: 3 +(to ring2) 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3. RW

Chain1: 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3, RW

  Ring4: 5 +(to ring3) 5 - 5 - 5. RW

Chain2: 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3, RW 

Repeat all around. joining Ring1 to Ring4, and final Ring4 to first Ring1. Join last chain to base of 1st ring. Tie, cut, hide ends. 

NOTE: For continuous tatting of rounds 5 & 6, use 2 shuttles, CTM: Make last ring of round 5 a split ring to climb out, and climb in to round 6 with a split ring for Ring2. Adjust tatting sequence accordingly, ending the round with Ring1. 

If you visit her timeline in Facebook, Padma makes superb beaded jewellery including beaded crochet ropes, besides tatting and crochet. She sent me two pics sharing her crochet and tatted coaster sets (six each). An accomplished lady for sure. Padma has also worked on several Endrucksian derivatives despite having joined recently, and participated in my DALs!

Many many thanks, Padma, for sharing this beautiful version of a properly-sized coaster :-))))

Related Posts 

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/05/comfort-tatting.html  (my round 5)

comfort tatting

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 Wonder why I find this my go-to for comfort?! Is it because it increases in girth so fast, the knitting cotton being a size 10? Perhaps, because it is easy on my eyes when working late into the night and secondly I have been so involved with sample tatting that I couldn't take time out to tat larger doilies. And since my resolution is to keep the design simple, each round tats up real quick.

This is how I started Round 5, but noticed that the previous round started to cup. Tried tugging on the new round, but realised it wouldn't work and the stitch count needed to be modified.

Snipped off the core thread in each chain but left the rings there. Two advantages - 

1. I saved the knotting thread (maroon) [Jane McLellan's tip - https://janemactats.blogspot.com/2015/03/snip-rings-not-chains.html ]

 and more importantly

2. when flattened, it was easier to work out the increase in stitches to avoid cupping.

And here's the pattern inked on the pic! Another scroll round.

Round 5 of the Just So Coaster

There are enough picots in this round to add a 6th round when I need some comfort tatting ;-D I have no idea how it will progress though. I only know that the cream will be back! 

It measures 12.5 cms across BUT remember I am tatting with thick thread (Anchor knitting cotton, size 10). Your model might be much smaller in tatting cotton. Nevertheless, feel free to design your own next round and share.

Pattern for the previous 4 rounds is shared here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/04/just-so-tatting.html

TIP: If you wish to work the coaster in one pass, ensure the last chain in Round 4 is worked as a split chain, followed by a mock or false picot and then a split ring.