picoted Josephines

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Oh, my poor head – it is filled up with so much tatting-related stuff that my memory bank is full! No RAM, no way to access my over-full storage capacity, despite frequent rebooting, sigh! Turns out I already used the tufted rings in the Icy Rivulet Snowflakes last year - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/11/frozen-or-flowing.html. Barbara Slodka had first shared the video link (can't find the exact thread, but earlier than this - https://m.facebook.com/groups/752452334871921?view=permalink&id=2521882034595600 ; and the recent discussion - https://m.facebook.com/groups/752452334871921?view=permalink&id=3082763385174126&_rdr )

I seem to be going round in circles. Like I mentioned in the previous post (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/07/applying-techniques-rakhi.html), some question either in facebook or privately, set me on the path to compare various picot formations in Josephine Rings (JR) or Josephine Knots (JK) back in Oct-Nov 2019. 
But let’s move logically ….

Picots in Josephine Rings

A study of 4 methods

For each style in this study -  

• 4 JRs with the first half-stitch (hs) in each ring. The 2^nd half-stitch can be used instead.
• Each ring starts and ends with 1 double stitch.
• Picot gauge of 2mm, 5mm, and 10mm. The first ring is a regular JR without picots.
• 15 picots per blue ring. 20 picots per yellow ring.
• Anchor Mercer Crochet Cotton size 20 (blue) size 20 ; Anchor Pearl Cotton (yellow) size 8.
• All tutorial links can be found - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/tatting-resources.html
• See position of picot gauge in relation to 'arch' and 'loop' with close-up pics here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/08/gauging-lie-of-land.html  
  
• An earlier comparison between the 3 picots here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-huff-puff-and-tuft.html. The picots are made between the 1st and 2nd half-stitches of a regular ds (as in backside tatting). This can be applied effectively in JRs as well. 
  
• Ninetta’s comparison here - https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2017/08/video-posted-tatting-tuft-picot.html

1. Regular or Interlocking Picots

( https://youtu.be/V7XbtXhpN-4 )
Picots made normally (with or without a gauge) after every half-stitch.

       JR: 1ds, (p, 1hs)x14, p, 1ds.

Notice how the picots split apart as they get longer. The long picots are termed Interlocking Picots.

2. Mrs Mee Picots

( http://marthas-tatting-blog.blogspot.com/2011/06/amazing-mrs-mee.html )

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNW4CyGWzQA )
Picots made normally (with or without gauge) after every 2 half-stitches. 

  Make the picot followed by a half-stitch, and repeat the half-stitch (pic below).

      JR: 1ds, (p, 2hs)x14, p, 1ds.

This results in a larger ring, but with more stable but ‘independent’ picots and a larger center space. There is a tendency for the picots to twist decoratively if they are longer than 10mm.

3. Tuft Picots 

This requires a picot gauge through the 'leg' or loop of each half-stitch. The gauge may be placed above core thread (Nadezhda's method) or below the core thread (Ninetta's method). The beauty lies around the periphery where picots seem to be interlaced.

What Actually happens, is that the stitch itself becomes a picot! The gauge 'pushes up' the belt or horizontal bar of each stitch to lie on the outside instead of at the base of a picot as normally happens. 
The above rings have 20 picots of 5mm in size 8 perle cotton. 

Nadezhda Malysheva method - gauge above core thread
( https://youtu.be/HFCimyOpoXI March 2018)

Hold the gauge above core thread as usual. But look closely – the gauge is ‘inserted’ through the open ‘leg’ or loop of the stitch rather than the main arch of hs as in #1 and #2.

      JR: 1ds, (p, 1hs)x14, p, 1ds.

Notice the outer edge of the picots – they appear interlaced or interwoven, creating a neat trim around the periphery. It almost appears as if the stitches are made loosely - which they are, in a sense. But the 10mm picots split apart as in #1.

Ninetta Caruso method - gauge below core thread

( https://youtu.be/1uTtSE8ZUJY  Aug 2017)

Hold the gauge Below the core thread, but inserted through the ‘leg’ or loop of the stitch instead of the arch. 

      JR: 1ds, (p, 1hs)x14, p, 1ds.       

When the ring is closed, both Nadezhda’s and Ninetta’s rings turn out to be The Same! However, since the former does not have a name, and it was Ninetta who created it before, I think it is proper to term them both Tuft Picots. The rings can be called Tufted Rings.

My Observations and Thoughts -

• Of the 4 methods, only Mrs Mee’s picots can be used for joining – they remain stable due to the extra hs between picots; the other 3 are merely decorative. They form a broader JR and a larger number of picots is more visually pleasing.
• I find that using perle cotton creates a better tufted ring as seen in the rakhi I posted earlier.
• As seen, 5mm picots give the best result. As the picots increase in length, they tend to split apart and twist. It makes sense, because the belt/bar of the stitch no longer has any support and slides back!
• It is important to factor in the thread size to get the desired result.
• It will be interesting to see the effect with graduated picots! And beads.