measured picot on core thread

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 It is difficult to get an accurate measure of an inward picot on the core thread which is held by a paperclip or coil-less pin, etc., till the time of joining. 

Then we have a mock picot where the norm is to make an overhand tie and then work the stitches. This is something I have never been comfortable with. 

And it is these that led me to use scrap thread to hold the space, by making a lark's head knot (LHK), which is exactly the size and form of a double stitch. Now this gives me an accurate measure of a picot even when it is on the core thread.

Measured Mock/Inward Picot with LHK pdf  (click to download) - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GciBBglABtYVt3Jew5zn6chqhMjLQuqG/view 

1 Lark's Head Knot = 1 Double Stitch

The best part is that we can alter the size as desired! 

For a very small picot, make 1LHK with a smaller size scrap thread;
for a regular picot, use the same tatting thread and make 1LHK;

for a longer picot, use thicker thread for 1LHK, or several scraps for 2 or more LHK. 

The possibilities are endless. The mock or inward picot needn't even be regular. You can easily have an irregular picot with a longer core thread side and barely any space on the ball thread side, if a future join is to be made only on the lower end. 

The marker/scrap thread can be removed once the element is joined and the core thread is locked either with a lock join or with a ring.

Notice how all the picots above are of the same size and all the stitches are the same with not a single thread or bar out of place.

I put together some pics in a one-page pdf to show the steps involved.  Measured Mock/Inward Picot with LHK pdf  (click to download) - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GciBBglABtYVt3Jew5zn6chqhMjLQuqG/view 

If you remember, I've used the LHK to join at the beginning - it was called luggage tag loop (Georgia Seitz). eg. Radiant Sun paper clip tatting, Blossoms motifs, etc. (click for search results and patterns). The LHK is also used to add new thread since it gives the appearance of a double stitch. 

Related articles/resources -
Measuring the Picot - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kk6rtyIUvo5JFA5u3vE3ruU2Z7zQ9fuq/view

Adding, Hiding, ... - http://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2016/11/beginning-or-ending.html