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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).