intermixing

Pin It now!

As indicated in my previous post, I will be sharing ideas as patterns since there is no way I can make everything that comes to mind even as I tat. 

There is immense scope for intermixing - be it

• the way we start or finish,
• the number and placement of colour(s),
• technique,
• function,
• decorative elements &/or embellishments used, ....
• and for those who dislike too many shuttles, using SSSR &/or Dora Young rings! Yes, slash the number of shuttles to Half!!!

But first let me get one pattern out of the way with a promise of more to come (I am especially excited about the next one which uses 4-shuttles) …

My earlier dissatisfaction ended up with snipping off the side braid and finishing off in this manner –

Lock-Laced Bracelet / Choker

pattern

I’m calling it Lock-Laced because the central braid is actually interlocked and only the side braids, with a free edge, are interlaced. But this is mere semantics; the method remains same.

PATTERN – 

6 shuttles with desired colours, worked in pairs with 3 split rings in each row, worked from left to right.

Sh1: Split Ring1: 6 --- 6 / 12. Interlace Sh3 through open ring.

Sh3: Split Ring2:12 / 12. Close 1^st SR; interlace Sh5 through open ring.

Sh5: Split Ring3: 12 / 6 --- 6. Close 2^nd and 3^rd SRs.

Repeat. 

You can choose the movement and effect (back to front or front to back). For more details refer to my post here, and the pictorials listed below.

Since I wasn’t sure how it would take shape, and I wanted to try options, long tails (around 6-8") from each of the 6 shuttles were left dangling. Thus one need not start CTM; one can use leftover lengths. The tails can be braided into decorative chains such as S-chains, Josephine chains, pearl tatted chains, etc.

BEADED TRIM –

Pre-string beads on a shuttle.

With a crochet hook load 3 beads on 2 adjacent long picots.

Make a lock join through 1^st picot, pass 1 bead from shuttle, make a lock join on 2^nd picot, pass 9 beads from the shuttle. 

Continue along the length, ending with a string of 10 beads.

Tie to the bundle of tails, and snip off leaving the same length.

Repeat this on the other side.

If you want symmetry, ensure you have an even number of long picots. I like the slight off-set taper.

I inserted a spacer bead, knotted the tails together, added another spacer bead. On one of the tails extra beads were strung
I was fixed on seeing it as a bracelet, but when I showed it to my hubby he immediately thought of a necklace/choker or an ornamental armband (bajuband) traditionally worn by brides and the rich.

Worked in Anchor size 20 (≡ Lizbeth 10), with size 11/0 bicone crystals (28 maroon and 78 yellow) and 14 gold 10/0 bicones for trim. Some more beads were added to the tails on either end.

Interlaced SSSR Trial !

4 or 6 shuttles too much to handle? Try interlacing using single shuttle split rings (SSSR) – Mathew Takeda style.

This is my first attempt. Look, only 2 shuttles instead of 4!

It can be done. However, it is not necessarily easier since there are open loops; but tangling of 4 threads can definitely be avoided.

I’m not happy with the final look here – will practice make it better, or should I stick with normal SRs?

My next experiment will be with Dora Young’s Knotless Rings which are also split rings using one shuttle. In theory, they should work. Want to give it a go? Join me....

Interlaced SR pictorials -  

http://www.tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-to-start-interlaced-rings.html

http://www.tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2014/06/interlaced-split-rings-i.html - front to back

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2014/06/interlaced-split-rings-ii.html - back to front

Links to other tutorials - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/tatting-resources.html

not for the faint-hearted

Pin It now!

http://www.tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-to-start-interlaced-rings.html

http://www.tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2014/06/interlaced-split-rings-i.html 

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2014/06/interlaced-split-rings-ii.html 

It’s been years since I first posted the technique for interlaced split rings, and despite being among the all-time visited posts, I did not get around to creating any patterns. So when Lilas asked for a pattern, it got me thinking.

I started with one of my sketches and, gulp, I couldn’t get the looping right despite going through my own pictorials! A bit of perseverance, and now I’m happy with my rhythm.

I’ll be posting my trials, experiments, tips, and samplers. I have no intention of creating complete projects at this stage. But for those interested, I will share the count and instructions and you can play and adapt as you wish.

This is the very first of the present attempts. 4 shuttles.

Large rings are 10/10, alternating with small 5/5 rings. I tried both movements for practice.

Worked in Anchor size 20. I think the small rings should be 6/6 to avoid this cramped look. And the large rings can then be made 12/12.

Tried with 6 shuttles.

All rings are basically 12/12 – and the ones along the edge have a long picot for beads.

Here, I deliberately experimented with

back/front, front back movements on each row, alternating with front/back, back/front movements on next row. Look carefully and you can see the over/under and under/over effects.

I wanted a broad bracelet, hence the long picots on both sides, to be joined to interlaced braids. This is how far I have reached on the first side, and will snip it off... it is too broad! I have an idea on how to finish the bracelet, though.

This is just the start …. Lots of ideas and I welcome more - please share your thoughts :-)

Mac-Tatted Braid (written pattern)

Pin It now!

a free 6-shuttle adapted pattern

Yes, I can hear the deep sighs of my handful of readers ..." what, not again ?!!!" 

I promise - this is the last in this "series" ;-)  

I have already written 2 posts on this braid. Twist Work in Reverse Stitch (TwW) is a handy pictorial to read through before actually starting to tat this pattern.

Mac-tatted Braid/Bracelet is a detailed effort to put across the 6-shuttle pattern via step-by-step pictures as well as an all-encompassing Table that acts as the pattern sequence.

However, I have come across suggestions & discussions in InTatters where the visually challenged prefer written instructions rather than notations & pics. This, therefore, is an attempt at the same. It is also a more compact, written-out pattern that is hopefully easy to follow & definitely easy to print. And one can always refer back to the previous 2 posts in case of doubts.

It is a reworking of the original instructions that Usha sent me. Here is Usha's original braid photo again -

Abbreviations used :

CTM : continuous thread method

rs : reverse stitch

TwW / TwW in rs : Twist Work in reverse stitch (click on link for step-by-step tutorial)

Important Points :

• All stitches are rs (reverse stitch) only.
• All caps of rs face downwards Always.
• TwW means to twist work a 180degree in rs (step-by-step tut) by passing working shuttle Under core thread, then starting the rs. (since all stitches in this braid are rs, I will refer to ‘TwW in rs’ simply as TwW.
• There is no crossing-over between shuttles of same color (ie between A & B).
• Always push the stitches back on the core thread after they are made.

To Start :

a) Wind 3 Colors in 6 shuttles, CTM optional

Color 1 in shuttles 1A &1B

Color 2 in shuttles 2A & 2B

Color 3 in shuttles 3A & 3B

b) Knot up all the six threads or make an encapsulated loop for bracelet as in video or add a finding/ring, etc.
c) Make 2 rs of each color on it’s own core thread. Thus all 6 threads with 2 rs will lie flat, side by side.

Sequence of threads (from left to right) at start will be : 1A , 1B , 2A , 2B , 3A , 3B

Pattern :

• Working from left to right,

I. Start with 1B, TwW in rs, & make 1rs on 2A as core thread. Then take 1A, TwW, 1rs on 2A. (2rs in a row with both shuttles of color 1 on 2A)

II. Repeat Step 3, but using 2B as core thread. Hence, 1B on 2B, then 1A on 2B (2rs in a row with both shuttles of color 1 on 2B)

There are now 4rs of color 1 (visible) on color 2 (hidden). Shuttles 1A, 1B are now over shuttles 2A, 2B, having moved from left to right; these are now in the center.

The sequence after Steps I & II : 2A , 2B , 1A, 1B, 3A , 3B

• Working from right to left,

III. Now with 3A – TwW, 1rs on 1B ; with 3B – TwW, 1rs on 1B (2rs of color 3 on color 1)

IV. With 3A – TwW, 1rs on 1A ; with 3B – TwW, 1rs on 1A.

There are now 4rs of color 3 (visible) on color 1 (hidden). Shuttles 1A, 1B are now over shuttles 3A, 3B, having moved to extreme right. Color 3 is now in the center.

The sequence after Steps III & IV : 2A , 2B , 3A, 3B, 1A , 1B

Steps I to IV form the very core of the pattern in terms of technique, & are repeated unchanged, Except for the color of threads being used as working & core.

• Working from left to right,

V : Repeat Step I using color 2 as working thread & color 3 as core. Make 2 rs using 2B on 3A, & 2A on 3A. Remember to TwW before each rs.

VI : Repeat Step II : Make 2 rs using 2B on 3B, & 2A on 3B. TwW before each rs.

There are now 4rs of Color 2(visible) on Color 3 (hidden).

Sequence after these 2 steps : 3A , 3B , 2A , 2B , 1A , 1B

• Working from right to left,

VII : Repeat Step III using color 1 as working thread & color 2 as core. Make 2 rs using 1A on 2B, &  1B on 2B. TwW before each rs.

VIII : Repeat Step IV : Make 2 rs using 1A on 2A, & 1B on 2A. TwW before each rs.

There are now 4rs of Color 1 (visible) on Color 2 (hidden).

Sequence after these 2 steps : 3A , 3B , 1A , 1B , 2A , 2B

• Working from left to right,

IX : Repeat Step I using color 3 as working thread & color 1 as core. Make 2 rs using 3B on 1A, & 3A on 1A. TwW before each rs.

X : Repeat Step II : Make 2 rs using 3B on 1B, & 3A on 1B. TwW before each rs.

There are now 4rs of Color 3 (visible) on Color 1 (hidden).

Sequence after these 2 steps : 1A , 1B , 3A , 3B , 2A , 2B

• Working from right to left,

XI : Repeat Step III using color 2 as working thread & color 3 as core. Make 2 rs using 2A on 3B, & 2B on 3B. TwW before each rs.

XII : Repeat Step IV : Make 2 rs using 2A on 3A, & 2B on 3A. TwW before each rs.

There are now 4rs of Color 2 (visible) on Color 3 (hidden).

Sequence after these 2 steps : 1A , 1B , 2A , 2B , 3A , 3B

These 12 steps form the first Set of stitches / repeats. 

The color sequence is back to where we started – 1 , 2 , 3 – after completing Steps I-XII.

Continue to desired length.

To add some novelty to this post, here's a close-up of the macrame Chevron Stitch that I tried on the same braid, by adding 2 more colors ! What can I say, I was enjoying myself ;-)))

And before continuing with the mac-tatted braid again, I Roll Tatted the additional threads on both sides, then tied & cut off.

Happy Mac-Tatting :-))