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.

picot is posted

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I am so happy with the interest and response here and on facebook! Hence worked quickly on the pictorial. For those who know what ‘posting a shuttle’ means, you don’t even need to follow the pictorial. Yes, that’s how simple the answer is – Post the Shuttle, leaving some bare space that will become a picot! So pick up your shuttle and play :-D

I had more names (posted, double-duty,  upside down, 2-way picot),  but due to my haste, and the need to notate my pics, I am continuing with ....

Intruding  Picot  Pictorial

Intruding picot proposed symbol/notation : ∫ or ip

Ring: 5 – 5 ∫ 5 – 5.

1. Start ring 5ds, picot, 5ds.

2. Post shuttle – pass shuttle front to back, through the open loop of ring.

3. Once shuttle is posted, pull core thread to transfer the thread (not seen here), leaving some bare thread length. Hold in pinch …
NOTE: Just think of it as starting a 1st half stitch, with bare thread for picot, but instead of making the 2nd half stitch, make another fhs & shs. 

4. … and immediately work 1ds. This is how it will look.

5. With just a slight touch or brush, the picot falls down!

6. Adjust (notice the intrusion?) and continue to complete the ring working 4ds, picot, 5ds. Close ring.

7. 1 ring with intruding picot made.

Follow the same technique to make ∫s in chains as seen in previous post. Practice first on rings, then move to chains. There is a tendency for the chain to flip around after posting the shuttle. Hence, hold the picot in pinch till chain segment is worked and all stitches snugged.

My Initial Thoughts

• This is still in a phase of exploration, development, and refinement.
• Intruding Picot is made with the ball or working or knotting thread, hence it remains in position though facing downwards. In the drop, down or inward-facing picots (tutorial links compiled here - http://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2017/10/fun-or-fan-in-direct-tatting.html), we hold a picot space on the core thread (using a paper clip or any holder) till a join is made. The intruding picot holds it’s shape and position without any help.
• Now that I think about it, it is like a single interlocking picot (picots in a Josephine Ring after each half stitch)! links here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/tatting-resources.html
• Intruding picot is a double duty picot as we have seen in the ‘lollipop onion ring’ (termed used by Colette G) where the picot can be extended in both directions – down and up. https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/07/what-intrusion.html
• It is a textural picot when left free as seen in the bare thread over the line of tatting. It does not lie flat, and may not be acceptable to many tatters or in classic patterns.
• It is of great functional value as evident in the onion ring and mock rings. It can also be used to add a bead(s) in the center of a ring after closing the ring! I will show it next time. 
  
• It can be measured. There is a little trick to use the picot gauge here, but I need to study it further. With the trick, this heart-shaped ring is formed.
• A lot of uses and applications are still left to try. Hop in and play around. But please do share your thoughts, experience, experiments, and of course, pictures! happy playing :-)))

The picot stands tall

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Many of us ‘eye-ball’ the picot. When precision is needed as in case of graduated, double/triple, interlocking/interwoven, central and tuft picots or in tatted hairpin lace, a gauge is required. Some ink/tattoo dots on their finger! I merely measure and cut some cardstock to use as a homemade gauge. To me, vertical meant looping the picot thread around the gauge, while horizontal meant laying the picot thread flat along the measuring side. 

But Robin pointed out that there are different interpretations (see comments) and it led to a lot of research ending in this article : Measuring the Picot.

I will use 2 images sent by her to illustrate how some tutorials/resources differ in their approach & terminology. One set speaks of how to hold the rectangular gauge, while the other talks about how the picot thread lies (in relation to core thread or the gauge) when measuring. 

 

            In A, the picot gauge is held horizontally, but the picot thread is vertical.

In B, the gauge is held vertically, but picot thread is horizontal.

But notice that the core thread remains the same throughout – horizontal!

Core thread is the only constant during measurement.

It lies flat (horizontal or on the X-axis)

irrespective of the picot thread or the picot gauge.

In A, we measure the height of the picot (5mm in this case) and the finished picot is of the same measure viz 5mm.

In B, we measure the length of the picot (10mm in this case) but when finished, the picot will measure 5mm.

Length of thread in any picot is twice the height of that picot.

Conversely, height of picot is half its length. 

In A, multiple picots can me made before slipping them off the gauge.

In B, only 1 picot at a time is possible.

Thus the seeming dichotomy is resolved. But this is not all. There are ways to use the gauge unconventionally; and ways to measure a picot without using any separate tool (see collage below) !!! These are all covered in the article, along with pictures – some stepwise. 

Part of the article was published in Bellaonline on July 12, 2018. More sections were added later, and refined further, to make it quite a comprehensive document.

Click to download the pdf of the complete article -

Measuring the Picot

This article is a compilation of the many ways – old & new - to measure a picot. Each method has it’s advantages and it is entirely up to the tatter to choose the method(s) they prefer. The article makes no claim of superiority of one method or of one gauge over the other.

The contents of the article :

I.  Orientation of Picot Gauge – horizontal and vertical

II. Orientation of Picot Thread in Relation to the Core Thread – height (vertical) and length (horizontal)

III. Non-conventional  Applications/Uses

A.                  Direct Tatting (unflipped stitches)

B.                  Decorative Effects

C.                  Graduated Picots 

D.                  Multiplier Effect of Gauge 

E.                  BEADS as Picot Gauge

IV. Stitches as Picot Gauge – length and height

Recap / conclusion

References

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During the course of my research, many good friends helped with their own insights, though not everything was included in the final article. This post is to share this new information rather than repeat what’s in the article.

Historically, a pin was used to measure the picot loops. “Tatting. Edgings and Insertions”, Mlle Riego de la Branchardiere, 1861.

‘A Pearl Loop – After the number of double stitches are worked as directed, the thread which forms the loop round the hand is passed over the pin, invented for the purpose, facilitates the work.’

Since a pin has a circular cross-section, there is no vertical/horizontal dilemma here. The number of times one wraps the picot thread around it can alter the size of a finished picot.

This same technique is used by Jon Yusoff on modern gauges for extra long picots! The collage above shows how to measure a 10cm picot using a 2cm gauge.

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Bonnie Swank (through Anita Barry) sent me her description derived from “The Art of Tatting”, Lady Hoare, 1910, page 20. 

“Pinching the ring and shuttle threads together then tatting the double stitch and sliding the new double stitch next to the previous double stitch.
This is a horizontal method of making the picot without a gauge.”

Lady Hoare suggests ‘leaving about the eighth of an inch of thread on both loop and shuttle threads….’ This is what we refer to as eyeballing.

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An elementary and universal method is to employ

the stitches themselves as a picot gauge.

If a gauge is not available, the stitches themselves can act as a gauge. Even beads can be used for measurement if size is known. The advantage of using one’s own tatted stitches as a gauge is that it accommodates all types & sizes of threads as well as individual difference in tension.

I used the height of a picot-in-the-making to estimate the size of central picot and arrived at the following thumb rule. Jane McLellan stepped in with trials, experiments and feedback to confirm the rule.

A thumb rule for measuring the central picot

around which rings will be linked :

1ds width for each ring.

(± half stitch to account for individual differences)

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While technically not a picot, it is a different way of using a picot gauge. Jeanie Schekel, in her unpublished book, calls it a folded picot gauge ideal for bare thread tatting and mignonette. She shared her images and also these video links –  Double picot gauge by needledreams and this video by mytattingplace which also shows how to get uniform half-closed rings.

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Coretta Loughmiller sent me many pics of the BTS and Picot Tool being used. Now this stepped tool, at first glance, defies the vertical/horizontal position. However the detailed markings of length and directional arrows helps us understand how to hold and use the gauge to measure either the height or the length of the picot thread and also bare thread. Gloria Nelson, the designer & manufacturer of this compact efficient tool, has been most gracious in our communication, even offering to send in more pics.
Such markings are a good way to avoid any confusion and communicate clearly - whichever gauge a designer uses.

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Martha Ess’ sliding gauge is ideal for graduated picots. She graciously gave me permission to use any of the photos and instructions!

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I’d like to sincerely thank each and everyone mentioned 

for prompt and enthusiastic help – over and above my expectations !  

And I cannot thank Robin & Georgia enough! 

Robin Perfetti has helped proof the multiple drafts carefully and offered valuable feedback/suggestions. Some of the words, thoughts & of course images, are hers. 

Georgia Seitz has provided us with a wonderful platform and opportunity to reach a wide audience through Bellaonline and her Online Tatting Class.

gauging the lie of the land

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(Common Threads III)

When making a picot in tatting, there are mainly 2 factors involved.

Which 2 factors ? – the half stitch(s) on either side of a picot and the position of picot gauge !

An interplay of just these factors can change the look and effect of the picot, as well as it’s functionality.

Comparing 3 types of picots here - interlocking, Mrs. Mee, & tuft - got me thinking about picot gauges. Gauge position was very interesting.

It started as a deconstruction of the 2 factors in various picot types we know of, but that is a Huge study and I’ve only just bit a small morsel at present and will require more time and concentration than I can manage at present. But keep an eye out …

For the present, I’m sharing only the various positions of gauges (that I know of. I welcome more input).

Picot Gauge in relation to Core thread

& where the stitch faces

Vertical v/s Horizontal

These are the standard options that we are all aware of.

I’ve used a 8mm gauge vertically and a ½in gauge horizontally.

Notice (in traditional tatting) -

In normal rings and chains the gauge lies above the core thread, whether it is held vertically or horizontally.

Vertical position -  picot has the hand (for ring) or ball (for chain) thread wrapped around both sides and we get the same size of picot as the width of gauge. Stitch is formed at the base of the gauge since gauge is at right angles to the core thread.

Horizontal position – the hand/ball thread lies across the entire width of gauge and the resulting picot is half the length of the gauge. Stitch is formed at the side of the gauge since gauge is parallel to the core thread.

Common practice is to RW – reverse work after a ring to tat the chain. But what if we don’t RW, and work the chain directly using unflipped stitches?

Carollyn pointed out an interesting aspect with beautiful pics here.

(in direct tatting)

If chains are tatted directly using reverse stitch ie. unflipped stitches in reverse order, then the gauge is held below the core thread, vertically or horizontally.

It holds true for reverse rings and 2^nd side of split ring as well .

This establishes that where the stitch faces while tatting decides where the gauge is held!

Picot Gauge in relation to Core thread & the Half stitch

Now let’s bring in one more factor – the half stitch where the picot is to be made.

In all the following pictures, I have used the 8mm gauge vertically.

Picot is simply a length of bare thread between 2 half stitches.

Let’s tackle the fhs - first half stitch first.

After 4 stitches, we want to make a picot followed by a fhs. Above pic shows fhs being formed. Let’s call the left part the arch which will be compressed into a picot, and the right part is the loop of the half stitch.

Gauge is held above core thread, under the arch.

Inset pics show the completion of the process to form 1 picot.

Gauge is held above core thread, through the loop.

Gauge is held below core thread, through the loop.

Similarly for shs – second half stitch.

Gauge is held above core thread, under the arch.

Gauge is held above core thread, through the loop.

Gauge is held below core thread, through the loop.

Can you identify the gauge positions for regular picots, interlocking picots, Mrs Mee picots, and the tuft picots that were described in this post ?

If this seems confusing, pick up some scrap threads and give it a quick try to discover the joy of versatility! And like I said, this is only a tiny glimpse into the beautiful world of picots.

Happiness lies at the Core of Tatting !

Stay happy stay tatting always :-)