mad or maddening ?

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am I going mad over medallions ?

do you find it maddening to go through it  with me ?

Well, you are excused ; can’t say whether I can be rescued yet ;-P

Yup, more trials, prototypes and procedural peeks !

Made sporadically over the last several weeks, experimenting with different elements and effects to form enclosed space medallions.

1. Square Wave

Combination of elements -- space outlined with alternating split rings and chains.

I’d forgotten all about this. Lucky to have taped it on the page! Trials start from bottom up and the yellow one is rejected now.

2nd round creates a bit of a swirl wave if seen closely.

Need to decrease the negative space.

I had some time today and worked around the square with small tweak. This one has offset picots and smaller SRs in 1^st round.

Techniques : 2-shuttle tatting, split rings, lock joins. 2 rounds. About 3.5" in Anchor size 20.

2. Dancing Peacocks

Onion rings enclose the space.

This design gave me grief!!! Whether it was getting the innermost JR to lie flat or where to place the picot to join adjacent rings. Also, how many onin rings were needed for the medallion to lie flat, since I didn't want to increase the length of the connecting chains. 

The bits you see above don't show the parts where I un-tatted and re-tatted!

Finally, I did away with joining picots altogether.  Now, I can decide where the adjacent rings need to be attached and place picots accordingly. 

The innermost ring is a FB-JR. The overhand knot in floating beads method Does make the Josephine Ring lie in same plane as the outer rings. 

Although I deliberately made spaced out concentric rings, it cramps the adjacent rings. 

Need to reduce the stitchcount in the 3rd onion ring.

Techniques : 2 shuttle-tatting, Josephine ring using Floating Beads method, Onion rings (faux rings made with chains), dots, thrown/floating rings.

3. Inter-Sections

Celtic or Interlaced center made with lock chains.

This piece is made in pieces ! Hence the name.

Although there are many on my to-tat list, I don't remember tatting any such faux-Celtic pieces. So I'm actually thrilled to get something off the shuttles!

2 triangles make up the 6-point interlaced center.

Then a round of lock chains.

Next a 6-tip insertion through rings.

Followed by another round of LCh.

Need to remove the last round (as already done above) unless more rounds are added. Need to increase the central negative space, and also use different colours. Lots of tweaking required !

Techniques : 2-shuttle tatting, lock chains, interlacing, lock joins.

For the present these are standalones, but can easily function as motifs to create larger lace. 

Medallions are a quick, fun way to design and stop whenever desired.  Who knows I might come back to enlarge some of these at some future date. Meanwhile my medallion stash increases (as does my workload ;-P) ! 

have fun whatever you tat J

floating beads PART 5

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In one of my earlier pictorials I mentioned that Floating Beads method can be used in SCMRs, but didn’t actually get around to doing it. Jane’s earrings provided the impetus to take it up again.

FB IN SR, SCMR, SSSR

We make the floating bead first, followed by whatever ring type one wants. It had all started with FB in thrown ring, next in normal ring and now in SR, SCMR with TR, and SSSR.

The basic steps remain the same – 

Step 1 - first pull loop through bead and either fold loop back around bead or pass shuttle through loop and tension (variation A)  ; 

Step 2 – a half knot encapsulating the bead.

Since I’m using smaller 4mm pearl beads for these trials, I went with var A.

I’ve used 2 colours to show which shuttle is used to dangle the bead. If you’ve tried the FB method, these pics are self-explanatory.

Floating Beads - in Split Ring (SR)

Besides doing it in the split ring, I tried an additional idea – dangling 2 beads in the ring – 

one each from the 2 shuttles. We can have more than 2, of course, as in the tatted Josephine Rings here.

Also, I deliberately left a long shank and made several half knots (a Josephine chain) along it.

Crossed over ;-D

Floating Beads - in Self Closing Mock Ring (SCMR)

The SCMR is in progress using blue core, and a ring was thrown off with red. Both have a FB.

SCMR closed.

FB in Single Shuttle Split RIng (SSSR)

Using blue shuttle only, this SSSR also has a FB inside.

Since the bead is floated Before the ring is made, we have a choice of which shuttle to use in case of 2-shuttle tatting.

But unlike normal rings, we cannot make a FB After a SR or SSSR is completed because the thread(s) will not be emerging at the start of ring. 

Hmmm, so can we dangle a bead from the other end ? Oh dear, not another trial !

Actually, though theoretically possible, the bead will not dangle properly. It will have a tendency to flop back towards the next/new element, following the ‘pull’ of the thread. 

Phew, no more trials !

floating away to some other tatting :-)

All Floating Beads pictorials in My Tutorials page above. 

floating beads PART 4

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edited Sep 7, 2017

This floating beads (FB) method I’ve been boring you with, arose out of a specific situational and visual need.

I was working on a 3-row necklace tatted in one pass (Tat Days attendees will get to see it way before I can post it here!). And instead of a bead in the center of a ring attached at both ends, I wanted it to dangle freely from the base.

The Swarovski bead was 4.5mm and the ring was a thrown ring. At least 3 such beads were needed (perhaps even 5) in the very 1^st row itself. And in later rows there were pre-strung seed beads with more tatting and teardrop beads too.

I tried out some established methods and had to reject them because -

pre-stringing – more than 1 bead and too large for a Pony shuttle – they jutted out.  

down picot (2fhs B 2shs) – if made at start or end of ring, bead would not lie in the centre. But more importantly, it also required pre-stringing.

beaded fringe – as in Corina’s beaded stem - again required loading on to shuttle!  OR

Nina’s single file beaded picot using a needled tip/thread. This could work since bead was loaded only when needed. But it required unwinding, loading bead (with stopper bead) & rewinding shuttle every time. Not only would I have to unwind an almost fully loaded shuttle, but there were pre-strung seed beads for other elements in the way.

These alternative methods increase our range of options and each has its benefits and limitations. Specifications of each project and of the individual can determine our choice.

Starting with Nina Libin’s recommended method –

Floating Beads - Beaded Fringe method

My adaptation of Nina Libin’s explanation

I have taken the liberty of using some of Nina’s own words here.

Materials – 2 shuttles, bead

Additional Materials – a stopper bead (tiny seed bead), white glue or clear nail enamel to make a “needled tip”.

Needled Tip/thread – the tail end is sliced diagonally and dipped in diluted white glue and twisted along the grain of thread. Keep repeating till the glue dries and a stiff, pointed tip emerges. This acts as a needle! 

 1. A thrown/floating ring large enough to accommodate bead is made off a chain.

 2. Unwind/unload the shuttle. This thread has a needled tip.

TIP: I use clear nail enamel for a needled tip since it dries much quicker. 

 3. String the large pearl bead and a smaller seed bead …

 4. and go back through the large bead. The green seed bead acts as a stopper.

 5. Move the 2 beads along the thread length, to the base of thrown ring, evenly tensioned.

 6. Rewind the shuttle and continue with the chain.

(Repeat the above procedure if more such thrown rings with floating bead are required).

7. Floating bead in thrown ring using the beaded fringe alternative

Bit of a hassle for the bigger necklace project, but great for small earrings, etc. or if the large bead is needed towards the end or is the last to be added. 

If core thread length is manageable, one can resort to finger tatting – no shuttle hassle.

Undoubtedly, despite reasonable limitations, the method works splendidly with any level of expertise!!!

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Adding a bead with CWJ in split ring

Ninetta Caruso

After seeing the bead under a chain, Ninetta sent me this link to the method she uses - a Catherine Wheel Join on the 2nd half of  split ring, after flipping it over.

Well, I had to try it ! See, one more option and this time in a split ring.

I need lots more practice, though. The last large ring is where I tried to dangle the bead lower – it doesn’t show clearly from this angle.

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Floating Beads - Sequins

If beads, why not sequins, right ?

Exactly the same method and steps – one with 3 sequins on chain and another with a star sequin inside a ring.

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Floating Beads – with Tatted Rings 

You know my preference for beadless tatting. I had been thinking about trying to ‘dangle’ tatted rings within rings. Would the substitution work? Before I could work on it, Ninetta again sent me some links.

This beautiful Berry Wreath pattern uses the same half hitch/overhand/half knot at base of Josephine rings as in Step 2 of the FB method ! This led me down memory lane – I had used the same half hitch to stabilize JR in this 2-colour edging a couple of years back.

In the blue-green one, the inside ring is a 4ds dot. In the larger heart ring, they are Josephines.

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Jane M suggested an idea when she did a quick trial of the FB method – would it work on her lovely Cascade earrings? I’ve been meaning to tat a couple of her earring patterns for ages. Time is ripe !

Started this morning, following her method to get a feel of it. I love it! (No pics yet, though I’m almost through).

The next one will use FB. As I worked it out I my head, the order of working the 9 rings will be completely reversed – instead of bottom to top, we’ll have to move from top to bottom, using SRs! Well, that’s my thought process – tomorrow will tell.

So yet another post (are you keeping count,  Nin ;-P) on FB but this time with earrings.

Many many thanks to all the generous and innovative tatters above

happy tatting as always :-)

Related Posts

Floating Beads search results

(all links to previous posts & pictorials will be updated on the My Tutorials page)

floating beads PART 3

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Let's revolutionize tatting with beads :-D

I just don’t know where this will stop ! I had a couple of effects left to tat and photograph but they multiplied !!! As mentioned before, since the basic steps are still the same, the text is minimal. But first things first – the string of FBs .

To avoid going back and forth, here are the basic steps and their variation in brief :

1. Step1 - loop through bead(s) and fold back around the base. Tension.
2. Step1 varA – pass shuttle through loop. Tension.
3. Step1 varB – work After ring is closed.
4. Step2 – overhand/half hitch knot around base of bead(s)

Floating Beads String

In Ring -

This is a variant of Step 1 where shuttle is passed through the loop that has been pulled through all the beads.

All the rest continues in same way, with a Step 2 overhand knot, and a ring around the beaded string.

This same string of beads can be used as a central ring (as in the earrings).

Only remember to leave some slack on the string to accommodate the lock joins from next round.

On Chain -

And below you see it on a chain. We require a 2^nd shuttle to make the beaded string on a chain.

Can you not just imagine all the possibilities & applications ?!!! My head is afloat with ideas brimming to the surface ;-P

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Floating Beads – outside & inside a Mock Ring / SCMR

Tried this idea. It works very well outside the mock ring, using the other shuttle.

To get a FB on the inside, I completed the mock ring, closed it. Then added the bead afterwards as in Variation B. But I’m not too happy with this since this bead is not ‘anchored’ and has a tendency to ‘float’ in a different plane. But at least it is something that can be ironed out in future.
Another idea - SCMR with thrown ring and beads inside both or all rings. Is it doable ?

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Floating Beads – Stacked , Fringe

What if I want 2 beads STACKED one above other, as in this teardrop and spacer set?

I did this on a chain, using the other shuttle. (One can have it inside a ring by using variation B and working the FB After ring is closed).

1. Pull loop through both. 

2. Then fold back the loop but encapsulate ONLY the teardrop. 

3. Bring the beads in position, and tension.

4. Step 2 around the base of spacer. Voilà ! 

No unwinding, no long-winded procedures.

And why just 2 beads ? How about more, as in a FRINGE ?

Obviously this will only work if the outer bead is larger or can prevent the loop from unraveling.

Thus, in this application, the 2 steps are spaced out.
This is what I'd wanted to do with the Radiant Sun paperclip pattern , but at the time it did not work out. Time to revisit?

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Floating Beads – Step 2 variation – differing lengths

As I mentioned in one of the previous posts, if we leave more space on the ‘shank’ before tensioning Step 1, we can repeat Step 2 multiple times till the shank is covered. Length of shank determines how far the bead will drop lower and how many repeats are required.

It can be done both on chains and in rings.

The overhand or half hitch repeats act like unflipped half stitches creating a Josephine chain !

One can use complete reverse stitches as in a Floating Chain.

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And one last effect –

Floating Beads – beads within beads

A combination of single FB and FB string

I was going to make a tatted ring/mock around these, but it was late & I was getting scowls from DH ;-P 
The immense possibilities this offers is up for grabs! I adore this effect!

What else ? 
Ah, yes the earring pattern and one last pictorial showing a can I call it more 'traditional' or conventional way of making a floating bead inside a thrown ring. In next post ...

... to be continued

Related Posts

Floating Beads search results

my neurons are shot, elbow is stiff preparing this post and head seems to be floating around! 

need to get a good grip ... deeeeep sigh. Have fun with these effects while I take a few hours' break. 

Ready with your shuttles and beads ?

happy tatting :-)