vintage false CTM

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There are so many methods and even more combinations to add new thread to a work in progress lace. We came across Eleonore Endrucks' advice to fix mistakes in her 1920 book, 'Die Schiffchen-Spitzen'. Here is the translation - 

We now call it False CTM (false continuous thread method) and I have shared several scenarios and applications over time. Here, we limit ourselves to Endrucks' method, a variation of the same, and a knotless method.

All this has been presented as pictorials in this PDF - 

False CTM - Endrucks' Advice & Pictorials -https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_Jm7puHcMemY3lhwP2cP8G3EmcgamlVj/view

Since everything is already presented in the PDF, I will be brief here, with only a few selected pics. Please click on the link above to download the document.

1. False CTM - Endrucks' Method

Notice 1. the old tails tied together and the new ones tied together ; 2. the knots are far apart, with the new knot wound on the ball or 2nd shuttle, far from the point of attachment to the work in progress.. The blue thread between these two points creates the false continuous thread.

However, since the two tails (in each pair) are tatted over in the same element, it creates bulk. This can be countered to some extent by tatting very tightly.

TIP: Use a slip knot to tie the new threads (blue) so that it can be opened and the knot repositioned as desired.

2. False CTM - Variation of Endrucks' Method

In order to avoid bulk, here the old shuttle tail is tied with new shuttle tail and old ball/2nd shuttle tail to the new ball/2nd shuttle end. Preferably, maintain a distance between the two knots so that we have a continuous thread space to work with.

Look closely, all four tails are hidden (tatting over tails) in four different elements. The extra ends are trimmed later.

3. False CTM - Knotless Variation of Endrucks' Method

Knotting the tails can be completely avoided. Above the new ball or 2nd shuttle thread is being folded around the old tail and will be tatted over in the chain element. 

Similarly, the core thread can be added and worked over.

The other tail in each case can be sewn/whip stitched later, or pulled through stitches using a magic loop, etc.

The choice of the three methods would depend on the specific situation - how long are the old tails, etc.  The above is merely a small glimpse of the numerous ways in which we can apply false ctm. Some related posts/pictorials/PDFs -

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/10/false-ctm-part-1.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/10/false-ctm-part-2.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/search?q=false+ctm 

Tatting Over Tails (PDF updated from 2017) - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kwszAseuEZqkMdXosfTHtXdw0diCwmKz/view

Starter Picot or Starting with a Chain (PDF) - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vzSHMxas51Yn5iujdmror1obx27AuIhw/view

Hiding Ends and Adding Thread - vast compilation of options and tutorials - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2016/11/beginning-or-ending.html

Hope you find this helpful in some future situation. 

Finnish finish

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 Oh yes, this is how Marja Jalo, from Finland, calls her way of ending on a chain. She has kindly agreed to share her method through a pictorial here - 

Finnish Finishing by Marja Jalo, 2025 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kv1tc3msre8seFo58jjpPj4ON6_3XXR-/view

Can't have a post without a pic, so this is my quick version of the Finnish finishing method. I deliberately left a bit of the end tails to show where each one finally ends.  

Comparison and Thoughts -

This is a slight adaptation of Frivole's Finishing on a Chain method -https://www.flickr.com/photos/28725259@N02/albums/72157626237151128/with/5514379237  which I had tried here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2015/03/hiding-ends-sans-sewing.html  and Ninetta had applied here - https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2015/06/better-late-than-never.html .

• Basically we tat the final chain as a single shuttle split chain (SSSCh) by pulling out a loop of thread from the shuttle and tatting with it. 
• Frivole ends without any sewing while Marja sews in one end. Since I have no issue with sewing tails now, I didn't mind it. I whip stitched the green (ball) tail on the chain itself, but one can sew it under the ring or any other element to reduce bulk. 
• My slight variation is that after passing the green (ball thread) tail through the shuttle thread loop and pulling the latter tight, I needled this green tail and only then joined it to the picot on the ring.  
• I also find that Frivole's method requires a long enough chain to hide both tails while Marja's can work even on short chains.

I used a similar method when Ending on a Floating Chain, which was worked partially as a SSSCh - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/12/open-treasures.html 

And for a whole host of hiding ends methods, check out this post - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2016/11/beginning-or-ending.html

Many many thanks to Marja for sharing her method ... we are always the richer for having options! And check out her blog, if you haven't already.... besides all her other projects and experiments, I always remember her when talk of using yarn in tatting arises. https://solmujenlumoissa.blogspot.com/2025/

My next post will have a brand new join pictorial! Hope to see you then...

oversew and so on

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For the longest time since (mid-1980s) I have wondered what ‘oversew’ meant when hiding tails at the end of a tatting project. I came across it in my Anchor and Coats books. Tried my own methods (including overcast stitch as in embroidery) but none worked out – knotting was the only way I knew and continued with it despite the 'ugliness'. 

Two decades later, on the net, I asked around, to no avail, but I switched to whip stitch some years ago.  Until a few months back when Jean Inglis used the term in her FB post! At my request, she explained and also uploaded a WIP pic. It got me thinking and I obviously had to try it out to compare and contrast with other sewing methods of hiding ends/tails as compiled here -. https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2016/11/beginning-or-ending.html

In my current study, I found two main methods that are commonly used to sew in the ends. Please excuse my shoddy samplers below (the sewing thread/tail should not be visible once it is pulled tight). I have used a contrasting blue thread as tails or ends for the purpose of clarity.

The first is what I will now refer to as OVERSEW. 

Here, we sew the tail Under the cap or waist band of the double stitch, and weave between the legs of the ds - under and over the half-stitches.  Hence a 10 ds count segment will give you 10 stitches front and behind. This method is diagrammed clearly by Jennifer Williams - https://www.cariad-tatting.com/techniques.  

A variation of this method is shared by Lily Morales where we weave between the double stitches. Hence if there are 10 ds, you have 5 stitches under the caps in front, and 5 behind. [the link from The Online Tatting Class is currently unavailable]. 

The second method is WHIP STITCH. Here we sew the tail across the Top of the caps, weaving in between the double stitches. You can clearly see the tail (blue thread) moving over the top of the stitches instead of through the sides. This is my go-to method for 7 years now, when Carollyn Brown uploaded her video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q-JloBBdIM and it just clicked with me.

Jean Inglis'  Mom taught her to tat in 1980 and to sew in her ends as above. She used the term 'oversew'. She unravels the tail and uses the thinner thread to sew and hide, thus leaving a tinier footprint. But look closely, and you realise it is actually the whip stitch! Yet, this unraveling of thread can be used for the oversew methods described above, too.

This is also called OVERCASTING in some literature.

In conclusion, I'd say traditionally 'oversew' would simply have meant to sew in the tails whether you wove the tail under or over the caps; between double or half-stitches. However, if we wish to fine tune it, we can differentiate oversew from whip stitch as explained above.

Feel free to share your own thoughts and experience; no need to hide them!

For an annotated and frequently updated listing of the many ways to start, add, or hide ends, mostly knotless: https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2016/11/beginning-or-ending.html

Many thanks to all mentioned above, and those not mentioned, who constantly help us improve our knowledge, understanding, and skills.

starting with a SR pictorials

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 We are well aware that split rings are not meant only to climb out/into the the next round. They form a design element in their own right and when 2 colours are used, there can be interesting 'splits' in the overall design. Then there are split ring braids that make beautiful bracelets and lanyards. Speaking of which, what if we wanted to start a split ring braid in 2 colours https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/search?q=sr+braid? 

I rarely if ever use a knot to start any lace (except occasionally for a tut). Same holds true for starting with a split ring. I use this simple knotless method (which also holds good for true rings, mock rings, etc.) - cross the tails from each shuttle in the manner depicted, and voila, we're ready to go!

These pics were taken in 2018 and I dug them out when someone asked a question. The pdf has a bit more notations.

How to Start a Split Ring Knotless - click for pictorial pdf - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lKYLoLFEhMycP4YFsemIEyk4TUjn69Q-/view

At the same time (2018) I had also taken pics for a related situation - what if the split ring braid had to be joined back in a circle? For instance in my Thorny Wreath Ornament - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2015/12/thorny-wreath-pattern.html where the foundation round is a series of 2-coloured split rings joined back to the start.

Obviously we need to have a picot in the very first SR. Initially I had made the picot on side 1 of the SR. However, it is not always easy to start any ring with a picot. Moreover that small picot has a tendency to close up when the core thread is pulled to close the ring. This is the reason I am not sharing pics I took at the time. Instead, I shot new pics where we start the split ring, knotless, with a picot on the 2nd side of the SR.

How to Start a Split Ring with a Picot, Knotless - click for pictorial pdf - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OS_9VdZSoWVSsOtQYT8UVb4nV6exmf2p/view

Both are one-page pdfs with minimal text.

Both links will be included in this huge collection of tutorials for how to start and finish covering all situations - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2016/11/beginning-or-ending.html

Do you remember my whimsical experiment to Hide tail ends in the last split ring without sewing? - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/08/hiding-on-whim.html This, too, was in response to a query.

And I used this same technique to hide the ends in a floating chain, with no sewing - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/12/open-treasures.html 

Hope some of these help when the situation arises.

My next post will be on the 3rd of Dec when I reach 2 milestones simultaneously. So do stick around ....

tricks without the trick

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Colour play without the shoe lace trick (SLT)!

Last week when I went digitally AWOL, I was compiling a pdf package for the IOLI Chapter Pattern/Gift CD, 2020. Instead of sending a single pattern, my recent crosses from the magic square spurred the idea of an entire project based off those sketches. It would make a wonderful design exploration for groups. I need to convert some pdfs into shareable links - will post later.

After sending them off, I couldn’t resist trying out the pinwheel sketch. So, here is the ‘simpler version’.

Pinwheel Coaster (or Tatted Quilt Block)

Adapted from the vintage Magic Square

To make it easier, I started with a black medallion of 4 rings. It should’ve been smaller (my mistake!) – you can see how the adjoining chains have a shallow dip.

The correct stitch count for each ring is : (3-3-3-3), joining to previous ring and to the first one at the end. 

Notice the numerous tails? Lots of scraps used in first 2 motifs. All knotless addition of thread, tatting over tails in separate elements, and lots of False CTMs (and more here) in order to start the chain as if the thread is continuous and later add in new thread/colour. Remember to cross the new thread around the old one. 
These (and more below) ‘tricks’ kept the SLT away!!! 

All rings are 6-6, the first of each 4-ring cluster has a large central picot.

All chains are 6 or 6-6-6.

Each triangular motif is worked with one shuttle and ball.

I wound 2 Pony shuttles separately one with yellow and other with orange and these lasted for the entire coaster. Respective ball when needed. 

Core thread under 2-coloured outer chain and when joining to inner black ring, have the core of same colour as start of chain.

The corner chains show 2 colours. For this, the core thread remains the same as the first half eg. yellow chain with yellow core. Midways, orange chain thread is added over the yellow core. The yellow chain thread is snipped off and whip stitched back (since I like to hide under different elements). 

Similarly, the inner chains that join to the black ring have the same core thread, but different stitch colours. While making the join, I pulled up a loop of the new colour ball, passed the shuttle through and worked the chain, hiding one tail. The other tail was whip-stitched back.

Work moves counter-clockwise and can be tatted all from the front using direct tatted chains.
For the adventurous, this square can work as one block in a larger tatted quilt! Imagine the riot of designs and colours and shapes.

Each side of this quilt block square is 9½ cms and 12½ cms diagonally in Anchor Pearl Cotton size 8.

A separate medallion in the center is the easier version. If one wants to tat exactly like the sketch above, the inner 2-coloured ring can be worked as a SCMR, adding the 2nd colour midways using this method of adding thread WITHIN a ring.  

I debated whether to add an edging. My sketched ideas looked good on paper, not in tatting - overkill! Ended up with a simple outline which hubby approved!

All chains are 6-6, lock join.

Corner chains are 2-2—2---2—2-2. (graduated picots)

Avoid shoe lace trick: Keeping the SLT away is a personal preference. In needle tatting, this knot is made after every ring and chain, yet the lace looks beautiful. So for those who do not mind the SLT, wind 2 shuttles, one with each colour, and make a SLT after each element to shoe the colour you want. There won't be so many ends to add and hide then.

The same holds true for tatting this coaster. My notes pertain to how I approached it. Every tatter is free to choose their comfort tactics.

I will also share how to keep the colour blip on the backside when working and joining a chain backside. I've used this before, but not in this situation and I truly love the trick!

picot join to the right part 2

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Continuing on from the previous post, not just rings, but chains too can be joined to the right in the exact same way – rotate the work on your hand so that the joining picot lies to the left of work, make a normal picot join and continue.

So instead of repeating it all over again, I will switch to images showing how to join with a down loop instead of up loop. This is for directional tatting (frontside/backside), and creates a complete ds visually.

A simple enclosed space medallion was created to illustrate. Mustard colour thread in shuttle is joined to blue ball thread.

Pattern :

Ring  : 6 ± 3 – 3 – 6. reverse work

Chain: 3 (± 2)x9, - 3. rw.

Join ring to previous ring, and chain to previous chain.

         The last ring and chain will be joined on both sides. 

Picot Join to the Right - Part 2

(joining last chain to first using the down loop)

In a rosette such as the ones in Blossoms motif, rings face outward and hence a picot join to the right is needed. However, even when rings face inwards as in this medallion, the same join is required when linking back! So, in this medallion, we are using the join twice – once for rings (follow as in Part1) and then for chains.

1. The last chain is worked to the point where it needs to be linked to the first chain. 

This chain, with it’s joining picot is on the right side.

2. Start rotating the work in counterclockwise direction …

3. till we have the ball thread positioned under the picot 

4. and pull up a loop through that picot, passing shuttle through it as in any normal picot join. This can be followed by a 2^nd half stitch or a complete ds.

For frontside/backside tatting, with a down loop or down join, I am restarting from image #2 - 

5. After rotating, position the ball thread above the joining picot 

 6. and pull a loop down through it, passing the shuttle through this down loop.

 7. and start closing the loop

 8. The loop is now tensioned and snug – the 2 chains are successfully linked! 

Notice both threads are above the work.

NOTE : If we want both threads to be under/at back of the work, then before starting the linkage, place both ball and shuttle under, leaving only a short segment of the ball thread over the picot, through which we can pull a loop down.   

9. Work the 2^nd half stitch (along with the join, it counts as 1ds) and 2 more ds. 

This completes the last chain.

Quite a while back another relative beginner asked me where and how I tied off the 2 tails. This is how I do it (not all steps are pictured here) -

10. Needle the core thread and pierce through the base of the previous ring. (Imagine where the core thread would’ve been if it wasn’t the end).

11. The ball thread is passed through the tip/cap of the stitch on the adjacent chain. 

(again imagine or see how the threads lie in the previous segments when they are continuous).

12. I make a single overhand tie at the back, and …

13. whip stitch the core thread through the ring and the ball thread through the chain.

Leave off following the middle path mantra.

Tug and then snip off excess tail ends.

So, joining to a picot on the right of current work can be as easy as that – all a matter of perspective, and nothing to fear. And we have seen it in use in enclosed space medallions where rings faced outwards (previous rosette), and also for inward-facing rings and chains (the above medallion).

I’d like to talk a wee bit more about this join – a common threads kind of overview through various project pics.

to be continued (final part)

Related Posts

Part 1

Part 3

Joins in Shuttle Tatting

Part 4

picot join to the right part1

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Several weeks back an expert told me that the last to first join is not a beginner technique. I can see why, since there is a tendency for the joining picot to twist when linking to it. We are familiar with different names for this technique - twisted picot join, folded join, avoiding folded join, joining in a circle, rosette join, etc. (scroll down to I.1.b here) and excellent tutorials in various formats show us multiple ways of going about it.

But whichever method one employs it boils down to just 2 facts :

• the joining picot is on the right side of the current ring or chain being worked; and
• the join is ultimately a picot join.

Hence we can employ a generic term, Picot Join to the Right, irrespective of which particular movements a tatter uses to achieve it.

I understand and have tried the folded & twisted picot joins, but continue to avoid them. I get a sense of security & comfort in working it as a normal picot join. 
All I have to do is move the last picot to the left of the current tatting! 
And I consider this easy enough for any beginner to grasp and accomplish. Scroll down if this interests you …

The flowers (rosettes) in Blossoms motifs all require this join. Hence Part 1 shows how to do that last join, continue to completion, and also how I finish off the ends.

Picot Join to the Right - Part 1

( joining last ring to first in a rosette )
Only one step – rotate work to bring joining picot from right to left side!

One-shuttle pattern.

Each ring is (7–5–5–7), joined to previous ring. 7 rings total. 

Ring7 is linked to both Ring6 & Ring1, closing the medallion or circle.

 1. This is the common Picot Join where the joining picot is on the left side of the working element  (Ring7). We pull up a loop of ‘ball’ thread, pass shuttle through it, tension and snug, and continue with the second half stitch or a new double stitch.

Note: 

In fs/bs tatting, we pull a loop down on the frontside and then make the second half stitch.

 2. Here we have reached the point where the last ring (wip) needs to be linked to the first ring.

3. Rotate work on your hand. We do NOT have to take it off our fingers, simply rotate counterclockwise.

Notice how the picot is now on our left! Looks familiar, doesn't it?!

 4. Pull up a loop of ‘ball’ thread, just as in a picot join (as seen in #1).

5. Adjust the tension. Make sure that the core thread slides freely.

Notice how the threads are all on the front of (or above) the motif.

Note : 

If we need the threads to be at the back of the work, use this simple trick by Linda Davies. 

 6. Continue tatting to finish the last segment of this ring.

7. Close the ring. Picot Join to the Right has successfully completed the rosette!

Permit me to continue, to show how I end the motif. Notice there is a tiny loop (like a vsp) at the base of the first ring. I had tatted over the starting tail, leaving a small loop, but did not pull it tight. I left this tiny space for a reason...(I showed it here in more detail along with a pdf). 

UPDATE: This loop is used for the final join and Dale Pomeroy coined the term Shepherd's Crook Join for it.

8. Snip off the shuttle and thread the new tail.

 9. Insert needle through that space or loop.

10. Tug strongly at the old tail to close that gap. This also traps the new tail within.

(I sometimes use my teeth for a strong grip & pull) 

11. Bring the needle back through the space between the 2 rings 

and whip stitch through the back arcs of the last ring.

12. After whip stitching for a few stitches, tug tight and snip both tails close.

As with all techniques, what I have shown here is a viable alternative, but optional.  

We all have our favourites, and this works well for me.

I used a down loop, hence the joins all look like a complete double stitch.

This pictorial was already photographed when I received a ‘distress’ email last week, asking for help on how to proceed with the last chain after it has been joined to the first chain. I will share it in the next post since this is already pretty long.

.... Part 2 in next post 

Related Posts

Part 2

Part 3

Joins in Shuttle Tatting

Part 4