calling them done

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 Several pieces of my tatted lace over the past months are 'incomplete' if one considers the respective pattern. Yet, I am calling them done. And interestingly, most patterns here were gifted to me by kind and friendly tatters. In no particular order .....

Dora Young's Round Pinwheel doily - from All New Knotless Tatting Designs (1974).

Back in April I had wondered how to continue since I had run out of thread. And Jane McLellan commented 'to leave it as it is'. Sound advice 'coz I really like these arches better than the final circle it turns into. 

Against a different background where the grey shows up. 

In Anchor perle size 8. the diameter is 17.5cm. 

There is a slight overlap at the dips in the arches but that's fine - hardly even visible. And hubby is quite happy with this on his table!

Related Posts - 

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/09/flower-in-flesh-in-thread.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2026/04/2d-solid-tatting.html

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Centri Rotondo - from Il Lavaro Chiacchierino 7, Mani di Fata (1994)

A while back there was a post in a FB group which mentioned Cyprus tatting where continuous tatting involved simply leaving bare thread right up to the point in the next round where the next element starts. This is visible unlike Mlle Riego who kept the bare thread at the back of work. 

I used this doily pattern, leaving off all decorative picots, to show this spiralling climbing out.

Only 5 rounds tatted in Anchor size 40 measuring 10cm in diameter. Yet I had to snip off two rounds because there was cupping, but I re-tatted only one adding 2ds to the chains. I have come to the conclusion that my chains are more snug than normal.

The pattern was gifted to me, along with her hand-drawn sketch, by Anna Bertini.

Related Posts -

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2025/01/last-and-first.html (slip stitch)

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/02/not-one-ring.html

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April Fool's Rose Circle (2016) -

This is merely the center motif which gets repeated in a later round of the doily pattern. This single round in Red Rose perle size 8. measures 9cm in diameter. The full pattern was gifted to me by Erika Tashiro. Hopefully I will complete it some day, but with different threads. Not happy with this perle cotton as seen in the stitches and imagine my surprise when the dye ran!!!

This angle highlights the raised/3D effect where the rings of a running scroll are interlaced one over the other and joined to create Celtic Interlacing and a realistic-looking rose motif. The pattern has very clear colour-coded diagrams, yet I found it easier to refer to my own sketches to confirm how the rings were inserted into each other. 

Related Posts - 

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2018/02/beautiful-hearts.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2021/05/rosebud-heart.html

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2022/04/honoured-and-humbled.html

And remember Lauretta Tondelli's Interlaced Onion Rings earring (2024)?

Notice how it uses the same technique to interlace the three rings in an onion ring. In this case, however, the rings get kind of squished resulting in different shapes. This is the only piece I tatted, but single earring is not a new phenomenon for me ;-P

Related Posts - 

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2026/06/multiple-celebrations.html

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Its been a while since I crossed out another box in Natalie's PICOT Bingo 2026 Level 2. This time I am offering the above two models for Celtic Tatting box. (Details: https://www.patreon.com/posts/happy-new-year-147124370 )

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My heartiest thanks to all named in this post (and some who wish to remain anonymous)

unhappy trials

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I was impressed by Lauretta Tondelli's experiments and effects which she shared in a FB group a couple of years back (she seems to have left FB when I checked before finalising this post and her posts are missing, too). Always meant to try them and here are two attempts - my first trials. Not happy but more details below ....

Lauretta Tondelli's Interlaced Onion Rings, a trial motif, placed inside a 2D medallion gone 3D!

 

The two images above show the piece from the 'front' and 'back' though it really depends on how you interlace the mock rings.

This interlacing effect of onion rings is made with one continuous chain starting with a small starter picot. Once all three mock rings made, they are interlaced through each other. Lauretta created a cute pair of earrings using this motif as the center and adding a teardrop.

My own reservation is about the third chain which I feel is too long in my trial and also the overall untidy visual. First trials, so perhaps there is still hope for me.

Okay this motif is supposed to be a flat medallion center for another effect that Lauretta was sharing. As you can see, my work has cupped enormously. I realised what was happening but continued nevertheless so that I can make the requisite changes in my next trial. For one, the picots should've been longer.

So now my issue was what should I make with this! It looks cute and has potential, doens't it? So I played around a bit ....

If we upturn the medallion it can make a nice bezel setting and one can add another layer beneath encasing the gem. I was too lazy to hunt around for the right sized gem, though.

I decided to add a base. This is a coil starting at the center with few slope and roll joins as the chain progressed. I should've stopped a bit sooner with a shorter coil.

The reason for the base is my idea to convert this into a miniature basket.

Same 'bowl' reshaped into a squarish bowl or potential basket.

And when I pinched the corners a bit more, ....

Some more pinching so that the cupping looks deeper and with addition of accessories, it can become a flower.

So, what is your verdict? What do you think it should grow into?

Many thanks to Lauretta for sharing her notes and apologies for my bungling ....

bracelet query

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Early this month I was approached by a lady, Beata S, to help with a bracelet pattern. She showed me a pic and I immediately thought of a single shuttle pattern. However, the rings were so clearly overlapping, that it created some confusion and I veered towards interlaced split rings. That I was seeing the image on a small screen didn't help either. I can't show that pic for obvious reasons,

I asked my PIC Ninetta for confirmation and she quickly came back with a couple of WIP pics and it was such a relief. 

This bracelet is almost as basic as they come, quick to tat up, and a great way to embellish or use as a lanyard, jewellery piece, etc. It has dimension, texture, and strength. 

The following pics are a very quick stepwise pictorial using thick thread and large pearl beads. The size of ring will depend on the size of the bead - let the ring be just a tad larger.

1. String beads onto to shuttle thread and tat a ring.

Slip the bead towards the ring just tatted.

    Each ring is 12 ds ; 4mm pearl beads ; size 3 thread.

 

2. Leaving just enough bare thread to span the distance between previous ring and bead, tat the next ring.

3. Pass a crochet hook through the top of the previous ring and pull up the new ring through it,  centering the bead in the previous ring.

4. Continue these steps for the desired length.

Many variations are possible, obviously, including more than one bead in the center, seed beads around the ring, etc. 

Check out Ninetta's numerous Russian-inspired versions here - https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2019/08/russian-inspired-bracelets.html

5. This is how it looks from the back. Notice the bare thread between rings. It can be avoided by using seed beads to cover the bare thread, thus making the braid reversible with kind of a dual look.

I really wish I could have made a better version - intended but not executed. Perhaps in future. At present I am working in fits and starts.

As soon as I was satisfied, I typed out instructions to Beata, and told her I would send the pics in a bit. I had barely uploaded the pics when I received her beautiful version! She was not only quick, but so neat! 

It is always satisfying to answer a query and be of help. And we learn in the process, too. I have often had to delve deeper into a technique to answer a question, thus improving my own understanding. 

UPDATE: (19th April 2024) Beata Saifer just sent me this new image of her bracelet and graciously permitted me to share it here ---

Thank you, Beata! It's been nice corresponding and chatting with you!

UPDATE (May 2024): Corina Meyfeldt used a different method (Collar Rings) to achieve the same result. https://cmhandmade.blogspot.com/2014/07/hello-jaden.html

UPDATE (July 2024): Mad Jar Tatting had uploaded a video demonstrating how to tat this braid. While the outcome is the same, she tats a line of alternating rings and beads to desired length. Then she starts weaving the rings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIrGNrkWHJE - Ring with Beads in size 20

Related Posts
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/05/russian-bracelet-and-brooch.html
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/07/bunch-of-pattern-updates.html
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/09/duh-moments.html

bonding together

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I haven’t been able to pick up my shuttles for the last several days - a tatting hiatus seems quite inviting! But I have permission (some for quite a while now) to share pics of stuff inspired or learned from this blog. 
So here's a colourful spread to cheer us all -

Tatting binds us.....and liberates us! Soaring together ....

In no particular order ….

Krystyna Mura – tweaked Blossoms heart (from Buddy Hearts) to create quite a wild boho version. Love it!

Sheetal Kakodkar – her bookmark journey took a zigzag path instead of S turns, giving us such a picturesque view! Tweaked from the picoted S-chain tutorial! (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/04/picoted-s-chain-cords.html)

Carolyn Miller – her practice piece for various techniques, starting with Interlaced Rings. She has cleverly converted it to hold picot gauges. See, we put every little piece to good use!

Margaret Davies – Such a beautiful adaptation of the Hidden Rose snowflake into an ice drop! She shared the pattern here - http://margaretsdesignercardspatternsandhowt.blogspot.com/2020/05/hidden-rose-ice-drop.html

Usha Shah had tatted and sent me her version of the Magic Square Cross almost within hours of my posting the pattern!

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/03/magical-patterns.html

Anita Barry - Master Tatter - has often been inspired, and sent me her off-shoots –

 

Inspired by the Heartland Rainbow Snowflake, she went wild with these hearts ...posing as plumes on a proud peacock and colourful heart balloons (lead pic top) – such happiness and good cheer emanates from these - a true reflection of her peesonality!

 

Remember my invite to design-play? This is how Anita added a new round to the NeoVintage heart.  Looks like an embrace,  doesn't it? !

She has also shared her count.

And finally, such an honour - she used the Rosette Enchained Ice Drop only-chains idea to frame a miniature of her tatting teacher!

This is how the back looks.

I know of 2 tatters who actually learned treble tatting in order to make the Peacock in the Snow flake - one of them worked it a second time using a different colour palette !

These are but a few of what I would like (or remember,  sadly) to accommodate. Any omission is due to a faulty memory, not intentional.
There are quite a few others I have to share, but need to hunt them down for a future post. I invite you to send in your versions to share in my blog!

Many thanks to all these wonderful tatters – 

you inspire me to try harder and do better!

You can find links to respective pattern or tutorial in one of these pages –

My Patterns page https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/patterns-designs.html

My Tutorials page https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/my-tut.html

Tatting Resources page https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/p/tatting-resources.html

All my Heart patterns - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LpHU69wNsQspIHgvt9pihgTNhHFDRBab3I5_MDEYyNw/view

All my Snowflake patterns - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r4OmXX_c5LjFebMN2UbSNiYqXYETLmoridK0X1YIQco/view

forever young

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Flowers in nature, wilt; in thread, they stay a-bloom for generations! The tadaa moment for my Peony has arrived …..

I don’t remember ever seeing a peony flower in real life, but Goggle images came to my rescue at various stages, and structured my visualization. Eg. peony stock image and this

 

In the last post, the round wasn’t complete. Above pics show the completed Round 8.

Stephanie L (on fb) shared another 4-shuttle method of interlacing (or is it interlocking or simple overlapping or layering here?!) and I immediately decided that this would form my final round.

 

My first trial to confirm colour and count.... I thought the light shade hazed out the pink. Switched to a medium dark instead. 

With both shades on the darker side, the pink flower is better highlighted and nicely framed. 

PEONY pattern continued (final Round 9)

Pattern for rounds 1-8 and related Notes can be found in the following posts -

Rounds 1-2 ; Rounds 3-5 ; Rounds 6-8.

NOTE

1. 2 shades/threads preferable for the overlapping to show up better.
2. 4 shuttles (or 2 shuttles continuous with respective balls) in 2 pairs, ctm.
3. Worked in Anchor size 20 (≡ Lizbeth 10).
4. 10 mm Picot Gauge. The long picot is 8ds across, in case tatter wishes to use other thread size/brand (refer Section IV-B, page 5).
5. Instead of reverse work (rw), switch shuttle and work direct chains (with reverse or unflipped stitches).
6. Only the odd numbered rings (in this case, dark green) are joined to Round 8.
7. Decide the manner of overlap and maintain it throughout the round. All odd rings join to each other and even rings to each other, through the long picot. 
8. For an easier version of Round 9, skip the interlaced rings and work only the dark green part (simple rings and chains) using one shuttle and ball.

Starting Pair :

R1 : 6 --- 5 + 5 --- 6. rw

Ch1 : 9 - 9. rw

R2 : 6 --- 5 - 5 --- 6, rw

Ch2 : 9 - 9, rw

Overlapping Rings and Chains : 
In above model - The long picot of Ring1 is inserted from front to back (over-under) through Ring2 from  to be joined to Ring3. 

Chains also overlap front to back - Chain2 in front of Ring3; Chain3 in front of Ring4, and so on. 

Start next ring from behind previous ring as in model above -

R3 : 6 +(R1, after passing picot through R2) + 5 --- 6, rw

Ch3 : 9 - 9 , rw

R4 : 6 +(R2, after passing picot through R3) - 5 --- 6, rw

Ch4 : 9 - 9 , rw

Repeat from R3 onwards all around, remembering to overlap the rings and chains correctly.

Final Pair :

R79 : 6 +(R77, after passing picot through R78) + 5 +(R1) 6, rw
Ch79 : 9 - 9 , rw
R80 : 6 +(R78, after passing picot through R79) - 5 +(R2, after passing picot of R2 through R1) 6, rw

Ch80 : 9 - 9 , rw

TIP : It is easier to finger tat the very last ring (R80) after snipping off a sufficient length, or to work it as a self-closing mock ring (SCMR). It becomes easier to maneuver the overlap correctly before joining to respective picot. 

Measures 8" - kind of a mini doily?

Instead of 10mm, one can have 9mm picots. This will create a straight line of picots when joined, instead of this wavy interweaving. I deliberately chose 10mm to keep with the semi-structured, slightly natural and textured look of the doily.

Hubby was a bit hesitant during the early repeats of this round. But once close to the end, he was pleasantly surprised and actually felt the inner darker red shades and yellow could have been broader. I think a few more pink rounds wouldn't have been amiss either.

I have some design ideas to add more rounds, but that will be for a future day. I might even work out a beginner-level version.  

This one round took longer to tat than all the previous rounds together, and adds a lot of weight! But I am happy with the outcome. Of course, it can be changed to suit individual taste. And the best part – one can stop at Any round one wishes and call it done!!!

I wrote a teensy bit about this favourite and very handy book here.

This has been an unintentionally long digi-break, but I managed to get some tatting in. And now I am excited to show you what I believe is possibly a new picot technique – very easy, versatile, and functional. I'm calling it the Intruding Picot ;-P So stay tuned …. And happy tatting always :-)

whimsical interlacing

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INTERLACED  RINGS  using 2 shuttles

(SSSR – single shuttle split ring method)  

When I first experimented here by reducing the number of shuttles, I thought this was a do-able but whimsical technique with very limited application. 

However, a couple of interested tatters, including a request, led me to post this pictorial. And as I went about it, a few designs cropped up in my head. I will try to tat 1 or 2 motifs for practice patterns later.

Skill required : how to make SSSR, Mathew Takeda style. Several resources, including Sabina’s pdf, are listed here (scroll down to RINGS -> SSSR).

This pictorial covers only front to back (over-under) movement in detail. The same concept applies to back to front movement as shown in my earlier posts here and here.

For practice, wind 2 shuttles with thick threads in different colours. Join them. I made a short picoted S-chain.

Each ring is : SSSR: 5-5/10.

The starting pair of rings is closed a wee bit differently than the rest of the braid.

For 1^st pair of rings :

1. Leave a bit of bare thread at the base, before starting ring.

Using shuttle1, start Ring 1: 5-5

2. Pull up a long loop from the shuttle

 3. and finger-tat 10 ds to complete the ring.

 4. Partially close the ring leaving just enough space for shuttle to pass through.

 5. Pass shuttle2 front to back through the open ring and tat 5-5

 6. Again post shuttle2 front to back through the same open ring

 7. This is how the 2 rings will look. Ring1 is still open, and interlaced Ring2 is partially tatted.

 8. Now start closing Ring1 by pulling the core thread part of the loop

 9. Ensure the loop is at the back of work, hence pass it through Ring2

 10. Then pass the starting tail through this loop in order to anchor the thread (otherwise the ring will unravel)

 11. and completely close the ring. Pull out a loop of shuttle2

 12. and finger tat the 2^nd side of the ring.

 13. Tug on the loop to close ring

 14. Pass tail through this loop to anchor

15. and pull shuttle2 thread to remove all slack from the loop.

The starting SSSRs are interlaced and complete.

For 2^nd and all subsequent pair of rings :

Leave a tiny bit of bare thread before starting each ring.

 16. With shuttle1, tat Ring3 just like Ring1, closing it only partially.

 17. Interlace shuttle2 ring and tat the first half.

 18. Close Ring3 but leave the finger loop open.

 19. Complete tatting Ring4 and close it, leaving the finger loop open. Notice the loops from each shuttle at base of respective rings.

 20. Now, pass the tail through BOTH loops simultaneously, to anchor the rings,

21. and tug the respective shuttle threads to remove all slack from the loops.

Second pair of interlaced SSSRs completed.

Repeat steps 16 to 21 for desired length.

The next 2 pairs shown in the above pic are interlaced back to front. All steps remain same (from #16 onwards), except for posting shuttle2 back to front twice.

Interlacing with SSSR - My Thoughts and Comparison :

1. Fewer shuttles required. But this also limits the number of colours that can be used.
2. Basic interlacing movement and effect remains same as for split rings.
3. Each pair of SSSRs is brought together at the base (due to the anchoring loops) unlike the linear path/separation for SRs. This is a visual effect, too.
4. When using interlaced SSSR in a motif, the pair has to remain unattached to previous elements in order for the anchoring loops to pass through unhindered. Some patterns may get around this dilemma, but the range becomes limited.

I had also wondered whether Dora Young’s knotless rings can be used in such interlacing. As I thought over it more, I realise it will be very cumbersome, if at all, to accomplish the interlacing. One will have to go back and forth to tat a pair of rings completely. I’m not in a mood to try it ;-P

Click here to find all posts - pictorials and patterns for Interlaced Rings technique.