trials and jubilation !

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Trials can cause tribulation; perseverance & practice can turn those trials into jubilation !

Ikuta’s Picots

When Georgia posted the May 2nd class material online, I immediately wanted to try out the 3rd Method of Ikuta’s Picots. These are from Mituko Ikuta’s book “Shuttle Lace - Tatting & Bead Tatting 3” published in the late 1990s. 

The 3rd method has a beautiful overlapping & interweaving of picots along the edge. But it took me over an hour of trials & tribulations to figure out how ! That called for some jubilation.

We have a review class this Monday, based on the pictorial I prepared. As usual, once I start, it is difficult to stop – from the main road, diverging on to alternate paths & by-lanes. Well, one needn’t make the entire journey; or one can make it at one’s convenience. The main pictorial is just about 3 pages, rest includes the by-lanes. 

Here is my pdf link for free download : Ikuta Picot Method 3 Pictorial .

Ninetta shared a couple of pics and a beautiful butterfly using these picots (also included in the pdf). She will be sharing the pattern soon – keep an eye out :-)

Ikuta’s Picots – Method 3 Pictorial

1. The pictorial is based on this pattern here :  This is a 6-ring pattern without any joins.

Pattern for each ring : 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3

(blue numbers indicate ring segments & SH1 picots; pink indicate chain segments & SH2 picots)

2. Requires 2 shuttles.
3. Effect is more visible when using 2 colours.
4. The tatting is broken into alternating segments as seen in the 2 colours that show up :

ring segment worked with main shuttle as a normal ring , and

chain segment worked with 2 shuttles as a chain.

5. The chain segment can be worked either as normal Double Stitches ( Sec I of pdf ) or by using Reverse Stitch (unflipped/wrapped stitches) but ensuring that the caps align with the previous segment ( Sec II p4).
   
6. One can start (& end) by hiding the tails in different ways, as depicted in Sec III pages 5 & 6.
7. The need for 2 shuttles arises because 2^nd shuttle has to be posted through the ring in order to achieve interwoven picots. These picots can be interwoven either Under-Over or Over-Under based on their visible overlap. The former are covered in Sec I & II ; the latter are explained in Sec IV on p7.
8. In the pattern, the 2^nd shuttle thread can perform the function of joining adjacent rings (as seen between rings in lead pic) or become a decorative bridging ‘faux picot’ (Sec IV p7). This faux picot has been used to excellent advantage by Ninetta as antennae for the butterfly !
9. An easier spin-off is the “Layered” picot (Sec V p8). By keeping 2^nd shuttle to the left at all times, the picots formed do not intertwine, but do overlap in a layered effect. One does not need to post the shuttle in this formation.
10. I haven’t tried it at the time of making the pdf,  but these picots can be tatted on a chain too. Scroll down for details & sampler. 

There has been a suggestion that the process of tatting Ikuta Picots on a ring is the same as the Shuttle Brothers’ Alternate Thread Ring (ATR or AT Ring) from their 2003 book - "Tatting Alternate Threads". 
I later came across Gina Butler’s video inspired by the ATR technique. The way she wraps the threads is same/similar to what I figured out. 
As for the picots themselves, from my internet search, Ikuta’s picots overlap differently from those of the ATR. I do not have any of the books, so cannot make a conclusive statement. Hopefully it will be discussed in class.
I tend to agree with Nina Libin that if one knows the AT tatting method, then making these picots is a simple variation of effect rather than technique. I have no idea of the process Ikuta herself followed.
Some stunning effects can be created by stringing along beads !!! Nina shared pics of her Beanile pieces using ATR technique and probably Ikuta’s picots. 

The same interwoven picots effect is possible on a chain. Here is my quick trial. It first reminded me of Jane Eborall's Double Chain ( sampler #27 here ) because 3 threads are needed. However, they are different. More about that in some future post.

Here's how to get the method 3 effect on a chain :
Use at least 1 shuttle which acts as the core thread (red in pic) throughout. 2 more auxiliary threads are required (yellow & green in pic) which make the alternating double stitch segments. Leave sufficient length of picot space before starting each segment. Both types of overlap (under-over & over-under) are possible by bringing the necessary auxiliary thread forward. It is very quick to tat up & can make pretty braids, outlines, decorative elements, etc. 

UPDATE : For beginners,  it may be a good idea to start with the picots on a chain ; then try the 'layered' effect, before moving on to the actual Method 3 with interwoven picots.

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Method 2 of Ikuta’s Picots 

This is also very interesting, especially if one adds beads to the long picots, or one interweaves them. It is something I had tried a couple of years back, inspired by an image, not knowing the name of the picot then. . These are simple long picots that are joined to the adjacent ring. We know them as Double Picots when they are joined back to the same ring. 

My practice piece of 2014 varies from the original image in the use of 2 colours to highlight the overlap between picots. Hmmm, I now notice that these have an over-under overlap ! 

The lesson shared goes a few steps further : There are 4 long picots in each ring, 2 of which are joined to the adjacent ring, creating a lot of overlap. I had to abort it, though, because the stated picot length of 1" (or 2" when open) turned out to be too short for the effect to show, as can be seen in the collage. 

Secondly, the instructions said to join picots 1 & 3 of each ring to 1st & 3rd positions in next ring. However the tatted model shows that picot 1 of ring 1 is joined to 2nd picot position of ring 2; and 3rd of ring 1 to 4th of ring 2. 
I chose to follow the image, but added an interweave. But another trial with at least a 1.5 to 2" long picots will show the effects.
Can't celebrate yet; just happy to be on the right track ....

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And before I leave the topic of picots, here's a reminder of my Double Daisy Flowers - love the picot effect here !

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Ninetta's Bracelets Capriccio 

I’m sure you remember my tribulation during Ninetta’s small Curled Rings trials here. I needed to redeem myself as well as gain confidence that indeed I have understood it. Hence here is another sampler I tatted that includes 3 versions of her Bracelet Capriccio. Her videos were a great help ! All her videos can be accessed on Georgia Seitz's Online Advanced Class Videos 

Still not there, but I do think I can celebrate a bit ... the tatting went very quickly this time, with minor mistakes.

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And the latest from this amazing designer : Mediterranean Tatting Diet ! A tat-along bookmark !! I had time to tat only one strawberry in size 40 thread. The calyx is in shaded silk thread, doubled up.

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Many thanks to all the wonderful tatters named in this post !

happy tatting :-)

Related Posts :  Daisy Picot flowers

trials and tribulations

Chains in Shuttle Tatting

trials and tribulations

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WARNING : Dear seekers of beauty & tatting purists, peruse at own risk. The blogger takes no responsibility for hurt eyes & sentiments.

My tatting is not always up to the mark. But even I am ashamed to show these pictures in public. Yet it is all part of the learning process, and each step helps as we comprehend & practice a new technique.

Ninetta’s Whimsical Curls ! *

These are Ninetta’s latest Alternate Method of Curling Rings, especially small rings. I had the good fortune of getting first peek into her brilliant tatting brain. However, when Georgia announced the class for April 25, I scrambled to try them all out during the weekend. This time, curling the small rings were a bit tougher than when I did the Curled Rings series. Curling itself is easy. It’s just that I could not always get them to face in the right direction :-( . So I stopped jotting down notes & focused on the why & why not. You can see all the failed as well as successful attempts interspersed throughout the chains.

Small Curled Rings (sCR) over Chain :

Trial 1: My first mistake was to try to tat the chains from frontside going in clockwise direction, thus keeping the curled rings in front.

In clockwise direction : 1^st chain has the FR & CR,

2^nd  chain - half moon curls,

3^rd chain - heart curls ,

4^th chain - button curls

Some ‘succeeded’ in wrong direction, some failed, some simply twisted around & curled over the chain refusing to budge !!!

Lesson – apply scientific method and change only one factor at a time. Also, use a size 10 thread when learning (Thanks, Mel)!

Trial 2 : Much better , yet many were still ashamed to face me ;-p. Ninetta came to the rescue & sent me this video and Then it Finally clicked !!! An Important point, which is clear in the stepwise tutorial pics, but didn’t register in my dense brain : turn the small ring at an angle of 180° before pulling the encapsulated thread to curl !!! The curling picot/space in the small ring should face down. Now I get it ! I was more focused on the instructions & not enough on the pics.

Lesson – read & look, look, look, and follow !!! That is what pictures are there for.  

Small Curled Rings (sCR) on Ring
Besides sCR on a chain, there are numerous ways to curl small rings on/through/over rings ! These are also included in the same pdf.

These Curled Onion Rings were made way back when Ninetta sent me her very first draft. I was very happy with the way the second one turned out.

Bracelets Capriccio : 

Now I felt confident enough to tackle her beautiful bracelets, which incorporate many of curling effects of small rings.
I opted to do all 4 in one continuous braid, with about 4 repeats each.

Anchor size 20 thread used (SH1- brown; SH2- cream) & wooden beads.

1. Version with balanced sCR

I reduced the stitch count here, to better enclose the bead. But more practice needed. Ninetta shared this video in class.

2. Version with unbalanced sCR

I like this pattern the best.

3. Version with sCR over a chain

The second  brown chain & sCR turned/twisted for some reason ; the cream ones came out fine. But I should've reduced the stitchcount for chains.

4. Version with CR

First ring came out wrong. Thought & thought, then pulled a down loop through the CR from below the split ring to curl it. It worked (this was my AHA moment). But Ninetta demonstrates a better method of pulling the to-be-curled ring through the split ring and then securing it with a picot join.

I still have a lot of practice to do on these whimsical curls, but am more confident now. This exercise & interaction, and then the videos, also taught me how a set of instructions &/or format can be read/understood/perceived differently by individual tatters because each of us has a different way of tatting – slight nuances in ways of holding, making the formations, tensioning, and myriad other details. What seems ‘easy’ to a writer or designer may be very difficult to a reader. I will no longer call any of my patterns or tutorials ‘easy’. Major lesson learned.

UPDATE : All videos have been uploaded to Georgia Seitz's Online Advanced Class videos

Many thanks, Ninetta, for sharing your immense talent . 

Hopefully goofs in my trials will be rectified in future :-)

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Practice Doodle – What technique ?!

And to end on another note of whimsy – here’s a doodle I made a year back while learning another new technique. Using 2 shuttles, I went where my shuttles took me. Can you guess which technique I was practicing (there is a ‘tell’ if you look closely)? Can you trace the path ? 

And a lucky coincidence - in the left Ninetta’s Quad 13 I made just before.

happy tatting and curling :-))

Related posts : What are Curled Rings

Some Ways of Curling Rings

More Curled Rings & cross pattern

Final options & earring pattern
List of All links to Curled Rings Tutorials

Trials and Jubilation