a simple solution

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 A month back, Ines-Carmen Wischniewski asked for help in a FB group. She wanted to load seed beads on an existing picot but her crochet hook was too large for the small beads. She received answers and finally this is what she came up with.... Sharing with her gracious permission.

1. The Objective - To add seed beads on the long chain picots (in the lace below). 

2. The Dilemma - Size mismatch or tools lacking. Beads are smaller or thread is thicker. 

I use the following methods whichever works for the project in hand --

• My go-to is using a fine crochet hook obviously.
• If possible, I use this threader which I showed here - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2017/07/productive-designs.html
•  And when both these fail, I use the finest tapestry needle threaded with sewing thread. After inserting the needle through the picot, I tie the thread in a simple, slim knot. Then needle the beads and pass them over the picot. Then snip off the thread near the knot and reuse. This is very effective, but a bit cumbersome. Hence you can imagine my excitement at seeing this easy threader hack!

3. The Hacked Threader - Ines-Carmen solved her dilemma by cutting the wire threader on one side. In the photo 3 beads are loaded on the wire.

4. The Hook - The cut portion of the wire acts like a crochet hook to snag the picot. The beads are moved over this 'hook' towards the picot.

5. The Transfer - The 3 beads are then transferred on to the picot, leaving the threader 'hook' free to be removed.

6. Continue - The join is made to the beaded picot and tatting continues. Notice the hacked threader lying on the side.

I remember buying a beading wire with some findings a few years back, hoping to use it to thread beads. It turned out to be too thick for the purpose. Threader wires are fine, hence work nicely. 

The Backstory - This is where it all started. A simple insertion which Ines-Carmen thought to convert to 3D. But there were no picots. So she had this idea to sew the edges at intervals and cover the thread with bead(s). Since it worked, she decided to tat a real model but encountered the above dilemma and then found the solution! 

See the transformation into 3D earrings in this mini video - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HmAwUzaskmukA3_gxsYVSAPjplm2NV66/view

There is always a new or different way to do things! You never know what might work or be a better option. I have a couple of projects lined up where I can use this in the near future. Also, it does not necessarily have to be beads on a picot. We can use it to add a free bead wherever required during the work in progress. 

Many many thanks to Ines-Carmen for sharing

solution

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 Remember my problem and the mood to give up on my own 3rd round design? Well turns out there were two possible solutions! Anna Bonelli suggested something in Italian which, though lost (on me) in translation actually threw up the first solution to my mind! After making the join I could leave some bare core thread, work and interlace the large ring, then go back and cover the bare thread with 'tied' stitches using the 2nd shuttle!

Anna then tatted a sampler to show what she meant, and that is the solution I adopted. Notice the ring is now horizontal instead of vertical, and I made it smaller too.

Meanwhile I had this idea to use block tatting at the tip. It caught my imagination and between these two elements I allowed my shuttles to do the work, starting with treble tatting arches.

 

I like how the block appears like a flame. 

In several places I hadn't made any picots. Used a finer crochet hook to clear enough space for a join.

To offset any denseness, I did the bare thread thing in the center. I could use dot picot strings, but wouldn't it be overkill?

Just like the Josephine Ring at the tip of the 'flame' is an overkill, right? Although I cannot decide on the JR above the treble tatting arch.

I was going to include decorative picots, but I like the clean lines here.

So what is your verdict? 

I am open to suggestions since I haven't yet started tatting. Oh and this time I'll be using a muted shade of yellow.

So far the design-along has roped in 12 tatters: 1 diagram only; 5 models only (1 WIP); 5 models with patterns; and 1 late starter. I will collect them all in a Google Doc with shareable link so feel free to join the game whenever you can .... 

My journey so far -

https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2023/05/lets-design-round-3.html 
https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2023/05/problem.html

Many many thanks to Anna Bonelli for her wonderful solution that got me going!

climbing out with mock picot

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A question was posed in a facebook group and my first answer was incorrect. Got my shuttle, thread and beads out, and gave it a few whirls. Wahoo, got it! (I'm getting good with bead solutions ;-P) Later, Lee Buchanan posted another option.

Climbing Out with a Mock Picot …

with a bead at the base!

What’s special or new about climbing out with a mock picot, you ask? Well, this time there was a bead at the base of the ring and a long picot over it. Looking back it seems, huh, what’s the big deal. Try it with a normal ring, and you’ll discover the issue.

This may have been done before but I’d like to keep a record on hand for future. Sharing both methods here.

For this pictorial, only 1 shuttle is used, with a long thread left attached (ctm).

Method 1 : Mock Ring

1. String beads on the shuttle thread and start a mock ring. I find the self-closing mock ring (SCMR) is neatest and the closure almost ‘invisible’.

Leave a loop and slide a bead after each double stitch (or as per pattern). I have 6 beads here. 

2. After sliding last bead, do not make any more ds, pass shuttle through loop ...

3. ...and close the mock ring. 

4. Leave bare space for the mock picot and make a lock stitch or overhand tie (SLT). Continue with pattern.

Method 2 : Reverse Ring

Lee Buchanan got into the swing of things and offered this RR solution!

1. Start a reverse ring (tutorial links here). A reverse ring or wrong-way tatting starts on the opposite side of a normal ring, and has reverse or unflipped stitches. Make sure the beads are within the loop of the ring, and slide a bead after each reverse stitch. 

2. After sliding the last bead, close the ring. 

3. Threads emerge on either side of bead. 

4. Make a mock picot by securing the bare threads with a lock stitch or SLT and continue with next element in pattern.

As you can see, the end result is the same. Of course, getting that last picot to look unbroken is unavoidable, Unless the next element is a split ring in which case no lock stitch or shoe lace trick is required.

TIP : If beads are on the picot (up beads), one can climb out with a mock picot as in this beautiful Sitka Rose motif here.

Thank you Sheetal. Each time a question is asked, 

there is an opportunity for mutual learning and improvement!

Thank you Lee, for being such an enthusiastic and adventurous tatting sport! 

PLEASE NOTE: If you wish for a pdf of any of my posts, let me know. I now have a mail app thatnallows me to convert any post into a pdf easily.

and options

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Renulek’s  Wiosna  Doily 2015

Rounds 8 & 9 

Last year I was amazed at how the same doily pattern, Renulek’s Spring Doily 2014 (my version here), took on a character of it’s own, changing appearance with the colour choices, placement choices, etc. that each tatter made.

But tatters don’t just have the option of colours, threads, & thread sizes. We can also make choices with regard to which/what technique to apply to each round, to best suit our requirements & our comfort ! Many paths to the same destination :-)

I have just started on Round 9 & would’ve ideally posted only after completion. However, since this is a tat-along, & there seems to be some interest in my earlier tips, I decided to upload my thoughts so that they may be of timely help, if required …. as it is I started late & am lagging behind ;-P

UPDATE (March 10, 2017) : For a simpler working of Round 9 see pictorial here with options for different colour placement,  too.

This is what worked for me for Round 9 of the Wiosna …

I have used single colour for entire round. Hence both shuttles are loaded CTM.

For those using 2 colours, you may switch colours using the SLT wherever necessary. Carollyn has posted some excellent how-to pics for 2-coloured Round 9,here.

Firstly, some pointers :

• Work this round counter/anticlockwise ! While all previous rounds were done/could be done in clockwise direction, this one Has to be tatted in opposite direction.
• It requires Directional Tatting. Hence a knowledge of Reverse Stitch (also called 2nd half of Split ring method, lark’s head knot,  unflipped stitches/hitches, encapsulation, etc.) is required.
• All tatting is done on the Front Side Only. Do Not Reverse Work at all !!! I learned this from tatting Teri’s Dandelion Chain Link Bookmark here.
• If one is not too experienced with this type of tatting, it is best to use single colour, so that any small mistake will not be easily apparent.
• I always find it less complicated to use 2 different types of shuttles since it is easy to keep track of which is Sh#1 & Sh#2. Or else, mark them.
• Lock Joins are made with the shuttle closest to the joining point.

The Process (Directional Tatting)

I will detail only the process. For exact stitch count of Round 9, please refer to the pattern here.

To Begin :

*** With Sh1,

Ring : start with the central ring normally (ds) . Close ring. Switch shuttles.

       With Sh2,

Ch1 : Reverse Stitch.  LJ with Sh1, to ring picot.

Ch2 : Reverse Stitch.  LJ with Sh1, to ring picot.

Ch3 : Reverse Stitch.  LJ with Sh1, to base of ring.

Ch4 : Normal ds , join to picot on round 8, continue ds chain.

Switch Shuttles. *** 

Repeat from *** to *** till end (72 total motifs/repeats)

The first ‘motif’ is complete. For all subsequent repeats, the 1^st side chain will be joined to the adjacent previous side chain in this manner : LJ with Sh2, to chain picot UPDATE : As pointed out by Ninetta in the comments below, instead of a LJ here, one could easily use the Split Ring or Lark's Head Knot Join. That would not only bring about neatness, but keep the core thread in play. Thanks Ninetta :-)

Continue in similar fashion for rest of the round.

To Summarize :

Work Only the Ring with Shuttle #1, and the Lock Joins to ring from the 3 chains going around it.

All the rest will be tatted using Shuttle #2 – the 3 chains around the ring, the chain joining to previous round, and the Lock Join when connecting to chain picot on previous repeat.

I am thoroughly enjoying this round – both for it’s beauty , the colour I’ve chosen , And for the option of using yet another technique learned earlier. The only minor irritant is that one has to unwrap the chain thread from one’s pinkie to make those LJs ;-P

Abbreviations used :

CTM – continuous thread method

SLT – shoe lace trick

Sh – shuttle

ds – double stitch

Ch – chain

LJ – lock join

Just a couple of lines regarding Round 8 :

It is a simple round, which can be done with single shuttle & ball, although I went with 2 shuttles.

I added a tiny picot at base of each chain (after 1st ds & before last ds) , joining adjacent chains for better anchorage & stability, just as I did in the previous round 7,here.

I’m not too happy with the long chains – there is some ruffling – but  am hoping that Round 9 will flatten it out.

And to repeat, there is no Single correct way of tackling round 9. One should choose what one is comfortable with. This can, however, also be a challenge to learn new techniques & applications.

UPDATE :

Well this post Is about  Options!

Optional  Process (Traditional tatting) :

Bernice mentioned in the comments below, that she was also working counterclockwise but was reversing work. This morning, as I continued my directional tatting, it suddenly hit me that this is Essentially the Same ! All I was doing was tatting from the front with no RW, while Bernice was tatting ‘normally’ ie., with normal ds & hence had to use RW.

I had to confirm it of course ;-P Yes, it worked great (the last 2 repeats in the pic). Looking closely, I think, in fact, these turned out better looking than the previous ones !

Note : 

Ring is made on the front side of the doily. Hence when work is reversed, we are on the backside, & you might need to make a Down Join to avoid colour blip if working with 2 colours.

Also, use SLTs when required if working with 2 colours. Carollyn has demonstrated this.

So, when one looks from the front side, one is tatting Counterclockwise, but with normal ds. 
In fact, if using a single colour, then one can even work with 1 shuttle & ball through the entire round, by doing just 1 SLT before each ring.

The ring is like a Thrown Ring - a ring on the long chain! 

Another option -- if working with 2 shuttles & single colour,  every alternate repeat will be made by the next shuttle.  If you started with Sh 1, next repeat will be with Sh2, then 3rd repeat with Sh1 and so on.  No SLT required. 

The Process
Make Ring . RW . (you can see the solitary ring in the pic on top right)

Work Ch1 & join to previous repeat (ch picot) using a Down Join.. LJ to Ring. DNRW.

Ch2 . LJ to Ring. DNRW.

Ch3. LJ to base of Ring . RW .

Long Ch . Join to previous round. ……

Please feel free to share how you are tatting/have tatted this round. Ideas multiply when we share :-)

happy tatting :-) 

Related Posts : Wiosna Rounds 1-5

Wiosna Rounds 6-7

Experimenting with Colours

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Do colours go round & round when tatting a doily ?

Do they Have to?

How about adding colour-stylishness to traditional rounds ?

Renulek’s  Wiosna  Doily 2015

Rounds 6 & 7 (pattern here)

I used a lot of collective wisdom in the earlier rounds of the Wiosna doily here. But wanted to do something more as the rounds progressed. And then I remembered Ninetta’s experiment with colour on her Anne Orr Doily here , & here ! Quelle inspiration.

Now, I liked the twirling effect of round 6 & did not want to use 2 colours within (ie. for chains & rings) since that would break up the ‘continuity’. But how about using 2 colours in segments ?! Why not play around with colour placement ?!

I also find Celtic interweaving very inspiring. Some superb effects have been created using normal shuttles, merely by placing colours appropriately. A recent excellent example is Sue’s working of Jane Eborall’s Roundabout Motif here !

  

So there I had it ; Collecting Inspiration !!! 

Round 6 would be broken into 2-colour repetitive segments & Round 7 would be the same 2 colours, but in alternating placement to previous round, creating a kind of undulating wave.

Sharing some of the techniques I used/worked out to put the visualization to practice.

• “SLT Picot” (Round 6) 

Switching shuttles midways through a chain, And a picot required there ! So, Shoe Lace Trick to the rescue, but with a tiny space that became the picot.

The one shown in photo looks pretty good. But not all were good. This was very tricky to do since the natural tendency of this technique was to close the gap.

Why did I not use a Lock Stitch instead ? Because the colour blip of one unflipped stitch would show.

·        Large Rings (Round 7)

A little way into round 7, I came across Patty Dowden’s excellent tip on how to work large rings. Immediately tried it out with the 24ds ring & it worked Beautifully & smoothly !

In Patty’s own words & diagrams, which she has kindly permitted me to share here ( Thanks, Patty :-) ) :

Working with Large Rings

© Patty Dowden 2013

(This pattern) calls for large rings that require more than the normal amount of thread to be wrapped around the left hand that holds the working thread.

To avoid moving the working thread back and forth and produce a better double ring, or causing the thread to fray:

1. Enlarge the thread wrapped around your hand for each ring by doubling (or more) the amount of thread you normally use.

Wrap the excess around your pinkie, as for a chain, except hold the thread above your pinkie and wrap toward yourself instead of away from yourself. This allows the extra thread to be easily released one wrap at a time from the outside in.

2. Also, after making the picot or join at the halfway mark of a ring, leave a loop of core thread to allow for more easily closing the large ring in two steps. Close the first half by tensioning the core loop and then finish closing the ring by tensioning the shuttle thread.

Download link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5MqI5ByadI4aERmSEt6UGVOeU0/view?resourcekey=0-FHILMfcIqknZ87Awol19Uw 

                                           ooooooooooooo

It has many advantages – one does not have to keep pulling thread from shuttle at intervals ; it keeps the large ring from distorting ; it keeps the thread from twisting ; keeps the stitches neat & even ; closes the ring much smoother ! What’s not to like ;-P

But since habits are not easy to change, I felt more comfortable starting a ring normally, make 2 ds, Then pull the extra length of thread to wrap around my pinkie. Also, I totally forgot about the 2^nd step, but pulling the thread all the way through, worked fine for this size ring.

UPDATE : click here to download tutorial directly  

• Switching colours (Round 7) :

Lock Join for 1^st ring of new segment

Each segment in this round is made of 6 repeats in one colour, before changing to next colour. At this point of change, a simple LJ using the core thread shuttle works because it is the same colour that will be continued for next 6 repeats.

Slope & Roll join for subsequent rings within segment …

However, while working these repeats within a segment, each shuttle has a different colour. Hence, when starting the 2^nd to 6^th repeats in a segment, I used the Slope & Roll Join as described/illustrated here.

…. accompanied by Shoe Lace Trick

Also, make an SLT Before & After the S & R join :

Before, in order to switch from chain to ring ; and

After, in order to move from ring to chain.

The S & R join does create a slight mismatch of surface. But it is a necessary evil in order to avoid the colour blip. The SLT helps flatten it to some degree. Tiny picot joins work better as noted next.

·        Tiny  Picot  Join  between  Chains  (Round 7) :

As mentioned above, there is a slight distortion/level-mismatch caused by the S&R join, mitigated only partially by the SLT. A tiny picot join between chains in round 7 , however, might have brought the chains more at the same level. This occurred to me halfway through the round, & didn’t want to ‘change’ at that stage. After all the next round & some ironing would bring it all together. Yet, caved in towards the last couple of segments & you can see the difference in the pic.

·        Wait  Before  Cutting  Out  Errors

When in doubt, wait ! Keep scissors at bay.

After 2 segments of round 7, I was dissatisfied with the ‘weaving’ effect because of the ring colour that connected to form a ‘wave’.

But I wasn’t certain a change would work better. So, kept off the scissors – after all 1/6^th round was already complete - & started tatting a little distance away. I now had the option to either continue with the 2^nd version & snip off the 1^st, or vice versa.

Eventually, I stayed with the 2^nd version & snipped off the earlier portion.

My  Dissatisfaction :

• The thread colours in themselves were not inspiring enough. Too similar to bring the experiment to light. Will have to use black for next round.
• “Interweaving” effect not prominent enough, again because the colours were pretty similar.
• Secondly, I should’ve used Karen Cabrera’s 2-coloured Ring technique for the “interwoven”/crossover ring! As indicated in the picture above. 
• A mistake exactly halfway through Round 7 which I discovered only at the very very end ! No patience to cut & redo half the round again.

Despite my dissatisfaction, I think it is worth trying out such an experimentation with colours even if one is working on traditional-type doilies. It probably lends some interest, some character, some modern stylishness.

Now on to the next rounds ...

happy tatting !

Related Posts : Collecting Wisdom Wiosna Rounds 1-5 
and options Wiosna Rounds 8-9

Collecting Wisdom

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Working on Renulek’s Wiosna Doily 2015

One can learn so much when one comes across the right people, the right places, the right attitudes ! One stores little snippets somewhere in the grey niches, and at times they pop up like AHA moments .

(click on coloured, bold links for source)

I started Renulek’s Wiosna (Spring) Doily 2015 a few days back. And am finding myself applying tweaks & techniques that I read of / learned along the way. A lot of it was garnered from the tatting angels at InTatters (now Craftree), some from actually tatting patterns shared by experienced designers, some from blogs (posts & comments), and of course the numerous tutorials that have been shared.  I am truly grateful for all the combined & cumulative wisdom.

·        Flat Rings :

Adding a 2^nd half stitch before closing rings helps them lay flat. (InTatters).

I now do this almost on a regular basis.

·        2 shuttles :

I am getting into the habit of using 2 shuttles, whether the pattern calls for it or not. It is much neater, convenient, & it opens up numerous options. One can switch shuttles when required (instead of making SLTs) . And one does not need to buy 2 balls of same thread !

Used this is even in round 3 & was happy ! Learned my lesson during last year’s Chrysanthemum Doily, where my natural tendency was to go with shuttle & ball wherever possible.

·        Hiding ends, customized :

As detailed in the post on Hiding ends sans sewing, I learned a few techniques. However, there was overwhelming opinion in favour of sewing down the ends. One cannot ignore combined wisdom ! Hence, although I still used MTT, Frivole’s hiding ends in the last chain, SSSR, etc., (because they eliminated that eye-sore Knot!), I also sewed in the end(s) to be safe, using Jon’s instructions on sewing.

I am happy with the combo & now have many options to choose from; and I Did use different methods in different rounds – Customized treatment, shall we say ?!

hiding ends - SSSR, sewing,  & adding tiny stabilizing picots

·        Tiny Picot to stabilize elements :

The 5-ring flowers in Round 5 were fiddly. My tatting experience with Jane Eborall’s TIAS 2015 & her Chicken Wing Coaster came to mind. I had been impressed by her use of a teeny tiny picot to anchor adjoining elements. Thought to give it a try here.

It Worked ! See how flat the flower lies, and it will be much easier to join the next round, even if I don’t iron it.

Working 2 rounds simultaneously

 ·        Hiding ends with SSSR :

Working the flowers separately, gave me the added advantage of being able to easily use SSSR to finish off the flowers. 

(I remember seeing a tut long time back, but don’t remember exactly who wrote that post …. She had used SSSRs to hide ends in jewelery tatting. Will add link when I find it)

'Lengthening' Thread functionality

·        ‘Lengthening’ the functionality of thread :

Joining a length of extension thread to tail end. Many a times you Know that there is enough thread to complete the next element, before reloading shuttle. But it is so difficult to handle & manoeuvre that short length that I always ended up cutting it off. Recently I recalled another tip from InTatters. Attach a piece of scrap thread to the end so that one has ample length to wrap around & work ! I joined this extension (tan thread in pic) using a weaver’s knot , thus giving me plenty of working & wrapping length !

In photo below, one can see the very very short tail left !

SCMR instead of normal ring to use up last length of thread

·        SCMR instead of normal ring !

I could see that there was enough thread to complete that single ring. But not possible to work a Normal ring. So, SCMR to the rescue ! Used the last length (with extension) as a chain thread, making a mock ring with Sh1 thread.

Abbreviations Used (in order of appearance) :

SLT : shoe lace trick

MTT : magic thread trick / magic loop

SSSR : single shuttle split ring

SCMR: self closing mock ring

Sh1 : shuttle #1

   

Isn’t it nice that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel ?!

All solutions are already floating around

– simply collect, collate, combine, cumulate –

and wait for them to waft into our conscious from the mental storage pool! 

Related Posts : Wiosna Rounds 6-7

Wiosna Rounds 8-9