a post about post - reposted

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…. where a simple doily round leads to musings & experimentation on rings and when to post a shuttle.

Wiosna 2016

A doily tat-along by Renulek

Round 11  

Measures 11½” in size 40 Anchor Mercer 4054-0300

Another very easy, leisurely round. I was scared of messing up the alternate floating/thrown rings – one with decorative picots, one with single small picot. But frequent checking kept me on the right path, phew.

There is one thing that has me flummoxed for a long time : the directionally tatted (frontside/backside or RODS) rings don’t close as flat as normal rings. Off & on I had experimented with many different tweaks but nothing seemed to work.

I took this opportunity, to experiment further. The rings were small and a botched experiment would not be too visible.

I was surprised at the trial result, and happy to have found a solution that works for me. And in my usual way, I didn’t stop at that. My curiosity to see how different ways of tatting & closing rings compare with each other led to this small experimentation below. The model is accompanied by a table with all details.

This may not be ‘original’, but it is part of my own learning process to make my tatting better.

Dear tatters, what is the secret to Your perfect rings  ???? 

R – ring ; FR – floating/thrown ring ; DS – double stitch ; RODS – reverse order DS ; fs/bs – frontside/backside ; fhs – first half stitch ; shs – second half stitch ;  post shuttle – pass shuttle through ring from front to back before closing ring ; . – close ring ; – – picot.

Points to ponder :

• Base of ring at closure – in the images, point of closure of each ring lies on the right.
• Does the core thread emerge from ‘front’ or from ‘back’ – after shs, core thread emerges from the front ; after fhs, it lies behind.
• Size of the ring – perhaps there is a difference when closing small versus large ring ?
• Desired shape of ring – tear drop or rounded.

Different Ways of Closing Rings

All rings in the pic are 5 – 5 

Except for #1, all lower (aqua) rings are RODS (directional or fs/bs tatting)

Pink rings are thrown/floating rings.

Reverse Work before & after each lower ring.

Download the pdf here : Different Ways of Closing Rings Experiment

For a long time now, I had been following Frivole’s tip in Ring 4 of adding an extra shs before closing ring, when working from the front. 
In the latter half of Round 11, where the rings were 4-4, and worked from the back (after reversing work), an extra shs and posting shuttle (as in Ring 9 above) seemed to work, making me happy.

But look what happens in Round 12 where the ring is 8-8 :

In these 'larger' directional rings, before closing, I added a 1st half stitch and posted the shuttle. They lie so much better than the first one on left which was extra 2nd half stitch and post shuttle ! I'm not sure whether size of ring is the reason ... that will require more trials to determine. 
Let's just say that we have many options to choose from as the situation demands.

What I also noticed is that the ring tends to remain slightly open, & requires one final tug to close it completely. Perhaps this is also the reason why I can open the ring much more smoothly in case of retro-tatting.

When to post shuttle ?

(Common Threads V)

I first learned about posting a shuttle through a ring on InTatters & when I tried it (then & later, too), it didn’t work for me. Don’t know why some things just take a long time to ‘click’ !

Although it hadn’t worked in regular tatting, I did find many applications where it is required – whether posting the same shuttle, the 2^nd shuttle, or even multiple shuttles ; whether posting through an unclosed ring or through other elements or a loop. 
Here is my compilation (now updated) which I shared in a recent Craftree thread on posting a shuttle. Of course, now I’ll have to go back & amend my answer :-D

(Most links are to my blog posts which have further direct links to respective tutorials )

1. Interlocking Rings using shuttle – clearly, without posting the shuttle through the previous ring (before it is closed), there will be no interlocking of rings, whichever method one adopts for the latter effect. 

2. Interlaced Split Rings – In this 4-shuttle braid, the one shuttle from the 2^nd pair is posted through the open split ring of 1^st pair, in order to interlace adjoining rings. 
   
3. Teri Dusenbury's SQDR (split quadruple directional rings) which are rings thrown off a split ring. These thrown/floating rings twist if shuttle is not posted. 
   Arrow points to the yellow ring where I forgot to post the shuttle. 
   

   
4. Freeform – when the 2^nd shuttle or ball is posted through the unclosed ring, the next element (chain or ring) overlaps or is enclosed by the first ring, slightly. 
   

   
5. Cluny Tatting – one small step behind the scenes, especially for multi-Warp tallies, requires the loom shuttle to be passed/posted through the horizontal bars at back. This step allows for easy closing of each Warp , when tally is closed. 
   
6. Curled Cluny Leaf 
   
7. Ninetta's small Curled Rings or Alternate Methods of Curling Rings – requires the other shuttle to be posted through the ring such that it gets encapsulated within the joining picot. 
   
8. Ninetta’s Tiny Tatted Beads – In her 3-shuttle pattern, she posts 2 shuttles through the tiny ring, creating a cute beaded effect. 
   
9. Celtic Tatting often requires a shuttle to be posted through elements.
10. Directional rings - for neater, flatter rings, as demonstrated in experiment above. 
    
11. Interlocking Split Ring Braid – consists of a  continuous braid of split rings interlocked together in a row. Made with 4 shuttles, it requires posting one pair of shuttles through the unclosed SR of 2^nd pair & so on. Also check out this chainmail-type braid by Ninetta made with only 2 shuttles and her pictorial showing 3 methods here.                                                                                                     
    
12.  Enrapt rings – one can wrap shuttle 2 thread around the rings in different ways as experimented here Overlapping Picots on rings & chains 
    
     
13. Overlapping Picots in rings – in order for the layered picots to become intertwined & overlap through adjacent picots, posting shuttle is required. 
    

    14. Intruding Picot (UPDATE) - a new way to make inward facing picots that are hugely versatile and easily applicable in a number of techniques. Simply posting shuttle through an open ring or a chain, leaving bare thread for picot, creates this picot. Numerous applications!

15. Spiral Rings (UPDATE) - Lenka's Spiral rings - posting the shuttle makes rhe ring spiral in fhe opposite direction.  https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/search?q=Spiral+ring

While 'posting a shuttle' usually refers to dropping it through a closing ring, in a sense the movement is performed when encapsulating the other shuttle thread in most joins such as CWJ, LHP, S2LHP, etc. or perhaps SCMR & LTROR when shuttle is 'posted' through a loop.

But why muddy the waters more – haven’t you had enough of this ‘post’ already ?! ;-P

If you have, thanks for patiently reading through :-D
Thanks for leaving valuable feedback/comments earlier

Related Posts : as linked above (blue text) ,

and

Wiosna Rnds 1-3 , Rnd 4 , Rnds 5-6 , Rnds 7-8 , Rnds 9-10

spiraling into distraction

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Sometimes one just Has to! No excuses.

My first trials of Lenka’s Spiral Rings (her blog has some exquisite tatting and jewellery). Based on the tutorial by Ninetta. And also an attempt to try it on treble tatting as seen here.

For the braid, after first 2 rings, instead of a lock join I used the Ring on Picot method, without any join. It like it – subsequent rings remain flush, no gaps.
Notice that my failure to post the shuttle before closing the 3rd ring caused a twist.

TIP : I think the ring should be not be closed too tight as we often do in regular tatting. However, unlike my initial belief, leaving some bare thread (as in half-closed rings) is not necessary either. There is, however a design element there. If we do not close completely, we get a larger spiral compared to a completely closed ring.

Tried the counter-spiral as per instructions for the first one (3rd last from top). Works nicely, but since the ring is twisted or turned, the back comes to the front. I wanted the stitches frontside. 
There are 2 ways to do it –

1. tat the ring backside (RODS), then pull into a spiral as instructed, or
2. turn work, tat the ring backside (RODS), then turn back to the front and pull into a spiral. (2nd last ring from top).

I was running out the scrap thread, so managed only one spiral ring with treble tatting. It was enough to give me the confidence to proceed. I’ve been ogling at that gorgeous happy piece!

So, here is the medallion of off-side spiral rings using the treble stitch (tds). Peering into Ninetta’s model, I counted off 8tds and the exit was from the 3^rd tds.

Work progresses in counterclockwise direction ie. each new ring is to the left of the previous one.

Now here again I used Patty’s ring on picot after the 1^st ring. But see how close the 2 rings come? (the 2 dark pink spirals at the bottom). It looks like an overlapping spiral chain. A good design that can be used in future. But for the original effect, for the rings to curve gracefully and the spirals to show distinctly, a lock join is preferable.

No more dead end or single shuttle split chain (SSSCh) to create curlicues! These rings are so much easier!!!

So much for my distraction and fun in learning something new. Back to my other projects …. Although I haven’t cut off the thread – hoping to continue with another round(s).

Many many thanks to Lenka for this spectacular effect

and to Ninetta for sharing how to do it.

14 times 3 minus 14 times 3

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UPDATE : Oops, the equation should read 14 times 3 minus 7 times 3!

Continuing Ninetta Caruso's Girandolina di Farfalle Swirling Butterflies doily - Round 10 without the butterflies!

All my previous rounds and notes - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/search?q=swirling+butterflies

How slow am I?! Ninetta started much later and finished way ahead - check out her exquisite 2nd version here.   

Round 10 : without butterflies - 33cms/13" in Anchor size 40

Techniques I used: fs/bs tatting, treble stitch, spiral rings, lock join, direct tatting (for brown chains only, hence 2 shuttles)

Giro, giro, giro (round, round, round)! 

So, Round 10 requires 14 motifs comprising 3 rounds. Half of these motifs have 3 butterflies, the center butterfly (Cedronella) being a separate motif joined later. Hoping to work at a faster pace, I decided to make all 3 butterflies individually and join later. Hence the 3rd round of each motif (green) could be worked with ball and shuttle instead of 3 threads.

Farfalle (butterflies) 

I did a trial to see if they could be tatted separately, and without tail ends to hide. In the pic they are joined to picots, but when I make them now, I will try to place them on the chain directly - to lower the height, and to decrease the overwhelming green.

And none of them will need any hiding ends!!! Although I think one might have to apply some fabric glue to keep the antennae from curling and distorting when washed. We'll see ....

TIP : Since adjacent motifs are unattached except at the base, they are floppy and interfered with my tatting. I solved this by tying with scrap threads and holding them together as a unit. Worked beautifully!

The scrap threads will be snipped after I finish with the butterflies.

Girotondo (round dance)

Despite the huge amount of tatting required, I did not get bored at all. There is so much variety in terms of techniques, directions, sequence, and colours, that it keeps me happy and engaged! And instead of doing the same round consecutively 14 times, I did them in batches of 3 or 4 motifs, working lighter colours at night.

 

Lasagna (yummy ;-p)

I enjoy playing with in-progress lace, especially layering. Ideas swirl around and spring out! So, this is the 14 motifs folded inwards, overlapping. Not sure what idea is swirling, but I do like the effect :-D

This is the same folded round against a white background. It is so difficult to get the colours look as good as in real. A photography course?

Minore (minor) TIPs :This may be unimportant, but sharing nonetheless since it is part of my journey. 

For the spiral ring round, I did not make a lock join for the last ring. Instead, when it came to joining the last to 1st spiral, I passed tail through the 1st, and back to the space where lock join was required, and then made a knot/lock join.

As with most of my knitting, etc., I try to avoid starting at the same point. Ditto with the light yellow rings. I started by joining to the 2nd/3rd last spiral ring instead of the last. 

Errori (mistakes)

One glaring mistake reared it's head all the way back in Round 3 (the green round)! Despite all the pics I've taken and worked on, the missing ring revealed itself only when I was attaching the the 1st motif of Round 10! 

Can you spot it in the above pic? I can't 'unsee' it now ;-/ Should I add it or let it be?

There are 3 other minor errors - 1 in the light yellow picoted spiral ring round (a picot short of the required 14); 1 less tds in one of the tds spiral rings; and 3rd in one of the 14 motifs where I made a ring (3-3+4) instead of (3+3). But neither is apparent. Oh, and not using a picot gauge means my picots are not all symmetrical.

The blue and cream really stand out against this polished wood background, although all other colours have dulled down!

Nessun picot, nessun aggancio (no picot, no hooking)

As in my 2018 tat-along version, I avoided the picot and joining between the 2 green rings. The joining picot did not seem to add any value. Instead it slowed me down, trying to join such tiny rings in this dark colour. 

Keeping the count same, here's how I worked them -

    small ring : 3 +(to 2nd round) 4.

    large ring : 5 +(to 2nd round) 6.

Okay, I'm trying to show off some Italian terms I learned (or Googled) from the pattern! Hopefully some recognition, retention and recall will happen in future ;-P One can only admire how wonderfully adept Ninetta is at English - all self-learnt! 

I think this is my penultimate post on the doily. The next will be when it is all completed. 

who knew

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 What can I say?! So many comments in response to my previous post ... besides my blog, I had asked the same question in two FB groups and my own FB timeline. Received a range of answers from a spectrum of tatters. So instead of simply updating the post as previously intended, I decided to write this separate post and cover all points. But firstly I'd like to apologise for my tardy response - life has this habit of getting in my way, and also for the length of this post.

I]  Most commentators misread or misunderstood my question (or perhaps I need to improve my English writing/questioning skills ;-D). Most answers referred to HOW to shape the ring into desired shape. I will try to share all tips, answer questions, etc., in no particular order -

1.  Define Central Ring - According to Elgiva Nicholls' classification, it is an enclosed space medallion, a ring with many picots, at the center of a formation such as rosettes. The next round is attached to these picots which divide the pattern into equal segments. It is such a  common starting point in vintage patterns (and sometimes even used as fillers) where the thread was cut off after making the ring. Later, of course, false picot and/or mock ring replaced the true ring so that one could climb out for continuous tatting. 

2. Post the Shuttle - for a rounder version. This has never worked for me. I post the shuttle only in backside or RODS rings after ending with an extra 1st half-stitch. My trials and experiments. So, in my samples, since both rings were tatted frontside, I did not post the shuttle.

3. SCMR for Roundness - This is true BUT it needs two threads whereas the example I showed is a single shuttle/thread model. This can be seen in the bare thread between the two rings.

4. Closing the Ring - Several comments focused on how they close their ring to attain the desired shape. The above sampler by Anita Barry employs both the movements outlined below.

Shape and Pinch: While closing the ring, bring the two ends together, hold in pinch and close the ring in desired shape. 

Direction of Pull: Further, if core thread is pulled downwards, we get a teardrop, while if it is pulled to the left (for right-handed tatters), a rounder ring emerges. In my samples, I closed both rings exactly the same way -- I did not 'pre-shape' under the pinch, and I pulled the shuttle thread downwards and very slightly to the left (which has been my go-to for decades).

5. The Tension of Tension! - The tension while pulling the shuttle thread to close the ring can reflect on the shape of the ring. The tension of stitches can also affect the amount of play the core thread has. Are stitches just a wee bit looser in a highly picoted ring than when only a few picots grace the ring?

Conscious: A ring closed too tightly results in a teardrop shape and when closed "more loosely" can result in a rounder version. 

Subconscious: A couple of comments pointed out perhaps our subconscious works differently while closing a picoted ring as compared to a plain ring (including the knotting of stitches). It is certainly possible! Brains work in mysterious ways, don't they? Or perhaps our muscle memory wasn't trained meticulously enough ;-D

6. Pull into Shape - This is done after closing the ring. I agree that if a regular teardrop is tugged outwards with gentle fingers, it can become rounder. Yet, in my opinion, the type of thread and the tatter's tension also play a role. And blocking was also suggested. Both my samples were fresh off the shuttle without any finger-shaping or blocking. However in the new sample above I pulled the middle ring for a rounder shape.

7. The Pull of Additional Rounds - When new rounds are joined to the central ring, it pulls the ring into a rounder shape. Agree, but my samples were free, unattached.

8. Twist of the Thread - Perhaps the S or Z twist in a thread affects the shape of the ring. It, however, does not apply if tatted with the same threads at the same time, with the same shuttle. The bare thread between the rings is evidence.

I think this covers all the HOW answers. And, I believe after working new samples, that some subconscious pull and tension might partly be accountable for the shape of my rings. And I used Anchor knitting cotton size 10 for the old green and new blue samples which is twisted less tightly than the yellow samples done in Anchor mercerized cotton size 20 below which is relatively stiffer and holds its shape better despite any attempt to post-shape. Also I don't bring the ends of ring together to pre-shape before closing, which leaves more room for the structure to take its own natural shape.

II] Now to the WHY part which was my main question. My theory pertained to the presence of a lot of picots and I even sought hubby's help in trying to tease out the exact physics behind it. The following listing is chronological.

A. His response was that the outer edge of the picots creates a larger circumference than a picot-free ring in relation to the inner edge, which tends to pull the structure outwards, hence the rounder shape. This was similarly echoed by some respondents.

The 3rd blue ring with picots on one half was hubby's idea. However, more tests with larger rings might be required to reach any conclusion or visual cue.

B. I was happy to see many identified the presence of picots as a major factor. The picots provide extra thread between stitches which might "ease", "relax" or "give permission to" the movement of stitches away from the otherwise tight squish of a picot-less teardrop. This was my contention, too, before I asked hubby. Some also pointed out that the picots circumference gave an impression of a rounder ring even if the inner edge remained more teardrop-ish.

C. Barbara A was reminded of her teacher who was an engineer and the maths behind it is that each picot acts like another ring. So basically there is an outward pull or one can say a mix of pulls, leading to a rounder ring. She shared this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y87yq5E4Ok0 

III] On The Side Lines

i) Mary A asked "Have you ever wondered why Josephine rings are always beautifully circular... until a tatter tries to put picots on them?" This is my understanding - JRs are inherently small-ish spiral rings made by repeating the same half-stitch. Unlike double stitch which is 'balanced' due to mirrored 1st and 2nd half-stitch, the spiral stitch is made of only the same half-stitch hence the inner edge circumference is way smaller than the outer edge, resulting in an almost perfect circle. {the horizontal bar is broader than the vertical leg of any half-stitch or double stitch}
When a picot is added, it causes a disruption and the inherent tendency to spiral becomes more pronounced affecting the smooth roundness. You can test this by tatting a larger JR where the spiraling effect becomes evident as in a Josephine chain and gives an indication of the picot's behaviour.
Hope this makes sense? Jump in ....

ii) Round Split Rings were mentioned by some. There are books (by Karen Bovard) where she explains how to make a rounded SR. Goes to show that we can shape any ring as desired using specific means and pre-planning. Remember Square Rings?

iii) Gimme a Leg Up! Now here's an interesting issue that emerged when Anita Barry tatted up samples using paracord and her hubby noticed that the legs of the half-stitches seemed a bit different. Is there a "dominant" and a "recessive" leg?! Obviously the movements of tatting the 1st and 2nd halves are different; does our subconscious hold the reins differently? 

Phew! Since everybody has been so forthcoming and enthusiastic with their input I will end this post with a few more possible factors to ponder --- 

• Thread size; 
• Thread type; 
• Individual Tatting Styles - so many nuances that can affect our tatted lace; 
• Very Small Joining Picot which may stretch the ring, 

If you have managed to read this far I am truly thankful. And my next post will have a cute little heart pattern to relax from this avalanche :-)))

Many many thanks to all you wonderful tatters for chipping in with your experience and advice! This is how the community grows, evolves, and flourishes. 

3rd times a charm

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 continuing Ninetta Caruso's Swirling Butterflies doily - rounds 6 to 9 ... 

All my previous posts on this work in progress with notes - https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/search?q=swirling+butterflies

Round 6 : 15.5 cms in Anchor size 40, worked counterclockwise with one shuttle only.

Techniques - spiral ring, decorative picots, treble stitch (tds), lock join (substituted with a DYJ variation)

This round consists only of spiral rings with long decorative picots and a single tds. I asked Ninetta about that single tds -- it is a clever visual effect to maintain same height!

This light yellow colour was a compromise colour although Ninetta approved early on, and later even my hubby liked it a lot, despite my continuing doubts midways

My first choice was this dark green in order to frame the large floral design. Unfortunately the thread turned out to be very difficult to work spiral rings! Notice the ugly bare thread and distorted rings in the inset above?! Not to mention eyesight difficulty in tatting with a dark colour

TIP : Quality of thread is very important to work spiral rings. The stitches should slide smoothly so that the ring closes easily without any tug on thread between rings.

The yellow was a charm - worked like a breeze! Especially since I did not use any picot gauge.

TIP : There are 13 long picots and a 14th vsp for the last treble stitch. I made All 14 picots long. 

TIP : In order to avoid counting back all the picots, this coiless safety pin marked the picot (7th) on which a lock join needs to be made to coil the ring.

During my failed green trial, in order to increase stability (and for peace of mind), I altered the lock join to a variation of the Dora Young Join (DYJ) and decided to continue with it in the yellow version.

Dora Young Join (DYJ) variation - Start with making a lock join, but instead of pulling shuttle thread to tension it, tug at the loop thread that is at the back of work (like we do for the DYJ and CWJ) to remove slack, In next step, pass shuttle again through the open loop, front to back, and tension.  

I'll have to try it with thicker thread to see how it looks up close. 

This round is quite floppy with rings tending to dance and twirl since there are 7 unattached rings in between. I had to be real careful to keep them facing correctly when attaching 8th ring to previous round.

Rounds 7, 8, 9 : 17.5cms, 19.5cms, 21.5cms in Anchor size 40 worked counterclockwise. 2 shuttles, ctm.

Techniques - fs/bs tatting, split chain, split ring (all 3 optional).

These 3 rounds are worked continuously, climbing out with a split chain and into the next round with a split ring. With only 2 SRs, I decided to work with 1 shuttle and ball.

All 3 rounds are identical!

Ninetta warned us that rounds 7 & 8 ruffle but settle after round 9. The waves after round 7 already seem to be flattening as round 8 gets underway. 

Ruffling has decreased even more along the portion where round 9 portion has been made.

I blocked (rolling pin) only after completing all 3 rounds.

Voila! Flattened! 3rd time was such a charm!

Working 3 identical rounds consecutively could've been boring, but it was truly Fascinating watching the taming of the ruffles!

Got me wondering if there was any other way to keep it flat and avoid ruffling. Here are my thoughts on the Design Options -

1. start with shorter chains and increase the number of stitches (1 or 2 ds per outer round) ; 

2. include stabilising picot after 2 & 1 ds, to link adjacent chains in rounds 7 & 8 respectively.

3. progressively increase ring size in subsequent rounds.

All options come with their visual consequences - it all depends on what the designer is going for!

The next round consists of individual 3-round motifs very similar to the center. (7x2) motifs will take some time to tat. The very last round is simple rings, chains, and thrown rings.

I had intended to keep blogging as I worked this doily on the side. But I get so engrossed and Love the tat, that all blogging is side-lined. Hopefully I'll squeeze in a few posts this time.

Tatting Pattern: Tiny Heart Poppy part 2

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Tiny Heart Poppy

 A  3D  Tatted  Flower (contd.)

Tiny Heart Poppy - spot the difference ;-)))

The 2^nd and final part of the Tiny Heart Poppy pattern. The first part of Flower (petals) pattern is here. 

We’ve completed the 3 red petals. Now to add ‘embellishments’ to bring it to life ;-) : the flower centre made of yellow & black, a couple of free-standing buds, a leaf sprig, & then the main stem. 

Poppy Flower Centre :

Materials

AMC Size 20 , Yellow 0289 , Black

2 shuttles OR 1 shuttle with yellow tied to black ball

Techniques & abbreviations :

JR – Josephine Ring , with Perpendicular arrangement of Rings

Floral Picot   (click for tut)

Ch – chain

fhs –  1^st half stitch of ds

shs – 2^nd half stitch of ds
Wind yellow thread in one shuttle & black in 2^nd shuttle/ball & tie together. No need to hide the tail ends as these will be required to provide stiffness to encapsulated stem later.

Yellow Pistil/Carpel :

With shuttle 1 (yellow) :

JR 1 : 10 hitches / half stitches

Perpendicular Arrangement of Rings : (click for detailed tutorial)

Before starting JR2, try to turn JR1 at a 90° angle on Y axis. So instead of making a concentric, onion-ring type of overlap, we will get an overlap Across the 1^st JR, vertically, at right angles. Hopefully the image & diagrammatic representation below, will give a clearer idea.

JR 2 : 15 hitches …

Before closing, adjust this ring over the 1^st JR so as to snug neatly over & around the latter. If required, add or subtract the half stitches. Since there is no picot in JR1 to which JR2 can be joined, one needs JR2 to fit snugly over, yet without distorting, JR1, Nor falling over itself !

I kept positioning the open ring stitches over JR1 till I felt the length was just right, then close JR2, keeping it positioned perpendicular to JR1.

Yellow Pistil in center

 

 

Black Stamens :

Place/position the yellow centre over the space between the 3 petals. (Pass the tail ends through this open centre, so that they are now Under the flower). 

Working from top, join to picot at the base of any petal, keeping the yellow JRs centred.
Now start a chain made up of medium length Floral Picots (I have used the term described by Ring of Tatters)

Ch : ** ( 2FHS , p , 2 SHS , p ) …. Repeat ** for desired length, joining to the picots at the base of each petal at regular intervals. The chain should be long enough to go all around the yellow core. Lock join into place.

I made the length slightly longer so that it overlapped a bit, before ending. If you look very carefully, this overlap of picots can be seen towards the right side in image. Overlap ensures that the black picots will never show any gap.

Pass all the tails through the center, to the back of the flower, to be encapsulated later.

The Poppy Flower is now complete ! 

If one is looking for only a flower, one can stop here (hiding all tails). This can be sewn on to decorate or adorn headbands, bracelets, rakhi, gifts, etc. etc. Add a green calyx, if desired.

I decided to add some stem, leaves, & buds to the flower to make it a stand-alone entity such as a nosegay (spritz your favourite perfume ;-) ), a lapel flower, brooch, or a boutonniere for men. Add a couple more flowers & paraphernalia to make a cute spray !

Buds, Stems, Leaf Sprig

AMC Dark Green : 0844

2 shuttles, wound CTM

Buds :

JR 1 – Josephine Ring with auxiliary thread

JR 2 – Josephine Ring using Jane Eborall’s alternative technique

Perpendicular Rings arrangement

JC – Josephine Chain or Spiral chain

Encapsulation with JC / spiral tatting

UPDATE : For detailed tutorials click : Starting with Auxiliary Thread & Ending with Auxiliary Thread

2 Shuttles wound CTM.

Here is something I hadn’t tried before, hence a detailed log :

1. Wind an extra (auxiliary) piece of green thread along with the thread in shuttle, just enough for the 2 JRs.
2. Make JR1 (15 half stitches) using this double thread, for added thickness.
3. JR2 (20-22 half stitches) made with Jane Eborall’s method of Josephine Rings   
4. JR2 is made perpendicular to JR1. Before closing the ring, make sure it sits over the 1^st ring just right, without falling over.
5. Cut the extra length of auxiliary thread & hide it in the JC that follows, or keep it for encapsulation.
6. JC for about 5½ cms (or as desired).
7. Note : Since one is encapsulating, the half stitch of JC/spiral chain will remain unflipped.
8. End JC with a small picot with which to join to main stem later. Do not cut. (This step can be skipped. After leaving a short tail, cut threads. Repeat from Step 1 for 2nd bud).
9. JC going back up for 2^nd bud. This stem is shorter ~ 4 cms long.
10. Unwind shuttle & double up the remaining thread (or wind another auxiliary thread).
11. Use this doubled thread to make the 2 perpendicular JRs as before.
12. Tie, cut & hide the tail or sew it in.

Note : The 2 buds have been made in one pass. But looking back, it is better to make them separately, each one starting from the bud end & moving down to the stem. Threads can be encapsulated later.

TIP : JCs can be done with 1 shuttle & ball. But the ball (working) thread tends to twist a great deal & untwisting the ball after every few stitches, becomes cumbersome. Hence it is advisable to use 2 shuttles. I speak from experience ;-((

 

Leaf Sprig :

Twisted Picots (unjoined)

JC – Josephine Chain / Spiral tatting

3½ cm stem which is again a JC

Twisted picots at regular intervals (2½ - 3 cms long each)

Start with a twisted picot on a JC. The picots are closer initially, then the spacing increases slightly. Do as many as you want. When desired length is reached, stop & cut threads, leaving a tail of 2-3 inches.

TIP : JC stem spirals around, so the twisted picots spiral around too, instead of sitting flat on a single plain.

Another reason I used a JC chain, is to replicate in an abstract fashion, the fuzziness of a real poppy stem.

UPDATE : Refer to Tutorial for Twisted Picots (Floating) 

Main Stem :
Encapsulation using JC ( spiral chain)

< 5 cm long.

Preferably 2 shuttles, CTM

Hook the green thread to any one picot at base of petal. Then make JC, encapsulating all the floral thread tails.

Note : Since one is encapsulating, the half stitch of JC/spiral chain will remain unflipped.

After about 2 cms from base of flower, start attaching the buds’ stem & the leaf sprig. Make sure to encapsulate these from a little higher than the point at which the tails start; this will ensure free-standing stems that hold the buds & leaves.

Also start cutting off tails, at different stages but After at least 1 inch of encapsulated main stem, for a tapering kind of stem. If an evenly thick stem is desired, then encapsulate all tails right till the end.

Continue the stem further to desired length. Tie & cut.

When encapsulated with all the tails, the stems remain stiff enough & no extra stiffening is required. It is also essential that a short part of the buds & leaf sprig stems be encapsulated within the main stem from the point where they are joined, so that they stay erect & in place without any support.

NOTE : Each element holds it's shape. However,  in case thread specifications demand, one can add an extra/auxiliary thread for encapsulation of stems.

Final Dimensions : ( ” – cms ; ’ – inches )

Flower : ~ 4”/ 1½’ across

Yellow centre : ~ ½” x ½”

Black centre : picots are ~ ½ cm long each, with slight variation if desired.

Buds & Stem : 1^st pair : 1”x 1”, on a 4”/ 1½’  long stem.

2^nd pair : >1”x 1”, on a 5½”/ 2’ long stem.

Leaf Sprig : Twisted picots vary between 2½”-3”/ ~1’-1’+ in length, along a 3½”/ 1½’  long stem. The total length from tip to base, comes to about 6”/ 2½’ .

Main Stem : <5”/ <2½’ long, from base of flower to end.

Total length of entire Spray : 9”/ 3½’

Some Variations :

For a fuller, more ROSE-like look, add another layer of 3 petals below the 1st three, before starting with the stem, etc. (in pic below)

One can add a calyx at base of flower. A set of long twisted picots, joined to the free picots at base of flower, might look good.  It will also make the flower “complete” in case one does not want to follow up with a stem, etc. Once the sepals are in place, start with encapsulation for stem.

A potential ROSE ?!  2 layers of petals.

In Remembrance of all those from whom I have learned,  & am learning, 

all who have graciously shared their knowledge, patience, & skills .... 

Sept 5th, Teachers' Day (India). 

UPDATE : See Coretta's tweaked pattern here

and Helen Walters' Poppy Ice Drop adaptation here.

Related Posts : padded tatting solutions 1

padded tatting solutions 2
twisted picot (floating)

how to make the flower center and buds