Bauble pattern

I posted some time ago a Christmas bauble and I promissed to share the pattern.
It is not dificult to do... except you want to do it the way I did it: with 3 shuttles and using padding tatting.
The pattern is just rings and chains and at the first glance, one can say: 1 shuttle and a ball, 2 different colours would do it. But if you search for neat work, no knots to change directions and smooth finish, then I would still chose the 3 shuttles solution. Trust me, I have tried the easy way, I was not happy with the result: the elements were twisting and the lace did not bend but just fold at the point where the knot was done. This is, by the way, what I disliked with needle tatting: pictures are nice, but the actual lace not that much.

Why 2 shuttles and the ball would not do it? Because you will want to have the possibility to switch 2 shuttles with green thread without making knots or "jumps" between the upper and the lower side of the ds. Which will lead to a not nice finish.
Why padding? Well the same reason. See that lower red ring? With 2 shuttles you cannot make it look really nice. And by padding, you can nicely hide that red thread and use it only when you want it. Happy GR8 owners....


So 3 shuttles for me. Padding. For the ones needing to refresh the technique you can refer to the video of Karen Cabrera here or to a tutorial from Georgia Seitz. Both perfect to learn this technique.
All the chains have 20 ds, and are done with padding, no turn work.
You will use the upper green shuttle for the rings and the lower green shuttle for the padding.

Prepare the 3 stars. Mine were 5-5-5-5 or 5 -10 - 5 for the petals with no joins.
Make with the red thread a 10 ds ring. Snug, and keep it.

Pattern:

Green shuttle: 

R1: 10 - 5 - 5

R2: 5 + 8 + (to 1 red star) 8 - 5. 

R3: 5 + 5 - 10. 

Do not turn 

Place at the base of the trefoil the small red ring (R4) and prepare for padding. Hold both threads together. Make 20 unflipped ds. Snug well, you can also pull a bit the thread thread. 

Red shuttle: R5: 10 ds. Close ring. Do not turn work. 

Upper green shuttle: R6 10 + 8 - 2 close. 

R7: 2 + 8 - 10 close. 

Lower green shuttle: padded chain 20 ds. Snug well. 

Red shuttle: R8: 10 ds. 

Upper green shuttle: R9: 10 + 8 - 2. 

R10: 2 + 8 - 10. Do not turn work. 

Chain 20 ds. padded. 

Upper green shuttle: R11: 9 + - 2- 9. Turn work. 

Red shuttle: R12: 10 - 10. Turn work, prepare for padding. 

Chain: 20 ds. 

Repeat to get to the upper trefoil. 

Work trefoil and join to the star. 

Do not turn work. Chain padding: 20 ds. Shug, turn work. 

Red shuttle: R13: 8 + 5 - 3. Do not turn work. 

Red shuttle: R14: 3 + 5 - 8. Turn work. 

Chain, padding 20 ds. Repeat 2 more times. 

Join the last eement to the first one. 

Cut and hide ends. 

Now you can finish your baubles as you like. I made them this way: 

 

 

They are not that bad and all the trouble with the 3 shuttles is really worth doing.  

If you get inspired to work them and if you get stuck, just give me sign. 

If you find an easier way to do it, please let me know. 

Needle tatters could trick the encapsulating by using 2 threads in the needle... and then switch the needle from 1 thread to the other. Sorry, hard to find a decent equivalent for a 3 shuttle pattern to be worked with the needle. Of course, you can ease your life and give up the 2 colours and use 2 shuttles and red beads instead... 

Have fun.  

Pulled loop join

It  sounds long and scarry... But it is a join done with the shuttle thread, just a lok join, since all rings are worked with only one shuttle. In the old patterns, before Ann Orr taught us to work a split chain (1916)  you find this chain of rings with some bare thread behind. Today we would work this with 2 shuttles and make split rings. 

But going back to the roots, can help. You love beads? Any bare thread can carry beads and this piece is no exception. Nina Libin is also using is. I also like the pulled loop join because it allows you to pass at the top of a ring with a neat effect and, since it is a single shuttle technique witl the beads on it, this makes the project really "portable".

In this piece from the pìcture there are 2 little technical details: the pulled loop join and the horizontal ring. I call it collar ring because of the appearance. Have no idea if it has a name, this little fellow. 

Thred the desired beads on the shuttle thread and work trefoil. My case 5-5-5-5 (I worked with Sunlight 40 and 3 mm coral beads). Go back to the middle ring of the trefoil (make a join), take 1 bead and place it behind your work, pull the thread and make the lock join carefully. Done.
Help for it here (Karen Cabrera, of course):

Start the new trefoil, repeat the whole sequence. Turn the work  90 degrees, start a ring wraping the thread around the work between the 2 trefoils and work a 10 ds ring. Close  this ring in such a way that it closes on the back side of the work, bring the next bead, make the pulled loop join.
I used this for a bracelet and I also made another round and used also the outer picots.

Assymetrical earrings

Too long... waited too long to make the pattern for the earrings. For some I just gave the rough written pattern  over Facebook. There you have it:
One shuttle pattern.
String some seed beads in the shuttle. No turn work what so ever. 20 minutes tat. Promise.

Start
R1: 10 - 10.
R2: 10 + 5 - 10
R3: 15 + 5 - 20
R4: 20 + 5 - 25
R5: 25 + 38 - 2 (or how much you want, but keep the 2).
Rb: take a bead in the loop for the ring. work 2 + o large ring) 6 - 2 close. The bead stays at the base of the ring. Continue until you have the nice curve needed for your bead.
As you see, 4 rings are also ok.


You can think avout working the last ring as a SCMR (2 threads).

The rest is ading the rest of the beads by sewing them. I added first the large one, then went back, added the light blue ones, came back and added the small seed bead... went back throught the large bead, added the bead in the R1. Secured thread. Done.

Have fun.

Pattern Wave

It was time maybe to let it go. Since 2012 I saw a lot of versions not only of the finished, but also of the pattern itself, in so many forms. I like to think that a lot of technical questions will be answered by the pattern itself. I never expected this pattern to raise so much interest and I thank everyone on who once had a look at the original before I made it public.
The pattern is simple, so simple that is is boring. But do not rush while working it. Simple things can punish pretty hard the impatient hand.

To the English version: here.
For the French one: here.
Instructions for the needle: here.

Just enjoy. I decided to place it also in the blog, at least it is all in one place.

Happy tatting.