Clearer instructions...

I always find better the instructions with pictures or diagramms... Especially when is about to explain how some phases should be done...

This is what you need:

The critical phases for the small earrings: inserting the pearl after having done the bell. I make use again of my "magic tool". I have troubles to imagine how I would place my beads without it (my pearls have really tiny holes sometimes, and I use also 15 size seed beads...).

 

 

Work the chain, turn. 

Work the first 10 ds of the trefoil and make the join. 

 

Bring the seed bead close to the base, cut the second thread, make the last ring and hide the thread.

 

 

Done. These are the both sides. 

 

What you need is sew in the end and add the remaining pearl. 

Small floral earrings

I made a small motif, a floral one. It is crazy how hard one can get out of the floral area of the tatted lace.
The first variant was the green one with pearls. You can see for the lower part the main idea for the lace. (Anchor 12 size thread).

I did not like this variant too much, not elegant enough for me, so I did this other vesion, with 20 Lizbeth thread : 

This seemed too simple, so I made some tests with 40 Lizbeth thread. It was supposed to have a hanging pearl at the bottom ring. Interesting, 3D but not my taste. And the 40 Lizbeth is not that good for bigger rings or chains. 

So I decided the final version for the earring to be this one: 

The pattern is on a base of 5 and there are 2 sensitive points: closing the small bell and placing the pearl before you start the chain. 

To close the bell, you make the usual folded join, but since it is so small, you must not rush when you close it, because it can easily get diformed. 

To place the pearl you must bring the second thread trough the upper part of the bell, place the pearl (in my case a pearl and a small Toho seed bead) and secure it with a paper clip, snug. 

Rough written pattern: 

You need: 1 shuttle (do not cut the thread from the ball), fine crochet hook, 2 pearls (3-4mm), 2 seed beads. 

Before you fill the shuttle with enough thread for the bell the chain and the trefoil, place 1 seed bead. It will have to stay on the balls thread. 

Hanging ring: 
Ring 12ds, close, turn.
Bell: 
Ring: 5 - 9 - 5, close, do not turn.
Ring: 5 + 9 - 5, close, do not turn.
Ring: 5 + 9 + (folded join) 5 close carefully to form the bell.
Make a small lock join to join the last ring to the previous one (like this you will avoid the small gap).
Now take the fine fine crochet hook, pass it through the the small hole and bring the second thread (from the ball)in the middle of the bell. Place the pearl and the seed bead and secure them with a paper clip. Pull the excess of thread, snug firmly. Why the second thread? Because like this the hanging ring can be nicely anchored and will be perpendicular to the bell.

Start chain: 20 ds.

Start the trefoil:
Ring: 10 + (to the secured pearl) 5 - 5, close
Ring: 5+10 - 5
Before you start the last ring, bring the seed bead in position and cut the thread, letting enough thread to hide the end while tatting the last ring. Hold firmly the seed bead at the base of the trefoil, make the loop and start the ring. Before you cut the extra thread after hiding if, pull to place the seed bead perfectly.
Ring: 5+ 15, close, cut and hide the ends.

Now you need to place the earring wires and the pearl. I used a needle and my plyers to prepare the hanging pearl.

The necklace is also almost done. I will publish it when I will have done also the pattern.

Not difficult at all.
If you decide to work with 2 colours, better.
Have fun with it. If you encounter difficulties for any part the this pattern, just let me know, I will make a small picture for this phase.
Sweet bitter experience: I had to rush a bit with this pattern, therefore there is no step by step tutorial this time. The very next day there were already parts of it copyed. But I have to give credit: I was asked for the permission to publish the pictures of the finished piece and Giovi gave all the credit for the idea. There are also honnest tatters out there.

Blue... Friday

I know I promised to write a bit more about the use of the bugles, but I wanted to do it with the right pictures and did not have the time. Yet.
I was in fact busy with finishing a necklace, a blue one. It stil waits for the last idea... The big tatting part is done, now the rest should come. And this is actually taking time.
Until I decide what pearls, what clasps, with chain or ribbon, I finished the thread from the shuttles. So I have a lot of small tests all with baby blue thread, with seed beads and bugles.

 

 

All here are tests. I am pretty happy with the flowers. They are actually not interlocked rings, it is simplier than this, but it has a nice effect. 

For the more "art deco" piece, I made a small pattern. It gives actually a nice pendant or earrings. If you skip the diamond beaded picot and join more of these elements, you can have a nice bracelet. I have to explore more... 

Back to the bugles... They are not as scarry as they appear. But you must pay attention: the edges of the holes are sharper as for the seed beads and sometimes they can fray the thread or cut it. Patience is needed. Or just add a seed bead at every end of a bugle bead. It does the job. 

This is the piece. It measures with my thread (like the 40 Lizbeth) 2,5 cm x 1,2 cm 

You need 1 shuttle, enough thread as for 4 small rings, 4 bugle beads and 4 seed beads. 

Fill the shuttle and string the beads as it follows: 

I marked how the beads have to be used while tatting too. Like this some of you can also follow a bit the logic af stringing the beads. Simple rule: the last ones to string are the first ones to use. 

Remember how to make the diamond beaded picot? 3 beads from the loop (or the second shuttle) + 1 bead from the core thread (the first shuttle). 

In the written pattern I used, among the usual symbols: 

|| :  bugles: one comes from the loop, the other one comes from the shuttle thread. 

 v : diamond picot, 3 beads from the loop, 1 from the shuttle. 

So... Make a loop with 1 bugle, 3 seed beads, 1 bugle. 

R1: 5 ds - || 8 ds v 8 ds  || - 5ds, close, do not turn. 

R2: 5 ds + 10ds - 5, close. 

R3: Take in the loop 2 bugles and start the ring: 5 ds +  || 16 ds  || - 5ds, close.

R4: 5 ds + 10ds + (folded join) 5ds, close.

My version will have the small pearl in the middle. And for the next ones, 2 cristal drops, more or less like this: 

Bugle snowflake

Do you remember the snowflake with bugles? If not, I help you, it was in this entry from November. The tattter attending the on-line tatting classhaev already a clue why I feel like coming back to this entry. This snowflake is part of the lesson fromt he 27th of November. Reason? Working with bugles.
Actually it is not that difficult. Just imagine you work with more than 2 seed beads. I admit, not that versatile, but definitelly, a lot of possibilities.

For a start: there are at least two tatting designers who worked with bugles. One is Frivole the other one is Sabina Carden-Madden. Sabina's wonderful candle snowflake is here. 

As for mine, I decided to make a sort of step by step turorial, at least for the critical phases of the nowflake. 

To begin with, there are 2 sizes a bugles, I used the 5mm ones. And there are normal bugles and the swirled ones (wich have a beautiful effect, on the tatting). Since they are so long, only one of them get on a fine crochet hook. This is the reason I use my "magic broken guitar string". 

 

Do you remember the pattern of the snowflake? 3 rounds. 

All you need: 2 shuttles (CTM if possible), 2 paper clips, this string, a hook. 

After the first one (just a ring with 5 picots with 3 ds in between. 

Round 2: start SR: Shuttle 1: 6 ds 2 bugles picot (secured with paper clip), 3 ds

Shuttle 2: 6 ds long picot (made with the thread from the shuttle), 3 ds, close ring. 

  

  

  

Now do not turn, make the 16 ds chain. 

Turn work, start ring: 3 ds remove paper clip from the long "bugled" picot, make join, work 6 ds, join the the nest picot from the first round, 6 ds, make new long picot, 3ds close. 

    

After this, you just repeat the sequences (chain 16, rings). 

  

After you make the final chain, make a lock join and start the round 3 with a chain.

Turn work and start ring with the first shuttle: 6ds, join in between the bugles, 6ds, close. 

  

Turn work, take shuttle 2 and make the trefoil Then the chain, make lock join...

Do you remeber about the swirled bugles I was talking about at the begining? This is the effect: 

These are just tests. I should make an entry only for the bugles in tattig. Tomorrow. Promise. 

Have fun.