Pattern for Emma

Remember this necklace? Emma does it for sure. She was waiting for the pattern and this for a good reason: it could become a bridal necklace.

So Emma, there you go. Have fun with it.

You must be familiar to work with layered rings, with the ring on ring technique. And yes, you must be able to close nicely a 40ds ring.

I advise you to make a test before you tat the real thing without any bead or pearl for 2 reasons. One of them is to see if this count of double stitches works well with your thread and the choice of your pearls. You can always change it, as long as you preserve some proportions. If this is the case, just buzz me, I’m here to assist. The second one, also very important: after you do the element without any bead or pearl, you will have a very clear idea of the beads you need. After you have done 1 test element of the necklace you can estimate thread length, the number of elements you will want to work and amount of pearls and seed beads.

It is a 2 shuttles pattern.

There are 2 possibilities to work this pattern.

11.       Tat with the seed beads on the shuttle (for the middle ring of the element). With a diamond shaped beaded picot you will have to sew in the pearl after. With a 3 beads picot you can use the normal technique of inserting a bead in a ring. .

22.        Tat with no bead on the shuttle thread but using the paper clips… This is the way I will show you.

What you should practice a bit before, would be this sequence: 

	Start ring, work 10 – 5
	Place the 3 seed beads on the thread, secure with paper clip. This has this notation in the written pattern:  ··· (paper clip)
	Work 1 ds
	Place the seed bead and the pearl, secure with paper clip. This has this notation in the written pattern: l (paper clip)
	Work 1 ds.
	Put the secured pearl in a position that is not disturbing. Bring the seed beads in position and make the join. You will have a beaded picot with 3 seed beads and 2 ds in between. This kind of beaded picot has more stability ans it looks nicer.
	Work 5 – 10, close
	Bring the pearl and make the join at the base of the ring.

What you need:

2 shuttles, crochet hook, a tool to place the seed beads on the thread, thread of your choice, seed beads, pearls (I used my 3,5 mm beads), 2 paper clips…

Start ring, 20 – 5 – 15, close, DNT.

Start ring below the previous one: 15 – 5 – 10, close, DNT.

Start ring below the previous one: 10 – 5 ··· (paper clip) 1 žl (paper clip) 1 join beaded picot 5 – 10, close ring. When you have closed the ring bring the pearl at the base of the ring, make the join and, voilà, you have the bead in the middle of it. DNT.

Start ring ON TOP of the previous one : 10 + 5 – 15, close, DNT.

Start ring on top of the previous one: 15 + 5 – 20, close, turn work.

Start chain: 27 (feel free to make it shorter if you prefer it). Turn work.

Ring: 8 + 7 – 1, close, do not turn.

Ring: 1 + 7 – 8, close, turn work.

With the second shuttle start ring 10 ds, close. DNT.  A Josephine knot  has a nicer effect.

Start chain: 27 (or the amount of ds you choose before).

This would be the pattern. I hope it is clear enough. 

A nice effect is also given by having a seed bead on the thread of the second shuttle, you will can bring it at the base of all the rings. And for the 2 smaller rings between the elements, you could consider place a drop bead or a dagger... Just a thought. I know that I will give it a try, I have the perfect beads for it.

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.

Pattern for the green necklace "Spring"

Long pause here... I did not have too much time to put my ideas on paper (sort of). And I could not have the time to make the pattern with pictures, as I promised it in FB...
But I tried to make the pattern for the lateral sides of this green necklace:

This necklace has 3 tatted parts: the lateral ones, they are the same, the central one (it will come in a next post), the pearls strand and the clasps. 

It is a 2 shuttle pattern. I used a 120 tiny thread, strand of 3, this allowed me to use the pearls I had available around (white facetted oval Bohemian cristals, 4 mm green acryl pearls, the 11 size seed beads). Also the ring on ring knowledge is required and you should be able to work it from both sides (right and wrong side). 

I would suggest to use a fine thread or, at least, to make a test before you start the real thing. Like this you will have an idea about the finished size of the chain and the beads you will need. 

Fill the shuttles with a decent amount of thread. The ring on ring requires it.  String on each shuttle as much seed beads as the amount of bigger elements you will have for your chain. Actually you need half of it on each shuttle, but better save than sorry. 

Start ring: 18 - 6 close, turn work. 

Chain: 16 ds, turn work

Start ring: 16 + 16 - 16, close, do not turn work. 

Start ring: 16 + 16 close, do not turn work. Make sure that this ring lays below the bigger ring you worked before. 

Start ring: 16 + 16 - 16, close, turn work. Make sure this ring is in top of your smaller ring, the same level as the previous bigger ring. 

Bring one seed bead from the second shuttle. This makes a nicer transition and hides the thread. 

Start chain: 16 ds. 

Split ring: 6 + 6 /6 - 6, close, do not turn work. 

Chain 16 ds, turn work. 

Now you will have to work the next bigger element. This time, you must make sure that the smaller rings (the 16 - 16 from the middle) are at the same side as for the previous element. For this, you will have to make the joins from below. Place the thread on the left side of the work, pass the crochet hook from bottom  through the picots, take the thread and pass the shuttle in the loop from the upper side. I think I have somewhere a picture about it in a  previous post. 

This part should look like this: 

When the desired lenght is reached, comes the assembly and the sewing the pearls part. 

This was what I used, the small lines indicate how I sewed the pearls. To prevent that the sharp edges of the beads cut the thread, you can always use seed beads near the lace. 

About the beads... You have 2 possiblities: you have them already, then you must make some thread tests before. Or you just tat the lace and then buy the beads. 

You have a lot of freedom. This is nice part of Ankars. One takes a pattern and, depending of your beads choice, this same pattern mutates every single time. 

Please let me know if there is something you cannot follow and tell me if there is something to correct. I am always here to help, if I can. 

Old pattern, new choker

I wanted to try a new polyester thread to a bigger project. It is a fine thread, I work anyway only with this kind of thread. It has a nice texture, a nice shine, easy to work with. For the small pieces it went well. So I used as base the pattern from the Rosette bracelet with the intention to have a second bracelet. But I added one more ring ans chain to the elements. As always, I got distracted, so I made a necklace out of it.

Where the pearls is inserted, I did it by securing the pearl with a paper clip and then I tatted a chain (9-9) and made a lock join.
Elaine sugested that I could have done a split ring with the pearl. I gave it a thought. I am not smart enough to get both my threads where they need to be for the next step and I should have had  the 4mm pearls on the shuttle. So I got stuck to my solution. If someone sees a way to make the split ring, feel free to share it with us.

The first round has the pattern as for the bracelet, except the middle part. Easy to see: more rings than the rest of it.

For the second round, I put on the second shuttle some Toho beads (size 15) and it goes like this:
R: 17 + 12 - 2 close, do not turn
R: 2 + 12 + 17 close, turn work
Bring 1 seed bead from the second shuttle at the base and start chain 30 ds. Turn work.
R: 8 +8.

Last chain before the middle part has 34 ds then lock join above the pearl, 30 ds turn work.
The rest is mirrored.
This is my prototype:

I will wear it. For the next ones to come, I would try to reduce the amount of the ds from the second round and change a bit the rings above the pearls (ruduce them maybe?) just to see how it looks like. And I would like to work it in coton thread or silk. I suppose with a Lizbeth 20 one should adapt the ds.

Earrings with pearls

Everything added while tatting, this time.

1 shuttle and 1 ball / 2 shuttles

Thread used:  Anchor Freccia 20

4 mm pearls

4 seed beads 11 size

A tool to string the pearls

A paper clip

String the 4 seed beads on the ball (or the second shuttle).

T1: Start from the second ring of the first trefoil, like we will finish with a ring.  

R1: 6 + 6 – 6 – 6 close

R2: 6 + 6 – 12 close and turn work.

Take 1 seed bead from the ball /second shuttle, bring it at the base of the trefoil and start chain 9 – 9. Make lock join to the upper picot of the trefoil.  Turn work.

Take one 4 mm pearl string it on the ball thread, secure it with the paper clip.

Start chain: 8 – 8, tighten the chain. Carefully take out the paper clip and make lock join.  Do not turn work.

Start chain 9 – 9. Turn work.

T2. Start the second trefoil, as the previous.  The first ring will have a join where the chain and the pearl have the lock join. Finish the trefoil. Turn work.

Bring 1 seed bead from the ball at the base of the trefoil and start chain 9 – 9. Tighten.

String one  4 mm pearl on the ball’s thread, secure it with paper clip, tighten and start chain 8 – 8. Turn work. 

T3. Start5 trefoil. 12 ds, join both, pearls and picot from the previous trefoil, finish the trefoil. 

Turn work. Bring a seed bead fromt he ball /second shuttle at the base, start chain 9 – 9. Lock join to the trefoil. Do not turn work.

String one 4 mm pearl, secure with paper clip and start chain 8-8, tighten chain, lock join to the pearl. Do not turn work. 

Work chain 9 – 9. Turn work. 

T4. Start trefoil. Work 12 ds, join with the pearls and previous trefoil, finish trefoil. 

Turn work. Bring the last seed bead of the base of the trefoil, start chain 9-9. String one 4 mm pearl on the ball’s thread, secure as before… Do not turn work and start chain 9 – 9. Turn work.

Cut the thread from the ball and start a ring (12 +6+6+6). With this ring you can hide the end of the thread cut from the ball. Work 12 ds join both pearl and picot, folded join to the first ring you worked, 6 ds, close. Finished.

Please feel free to adjust the amount of ds according to your pearls. When you make the first time the chain around the pearl, work the chain until you are, more or less at the half of your pearl, make the picot and finish. Like this, the distance between the pearls and the chain will not be too big.

To string my pearls, I used this broken guitar string given by my son. See in the other post what I am talking about. 

This is my prototype, without seed beads. It is stable, does not twist. The seed beads are not only ornamental, they allow you ti bring toghether the 2 threads for a better finish. With my thread it got a nice shape.
There might be some mistakes. Please let me know if there is something difficult to follow.

Pattern for a small element

I am still in the search of patterns... all day long. But the ones I want, the Ankars ones, are nicelly hidden, for a good reason. I found some, like all of the ones interested in it, but just copying is not that funny.
The patterns wich really helped me understand were the one I call "for dummies"... the picture ones. I guess they have a name, did not find it yet.

So I played with my tatting and my phone camera. I put the result toghether in a pdf file. It is just an element of a bigger piece, the tricky part of it. It involves the ROR, both of them. It is not that difficult, but there are some parts where full attention and a lot of patience are needed.

Pattern and instructions for a small tatted element. I used it as a lower part of a earring pair.

The thread used for the pattern is not the ideal one, a polyester thread  brings a better effect. 

Here you have the link, since I have no idea how I can upload a PDF file in the blog. 

Please let me know if there is something to correct.