Necklace "Bow" pattern

Necklace “Bows”pattern

I played with 2 shuttles and some self closing mock rings, love it. Then I wanted to climb to the top of the SCMR with both threads and this is how the beads got in play. Made some elements, drunk some coffee, watched TV and then it hit me. Maybe you know it: take a small break, think that you are watching TV (tennis for me) but the brain is still tatting. Then the finger starts to draw in the air (this amuses my husband always) the the pattern starts to build itself.

2 shuttles, CTM, fine crochet hook, 5 mm rice mother of pearl beads. This is all you need. Skills required: nothing special, only not the be afraid to work stacked rings.

It gave this at first. It curves by it self a bit. First try: very fine black thread, the Penny 40 I received from Edda as a sample. By the way, she is a great tatter and I simply love her tatting solutions.  

The white one is worked with Penny 30 and Range 40 and it curves slightly more, some adjustments might be necessary if you work with different threads than mine. I would do it to the SCMR  the upper part (instead of a 5-5 I would work 2-3 or 2-3).

The pattern I will give you now is for 2 shuttles (Sh1: white, Sh2: silver), two colours.

Start with R: 20, close, do not turn. This is will be the clasp support one.

	Sh1: R: 10 – 10, close, do not turn. Let Sh1 hang behind the ring, switch shuttles.
	Sh2: 10 + 5 – 15, close do not turn work.
	Prepare to work the “collar ring” with Sh2. Turn the work 90 deg. to the left. Wrap the thread around the work and work ring: 15. Bring carefuly the end of this ring around the work and close. Do not rush if you want a nice, even finish. The thread from Sh2 must be now back where the collar ring startet.
	Flip work 90 deg. to the right. Start SCMR (white: active thread, silver core thread). 15 + 5 – 5. Add the bead to the loop pass the shuttle through the loop, close SCMR. Turn work. Please take care about the beads you will use, the sharp edged may cause some troubles. You can avoid them by chosing  fire treated beads or by adding fire treated rocailles before and after your bead.
	Work chain: 20. You can also change this to 15 or a bit more.  Snug, turn work. You can see now the back side of the work
	Take Sh1: work ring: 10 + 10. Do not turn. Work the first ring from this series.

I kind of like this bow effect the rings create, worked with 2 colours it is more obvious. 

As I said, different threads and different beads, different effect. Play a bit with the pattern until you are happy with the result. 

I hope that I gave you a reason to grab the shuttles and that you will enjoy trying to work this pattern. 

Happy tatting. 

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.

Pattern for Nicole

Definitelly, writing a pattern takes a lot less than the tatting of the same piece, I count here also the miss-tatts for a piece one makes for the first time.
I got bored of snowflakes. They are all beautiful but I was missing my pieces.
I had an idea haunting me since quite a while: to combine the tatting with beads with the Ankars. You can say it is nonsense, it is already done, Ankars is anyway tatting with beads. And you may be true, I could not say, I did not find in the little information about the AnkarsI found this kind working with beads.
Neverdeless, I worked this necklace with those 2 ideas combined. The white pearls are tatted in, the rest is sewed in. I could have added the small Toho 15 sead bead while tatting. Next time.

You may say it is inspired from the work of Maranta. It is not. When you will see the pattern, you will see why. 

The lace
I worked this one with poliester thread (size 40) from Brildor, strand of 3.
2 shuttles, white 3 mm pearls, paper clip.

You will have to be accustomed to work with pearls/beads secured with paper clip, so make sure you have what you need at hand. One element of the pattern, with my thread measures 3,5 cm. You will have to count 2 pearls for each element. You will work the desired lenght, so you will have to prepare the necessary pearls.
In the pattern I marked with green the bigger ring to make it easier for the count of the doubles stiches. It has no relevance for the motiv.

Start ring: 15ds place pearl, secure with the paper clip, 15 ds, close.

Start ring underneath the smaller ring: 15 ds join to the pearl, 10 ds place next pearl with paper clip, 25, close, turn work.

Chain: 35 ds (or as long as you like it to go around the bigger ring), remove the paperclip, make lock join.

Start chain: 10 ds, turn work.

Start ring: 7 join to the previous join (above the pearl) , 4ds – 3 ds, close, do not turn work.

Start ring: 3 + 7 + (at the other side of the pearl) 12 – 3, close, do not turn work.

Start ring: 3 + 4 – 7, close, turn work.

Chain 10 ds, lock join at the free picot from the trefoil.

Start over.  

You will want to let the picot where you place the second pearl a bit looser... after all, you will have to make 2 joins from 1 side and and 1 other one on the other side of the pearl. Like this the chains do not overlap the rings. 

If you encounter some problems in working the pattern, just let me know. 

The beads

This is up to you completelly. I choose Christmas theme, but sky is the limit with the colour combination. 

Have fun with it. 

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. 

Blue medallion

I posted some time ago a test and someone wanted to have the pattern for the blue element. I do not know if it is 100% original,  the outerline was also used by various tating designers and making it around a trefoil is a simple idea. As for the white one, I did work it without a pattern, but later I found it as a part of an antique edging, so not that original.

Neverdeless, there you go, the pattern of the blue element I did. Used as such with a chain it is nice enough to make a necklace, if you make 3 of them, you have the same. In the pattern, I gave up the picots fromt he outer chains.. In my test it was meant to get some more elements added in a second round.

You will need 1 shuttle and a ball or 2 shuttles.

 Hope you will have fun with it. Please let me know if you encounter difficulties, if you decide to work it.

Visual pattern	Written pattern	Remarks
	R: 14 - 7, close R: 7 + 20 - 7, close R: 7 + 14, close Do not turn work.	Actually, you can decide yourself if you turn the work or not. I noticed that for me it is nicer to turn the work, like this the next chain has a nicer start.
	Start chain.  30ds lock join to the first picot of the trefoil.  30ds, lock join to the next picot.  18ds vsp 12ds.  Turn work.
	Start chain: 28 ds.  Start ring: 5 + 5 vsp 2 Do not turn work.
	Start ring:  2 + 5 vsp 5, close.  Turn work.  Start chain 28 ds.
	Start the next trefoil, work it as the previous one.	You will not make any join to the what you worked before!
	Turn work and start the outer chains.  12 join to the picot from the small ring, 18 ds lock join...	Starting this point everything repeats. I could not make more than 3 elements, the edging tends to curve if you make the join picots of the outer chain after the sequence 18 - 12. If you are curious, you can divide this chain differently, it will curve less or at all. (I think 15 - 15 should give a straight edging).

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.

Pattern for the pendant

I was fooling around with seed beads latelly, a bit too intensive. I made a lot of tests, small elements. All piled up in my box and I had to use them, somehow.
So I put two of them toghether, with a pearl. As simple as that. Nothing new, almost boring.

It is a normal small 6 petal flower, done with 1 shuttle. 

String 24 beads on the shuttle. Take 3 beads and make the loop for the ring. Start ring, 8 - 8 bring the 3 beads from the loop and take a bead from the shuttle, make a bead picot, 8-8, close. Guess anyone has done it at least one time. 

The tricky part is the middle element.
You work with 2 shuttles or 1 shuttle and the ball.
String 24 beads on the shuttle. Take 18 beads and make a loop to start a ring. You must have 6 beads left on the shuttle.
The first round (the black one in the pattern) is a ring.
3 ds, bead picot (3 beads + 1 bead from the shuttle), 3 ds, picot, 3 ds bead picot (as previous)... repeat until the beads from the loop are used, close the ring.
As you see, after the last beaded picot, there are only 3 ds.

Second round, all chains. (red line in the pattern)
5ds lock join between the beads, 3 - 3, lock join around the upper bead, 5 ds lock join to the picot.

When you make the picots from the ring, you might consider to make it a bit bigger, so you can find it easily after the ring is closed. When closed, the beads will tend to hide this tiny picot. Good light, a fine hook and a lot of patience can help. I am sure, you will find  away to do it. 

I tried to add 1 ds between the picots of the first round, but the size of the ring is not a good one. At least, for the thread I used, the tiny one, it was not nice to see. 

Disregard, please, the proportions of the second pattern... I did not find a better way to do it. 

What is left, is to sew toghether the 2 parts. Done. I think it would make a nice, sparkling Chrismass decoration too. 

My middle element has pink seed beads and silver seed beads at the base... If you want to do it too, when you string the seed beads, do it as follows: 18 seed beads (they will go on the loop for the ring and will be placed on the outer side of the ring) + 6 seed beads of a different color (they will stay on the shuttle thread and will be at the inner side of the ring). 

Have fun, if you will try it. 

Game of beads

I make all kind of tests, I play with a lot of ideas... Sometimes I end up by spoling thread and time, the beads I can always re-use. I should, once, take a snapshot of my table (it is the coffee table in front of the TV)... It is full of cut ends, tests, loose seed beads. A mess, I have to admit.
I learned my lesson the hard way: I play, learn, test with bad thread. When I am happy with the result, I will make the same pattern with a better thread.
The last two pieces are a bracelet and a necklace. They wait for the clasps and I will make them in other colours too.

For the bracelet you can recognize the starting pattern idea. I am pretty happy with the small flower, it enhances a bit the effect. 

The necklace started a a test and the idea got somehow body. Guess I am now in playing with beads mood. Still thinking about a pearl for the pendant...
Both of the patterns I will make them in white and in black for sure.