"Carnival" earrings

Supplies for one pair of earrings:

Size 20 crochet cotton

52 seed beads size 10 or 11

2 round beads 6mm

2 teardrop beads

1 tatting shuttle

A fine crochet hook

Earring findings

String the beads onto the thread before winding the shuttle. 10 seed beads, 1 drop bead, 16 seed beads. Then wind the shuttle, placing the beads a few turns back so they'll be out of your way till needed. All of the beads are on the shuttle thread, except for the 6mm bead.

Slide up 3 sb, and r 5, bp, 5, bp, 5, bp, 5, vsp, 10, cl r.

Slide up 3 sb, next r 10, j, 5, bp with 3 sb, 5, vsp, 10, cl r.

Slide up the next 9 beads and r 10, j, 5, large bp with the 9 beads, 5, vsp, 10, cl r.

Slide up 3 sb, r 10, j, 5, bp with 3 sb, 5, vsp, 10, cl r.

Slide up 3 sb, r 10, j, 5, bp, 5, bp, 5, bp, 5, cl r. Turn work.

Join the 6mm round bead by inserting the crochet hook through it, catching the ball thread and pulling it through the bead. Keep pulling the thread through to get a large enough loop to put the shuttle through. Complete this join by pulling back on the ball thread until the join is hidden inside the bead. You'll have to pull and wiggle both threads to get the bead in place.

Then, keeping a firm hold on the bead, make a lock stitch centered at the top of it. (One half of a ds unflipped, the next half flipped as usual.)

You can continue with either a spiral chain (same half of a ds repeatedly)

or else use a lock stitch chain (first half unflipped, next half flipped). Either type of chain will work. Do your choice of chain for 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Then turn work.

The top ring contains the 6 remaining beads, and the ends are worked into this last ring.

R 2, bp, 2, bp, 2, bp, 2, join to earring finding, 2, bp, 2, bp, 2, bp, 2, cl r.

Abbreviations:

bp bead picot

cl r close ring

ds double stitch

j join

mm millimeter

p picot

r ring

sb seed bead

vsp very small picot