"Encore"!

For PDF file of this pattern, CLICK HERE.

Supplies:
2 tatting shuttles
Size 20 crochet cotton
12 seed beads size 10 or 11 for stringing
11 seed beads size 8 for bead joins (2 of these a contrasting color if desired)
1 drop bead

---String 6 sb, 1 drop bead, 6 sb onto the thread. These are wound onto sh 2. No beads on sh 1.Lr 6, Sp, 2, Lp about 16 mm when open (able to hold 3 Lsb when closed with room to j), 2, Lp, 2, Lp, 2, Sp, 6, cl r. RW.

Ch 8, bp, 8. Sj to Sp.
Ch 12. RW.

R 4, j to Lp with 3 Lsb placed on it, 2, p (about 5 mm open), 3, cl r. RW.

Fr of 5, cl r. Ch 8. RW. R 3, bj (with 1 Lsb) to p of pr r, 2, bj to next Lp with 3 Lsb placed on it, 2, p, 3, cl r. RW.

Next comes the ring with the picot full of beads. This is a Fr made with sh 2. Slide up 5 sb, the drop b, 5 sb. R 5, bp with all the b in it (leave a bit of space so they can dangle freely), 5, cl r.

Ch 8. RW.

R 3, bj to p of pr r, 2, bj to last Lp with 3 Lsb placed on it, 4, cl r. RW.
Fr of 5, cl r. Ch 12, sj to Sp. Ch 8, bp, 8. Sj to top.

Last r 5, j to finding, 5, cl r. Work the ends into this last ring.

© Marilee Rockley 2007

Abbreviations
b beads
bj bead join
bp bead picot
Ch chain
cl r close ring
Fr floating ring (made with shuttle 2)
j join
Lp large picot
Lr large ring
Lsb large seed bead
mm millimeter
p picot
pr previous
r ring
RW reverse work
sb seed bead
sh shuttle
sj shuttle join (locking join)
Sp small picot

Not done yet

But getting there...this is going to be the center part of a necklace. It's very much a free form design with some 3 dimensional qualities from the twisted chains wrapping around. The color is rust, so it seems I should put "rust" somewhere in the title, but I really can't think of anything good yet. More on this when some progress has been made.

Making a difference

I just couldn't sleep after seeing a documentary on TV about Operation Smile. Since I have been so blessed to have been able to sell things through my etsy shop, I decided to give thanks and share a bit. I couldn't afford to fund an operation, but I made a small donation anyway, and decided to promo them on my blog.

Operation Smile helps kids who were born with facial deformities, whose families can't afford to pay for the 45 minute operation that will change their lives. Operation Smile takes PayPal!

Just so this post won't be totally off-topic here are some photos of something I have been working on:


This is some polymer clay that I thought turned out really ugly, but I am attempting to do something with it. I am just doing size 10 Flora with size 8 seed beads, making a bead join with a drop bead of sorts. Swirling around with twisted, or rick-rack tatting just to see what happens. More on this when I get it done.

Sherry's Butterfly

Here is my attempt at Sherry Pence's Continuous Tatted Butterfly.

I used Size 20 Flora for the black, and the colored thread is my own hand dyed DMC Cordonnet Special.

The long chain on the outside of the wing in this example has more double stitches in it than on Sherry's pattern. Different tatters tat at differing tensions, so sometimes it's a good idea to make slight adjustments.

Sherry is also known as the "Lady Shuttle Maker" and has this lovely pattern for sale in her etsy shop at http://ladyshuttlemaker.etsy.com/

Nice that it is tatted in one continuous flow, and needs only one shuttle. Cool pattern, Sherry!

Encore in rhubarb pie

Sort of fruity, looks good enough to eat! I'm very pleased with how these turned out. The thread I used is my own hand dyed colorway I called "rhubarb pie", inspired by a yummy piece of the pie itself.

The earring design I came up with also. I happened to be sitting at a concert the evening after I started on the earrings, and was wondering what to call the design. I looked down at the program and saw, "Encore". Okay, "Encore" sounds good to me!

I have scribbled the pattern down, and plan to share it in the future. It will also be fun to see how it looks in different colors with different beads.