Purples, finally!

I've been wanting to do purples for ages, but there was always another color that seemed more "urgent". So finally I have some purple in this colorway, which I have entitled "Lola".

The butterfly was just something made up while playing with the new thread.

No split chain and just one shuttle

I think I've got it!
Just needed to "rotate" my thinking!

So I turned the bead the other way in the mock ring so the threads would be coming out of the top, not the sides - that way I could end off at the top!

The additional side chains even add some stability, I think.

So now the whole thing can be done with one shuttle, and no tricky split chain.



Yep, this one is going in the book!

More experimenting with beaded mock ring

Okay, Jane got me thinking about how else to do this design, so that the ends could be hidden within a final ring. So, this is what I tried next.

I started a mock ring with the bead as in previous post, but only went halfway around. Then I continued with the chain, going into the rest of the pattern. The picots in the photo that appear "flattened" are the ones I had tested the beads on to see if they would fit.

When I got to the top I stopped halfway across the top of the bead, and finished the rest with a split chain. Not really that much more trouble to maneuver with the bead being there, split chains being some trouble, anyway - for me, at least!












So anyway, I got one earring done, with the ends hidden in the top ring. Whew! We'll see if this project makes it all the way to being a pair!

Earring design with mock ring

Just fooling around with the bead in center of mock ring. The picots were elongated, and covered with beads before making the joins.

It seems to me, however, that ending with a chain didn't make the best situation for hiding ends. Maybe I could try climbing out of the mock ring with a small split ring, and end on the other side with a ring where I could hide the ends.

Mock ring with a bead in center

I am working on a design that will have a mock ring with a bead in the center. To do this, start tatting a mock ring (it's actually a chain) leaving a large loop at the beginning. When you have tatted enough to fit halfway around your bead, slip the bead onto the loop, put the shuttle through the loop, and tighten. Then tat the rest of the way around the bead, and do a lock join at the beginning.

The sample is being worked in my 2nd batch of "Roses" hand dyed thread.

A peak at what is to come

This is a close-up of part of something I am working on for the book, just to tease! I am still writing this pattern out.