how to drive me tats

Last week I shared a method for stacking normal rings, with a twisted effect, that is obtained by shifting beads a few double stitches each ring and by the use of the down join.

Sue (God's Kid: http://hiskid66.blogspot.com/) suggested that, adding more beads, we could make tatted versions of bracelets similar to Jane McLellan's crocheted beaded bracelets.
Of course, many trials and errors and many neurons will burn before getting something nearly looking like this: https://janemactats.blogspot.com/2019/10/flowers.html

Well, the title here gives you a rough idea of the current situation here, especially after that I invited my friends in Facebook to play with me the "tatted beaded rope" game!

Muskaan already joined the game (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2019/10/tat-beaded-rope.html), and also Elisabetta De Napoli (she has a Facebook's profile) who shared a picture with her lovely version. I hope there will be someone else! Will you let me drive alone?

At first I tried to play with normal rings, all stacked. I thought I could have used only one joint. But, I had to join in every beaded picot, otherwise the spiral opens, showing the twisted effect of the pattern that is in previous post. (Note to myself: That is another nice effect, to be tried again later.)

Another problem are beads: I shuttle tat, then all beads must be loaded in the only one shuttle required to tat the all-rings pattern. Minimum 4 beads for each ring. They are a lot! (I like having them handy on the thread, instead of putting them on picots.)

Then, because I just wanted to try a version with rings, I switched to mock rings (they're the rings normally tatted by needle tatters): in this case I need to load almost all beads on the ball thread.

The idea  is similar to previous "stacked development" bracelet, but with mock rings.
I loaded some beads in the shuttle, and then put one in the loop needed for the mock ring:

Here you are, quite a pattern:

Start with a normal ring, as in previous pattern: 8ds, bead on picot (hang loose), 8ds, close.

Mock rings: 1ds, bead on picot (hang loose), 1ds, down join in previous ring, 1ds (((... repeat 1ds, join,1ds, after each bead... ))); end with a down join and 1ds, plus one first half stitch.

Each mock ring in my example in the picture has 8 beads in the ball thread and one in the shuttle loop.

When closing the mock ring, pay attention to the position of the bead in the loop, that need to be positioned on the outside part of the rope.

When joining, turn previous ring counterclockwise, on the back of current ring (the beginning ring is away from the tatter). I used the down join showed in the video shared last week, for stacked rings.

Actually, I'm sharing the method that is the application of a technique, not a real pattern. Be creative and tat your own version! 🥰👍

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

My general thoughts about tatted beaded rope:

- there isn't only one technique to obtain the rope;
- stacked rings (or chains) are not a "new thing" in tatting;
- each method can lead to many different patterns (just change stitches' count, number of beads, position of beads,...);
- how to join, it counts;
- how you tat, it can change how you join (if you take your tatting with the beginning away from you or toward you);
- how you load beads will change the pattern (on the ball thread, on the shuttle, over picot), take you to different patterns.

That's not all folks and that is sufficient to drive every tatter "nuts"!

In next posts I will show the rest of my journey, that has been leading me to learn old and new techniques, and that really is making me crazy!

Ciao,
Ninetta