a wide choice

In the next pictures, wide picots and butterfly picots are combined with treble tatting, I'm happy that I don't need another name for these combos! You know me, I struggle when it's time to find names! So, that's only another idea that can be merrily used in future designs!

⚠⚠⚠ Caution: monster in sight! ⚠⚠⚠  

You should already know how to tat a wide picot.

The existence of a "wide or lochness monster picot" is something I've learned from the OTC, I love that effect and I've used it in my own designs, for example in my doily "falbalà ". (I'm sorry I haven't shared the pattern for that doily, yet.) I've been tatting the wide picot following a video by Shannon (mytattingplace) here: https://youtu.be/qONlAylfXIQ
For other links, please read my old post wide (also the comments). 

The "butterfly picot" is another invention by the talented Lenka Hašková, you should know how to tat wide picot and a Lark's head joins for this technique, it is showed in a video by Karen Cabrera: https://youtu.be/1IHi3Pz9cQA

Then, what I'm going to share here, it isn't another new technique, but a combination of existing techniques. Actually, tatting today is very rich in techniques, tatters are spoiled for choice!

That thread is DMC Special Dentelles, size 80, colour is number 3766, Light Peacock Blue.

Of course, you can play and find other combos, but in this post you find how to tat:
- tds at the boundary of a wide picot
- tds at the boundary of a butterfly picot
- (one or more) tds "inside" a wide picot

For the sequence of steps for tatting a tds, please refer to my post: treble tatting - ideas or this other post by Muskaan: dissecting tds.

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UPDATE:
Please refer to the page  "Treble Tatting Stitch - Summary" for any info about treble tatting stitches, thank you.
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Before I forget: Muskaan has shared an alternate method of working the second half of a treble stitch. She noticed that the second part of the tds is actually just a twisted picot! Please, read her post here: https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2018/09/twist-n-twirl-spiral-n-swirl.html

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In next picture, the ecrù thread is DMC cordonnet special, size 10.

From left to right and up to down

I've tatted a ring, but this can be done in a chain, too.
In my example in previous collage (ring closed at the right bottom) there are 2 tds at the boundary of a wide picot. I started the ring with 4ds, then one tds. Then I left the thread for a long picot (I used a gauge), I tatted one ds and then "3ds inside" the wide picot (I'm not showing you how to do that technique, here). But the last tatted ds is already part of my next tds, in fact I used the long picot in place of the very small picot, that would have been needed for the first half tds. (So, I should have said: 2ds inside the wide picot, and 1tds at the boundary.) Pull up a loop of thread through the long picot. Then, take another loop of the ball thread and pull it through the previous loop, slip the shuttle through the loop and then pass the shuttle from back to front, through the loop, 3 times (that is the second half of the tds). Tighten the ball thread and then, pull the core thread.
I finished the ring with one very small picot and 4ds.

That is the same method that I used to tat the ring that I showed you in previous post, here again in next picture:

That ring has 4 wide picots, the first one starts from a ds, the others start just after the same tds that "close" the previous wide picot. That is: 3ds, first wide picot, 1ds, 1ds inside the wide picot, 1tds at the boundary, second wide picot, 1ds, 1ds inside the wide picot, 1tds at the boundary, third wide picot, 1ds, 1ds inside the wide picot, 1tds at the boundary, fourth wide picot, 1ds, 2ds inside the wide picot, 4ds, close ring.

In the next picture, the little motif has those chains in the last round with wide picots. The pattern for one chain in the corner, it is: 4ds, 1tds, wide picot, 1ds, 1ds inside the wide picot, 1tds at the boundary, 1tds, wide picot, 1ds, 1ds inside the wide picot, 1tds at the boundary, 4ds.

The second little motif is with the "butterfly picots" and it has tds at the boundary. The first tds is not a problem, as you've just seen, but the last it's different and here again, I'm using the long picot in place of the very small picot needed for the first half tds. It's the same as in previous wide picot:

🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀

The tds can be also tatted "inside" a wide picot:

From left to right and up to down

In this case, I used (in a similar manner as before) the last ds inside the wide picot, for making the first half tds. But this time the loop of the wide picot must be incorporated in the tds. The very small picot I used for the first half tds, it is on the left of the last tatted "inside ds". Pull up a loop of thread through that very small picot. Then, take another loop of the ball thread, catching in the middle the loop of the wide picot, too (look at central right pic in previous collage) and pull it through the previous loop, slip the shuttle through the loop and then pass the shuttle from back to front, through the loop, 3 times (that is the second half of the tds). Tighten the ball thread and then, pull the core thread.

Then, the following stitch must be tatted following the rule used for the "inside ds", that is the following ds is to be tatted inside the wide picot (and a very short picot is needed after the tds), like in the technique of the wide picot.

I took the same pictures with another thread, hoping that showing it in two colours could have helped.

The yellow thread in my next photos is DMC Cebelia n.10. You can see 2 tds inside the same wide picot. In the upper left pic in the collage, I'm pulling a loop through that very small picot inside the wide picot, on the left of last tatted ds. In the central right pic in the collage, there is how I start the first half ds just after the tds (following the video by Shannon). In the pic bottom left in the collage, you can see the second half ds just after the tds, in the bottom right there are 2 ds just after the tds.

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In both tds, at the boundary and inside the wide picot, I used the last tatted "inside ds": that ds disappears because it is incorporated in the first half tds.
What I changed, it is which (and how) picot you're using to pull the loop for tatting the second half of the tds.

That's all for now, even if I think that a video tutorial would have been a better choice, at least for me!

🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁

Do you like a sneak peek of next post?

Ciao,
Ninetta

the spiral ring by Lenka

How to tat the spiral rings by Lenka Hašková, showed in previous post.

I've saved her neat and delicate tatting, she sent me in 2015:

I asked her permission to write a tutorial in my blog and she kindly agreed.

She also agreed to call it "the spiral ring", but I'm sorry, forgive me if I call it Lenka's ring! You can find her blog here: frivolenka.blogspot.com, please, take a minute to visit her and say a thank you!

(UPDATE: direct link to her post: http://frivolenka.blogspot.com/2018/10/spiralova-slzicka.html)

In order to tat Lenka's spiral ring, I learned that:

• Only one shuttle is needed.
• Lenka's "spiral ring" is a normal ring, with at least one picot, twisted and blocked in position through one of its picots.
• After closing the ring, the thread is passed to the back side and pulled upwards,  toward the picot. Then block the spiral in position with a lock join.
• The picot used to block the spiral in position, may vary in size. That determines the distance between spirals. If you want a lanyard of spiral rings very close to each other, the picot used to block the spiral must be very small.
• "To post or not to post" shuttle: not the hamletic doubt, but inserting or not the shuttle inside of the loop, from front to back, before closing the ring, that sets the direction of the spiral effect (clockwise or counterclockwise)
• Any ring can be twisted in this way, as long as there is a picot in it, in any position on the outer spiral; the twist is made only after the ring is closed.
• As a design element, it is like a single shuttle split ring, where the starting point and the ending point are not at the same point. 
• It has a front and a back side, because it is just like the nineteenth-century method of tatting a lanyard of rings with bare thread in the middle, in order to climb to the next ring in the line.
• Beads can be added inside the loop for the ring, too. A bead (or more) can be trapped at the base of the ring to emphasise the twist. 
• Just after that the ring has been closed and before the lock join, bead/beads can be added in the bare thread between the base of the ring and the join, to put an accent in the centre of the spiral ring.

Thread in my photos is DMC Cebelia n.10. Beads are 9/0. (And ds stands for double stich, as usual.)
In the next collage, I started a ring, putting a bead inside the loop, and tatted 6ds, then a picot, then 6ds more. You can see from the third pic in the collage, that I posted the shuttle inside the loop,before closing it:

So, there I got a normal ring, with a picot in the centre and a bead trapped at the base.

In next collage the spiral is appearing: I put the thread behind the ring, that's the back side from now on, then pull it (in the meantime you hold firmly the thread at the base of the ring) and slide a bead in the bare thread between the base of the ring and the picot, then lock join to the picot.

In the next collage you can see, on the left, the spiral ring completed, the front of the spiral is clockwise. On the right, there is also a second spiral, started over the first, just after the lock join, this time I tatted a ring of 8ds, then a picot, then 6 ds, then, before closing, again I inserted the shuttle inside the loop.

In the third spiral ring, I didn't post the shuttle, closed the ring, then put the thread behind and pulled it upwards toward the picot, so the spiral ring flipped over its vertical axis and it looks counterclockwise:

On the right of previous picture, you see that I didn't put beads in the last spiral ring, the twist is clear indeed.

The size of the picot used to block the spiral in position, determines the distance between spiral rings. I wanted my last spirals very close to each other, so I made a very small picot in my last two spiral rings...

That is a delightful and interesting method and I think it can be a nice effect to learn and use in patterns. I hope that you like it and wish to play with it. Many many thanks to Lenka!

In my next post, I will show you how I tatted the spiral rings with treble tatting stitches in place of traditional double stitches.

Ciao,
Ninetta

fun swirly effect in treble tatting

That swirl effect makes me smile!

Those lilac swirls are tatted with one shuttle only, they are rings, one ds and 8 tds, then close without any other stitch or picot. That was the first round I've tatted, then I added the yellow centre and, next, the outer round. I left a lot of picot there, do you think we need another round?

Thread is Anchor, size 70, very nice and soft. That is a very welcome gift, from Maria, a beginner who started tatting in January but loves tiny threads and already tats with size 80! Thank you Maria, for your enthusiasm!

Butterflies have the "body" in treble tatting, tatted with the yellow thread encapsulated in the green chain, of course that means the last round is tatted with 3 shuttles (or 2 shuttles and one ball). I tatted in direct tatting and needed 3 shuttles, also yellow tds are tatted in direct tatting. Wings are floating rings, one has tds, too.

If any of you like this pattern and wish to replicate it, I may post it here as text, or, alternatively, I can make up a tutorial (with pics, etc) for a tat-along. I could add rounds, I've not decided, though. What do you think?

The swirl ring effect is something that I've learned from Lenka (her blog is frivolenka.blogspot.com). She sent me her tatting with those rings, some years ago, but I can't find a technique's name, neither a site where the technique is explained. At least, nothing in English or Italian! I don't know if it is her own original idea, anyway I like calling it "Lenka's ring"!  Thank you, Lenka! If any of you have infos about it, please let me know, I'd be happy to learn and update this post with a link!
It is a one shuttle pattern: after closing the ring, you pull tight the thread under and upward, then lock join to a picot on the opposite side, actually you let the pattern "grow" to the head of each subsequent ring. I've only my earrings to show you, tatted some time ago:

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ Buon Ferragosto! ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

"Ferragosto": another star

Ciao,
Ninetta

winter collection

The fashion show is today, attended by celebrities from my mum to my aunt, in the runway the new winter collection of earrings from international tatting designers.

One pattern is from Jane (http://janemactats.blogspot.com/2015/12/pattern-for-dewdrop-earrings.html), the basic pattern is in her blog, then I added sparkles and gold (dmc metallic 282).
The second pattern: I don't know where this simple technique is from, it is one shuttle pattern and it was inspired by the little lovely tatted angel sent me by Lenka (http://frivolenka.blogspot.com). Same thread, same swarovsky. You can see the angel, beautifully tatted by Lenka, here: http://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2015/11/8-times-3.html

Ciao,
Ninetta

8 times 3

... equals 6 times 4. I'm not going crazy, I just think that I'd reach 24 "tra-la-la" before starting a hexagonal shape. 24 rings? picots? trefoil? How can I do it?

In the meantime I calculate, I'm browsing my new book, received this week from FrivoLenka (http://frivolenka.blogspot.it/), she sent also those beautiful tatted motifs - her tatting is beautiful indeed! Thank you very much Lenka!

The book is "Frivolitky" by Milena Tomkova.

Ciao,
Ninetta