I wanted to try something new this time, so I pulled out my copy of Tatting Techniques by Elgiva Nicholls and browsed through it. If you ever have a chance to buy this book, do it! It has such neat stuff in it, and it helps me with ideas for my pattern designing. It is out of print, so you’ll have to buy it at eBay or, if you’re lucky, a local used book store.
In it, she showed how to add some interest to tatting by snipping and fraying picots. It’s a really neat technique, so I tatted up this little flower for you to try.
This design is beginner level. The flower uses one shuttle and the stem uses two, although you can use one shuttle if you do the shoelace trick. I used size 20 Lizbeth Carousel thread (color 112) and size 20 Lizbeth Leaf Green Medium (color 684).
Printable pattern (133K. Opens a new window.)
Patterns are available for download as a PDF file and are readable by using Adobe Reader. Download Adobe Reader free.
You will need:
Thread in your choice of color and size.
2 tatting shuttles
| ds | double stitch | p | picot | lp | long picot |
| j | join | lj | lock join |
These tips may be useful when making this pattern:
Shoelace trick
Continuously wound thread
Lock join
Instructions:
Instructions:
Flower:
R: *(1 ds lp) 3 times, 1ds p*. Repeat three more times for a total of four regular p. (1ds p) 3 times, 1ds, close. You should have five sets of the long picots and four regular picots.
Ch: Start the first stitches of this chain far enough away from the ring to form the fifth regular p. (1ds p) 11 times, 1ds.
Ch: lj to next small picot on the ring. 1ds j to last p of previous Ch, (1 ds p) 10 times, 1ds.
Repeat last Ch around. Cut and tie to the base of the first Ch.
Stem:
Cut about 4 feet (1.25 m) of thread off the ball. Thread through one of the joins between chains on the flower. Tie a shuttle to each end of the thread.
Ch: 15ds, pull snug to get a nice curve. Do not turn. (You can do a shoelace trick here instead.)
R: 6ds p 6ds, close, turn.
Ch: 18ds.
Cut and tie.
Snip the top of each long picot on the flower. Using a pin, untwist each thread until it makes a soft fringe.
Copyright 2010 by Nancy Tracy, All Rights Reserved.
