Ninetta's Stacked Rings

With shuttles and beads handy after yesterday's pearl tatting experiments, it was a good time to try out Ninetta's stacked rings with beads. It would take a bit of practice to get it looking good, but I think I have it. Watching Ninettta's video definitely helped.

  God's Kid Sue suggested using the technique to make something similar to the crochet beaded ropes I've been making. It might be possible to do it using a technique with chains perhaps, but I think having that many beads on a shuttle would be impractical. Or am I just being feeble?

Pinned

Some time ago, I pinned this page  from Georgia Seitz with a beaded chain in pearl tatting. Ever since then I've been receiving notifications that other people have also pinned it. I get way more such notifications for this pin that any other in my collection. Though I have to say I haven't seen anyone use it. I've been meaning for some time to try it out.

First I had to remind myself how to do pearl tatting, I had a look at Jane Eborall's page . Oh yes, I remember now. I just used thread left on shuttles and beads that were handy:

The middle one uses the stitch count in the pattern. The one on the left has fewer stitches. I quite liked the look of that, so I worked it again with smaller beads. It's simple enough and there are a lot of possibilities for changing the stitch count, number and size of beads, and so on. It could be a lanyard or even a bracelet. The reverse of the third one looks quite interesting too:

Rastafarian Colours

I used the colours that were in the pattern. I must say that most of the patterns I've found online are accurate. But I always do a small sample to begin with, to make sure. In this case it was just as well because the threading scheme bore no relation to the graph! I wrote myself a note, so that I don't have to go through the whole process again:

I decided I would rewrite the threading scheme.

I managed to get the join pretty well invisible this time, hooray. It helps that it's a clear pattern and a dark thread.

Thread Experiment

Crochet beaded bracelets with a bead circumference of 6 beads are quite floppy. I'm not sure if that's a problem, but I thought I'd try working one with a thicker thread. I used a crochet cotton that I bought by mistake, it says size 5.

It is stiffer, but the thread shows through significantly. It alters the proportions between the thread and beads - it's thread with beads rather than beads held together with thread! Of course it would help if the thread matched the beads, but even so, I feel the obvious thread is not as attractive. I don't know if I can show how the bracelet made with size 20 thread is floppy, but I'll try:

Flowers

I wanted to crochet a necklace in a completely different style from the last few I've made. I thought this flowery pattern fit the bill. It has a circumference of 10 beads, a size I need to practice. It's going along slowly, but I think it works.

Different Colours

I used the same pattern for this necklace as the previous one, but using a different colourway. Here they are together:

Stole

We had a few very hot days and then Summer retreated again. I thought I had better finish my stole while the weather was suitable for knitting. The pattern, Persian Tiles, from Ravelry, is by Rebekah Yeager. There are versions for a dishcloth and placemat, but by using wool and mohair in place of cotton, and extending the length ( considerably!) I have turned the placemat into a stole. This slip stitch technique (mosaic knitting, though Rebekah doesn't use the term) is one of those marvelous techniques that looks much more complicated than it is. Only one colour is used at a time, with stitches slipped to create the pattern. I hid the ends carefully on the wrong side to maintain the pattern. Although the pattern on the back is more subtle than the front, it is there.