Simple, narrow edging that looks a bit like it’s braided
Today’s pattern is a quick and easy one; it’s quite similar to the first edging I ever attempted in tatting, although I think the added shoelace trick and second point of attachment improves it.
I also added a ruffle chain section, which I think improves it a tiny bit, but is totally optional.
Pattern:
- Ring 15ds, picot A, 3ds. small picot B; 12ds or (2 first-half single stitches, 2 second-half single stitches) x6 to make a ruffle section.
- Chain 3ds, join A of previous motif, 18ds.
- Pass needle through small picot B (or make whatever wrong-side join you like) and shoelace trick.
- Repeat from step 1.
I think the smaller you can make picot B while still being able to make the join (which for needle tatting just means you need to get the needle through it), the better, but it’s not tremendously important.
seesawyer 
What are wrong-side joins, and shoelace trick? I’m pretty new to tatting and haven’t come across those terms yet!
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Whoops, I try to define or link-back terms like that when I use them, but must’ve not been paying attention!
In this case, the join is done by passing the needle through the picot before starting the next section of stitches – this connects the old picot to the new work on the plain side, rather than the bumps/knots side, thus “wrong side join”. I am sure there are other ways to accomplish the same effect, especially in shuttle or cro-tatting, so I made that comment for folks that have a preferred way to join on the wrong side, but if you are using a needle, just pass it through the picot.
The “shoelace trick” is to tie a single knot as if you were tying a shoelace. The goal is to swap the needle and ball threads, so that if you have rings on the left-hand side of the work and chains on the right, you can now start making rings on the right and chains on the left. It also swaps the side of a chain that the bumps/knots are on. If you do a web search for “tatting shoelace trick” you can find tutorials in various formats.
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And I should’ve checked out your blog before replying, rather than after; I would’ve seen you’re using shuttles! I’ve never used shuttles, so I may mess this up, but: the goal is to tie the working thread to the picot somehow; anything that accomplishes this goal and looks nice will do. I would use a small hook (some shuttles have them, or use a small crochet hook) to pull a loop of the working thread (not the ball thread, as you would in a normal join) through the picot, pass the shuttle through that loop, and cinch the knot thus formed tight against the end of the chain.
Looks like in shuttle tatting this is also called a “shuttle join” or “locking join” if you want to look for tutorials in your preferred format; http://www.georgiaseitz.com/classes2001/shtljoin.html looks like a good discussion of the idea.
In shuttle context, I believe the “shoelace trick” is used to make this a single-shuttle pattern, and you can work the pattern with two shuttles instead by replacing the “shoelace trick” instruction with “switch shuttles”. Again, I’ve not done any shuttle tatting, so I may be wrong about this.
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I actually do tat with both shuttle and needle…it seems to me that some designs lend themselves better to one or the other!! But I’m a complete novice at this, really, so take anything I say with a grain of salt!! I’m still learning, and your blog has a wealth of information! Thanks so much for clarifying for me!
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