Beaded Bracelet
...or necklace, or glasses chain...
My favorite tatted bracelet is super-easy, has lots of beads and is really a beginner project even thought it uses "pearl tatting" which is sometimes called an advanced technique. I learned this technique from Pat Stevens, and I love it!
You need two balls of thread and one shuttle. I use size 20 thread and size 8 seed beads, and I put about 20 beads on each ball for a bracelet for me (with large wrists). the shuttle can be wound CTM to one ball or not, it can even be a different thread, it won't show. It also doesn't need much thread on it: the length of the bracelet plus room to work is enough. The two balls can be the same color or different colors.
For now I'm going to give intructions that leave you with 3 loose ends at each end, you can figure out a tatted ring at one end and a button at the other end and hide all of the ends that way, but I often just tie on a clasp. You could also knot the ends and hide them inside of a bead tip for a dressier finish.
So you have ball 1 (in this photo a fish shuttle), ball 2 (each with beads) and one shuttle. Tie all 3 threads together, ball 1 on left, shuttle in middle, ball 2 on right. Chain from ball 1: 6 ds (or, a little longer than one of your beads). Snug up your chain, slide a bead from ball 2 all the way down, turn the work (like turning the page in a book) and chain from ball 2: 6 ds (or whatever number you come up with). Snug chain, slide a bead from ball 1, turn the work back, chain from ball 1... Keep repeating back and forth until it is long enough, slide down that last bead, and tie the ends. You'll have a series of beads on opposite sides of a curving chain. If each ball of thread is a different color, you'll get a pretty alternating pattern.
In the top photo, the pink one uses 2 colors of thread and various fake pearls, it has about 10 ds for each bead. The green one is the size 8 beads and 6 ds per bead. Both are size 20 Opera thread.
Designed and tatted by Emma Crew, Summer 2001.
© Emma Crew, 2001
emmacrew@yahoo.com
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