tassel tips n tricks

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Over the years I’ve assimilated a few tips and tricks for making the perfect tassel – umm, aspiring to. I was simply going to share the link to this latest trick, except that the link does not open now without membership to the Japanese site/platform. Despite a fairly thorough search I couldn’t find a single video or pin where this trick was used, hence I made a quick collage.

With tassel earrings raking up quite a storm, it is a simple and neat trick to have in one's kitty. 

1. Cut a length of paper and roll it over the tassel. The length of the paper cylinder should be the desired length of tassel.
2. It is important that the cylinder is snugged up to the base of the tassel if one wants identical lengths as in earrings.
3. Then snip close to and along the lower edge of paper. Remove paper, and voilà, we have a neatly trimmed, perfect tassel each and every time!
4. This tip was shown in stepwise detail, by sekiraralace here to make red tassel earrings. 

Some more tassel-making links and tips

• Rachael Mohler’s video. 

• Silk thread tassel earrings using fork – uppunutihome’s video 
• Midway through the above video, notice how the threads curl and spread when she puts the scissors inside the tassel and cuts? Judith Connors had once highlighted this point in Craftree (sorry, don’t have a link) – Always cut across, never through the threads. This keeps the threads together and it really works.

There are loads more youtube videos, all pretty similar.

• When I shared Stephanie Wilson’s tip about using scrap threads, she sent me another tip – she adds a few strands of metallic scrap threads to the tassel!!!

• And lastly my own tips for a frayed tassel  

UPDATE (Apr 24, 2019): Patricia Lynn-Cobb has an excellent tutorial for a Great Tassel. Download the pdf from this post.

• DIY satin ribbon tassels video  

Do you have a tassel tip or trick or tutorial to share? I would love to add it to this list which will be on the Tatting Resources tab above. Waiting eagerly to hear from you …

A new CKP voyage

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When the class material for March 14 was posted, I grabbed hold of the opportunity to try my first CKPs. No, this is not Vulcan for ‘Live Long and Prosper’, although I do wish the same for all you wonderful readers :-)

Welcome aboard …

STAR TREK BANGLE*

Patricia Lyn Cobb

* click for pattern; pdf from class material link

Threads : When trying out something new, I prefer size 20 thread.

Anchor Mercer . Art 4504. Copper/Burnt Sienna – 0896 ; Dark Yellow – 0289

Metallic wire/thread in copper & silver.

Measurements :

Inner Circle : ¾”  ;  Outer Circle : < 1½” ;  1¾” with CKP

Techniques I used :

Celtic Knotted Picots (CKP), Split Rings, picot gauge for CKP, Catherine Wheel Joins, S-Chain, S-Chain with picots.     

One can climb out from inner circle with a SR or a double core SSSR, but this time I followed the simple route of cut & tie.

I love the use of CKP – a lacy way to cover negative space, and join 3 elements together !

When not adjusted/opened, the outer CKPs produce a single-picot angled effect which can be used creatively in an ensuing round !

TIP : While making the CKPs, in order to hold each loop in place, I had cut out little card stock picot gauges that I left inserted till joining was required (forgot to take pics).

Since the CKPs needed to be blocked, in order to keep them open, I inserted spacer pins. These weighed down the medallion & made a Lovely carousel. Photograph does not do justice to the fun transformation. 

TIP : One can add beads to the CKPs or chains of beads all around to weigh down the medallion; add findings above & Voila, one has a jhumka earring ! Or use as decorative tree ornament.  

The outer CKPs definitely called for blocking before I could proceed further. And this time, a rolling pin would not work, since each loop had to be opened & pinned individually !

I didn’t have a bangle of required diameter & was too lazy to look for a substitute. Instead I tied 2 metallic wire threads, joined them to one CKP loop & tatted an S-chain of 10 stitches, 1ds in next CKP loop, 1picot, 1ds in next loop of same CKP. Continue. 

To finish off, I continued with an S-chain with picots between spaced-out stitches. This can hopefully be used as a tree ornament.

TIP : The stitch count was arrived at by marking the distance between CKPs on a paper & drawing a straight line between them since I wanted a hexagon.

After 3 sides were tatted, I panicked, thinking that the hexagon sides were too tight. So 2 sides on the left have 12 stitches in the S-chain, hence the curvature.

What I don’t like is that the weaving overlap of outer CKP loops is not clearly visible. Maybe another stitch would help separate the loops ?

Before using the S chain with picots, I did a quick trial with the metallic wires. The first part (on left) has closely snugged stitches, while the latter half has stitches pulled apart by the distance of each picot.

This gives a mock Pearl Tatting effect, using only 2 threads.

I really enjoyed tatting this little medallion - worked in just one sitting - & converting it into a hexagon. Love the Celtic Knotted Picots – both for their effect and their multi-utility. They are a bit fiddly, though, & I may be wary of using them with size 40 thread. But who knows what lies beyond the horizon, in the vast galaxy !

Thanks to Patricia for her lovely pattern and don’t miss her delightful allegorical tutorial of the Catherine Wheel Join here.