Floating rings are those rings which appear to come out of the top of the stitches on a chain. The chain always has a smooth core and the rings can be joined to one another or made free floating. Josephine knots, tiny rings consisting of 8-10 first halves of the double stitch, are also usually worked as floating rings and often replace picots on the chain.
To make floating rings you will need two tatting shuttles, one for working the main chain and one for working the rings which float on it. I have adapted a traditional motif so that you can practise making Josephine knots and ordinary rings. I have no tatted sample but the diagram will show you how to place the stitches.
Needle tatters can also use this motif as practice for making floating rings and Josephine knots. Your version of the pattern is here
MATERIALS
- 2 tatting shuttles
- Crochet cotton of your choice - around No. 20 would be good for practising with if you haven't made Josephine rings before.
- Hook for joining
ABBREVIATIONS
- - = picot
- + - join
- C = Chain
- DNRW = Do Not Reverse Work
- HS = Half Stitch (typically in Josephine knots this will be the first half of the double stitch)
- JK = Josephine Knot (also known as Josephine Ring)
- R = Ring
- RW = Reverse Work
- SH = Shuttle
PATTERN NOTES
Remember to work the floating rings and Josephine knots as close as possible to the chain stitches as possible - there should be only the smallest possible gap between the two elements. The joining picots at the centre of the piece should be as small as is possible to make the joins.
- SH 1
R 6-4-6 (these picots should be as small as possible), RW. - SH 1
C 8, DNRW. - SH 2
JK of 8 x HS, DNRW. - SH 1
C 8, DNRW. - SH 2
R 4-2-2-2-2-4, DNRW. - SH 1
C 8, DNRW. - SH 2
JK of 8 x HS, DNRW. - SH 1
C 8, tension the long C, RW. - SH 1
R 6+4-6, RW. - Repeat Steps 2 through to 8 once more, then Steps 2 through to 7 once more.
- SH 1
R 6+4+6, RW. - Repeat Steps 2 through to 7 once more, J to base of 1st R and finish ends.
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