There are a number of different techniques that are included in tatting right from the beginning but a lot of new tatters are confused about picots. Many old patterns are written like this:-

1^st Ring
4 ds, 3 p sep by 4 ds, 4 ds, cl. r, rw.

1^st Chain
4 ds, p, 4 ds, rw.

Ring
4 ds, J to last p of previous r, 4 ds, 2 p sep by 4 ds, 4 ds, cl. r rw.

Repeat from the 1^st Chain until the edging is the length you require.

This particular edging is a traditional one which many people learn as their first pattern. What confuses the beginner is whether to count the picot as a separate element in the ring or to make a special double stitch. In other words, should you work the ring like this:-

4 ds, make a picot followed by a double stitch for that picot, 4 ds, make another picot and double stitch followed by four doubles, make the 3rd picot and double stitch followed by four doubles?

The answer is no. The ring only includes the number of double stitches which are listed in the pattern, in this case 16 per ring (4 sets of 4 DS with three picot loops between them). It becomes clear therefore that the picot is a stitch element in its own right and is listed separately from the double stitches as such.

Picots can be spaced as close as one double stitch apart or as far apart as you like. You can have lots of picots on your ring or chain, picots placed only for joining or none at all depending on the pattern! Have fun and experiment to see the different effects you can achieve.

Picots can be very short or very long, or any length in between. Many tatters use a slip of card to measure picots, but if you are writing a pattern with this technique be sure to state whether the card is held flat between the two threads, or is held at right angles to the core thread inside the stitches. It makes a big difference to the length of the picot!

Try it by making a slip of card a quarter of an inch wide and about two inches long; postcard weight is fine. You can use a piece of index card and make a whole set of gauges if you like, just measuring them to different widths. Patchwork template plastic also works well and lasts a lifetime.

First make a ring as described in the pattern above, placing the slip of card flat between the thread coming out of the core of the stitches and the thread actually making the stitches for each picot. It should be snug up against your double stitches. You will find each picot is HALF the length of the card because the picot is actually folded up in half when you have made it.

Now make the chain or leave a space on your thread, whichever you prefer, and try making another ring. This time, the slip of card or plastic should be placed at right angles to the threads coming out of the stitches, with its base exactly against the thread coming from the core of the stitches and lying snug against the last stitch. In this case, make a double stitch folding the thread over the card as you go - this is a little tricky to handle but keep practising! You will find that this picot is the same width as the card.

Finish this ring and examine the two side by side. The picots on the first ring should be half the length of the picots on the second ring.

For this lesson, practise making rings with picots spaced in lots of different ways. Make yourself a set of measuring gauges and try out measured picots - it takes a little more time but you will be able to get lots of special effects and you can use the gauges as well to make sure all your picots are the same length if the pattern you are making is very frilly.