March 2 - One Ring Shamrock by Ruth

Copyright 2006 Ruth Perry

This interesting little Three Leaf Shamrock is something I designed while playing with Maltese rings. Begin with two pieces of green thread, each about a yard or so long. Great for using up bits of thread left over from another project. I do mostly finger tatting, but you could use two shuttles each with one of the threads wound on it. The two threads are not continuous.

The ring is tatted as a direct ring, that is all the stitches are reverse stitches like the second half of a split ring. The second thread is held in the pinch and is sometimes wrapped around the little finger like the ball thread when tatting a chain, when you tat over it along with the core thread of the ring.

This diagram shows one leaf completed and one almost completed.

Shamrock Ring:

*[Sh1] 1 r st tatted over both threads

[S2] 1 r st tatted over core thread only

S1 picot about 1/2" long made by direct tatting 1 reverse stitch over just S2 thread

S2 picot about 1/4" long made by direct tatting 1 r st over the core thread

S1 picot about 1/2" long made by direct tatting 1 reverse stitch over both threads

*

Repeat between * * two more times then pull the core thread (see diagram) to close the ring

Direct Tat 15 r st over all thread ends with either shuttle to make the stem. Finish with a bead and work in the ends, or tie an overhand knot to make a small tassel.